This is a photograph is from the finish of the Celbridge AC Ray Crofton Kia 5KM Road Race and Fun Run which was held at Celbridge AC running track, Clane Road, Celbridge, Co. Kildare, Ireland on Sunday 14th August 2016 at 11:00. The 5KM route today is a new revised route which was created for the 2015 race. The 5KM Road Race is a continuation of the successful 5KM race held annually by the club in the past.

The race started on the Clane Road outside the Celbridge AC grounds and proceeded on a left-handed loop which took participants close to Celbridge mainstreet before taking a left turn westwards to return back to the Clane Road and the grounds of Saint Wolstan's Community School and North Kildare Educate Together. The final 600meters of the race were held on the beautifully manicured grass track of Celbridge AC. The race was held in beautiful summer weather with temperatures of around 16C making very favourable and pleasant conditions for participants. There was excellent marshalling and route layout with stewards on all junctions to ensure safe traffic management. Refreshments were served after the race where many participants enjoyed the morning sunshine and sat down on the grass around the track to talk and review the race. Last year this race also marked a significant milestone for Celbridge AC who were celebrating 50 years as an athletic club. Celbridge is a small town on the banks of the River Liffey and is only a short distance from the county border line with Dublin. The proximity to Dublin sees Celbridge boast a large population and the race today reflected this with a very large number of local athletes taking part from the almost 300 participants.

We have a full set of photographs from the start and finish of the race today on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157669349988524

Our photographs from 2015: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157656917110560

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 directly 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.

BUT..... Wait there a minute....

We take these photographs as a hobby and as a contribution to the running community in Ireland. We do not charge for our photographs. Our only "cost" is that we request that if you are using these images: (1) on social media sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, Twitter,LinkedIn, Google+, VK.com, Vine, Meetup, Tagged, Ask.fm,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 or acknowledge us as the original photographers.

This also extends to 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 this photographic image here directly 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. Have a look for a down-arrow symbol 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 takes 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.

Let's get a bit technical: 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.

Above all what Creative Commons aims to do is 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

Family: Charadriidae is a small (18 cm) wader in the plover family of birds. It lives in beaches, mud flats, grasslands and on bare ground. Two subspecies are recognised, the nominate bicinctus breeding in New Zealand and the Chatham Islands and Charadrius bicinctus exilis breeding in the Auckland Islands. Adults in breeding plumage are white, with a dark greyish brown back, and have a distinctive brown breast, with a thinner band of black below the neck, and between the eyes and beak. Younger birds have no bands, and are often speckled brown on top, with less white parts. They are fairly widespread in the south of New Zealand, but not often seen in the north. The nominate subspecies is partly migratory, breeding in New Zealand and the Chatham Islands and some wintering in Australia, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji, others staying in New Zealand. The Auckland Islands subspecies is sedentary but some birds move from their territories to the shore. Their eggs are grey, speckled with black, making them well camouflaged against river stones and pebbles, which make up the main structure of their very simple nest. Size: 20 cm, 60g; adult in breeding plumage is white underneath with 2 bands, a thin black band on the lower neck and a broad chestnut band on the breast; non breeding plumage is variable but largely without the bands; short dark grey bill, black eye, yellowish, grey, green legs.

Yes, I do support the underestimated couples :)

No rude comments, please

Hollywood is a famous district in the central region of Los Angeles, California.

It is prominent for its place as the home of the entertainment industry, including several of its historic studios. Its name has come to represent the motion picture industry of the United States. Hollywood is also a highly ethnically diverse, densely populated, economically diverse neighborhood and retail business district.

Hollywood was a small community in 1870 and was incorporated as a municipality in 1903. It merged with the City of Los Angeles in 1910, and soon thereafter a film industry began to emerge, eventually becoming dominant in the world. New buildings, roadways and a public transportation system have transformed the neighborhood.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

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

De Sint-Dimpnakerk is een gotische kerk te Geel. Ze wordt qua bouwstijl tot de Demergotiek gerekend. Het is een kruisbasiliek met vieringtoren en zware hoofdtoren.

De kerk is gewijd aan de heilige Dimpna, die volgens de legende hier in 600 onthoofd en begraven moet zijn: als men schreef 30 may ses hondert jaer - s. Dymphna hier onthalst is van haer eygen vaer. Het was een bedevaartskerk, waarbij vooral genezing gezocht werd voor psychiatrische patiënten. Mogelijk lag hier de oorspronkelijke kern van Geel, maar deze verplaatste zich allengs naar de huidige Markt, waar zich de Sint-Amandskerk bevindt, die als de oudste parochiekerk van Geel fungeert.

Aan de huidige kerk begon men te bouwen in 1349. Ze werd opgetrokken in witte zandsteen. In 1489 werd ze geteisterd door brand, waarna er herbouw en uitbreiding plaatsvond. Dit betreft met name de massieve toren, versierd met speklagen van witte zandsteen en bruine ijzerzandsteen. De bouw duurde tot 1585, maar de toren is nimmer voltooid.

In 1532 stichtte Jan III van Merode, heer van Geel, een college van 10 vicarissen om de kerk te bedienen en Missen op te dragen voor de bedevaartgangers. Dit werd in 1562 verheven tot een kapittel. In 1566 woedde de beeldenstorm, waarbij de beelden die het portaal sierden werden vernield. Tijdens de beloken tijd (eind 18e eeuw) werd de Sint-Dimpnakerk geconfisqueerd en openbaar verkocht, maar in 1801 kregen de katholieken de kerk weer terug. Pas in 1874 kreeg de Sint-Dimpnakerk de functie van parochiekerk en werd daarmee de tweede parochiekerk van Geel-Centrum.

De kerk liep grote schade op in 1944, maar het interieur bleef, dankzij de sterke gewelven, intact. Restauratie volgde van 1950-1952.

This is a photograph from the 32nd annual Bohermeen AC Patrick Bell and Nicky Phillips Memorial 5KM Road Race, Jog, Walk, and Fun Run which was held at Bohermeen AC, Ardbracan, Navan, Co. Meath, Ireland at 19:30 on Saturday, 10th June 2017. The race was held in very summer conditions with a strong summer breeze. This year seen a return to the traditional fixture on the first or second Saturday in June as the race was held on the last Sunday in May last year 2016. The race commemorates Patrick Bell, the late Bohermeen clubman who died tragically in the summer of 1985 following a traffic accident, whilst returning home from Cork having competed in the National track championships. Nicky Phillips is a former athlete and president of Bohermeen AC and is also remembered today. The wonderful atmosphere, the great racing and participation, the work by the club, Meath Athletics, the local community, and the beautiful summer's day, yet again, a fitting tribute to Patrick's memory and his contribution to Athletics in Ireland. The race also commemorates clubman Nicky Philips. Congratulations to everyone involved. Everything that is good about grassroots athletics and running in Ireland was on show in Bohermeen today. The race started 400m from the Bohermeen AC track and heads towards Navan. The course then makes 3 right hand turns around some beautiful rural country roads and turns back to Bohermeen AC and then back for the final kilometer which is straight to the track and the finish on about 60 meters of athletics track. Participants, friends and families were able to enjoy a BBQ outside on the infield of the athletics track at the club house. Over 450 runners, walkers and joggers took part in today's event with many more choosing to take part without chip timing.

All photographs were taken at around the 3KM mark.

Timing and event management was provided by MyRunResults http://www.myrunresults.com/. Our full set of photographs is available here on Flickr [https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157682887957020]

Spring is like a perhaps hand

(which comes carefully

out of Nowhere) arranging

a window, into which people look (while

people stare

arranging and changing placing

carefully there a strange

thing and a known thing here) and

changing everything carefully

spring is like a perhaps

Hand in a window

(carefully to

and fro moving New and

Old things,while

people stare carefully

moving a perhaps

fraction of flower here placing

an inch of air there) and

without breaking anything.

~E. E. Cummings~

Explored

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

PLEASE NOTE: -

“MUDA” is a singular word relating to one of the mercantile convoys sailing out of Venice each year.

“MUDE” is a plural word relating to several, or all, of the mercantile convoys sailing out of Venice each year.

27 leaves, leaf size 249mm x172mm (9 3/4ins. X 6 8/10ins.) with a text block of 172mm x 98mm (6 8/10ins. x 3 17/20ins.).

Single column, 29 lines in a superb, elegant, humanistic cursive minuscule script in black, probably all written by the same scribe. Many ascenders on the top line, and descenders on the bottom line, have been embellished.

This manuscript include two texts, the first being the Regulations of the Muda of Venice to Alexandria, and the second being the Journal of the Muda to Alexandria that set sail from Venice on 21st. May, 1504. The manuscript was probably written in that city in that year.

A FULL DESCRIPTION IS ATTACHED TO THE OVERVIEW.

Folio 4 recto (Original Folio 5 recto)

TRANSCRIPTION

(32)

Culphi,ordmatum, et firmatum est per nostra consilia, et sic servabis

q Capitaneus Galearum Culphi sit et esse debeat Capitanens generalis

dictarum galearum, et omnium navigiorum nostrorum armatorum &

disarmatorum, et facere Capitaneariam dones erunt simul.

(33)OMnes bulletas quas extra Venetias fieri facies pro cari eando merca -

tiones in galeis debeas facere ordinate registrari, & seribi in uno qua -

terno ut bene appareant, Et similiter debeas comittere patronis gale -

arum tibi commissarum, q onmes bullete que facte fuerint p te pro car -

ricondo debeant p sim seribam notari facere, & diligenter registra -

ri : Salvando tamen bulletas predictas ne perdantur, quos omnes

quaternos tu, et Patroni praedicti simul cum dictis cedulis dare

teneamini in vestro reditu, & prontare exordinariis quibus com -

missum est q debeant disearricare galeas iuxta formam dictorum

quaternorum et cedularum.

(34)QUicunq patronus approbatus p nostra consilia qui exinerit remane -

re in aliqua parte aliqua causa, nisi causa infirmitatis sue persone

que sit talis : q acceptet per Capitaneum armatae, et ut in isto cau

Capitanei ponant alium sufficientiorem quem poterunt, et contrafacien -

tes cadant ad penam libr quinq pro quolibet, & quolibet vice et com -

misum est advocatoribus comunis in Venetiis, et Capitano ex Venetiis

q predicta faciant observari, & exigant a contrafacientibus penam

predictam de qua haenant medietatem, et reliquum sit cois. Et si ad -

vocatores erunt negligentes ad excutiendum dictam penam, cadant

de tantundem, & Domini de nocte exigant penam ab advocatoribus

et Capitanus vel Advocatores sub pena libr ducenorum pro quolibet

ponente vel consentiente partem in contrarium.

(35)ET teneris dare sacramentum omnibus mercatoribus galearum tibi

Folio 4 recto (Original Folio 5 recto)

POSSIBLE ENGLISH TRANSLATION

32. …................ Culpho, ordered and confirmed by our plans, and so perfect that the said captain Captain General of the said galley Culpho and and all our galleys and boats both armed and unarmed and made accountable to him.

33. All those armed galleys that are in the same trade that that can get together outside of Venice should do so in order to be registered, and at greater length one in four appear as well to be similarly bound to the committee of the patrons of the galleys, yourself have also committed, that all the armed galleys have been made available to you should be noted by the scribe, and carefully registered, so that those armed shall not be lost, and that all four are together with with the above mentioned patrons and to give assurance of committing to a safe return extraordinarily quickly which should be decided upon according to the terms agreed by these four galleys.

34. Whosoever is the patron that is accordingly approved to remain in any part of our plans has any cause, who is such a person, unless it be for reasons of: a person for reasons of: a person the be accepted by the captain of armed men, and that in the case of the captain's account, which will be able to be put by someone else more adequate, and, opposed to the punishment of five pounds for each one, then after it was discussed and at any time, as is common in Venice and from Venice, and the captain may have observed the aforesaid, and, opposed the penalty aforesaid, of which ????? half of the demand and the rest of the costs. And if the advocates carelessly strike off a penalty imposed, so much of the loss, and of the increasing requirements from the penalty of the advocates and the captain or the advocates under the pain of two hundred pounds for each reckoning or with the consent of the other.

35. And being bound to you the secrets of all the merchant's galleys ….............

This is one of four bookshelves I made last summer.

For me, beauty is not found in the bookshelf alone, but as a whole, loaded with books. Who want's to look at an empty bookshelf?

Many of the books on these shelves ended up being ordered by imprint. You can see lots of orange Penguins, Picadors, a few Oxford Classics, all paperbacks.

And then the rest is random little collections -a column of Don Delillo (top shelf, middle), three columns of Nabokov (from third shelf up, on the right hand side), next to a whole lot of Beckett, topped by some Graham Greene.... Love my books!

By Andrew La Grouw

This is a photograph from the Clane and Rathcoffey Parishes annual 10KM and 5KM Road Races and Fun Runs which were held in Clane village, Co. Kildare, Ireland on Sunday 19th of October at 14:30. This year's event follows on from the very successful staging last year (see link to photographs below). The organisers offer both a 5km and 10km race and the event provides an opportunity for runners, joggers, and walkers of all abilities to take part in the event. The 5KM has a particular emphasis on family entrants. There was a wonderful atmosphere around the Village as both races started and finished on the main street outside the parish hall. The directly out-and-back routes provided an opportunity for a fast time on a good course and made for a great finish line atmosphere as runners, joggers, and walkers crossed the line. Great praise must be extended to the whole organising committee who organised a very efficiently run event. The events provide some runners with an opportunity to have a final race effort session in the week leading up to the Dublin City Marathon.

Event Management and Electronic Timing was provided by Irish company Precision Timing. Their website is here with links to results from the race www.precisiontiming.net/result/racetimer

This photograph is part of a larger set of photographs taken at today's event. Photographs were taken at the start, 400 meters gone, 400 meters to go, 1km gone, and at the 9KM/4KM mark. The URL of the full set of photographs is www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157636717081724/

Viewing this on a smartphone device?

If you are viewing this Flickr set on a smartphone and you want to see the larger version(s) of this photograph then: scroll down to the bottom of this description under the photograph and click the "View info about this photo..." link. You will be brought to a new page and you should click the link "View All Sizes".

Overall Race Summary and Logistics

Participants: There were about 200 competitors combined in the two events.

Weather: The weather was very changeable for all of the events. During the 10KM race there was a heavy rain shower around the area of the 6KM mark but this didn't actually fall in the town. There was a strong headwind against competitors in the 10KM on the return part of the course between 6KM and 8KM.

Race Course:

This summary includes information on both the 5KM and 10KM races.

Both races start in the same place - just outside the Race HQ on the main street of the town. The races then proceed north eastwards out the Dublin Road towards Straffan and Celbridge. Just after 400 meters the races take a left up a small local road and proceeds along this road until it takes a tight left hand turn at the end of the lane at Capdoo goo.gl/maps/aPo26 (Google Streetview). The route proceeds until it shortly meets the Clane-Kilcock Road - College Road R407 goo.gl/maps/SGcPa. Both races will divert into Clane Business and Industrial Park goo.gl/maps/EQMf0 . The 5KM turns around and returns on the same route to the finish. However the 10KM race continues (taking a left) back onto College Road. Soon afterwards it passes the famous entrance to Clongowes Wood College on the right the race takes the next left (goo.gl/maps/zUhrJ) and brings runners onto the road known locally as the 'Long Road' (R408 Between Rathcoffey and Prosperous) at this point goo.gl/maps/fHKr2. The race proceeds northward until runners meet the Clane Kilcock Road once again. With the exception of the partial run into the Industrial Estate the race returns to the finish on the main street in Clane via the same route as the outward part of the route.

Location Map:

Clane Parish Hall (Race HQ) goo.gl/maps/MgakJ

Start and Finish Location of both races goo.gl/maps/0wiZp

Refreshments:

There was a really wonderful array of refreshments provided in the parish hall after the race for all participants.

Some Useful Links Associated with this Race Event

Facebook Page of the Clane and Rathcoffey Parish: www.facebook.com/ParishOfClaneRathcoffey (May require Facebook login)

Homepage of the Parish of Clane and Rathcoffey: www.claneparish.com/2013/09/parish-run-sunday-20th-octobe...

Garmin Connect GPS Trace of the 2013 Clane 10KM Race: connect.garmin.com/activity/391624847

Garmin Connect GPS Trace of the 2013 Clane 5KM Race: connect.garmin.com/activity/381169067

Boards.ie Athletics Forum Discussion on the 2013 Race: www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057062190

Our Flickr Set of Photographs from the 2012 Clane 5KM and 10KM Races: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157631820732362/

Please note: These links are provided for information purposes. Some of these links might become obselete or dead links as time passess. We cannot be responsible for the content on these external websites. All websites were checked before posting here to ensure that they 'did what they said on the tin'.

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

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 device will also offer you several different options for sharing this photo page on your social media outlets.

How can I get full resolution copies of these photographs?

To prevent missue of these photographs there is a watermark embedded into the images. All of the photographs posted here on this Flickr set are available free, at no cost, at full image resolution without the watermark. 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 without the watermark: (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.

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 - 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. 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 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 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.

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 www.flickr.com/peterm7/sets

Cold Stone is where I had my first date with my wife, who I met on a dating app. We were both very nervous but after finishing our ice cream, we ended up talking in my car for 4 hours. It was only after our first couple dates that she told me she was lactose intolerant....

Dinant is a Walloon city and municipality located on the River Meuse in the Belgian province of Namur, Belgium. It is around 90 km south-east of Brussels.

Subscribe to my photostream via RSS here!!!

Sambalpur is famous for its Sambalpuri variety of cotton and silk sarees. Ikkat patterns or the tie-dye method is employed in the making of Sambalpuri Sarees. Ikkat is a technique which involves applying bindings, which resist dye penetration to the threads in pre-determined patterns, and then dyeing the threads. These dyed threads are then woven to produce the desired pattern. Within the ikkat style are variants of single-ikkat and double-ikkat. Alternately the tie-die method of weaving and then dyeing, known as ‘bandhakala’ is also used. Here the threads are first woven and the resist bindings then applied to the fabric before dyeing it Shanka, chakra, or floral pattern motifs may be seen on the base fabric, with designer colours and patterns chosen to provide the traditionally woven saree, the modern look.

URL:http://www.unnatisilks.com/unm6130-online-corporate-red-handloom-sambalpuri-tie-and-dye-cotton-saree.html

Taken with a Canon 55-250mm IS lens. Type L for a better view.

This church is a Grade I listed building of great importance on account of its unique 20th Century murals painted during the Second World War by the Bloomsbury artists, Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and Quentin Bell. The church is located on a rise in the land with panoramic views of the South Downs both to the east and west.

A barrow mound indicates the prehistoric origin of this sacred site. The oldest portions of the church itself are 12th Century, and the tower arch has 14th Century arrow marks – grooves thought to have been cut by the sharpening of arrows. (Archery practice was made compulsory on Sundays after church by Edward III. The tower was built in 1603.

The Reverend E. Boys-Ellman was Curate from 1837 to 1843 and Rector from 1846 to 1906, and is known for his book Recollections of a Sussex Parson, a remarkable account of his era. He supervised the restoration of the building, completed in 1857.

In 1941, Bishop Bell of Chichester wanted to revive the tradition of murals in rural churches. Encouraged by Sir Kenneth Clark, Frederick Etchells, and others, he commissioned Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, who were living at nearby Charleston Farmhouse, to provide the murals and other decorations. They used family members and local residents as models, and incorporated Sussex scenes.

The garland of roses is carried to the winner's circle by members of the University of Louisville basketball team at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY. 5.4.2013

This is the first piece of art you will see by Bokov, if you are going up the streetstairs.

The penguin welcomes all to the green space that so many people work to keep beautiful.

Letojanni is a comune (municipality), and coastal resort in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 170 km east of Palermo and about 32 km southwest of Messina. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,634 and an area of 6.8 km².Letojanni borders the following municipalities: Castelmola, Forza d'Agrò, Gallodoro, Mongiuffi Melia, Taormina.Main economic activities are agriculture and fishing. Products mostly cultivated are corn, olives, wine-grapes, almonds, lemons, mulberries, fruit. Interesting is the yearly manifestation "Agosto a Letojanni" (August at Letojanni) in which the festival of fish and water-melon and the parade of the Sicilian cart take place. It is also to underline the strong inclination of territory to tourism. In fact in the place there is a good receptive offer both hotel and camping supplied with facilities fit to receive very many tourists especially during summer.The etymology of Letojanni is a mixture of Latin and Arabic. The place-name derives in fact from Latin Laetum,that is "rich", and from Arabic Ayn, that means "spring". There are not many information about origin of the little town but it is known that until half of the XVIII century it has been under the jurisdiction of Gallodoro town. In the XIX century it was involved in a high economic increase and in 1880 it gained administrative equality with Gallodoro. The earthquake of 1908 damaged some of its buildings later rebuilt. In 1952 it became an independent commune. The most interesting monuments are the Parish Church in neogothic style, rebuilt in 1929 and keeps inside a beautiful picture of Piety of 1700. An important figure original of Letojanni is the famous surgeon Francesco Durante (1844-1934), who was teacher of surgery of the joints and bony at the University of Studies of Roma and he was together with Guido Baccelli founder of the General hospital of Roma and finally he was also named senator of the Reign.

Letojanni è un comune italiano di 2.760 abitanti della provincia di Messina in Sicilia.Distante 32 km da Messina e 45 km da Catania, la cittadina fa parte del comprensorio turistico di Taormina.Sino alla metà dell'Ottocento Letojanni fungeva da marina, o borgo dei pescatori, del comune di Gallodoro; la costruzione di una strada provinciale e successivamente della ferrovia favorirono lo sviluppo del borgo, al punto che nel 1879 la sede comunale fu trasferita da Gallodoro a Letojanni, e il comune prese il nome di Letojanni-Gallodoro. Nel 1952 le due località furono separate..Ricco di infrastrutture alberghiere in estate ospita innumerevoli turisti

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3uM9vXCcys

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a California State Park located within the Colorado Desert of southern California, United States. The park takes its name from 18th century Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and borrego, a Spanish word for sheep. With 585,930 acres (237,120 ha) that includes one-fifth of San Diego County, it is the largest state park in California.

The park occupies eastern San Diego County and reaches into Imperial and Riverside counties, enveloping two communities: Borrego Springs, which is home to the park's headquarters, and Shelter Valley.

The park is an anchor in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve, and adjacent to the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

The great bowl of the surrounding desert is surrounded by mountains, with the Vallecito Mountains to the south and the highest Santa Rosa Mountains to the north which are in the wilderness area, without paved roads and with the only year-round creeks.

The park has 500 mi (800 km) of dirt roads, 12 designated wilderness areas, and 110 mi (180 km) of hiking trails. Park information and maps are available in the visitor center. The park has Wi-Fi access.

The park is around a two-hour drive northeast from San Diego, southeast from Riverside or Irvine, and south from Palm Springs. Access on the east-Coachella Valley side is via County Route S22 and State Route 78. Access on the west-Pacific Ocean side is via California County Routes S79. S67 provides access through the high and forested Laguna Mountains, such as in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. These highways climb from the coast to 2,400 ft (730 m) above sea level, then descend 2,000 ft (610 m) down into the Borrego Valley in the center of the park.

A popular site to hike to near the visitor center is Hellhole Palms, a grove of California fan palms in Hellhole Canyon near Maidenhair Falls.

Source: Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anza-Borrego_Desert_State_Park

This is a photograph from 8.5KM mark (and finish area) of both of the races in the 9th annual Longwood Village 10KM and 5KM Road Races and Fun Runs which were held in Longwood Village, Longwood, Co. Meath, Ireland on Sunday 21st October 2018 at 11:00. The races are held annually to support the development of the local GAA club while also supporting local charities. The race has support from Trim AC which sees the race have full AAI premit status. These races have grown steadily over the years and this year again almost 400 participants to part in the two races. This is an impressive statistic given that a very large number of local runners will be preparing for the Dublin City marathon 7 days from now. However both races provide marathon runners and all other runners, joggers and walkers with an ideal opportunity to race on a very fair course in a beautiful rural setting. Barry Clarke of Longwood GAA and Trim AC and his very large group of volunteers deserve the highest of praise for the very high standard of organisation immediately apparent to anyone taking part in the race. Overall the whole day was a great success with the hard work put in by the organising committee ensuring that participants enjoyed their race experience. Both routes were accurately measured, kilometer points clearly marked, junctions well stewarded, and electronic timing provided. The event provided many local runners, joggers, fun runners and walkers with a local event to support whilst at the same time providing runners preparing for events such as the Dublin marathon with an opportunity to race a short, fast, distance in the lead up to marathon day. The GAA club provided excellent stewarding and traffic management all around the course. The race had a professional feel to it and as before it gets better year on year given the very positive feedback from many of the participants each year. The weather in the week leading up to the race was almost ideal for racing but Sunday morning seen some more breezy and wet conditions taking hold for the race, despite high temperatures for this time of year around 12 or 13c.

We have an extensive set of photographs from all of the races today in the following Flickr Album: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157702660163805

Timing and event management was provided by PopUpRaces.ie. Results are available on their website at www.popupraces.ie/

Our photographs from Longwood 5KM and 10KM 2017: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157661720601468

Our photographs from Longwood 5KM and 10KM 2016: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/albums/72157672030705623

Our photographs from Longwood 5KM and 10KM 2015: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157660017638535

Our photographs from Longwood 5KM and 10KM 2014: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157648845224981/

Our photographs from Longwood 5KM and 10KM 2013: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157636477484093/

Our photographs from Longwood 5KM 2012: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157631820426332/

Our photographs from Longwood 5KM 2011: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157627782257481/

Our photographs from Longwood 5KM 2010: www.flickr.com/photos/peterm7/sets/72157625058772687/

Longwood is a small village in South East Co. Meath and is close to the town of Enfield with access to the M4 Motorway.

5KM Course: The 5KM started in Longwood village. Runners then took a left turn in the Village down St. Oliver's Road. This straight section of road brings runners to a left turn onto a very well maintained boreen road for less than one kilometer. The race then emerges and joins with the 10KM at Stoneyford where the runners take a left and then another left before arriving back at the finish line in Longwood GAA club. Overall this is a very fast and flat 5KM with no hills to speak of.

10KM Course: The 10KM event begins in Longwood Village outside Dargan's Pub and proceeds westward out of the village. There are some interesting points along this part of the course. At the 2KM point the runners will run under the double bridges - an aquaduct for the Royal Canal and a bridge carrying the Dublin Sligo Railway line. The race then enters county Kildare just before the 3km and after taking a right turn at the four-cross roads known locally as Lally's Cross it returns to County Meath on top of the River Boyne Bridge (Ashfield Bridge) which forms the county boundary. The race follows a straight road for the next 2KM until runners encounter Blackshade bridge which is the toughest climb on the route. As a point of interest Blackshade bridge brings runners back over the Royal Canal and the Railway line. The race then crosses the River Boyne again at Stoneyford before taking a right which will bring runners on a testing two kilometer stretch with some short hills. The 10KM course then joins with the 5Km course for the final 1.5KM back to Longwood GAA club for the finish.

Glencoe is seen in sunlight shortly after a heavy shower on 8th May 2011.

St Michael, Thorpe le Soken, Essex

I first came here about a year ago. Thorpe is a largish, prosperous village, and this is a big, ugly church, largely rebuilt in the late 19th century from red brick, rubble, puddingstone and ragstone, with a huge tower and big aisles poking beyond the nave. In such a large, busy village it seemed impossible that the church was not accessible, but it was locked, and there was no keyholder notice. I noticed that it was a Forward in Faith church. I thought about phoning the minister, but the last two Forward in Faith vicars I had tangled with were both mildly hysterical, and one had since been imprisoned, so I resisted the temptation and headed westwards to Weeley.

Shortly after writing about this experience on my website I was contacted by the minister here, who seemed a very reasonable chap, so I looked forward to going back. I returned on the occasion of the 2014 Historic Churches Bike Ride, quaintly rebadged in Essex as 'Ride and Stride'. It was my first church of the day. I disembarked at Thorpe-le-Soken station, which is a good mile or so from the village, and headed north, arriving at about a quarter to ten. Now, the Essex bike ride starts at ten o'clock, so I wasn't too surprised to find the church still locked. The parish website says that the church is open every Saturday from ten o'clock anyway. So I waited. Ten o'clock came. No one appeared. Five past ten. I began to get impatient. Two old boys were cutting back the undergrowth in the churchyard, so I asked them if the church was going to be taking part in the Ride and Stride event. They didn't know - It turned out that the minister was away and no one had put their names on the rota. However, one of them was a churchwarden, and he had his keys so he let me into the church.

I stepped into a rather gloomy interior, all of its 19th Century restoration, but obviously well-used and loved, at least on Sundays. I contrasted it with one of my local Forward in Faith churches at Mendlesham in Suffolk, which has quite a different feeling from being open all the time. The man who let me in was very affable, and we chatted for some time. I got the impression that he didn't consider that any church which was not FiF was really a proper church. When I said I was a Catholic he replied, somewhat revealingly, 'oh, so you've gone the whole way'. I haven't gone anywhere, I wanted to reply, but I didn't.

The star of the show here is the screen in the south aisle. It has a 15th Century inscription explaining that a 15th Century guild ale paid for it, a bit like the one at Cawston, but this one is better than Cawston's. I thanked the kind man, put a pound in the box and I headed on to Kirby le Soken.

Hazelwood is Australia’s dirtiest power station and one of the most polluting in the world. Labor promised to close Hazelwood in 2010 but now they sitting on their hands. Not even the devastating mine fire last year has compelled them to act. The campaign to close Hazelwood with an economic transition plan was re-started with a speech by Greens MP Ellen Sandell on the floor of parliament. Over 200 people gathered at lunchtime on the steps of Parliament House to support her call for the Labor Government to start the closure of Hazelwood for a safe climate and protect the health of communities.

Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch Column erected by the Vestery of St Leonard's 1880

Great Eastern Street Opened by Metropolitan Board of Works 1876

Shoreditch London Water Fountain

735/35/221 Paul Street 28-Aug-2003 Drinking Fountain Tabernacle Street Drinking Fountain Great Eastern Street Drinking Fountain (Formerly listed as: Great Eastern Street EC2 Drinking fountain at junction with Pit field Street and Old Street)

II Columnar drinking fountain. 1880 by A Nicholson. MATERIALS: Pink and grey polished granite, bronze finial fittings. DESCRIPTION: 2 granite steps lead up to tall grey granite plinth with semi-circular basins projecting from all 4 sides, backed by arched niches. Narrower upper plinth inscribed on 2 sides; 1876 METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS and VESTRY OF ST LEONARD, SHOREDITCH. Further inscriptions read (south side) GREAT EASTERN STREET OPENED BY THE METROPOLITAN BOARD OF WORKS 1876 and (north) NEITHER IS HE THAT PLANTETH ANYTHING; NEITHER HE THAT WATERETH BUT GOD THAT GIVE THE INCREASE (I Cor. 3:7). Above this a tall Ionic column of polished red granite with sandstone capital (discoloured) and a ball finial in the form of an orb. 8 red granite bollards surround the erection, North face of upper plinth inscribed: "This column erected by the Vestry of St Leonard, Shoreditch, 1880" and artist's name. HISTORY: the fountain was erected to ornament Great Eastern Street, an important new thoroughfare connecting Commercial Street and the docks with the principal east-west route to the north of the City. The designer, A. Nicholson, was a local stone merchant based nearby in Mark Lane. The fountain was moved a short distance to the south-east as part of a programme of street improvements overseen by Transport for London in 2002/3.

historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1226614

Doncaster Station East Coast Train Line 43299 The British Rail Class 43 (HST) is the TOPS classification used for the InterCity 125 High Speed Train power cars, built by BREL from 1975 to 1982 43299 in East Coast Silver Livery. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_43_%28HST%29

Tumbleland is all about comfort and complete coverage. This mid-sized wrap frame is constructed of easy-wearing nylon, embedded rubber nosepads, and responsive spring hinges. Long days outside deserve the respite that PolarizedPlus2® lens technology and Tumbleland provides. Neutral Grey lens offers the highest available light reduction for the richest colors and sharpest contrast. 20% to 32% thinner and lighter than standard glass, it offers the best scratch. Sunglasses Maui Jim Tumbleland #mauijim #verdasco #tennis #sport lenshop.eu/manufacturers/11709-maui-jim/sunglasses

Nunney is a village and civil parish near Frome in the Mendip local government district within the English county of Somerset. The parish includes the hamlet of Holwell.

The name of the village comes from Old English and means Nunna's island.[2]

Today, the tourist attractions are the ruins of Nunney Castle, a historic church, and ducks wandering the streets near the river. The village hall is host to Nunney Acoustic Cafe which provides live music, homemade food, a bar and children's art activities on the second Sunday of each month (except July and August).[3]

On 30 September 2007, Nunney was the subject of a BBC Radio 4 report, asking whether "the prettiest village in England" is a place where we can learn "how to mend our broken society".[4]

Contents [hide]

1History

2Governance

3Geography

4Landmarks

4.1Religious sites

4.2Nunney Castle

4.3Nunney Players

4.4Visit Nunney

5References

6External links

7Gallery of images

History[edit]

Evidence of Roman settlement has been provided by the discovery of a hoard of Roman coins in 1869 at Westdown Farm and a villa with a mosaic floor.[2]

Nunney is mentioned as a manor belonging to William de Moyon in the Domesday Book in 1086, but the book does not mention a castle.[5]

The parish was part of the hundred of Frome.[6]

For many years, from the medieval period until the 19th century, Nunney was the site of water-powered mills owned initially by the Hoddinotts and then by James Fussell.[7]

Wray is not a real castle but a private house built in in the Gothic Revival Style in 1840. It was built for Dr James Dawson, a retired Liverpool surgeon, and is now owned by the National Trust. The house was built using his wife’s inheritance from a gin fortune. Apparently she took one look at the house when it was finished, and refused to live in it.

Wray Castle is a very elaborate building. James Dawson could essentially build whatever he wanted, from a portcullis to turrets which don’t have any access to them, as well as arrow slits and even mock ruins in the grounds.

It was designed by John Jackson Lightfoot who was a trained accountant with an interest in architecture. It was his first and only design as he sadly drank himself to death before it was finished. H.P. Horner, a more experienced architect stepped in to complete the design. So what you see is a combination of Lightfoot’s playful fantasy design and Horner’s practical approach.

After Dr Dawson’s death in 1875, when he was 96, the estate was inherited by his young nephew, Preston Rawnsley. In 1877 Preston’s cousin, Hardwicke Rawnsley, took up the appointment of vicar of Wray Church (next to the Castle and built at the same time by Dr Dawson).

The castle has been in the care of the National Trust since 1929, when it was given to the trust by Sir Noton Barclay to celebrate his year of office as Lord Mayor of Manchester.

Spectacular site with a Turkish tank from the 1974 invasion stuck in a pass in the Pentadaktylos mountains at 700 m altitude.

This military site (Tarihi Tank) is spectacular: the carcass of a Turkish tank from the 1974 invasion is wedged into a pass in the Pentadaktylos/Beşparmak mountains, 700 m above sea level, where you can enjoy grandiose views of the Kyrenia coast. It can be reached via a small mountain road (not shown on Google Maps) linking Karşıyaka (Vasilia/Βασιλεια) to Saint-Hilarion. The carcass is that of an American-made M47 Patton tank that was lost during the Battle of Lapta on August 2, 1974, in an attempt to break through the Pentadaktylos. A Turkish armored column was ambushed here: one vehicle was destroyed, others were abandoned and recovered by the Cypriot National Guard. The surviving M47 was only damaged by a mine explosion. Its tracks can still be seen nearby. But during the towing operation, the tank slid down the slope and remained in place. The site is laid out with a small parking lot, concrete steps, flags, a memorial and (not very) explanatory panels. It lies along the Lapithos trail (Lapta Yürüyüş Parkuru), which is long and difficult: requiring around 5 hours' walking, it forms a 10.2 km loop from Lapta that passes beneath the Kyparissovouno/Selvili peak, the highest point of the Pentadaktylos, at 1,024 m above sea level. Descending from the monument, however, it takes you 1 km down to the abandoned Byzantine monastery of Panagia Kriniotissa, with its beautiful 14th-century church.

The Kyrenia Mountains (Greek: Κερύνειο Όρος; Turkish: Girne Dağları) is a long, narrow mountain range that runs for approximately 160 km (100 mi) along the northern coast of the island of Cyprus. It is primarily made of hard crystalline limestone, with some marble. Its highest peak is Mount Selvili, at 1,024 m (3,360 ft). Pentadaktylos (also spelt Pentadactylos; Greek: Πενταδάκτυλος; Turkish: Beşparmak) is another name for the Kyrenia Mountains, though Britannica refers to Pentadaktylos as the "western portion" of the latter,[4] or the part west of Melounta. Pentadaktylos (lit. "five-fingered") is so-named after one of its most distinguishing features, a peak that resembles five fingers.

The Kyrenian mountains are named after the Kyrenian mountains in Achaia, Greece, which are well known from mythology because of the connection with one of the 12 labours of Hercules, the capture of the Kerynitis deer that lived there. This sacred deer of Artemis with golden horns and bronze legs ran so fast that no one could reach it. Hercules, however, after pursuing it for a whole year, managed to catch it and transport it alive to Mycenae.

A devastating fire in July 1995 burned large portions of the Kyrenia Mountains, resulting in the loss of significant forest land and natural habitat.

The only other mountain range in Cyprus is the Troodos Mountains.

These mountains are a series of sedimentary formations from the Permian to the Middle Miocene pushed up by a collision of the African and Eurasian plates. Though only half the height of the Troodos Mountains, the Kyrenia Mountains are rugged and rise abruptly from the Mesaoria plain.

The location of the mountains near the sea made them desirable locations for watch towers and castles overlooking the northern Cyprus coast, as well as the central plain. These castles generally date from the 10th through the 15th centuries, primarily constructed by the Byzantines and Lusignans. The castles of St. Hilarion, Buffavento, and Kantara sit astride peaks and were of strategic importance during much of the history of Cyprus during the Middle Ages.

A flag of Northern Cyprus is painted on the southern slope of the Kyrenia Mountains. It is reportedly 425 metres wide and 250 metres high, and is illuminated at night.

The flag is considered controversial as evidenced in the Parliamentary Question put to the European Parliament by Antigoni Papadopoulou on 22 October 2009, "How can it permit the existence of such a flag which, apart from the catastrophic environmental damage it causes, the use of chemical substances and the brutal abuse of the environment, involves an absurd waste of electricity at a time of economic crisis? Does Turkey show sufficient respect towards the environment to justify its desire to open the relevant chapter of accession negotiations?"

There are many legends about the Pentadactylos mountains. One tells the story of a conceited villager who fell in love with the local queen and asked for her hand in marriage. The queen wished to be rid of the impertinent young man and requested that he bring her some water from the spring of Apostolos Andreas monastery in the Karpas, a perilous journey in those days. The man set off and after several weeks returned with a skin full of that precious water. The queen was most dismayed to see that he had succeeded, but still refused to marry him. In a fit of rage, he poured the water on to the earth, seized a handful of the resulting mud and threw it at the queens head. She ducked and the lump of mud sailed far across the plain to land on top of the Kyrenia mountain range, where it is to this day, still showing the impression of the thwarted villager’s five fingers.

Another famous one is of the Byzantine hero Digenis Akritas. Tradition has it that Digenis Akritas's hand gripped the mountain to get out of the sea when he came to free Cyprus from its Saracen invaders, and this is his handprint. He also threw a large rock across Cyprus to get at the Saracen ships. That rock landed in Paphos at the site of the birthplace of Aphrodite, thus known to this day as Petra Tou Romiou or "Rock of the Greek".

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bustling Myeong-dong is a shopping area packed with international fashion brands, luxury department stores and homegrown cosmetics shops. Casual eateries offer Korean dumplings and ginseng chicken soup, while street vendors sell Japanese and Thai snacks. Shows mixing folk music and drama are staged at Myeongdong Nanta Theatre. Nearby 19th-century Myeong-dong Cathedral features a Gothic-style bell tower.

Myeongdong (Hangul: 명동; Hanja: 明洞, literally 'bright cave' or 'bright tunnel) is a dong in Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea between Chungmu-ro, Eulji-ro, and Namdaemun-ro. It covers 0.99 km² with a population of 3,409 and is mostly a commercial area, being one of Seoul's main shopping and tourism districts. In 2011, 2012 and 2013, Myeong-dong was listed as the ninth most expensive shopping street in the world. The area is known for its two historically significant sites, namely the Myeongdong Cathedral and the Myeongdong Nanta Theatre.

The Cathedral Church of the Virgin Mary of the Immaculate Conception (Latin: Ecclesia Cathedralis Nostrae Domina de Immaculatæ Conceptionis) (Hangul: 천주교 서울대교구 주교좌 명동대성당) informally known as Myeongdong Cathedral is the national cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul. Located in the Myeongdong neighborhood of Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea, it is the seat of the Archbishop of Seoul Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, the highest Roman Catholic prelate of the nation.

Dedicated to Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception is the principal Patroness of Korea by a Pontifical decree accorded by Pope Gregory XVI in 1841. The cathedral serves as a community landmark, tourist attraction, and a notable symbol of Roman Catholicism in Korea. The Korean government assigned the cathedral as a historic site (No. # 258) on 22 November 1977, making it a cultural property and asset of the country

Krampus is a beast-like creature from the folklore of Alpine countries thought to punish children during the Yule season who had misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards well-behaved ones with gifts. Krampus is said to capture particularly naughty children in his sack and carry them away to his lair.

Krampus is represented as a beast-like creature, generally demonic in appearance. The creature has roots in Germanic folklore; however, its influence has spread far beyond German borders. Traditionally young men dress up as the Krampus in Austria, southern Bavaria, South Tyrol, northern Friuli, Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Croatia during the first week of December, particularly on the evening of 5 December (the eve of Saint Nicholas day on many church calendars), and roam the streets frightening children with rusty chains and bells.

Sharing is fun #overthetop #limemargarita #lacasita #gastown #gastown #raincity #yvr #604 #778 #vancouver #van #lunch #dinner #takeout #supper #latedinner #parties #events #partyfood #restaurant #foodie

Source: instagram.com/patricia_cosgrave

La Casita Gastown

Mexican Food Restaurant

101 West Cordova str, V6B 1E1

Vancouver, BC, CANADA

Phone: 604 646 2444

lacasita.ca

Toxitron is a rejected clone of Transformers Animated Optimus Prime, and its fitting that he is a redeco of Optimus's Toy. Pictured in truck mode.

Based on an old unreleased deco, Toxitron isn't all there and could be considered similar to Bizarro. The paint applications on this figure are quite nice and slimy looking.

He was one of the BotCon 2011 attendee exclusive figures.

Wood painted skulls

Made by me

Www.francescagreco.it

The Port Authority Building (Dutch: Havenhuis), or the Port House, is a government building located in Antwerp, Belgium, built between 2009 and 2016. It is located near the area of Eilandje, in the Port of Antwerp, and acts as the new headquarters of the Antwerp Port Authority, housing various departments. Designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, the building opened in 2016, the year of her death. It is the sole government building designed by Hadid. The design of the building incorporates the use of a fire station, integrating it into the building. Attached above and connected to the fire station is a contemporary diamond-shaped structure marked by straight edges, with an additional column providing support from the floor.

The building houses approximately 500 employees, and acts as a meeting place for international contacts of the Antwerp port community. According to the Antwerp Port Authority, the building is meant to "symbolise the dynamic, reliable, ambitious and innovative nature" of the Port of Antwerp

The expansion of the building is located directly above the renovated fire station. It has a glass-covered facade to "reflect the complex interaction of shades and colours in the air", a reference to the building's location surrounded by water. The volume measures over 100 meters in length. The expansion resembles the hull of a sailing ship, with a protruding bowspirit and the surface of the facets of a diamond facing the Kattendijk dock. This is also a reference to Antwerp's association with the diamond industry.

The exterior of the "diamond" consists of transparent and opaque triangular facets. This allowed the architects to control the amount of sunlight entering the building. The placement of the facets mimicks the nearby River Scheldt. Project manager Joris Pauwels stated that concrete pillars and 900 tonnes of steel hold the glass workspace above the former fire station. A bridge level joins the two structures and gives employees a 360-degree view of the public square and the Scheldt below.

The design of the building took energy efficiency into account, reaching a 'Very Good' BREEAM environmental rating. A borehole energy system pumps water to a depth of 80 meters below grade in over 100 locations around the building to provide heating and cooling. The company Cegelec was in charge of installing and unifying the energy networks of the two buildings, with the insertion of plastic pipes to achieve an energy storage volume of 12 cubic metres.

The restored and preserved fire truck hall contains a public reading room and a library. The whole building has a total floorplan of 12,800 square metres, with 6,600 square metres in the refurbished fire station and a further 6,200 square metres in the extension.

The Port Authority Building (Dutch: Havenhuis), or the Port House, is a government building located in Antwerp, Belgium, built between 2009 and 2016. It is located near the area of Eilandje, in the Port of Antwerp, and acts as the new headquarters of the Antwerp Port Authority, housing various departments. Designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, the building opened in 2016, the year of her death. It is the sole government building designed by Hadid. The design of the building incorporates the use of a fire station, integrating it into the building. Attached above and connected to the fire station is a contemporary diamond-shaped structure marked by straight edges, with an additional column providing support from the floor.

The building houses approximately 500 employees, and acts as a meeting place for international contacts of the Antwerp port community. According to the Antwerp Port Authority, the building is meant to "symbolise the dynamic, reliable, ambitious and innovative nature" of the Port of Antwerp

The expansion of the building is located directly above the renovated fire station. It has a glass-covered facade to "reflect the complex interaction of shades and colours in the air", a reference to the building's location surrounded by water. The volume measures over 100 meters in length. The expansion resembles the hull of a sailing ship, with a protruding bowspirit and the surface of the facets of a diamond facing the Kattendijk dock. This is also a reference to Antwerp's association with the diamond industry.

The exterior of the "diamond" consists of transparent and opaque triangular facets. This allowed the architects to control the amount of sunlight entering the building. The placement of the facets mimicks the nearby River Scheldt. Project manager Joris Pauwels stated that concrete pillars and 900 tonnes of steel hold the glass workspace above the former fire station. A bridge level joins the two structures and gives employees a 360-degree view of the public square and the Scheldt below.

The design of the building took energy efficiency into account, reaching a 'Very Good' BREEAM environmental rating. A borehole energy system pumps water to a depth of 80 meters below grade in over 100 locations around the building to provide heating and cooling. The company Cegelec was in charge of installing and unifying the energy networks of the two buildings, with the insertion of plastic pipes to achieve an energy storage volume of 12 cubic metres.

The restored and preserved fire truck hall contains a public reading room and a library. The whole building has a total floorplan of 12,800 square metres, with 6,600 square metres in the refurbished fire station and a further 6,200 square metres in the extension.

# English

This photograph is part of a set called "Street Studio - Faria Lima" which you can watch here: www.flickr.com/photos/levycarneiro/sets/72157624144376545/

An american photographer made a video where he gives tips on how to take portraits of people on the streets. His images are absolutely wonderful. A fraction of a second, on a life of many kinds of people: business men, workers, elderly, children, teenagers. All of his photographs show a great emotion, expression, feelings. This photographer is Clay Enos.

Inspired by this video I decided to do something. The plan was taking portraits of people passing by on a given Avenue, against a neutral background, and of course asking permission to the people (they would be able to download the image later when it's published on my website - here fotos.levycarneiro.com/). I chose the Faria Lima Avenue, in São Paulo, Brazil. This is like a New York's 5th Avenue, lots of people of different styles passing by. Some "nutjob" friends :) helped me with the experience, thanks Fabio Chaves and Ester Razzo!

We had an great support from people, many of them excited by the idea. Some people weren't that excited, worried about the time or about their portraits being published on a website. Even 2 bikers parked their motorbikes near us, asking me to take their portraits :)

# Português

Esta foto faz parte da coleção Street Studio / Estúdio de Rua - Faria Lima que você pode ver aqui: www.flickr.com/photos/levycarneiro/sets/72157624144376545/

Um fotógrafo americano fez um vídeo onde ele dá dicas para tirar retratos de pessoas na rua. As imagens que ele consegue capturar destas pessoas são simplesmente fantásticas. Mostram um instante, uma fração de segundo, da vida dos mais variados tipos de pessoas: trabalhadores, empresários, idosos, pais de família, crianças, adolescentes. E todos com muita emoção, expressão, sentimento. Este fotógrafo chama-se Clay Enos.

Inspirado por este vídeo, resolvi fazer alguma coisa. O plano era tirar fotos de pessoas na rua, em algum fundo neutro ou claro e simplesmente pedindo permissão às pessoas que passassem (depois elas poderiam pegar estas fotos em meu site - aqui fotos.levycarneiro.com/ ). O local escolhido foi a Av. Faria Lima em São Paulo. Alguns amigos "malucos" me ajudaram e foram essenciais no resultado da experiência. Valeu Fábio Chaves e Ester Razzo!

Tivemos uma grande aceitação das pessoas, muitas animadas com a idéia. Outras nem tanto, já que estavam com muita pressa ou não queriam suas imagens publicadas em um site. Tivemos também a participação de dois motoboys que viram a movimentação, estacionaram e pediram para tirar suas fotos :)

Kentuck Knob is another Frank Lloyd Wright house just six miles from Fallingwater in the town of Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania. The Hagan family of Uniontown, founders of the Hagan Ice Cream company, stayed at Fallingwater and decided they wanted their own Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house. So, they asked him and he designed Kentuck Knob.

It's not as unconventional as Fallingwater, and what's striking is it's actually a house one can live in. It is owned by a British peer presently and he does entertain guests here on occasion.

A striking feature of this house is the kitchen. It's hexagonally shaped, has a 14-foot high ceiling and has a hexagonal skylight incut with triangles in wood. Triangles and hexagons figure prominently in the house.

I don't think a tour is offered where one can take photographs inside, but the owner is an art collector and there's many sculptures on the grounds. There's also a slab from the Berlin Wall. And, the view from the backyard is magnanimous.

Visit it here: http://www.kentuckknob.com/ .

Food is served

Mozilla HQ, Mountain View, California

Nikon D200, 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G VR

DxO (color/exposure, optics, lighting, noise, sharpening)

1/15 sec @ f/3.5, iso 110, 18.0mm (27mm)

____________________________________________________

Lunch 2.0 at Mozilla

Just a shot of people filling up their plates with free (as in food) food. Note that the tablecloth is held down by Firefox stickers. Nice touch.

(Batch processed to keep the natives happy. If there is a good photo here I'll work on them.) See other Lunch 2.0 photos

See where this picture was taken. [?] (You can now see it in Yahoo! Maps by looking to the right.

Carlisle Cathedral

Carlisle Cathedral is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Carlisle in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was founded as an Augustinian priory and became a cathedral in 1133.

Carlisle is the second smallest of England's ancient cathedrals. Its notable features include figurative stone carving, a set of medieval choir stalls and the largest window in the Flowing Decorated Gothic style in England.

Carlisle Cathedral was begun in 1122, during the reign of King Henry I, as a community of Canons Regular following the reform of the Abbey of Arrouaise in France, which followed a strict form of the canonical life, influenced by the asceticpractices of the Cistercians. Many large churches of Augustinian foundation were built in England during this period as the Archbishop of Canterbury, William de Corbeil, was a member of this order, but Carlisle is one of only four Augustinian churches in England to become a cathedral, most monastic cathedrals being Benedictine. The church was begun by Athelwold, an Englishman, who became the first prior. In 1133, the church was raised to the status of cathedral and Athelwold became the first Bishop of Carlisle (1133–55). In 1233, the cathedral priory community were joined by two friaries in the city. A Dominican friary and a Franciscan friary were founded close to the cathedral. The building was refurbished in the 13th and 14th centuries, receiving impetus from the presence of the court of Edward I in 1307.

In the 15th and early 16th centuries, the monastic buildings were renewed. With the Dissolution of the Monasteries from 1536, and the establishment by Henry VIII of the Church of England as the country's official church, the Dominican and Franciscan friaries were dissolved and Carlisle, along with the other monastic cathedrals, was run by a secular chapter like the cathedrals at Lincoln and York, which practice has continued to this day. During the time of the English Civil War, a portion of the nave of the cathedral was demolished by the Scottish Presbyterian Army in order to use the stone to reinforce Carlisle Castle. Between 1853 and 1870 Carlisle Cathedral was restored by Ewan Christian. In the early 19th century, the cathedral became the subject for a geometric analysis by Robert William Billings.

Carlisle Cathedral was commenced in 1123 as a monastic church, possibly on the foundations of an earlier church, in the Norman architectural style with solid masonry, large round piers, round arches and smallish round headed windows. These features may still be seen in the south transept and the remaining two bays of the nave, which are now used as the Chapel of the Border Regiment. The stone is the local red sandstone, which has discoloured almost to black on parts of the exterior. The building has also suffered from subsidence which is evidenced by the piers, which lean at different angles.

In the 13th century, the choir of the cathedral was rebuilt in the Gothic style, wider than the original and on a different axis. However, the new work was severely damaged in a fire in 1292, and the work was recommenced. By 1322 the arcades and the easternmost bay were complete, with the elaborate tracery and glass of the east window being in place by about 1350. The upper stages of the walls were finished, probably by the architect John Lewen who died in about 1398. The Gothic arcade has richly moulded arches with dog's tooth decoration, and the twelve capitals are carved with vegetation along with small lively figures representing the labours of the months.

The choir is roofed by a fine wooden barrel vault dating from the 14th century. In 1856 this was restored and repainted to a new design by Owen Jones. It is thought the eastern bays of the cathedral never received a stone vault because at some point the central spire blew down, and funds were required to rebuild the damaged tower and north transept, completed in about 1420.

The tracery and stained glass of the East Window

The most significant architectural feature of Carlisle Cathedral is its East Window. The tracery of this window is in the most complex of English Gothic styles, Flowing Decorated Gothic. It is the largest and most complex such window in England, being 51 feet high and 26 feet wide. It has nine lights, and tracery, which, it has been calculated, was drafted from 263 points.The tracery of the window still contains much of its original medieval glass.

Carlisle Cathedral has a fine set of 46 carved wooden choir stalls with misericords, which were installed in the early 15th century. Misericords are hinged seats, "constructed to keep the monks from falling asleep while at prayers,"and carved with numerous figures and creatures. Despite their purpose, the "pillars supporting the canopies bear traces of having been burnt, by weary monks who dropped off to sleep in the midst of their interminable devotions while holding a lighted candle in their hands." The misericords were made out of black oak, and their backs carved with scenes of the legends of St. Anthony the Hermit, St. Cuthbert, St. Augustine, and the twelve apostles, as well as mythical themes. The misericords of Carlisle include typical iconography of "half-length angels, beasts deriving from the Bestiary, hybrid creatures, and narrative scenes, including the inverted world theme of the Woman beating a Man that no decent set of misericords could be without."

The delicate gilt canopy over the High Altar is a modern work designed by Sir Charles Nicholson.

Other buildings of interest in the precinct are the Fratry dating from about 1500 and the Gatehouse of 1527. In mediaeval times the Fratry building was the dining hall of the Cathedral Priory.

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, straddling the Bosporus Strait, the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is considered the country's economic, cultural and historic capital. The city has a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population of Turkey, and is the most populous city in Europe[c] and the world's sixteenth-largest city.

The city was founded as Byzantium in the 7th century BCE by Greek settlers from Megara. In 330 CE, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great made it his imperial capital, renaming it first as New Rome (Ancient Greek: Νέα Ῥώμη Nea Rhomē; Latin: Nova Roma) and then finally as Constantinople (Constantinopolis) after himself. In 1930, the city's name was officially changed to Istanbul, the Turkish rendering of εἰς τὴν Πόλιν eis tḕn Pólin 'to the City', the appellation Greek speakers used since the 11th century to colloquially refer to the city.

The city served as an imperial capital for almost 1600 years: during the Byzantine (330–1204), Latin (1204–1261), late Byzantine (1261–1453), and Ottoman (1453–1922) empires. The city grew in size and influence, eventually becoming a beacon of the Silk Road and one of the most important cities in history. The city played a key role in the advancement of Christianity during Roman/Byzantine times, hosting four of the first seven ecumenical councils before its transformation to an Islamic stronghold following the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 CE—especially after becoming the seat of the Ottoman Caliphate in 1517.[ In 1923, after the Turkish War of Independence, Ankara replaced the city as the capital of the newly formed Republic of Turkey.

Istanbul was the 2010 European Capital of Culture. The city has surpassed London and Dubai to become the most visited city in the world, with more than 20 million foreign visitors in 2023. The historic centre of Istanbul is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city hosts the headquarters of numerous Turkish companies, accounting for more than thirty percent of the country's economy.

Neolithic artifacts, uncovered by archeologists at the beginning of the 21st century, indicate that Istanbul's historic peninsula was settled as far back as the 6th millennium BCE. That early settlement, important in the spread of the Neolithic Revolution from the Near East to Europe, lasted for almost a millennium before being inundated by rising water levels. The first human settlement on the Asian side, the Fikirtepe mound, is from the Copper Age period, with artifacts dating from 5500 to 3500 BCE. In the European side, near the point of the peninsula (Sarayburnu) there was a settlement during the early 1st millennium BCE. Modern authors have linked it to the possible Thracian toponym Lygos, mentioned by Pliny the Elder as an earlier name for the site of Byzantium.

There is evidence suggesting there were settlements around the region dating as far back as 6700 BC, and it is hard to define if there was any settlement on exact spot at city proper established, but earliest records about city proper begins around 660 BC when Greek settlers from the Attic town of Megara colonized the area and established Byzantium on the European side of the Bosphorus. It fell to the Roman Republic in 196 BC, and was known as Byzantium in Latin until 330, when the city, soon renamed as Constantinople, became the new capital of the Roman Empire. During the reign of Justinian I, the city rose to be the largest in the western world, with a population peaking at close to half a million people. Constantinople functioned as the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which effectively ended with the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Constantinople then became the capital of the Ottoman Turks.

The population had declined during the medieval period, but as the Ottoman Empire approached its historical peak, the city grew to a population of close to 700,000 in the 16th century, once again ranking among the world's most popular cities. With the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, that country's capital moved from Constantinople to Ankara (previously Angora).

Kirkstall Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Kirkstall, north-west of Leeds city centre in West Yorkshire, England. It is set in a public park on the north bank of the River Aire. It was founded c.1152. It was disestablished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII.

Kirkstall Abbey was acquired by Leeds Corporation as a gift from Colonel North and opened to the public in the late 19th century. The gatehouse became a museum.

Henry de Lacy (1070, Halton, – 1123), Lord of the manor of Pontefract, 2nd Lord of Bowland, promised to dedicate an abbey to the Virgin Mary should he survive a serious illness. He recovered and agreed to give the Abbot of Fountains Abbey land at Barnoldswick in the West Riding of Yorkshire (now in Lancashire) on which to found a daughter abbey. Abbot Alexander with twelve Cistercian monks from Fountains went to Barnoldswick and after demolishing the existing church attempted to build the abbey on Henry de Lacy's land. They stayed for six years but found the place inhospitable. Abbot Alexander set about finding a more suitable place for the abbey and came across a site in the heavily wooded Aire Valley occupied by hermits.

Alexander sought help from de Lacy who was sympathetic and helped acquire the land from William de Poitou. The monks moved from Barnoldswick to Kirkstall displacing the hermits, some of whom joined the abbey, the rest being paid to move. The buildings were mostly completed between 1152 when the monks arrived in Kirkstall and the end of Alexander's abbacy in 1182. Millstone Grit for building came from Bramley Fall on the opposite side of the river.

The buildings

Interior

The English Cistercian houses, of which there are remains at Fountains, Rievaulx, Kirkstall, Tintern and Netley were mainly arranged after the same plan, with slight local variations. As an example, below is the groundplan of Kirkstall Abbey, one of the best preserved.

Kirkstall Abbey

The church is of the Cistercian type, with a short chancel , and transepts with three eastward chapels to each, divided by solid walls. The building is plain, the windows are unornamented, and the nave has no triforium. The cloister to the south (5) occupies the whole length of the nave. On the east side stands the two-aisled chapter-house , between which and the south transept is a small sacristy, and on the other side two small apartments, one of which was probably the parlour . Beyond this is the calefactory or day-room of the monks. Above this whole range of building runs the monks' dormitory, opening by stairs into the south transept of the church.

On the south side of the cloister there are the remains of the old refectory, running, as in Benedictine houses, from east to west, and the new refectory , which, with the increase of the inmates of the house, superseded it, stretching, as is usual in Cistercian houses, from north to south. Adjacent to this apartment are the remains of the kitchen, pantry and buttery. The arches of the lavatory are to be seen near the refectory entrance. The western side of the cloister is occupied by vaulted cellars, supporting on the upper story the dormitory of the lay brothers,

Extending from the south-east angle of the main group of buildings are the walls and foundations of a secondary group of buildings (17, 18). These have been identified as the hospitium or the abbot's house, but they occupy the position in which the infirmary is more usually found. The hall was a very spacious apartment, measuring 83 ft. in length by 48 ft. 9 inches in breadth, which was divided by two rows of columns. The fish-ponds lay between the monastery and the river to the south. The abbey mill was situated about 80 yards to the north-west. The millpool may be distinctly traced, together with the goit or mill stream.

Dissolution and later history ,

On 22 November 1539 the abbey was surrendered to Henry VIII's commissioners in the Dissolution of the monasteries. It was awarded to Thomas Cranmer in 1542, but reverted to the crown when Cranmer was executed in 1556. Sir Robert Savile purchased the estate in 1584, and it remained in his family's hands for almost a hundred years. In 1671 it passed into the hands of the Brudenell family, the Earls of Cardigan. Much of the stone was removed for re-use in other buildings in the area, including the steps leading to Leeds Bridge.

During the 18th century the picturesque ruins attracted artists of the Romantic movement and were painted by artists including J. M. W. Turner, John Sell Cotman and Thomas Girtin. In 1889 the abbey was sold to Colonel John North, who presented it to Leeds City Council. The Council undertook a major restoration project and the abbey was opened to the public in 1895.

The abbey today,

Chapter House of the abbey

This is my second entry to the Bricklink Designer Program Series 6. I appreciate all votes and comments:

www.bricklink.com/v3/designer-program/series-6/2215/The-O...

I love architecture and I decided to design an opera house to Bricklink Designer Program Series 6 and my inspiration came from the opera houses of Budapest and Vienna. I tried to add many typical details, and decorations such as a combination of an arcade and a balcony on the front facade, statues, dormer windows, a brick-built light pole, light on the rear facade, planter etc.. The roof assembly and the auditorium balcony are removable and a big part of the rear wall is openable to make the interior space accessible.

Posted on PigPog: pigpog.com/2015/03/03/this-is-bat-country/

We can’t stop here.

No One Is Innocent

La Cigale - 30/11/2015

© 2015 Laurent Besson