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The compass is one of the most important navigation tools when exploring in nature and travelling in unknown terrains. Be sure to master the use of such fundamental tool. It can in fact save your life!
You live you learn
You love you learn
You cry you learn
You lose you learn
You bleed you learn
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(you learn - Alanis Morissette)
You had seen this bird very often, but do you understand this bird, it's thread and contribution? Let's have a reading about it and learn about this little bird together, includes me. ;)
Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus)
The Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus) is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape, and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version of the adult. This sparrow breeds over most of temperate Eurasia and Southeast Asia, where it is known as the tree sparrow, and it has been introduced elsewhere including the United States, where it is known as the Eurasian tree sparrow or German sparrow to differentiate it from the native unrelated American tree sparrow. Although several subspecies are recognised, the appearance of this bird varies little across its extensive range.
The Eurasian tree sparrow's untidy nest is built in a natural cavity, a hole in a building or the large nest of a European magpie or white stork. The typical clutch is five or six eggs which hatch in under two weeks. This sparrow feeds mainly on seeds, but invertebrates are also consumed, particularly during the breeding season. As with other small birds, infection by parasites and diseases, and predation by birds of prey take their toll, and the typical life span is about two years.
The Eurasian tree sparrow is widespread in the towns and cities of eastern Asia, but in Europe it is a bird of lightly wooded open countryside, with the house sparrow breeding in the more urban areas. The Eurasian tree sparrow's extensive range and large population ensure that it is not endangered globally, but there have been large declines in western European populations, in part due to changes in farming practices involving increased use of herbicides and loss of winter stubble fields. In eastern Asia and western Australia, this species is sometimes viewed as a pest, although it is also widely celebrated in oriental art.
Description
The Eurasian tree sparrow is 12.5–14 cm (5–5½ in) long, with a wingspan of about 21 cm (8.25 in) and a weight of 24 g (0.86 oz), making it roughly 10% smaller than the house sparrow. The adult's crown and nape are rich chestnut, and there is a kidney-shaped black ear patch on each pure white cheek; the chin, throat, and the area between the bill and throat are black. The upperparts are light brown, streaked with black, and the brown wings have two distinct narrow white bars. The legs are pale brown, and the bill is lead-blue in summer, becoming almost black in winter.
This sparrow is distinctive even within its genus in that it has no plumage differences between the sexes; the juvenile also resembles the adult, although the colours tend to be duller. Its contrasting face pattern makes this species easily identifiable in all plumages; the smaller size and brown, not grey, crown are additional differences from the male house sparrow. Adult and juvenile Eurasian tree sparrows undergo a slow complete moult in the autumn, and show an increase in body mass despite a reduction in stored fat. The change in mass is due to an increase in blood volume to support active feather growth, and a generally higher water content in the body.
The Eurasian tree sparrow has no true song, but its vocalisations include an excited series of tschip calls given by unpaired or courting males. Other monosyllabic chirps are used in social contacts, and the flight call is a harsh teck. A study comparing the vocalisations of the introduced Missouri population with those of birds from Germany showed that the US birds had fewer shared syllable types (memes) and more structure within the population than the European sparrows. This may have resulted from the small size of the founding North American population and a consequent loss of genetic diversity.
Taxonomy
The Old World sparrow genus Passer is a group of small passerine birds that is believed to have originated in Africa, and which contains 15–25 species depending on the authority. Its members are typically found in open, lightly wooded, habitats, although several species, notably the house sparrow (P. domesticus) have adapted to human habitations. Most species in the genus are typically 10–20 cm (4–8 in) long, predominantly brown or greyish birds with short square tails and stubby conical beaks. They are primarily ground-feeding seed-eaters, although they also consume invertebrates, especially when breeding. Genetic studies show that the Eurasian tree sparrow diverged from the other Eurasian members of its genus relatively early, before the speciation of the house, plain-backed and Spanish sparrows. The Eurasian species is not closely related to the American tree sparrow (Spizella arborea), which is an American sparrow.
The Eurasian tree sparrow's binomial name is derived from two Latin words: passer, "sparrow", and montanus, "of the mountains" (from mons "mountain"). The Eurasian tree sparrow was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 Systema Naturae as Fringilla montana, but, along with the house sparrow, it was soon moved from the finches (family Fringillidae) into the new genus Passer created by French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The Eurasian tree sparrow's common name is given because of its preference of tree holes for nesting. This name, and the scientific name montanus, do not appropriately describe this species's habitat preferences: the German name Feldsperling ("field sparrow") comes closer to doing so.
Subspecies
This species varies little in appearance across its large range, and the differences between the eight extant subspecies recognised by Clement are slight. At least 15 other subspecies have been proposed, but are considered to be intermediates of the listed races.
- P. m. montanus, the nominate subspecies, ranges across Europe except southwestern Iberia, southern Greece, and the former Yugoslavia. It also breeds in Asia east to the Lena River and south to the northern regions of Turkey, the Caucasus, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Korea.
- P. m. transcaucasicus, described by Sergei Aleksandrovich Buturlin in 1906, breeds from the southern Caucasus east to northern Iran. It is duller and greyer than the nominate race.
- P. m. dilutus, described by Charles Wallace Richmond in 1856, is resident in the extreme northeast of Iran, northern Pakistan and northwest India. It also occurs further north, from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan east to China. Compared to P. m. montanus, it is paler, with sandy-brown upperparts.
- P. m. tibetanus, the largest race by size, was described by Stuart Baker in 1925. It is found in the northern Himalayas, from Nepal east through Tibet to northwest China. It resembles P. m. dilutus, but is darker.
- P. m. saturatus, described by Leonhard Hess Stejneger in 1885, breeds in Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. It is deeper brown than the nominate subspecies and has a larger bill.
- P. m. malaccensis, described by Alphonse Dubois in 1885, is found from the southern Himalayas east to Hainan and Indonesia. It is a dark race, like P. m. saturatus, but is smaller and more heavily streaked on its upperparts.
- P. m. hepaticus, described by Sidney Dillon Ripley in 1948, breeds from northeast Assam to northwest Burma. It is similar to P. m. saturatus, but redder on its head and upperparts.
Distribution and habitat
The Eurasian tree sparrow's natural breeding range comprises most of temperate Europe and Asia south of about latitude 68°N (north of this the summers are too cold, with July average temperatures below 12°C) and through Southeast Asia to Java and Bali. It formerly bred in the Faroes, Malta and Gozo. In South Asia it is found mainly in the temperate zone. It is sedentary over most of its extensive range, but northernmost breeding populations migrate south for the winter, and small numbers leave southern Europe for North Africa and the Middle East. The eastern subspecies P. m. dilutus reaches coastal Pakistan in winter and thousands of birds of this race move through eastern China in autumn.
The Eurasian tree sparrow has been introduced outside its native range, but has not always become established, possibly due to competition with the house sparrow. It was introduced successfully to Sardinia, eastern Indonesia, the Philippines and Micronesia, but introductions to New Zealand and Bermuda did not take root. Ship-carried birds colonised Borneo. This sparrow has occurred as a natural vagrant to Gibraltar, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, and Dubai.
In North America, a population of about 15,000 birds has become established around St. Louis and neighbouring parts of Illinois and southeastern Iowa. These sparrows are descended from 12 birds imported from Germany and released in late April 1870 as part of a project to enhance the native North American avifauna. Within its limited US range, the Eurasian tree sparrow has to compete with the house sparrow in urban centres, and is therefore mainly found in parks, farms and rural woods. The American population is sometimes referred to as the "German sparrow", to distinguish it from both the native American tree sparrow species and the much more widespread "English" house sparrow.
In Australia, the Eurasian tree sparrow is present in Melbourne, towns in central and northern Victoria and some centres in the Riverina region of New South Wales. It is a prohibited species in Western Australia, where it often arrives on ships from Southeast Asia.
Despite its scientific name, Passer montanus, this is not typically a mountain species, and reaches only 700 m (2,300 ft) in Switzerland, although it has bred at 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in the northern Caucasus and as high as 4,270 m (14,000 ft) in Nepal. In Europe, it is frequently found on coasts with cliffs, in empty buildings, in pollarded willows along slow water courses, or in open countryside with small isolated patches of woodland. The Eurasian tree sparrow shows a strong preference for nest-sites near wetland habitats, and avoids breeding on intensively managed mixed farmland.
When the Eurasian tree sparrow and the larger house sparrow occur in the same area, the house sparrow generally breeds in urban areas while the smaller Eurasian tree sparrow nests in the countryside. Where trees are in short supply, as in Mongolia, both species may utilise man-made structures as nest sites. The Eurasian tree sparrow is rural in Europe, but is an urban bird in eastern Asia; in southern and central Asia, both Passer species may be found around towns and villages. In parts of the Mediterranean, such as Italy, both the Tree and the Italian or Spanish sparrows may be found in settlements. In Australia, the Eurasian tree sparrow is largely an urban bird, and it is the house sparrow which utilises more natural habitats.
Behaviour and ecology
Breeding
The Eurasian tree sparrow reaches breeding maturity within a year from hatching, and typically builds its nest in a cavity in an old tree or rock face. Some nests are not in holes as such, but are built among roots of overhanging gorse or similar bush. Roof cavities in houses may be used, and in the tropics, the crown of a palm tree or the ceiling of a verandah can serve as a nest site. This species will breed in the disused domed nest of a European magpie, or an active or unused stick nest of a large bird such as the white stork, white-tailed eagle, osprey, black kite or grey heron. It will sometimes attempt to take over the nest of other birds that breed in holes or enclosed spaces, such as the barn swallow, house martin, sand martin or European bee-eater.
Pairs may breed in isolation or in loose colonies, and will readily use nest boxes. In a Spanish study, boxes made from a mixture of wood and concrete (woodcrete) had a much higher occupancy rate than wooden boxes (76.5% versus 33.5%), and birds nesting in woodcrete sites had earlier clutches, a shorter incubation period and more breeding attempts per season. Clutch size and chick condition did not differ between nest box types, but reproductive success was higher in woodcrete, perhaps because the synthetic nests were 1.5 °C warmer than their wooden counterparts.
The male calls from near the nest site in spring to proclaim ownership and attract a mate. He may also carry nest material into the nest hole. The display and nest building is repeated in autumn. The preferred locations for the autumn display are old Eurasian tree sparrow nests, particularly those where nestlings had hatched. Empty nest boxes, and sites used by house sparrows or other hole nesting birds, such as tits, pied flycatchers or common redstarts, are rarely used for the autumn display.
The untidy nest is composed of hay, grass, wool or other material and lined with feathers, which improve the thermal insulation. A complete nest consists of three layers; base, lining and dome. The typical clutch is five or six eggs (rarely more than four in Malaysia), white to pale grey and heavily marked with spots, small blotches, or speckling; they are 20 x 14 mm (0.8 x 0.6 in) in size and weigh 2.1 g (0.08 oz), of which 7% is shell. The eggs are incubated by both parents for 12–13 days before the altricial, naked chicks hatch, and a further 15–18 days elapse before they fledge. Two or three broods may be raised each year; birds breeding in colonies produce more eggs and fledglings from their first broods than solitary pairs, but the reverse is true for second and third clutches. Females which copulate frequently tend to lay more eggs and have a shorter incubation time, so within-pair mating may be an indicator of the pairs' reproductive ability. There is a significant level of promiscuity; in a Hungarian study, more than 9% of chicks were sired by extra-pair males, and 20% of the broods contained at least one extra-pair young.
Hybridisation between the Eurasian tree sparrow and the house sparrow has been recorded in many parts of the world with male hybrids tending to resemble the Eurasian tree sparrow while females have more similarities with the house sparrow. A breeding population in the Eastern Ghats of India, said to be introduced, may also hybridise with house sparrows. On at least one occasion a mixed pair has resulted in fertile young. A wild hybridisation with the resident sparrows of Malta, which are intermediate between the Spanish sparrow (P. hispaniolensis) and Italian sparrows (P. italiae), was recorded in Malta in 1975.
Feeding
The tree sparrow is a predominantly seed and grain eating bird which feeds on the ground in flocks, often with house sparrows, finches, or buntings. It eats weed seeds, such as chickweeds and goosefoot, spilled grain, and it may also visit feeding stations, especially for peanuts. It will also feed on invertebrates, especially during the breeding season when the young are fed mainly on animal food; it takes insects, woodlice, millipedes, centipedes, spiders and harvestmen.
Adults use a variety of wetlands when foraging for invertebrate prey to feed nestlings, and aquatic sites play a key role in providing adequate diversity and availability of suitable invertebrate prey to allow successful chick rearing throughout the long breeding season of this multi-brooded species. Large areas of formerly occupied farmland no longer provide these invertebrate resources due to the effects of intensive farming, and the availability of supplementary seed food within 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of the nest-site does not influence nest-site choice, or affect the number of young raised.
In winter, seed resources are most likely to be a key limiting factor. At this time of year, individuals in a flock form linear dominance hierarchies, but there is no strong relation between the size of the throat patch and position in that hierarchy. This is in contrast to the house sparrow; in that species, fights to establish dominance are reduced by the display of the throat patch, the size of which acts as a signalling "badge" of fitness.
The risk of predation affects feeding strategies. A study showed increased distance between shelter and a food supply meant that birds visited a feeder in smaller flocks, spent less time on it and were more vigilant when far from shelter. Sparrows can feed as "producers", searching for food directly, or "scroungers", just joining other flock members who have already discovered food. Scrounging was 30% more likely at exposed feeding sites, although this is not due to increased anti-predator vigilance. A possible explanation is that riskier places are used by individuals with lower fat reserves.
Survival
Predators of the tree sparrow include a variety of accipiters, falcons and owls, such as the Eurasian sparrowhawk, common kestrel, little owl, and sometimes long-eared owl and white stork. It does not appear to be at an increased risk of predation during its autumn moult, despite having fewer flight feathers at that time. Nests may be raided by Eurasian magpies, jays, least weasels, rats, cats and constricting snakes such as the horseshoe whip snake.
Many species of birdlice are present on the birds and in their nests, and mites of the genus Knemidocoptes have been known to infest populations, resulting in lesions on the legs and toes. Parasitisation of nestlings by Protocalliphora blow-fly larvae is a significant factor in nestling mortality. Egg size does not influence nestling mortality, but chicks from large eggs grow faster.
Tree sparrows are also subject to bacterial and viral infections. Bacteria have been shown to be an important factor in the failure of eggs to hatch and in nestling mortality, and mass deaths due to Salmonella infection have been noted in Japan. Avian malaria parasites have been found in the blood of many populations, and birds in China were found to harbour a strain of H5N1 that was highly virulent to chickens.
The immune response of tree sparrows is less robust than that of the house sparrow and has been proposed as a factor in the greater invasive potential of the latter. The house sparrow and tree sparrow are the most frequent victims of roadkill on the roads of Central, Eastern and Southern Europe. The maximum recorded age is 13.1 years, but three years is a typical lifespan.
Status
The tree sparrow has a large, currently unquantified range; its world population is also unknown, but includes an estimated 52–96 million individuals in Europe. Although population trends have not been evaluated, the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (that is, declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species' conservation status is evaluated at the global level as "Least Concern".
Although the tree sparrow has been expanding its range in Fennoscandia and eastern Europe, populations have been declining in much of western Europe, a trend reflected in other farmland birds such as the skylark, corn bunting and northern lapwing. From 1980 to 2003, common farmland bird numbers fell by 28%. The collapse in populations seems to have been particularly severe in Great Britain, where there was a 95% decline between 1970 and 1998, and Ireland, which had only 1,000–1,500 pairs in the late 1990s. In the British Isles, such declines may be due to natural fluctuations, to which tree sparrows are known to be prone. Breeding performance has improved substantially as population sizes have decreased, suggesting that decreases in productivity were not responsible for the decline and that survival was the critical factor. The large decline in tree sparrow numbers is probably the result of agricultural intensification and specialisation, particularly the increased use of herbicides and a trend towards autumn-sown crops (at the expense of spring-sown crops that produce stubble fields in winter). The change from mixed to specialised farming and the increased use of insecticides has reduced the amount of insect food available for nestlings.
Relationships with humans
The tree sparrow is seen as a pest in some areas. In Australia, it damages many cereal and fruit crops and spoils cereal crops, animal feed and stored grain with its droppings. Quarantine rules prohibit the transport of this species into Western Australia.
Chairman Mao Zedong of China attempted in April 1958 to reduce crop damage by tree sparrows, estimated at 4.5 kg (9.9 lb) of grain per bird each year, by mobilising three million people and many scarecrows to drive the birds to death by exhaustion. Although initially successful, the "great sparrow campaign" had overlooked the numbers of locusts and other insect pests consumed by the birds, and crop yields fell, exacerbating a famine which led to the deaths of 30 million people between 1959 and 1961. The tree sparrow's consumption of insects has led to its use in agriculture to control fruit tree pests and the common asparagus beetle, Crioceris aspergi.
The tree sparrow has long been depicted in Chinese and Japanese art, often on a plant spray or in a flying flock, and representations by oriental artists including Hiroshige have featured on the postage stamps of Antigua and Barbuda, Central African Republic, China and the Gambia. More straightforward illustrations were used on the stamps of Belarus, Belgium, Cambodia, Estonia and Taiwan. The fluttering of the bird gave rise to a traditional Japanese dance, the Suzume Odori, which was depicted by artists such as Hokusai.
In the Philippines, where it is one of several species referred to as maya, and is sometimes specifically referred to as the "mayang simbahan" ("church maya" or "church sparrow"), the tree sparrow is the most common bird in the cities. Many urban Filipinos confuse it with the former national bird of the Philippines, the black-headed munia - also called a maya, but specifically differentiated in folk taxa as the "mayang pula" ("red maya").
[Credit: en.wikipedia.org/]
USAG-Humphreys Youth Sports provides a variety of sports programs for age groups 4-18 to include Baseball, Soccer, Swimming and Basketball. A variety of minor sport activities are also implemented throughout the year.
USAG-Humphreys participates in a league with Osan Air Base, USAG-Daegu, and USAG-Yongsan. Throughout the regular season, the older age groups travel occasionally to other installations to compete in league and postseason events.
USAG-Humphreys Youth Teams practice and play at Independence park which is located by the USAG Humphreys main gate.
Volunteer coaches are always needed! A background check is required to become a volunteer and also a certification course is required before anyone is allowed to coach with CYS Services Youth Sports.
Volunteers are required to register at www.myarmylifetoo.com
Coaching applications can be found at the Parent Central Services (PCS), currently located at the Child Development center Bldg 693 or the Youth Sports Office located in the Youth Sports Annex Gym, Bldg 111. There is a fee associated with registering for the major sports and all participants must be registered with the Child, Youth and School Services Program.
U.S. Army photos by Edward N. Johnson
Photo caption: "A typical large casting of 1928. This is a hub runner for S. Morgan Smith's power turbine installed in the Cherokee Dam."
Wheeling Mold and Foundry was organized by C. E. Blue and Associates on June 5, 1893. The company purchased a site on the Peninsula in the Fulton area of Wheeling in 1901 and expanded its operation. It was purchased by Continental Roll and Steel Foundry Co. (later Continental Foundry and Machine Company) in June of 1930, then became part of the Blaw-Knox Co. of Pittsburgh in November in 1955. TThe sale included the properties at the Peninsula and the factory in Warwood built in 1922.
The Warwood plant was closed in 1986 and the Wheeling plant in closed in December of 1993. The grounds of the factory were sold to the Park Corp. real estate company in April of 1994. Demolition of the peninsula site took place between 2003 and 2004.
- Image from "Sand & Chips at Continental," (Employee newsletter for the Continental Foundry and Machine Company), December 1953. Newsletter from the Vertical File collections of the Ohio County Public Library Archives.
➤ Learn more Wheeling Mold & Foundry/Continental Roll/Blaw Knox in Wheeling
➤ Visit the Library's Wheeling History website
The photos on the Ohio County Public Library's Flickr site may be freely used by non-commercial entities for educational and/or research purposes as long as credit is given to the "Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV." These photos may not be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation without the permission of the Ohio County Public Library.
➤ Contact the Ohio County Public Library to request permission for use or publication of materials.
Learn More About U.S. Army in Korea
Taking the plunge
By W. Wayne Marlow
warren.wayne.marlow@us.army.mil
CAMP HUMPHREYS — More than 200 brave participants got a four-month jump on summer by taking part in the garrison’s annual Polar Bear Plunge, here, Feb. 18.
In spite of the 18 degree weather and icy cold water, Soldiers, family members, and civilians waded into the pool and shivered their way to the other side.
Many went in slowly, although their pace quickened substantially after entering the nearly frozen water.
Most participants completed their daring dash in about three minutes before heading inside for warm towels and hot chocolate.
Participant William Emmens said he is a veteran of Polar Bear plunges.
“I’ve done it a couple of times before,” he said. “It’s cold, but it’s fun. I’ve been in colder ones. It’s exciting.”
Lance Matthews said that he was persuaded to take the plunge this year.
“My kids talked me into it,” he said. “It was fun. It felt like your feet were on needles as soon as you stepped in. I’m waiting to get the feeling back.”
Andrea Fukuzawa decided to join in despite saying she is “not good with cold.” But she’s glad she did it. “It’s exhilarating,” she said. “It felt good.”
It is a surprise to learn, that before the last day of May this year, I had never been inside St Clements.
To my reckoning, I have been here twice before, neither time was the door unlocked, and so I assumed this was always the case. But as with most of the churches we visited when Simon was down, with the exception of Lower Hardres, they were all open, and I was able to add I think six interiors to my record.
St Clements is easy to reach, it is beside the A259 coast road, and is now famous for being the final resting place of Derek Jarman, I have posted shots of his grave previously.
So, with the fame, it was used in a Rank film as well, and ease of access, it is well visited, and yet, it has an air of stability and not having been renovated, at least in Victorian times. The cream coloured pews are wonderful, as is the balcony and the width and unusual structure of the church.
Over to you, John:
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One of the most-visited Marsh churches, built on an artificial mound to protect it from the floodwaters. There is a Norman nave enlarged by the addition of aisles in the thirteenth century. Because of its virtually unrestored state it has many items of interest, the uneven floor creating a very rural atmosphere. The two hagioscopes to either side of the chancel arch are unusually large and little more than holes knocked into the wall. The rood loft staircase discovered in the 1920s still has its medieval door-frame - a rare survival indeed. In the north chapel is the mensa of the medieval altar. The delightful altar rails are early eighteenth century and present a run of very close-set balusters. The box pews and gallery are, of later eighteenth-century date and were repainted for the Rank film, Dr Syn. The large Royal Arms of George III are dated 1800 - the lion has a particularly smug expression! An interesting and unusual sight is the font, the capitals of which are carved with different figures. They date from the fourteenth century, and are much worn, but with patience one can still pick out details of the grotesque animals. The twentieth century film-producer Derek Jarman is buried in the churchyard and is commemorated by a headstone simply bearing his signature.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Old+Romney
Pink pews. It's just not what you expect from an otherwise conventional 12th-century village church with walls of shaggy Kent ragstone and a silver-grey shingled spire. However, St Clement's at Old Romney is full of them: handsome Georgian box pews, painted a tasteful shade of blush with black edges and white highlights. It is smart as a bandbox and looks as though it was interior-designed by Agent Provocateur. All that is missing is a cross-dressing vicar.
In fact, all that is missing is a vicar, because Old Romney – along with half of Romney Marsh's 14 medieval churches – is suffering an interregnum. The last incumbent left in October and a new one has yet to be appointed. Signs outside the churches urge visitors to contact a "Focal Minister" by phone.
"What's new?" the marsh dwellers might say. The area has a long history of neglect by the rest of Kent, let alone the rest of Britain. For centuries it was seen as remote and quite weird; alien – often dangerous – territory for outsiders. Even in medieval times, vicars appointed to local parishes often never visited them, let alone lived there.
I went to meet John Hendy, a retired teacher who is churchwarden of St George's at Ivychurch, near the middle of the marshes, and tour organiser for the Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust. This was started by the artist John Piper, the journalist Richard Ingrams and the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, among others, and has a glittering list of members.
It has raised quantities of money for restoration since its foundation in the early 1980s, when the churches were in deep decline. This spring, John is organising the first "open" guided tour – rather than the normal private group tours – of four or five marsh churches, which will be repeated in the autumn.
The name "Romney Marsh" is used collectively for four marshes – Romney, Walland, East Guildford and Denge – occupying 100 square miles of England's south-easternmost corner. The land was reclaimed over centuries from a vast lagoon of sand and shingle formed by debris sliding off the Weald.
Hamlets formed on the islets (most marsh churches are on man-made mounds) and the fertile salt marshes around fed the famous Romney Marsh sheep, or "Kents". On the coast were busy trading settlements; Hythe and Romney, and later Rye, Winchelsea and Lydd, became part of the 11th-century Confederation of Cinque Ports.
But while trade and smuggling boomed, the marshes themselves remained sparsely populated. They were riddled with dykes, ditches and drains; the instability of the land made building difficult, there were no grand estates and people got marsh ague from the standing water. The Black Death was catastrophic and there was the threat of French raids. So why are there so many fine, if often tiny, parish churches?
"Well, this church, for example, was a statement of power by its benefactor, the Archbishop of Canterbury," John explained, gesturing at St George's. "It was propaganda, rather than a reflection of the size of the population, which probably wouldn't have been very different." Church appointments were often political stepping stones; pinned to a pillar is a list of past rectors who soared to glory as bishops, archbishops and deans.
St George's is not tiny. In fact, it has an illusory quality: from the churchyard gate it looks small, with a squat, embattled tower and sturdy, rubbly walls, but past the south porch it appears to double in size, with a surprisingly long nave. It calls itself "The Cathedral of the Marshes" (mind you, so does All Saints in Lydd, whose nave is 66 feet longer, at an impressive 199 feet) and many of its characteristics are shared by other churches that I see that day.
There are the huge beams of wood and vertical "king posts" supporting the gabled roof; there are the rough, whitewashed walls that become smoother and grander in the chancel; there is a Lady Chapel with a blocked-up Early English window and medieval floor tiles in ochre, red and black, and a St Catherine's Chapel with a piscina (a stone basin with a drainage hole, down which water from the Mass was poured).
There are Georgian text boards and a royal coat of arms. Along the south wall is a long stone seat. "Originally, there would have been no pews," John said. "People would have stood or sat on straw strewn on the floor. The elderly and infirm were allowed to use the stone bench; that's where the expression 'going to the wall' comes from."
From St George's tower we could see the discreet spires of St Mary in the Marsh and Old Romney to the east and Lydd to the south-east. Brookland and Fairfield were to the west. In the distance was the smudge of Dungeness Power Station, with its daisy chains of pylons radiating across the land.
As we visited four more churches that afternoon, I was struck by their individual quirks. St Mary in the Marsh has a scratch dial – a primitive sundial, so that the bell ringer would know when to ring the Mass bell – clearly visible on its sunny south wall. St Clement's has an ancient font on pillars carved with faces and Green Men, and a door through which the image of the crucified Christ would have been taken down from the rood screen at Easter. St Augustine's at Brookland has a separate belfry, plonked beside it like a shingled rocket and a rare lead font carved with signs of the zodiac and seasonal farming tasks.
The two that moved me most, though, were the tiny church of St Thomas Becket at Fairfield, its original wattle and daub long since replaced by brick and cement, but marooned in a peaceful marshland landscape with only sheep for company; and the large church of St Nicholas at New Romney, which used be on the quayside until massive storms silted up the port in the late 13th century, destroying the town's livelihood. The pillars in the nave have a tide mark from those momentous floods.
As for the pink pews, apparently they were painted that colour by the Rank Organisation in 1963, while a film was being made about the fictional marsh resident Dr Syn (vicar by day, smuggler by night), and the parishioners liked the colour so much they decided to keep it. See? Quirky. Let's hope the new vicar measures up.
(written in 2008)
www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/souther...
Learn how to make cronuts at home with this free tutorial by Colette Christian on the Craftsy Blog. #beCraftsy
Department of Defense Education Activity Europe’s Aukamm Elementary students learn about the ‘Science behind the Magic’ from Brian Temple, Europe District Public Affairs chief, as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ STEM educational outreach program May 10, 2013 in Wiesbaden, Germany. Temple demonstrated magic tricks using rope, coins and flash paper and explained the science and technology behind the production of these magic props. Flash paper, which Temple lit on fire and turned into a $100 bill, generated excitement from the student audience. The paper is developed through a special scientific process, allowing it to burn brightly. Temple used students’ excitement about magic to reveal the science and technology that supports the art. USACE is working, as an organization, to engage young students early and be a constant STEM resource throughout their educational career. According to statistics, a U.S. student must decide by eighth-grade if they wish to pursue a career in STEM fields. Elementary school is not too young to introduce students to science, technology, engineering and math opportunities and get them thinking about their future. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Jennifer Aldridge)
"Bog in a Cup" and its ingredients are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farmers Market partnership with the Ocean Spray agricultural cooperative to features cranberries on Friday, Sept. 17, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Part of the day-long presentation included "Bog in a Cup" where visitors could learn and assemble the proper growing medium of clay, gravel, peaty moss, and sand to help start a cranberry vine grow into a shrub. The mini-bog demonstrates how water is used as a tool to float berries for a more efficient harvest. Live cranberry shrubs that came from and will return to a bog for continued use in future demonstrations surround the water. The shrub’s vine has cranberries grown this year, its buds that will become next year’s cranberries.
HOW TO PICK
Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. The cranberry plant is a creeping evergreen shrub or bush that grows in sandy bogs and marshes. It produces berries on long-running vines. The berries first appear as a white creamy color before turning a shiny crimson, signaling they are ready to harvest. There are two common methods for harvesting cranberries, dry and wet. Cranberries that are harvested dry (without water added to the bog) are sold as fresh fruit and only available during the fall and holiday season from September to December. Cranberries harvested wet are picked by flooding the bogs. Because cranberries float, farmers use water to harvest the fruit. Bogs are flooded and a machine is used to loosen the cranberries from the vines. The floating cranberries are then corralled and loaded into waiting trucks for delivery to processing facilities.
HOW TO PREPARE
Simply rinse cranberries thoroughly and use as directed If frozen, there is no need to thaw before using. Sometimes a few white cranberries might be in the bag; they are fine to use. These berries haven't been exposed to as much sunlight as the redder ones. Cranberries are a prized element in the Thanksgiving dinner of most Americans. Use cranberries to make sauces, conserves and preserves, in baked goods, to make juice, or enjoy dried.
HOW TO STORE
These crimson berries can be stored up to four weeks in the refrigerator.
Advice about freezing. To freeze cranberries place in a freezer safe plastic bag without pre-washing. Store for up to one year.
FUN FACTS
• The cranberry is indigenous to North America and was used by Native Americans in both fresh and dried form. Native Americans introduced cranberries to early European settlers.
• The cranberry got its name from early settlers, who nicknamed it the “crane berry” due to the shape of its blooms, which resemble the head of a crane.
OCEAN SPRAY
Founded in 1930, Ocean Spray is the world’s leading producer of cranberry products, but it’s not your typical food company. It’s an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 700 cranberry farmers who receive the profits from every berry sold. The cooperative allows family farms to thrive ensuring economic sustainability for future generations. The average Ocean Spray family farm is just 18 acres. While cranberries are uniquely American, they are exported and enjoyed all over the word. Ocean Spray is focused on international expansion of its products, with the Cooperative’s cranberries featured in more than 1,000 in over 100 countries worldwide.
The USDA Farmers Market Vegucation tent offers informational presentations every Friday between 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, May to October, in the VegU tent. Short 10-minute classes are free. The market is located on the corner of Independence Ave. and 12th St., SW, in Washington, DC 20250.
For more information visit usda.gov/farmersmarket
@USDA_AMS
#USDAFarmersMkt
#VEGU
USDA multimedia by Lance Cheung.
Learn more about the design and security features of the new $10 bank note featuring Viola Desmond.
Découvrez le graphisme et les éléments de sécurité du nouveau billet de banque de 10 $ orné du portrait de Viola Desmond.
May Day at Audley End
Roll up, roll up and see May Day fun as it used to be!
Enjoy our Victorian side shows and brass band, and marvel at our incredible displays of Victorian falconry. Then watch as your little ones learn circus skills or take part in a play. All of which, coupled with the spectacular house and grounds at Audley End, is sure to make this a day out to remember for all the family!
Enjoy a great day out at one of England’s grandest stately homes; Audley End House.
The doors of our restored historic stables recently opened, complete with resident horses and a Victorian groom. Our stables experience includes an exhibition where you can find out about the workers who lived on the estate in the 1880s, the tack house and the Audley End fire engine. Try our dressing up clothes in the stables and meet our horses, Duke and Jack, too.
Children can let loose in our fun themed play area next to our Cart Yard Café which is always very popular with visitors.
Audley End House itself is a magnificent house, built to entertain royalty, and includes a Victorian Service Wing complete with kitchen, laundries and a dairy.
With beautiful grounds to explore, including an impressive formal garden and the working Organic Kitchen Garden, there’s so much to see and do at Audley End House.
Originally adapted from a medieval Benedictine monastery, the house and gardens at Audley End were amongst the largest and most opulent in Jacobean England. Today Audley End is set in a tranquil landscape with stunning views across the unspoilt Essex countryside. Visitors can enjoy the painstakingly restored parterre with its eye-catching bedding scheme and a walled kitchen garden run entirely on organic principles. It's possible to see elements of English gardening on a grand scale at Audley End carried out by the most influential designers of the day such as Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown.
Farmers learn how to calibrate sprayers during a training course on wheat cropping hosted by CIMMYT at its Toluca experiment station during 01-05 March 2010. The course was part of an agreement between CIMMYT and the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries, and Food (SAGARPA) to collaborate in science and technology transfer. Thirty-three farmer leaders with high levels of knowledge and skills participated, from different wheat producing areas in Mexico, with the expectation that they would share what they learned with other farmers in their respective production areas.
Toluca station superintendent Fernando Delgado conducted the course, covering land preparation, planting alternatives, weed control, efficient use of planting machinery, and diverse farming implements. A second course held in August 2010 focused on crop management, identification of common plant diseases, seed health, and grain quality.
Photo credit: X. Fonseca/CIMMYT.
For more information, see CIMMYT's blog story at: blog.cimmyt.org/index.php/2010/03/wheat-cropping-course/.
A martial arts education of intelligent curriculum curated by Sensei Dan Rominski at his martial art school located in Rutherford NJ. Visit our website www.thedojo.org Self-Defense for children at (201) 933-3050 or email SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org
Visit our website www.thedojo.org
Children Learn Focus, Discipline, Self-Control, Concentration, Fitness, Confidence, Respect, Have Better Self-Esteem, Healthy Eating and Self-Defense.
Adults Learn How to get and stay in shape, Stress Release, Fitness, Healthy Eating, Slow start program (come as you are), a coach in every class, Confidence, Focus, Self-Discipline, Positive Peer Group and it’s Fun!
Parents, Download your FREE Report The 7 Steps for Parents: Preventing Childhood Sexual Abuse Click HERE to visit our website
danrominski.squarespace.com/c...|/sexual-abuse-prevention
Sensei Dan is available for Scheduled TALKS & PRESENTATIONS.
Get more information about our Martial Arts Education of Intelligent Curriculum involving Everything Self-Defense at TheDOJO located in Rutherford NJ.
Contact Chief Instructor: Owner Sensei Dan Rominski at (201) 933-3050 or email SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org
Visit our website www.TheDOJO.org
TheDOJO - 52 Park Avenue, Rutherford, NJ 07070 - Phone: (201) 933-3050 - Text us for info here: (201) 838-4177
Our e-mail address: SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org - Our Facebook page: Like us at TheDOJO or Friend us DanRominski
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/DanRominski - Our Twitter www.twitter.com/danrominski
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A link to where our school is on Google Maps: www.google.com/maps/place/TheD......
If you live in the Rutherford, NJ area and would like to inquire about our programs, reach out to us at the phone and/or e-mail or text addresses above. -Sensei Dan
Read our Blog at senseidanromisnki.blogspot.com...
Read our blog at www.DanRominski.Tumblr.com
We Teach Children, Teens and Adults from Rutherford, NJ; East Rutherford, NJ; Carlstadt, NJ; Kearny, NJ; Lyndhurst, NJ; Woodridge, NJ; Hackensack, NJ; Belleville, NJ; Bloomfield, NJ; Nutley, NJ; Clifton, NJ; Montclair, NJ; and surrounding areas.
No Matter The Martial Art we’ll help you accomplish your goals through our expertise or help you find a school that will best suit you.
Karate, Judo, Jujutsu, Juijitsu, Jiu-jitsu, Goju Ryu, Shorin Ryu, Kendo, Iaido, Aikido, Mixed Martial Arts, Grappling, Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, Ryukyu Okinawa Kobudo, Shorin Ryu, TKD, Tae Kwon Do
I am so excited to offer this new ebook and course to Learn Gothic Calligraphy and Lettering. Download it at:
torontocalligraphyguild.org/2014/04/05/learn-gothic-calli...
Learn How to Wrap a Paddle or Handle with Coxcombing (spiral hitching) and Turk's Heads with our latest Knot of the Week on ITS Tactical. Check out the full article here with detailed step-by-step photos and demonstration video: itstac.tc/11x7DzC
Learn How To Draw Anime Cute Girl "LoLi" Anime Drawing Tutorial. My Drawing Video www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gQM1OchZKc
Workshop covers: Basics & Common Sense of Stock Market, Basics of Fundamental Analysis, Technical Analysis & 2 Innovative live Trading sessions.
Visit: stockmarketinstitute.org/
Learn how to make your own Pace Count Beads for Land Navigation. For more information on the steps to create yours and how to determine your Pace Count, check out the following article on ITS: itstac.tc/U1AKsG
Learn To Scuba Dive With Sub-Mission Dive Centre In Stoke-On-Trent. For more info and to sign up check out our website www.divecourses.co.uk.
For the latest scuba news, reviews, dive trips & scuba courses head over to over dive blog at www.divecourses.co.uk/diveblog
Alternatively check out our youtube channel for great scuba action www.youtube.com/user/nitrox38?feature=mhee
Find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/Divecourses?sk=wall#!/Divecourses
Join us for action and adventure above and below the water. We want you to enrol with our fantastic team for some serious fun; regardless of whether you’re dipping your toes into the idea of scuba or you’re a seasoned diver looking for adrenaline filled dives and a great atmosphere. The Sub-Mission team is all about enthusing you to encounter some of the wonders that the underwater world has to offer. You can swim with Manta Rays, you can explore sunken shipwrecks and you can share all of these experiences with your family.
OU Learn About Fair, 24 April 2016
Photo from The Open University's annual Learn About Fayre 2016, hosted in the Jennie Lee building, Walton Hall Campus, Milton Keynes.
This photo is © Copyright Chris Valentine 2016 but is made available here under a Creative Commons license. Strictly no commercial use without prior arrangement.
Learn how ProSaver can help with your landscaping needs! #pinestraw #landscraping #prosaverapp… t.co/ve9Vpc03Qo (via Twitter twitter.com/ProSaverApp/status/816694968710529026)
The Saint Demetrios Greek Food Festival celebrated its 47th year with food, music, and dancing just north of downtown Fort Worth. To learn more about the festival and the church, check out:
www.facebook.com/FortworthGreekFestival
www.fortworthgreekfestival.com/
This album is part of the event coverage for the Fort Worth Portrait Project. The project tells the story of Fort Worth from 2014 - 2044 one captioned portrait at a time, but I also enjoy covering events like this one too.
Please follow the Fort Worth Portrait Project:
www.redeemedexpressions.com/fort-worth-portrait-project/
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Do you want to be featured in the project? Just head to the following site with a photo and a caption: