www.Miceli.de

  

Faux leather skirts are absolutely gorgeous in this long length, I think. That extra couple of inches in length makes all the difference to me.

 

There are a lot of skirts like this sold on ebay, but they are all just a little on the short side for my liking. It was nice to find a site that did this style in a longer length.

The great white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow lakes.

 

The great white pelican is a huge bird—only the Dalmatian pelican is, on average, larger among pelicans. It measures 140 to 180 cm (55 to 71 in) in length with a 28.9 to 47.1 cm (11.4 to 18.5 in) enormous pink and yellow bill, and a dull pale-yellow gular pouch. The wingspan measures 226 to 360 cm (7.41 to 11.81 ft), the latter measurement being the highest among extant flying animals outside of the great albatross. The adult male measures about 175 cm (69 in) in length; it weighs from 9 to 15 kg (20 to 33 lb) and larger races from the Palaearctic are usually around 11 kg (24 lb), with few exceeding 13 kg (29 lb). It has a bill measuring 34.7 to 47.1 cm (13.7 to 18.5 in). The female measures about 148 cm (58 in) in length, and is considerably less bulky, weighing 5.4 to 9 kg (12 to 20 lb), and has a bill that measures 28.9 to 40.0 cm (11.4 to 15.7 in) in length. In Lake Edward, Uganda, the average weight of 52 males was found to 11.45 kg (25.2 lb) and in 22 females it was 7.59 kg (16.7 lb). In South Africa, the average weight of males was 9.6 kg (21 lb) and of females was 6.9 kg (15 lb). Thus the sexual dimorphism is especially pronounced in this species (perhaps the greatest known in any extant pelican), as at times the male can average more than 30% more massive than the female. Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 60 to 73 cm (24 to 29 in), the tail 16 to 21 cm (6.3 to 8.3 in), and the tarsus 13 to 14.9 cm (5.1 to 5.9 in) long. Standard measurements from different areas indicate that pelicans from the Western Palaearctic are somewhat larger than those from Asia and Africa.

 

The male has a downward bend in the neck and the female has a shorter, straighter beak. The plumage is predominantly white except on remiges, with a faint pink tinge on the neck and a yellowish base on the foreneck. The primary feathers are black, with white shafts at the bases, occasionally with paler tips and narrow fringes. The secondary feathers are also black, but with a whitish fringe. The upperwing coverts, underwing coverts, and tertials are white. The forehead is swollen and pinkish skin surrounds the bare, dark eyes having brown-red to dark brown irides. It has fleshy-yellow legs and pointed forehead-feathers where meeting the culmen. In breeding season, the male has pinkish skin while the female has orangey skin on its face. The bill is mostly bluish grey, with a red tip, reddish maxilla edges, and a cream-yellow to yolk-yellow gular pouch. The white plumage becomes tinged-pink with a yellow patch on the breast, and the body is tinged yellowish-rosy. It also has a short, shaggy crest on the nape. The white covert feathers contrast with the solid black primary and secondary feathers. The legs are yellow-flesh to pinkish orange. Both male and female are similar, but the female is smaller and has brighter orange facial skin in the breeding season.

 

The juvenile has darker, brownish underparts that are palest at the rump, center of the belly, and uppertail coverts. The underwing coverts are mostly dull-white, but the greater coverts are dark and there is a dark brownish bar over the lesser coverts. The rear tertials upperwing coverts mostly have paler tips with a silvery-grey tinge on the greater secondary coverts and tertials. It has dark flight feathers, and brown-edged wings. The head, neck, and upperparts, including the upperwing coverts, are mostly brown—this is the darkest part of the neck. The facial skin and the bill, including its gular pouch, are greyish to dusky greyish. The forehead, rump, and abdomen are white, and its legs and feet are grey. Its blackish tail occasionally has a silvery-grey tinge. Its underparts and back are initially browner and darker than those of the Dalmatian pelican, and the underwing is strongly patterned, similar to the juvenile brown pelican.

 

The great white pelican is distinguished from all other pelicans by its plumage. Its face is naked and the feathering on its forehead tapers to a fine point, whereas other species are completely feathered. In flight, the white underwing with black remiges of the adult are similar only to those of the American white pelican (P. erythrorhynchos), but the latter has white inner secondary feathers. It differs from the Dalmatian pelican in its pure white – rather than greyish-white – plumage, a bare pink facial patch around the eye, and pinkish legs. The spot-billed pelican (P. philippensis) of Asia is slightly smaller than the great white pelican, with greyish tinged white plumage, and a paler, duller-colored bill.[5] Similarly, the pink-backed pelican (P. rufescens) is smaller, with brownish-grey plumage, a light pink to off-grey bill, and a pinkish wash on the back.

 

The bird is mostly silent but has a variety of low-pitched lowing, grunting, and growling calls. The flight call is a deep, quiet croak., while at breeding colonies, it gives deep moooo calls.

 

The breeding range of the great white pelican extends to Ethiopia, Tanzania, Chad, northern Cameroons, and Nigeria in Africa, and has been observed or reported breeding in Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa. In the 1990s, 6,700 to 11,000 breeding pairs in 23 to 25 breeding sites, were found in the Palearctic region. A 1991 study noted about 3,070 to 4,300 pairs were present in the Soviet Union. Only two breeding colonies are located in the Mediterranean basin, one having 250 to 400 pairs in Turkey and the other having 50 to 100 pairs in northern Greece. The breeding colony at Lake Rukwa, Tanzania is the largest known breeding colony in Africa, followed by the Lake Shala, Ethiopia colony which is probably of crucial importance to the species in Africa.

 

The African population of about 75,000 pairs of the great white pelican is resident. The ones breeding in the Palearctic region are migrants, although it is possible that the majority of the western Palearctic populations stop-over in Israel during their autumn migration. The migration routes are only partially known. Migratory populations are found from Eastern Europe to Kazakhstan during the breeding season. More than 50% of Eurasian great white pelicans breed in the Danube Delta in Romania. They also prefer staying in the Lakes near Burgas, Bulgaria and in Srebarna Lake in Bulgaria. The pelicans arrive in the Danube in late March or early April and depart after breeding from September to late November. Wintering locations for European pelicans are not exactly known but wintering birds may occur in northeastern Africa through Iraq to north India, with a particularly large number of breeders from Asia wintering around Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Northern populations migrate to China, India, Myanmar, with stragglers reaching Java and Bali in Indonesia. These are birds that are found mostly in lowlands, though in East Africa and Nepal may be found living at elevations of up to 1,372 m (4,501 ft).

 

Overall, the great white pelican is one of the most widely distributed species. Although some areas still hold quite large colonies, it ranks behind the brown pelican and possibly the Australian pelican in overall abundance. Europe now holds an estimated 7,345–10,000 breeding pairs, with over 4,000 pairs that are known to nest in Russia. During migration, more than 75,000 have been observed in Israel and, in winter, over 45,000 may stay in Pakistan. In all its colonies combined, 75,000 pairs are estimated to nest in Africa. It is possibly extinct in Serbia and Montenegro, and regionally extinct in Hungary.

 

Great white pelicans usually prefer shallow, (seasonally or tropical) warm fresh water. Well scattered groups of breeding pelicans occur through Eurasia from the eastern Mediterranean to Vietnam. In Eurasia, fresh or brackish waters may be inhabited and the pelicans may be found in lakes, deltas, lagoons and marshes, usually with dense reed beds nearby for nesting purposes. Additionally, sedentary populations are found year-round in Africa, south of the Sahara Desert although these are patchy. In Africa, great white pelicans occur mainly around freshwater and alkaline lakes and may also be found in coastal, estuarine areas. Beyond reed beds, African pelicans have nested on inselbergs and flat inshore islands off of Banc d'Arguin National Park.

 

For more information, please visit en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_white_pelican

 

"The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is the main church of the Hradec Králové Diocese and therefore also the seat of its bishop. The Gothic brick pseudo-basilica with two towers in the southwest corner of the Great Square has formed the characteristic panorama of Hradec Králové for more than seven centuries. The external dimensions of the cathedral are: length 56 m, width 25 m, height of the towers 48 m. The length of the interior is 50 m. The width of the walls ranges from 1.12 m (naves) to 2.12 m (towers).

 

It is sometimes said that the church was founded in 1307 by the widow of the Czech king Wenceslas II queen Eliška Rejček, however, according to more recent research, a parish church stood here already in the second half of the 13th century, which burned down in 1339. The current presbytery was built in 1339–1342, and the construction of the nave was completed in the 1460s under Queen Elizabeth of Pomerania. Jan Žižka from Trocnov is said to have been buried here in 1424. During the repairs after the Hussite Wars, which ended in 1463, an extensive crucifix was built. A fire in 1484 mainly damaged the towers, which were then raised by one floor and given new bells. The oldest of the four bells, Leopold (Dominik) is from 1485. The largest of the bells is Michael (Eagle) from 1496, which weighs 3847 kg. The pastoforium on the left side of the presbytery also dates from 1497. The church was repaired several times, looted and burned by Swedish soldiers in 1639. In 1664, with the founding of the bishopric, the church became a cathedral and was then modified in the Baroque style, further modifications followed at the end of the 18th century. In the years 1864–1876, the church was radically renovated by František Schmoranz and the towers in 1901 by L. Lábler. In the years 1980–1990, the church received a copper roof, and in 1997 for the jubilee of St. Vojtěch was visited by Pope John Paul II.

 

Hradec Králové (Königgrätz in German) is a statutory city in eastern Bohemia, located at the confluence of the Elbe and Orlica. It has approximately 94 thousand inhabitants and is the capital of the Hradec Králové region. Together with nearby Pardubice, it forms a metropolitan area with 340,000 inhabitants.

 

Due to its favorable characteristics, the territory of Hradec was already inhabited in prehistoric times. In the Middle Ages, it was the dowry city of Czech queens, and it is to this period that the Gothic cathedral of St. Ducha on its Great Square, which today, alongside the White Tower and the Old Town Hall, is one of the city's landmarks. In the years 1766 to 1857, the city served as a military fortress, due to the lack of interest of the city, it was restored and abolished only in 1884. The city administration made full use of the possibility of complete management of urban development. This literally freed up space for the golden era of Hradec Králové architecture at the beginning of the 20th century, from which, thanks to the buildings of Gočár and Kotěra, the city earned the title Salon of the Republic.

 

When looking at this landmark of Hradec Králové, observers will be particularly impressed by the contrast between the red brickwork and the white sandstone of the portals, windows and cornices of the temple. At the time of construction, sandstone was commonly used as the main building material in East Bohemian cities, which was absent in the vicinity of Hradec Králové. The builders of the cathedral therefore chose less common bricks as the main building material. The three-nave basilica church has a raised nave and a long east choir, through which the cathedral faces the square. In the axis of the choir, there is a cross in front of the church and two symmetrical towers on the sides. The baroque chapter sacristy adjoins the north side of the cathedral, the dean's sacristy and the Royal vestibule on the south side. Several Renaissance tombstones can be found on the outer walls of the church. Massive supporting pillars divided into three parts are prescribed for the exterior.

 

Hradec Králové is a university town, the University of Hradec Králové, some faculties of Charles University and the University of Defense teach here. For example, the regional court or the bishops of the Royal Hradec Catholic and Czechoslovak Hussite dioceses are based here. Klicper's theater is a recognized scene that has won the award "Theatre of the Year" four times, artkino Central is proud of the award "Best European cinema for young audiences" from 2008. Hradec Králové Park 360, which was created in part of the area of ​​the former military airport, provides space, among other things, for the summer of the Rock for People festival.

 

Bohemia (Latin Bohemia, German Böhmen, Polish Czechy) is a region in the west of the Czech Republic. Previously, as a kingdom, they were the center of the Czech Crown. The root of the word Czech probably corresponds to the meaning of man. The Latin equivalent of Bohemia, originally Boiohaemum (literally "land of Battles"), which over time also influenced the names in other languages, is derived from the Celtic tribe of the Boios, who lived in this area from the 4th to the 1st century BC Bohemia on it borders Germany in the west, Austria in the south, Moravia in the east and Poland in the north. Geographically, they are bounded from the north, west and south by a chain of mountains, the highest of which are the Krkonoše Mountains, in which the highest mountain of Bohemia, Sněžka, is also located. The most important rivers are the Elbe and the Vltava, with the fertile Polabean Plain extending around the Elbe. The capital and largest city of Bohemia is Prague, other important cities include, for example, Pilsen, Karlovy Vary, Kladno, Ústí nad Labem, Liberec, Hradec Králové, Pardubice and České Budějovice, Jihlava also lies partly on the historical territory of Bohemia." - info from Wikipedia.

 

Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.

 

Now on Instagram.

 

Become a patron to my photography on Patreon or donate.

The Dusky Leaf Monkey, Spectacled Langur, or Spectacled Leaf Monkey in Burgers Zoo, Arnhem, the Netherlands. The Dusky Leaf Monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus) is found in Bangladesh, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand.

The head-body length is 42 to 61 cm and the tail length 50 to 85 cm.

The monkey is are widely variable in color. Their upper parts may be any shade of brown, grey, or black, whereas the under parts, hind legs, and tail are paler. The skin on the face is dark grey, the chin and lips pinkish, and the eyes surrounded with a thick white ring.

The young are are bright yellow or orange.

The species occurs in a variety of habitats including coastal and riverine forests.

They are active in early morning and late afternoon when family groups of around 4 to 15 individuals may descend to clearings in the forest or to the river's edge to feed on young leaves and shoots. The overall, dusky leaf monkeys are quite social animals.

 

Eind september 2009 zijn er drie brillangoeren in het Aziatische deel, de Rimba, van Burgers Zoo in Arnhem gearriveerd. Een schenking van een Israëlische dierentuin. Er zijn welgeteld drie zoo's in Europa die deze soort hebben. Een niet alledaagse aap dus.

Om de brillangoer (Trachypithecus obscurus) uit Bangladesh, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand goed te kunnen beschrijven, zonder een foto te laten zien, moet je van goede huize komen. Daarom hierna een beschrijving uit "ZieZoo", een tweemaandelijkse uitgave van Burgers Zoo voor relaties en jaarkaarthouders.

Het zijn slanke apen met nogal een variabele kleur. Het varieert van elk soort bruin tot grijs en zwart. Hun poten en staart zijn dan weer lichter van kleur. Maar wat natuurlijk het meest opvalt is hun brilletje. Ze hebben namelijk een witte ring rond hun ogen. Daarnaast zijn hun lippen wit en/of vleeskleurig. Een opvallende verschijning dus. Zeker gezien het feit dat hun hoofdhaar eruit ziet alsof ze net uit bed zijn gekomen.

De kop-romp-lengte is 42 tot 61 centimeter en de staartlengte is 50 tot 85 cm.

De maag van de brillangoer bestaat , net als bij koeien, uit meerdere afdelingen als aanpassing aan het eten van moeilijk verteerbaar plantaardig materiaal.

 

Site Burgers Zoo in Dutch, English and German: www.burgerszoo.eu/

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All rights reserved. Copyright © Martien Uiterweerd. All my images are protected under international authors copyright laws and may not be downloaded, reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without my written explicit permission.

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MS EURODAM

Class and type:Signature class cruise ship

Tonnage:86,273 GT

Length:935 ft (285.0 m)

Beam:105.8 ft (32.2 m)

Draft:8 m (26 ft)

Decks:11 passenger decks

Installed power:

MaK M43C diesel engines

64,000 kW (combined)

Propulsion:Diesel-electric; two ABB Azipod units

Speed:

23.9 knots (44.3 km/h; 27.5 mph) (max)

(22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) (service)

Capacity:2,104 passengers

is a Signature class cruise ship for Holland America Line. Eurodam is the 80th ship to enter Holland America's service and, at 86,700 tons and carrying 2,104 passengers, she is the largest Holland America Signature class ship, along with her sister MS Nieuw Amsterdam. She also has dynamic positioning abilities using three 1.9 MW bow thrusters and two 17.6 MW aft mounted Azipods. Total electrical power generation is 64 MW by six diesel generators.

Service History

Eurodam was christened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands at Rotterdam, Netherlands on July 1, 2008 before embarking on its official 10-day maiden voyage from Copenhagen on July 5.

In April and May, the ship operates in the Mediterranean and in Western Europe. From May to August, the ship visits the Baltic, Norway and the British Isles before embarking to Canada and New England in September and October. From late October to early April the ship travels on alternating western and eastern Caribbean cruises.

Read more at :

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Eurodam

  

COSTA MEDITERRANEA

IMO: 9237345

Name: COSTA MEDITERRANEA

MMSI: 247088200

Vessel Type: PASSENGERS SHIP

Gross Tonnage: 85619

Summer DWT: 7500 t

Build: 2003

Flag: ITALY

Home port: GENOVA

Inspired by the style of Italy's historic palaces, Costa Mediterranea represents Italian elegance, elaborate in its details and filled with works of art. The Argentieri Restaurant is unique, spectacular and embellished with 139 artistic pieces of silverware.

From Inside Classics and Balcony Premiums to Suites with sea-facing balconies, Costa Mediterranea's spacious cabins are luxuriously designed and complete with all the essentials, including a minibar, television, radio, phone, hairdryer and plenty of storage space

 

Read more at www.marinetraffic.com/it/ais/details/ships/shipid:275345/...

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“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera…

they are made with the eye, heart and head.”

[Henry Cartier Bresson]

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Please don't use any of my images on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit written permission.

© All rights reserved

The new Alvra articulated train of the Rhaetian Railway in its present full length. In the future, a first-class control car (Ait) will be added to the rear. However, these wagons have not yet been put into service. For operational reasons, the train will always be on the track in exactly the same way in the future. The track is steeper in the direction of St. Moritz, so that only pulling and not pushing is allowed here. That is why the locomotive or the three-car Allegra multiple unit will always be on this side in the commuting future.

 

After the locomotive follows the high-floor photo compartment with the panorama windows in the roof and the three retractable windows on each side, the only six windows that can still be opened.

 

It's a pity to take pictures from the train, especially here, because the whole train can be photographed from the end of the train with the spectacular situation and the tunnel entrance.

 

But there was no other way. The first reason is: The low-floor compartment for unobstructed access follows. The catering trolley can't get through here. But of course the pleasant employees ask themselves through to the front every time and bring the food in this tourist train to the place.

 

Then follow the other standard compartments, including family and bike/ski compartments. Finally, the first class with the yellow stripes above the windows. Of course, the catering trolley has to get through here. The second reason for the sequence follows: The first class control car with a view over the driver.

 

After the tunnel, the line reaches Filisur railway station, from where the line also flows into the Albula line via the equally spectacular Wiesener viaduct.

 

Schmitten/Filisur, Canton Graubünden, Switzerland

 

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Der neue Zug

 

Der neue Alvra Gliederzug der Rhätischen Bahn in seiner heutigen vollen Länge. In Zukunft wird ganz hinten noch ein Erstklass-Steuerwagen (Ait) dazukommen. Diese Wagen wurden jedoch noch nicht in Betrieb genommen. Der Zug wird aus betrieblichen Gründen in Zukunft immer genau so auf der Strecke stehen. Die Strecke ist in Richtung St. Moritz steiler, so dass hier nur gezogen und nicht geschoben werden darf. Deshalb steht die Lok oder der dreiteilige Allegra-Triebzug auch in der verpendelten Zukunft immer auf dieser Seite.

 

Nach der Lok folgt das hochflurige Fotoabteil mit den Panormafenstern im Dach und den drei Senkfenstern je Seite, die einzigen sechs Fenter die noch geöffnet werden können.

 

Zum Fotografieren aus dem Zug ist das jammerschade,, besonders an dieser Stelle, weil vom Zugsende aus der ganze Zug mit der Spektakulären Situation und dem Tunneleingang fotografiert werden kann.

 

Doch anders ging es nicht. Der erste Grund ist: Es folgt das Niederflurabteil für den hindernislosen Einstieg. Hier kommt der Verpflegungswagen nicht durch. Selbsterständlich fragen sich die netten Angestellten aber jedes Mal bis vorne durch und bringen die Speisen in diesem Touristenzug zum Platz.

 

Dann folgen die weiteren Standardabteile, inklusive Familien- und Velo-/Skiabteile. Zum Schluss mit den gelben Streifen über den Fenstern die erste Klasse. Hier muss natürlich der Verpflegunswagen durchkommen. Der zweite Grund für die Reihenfolge folgt dann noch: Der Steuerwagen erster Klasse mit Sicht über den Lokführer.

 

Nach dem Tunnel erreicht die Linie den Bahnhof Filisur, von wo auch die Strecke über den ebenfalls spektakulären Wiesener-Viadukt in die Albula-Strecke einmündet.

 

Schmitten/Filisur, Kanton Graubünden, Schweiz

The osprey or more specifically the western osprey (Pandion haliaetus) — also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk — is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts.

 

The osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply. It is found on all continents except Antarctica, although in South America it occurs only as a non-breeding migrant.

 

As its other common names suggest, the osprey's diet consists almost exclusively of fish. It possesses specialised physical characteristics and exhibits unique behaviour to assist in hunting and catching prey. As a result of these unique characteristics, it has been given its own taxonomic genus, Pandion and family, Pandionidae. Three subspecies are usually recognized; one of the former subspecies, cristatus, has recently been given full species status and is referred to as the eastern osprey.

 

The osprey is unusual in that it is a single living species that occurs nearly worldwide. Even the few subspecies are not unequivocally separable. There are four generally recognised subspecies, although differences are small, and ITIS lists only the first two.

 

The osprey is 0.9–2.1 kg (2.0–4.6 lb) in weight and 50–66 cm (20–26 in) in length with a 127–180 cm (50–71 in) wingspan. It is, thus, of similar size to the largest members of the Buteo or Falco genera. The subspecies are fairly close in size, with the nominate subspecies averaging 1.53 kg (3.4 lb), P. h. carolinensis averaging 1.7 kg (3.7 lb) and P. h. cristatus averaging 1.25 kg (2.8 lb). The wing chord measures 38 to 52 cm (15 to 20 in), the tail measures 16.5 to 24 cm (6.5 to 9.4 in) and the tarsus is 5.2–6.6 cm (2.0–2.6 in).

 

The upperparts are a deep, glossy brown, while the breast is white and sometimes streaked with brown, and the underparts are pure white. The head is white with a dark mask across the eyes, reaching to the sides of the neck. The irises of the eyes are golden to brown, and the transparent nictitating membrane is pale blue. The bill is black, with a blue cere, and the feet are white with black talons. A short tail and long, narrow wings with four long, finger-like feathers, and a shorter fifth, give it a very distinctive appearance.

In flight, Northern Territory, Australia

 

The sexes appear fairly similar, but the adult male can be distinguished from the female by its slimmer body and narrower wings. The breast band of the male is also weaker than that of the female, or is non-existent, and the underwing coverts of the male are more uniformly pale. It is straightforward to determine the sex in a breeding pair, but harder with individual birds.

 

The juvenile osprey may be identified by buff fringes to the plumage of the upperparts, a buff tone to the underparts, and streaked feathers on the head. During spring, barring on the underwings and flight feathers is a better indicator of a young bird, due to wear on the upperparts.

 

In flight, the osprey has arched wings and drooping "hands", giving it a gull-like appearance. The call is a series of sharp whistles, described as cheep, cheep or yewk, yewk. If disturbed by activity near the nest, the call is a frenzied cheereek

 

he osprey is piscivorous, with fish making up 99% of its diet. It typically takes fish weighing 150–300 g (5.3–10.6 oz) and about 25–35 cm (9.8–13.8 in) in length, but the weight can range from 50 g (1.8 oz) to 2 kg (4.4 lb). Virtually any type of fish in that size range are taken.

 

Ospreys have vision that is well adapted to detecting underwater objects from the air. Prey is first sighted when the osprey is 10–40 m (33–131 ft) above the water, after which the bird hovers momentarily then plunges feet first into the water.

 

Occasionally, the osprey may prey on rodents, rabbits, hares, other birds, and small reptiles.

 

The osprey has several adaptations that suit its piscivorous lifestyle:

 

reversible outer toes

sharp spicules on the underside of the toes

closable nostrils to keep out water during dives

backwards-facing scales on the talons which act as barbs to help hold its catch

dense plumage which is oily and prevents its feathers from getting waterlogged.

 

The osprey breeds near freshwater lakes and rivers, and sometimes on coastal brackish waters. Rocky outcrops just offshore are used in Rottnest Island off the coast of Western Australia, where there are 14 or so similar nesting sites of which five to seven are used in any one year. Many are renovated each season, and some have been used for 70 years. The nest is a large heap of sticks, driftwood, turf or seaweed built in forks of trees, rocky outcrops, utility poles, artificial platforms or offshore islets. As wide as 2 meters and weighing about 135 kg, large nests on utility poles may be fire hazards and have caused power outages.

 

Generally, ospreys reach sexual maturity and begin breeding around the age of three to four, though in some regions with high osprey densities, such as Chesapeake Bay in the U.S., they may not start breeding until five to seven years old, and there may be a shortage of suitable tall structures. If there are no nesting sites available, young ospreys may be forced to delay breeding. To ease this problem, posts are sometimes erected to provide more sites suitable for nest building. In some regions ospreys prefer transmission towers as nesting sites, e.g. in East Germany.

Egg, Collection Museum Wiesbaden

 

The platform design developed by one organization, Citizens United to Protect the Maurice River and Its Tributaries, Inc. has become the official design of the State of New Jersey, U.S. The platform plans and materials list, available online, have been utilized by people from a number of different geographical regions. Osprey-watch.org is the global site for mapping osprey nest locations and logging observations on reproductive success.

 

Ospreys usually mate for life. Rarely, polyandry has been recorded. The breeding season varies according to latitude; spring (September–October) in southern Australia, April to July in northern Australia and winter (June–August) in southern Queensland. In spring the pair begins a five-month period of partnership to raise their young. The female lays two to four eggs within a month, and relies on the size of the nest to conserve heat. The eggs are whitish with bold splotches of reddish-brown and are about 6.2 cm × 4.5 cm (2.4 in × 1.8 in) and weigh about 65 g (2.3 oz). The eggs are incubated for about 35–43 days to hatching.

 

The newly hatched chicks weigh only 50–60 g (1.8–2.1 oz), but fledge in 8–10 weeks. A study on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, had an average time between hatching and fledging of 69 days. The same study found an average of 0.66 young fledged per year per occupied territory, and 0.92 young fledged per year per active nest. Some 22% of surviving young either remained on the island or returned at maturity to join the breeding population. When food is scarce, the first chicks to hatch are most likely to survive. The typical lifespan is 7–10 years, though rarely individuals can grow to as old as 20–25 years.

 

The oldest European wild osprey on record lived to be over thirty years of age. In North America, great horned owls (Bubo virginianus), golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos), and bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) are the only major predators of ospreys, capable of taking both nestlings and adults. However, kleptoparasitism by bald eagles, where the larger raptor steals the osprey's catch, is more common than predation. The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), which is very similar to the bald eagle, may harass or prey on the osprey in Eurasia. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) can be a serious threat to nestlings or eggs if they can access the nest. Endoparasitic trematodes (Scaphanocephalus expansus and Neodiplostomum spp.) have been recorded in wild ospreys.

 

from Wikipedia

V8 YNC shown at the Great Yarmouth Classic Car Show.

 

Seats: 5

Length: 197.76 in. (5,023 mm)

Width: 75.71 in. (1,923 mm)

Height: 57.05 in. (1,449 mm)

Wheelbase: 115.98 in. (2,946 mm)

Front track: 63.11 in. (1,603 mm)

Rear track: 63.11 in. (1,603 mm)

Curb weight: 4,171 lb. (1,892 kg)

Front suspension: Independent MacPherson struts

Rear suspension: Independent multi-link

Front brakes: 14.17 in. (360 mm) vented discs

Rear brakes: 13.78 in. (350 mm) vented discs

Front tyres: 245/45 R20

Rear tyres: 245/45 R20

Fuel capacity: 15.83 UK gal. (72 litres)

Engine: Chrysler 6.1 HEMI V-8

Engine displacement: 6.1 litre (372 cu. in.)

Engine output: 425 hp (316.9 kW) at 6,000 rpm

Gearbox: 6 speed manual

Traction: Rear wheel drive

Top speed: 171 mph ( 275 km/h)

0 - 60 mph: 4.6 sec

0 - 100 mph: 11.4 sec

0 - 1/4 mile: 13.3 sec

The Netherlands - Afsluitdijk

The Afsluitdijk (English: Enclosure Dam) is a major dam and causeway, constructed between 1927 and 1932. It connects the provinces North Holland and Friesland and has a length of 32 kilometres (20 miles). The Afsluitdijk is a fundamental part of the larger Zuiderzee Works, damming off the Zuiderzee, a salt water inlet of the North Sea, and turning it into the fresh water lake IJssel. The dam serves as a sea barrier to protect the inland against flooding. Also, large parts of the lake were converted the into polders. As a prominent member and later chairman of the Zuiderzee Society, ir. Cornelis Lely (1854-1929) designed the first plan for the closure and reclamation of the Zuiderzee already in 1891. In 1913, Lely was Minister of Water Management, and land reclamation was included in the government program. His plan was initially opposed, particularly for its costs and also by the fishing industry. But after a huge flood disaster (1916) and the famine of 1918, opinions were ready for this mega project and the parliament agreed. It took another 9 years, until 1927, before the works actually began. The enclosure was finished on 28 May 1932 and on 25 September 1933 the Afsluitdijk was officially opened. In honour of the strong supporter of the project, a statue of ir. Cornelis Lely, made by Mari Andriessen, was erected in 1954, on the border of the saltwater of the Wadden Sea (right) and the fresh water of lake IJssel (left). At present a renovation project is carried out to strengthen the Afsluitdijk and to safeguard its future. Images made in morning light, with kite and camera (attached to the kite's line). © Tom Kisjes

A tiny little garden visitor. The wood frog may be reddish, tan or dark brown but always has a dark mask under and behind the eyes. Some individuals have a light line down the middle of the back. This species has a dark blotch on the chest near each front leg. The belly is white and may have some dark mottling. Adult wood frogs can grow to up to eight centimetres in length. The call of this species is a series of sharp quacks, almost like those of a duck. No other frog in Ontario has a dark mask like the wood frog’s. Although found on the tundra in the north and occasionally in grasslands in the west, the wood frog is most commonly associated with moist woodlands and vernal woodland pools. When inactive, this frog hides in logs, humus and leaf litter or under logs and rocks. It hibernates under logs or leaf litter on the forest floor.Wood frogs have an astonishing ability to tolerate freezing. They can survive the freezing of 60 to 70 percent of the water in their body and sustained temperatures of -6°C. Consequently, wood frogs are the earliest breeders in most of their range, often beginning to call in early spring when ice is still on the ponds they frequent. This species is known to travel several hundred metres between breeding ponds and non-breeding terrestrial habitat. The female lays up to 2,000 eggs in a mass that is attached to submerged vegetation in small, fishless ponds. Females will change breeding ponds, if necessary, to avoid those that contain predatory fish. Wood frogs are explosive breeders: in a population, the females lay most of the egg masses within a few days. The males are so anxious to breed they will grab on to almost anything, including a human finger, as if trying to mate a female. When a female arrives in the wetland, it is common for many males to try to mate with her simultaneously, forming what naturalists call a “mating ball,” which can contain more than 15 frogs! The egg masses are clustered together so that their combined dark coloration warms them and speeds hatching. The tadpoles transform after 44 to 85 days. Adult wood frogs become sexually mature in two to three years.

These frogs can also change colour rapidly from very dark to very light. This is not so much an adaptive attempt at camouflage as it is a means of controlling body temperature: wood frogs darken when cold in order to absorb more heat. Adults of this species eat various small, mostly terrestrial invertebrates. www.ontarionature.org/

Year Built 1889 Builder Unknown Truss Type Queenpost Length 55 ft. 6 in.

Width 12 ft. 4 in. Color Red Roof Tin Siding Vertical board Windows Four

rectangular Abutments Concrete at north; stone and mortar at south Wingwalls

Stone and mortar capped with concrete Stream Ten Mile Creek Location Amwell

Twp Ownership Amwell Twp Accessibility Pedestrian only

• Believed to have replaced an earlier bridge in the same location following a flood in 1888

• Partially dismantled in 1915 by Washington County as an endeavor to

transfer to Mingo Creek County Park; legal proceedings resulted in the

bridge remaining in Amwell Twp

 

www.washcochamber.com/downloads/drive-book10-27.compresse...

Guiapales, Costa Rica

 

The Peanut-head Bug is quite large. It can reach a length of 85–90 millimetres (3.3–3.5 in), with a wingspan up to 100–150 millimetres (3.9–5.9 in). This insect has a protuberance at its head as long as 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 in), looking like a peanut and showing false eyes to resemble that of a lizard or a serpent.

 

When attacked, it protects itself by displaying large, yellow, fake eyes on its hind wings to frighten the aggressor. Unfortunately, I didn't quite get an image of the insect with the wings fully open.

 

Although this insect is quite large, it can be very hard to see. During the day, it remains camouflaged on the trunk of a tree. I was really excited to spot this insect during a trip to Costa Rica. We took pictures of the insect from various angles and then put it back where we found it.

- 100% original mesh

- 5 rigged sizes

- 4 leg lengths

- with/without pockets

- 9 colors

 

In-world store: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Isola%20Gavia/50/130/23:

 

Three colors (camo, desert, navy) are available at The Mens Dept at discounted price: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Pea/126/60/23

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/deadwool?fref=ts

Oppenheimer-class battlecruiser

Length: 686ft

Displacement: 44,160t

Speed: .32au/h

Jump range: 8.5ly

Crew: 410

Armament:

___9 x 386mm(aperture) fusion-pumped lasers (3x3)

___1 x keel-mounted antimatter beam weapon

Proximity defense system:

___8 x 60mm flak turret (quadmount)

___8 x APD-5 missile tube (paired)

___2 x EMP projector

Drive:

___1 x antimatter reactor

___5 x AMF torchdrive

___4 x tripartite fusion reactor

 

Culprit: Minus Ten and Counting - The Phoenix

LXF: IUN_Asagiri

ayashi-sl.blogspot.ru/2015/12/ayashi-kenji-hair-special-f...

Pentax K-3

Sigma 18-250mm

 

Aperture ƒ/5.0

Focal length 150.0 mm

Shutter 1/2000

ISO 800

Length (leg to leg): 3.1 cm

Another specimen

Location: Peninsular Malaysia

Lego Supermarine Spitfire IXe

1/9.4 Scale

Length 105cm, Wingspan 120cm

 

Here is the first of 2 x 1/9.4 Scale Spitfires I have built spanning the past 2 years (the other being a Mk.XIV that will follow soon). I have considered building Spitfires for many years but always been put off by the challenges to get an accurate looking camouflage. Lego dark green is not a good likeness of RAF dark green so I decided early on that I would use a vinyl wrap for the green. In order to do this I had the challenge relating to any studded parts (mainly wedge plates) as these would not be able to be covered with vinyl. It would have been impossible to build an accurate model without using wedge plates. To solve for this each wedge plate was reversed and vinyl applied to the back or antistud side of the part to give it a smooth finish that the camouflage could be applied to. In many sections of the model there was very little room to invert the parts, mostly it was achieved using the old finger hinges which can reverse studs on a flat plane. There are circa 150 finger hinges used in each model for this and other applications.

 

I also took the decision to incorporate custom parts. The parts were all designed to integrate with Lego and were 3D printed or Vacuum formed. The list of parts on this model are; canopy, spinner, exhausts, gun components, wheel caps, outer wing leading edges and aerial.

 

About the Pilot and Aircraft

 

Spitfire IXe RR201/DB-A

Flt Lt Dick Audet, RCAF

No 411 Sqn, Heesch (B88) Netherlands

29 December 1944

 

Flt Lt Audet was one of a few Allied Airmen to become ”ace in a day” and the only Spitfire pilot to achieve the feet in a single sortie. On 29th December he claimed 3 x FW190’s and 2 x BF109’s in the space of 2 minutes. Using this aircraft 2 days later he shot down an ME262 and reached a tally of 11.5 kills before his untimely death as a result of taking flak when attacking a train on 3rd March 1945.

 

RR201 itself was credited with additional kills whilst in use with 411 Sqn and was written off after being hit by flak on 30th April 1945.

Type Supply vessel

Flag of United Kingdom

IMO 9395458

MMSI 232014340

Callsign MCSP5

Year Built 2008

 

Length 74 m

Width 16 m

Draught Avg 3.9 m / ...

Speed Avg/Max 7.3 kn / 13.2 kn

  

The two new vessels are both UT 755 LN medium size PSV’s, built in Aukra Yard Norway in 2008 and 2009 respectively. The sister ships were purchased by Northern PSV AS, a newly incorporated company with investors including S.D Standard Drilling Plc. After a period of maintenance and re-flagging to the British Flag, both vessels will be ready to join the market .

 

The addition of the FS Crathes (ex ER Trondheim) and FS Carrick (ex ER Narvik) to the Fletcher Fleet will bring our vessel count to 15, with 13 of our vessels operating either term or spot contracts accross the North Sea.

Dropping into the Grand Canyon by helicopter for breakfast.

 

Pentax K-3

Pentax 18-55mm

 

Aperture ƒ/8.0

Focal length 18.0 mm

Shutter 1/500

ISO 200

Taken in San Francisco during my COVID-19 Walkabout project

The Postcard

 

A postally unused postcard that was printed in Switzerland by Engadin Press on behalf of Swissair.

 

On the divided back of the card is printed:

 

'Swissair Boeing 747-357.

Wing Span 59.6 m

Length 70.6 m

Height 19.3 m

Max. Cruising Speed 976 km/h

Passenger Seats 375 (Passenger Version)

252 (Combi Version)'.

 

The aircraft in the photograph (Registration Number H8-IGD) entered service with Swissair on the 19th. March 1983, and stopped being used by them on the 30th. June 1999. The aircraft was originally delivered to Swissair as a Combi Passenger/Freight Version.

 

After Service with Swissair it went to Northwest Airlines. A conversion to full freighter is planned, although the aircraft is currently (2019) sitting in storage in the Mojave Desert.

 

The Boeing 747 and its Safety Record

 

As of 2026, the Boeing 747 was first flown commercially 56 years previously in 1970.

 

As of August 2020, 62 Boeing 747 aircraft, or just under 4% of the total number of 747's ever built, have been involved in serious accidents and incidents resulting in a hull loss.

 

Hull loss means that the aircraft has either been destroyed, or has been damaged beyond economic repair.

 

Of the 62 Boeing 747 aircraft losses, 29 resulted in loss of life. In three separate hijackings, a total of 23 passengers were executed, and in a fourth hijacking, a terrorist was killed.

 

Some of the aircraft that were declared damaged beyond economic repair were older 747's that had sustained relatively minor damage. Had these planes been newer, it might have been financially viable to repair them, although with the 747's increasing obsolescence, this is becoming less common.

 

747's have been involved in accidents resulting in:

 

(a) The highest death toll of any aviation accident.

 

(b) The highest death toll of any single aeroplane

accident.

 

(c) The highest death toll resulting from a mid-air collision.

 

However, as with most aircraft accidents, the causes of these incidents involved multiple factors which rarely could be attributed to flaws in the 747's design, manufacture, or its flying characteristics.

 

Specific 747 Incidents

 

Specific 747 events are as follows:

 

-- 1970's

 

(1) On the 6th. September 1970, a new Pan American World Airways aircraft flying from Amsterdam to New York was hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

 

It was flown first to Beirut, then on to Cairo. Shortly after the occupants were evacuated from the aircraft after arriving at Cairo, it was blown up. Pan Am Flight 93 became the first hull loss of a Boeing 747.

 

(2) Japan Airlines Flight 404, the second 747 hull loss, was very similar to the first. The aircraft was hijacked on a flight from Amsterdam to Anchorage, Alaska, on the 20th. July 1973, again by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine working together with the Japanese Red Army.

 

The aircraft flew to Dubai, then Damascus, before ending its journey at Benghazi. The occupants were released, and the aircraft was blown up. One of the hijackers died.

 

(3) Lufthansa Flight 540 was the first fatal crash of a 747. On the 20th. November 1974, it stalled and smashed into the ground moments after taking off from Nairobi, with 59 deaths and 98 survivors. The cause was an error by the flight engineer, in combination with the lack of an adequate warning system.

 

(4) Air France Flight 193, a Boeing 747 operating the sector between Mumbai and Tel Aviv to Paris CDG, was destroyed by fire on the 12th. June 1975 at Mumbai's Santa Cruz Airport, following an aborted take-off.

 

(5) Imperial Iranian Air Force flight ULF48, a 747 freighter, crashed near Madrid on the 9th. May 1976, due to the structural failure of its left wing in flight, killing the 17 people on board.

 

The accident investigation determined that a lightning strike caused an explosion in a fuel tank in the wing, leading to flutter and separation of the wing.

 

(6) This is The Big One. On the 27th. March 1977, the highest death toll of any aviation accident in history occurred when KLM Flight 4805 collided on the runway with Pan Am 1736 in heavy fog at Tenerife Airport, resulting in 583 fatalities.

 

There were 61 survivors, all from the Pan Am 747. The Pan Am aircraft was coincidentally the first 747 to have entered commercial service.

 

Joani Feathers was one of the 61 who survived. She recalled how she saw a fellow passenger sliced in half by her seatbelt, and another woman set alight.

 

After the smash, her then-boyfriend Jack Ridout tried to help a stewardess trying to deploy an escape raft – only for an explosion to decapitate the Pan Am worker.

 

Recalling the near-death experience to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Feathers told of how she was nervous about the presence of the KLM 747 that crashed into her plane moments before it happened. After voicing her fears to Ridout, he jokingly replied:

 

"Don’t worry. If he hits us,

you won’t feel a thing."

 

She felt the plane she was on veer sharply to the left as it tried to avoid the other airliner, then looked up to see the roof of the 747 sliced open like a tin can. Feathers, who had been flying from Los Angeles to the Canaries to begin a Mediterranean cruise, added:

 

"All my rings had come off

my fingers. My shoes came

off. I just didn’t want to burn

up.’

 

The ex-cop credits her law enforcement training for making her one of the few survivors, as she knew not to wait to help, and to keep a constant check on her surroundings.

 

She and Ridout freed themselves from their seats, before jumping two storeys from a door of the wrecked jet. The couple then sprinted away from the plane, shortly before it exploded in a huge fireball.

 

Feathers, who now lives in Daytona Beach, said she kept repeating "No. No. I can’t believe this is happening" as she ran from the plane. She added:

 

"The plane went up

like an atom bomb."

 

Afterwards, Feathers and Ridout were flown back to California where they lived, but split up soon afterwards.

 

(7) On the 3rd. November 1977, one passenger died after a decompression event on an El Al 747 over Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

 

(8) Air India Flight 855 crashed into the sea off the coast of Mumbai on the 1st. January 1978. All 213 passengers and crew died.

 

The cause was lack of situation awareness on the captain's part after executing a banked turn due to the failure of an attitude detector. The false reading led to pilot confusion and spatial disorientation.

 

-- 1980's

 

(9) Korean Air Lines 747-200 Flight 015, operating a flight from Los Angeles to Seoul was damaged beyond repair on the 19th. November 1980. The aircraft undershot its landing, and impacted just short of the runway.

 

The landing gear collapsed, and the aircraft caught fire after it slid to a stop. Of the 226 occupants, 8 passengers and 6 crew members died, along with one person on the ground.

 

(10) On the 11th. August 1982, Pan Am 747-100, Flight 830, was en route from Tokyo to Honolulu with 285 aboard when a bomb exploded under a seat, killing 16-year-old Toru Ozawa, and injuring 16 others. The damaged airliner was able to land safely in Honolulu.

 

Mohammed Rashed, linked to the 15th. May Organisation, was convicted of murder in 1988.

 

(11) On the 16th. August 1982, China Airlines 747 encountered severe turbulence near Hong Kong; two of the 292 passengers were killed.

 

(12) On the 4th. August 1983, Pan Am Flight 73, a 747-100, struck a VASI light installation and its concrete base while taking off at Karachi International Airport, causing the nose gear to collapse backwards to the left.

 

This resulted in the total destruction of the VASI light installation, and damage to the forward cargo hold, the floor of the first class section, and the stairway leading to the upper deck.

 

(13) On the 1st. September 1983, Korean Air Lines Flight 007, a 747-200B from New York City to Seoul, strayed into Soviet air space as a result of a navigation error.

 

The aircraft was shot down just west of Sakhalin Island by the Soviet Air Force, killing all 269 passengers and crew on board.

 

(14) On the 27th. November 1983, Avianca Flight 011, a 747-200 flying from Paris to Bogotá via Madrid, crashed into a mountainside due to a navigational error while manoeuvring to land at Madrid Barajas International Airport, killing 181 out of the 192 on board.

 

(15) On the 19th. February 1985, China Airlines 747SP was flying from Taipei to LA. About 350 miles from San Francisco, incorrect crew responses to an engine failure led to an uncontrolled descent.

 

The aircraft lost 30,000 feet, and high air speeds and g-forces led to damage to the horizontal stabilisers, wings and landing gear doors. The crew diverted to San Francisco, and all 22 crew members and 374 passengers survived.

 

(16) On the 16th. March 1985, a UTA Boeing 747-300 was destroyed on the ground at Paris CDG when a fire was accidentally started while the aircraft's cabin was being cleaned. (.... How can you start a major fire when cleaning a plane???)

 

(17) On the 23rd. June 1985, a bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182, a 747-200B en route from Montreal to New Delhi, causing the aircraft to explode and crash off the Southwest coast of Ireland, killing all 329 on board.

 

Until the September 11 attacks of 2001, the Air India bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack involving aircraft. It remains the worst mass murder in Canadian history.

 

(18) On the 12th. August 1985, Japan Airlines Flight 123 crashed when the rear pressure bulkhead of a 747 flying from Tokyo to Osaka failed at cruising altitude, destroying most of the aircraft's vertical stabiliser.

 

The pilots kept it in the air for 32 minutes - time for passengers to write notes to their loved ones - but the aircraft eventually crashed on Mount Takamagahara. Out of the 524 people on board, only four survived, making it the deadliest-ever single-aircraft accident.

 

Among those who had caught the flight was one of Japan 's most popular singers, Kyu Sajamoto. He had become known to Western audiences in the 1960's with his hit record Sukiyaki.

 

(19) On the 5th. December 1985, Air France Flight 91 overshot the runway during a landing at Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport, Brazil. There were no fatalities, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

 

(20) On the 5th. September 1986, Pan Am Flight 747-100 Flight 73 was about to depart Karachi for a flight to Frankfurt when four hijackers boarded the aircraft and attempted to take control of it.

 

However, the flight crew left the aircraft via the cockpit escape hatch (I'm all right, Jack). The hijackers killed 20 of the passengers before the hijacking ended.

 

(21) On the 28th. November 1987, South African Airways Flight 295, a 747-200 Combi en route from Taipei to Johannesburg, crashed into the ocean off Mauritius.

 

A fire had broken out in the rear cargo hold, leading to separation of the tail and damage to vital control systems. All 160 people on board died.

 

(22) On the 5th. April 1988, Kuwait Airways 747-200 Combi Flight 422 was hijacked during a flight from Bangkok to Kuwait. The aircraft was first diverted to Iran and later to Cyprus.

 

During the 16-day event, two hostages were killed in Cyprus before the hijackers surrendered at their final stop in Algeria.

 

(23) On the 21st. December 1988, Pan Am Flight 103, a 747-100, disintegrated in mid-air after a bomb in the luggage hold exploded; the wings, with their tanks full of fuel, landed on Lockerbie, Scotland.

 

All 259 people on board and 11 people in Lockerbie died. A Libyan national was eventually convicted at a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands of murder in connection with the bombing.

 

For more on the Lockerbie disaster, please search for the tag 36FBP37

 

(24) On the 19th. February 1989, Flying Tiger Line Flight 66, a 747-100F, was flying using a non-directional beacon (NDB) approach to Runway 33 at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Kuala Lumpur, when the cargo aircraft hit a hillside 600 ft (180 m) above sea level.

 

The crash resulted in the deaths of all four people on board. The crew had descended below the glide path after receiving ambiguous instructions from air traffic control.

 

(25) On the 24th. February 1989, United Air Lines 747-100, Flight 811 was flying from Honolulu to Auckland when it experienced sudden decompression.

 

The crew was able to return to Honolulu and land 14 minutes after the decompression. All 18 crew members survived, but 9 of the 337 passengers were killed. (...What did the 18 crew members do to ensure that they all survived???)

 

-- 1990's

 

(26) British Airways Flight 149 was a 747-100 flying from London Heathrow to Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Kuala Lumpur with stopovers in Kuwait International Airport and Madras International Airport (now Chennai).

 

The aircraft landed in Kuwait City on the 1st. August 1990, four hours after the Gulf War had broken out. (Bad Move!!!)

 

All 385 passengers and crew were taken hostage by Iraqi forces; one was executed but the others were released. The aircraft was subsequently blown up. (....Why didn't someone radio the captain during the initial four hours of the war and mention that they were about to land in a war zone???? Who knows ....)

 

(27) On the 29th. December 1991, China Airlines Flight 358, a 747-200, crashed shortly after take-off from Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport in Taipei, Taiwan, killing all 5 crew members.

 

The crash occurred when the number-three and number-four engines (both on the right wing) detached from the aircraft. (... One engine falling off could perhaps have a valid explanation, but both????)

 

(28) On the 20th. February 1992, a passenger on Aerolineas Argentinas 747 en route to LA from Argentina died from food poisoning.

 

(29) On the 4th. October 1992, an El Al 747-200 cargo flight crashed shortly after take-off from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport after the right-side engines both fell off due to metal fatigue and damaged the right wing.

 

The aircraft crashed into an apartment building, killing all three crew members and the single passenger on board, as well as 43 people in the building and on the ground.

 

(30) On the 4th. November 1993, China Airlines Flight 605, a brand-new 747-400 flying from Taipei to Hong Kong Kai Tak Airport, landed 2000 feet past the threshold of runway 13, with insufficient braking power.

 

Unable to stop before the end of the runway, the captain steered the aircraft into Victoria Harbour. All passengers were evacuated via inflatable life rafts.

 

The vertical fin was blown off with explosives, as it disrupted airport operations. The aircraft was recovered from the harbour days later, and was written off.

 

(31) On the 11th. December 1994, a small liquid-explosive bomb detonated under a seat of a Philippine Airlines 747-200 flying from Cebu to Tokyo. The bomb, which exploded over the Pacific, killed one of the 287 passengers and injured 10 others.

 

The aircraft itself was seriously damaged by the blast, and although vital control systems were damaged, the pilots were able to safely land the airliner at Okinawa an hour later.

 

The bomb was assembled and planted for al-Qaeda by Ramzi Yousef, as a test for the planned bombings of the Bojinka plot. This was a January 1995 al-Qaeda plot to destroy several airliners over the Pacific Ocean using liquid explosives. The conspirators were discovered before they could carry out the terrorist attacks.

 

(32) On the 17th. July 1996, TWA Flight 800, a 747-100 bound for CDG Airport in Paris, exploded during its climb from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, killing all 230 people aboard.

 

A spark from a wire in the centre fuel tank caused the explosion near Long Island. Changes in fuel tank management were adopted after the crash.

 

For more information on the TWA 800 crash and the virtuoso guitarist who was one of the passengers, please search for the tag 74GND75

 

(33) On the 5th. September 1996, Air France 747-400 experienced severe turbulence near Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

 

The turbulence injured 3 of the 206 passengers. One of the 3 later died of injuries caused by an in-flight entertainment screen. (.... How can an in-flight entertainment system kill you??? Perhaps it was terminal boredom. Alternative explanations on a postcard please).

 

(34) On the 12th. November 1996, Saudi Arabian Airlines Flight 763, a 747-100B, collided with Kazakhstan Airlines Flight 1907, an Ilyushin Il-76, in mid-air over Charkri Dadri in Haryana, India.

 

The collision resulted in the deaths of all 349 occupants of both aircraft, more than any other mid-air collision in history. The Ilyushin had apparently descended below its assigned altitude.

 

(35) On the 6th. August 1997, Korean Air Flight 801, a Boeing 747-300, crashed into a hillside while on a night-time approach in heavy rain to Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport on the island of Guam.

 

The crash resulted from a controlled flight into terrain due to insufficient training and pilot fatigue. Of the 254 people on board, only 26 survived.

 

(36) On the 28th. December 1997, United Air Lines 747-100, Flight 826 encountered severe turbulence when flying from Tokyo to Honolulu. All 19 crew members survived, but one of the 374 passengers was killed.

 

(37) On the 4th. January 1998, Olympic Airways 747 was scheduled to fly from Athens to New York. Prior to the flight, an asthmatic passenger with a history of sensitivity to second-hand smoke asked for a seat in the non-smoking area of the aircraft.

 

However, once on board, it was clear that the assigned seat was only 3 rows ahead of the smoking section, with no partition.

 

Three requests were made to the cabin crew to switch seats, but the cabin crew would not move the passenger to one of the eleven available unoccupied seats. Several hours into the flight, the passenger suffered a reaction to the ambient smoke and died.

 

(.... Why didn't the flight crew just let the passenger move seats??? Who knows ...)

 

(38) On the 5th. August 1998, Korean Air Flight 8702, a Boeing 747-400, overshot a runway at Incheon International Airport while landing. The fuselage split and 25 people were injured.

 

(39) On the 5th. March 1999, Air France flight 6745, a 747-2B3F carrying 66 tons of cargo from Paris CDG to Madras International Airport via Karachi and Bangalore HAL Airport, was destroyed by fire after landing with gear up. There were no fatalities.

 

(40) On the 23rd. September 1999 Qantas Flight 1, a passenger flight between Sydney and London was involved in a runway overrun at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok as it was landing for a stopover.

 

Visibility was very poor due to heavy rain, and the previous aircraft had executed a go-round, although the Quantas crew were not made aware of this.

 

Flight 1 landed over 3,000 feet beyond the runway threshold, and the undercarriage wheels aquaplaned on the wet ungrooved runway.

 

The Pilot and First Officer took conflicting corrective action, leading to the aircraft running off the end of the runway over a long stretch of boggy grassland, colliding with a ground radio antenna as it did so, and coming to rest with its nose resting on the perimeter road.

 

38 passengers sustained minor injuries, but there were no fatalities. The extensive damage to the aircraft was such that it was initially declared a write-off, but to preserve the company's reputation, Qantas had it repaired at a cost of $100 million. By returning the aircraft to service, Qantas was able to retain its record of having had no hull-loss accidents since the advent of the Jet Age.

 

(41) On the 22nd. December 1999, Korean Air Cargo Flight 8509, a 747-200F from London Stansted Airport, crashed shortly after take-off, killing all four crew. The captain of the aircraft had mishandled it due to erroneous indications on his attitude indicator.

 

-- 2000's

 

(42) On the 31st. October 2000, Singapore Airlines Flight 006, a 747-400 flying from Singapore to LA via Taipei, collided with construction equipment while attempting to take off in heavy rain from a closed runway at Taiwan's Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport.

 

The aircraft caught fire, killing 79 passengers and four crew members on board. There were 96 survivors.

 

(43) On the 31st. January 2001, Japan Airlines Flight 907, a Boeing 747-400 en route to Naha Airport, Okinawa, narrowly avoided a mid-air collision with Japan Airlines Flight 958, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10.

 

The incident was attributed to errors made by air traffic controller trainee Hideki Hachitani and trainee supervisor Yasuko Momii. Had the collision occurred, given the combined total of 677 people on board both aircraft, this could have potentially been the deadliest aviation accident ever, surpassing the 1977 Tenerife airport disaster.

 

Once they had seen each other, the two aircraft avoided collision by using extreme evasive manoeuvres, and passed within about 135 metres (443 ft) of each other.

 

Seven passengers and two crew members in the 747 sustained serious injuries; one 54-year old woman broke her leg. Additionally, 81 passengers and 10 crew members reported minor injuries.

 

Some unbelted passengers, flight attendants, and drink carts hit the ceiling, dislodging ceiling tiles. The manoeuvre threw one boy across four rows of seats. In addition, a drink cart spilled, scalding some passengers.

 

After a criminal investigation, on the 11th. April 2008, the two air traffic controllers were found guilty of giving incorrect instructions, and received suspended prison sentences.

 

(44) On the 23rd. August 2001, Saudia Flight 3830, 747-368, rolled into a drainage ditch at Kuala Lumpur Airport and toppled forward, causing severe damage to the nose section. The aircraft was being taxied by a ground engineer.

 

When trying to make a turn, the brakes and steering had no effect, and the aircraft continued into the ditch. It emerged that the auxiliary hydraulic pumps, which actuated the brakes and steering, were switched off.

 

(45) On the 21st. November 2001, MK Airlines 747-200F was on an international cargo flight from Luxembourg to Port Harcourt, Nigeria when it crashed about 700 metres short of the runway. Of the 13 individuals on board, 1 died.

 

(46) On the 25th. May 2002, China Airlines Flight 611, a 747-200B en route to Hong Kong International Airport from Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport, broke up in mid-air 20 minutes after take off, and crashed into the Taiwan Strait, killing all 225 people on board.

 

Subsequent investigation determined the cause to be metal fatigue cracking due to an improperly-performed repair after a tail strike.

 

The aircraft was about to be sold to another carrier the following month. According to Boeing, it had been delivered to China Airlines in July 1979, and had accumulated approximately 21,180 landings and 64,394 flight hours. (.... That's a total of over 7 years in the air!!!)

 

This 22-year old aircraft was nevertheless younger than similar models in the fleets of US airlines. According to the FAA, the average age of Boeing 747-200 and 300 models in US fleets at the time of the event was 24 years.

 

(47) On the 14th. October 2004, MK Airlines Flight 1602, a 747-200F, crashed while attempting to take off from Halifax Stanfield International Airport, killing all seven on board.

 

The aircraft's take-off weight had been incorrectly calculated, and it was only airborne briefly before stalling at the end of the runway.

 

(48) On the 8th. September 2005, while Saudi Arabian Airlines 747-300 was taxiing for takeoff on a flight from Colombo to Jeddah, air traffic controllers had an anonymous call concerning a possible bomb on the aircraft. The crew performed an emergency evacuation.

 

This resulted in 62 injuries amongst the 430 passengers and crew members. One passenger died as a result of his injuries, and 19 were hospitalised. A subsequent search revealed that there was no bomb on board.

 

(49) On the 7th. June 2006, Tradewinds International Airlines Flight 444, a 747-200F, aborted a take-off from Rionegro/Medellín-José María Córdova Airport and overran the runway. The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair, and was withdrawn from service.

 

(50) On the 25th. May 2008, a Kalitta Air 747-200F broke up when it overran Runway 20 at Brussels Airport, Belgium, while en route to Bahrain International Airport, with no injuries.

 

(51) 44 days later, on the 7th. July 2008, another Kalitta Air 747-200F crashed into a farm field near the village of Madrid, Colombia shortly after take-off from El Dorado International Airport.

 

This time, the crew had reported an engine fire, and were attempting to return to the airport. One of the aircraft's engines hit a farmhouse and killed three people inside it.

 

-- 2010's

 

(52) On the 3rd. September 2010, UPS Airlines Flight 6, a 747-400F, crashed near Dubai International Airport, killing two crew members. The crash was blamed on a major fire that had been triggered by the auto-ignition of 81,000 lithium-ion batteries in a cargo pallet in the hold.

 

(53) On the 28th. July 2011, Asiana Airlines Flight 991, a 747-400F, caught fire and crashed in the sea near Jeju island, killing both crew members.

 

(54) On the 29th. April 2013, National Airlines Flight 102, a 747-400BCF, stalled and crashed shortly after taking off from Bagram Airfield, killing all 7 crew members.

 

At one point, the aircraft had rolled to the right past 45 degrees. Although the crew managed to get the wings more or less level, by then the aircraft was too low, and it impacted the ground at high vertical speed, causing an explosion and fire.

 

(55) On the 22nd. December 2013, the right wing on British Airways Flight 34, a Boeing 747–436, struck a building at O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg after missing a turning on a taxiway.

 

The wing was severely damaged, but there were no injuries amongst the crew or 189 passengers, although four on the ground were injured. The aircraft was officially written off in February 2014.

 

(56) On the 19th. March 2015, a 747-SP used by the president of Yemen was damaged by gunfire from troops loyal to deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh. Photos released a few months later showed the remains of the aircraft after it had been set on fire.

 

(57) On the 16th. January 2017, Turkish Airlines Flight 6491, a 747-400F operated by ACT Airlines en route from Hong Kong to Istanbul via Bishkek, overshot the runway on landing in thick freezing fog at Manas International Airport in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

 

The aircraft caught fire, and 39 people died, including all four crew members, as well as 35 residents of a village at the crash site.

 

(58) On the 7th. November 2018, SkyLease Cargo Flight 4854, a 747-400F, overran the runway while landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Although the aircraft sustained substantial damage, all four crew members survived with minor injuries.

 

-- 2020's

 

(59) On the 27th. August 2020, a Boeing 747-SP belonging to Las Vegas Sands Corporation was damaged beyond economic repair by Hurricane Laura while being stored at Chennault International Airport in Louisiana.

 

The tip of the right wing struck a steel beam, causing the tip to separate. The nose section of the aircraft was also damaged by the wing of another aircraft stored at the airport.

 

(60) On the 20th. February 2021, Longtail Aviation Flight 5504 littered the Dutch town of Meerssen with metal parts that fell from the sky onto property and people, shortly after departing Maastricht Airport for New York.

 

According to witness reports, there was a fire visible in one of the Boeing 747-400 cargo plane’s engines. The plane was able to land safely at Liège airport in Belgium, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) south of where it took off.

 

Soon after the incident Maastricht Airport spokesperson Hella Hendriks stated that several cars and houses had been damaged, and that pieces were found across the residential neighbourhood on roofs, gardens and streets.

 

Ms Hendriks confirmed that dozens of pieces fell. The metal parts apparently measured 5cm wide and 25cm long. She noted:

 

"The initial photos indicate they were parts

of engine blades, but that’s being investigated.”

 

Two people were injured by the debris, including an elderly woman who had to be taken to hospital.

 

The plane was powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, a smaller version of those on the United Airlines Boeing 777 that caught fire and dropped engine parts over Denver on the same day.

 

(61) On the 8th. September 2022, part of a Boeing 747’s engine plunged through a couple's garage roof. Louis and Adela Demaret, from Waremme in the Liège region of Belgium, heard a low-flying aircraft, followed by a deafening noise.

 

The flight was being operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic, and was travelling to Malta-Luqa airport when it lost the aft cowl of one of the engines.

 

Their garage window was also damaged, and another section of the plane’s engine landed next to the couple’s driveway. Fortunately no one was injured.

 

(62) On the 20th. October 2025, Emirates SkyCargo Flight 9788 suffered a runway excursion at Hong Kong International Airport at around 03:53 HKT (19:53 UTC). Flight 9788 was a scheduled international cargo flight from Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai, to Hong Kong.

 

The Boeing 747-400 collided with a ground vehicle and subsequently crashed into the South China Sea. The two airport security staff in the ground vehicle were killed, while all four occupants of the aircraft survived. The aircraft, which split into two pieces, was destroyed and written off.

 

Airport Authority Hong Kong later announced runway 07L, the incident runway, was fit for use. It was the first fatal aviation incident to occur at Hong Kong International Airport since China Airlines Flight 642 in 1999.

 

The flight crew consisted of 35-year-old Captain Atilla Yilmaz, 44-year-old first officer Candemir Ulker, 35-year-old loadmaster Caner Durgut and 46-year-old aircraft maintenance engineer Muzaffer Tuydu. All of them were Turkish nationals.

 

The two airport security staff killed in the collision were a 41-year-old man and a 30-year-old man.

 

The aircraft landed at Hong Kong on runway 07L. The thrust reverser for engine four was inoperative. Upon landing, thrust reversers for engines one, two and three were activated. The aircraft had decelerated to about 90 knots (170 km/h; 100 mph) when the number four engine spooled to 95% forward thrust, and the aircraft veered off the left side of the runway about 5,000 feet (1,500 m) past the threshold.

 

The aircraft did not send an emergency signal, and did not respond to air traffic control.

 

During the excursion, the aircraft struck a patrol vehicle that was carrying out patrolling duty on the road outside the fenced perimeter of the runway. The aircraft came to rest in the sea with its tail section separated from the rest of the fuselage, being nearly submerged in the water with large cracks clearly visible aft of the rear pressure bulkhead.

 

The ground vehicle was dragged five metres from the shore and trapped seven metres under water. The aircraft hit the water at about 49 knots (91 km/h; 56 mph).

 

All four crew members on the aircraft survived and were transported to hospital.

 

All flight recorders were recovered. On the 26th. October, salvage crews recovered the fuselage and loaded it onto a vessel. The aircraft's tail and other parts including the FDR and the CVR were lifted and sent for preliminary examination.

 

The AAIA reported on the 18th. November that the thrust reverser on engine four was inoperative at the time of the accident. Upon landing, the flight crew an electronic message that the autobrakes had disconnected, prompting the captain to take over control and begin manual braking.

 

Thrust reversers for engines two and three were activated to 90% reverse thrust, while engine one's thrust reverser was selected to idle reverse thrust. 30 seconds after touchdown, engine four spooled up to 95% forward thrust, causing the airframe to swerve left.

 

The crew then deactivated the thrust reversers to try to regain equal engine thrust. The number four engine continued to accelerate to 106% forward thrust. The aircraft then veered off the runway, and thrust reversers were again reactivated. The aircraft then struck the ground vehicle and plunged into the sea.

 

Summary

 

The 62 incidents listed above resulted in a total of 3,932 fatalities.

 

3,932 people standing in a line with a one metre gap between each would form a queue over 5.23 km (3.25 miles) long.

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from 12–16 m (39–52 ft) and weigh about 36,000 kg (79,000 lb). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song lasting 10 to 20 minutes, which they repeat for hours at a time. Its purpose is not clear, though it may have a role in mating.

 

Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 25,000 km (16,000 mi) each year. Humpbacks feed only in summer, in polar waters, and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth in the winter when they fast and live off their fat reserves. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Humpbacks have a diverse repertoire of feeding methods, including the bubble net technique.

 

Fully grown males average 13–14 m (43–46 ft). Females are slightly larger at 15–16 m (49–52 ft); one large recorded specimen was 19 m (62 ft) long and had pectoral fins measuring 6 m (20 ft) each. The largest humpback on record, according to whaling records, was a female killed in the Caribbean; she was 27 m (89 ft) long with a weight of 90 metric tons (99 short tons), although the reliability of this information is unconfirmed due to illogicality of the record. Body mass typically is in the range of 25–30 metric tons (28–33 short tons), with large specimens weighing over 40 metric tons (44 short tons)

 

A humpback whale can easily be identified by its stocky body, obvious hump, black dorsal colouring, and elongated pectoral fins. The head and lower jaw are covered with knobs called tubercles, which are hair follicles, and are characteristic of the species. The fluked tail, which it typically lifts above the surface when diving, has wavy trailing edges.

 

Humpbacks have 270 to 400 darkly coloured baleen plates on each side of their mouths.[18] The plates measure from 18 in (46 cm) in the front to about 3 ft (0.91 m) in the back, behind the hinge.

 

Ventral grooves run from the lower jaw to the umbilicus about halfway along the underside of the whale. These grooves are less numerous (usually 14–22) than in other rorquals, but are fairly wide.[

 

This image was taken in Port Frederik Bay near Hoonah and Icy Strait Point

舌尖上的美味

 

Delicious on the tongue

Autumn luscious meal . . . Champion red

 

The Taiwan Yuhina (Yuhina brunneiceps), formerly known as "Formosan Yuhina", is a small songbird endemic to the island of Taiwan. The Taiwan Yuhina is 13 cm in length with a deep brown chestnut-coloured crest and a black beard stripe descending from its beak. The bird's back, wings and tail are olive brown, and its lower breast is lighter in colour. Agreeing with other typical yuhinas in habitus, its colouration pattern is rather uncommon among the genus (Cibois et al. 2002).

 

Like other yuhinas, it is closely related to the white-eyes and if these were considered a distinct family Zosteropidae, it would be placed there. Otherwise, it would belong together with the white-eyes into the Old World babbler family Timaliidae (Jønsson & Fjeldså 2006). The closest living relative of this species appears to be the Black-chinned Yuhina, which occurs on the Asian mainland (Cibois et al. 2002).

 

This species is found in temperate forests, 1000–3300 m in altitude in its native habitat. It is gregarious, active and quite tame. It keeps to lower forest and often joins other species, especially tits in mixed flocks. The flocks, while feeding, make a constant soft chatter. The call of the Taiwan Yuhina is a sound somewhat like twi-MI-chiu, which resembles the phrase "We MEET you". The Yuhina's diet consists of mainly nectar, berries, flowers and small insects. Taiwan Yuhina may sometimes be observed hanging upside down on cherry trees.

 

=========================================================

 

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Thanks to every friend ! Greetings ! And wish you every lucky !

Tea Length Organza Ball Gown 2012 Wedding Dress

Gigant Scala: length 4.80meters. Wingspan 4.05 meters. Weight 60Kg. ;-)

After alot of apprehension and an amount of trepidation I have come to the conclusion it is now the time to post some full length photos of her. This is the final step to coming out of the closet for everyone on Flickr to meet Davina.

 

Exposure 0.6

Aperture f/18.0

Focal Length 11 mm

ISO Speed 100

Exposure Bias 0 EV

 

Please take a moment and view this image large, as it really does need to be viewed large to appreciate the beauty and detail!

  

Well, hello to all my contacts and flickr friends. I have been pretty low key lately. Mainly because of the time of year and also due to having the nasty flu over the last couple of weeks. I have been checking in and viewing all your wonderful work though. Just haven't had the time to write thoughtful comments. I hope your holiday season is joyfull and happy.

 

It's been intirely too long since I have excersised the shutter finger. Recently, I have been inspired to get out by some of my contacts that went to Opal Creek wilderness. I have been wanting to visit this beautiful area for a long time. The last time I ventured up here, it was impossible due to the amount of snow. Today, I ventured up here after fighting the flu and really struggled, but kept going. The weather was really ugly with rain/snow non stop. I got thoroughly soaked, but it really did feel good to get out with the camera. This is the waterfall behind the old saw mill. It's a two mile hike in to this spot on a very nice trail through old growth forrest. My gear is all over the floor drying out, as I was soaked to the bone by the time I got back to my vehicle. I hope you all had a terrific Christmas and I wish for you the best during the coming new year :)

 

Thanks for looking :)

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8albna portrait for a change

 

Model: Father (allah y5alih lena)

 

Camera: Nikon D5000

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)

Aperture: f/8.0

Lens: 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6

Focal Length: 38 mm

ISO Speed: 100

Exposure Bias: 0 EV

 

On The Left Speedlite Triggered.

  

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All rights reserved ©

 

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Location: Munich

Camera: Canon EOS 350D

Shutter: 1/3200

Aperture: F4.0

ISO: 400

Focal Length: 18mm

 

Copyright © Germany. All rights reserved

 

 

عفوا ً .. نسآء .. العآلم وحظا ً اوفر فـ \ لستم مثل { آمي "

 

\

/

  

آلحمد لله اولاً وآخيراً امتلكت الـ

Canon 5D mark II

بفضل الله ثم بـ فضل الوآلدة هديه تخرجي

وكل الاحترام للقديره الـ

canon 450 D

تحملتني كثير وصبرت علي بما فيه الكفايه

وتستاهل تحيه آكيد وعشان ماتزعل وتحس اللي صار

خيآنه لها بخلي الصور الجايه من الارشيف تكريما ً لجهودها الله يرحمها

p:

  

Canon 5D mark II

Welcome to my life =)

 

و نرجع نقول

\

{ الحر ماينفع بليآ مخآليب ..

    

.,,

      

مآشآء الله

: )

Say masha allah plz

  

Model: Canon eos 450D

Shutter Speed: 1\125

F : 13

Focal Length: 105m

ISO : 100

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/

رجـآءً عدم استخدآم الصوره دون آذن

Please do not use image without my knowledge ..

\

all by: Me ..

 

      

marketplace.secondlife.com/p/MI-Full-Perm-Striped-Fistail...

Program:Aperture-priority AE

Lens:AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED

F:16.0

Speed:1/30

ISO:100

Focal Length:34.0 mm (35 mm equivalent 51.0 mm)

Focus Mode:AF-S

AF Area:Single Area

Shooting Mode:IR Control

VR:Off

Metering Mode:Multi-segment

WB:Auto

Focus Distance:5.62 m

Dof:inf (2.21 m - inf)

HyperFocal:3.61 m

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Career

Name: RMS Olympic

Owner: White Star flag NEW.svg White Star Line 1911–1934

Cunard White Star Line Logo.JPG Cunard White Star Line 1934–1935

Port of registry: United Kingdom Liverpool, United Kingdom

Route: Southampton to New York

Ordered: 1906

Builder: Harland and Wolff, Belfast

Yard number: 400

Laid down: 16 December 1908

Launched: 20 October 1910

Completed: May 1911

Maiden voyage: 14 June 1911

In service: 1911

Out of service: 1935

Identification: Official Number 131346

Code Letters HSRP

ICS Hotel.svgICS Sierra.svgICS Romeo.svgICS Papa.svg

Radio callsign "MKC"

Fate: Retired at Southampton after 24 years service & scrapped. Superstructure dismantled at Jarrow, England, and the hull at Inverkeithing, Scotland.

Status: scrapped (besides the Second Class Lounge)

General characteristics

Class & type: Olympic-class ocean liner

Tonnage: 45,324 gross register tons; 46,358 after 1913; 46,439 after 1920

Displacement: 52,067 tons

Length: 882 ft 6 in (269.0 m)

Beam: 92 ft 6 in (28.2 m)

Height: 175 ft (53.3 m) (keel to top of funnels)

Draught: 34 ft 7 in (10.5 m)

Decks: 10 decks (1 crew deck)

Installed power: 24 double-ended (six furnace) and 5 single-ended (three furnace) Scotch boilers. Two four-cylinder triple-expansion reciprocating engines each producing 15,000 hp for the two outboard wing propellers at 75 revolutions per minute. One low-pressure turbine producing 16,000 h. 59,000 hp produced at maximum revolutions.[1]

Propulsion: Two bronze triple-blade wing propellers. One bronze quadruple-blade centre propeller.

Speed:

 

21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)

23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) (maximum)

 

Capacity: 2,435 passengers

Crew: 950

 

RMS Olympic was a transatlantic ocean liner, the lead ship of the White Star Line's trio of Olympic-class liners. Unlike her younger sister ships, the Olympic enjoyed a long and illustrious career, spanning 24 years from 1911 to 1935. This included service as a troopship during World War I, which gained her the nickname "Old Reliable". Olympic returned to civilian service after the war and served successfully as an ocean liner throughout the 1920s and into the first half of the 1930s, although increased competition, and the slump in trade during the Great Depression after 1930, made her operation increasingly unprofitable.

 

She was the largest ocean liner in the world for two periods during 1911–13, interrupted only by the brief tenure of the slightly larger Titanic (which had the same dimensions but higher gross tonnage due to revised interior configurations), and then outsized by the SS Imperator. Olympic also retained the title of the largest British-built liner until the RMS Queen Mary was launched in 1934, interrupted only by the short careers of her slightly larger sister ships.[2][3]

 

By contrast with Olympic, the other ships in the class, Titanic and Britannic, did not have long service lives. On the night of 14/15 April 1912, Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank, claiming 1,500 lives; Britannic struck a mine and sank in the Kea Channel in the Mediterranean on 21 November 1916, killing 30 people.

 

Background

 

Built in Belfast, Ireland, the RMS Olympic was the first of the three Olympic-class ocean liners – the others were the RMS Titanic and the HMHS Britannic.[4] They were by far the largest vessels of the British shipping company White Star Line's fleet, which comprised 29 steamers and tenders in 1912.[5] The three ships had their genesis in a discussion in mid-1907 between the White Star Line's chairman, J. Bruce Ismay, and the American financier J. Pierpont Morgan, who controlled the White Star Line's parent corporation, the International Mercantile Marine Co. The White Star Line faced a growing challenge from its main rivals Cunard, which had just launched Lusitania and Mauretania – the fastest passenger ships then in service – and the German lines Hamburg America and Norddeutscher Lloyd. Ismay preferred to compete on size rather than speed and proposed to commission a new class of liners that would be bigger than anything that had gone before as well as being the last word in comfort and luxury.[6] The company sought an upgrade in their fleet primarily in response to the Cunard giants but also to replace their largest and now outclassed ships from 1890, the SS Teutonic and SS Majestic. The former was replaced by Olympic while Majestic was replaced by Titanic. Majestic would be brought back into her old spot on White Star's New York service after Titanic's loss.

 

The ships were constructed by the Belfast shipbuilders Harland and Wolff, who had a long-established relationship with the White Star Line dating back to 1867.[7] Harland and Wolff were given a great deal of latitude in designing ships for the White Star Line; the usual approach was for the latter to sketch out a general concept which the former would take away and turn into a ship design. Cost considerations were relatively low on the agenda and Harland and Wolff was authorised to spend what it needed on the ships, plus a five percent profit margin.[7] In the case of the Olympic-class ships, a cost of £3 million for the first two ships was agreed plus "extras to contract" and the usual five percent fee.[8]

The launch of Olympic on 20 October 1910

 

Harland and Wolff put their leading designers to work designing the Olympic-class vessels. It was overseen by Lord Pirrie, a director of both Harland and Wolff and the White Star Line; naval architect Thomas Andrews, the managing director of Harland and Wolff's design department; Edward Wilding, Andrews' deputy and responsible for calculating the ship's design, stability and trim; and Alexander Carlisle, the shipyard's chief draughtsman and general manager.[9] Carlisle's responsibilities included the decorations, equipment and all general arrangements, including the implementation of an efficient lifeboat davit design.[10]

 

On 29 July 1908, Harland and Wolff presented the drawings to J. Bruce Ismay and other White Star Line executives. Ismay approved the design and signed three "letters of agreement" two days later authorising the start of construction.[11] At this point the first ship – which was later to become Olympic – had no name, but was referred to simply as "Number 400", as it was Harland and Wolff's four hundredth hull. Titanic was based on a revised version of the same design and was given the number 401.[12] Bruce Ismay's father Thomas Henry Ismay had previously planned to build a ship named Olympic as a sister ship to the Oceanic. The senior Ismay died in 1899 and the order for the ship was cancelled.[13]

 

Construction of the Olympic began three months before Titanic to ease pressures on the shipyard. Several years would pass before Britannic would be launched. In order to accommodate the construction of the class, Harland and Wolff upgraded their facility in Belfast; the most dramatic change was the combining of three slipways into two larger ones. Olympic's keel was laid in December 1908 and she was launched on 20 October 1910.[4] For her launch, the hull was painted in a light grey colour for photographic purposes; a common practice of the day for the first ship in a new class, as it made the lines of the ship clearer in the black and white photographs. Her hull was repainted black following the launch.[3]

 

Features

 

The Grand Staircase of Olympic.

 

The Olympic was designed as a luxury ship; her passenger facilities, fittings, deck plans and technical facilities were largely identical to those of her more famous sister Titanic, although with some small variations.[14] The first-class passengers enjoyed luxurious cabins, and some were equipped with private bathrooms. First-class passengers could have meals in the ship's large and luxurious dining room or in the more intimate A La Carte Restaurant. There was a lavish Grand Staircase, built only for the Olympic-class ships, along with three elevators that ran behind the staircase down to E deck,[15] a Georgian-style smoking room, a Veranda Café decorated with palm trees,[16] a swimming pool, Turkish bath,[17] gymnasium,[18] and several other places for meals and entertainment.

 

The second-class facilities included a smoking room, a library, a spacious dining room, and an elevator.[3][19]

 

Finally, the third-class passengers enjoyed reasonable accommodation compared to other ships, if not up to the second and first classes. Instead of large dormitories offered by most ships of the time, the third-class passengers of the Olympic travelled in cabins containing two to ten bunks. Facilities for the third class included a smoking room, a common area, and a dining room.[3][19]

 

Olympic had a cleaner, sleeker look than other ships of the day: rather than fitting her with bulky exterior air vents, Harland and Wolff used smaller air vents with electric fans, with a "dummy" fourth funnel used for additional ventilation. For the power plant Harland and Wolff employed a combination of reciprocating engines with a centre low-pressure turbine, as opposed to the steam turbines used on Cunard's Lusitania and Mauretania.[20] White Star had successfully tested this engine set up on an earlier liner SS Laurentic, where it was found to be more economical than expansion engines or turbines alone. Olympic consumed 650 tons of coal per 24 hours with an average speed of 21.7 knots on her maiden voyage, compared to 1000 tons of coal per 24 hours for both the Lusitania and Mauretania.[21]

 

Although Olympic and Titanic were nearly identical, and were based on the same design, a few alterations were made to Titanic (and later on Britannic) based on experience gained from Olympic's first year in service. The most noticeable of these was that the forward half of the Titanic's A Deck promenade was enclosed by a steel screen with sliding windows, to provide additional shelter, whereas the Olympic's promenade deck remained open along its whole length. Also the promenades on the Titanic's B Deck were reduced in size, and the space used for additional cabins and public rooms, including two luxury suites with private promenades. A number of other variations existed between the two ships layouts and fittings. These differences meant that Titanic had a slightly higher gross tonnage of 46,328 tons, compared to Olympic's 45,324 tons.[22]

Olympic on her sea trials in Belfast in 1911

Career

 

Following completion, Olympic started her sea trials on 29 May 1911, which she successfully completed; Olympic then left Belfast bound for Liverpool, her port of registration, on 31 May 1911. As a publicity stunt the White Star Line deliberately timed the start of this first voyage to coincide with the launch of Titanic. After spending a day in Liverpool, open to the public, Olympic sailed to Southampton, where she arrived on 3 June, to be made ready for her maiden voyage.[23] The deep-water dock at Southampton, then known as the "White Star Dock" had been specially constructed to accommodate the new Olympic-class liners, and had opened in 1911.[24]

 

Her maiden voyage commenced on 14 June 1911 from Southampton, calling at Cherbourg and Queenstown, reaching New York on 21 June.[25] The maiden voyage was captained by Edward Smith who would lose his life the following year in the Titanic disaster.[26] Designer Thomas Andrews was present for the passage to New York and return, along with a number of engineers, as part of Harland and Wolff's "Guarantee Group" to spot any problems or areas for improvement. Andrews would also lose his life in the Titanic disaster.[27]

 

As the largest ship in the world, and the first in a new class of superliners. Olympic's maiden voyage attracted considerable worldwide attention from the press and public. Following her arrival in New York, Olympic was opened up to the public and received over 8,000 visitors. More than 10,000 spectators watched her depart from New York harbour, for her first return trip.[28]

Hawke collision

Photographs documenting the damage to the Olympic (left) and the Hawke (right) following their collision (alternate view)

 

Olympic's first major mishap occurred on her fifth voyage on 20 September 1911, when she collided with a British warship, HMS Hawke off the Isle of Wight. The collision took place as Olympic and Hawke were running parallel to each other through the Solent. As Olympic turned to starboard, the wide radius of her turn took the commander of the Hawke by surprise, and he was unable to take sufficient avoiding action.[29] The Hawke's bow, which had been designed to sink ships by ramming them, collided with Olympic's starboard side near the stern, tearing two large holes in Olympic's hull, below and above the waterline respectively, resulting in the flooding of two of her watertight compartments and a twisted propeller shaft. HMS Hawke suffered severe damage to her bow and nearly capsized. Despite this, Olympic was able to return to Southampton under her own power, and no-one was seriously injured or killed.[14][30]

 

Captain Edward Smith was still in command of Olympic at the time of the incident. One crew member, Violet Jessop, survived not only the collision with the Hawke but also the later sinking of Titanic and the 1916 sinking of Britannic, the third ship of the class.[31]

 

At the subsequent inquiry the Royal Navy blamed Olympic for the incident, alleging that her large displacement generated a suction that pulled Hawke into her side.[32][33] The Hawke incident was a financial disaster for Olympic's operator. A legal argument ensued which decided that the blame for the incident lay with Olympic, and although the ship was technically under the control of the pilot, the White Star Line was faced with large legal bills and the cost of repairing the ship, and keeping her out of revenue service made matters worse.[29] However, the fact that Olympic endured such a serious collision and stayed afloat, appeared to vindicate the design of the Olympic-class liners and reinforced their "unsinkable" reputation.[29]

Olympic (left) returning to Belfast for repairs in March 1912, and Titanic (right) This was the last time the two sister ships would be seen together

 

It took two weeks for the damage to Olympic to be patched up sufficiently to allow her to return to Belfast for permanent repairs, which took just over six weeks to complete. To speed up the repairs, Harland and Wolff was forced to delay Titanic's completion in order to use her propeller shaft for Olympic. By 29 November she was back in service, however in February 1912, Olympic suffered another setback when she lost a propeller blade on an eastbound voyage from New York, and once again returned to her builder for repairs. To get her back to service as soon as possible, Harland & Wolff again had to pull resources from Titanic, delaying her maiden voyage from 20 March 1912 to 10 April 1912.[34]

Titanic disaster

Main article: Sinking of the RMS Titanic

 

On 14 April 1912, Olympic, now under the command of Herbert James Haddock, was on a return trip from New York. Wireless operator Ernest James Moore[35] received the distress call from her sister Titanic, when she was approximately 500 nautical miles (930 km; 580 mi) west by south of Titanic's location.[36] Haddock calculated a new course, ordered the ship's engines to be set to full power and headed to assist in the rescue.[37]

 

When Olympic was about 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi) away from Titanic's last known position, she received a message from Captain Rostron captain of Cunard Liner RMS Carpathia, explaining that continuing on course to Titanic would gain nothing, as "All boats accounted for. About 675 souls saved [...] Titanic foundered about 2.20 am."[36] Rostron requested that the message be forwarded to White Star and Cunard. He said that he was returning to harbour in New York.[36] Subsequently, the wireless room aboard the Olympic operated as a clearing room for radio messages.[36]

 

When Olympic offered to take on the survivors, she was heatedly turned down by an appalled Rostron, who was concerned that it would cause panic amongst the survivors of the disaster to see a virtual mirror-image of the Titanic appear and ask them to board. Olympic then resumed her voyage to Southampton, with all concerts cancelled as a mark of respect, arriving on 21 April.[3]

 

Over the next few months, Olympic assisted with both the American and British inquiries into the disaster. Deputations from both inquiries inspected Olympic's lifeboats, watertight doors and bulkheads and other equipment which were identical to those on Titanic.[38] Sea tests were performed for the British enquiry in May 1912, to establish how quickly the ship could turn two points at various speeds, to approximate how long it would have taken the Titanic to turn when it sighted the iceberg.[39]

1912 "mutiny"

 

Olympic, like Titanic, did not carry enough lifeboats for everyone on board, and was hurriedly equipped with additional, second-hand collapsible lifeboats following her return to Britain. Toward the end of April 1912, as she was about to sail from Southampton to New York, 284 of the ship's firemen went on strike because of fears that the ship's new collapsible lifeboats were not seaworthy. 100 non-union crew were hastily hired from Southampton as replacements, with more being hired from Liverpool.[40]

 

The 40 collapsible lifeboats were secondhand, having been transferred from troopships, and many were rotten and could not open. The crewmen instead sent a request to the Southampton manager of the White Star Line that the collapsible boats be replaced by wooden lifeboats; the manager replied that this was impossible and that the collapsible boats had been passed as seaworthy by a Board of Trade inspector. The men were not satisfied and ceased work in protest.[41]

 

On 25 April a deputation of strikers witnessed a test of four of the collapsible boats. Only one was unseaworthy and they said that they were prepared to recommend the men return to work if it was replaced. However the strikers now objected to the non-union strikebreaker crew which had come on board, and demanded that they be dismissed, which the White Star Line refused. 54 sailors then left the ship, objecting to the non-union crew who they claimed were unqualified and therefore dangerous, and refused to sail with them. This led to the scheduled sailing being cancelled.[40][42]

 

All 54 sailors were arrested on a charge of mutiny when they went ashore. On 4 May 1912 Portsmouth magistrates found the charges against the mutineers were proven, but discharged them without imprisonment or fine due to the special circumstances of the case.[43] Fearing that public opinion would be on the side of the strikers, the White Star Line let them return to work and the Olympic sailed on 15 May.[39]

Refit

Olympic as she appeared after her refit following the Titanic disaster, with a full complement of lifeboats

 

On 9 October 1912 White Star withdrew Olympic from service and returned her to her builders at Belfast to be refitted to incorporate lessons learned from the Titanic disaster 6 months prior, and improve safety.[44] The number of lifeboats carried by Olympic was increased from twenty to sixty four (per Carlisle's original number), and extra davits were installed along the boat deck to accommodate them. Also, an inner watertight skin was constructed in the boiler and engine rooms, to create a double hull. Five of the watertight bulkheads were extended up to B-Deck, extending to the entire height of the hull. This corrected a flaw in the original design, in which the bulkheads only rose up as far as E or D-Deck, a short distance above the waterline. This flaw had been exposed during Titanic's sinking, where water spilled over the top of the bulkheads as the ship sank and flooded subsequent compartments. In addition, an extra bulkhead was added to subdivide the electrical dynamo room, bringing the total number of watertight compartments to seventeen. Improvements were also made to the ship's pumping apparatus. These modifications meant that Olympic could survive a collision similar to that of Titanic, in that her first six compartments could be breached and the ship could remain afloat.[45][46]

 

At the same time, Olympic's B-Deck underwent a refit, which necessitated eliminating her B-Deck promenades – one of the few features that separated her from her sister ship. The refit included extra cabins (the parlour suites which proved popular on the Titanic were added to the Olympic), more cabins were fitted with private bathing facilities, and a Cafe Parisian (another addition that had proved popular on the Titanic) was added, offering another dining option to first class passengers. With these changes, Olympic's gross tonnage rose to 46,359 tons, 31 tons more than Titanic's.[47]

 

In March 1913, Olympic returned to service and briefly regained the title of largest ocean liner in the world, until the German liner SS Imperator entered passenger service in June 1913. Following her refit, Olympic was marketed as the "new" Olympic and her improved safety features were featured prominently in advertisements. [48][3]

World War I

 

In August 1914 World War I began. Olympic initially remained in commercial service under Captain Herbert James Haddock. As a wartime measure, Olympic was painted in a grey colour scheme, portholes were blocked, and lights on deck were turned off to make the ship less visible. The schedule was hastily altered to terminate at Liverpool rather than Southampton, and this was later altered again to Glasgow.[3][49]

 

The first few wartime voyages were packed with Americans trapped in Europe, eager to return home, although the eastbound journeys carried few passengers. By mid-October, bookings had fallen sharply as the threat from German U-boats became increasingly serious, and White Star Line decided to withdraw Olympic from commercial service. On 21 October 1914, she left New York for Glasgow on her last commercial voyage of the war, though carrying only 153 passengers.[50][49]

Audacious incident

 

On the sixth day of her voyage, 27 October, as the Olympic passed near Lough Swilly off the north coast of Ireland, she received distress signals from the battleship HMS Audacious, which had struck a mine off Tory Island and was taking on water.[51]

The crew of the stricken Audacious take to lifeboats to be rescued by Olympic

 

The Olympic took off 250 of the Audacious' crew, then the destroyer HMS Fury managed to attach a tow cable between Audacious and Olympic and they headed west for Lough Swilly. However, the cable parted after the Audacious' steering gear failed. A second attempt was made to tow the warship, but the cable became tangled in HMS Liverpool's propellers and was severed. A third attempt was tried but also failed when the cable gave way. By 17:00 the Audacious' quarterdeck was awash and it was decided to evacuate the remaining crew members to Olympic and Liverpool, and at 20:55 there was an explosion aboard the Audacious and she sank.[52]

 

Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, Commander of the Home Fleet, was anxious to suppress the news of the sinking of Audacious, for fear of the demoralising effect it could have on the British public, so ordered Olympic to be held in custody at Lough Swilly. No communications were permitted and passengers were not allowed to leave the ship. The only people departing her were the crew of the Audacious and Chief Surgeon John Beaumont, who was transferring to RMS Celtic. Steel tycoon Charles M. Schwab, who was travelling aboard the liner, sent word to Jellicoe that he had urgent business in London with the Admiralty, and Jellicoe agreed to release Schwab if he remained silent about the fate of Audacious. Finally, on 2 November, Olympic was allowed to go to Belfast where the passengers disembarked.[53]

HMT Olympic in dazzle camouflage while in service as a troopship during World War I

Naval service

 

Following Olympic's return to Britain, the White Star Line intended to lay her up in Belfast until the war was over, but in May 1915 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty, to be used as a troop transport, along with the Cunard liners Mauretania and Aquitania. The Admiralty had initially been reluctant to use large ocean liners as troop transports because of their vulnerability to enemy attack, however a shortage of ships gave them little choice. At the same time, Olympic's other sister ship Britannic, which had not yet been completed, was requisitioned as a hospital ship. In that role she would strike a mine and sink the following year.[54]

 

Stripped of her peacetime fittings, and armed with 12-pounders and 4.7-inch guns, Olympic was converted to a troopship, with the capacity to transport up to 6,000 troops. On 24 September 1915 the newly designated HMT (Hired Military Transport) 2810, now under the command of Bertram Fox Hayes left Liverpool carrying 6,000 soldiers to Mudros, Greece for the Gallipoli Campaign. On 1 October she sighted lifeboats from the French ship Provincia which had been sunk by a U-boat that morning off Cape Matapan and picked up 34 survivors. Hayes was heavily criticised for this action by the British Admiralty, who accused him of putting the ship in danger by stopping it in waters where enemy U-boats were active. The ship's speed was considered to be its best defence against U-boat attack, and such a large ship stopped would have made an unmissable target. However the French Vice-Admiral Louis Dartige du Fournet took a different view, and awarded Hayes with the Gold Medal of Honour. Olympic made several more trooping journeys to the Mediterranean until early 1916, when the Gallipoli Campaign was abandoned.[55]

Olympic in dazzle at Halifax, Nova Scotia painted by Arthur Lismer

 

In 1916, considerations were made to use Olympic to transport troops to India via the Cape of Good Hope. However on investigation it turned out she was unsuitable for this role, because her coal bunkers, which had been designed for transatlantic runs, lacked the capacity for such a long journey at a reasonable speed.[56] Instead, from 1916 to 1917, Olympic was chartered by the Canadian Government to transport troops from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Britain.[57] In 1917 she gained 6-inch guns and was painted with a "dazzle" camouflage scheme to make it more difficult for observers to estimate her speed and heading. Her dazzle colours were brown, dark blue, light blue, and white. Her many visits to Halifax Harbour carrying Canadian troops safely overseas, and back home after the war, made her a favourite symbol in the City of Halifax. Noted Group of Seven artist Arthur Lismer made several paintings of her in Halifax. A large dance hall, "Olympic Gardens" was also named in her honour. After the United States declared war on Germany in 1917, Olympic also transported thousands of U.S. troops to Britain.[58]

 

In the early hours of 12 May 1918, while en route for France with US troops under the command of Captain Hayes, Olympic sighted a surfaced U-boat 500 m (1,600 ft) ahead.[59] Her gunners opened fire at once, and she turned to ram the submarine, which immediately crash dived to 30 m (98 ft) and turned to a parallel course. Almost immediately afterwards Olympic struck the submarine just aft of her conning tower and her port propeller sliced through U-103's pressure hull. The crew of U-103 blew her ballast tanks, scuttled and abandoned the submarine. Olympic returned to Southampton with at least two hull plates dented and her prow twisted to one side, but not breached.[60]

 

Olympic did not stop to pick up survivors, but continued on to Cherbourg. The USS Davis sighted a distress flare and picked up 31 survivors from U-103. It was discovered that U-103 had been preparing to torpedo the Olympic when she was sighted, but the crew could not flood the two stern torpedo tubes.[61] For this service, Captain Hayes was awarded the DSO.[62] Some American soldiers on board paid for a plaque to be placed in one of Olympic's lounges to commemorate the event, it read:

 

This tablet presented by the 59th Regiment United States Infantry commemorates the sinking of the German submarine U103 by the Olympic on May 12th 1918 in latitude 49 degrees 16 minutes north longitude 4 degrees 51 minutes west on the voyage from New York to Southampton with American troops...[63]

 

During the war, Olympic is reported to have carried up to 201,000 troops and other personnel, burning 347,000 tons of coal and travelling about 184,000 miles.[64] Her impressive World War I service earned her the nickname Old Reliable.[65] Her captain was knighted in 1919 for "valuable services in connection with the transport of troops".[66]

Post-war

 

In August 1919 Olympic returned to Belfast for restoration to civilian service. Her interior was modernised and her boilers were converted to burn oil rather than coal. Oil was cheaper than coal, it lowered the refuelling time from days to hours, and allowed the engine room personnel to be reduced from 350 to 60 people.[67] During the conversion work and drydocking, a dent with a crack at the centre was discovered below her waterline which was later concluded to have been caused by a torpedo that had failed to detonate.[68]

Olympic at Southampton in 1929

 

Olympic emerged from her refit with an increased tonnage of 46,439, allowing her to retain her claim to the title of largest British built liner afloat, although the Cunard Line's Aquitania was slightly longer. In 1920 she returned to passenger service, on one voyage that year carrying 2,249 passengers.[69] Olympic transported a record 38,000 passengers during 1921, which proved to be the peak year of her career. From 1922 she was joined for an express service by Majestic and Homeric; two former German liners which had been ceded to Britain as war reparations, operating successfully until the Great Depression reduced demand after 1930.[70]

 

During the 1920s, Olympic remained a popular and fashionable ship, and often attracted the rich and famous of the day; Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, and Prince Edward, then Prince of Wales, were among the celebrities that she carried.[71] Prince Edward and Captain Howarth were filmed on the bridge of the Olympic for Pathé News.[72] One of the attractions of the Olympic was the fact that she was nearly identical to the Titanic, and many passengers sailed on the Olympic as a way of vicariously experiencing the voyage of the Olympic's ill-fated sister ship.[73]

 

On 22 March 1924, Olympic was involved in another collision with a ship, this time at New York. As Olympic was reversing from her berth at New York harbour, her stern collided with the smaller liner Fort St George, which had crossed into her path. The collision caused extensive damage to the smaller ship. At first it appeared that Olympic had sustained only minor damage, but it was later revealed that her sternpost had been fractured, necessitating the replacement of her entire stern frame.[74]

 

Changes in immigration laws in the United States in the 1920s greatly restricted the number of immigrants allowed to enter. This led to a major reduction in the immigrant trade for the shipping lines, forcing them to cater to the tourist trade to survive.[3] At the turn of 1927–28, Olympic was converted to carry tourist third cabin passengers as well as first, second and third class.[75] Tourist third cabin was an attempt to attract travellers who desired comfort without the accompanying high ticket price. New public rooms were constructed for this class, although tourist third cabin and second class would merge to become 'tourist' by late 1931.

 

A year later, Olympic's first class cabins were again improved by adding more bathrooms, a dance floor was fitted in the enlarged first class dining saloon, and a number of new suites with private facilities were installed forward on B-deck.[76] More improvements would follow in a later refit, but 1929 saw Olympic's best average passenger lists since 1925.

 

On 18 November 1929, as the Olympic was travelling westbound near to Titanic's last known position, the ship suddenly started to vibrate violently, and the vibrations continued for two minutes. It was later determined that this had been caused by the 1929 Grand Banks earthquake.[77]

Last years

 

The shipping trade was badly affected by the Great Depression. Until 1930 there had generally been around one million passengers a year on the transatlantic route, but by 1934 this had dropped by more than half. Furthermore, by the early 1930s, increased competition emerged, in the form of a new generation of larger and faster liners such as Germany's SS Bremen and SS Europa, Italy's SS Rex and France's SS Île de France, and the remaining passengers tended to prefer the more up to date ships. Olympic had averaged around 1,000 passengers per journey until 1930, but this declined by more than half by 1932.[78]

 

Olympic's running mate Homeric was withdrawn from the transatlantic route as early as 1932, leaving only Olympic and Majestic maintaining White Star Line's Southampton-New York service, although this was occasionally augmented during the summer months by either the MV Britannic or MV Georgic. [79]

 

At the end of 1932, with passenger traffic in decline, Olympic went for an overhaul and refit that took four months. She returned to service in March 1933 described by her owners as "looking like new." Her engines were performing at their best and she repeatedly recorded speeds in excess of 23 knots, despite averaging less than that in regular transatlantic service. Passenger capacities were given as 618 first class, 447 tourist class and only 382 third class after the decline of the immigrant trade.[80]

 

Despite this, during 1933 and 1934, Olympic ran at a net operating loss for the first time. 1933 was Olympic's worst year of business – carrying just over 9,000 passengers in total.[81] Passenger numbers rose slightly in 1934, but many crossings still lost money.[79]

Olympic in 1934, passing the lightvessel she struck and sank a few months later

Lightship collision

 

In 1934, Olympic again struck a ship. The approaches to New York were marked by lightships and Olympic, like other liners, had been known to pass close by these vessels. On 15 May 1934, Olympic, inbound in heavy fog, was homing in on the radio beacon of Nantucket Lightship LV-117.[82] Now under the command of Captain John Binks, the ship failed to turn in time and sliced through the smaller vessel, which broke apart and sank.[83] Four of the lightship's crew went down with the vessel and seven were rescued, of whom three died of their injuries – thus there were seven fatalities out of a crew of eleven.[84] The lightship's surviving crew and the Olympic's captain were interviewed soon after reaching shore. One crewman said it all happened so quickly that they didn't know how it happened. The captain was very sorry it happened but said the Olympic reacted very quickly lowering boats to rescue the crew, which was confirmed by an injured crewman.[85]

Retirement

Olympic (left) and Mauretania laid up in Southampton prior to their scrapping.

 

In 1934, the White Star Line merged with the Cunard Line at the instigation of the British government, to form Cunard White Star.[86] This merger allowed funds to be granted for the completion of the future RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth. When completed, these two new ships would handle Cunard White Star's transatlantic business, and so their fleet of older liners became redundant and were gradually retired.

 

Olympic was withdrawn from the transatlantic service, and left New York for the last time on 5 April 1935, returning to Britain to be laid up.[when?] Her new owners considered using her for summer cruises for a short while, but this idea was abandoned and she was put up for sale. Among the potential buyers was a syndicate who proposed to turn her into a floating hotel off the south coast of France, but this came to nothing.[87] After being laid up for five months alongside her former rival Mauretania, she was sold to Sir John Jarvis – Member of Parliament for £97,500, to be partially demolished at Jarrow to provide work for the depressed region.[88] Her superstructure was demolished in 1936, and in 1937, Olympic's hull was towed to Inverkeithing to T.W. Ward's yard for final demolition.[89]

 

By the time of her retirement, Olympic had completed 257 round trips across the Atlantic, transporting 430,000 passengers on her commercial voyages, travelling 1.8 million miles.[87][90]

Olympic artefacts

Fittings from the ship installed in the Olympic Suite at the White Swan Hotel, Alnwick

The marble fireplace from the Olympic now at the White Swan, Alnwick

 

The Olympic's fittings were auctioned off immediately before she was scrapped; some of her fittings, namely those of the first-class lounge and part of the aft grand staircase, can be found in the White Swan Hotel, in Alnwick, Northumberland, England. The rest of her fittings found homes in scattered places throughout Great Britain.[91]

 

In 2000, Celebrity Cruises purchased some of Olympic's original wooden panels to create the RMS Olympic restaurant on board their new cruise ship, Millennium. According to Celebrity Cruise Line, this wood panelling once lined Olympic's à la carte restaurant.[91]

 

The clock depicting "Honour and Glory Crowning Time" from Olympic's grand staircase is on display at Southampton's SeaCity Museum.[92][93]

Moulton, J. C.,, photographer.

 

[Helen L. Gilson, Civil War nurse and head of the Colored Hospital Service, half length portrait, seated] J.C. Moulton, Fitchburg.

 

[Fitchburg, Massachusetts] : [J.C. Moulton], [between 1861 and 1865]

 

1 photograph : daguerreotype ; plate 82 x 70 mm (sixth plate format), case 94 x 81 mm +

 

Notes:

Case: Leather; floral design.

Text on manuscript fragment (torn envelope): Miss Helen L. Gilson, care Sanitary Commission, Washington, D.C., Potomac Creek Hospital, 2d Division, 3d Army Corps." DLC

Text on second manuscript affixed inside case behind photograph: "Jan'y 1863, nurse Sanitary Com., nurse in this hospital." DLC

Title devised by Library staff.

Use digital images. Original served only by appointment because material requires special handling. For more information see: (www.loc.gov/rr/print/info/617_apptonly.html)

Photograph shows portrait of Helen Louise Gilson, also known as Helen Louise Gilson Osgood, who cared for wounded and dying soldiers at battles including Yorktown, Antietam, Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Petersburg and advocated for a better hospital for African American soldiers and the creation the Colored Hospital Service, of which she became the head until the end of the war.

Deposit; Tom Liljenquist; 2018; (D074)

Purchased from: Chris Foard, The Foard Collection of Civil War Nursing, July 2018.

Forms part of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress).

Forms part of: Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs (Library of Congress).

 

Subjects:

Gilson, Helen Louise,--1835-1868.

Nurses--Union--1860-1870.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Medical aspects--Union.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Women--Union.

 

Format: Daguerreotypes--1860-1870.

Portrait photographs--1860-1870.

 

Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.

 

Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

 

Part Of: Daguerreotype collection (Library of Congress) (DLC) 95861318

Liljenquist Family collection (Library of Congress) (DLC) 2010650519

 

More information about this collection is available at hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.lilj

 

Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/ppmsca.57123

 

Call Number: DAG no. 1526

 

 

بسم الله ،

 

همسة ،

 

أماه يوماً .. قد مضيت ..

وكان قلبي كالزهور ..

وغدوت بعدك اجمع الأحلام من بين الصخور ..

في كل حلم كنت أفقد بعض أيامي وأغتال الشعور ..

حتى غدا قلبي مع الأيام شيئا .. من صخور !!

يوما جلست إليك ألتمس الأمان ..

قد كان صدرك كل ما عانقت في دنيا الحنان ..

وحكيت أحوال ويأس العمر في زمن الهوان ..

وضحكت يوما عندما ..

همست عيونك .. بالكلام .. () *

 

فاروق جويدة *

 

---------

إعدادات :

Model: Nikon 90D

Shutter Speed: 1/40 second

Aperture: F/6.3

Focal Length:105 mm

ISO Speed: 200

 

،،

الفاف إذا عجبتكم ..

تحيتي العطره لـ قلبوكم ..

 

Rashed ()

if I could open my arms

and span the length of the isle of Manhattan,

i'd bring it to where you are

making a lake of the East River and Hudson.

Schweiz / Tessin - Verzascatal

 

The Valle Verzasca is a valley in the Locarno district of the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It comprises the municipalities of Mergoscia, Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione, Gerra, Frasco, and Sonogno. As of 2004, the total population is 3,200. It is the most central valley of Ticino, and none of the passes out of the valley cross cantonal or national borders. The valley is formed by the river Verzasca and is situated between the Leventina and the Maggia and culminates at Pizzo Barone.

 

Geography

 

Located between the Leventina and the Valle Maggia valleys, Valle Verzasca extends over a length of 25 kilometres (16 mi) in north–south direction and is situated in the north of the Lago Maggiore. The valley floor is at about 500 metres (1,640 ft) to 900 metres (2,953 ft) above sea level. The surrounding mountain passes respectively have an average altitude of 2,400 metres (7,874 ft). The valley is crossed by the Verzasca which is dammed at the southernly outlet of the valley, forming the Lago di Vogorno, before it flows in the Magadino plain in the vicinity of the Ticino in the Lago Maggiore.

 

The Valle Verzasca includes the geographical centre of Ticino, which is located at Mergoscia, near the lower end of the valley.

 

Climate

 

Due to the different altitudes, all climate zones are combined in the Valle Verzasca. Tenero-contra and Gordola include the insubric climate region thanks to the deep-sea level, close to the Lago Maggiore and protected by the mountains from the north winds. Vineyards and Mediterranean vegetation benefit from the mildest climate area of Switzerland, nebulae are rare and rainfall of short duration. With increasing altitude, the hills and mountain climate goes over to regions dominated by the Alpine climate (over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft)).

 

Flora and fauna

 

The diversity benefits among other things, the cultivation of vines, and it flourish chestnut forests and palm trees thrive. Due to differences in soil type and amounts, almost all flora occurring in the Ticino and fauna of the various environmental zones are found in the Verzasca Valley.

 

The Romans introduced and comparable to the tropical wood species, Castanea sativa is in the southern part of the valley, below 1,000 metres (3,281 ft), the dominant species. It is no longer actively cultivated, but favors the further diffusion, and studies suggest taking advantage of the valuable wood of chestnut as a valuable wood.

 

In the Valle Verzasca the endemic Nera Verzasca goat has been preserved, which looks very much like the ancient Roman goat. This medieval durable goat has short hair, because it's not stuck in the snow.

 

Culture

 

Due to its isolated location, the Verzasca Valley is claimed as one of the valleys that could best keep its originality. The secluded geographical location made it unattractive for conquerors since the Roman period, and even before. The first traces of settlement in the area are from the early 2nd millennium BC, in its southern part. In Berzona, a locality (frazione) of Vogorno, a carved rock known as a Sass di Striöi (literally: witches stone) is situated on a hiking trail. The shell rock most likely dates from around 600–700 BC; there are about 90 such carved rocks in the Verzasca Valley. Although initially free farmers, the valley was alternately ruled by the Swiss Confederacy, Savoy, Leventia and the Rusca family from about 1410 onwards. In the European Middle Ages, the population were mainly farmers, and since the early 17th century, many residents had to leave for seasonal labour outside their home valley. Often unemployed young men were recruited as mercenaries for foreign armies. In two quarries granite is mined by local workers.

 

The so-called Rustici (Italian for farm house) in grey stone, with white borders on the windows and heavy stone roofs, are typical houses in the valley. Wood rafters are used to support the heavy stone roof, Castanea sativa wood. Many chapels along the way bear witness to the deep faith of the inhabitants of the valley. Valle Vercasza was the origin of many of the region's so-called Spazzacamini (literally: chimney sweep children).

 

Tourism

 

With the connection to the public transport, tourism developed from the end of the 19th century, but the majority of young people from the Valley still look for income opportunities in wealthier regions of Switzerland or northern Italy. Currently the majority of locals are active in the tourism trade. The conversion of the old Rustici houses into holiday houses created jobs, increased tourism revenues and ensured that the old houses and the characteristic image of the Verzasca Valley are preserved.

 

The mountaintop with views of the Valais, Bernese, Glarus and Grisons Alps, as well as the many transitions in the side and neighbouring valleys are popular to mountain hikers, and around a dozen mountain huts provide accommodation and meals. The Verzasca is popular to canoeists and divers, but considered to be dangerous and difficult. The Verzasca Dam is also well known for its 220 m height jump, which is one of the highest jumps in the world and also the most famous bungy jump, as it was used in the James Bond film GoldenEye.

 

Transportation

 

The only valley access for road traffic and the Postauto buses are bounded from Tenero or Gordola. The starting on the left side of the valley road (built from 1866 to 1871) crosses Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione (Verzasca), Gerra (Verzasca), Frasco and ends in Sonogno; a short road leads to Corippo. On the right side of the valley, the road and post road trips from Locarno ends in Mergoscia.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Das Verzascatal (italienisch Valle Verzasca) ist ein Tal im Schweizer Kanton Tessin, das zum Bezirk Locarno gehört. Im Verzascatal liegen die Ortschaften Mergoscia, Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione (Verzasca), Gerra (Verzasca), Frasco und Sonogno. Ausser Mergoscia, das als eigene Gemeinde zum Kreis Navegna gehört, sind heute alle zur Gemeinde Verzasca zusammengeschlossen, die identisch mit dem Kreis Verzasca ist.

 

Lage

 

Das Verzascatal ist ein wildes Tal mit steilen Hängen und unzähligen Wasserfällen. Die Verzascahäuser (Rustici) aus grauem Stein mit weissen Umrandungen an den Fenstern und schweren Steinplattendächern sind typisch für das Tal. Die Kapellen entlang der Wege zeugen vom religiösen Glauben der Talbewohner.

 

Das Verzascatal ist mit Mergoscia das geometrische Zentrum des Tessins. Es ist das einzige Tal, das nur an Tessiner Täler grenzt. Es liegt zwischen der Leventina und dem Maggiatal und erstreckt sich über eine Länge von 25 km in Süd-Nord-Richtung nördlich des Lago Maggiore. Der Talboden liegt auf 500 bis 900 m ü. M. Die Berge, die das ganze Tal umrahmen, haben eine durchschnittliche Höhe von 2400 m ü. M. Das Tal wird vom Fluss Verzasca durchflossen, der am Talausgang gestaut wird und den Lago di Vogorno bildet, bevor er in der Magadinoebene in der Nähe des Ticino in den Lago Maggiore fliesst.

 

Die Seitentäler des Valle Verzasca sind von folgenden Dörfern aus erreichbar: Auf der rechten Talseite: das Val Resa und Valle di Mergoscia von Mergoscia; das Val di Corippo von Corippo; das Val d’Orgnana und Valle del Cansgell von Lavertezzo; das Val d’Osura von Brione; das Val Redòrta und Val Vegornèss von Sonogno. Auf der linken Talseite: das Val della Porta von Vogorno; das Val Carecchio, Val Pincascia und Val d’Agro von Lavertezzo; das Val Mött von Gerra; das Val d’Efra von Frasco.

 

Klima, Flora und Fauna

 

Aufgrund der unterschiedlichen Höhenlagen sind in der Valle Verzasca viele Klimazonen vereint. Tenero-Contra und Gordola gehören dank tiefer Meereshöhe, Seenähe und dem Schutz der Berge des Verzascatales vor den Nordwinden zur insubrischen Klimaregion. Weinberge und mediterrane Vegetation profitieren hier vom mildesten Klima der Schweiz, Nebel sind selten und Regenfälle von kurzer Dauer. Dieses Klima zieht sich weit in das Tal hinein, in dem Reben, Kastanienwälder und Palmen gedeihen. Es geht dann mit zunehmender Höhe über das Hügel- und Bergklima bis in die Regionen mit alpinem Klima (über 2000 m ü. M.). Wegen der Unterschiede in der Bodenbeschaffenheit und der Höhe können im Verzascatal fast alle im Tessin vorkommenden Pflanzen- und Tierarten der verschiedenen Umweltzonen angetroffen werden.

 

Die von den Römern eingeführte Edelkastanie (Castanea sativa) ist im südlichen Teil des Tales, unterhalb 1000 m, die dominierende Baumart. Ihr Holz hat ähnliche Eigenschaften wie die Tropenhölzer. Die Kastanienwälder werden seit den 1950er-Jahren nicht mehr bewirtschaftet, da es sich meist um Niederwälder handelt. Im Verzasca können in der Nähe von Dörfern und Maiensässen (monti) «auf den Stock gesetzte» Kastanienbäume, etwa auf Mannshöhe abgesägte Baumstümpfe, gefunden werden. Da die Kastanie die Fähigkeit hat, aus dem abgesägten Baumstumpf wieder auszutreiben (Stockausschlag), musste solange gewartet werden (etwa zehn Jahre), bis die Triebe den gewünschten Umfang erreichten, um zum Beispiel als Balken für die tonnenschweren Steindächer eingesetzt werden zu können. Im Jahre 2005 publizierte Studien über Versuchsanlagen schlagen vor, das wertvolle Kastanienholz wieder als Wertholz – zum Beispiel für Parkettböden – zu nutzen.

 

Im Verzascatal hat sich die alte Ziegenrasse Nera-Verzasca-Ziege erhalten, die der römischen Ziege sehr ähnlich sieht, wie aufgrund von Hornfunden in Augusta Raurica nachgewiesen werden konnte. Diese mittelalterliche Robustziege hat kurzes Haar, an dem Schnee nicht haftet.

 

Wirtschaft

 

Früher betrieb die Bevölkerung hauptsächlich Landwirtschaft, das heisst vor allem Weidewirtschaft. Ab dem 14. Jahrhundert überwinterten Einwohner mit ihrem Vieh in der Magadinoebene. Seit dem 17. Jahrhundert fand eine saisonale Auswanderung zur Erwerbstätigkeit statt. Arbeitslose und abenteuerlustige Männer liessen sich als Söldner für fremde Kriegsdienste anwerben. Piccoli spazzacamini (italienisch für kleine Schornsteinfeger) nannte man im 19. und frühen 20. Jahrhundert in Italien und im Tessin die Buben, die vor allem in den Städten Norditaliens als Kaminfegerkinder arbeiten mussten.

 

Seit 1873 wird in zwei Steinbrüchen von einheimischen Arbeitern Granit abgebaut. Mit dem Anschluss an den öffentlichen Verkehr entwickelte sich ab Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts der Tourismus. Im späteren 19. Jahrhundert, nach dem kalifornischen Goldrausch, begann auch im Verzascatal die Tradition der Kalifornienwanderung, die teilweise als Ersatz für die abgebrochene ältere europäische Auswanderungstradition angesehen werden kann.

 

Während der Krise der 1930er-Jahre breitete sich die Arbeitslosigkeit auch im Verzasca aus, und da auch Amerika die Grenzen geschlossen hatte, war auch die Auswanderung nicht mehr möglich.

 

Um der arbeitslosen Bevölkerung zu helfen, wurde das «Komitee für die Tätigkeiten in Heimarbeit» («Comitato per i lavori casalinghi a domicilio») gegründet. Die Talbewohner wurden mit typischen handwerklichen Tätigkeiten beschäftigt: Wollfärbung mit natürlichen Farben (Blättern, Wurzeln und Früchten, die vor Ort vorhanden sind), Handspinnerei, Strickerei und Holzarbeiten, um ihre finanzielle Not zu lindern. Daraus entwickelte sich 1933 die «Pro Verzasca», eine örtliche Vereinigung zur Wahrung der moralischen und materiellen Interessen der Region und ihrer besten Eigenschaften.

 

Der Umbau der alten Verzascahäuser (Rustici) in Ferienhäuser schafft Arbeitsplätze, erhöht die Tourismuseinnahmen und sorgt dafür, dass die alten Häuser und das charakteristische Ortsbild erhalten bleiben.

 

Im Jahre 1990 waren nur noch 20 Prozent der Beschäftigten im Landwirtschaftssektor tätig.

 

Verkehr

 

Der einzige Talzugang für den Autoverkehr und das Postauto ist im Süden ab Tenero oder Gordola. Die auf der linken Talseite beginnende Kantonsstrasse führt über Vogorno, Corippo, Lavertezzo, Brione (Verzasca), Gerra (Verzasca), Frasco und endet in Sonogno. Sie wurde erst in den Jahren 1866 bis 1871 gebaut. Eine kurze Stichstrasse führt nach Corippo.

 

Auf der rechten Talseite endet die Strasse und Postautostrecke ab Locarno bereits in Mergoscia.

 

Tourismus

 

Die vielen Gipfel mit Sicht auf die Walliser-, Berner und Glarner- und Bündneralpen sowie die zahlreichen Übergänge in die Seiten- und Nachbartäler machen das Valle Verzasca zu einem Anziehungspunkt für Bergwanderer. Die Berghütten Cornavosa, Barone, Cognora, Efra, Osola, Fümegna und Borgna bieten Unterkunft.

 

Der Sentierone Valle Verzasca ist ein rot-weiss markierter Wanderweg (Bergweg), der von Tenero aus oberhalb des Lago di Vogorno oder via Mergoscia und später entlang der Verzasca in mehreren Etappen bis nach Sonogno führt.

 

Die Via Alta della Verzasca (VAV) gilt als eine der wildesten Bergwanderungen der Schweiz (SAC-Wanderskala = T6). Sie führt über verlassene Alpen, schroffe Gräben und schwer zugängliche Seitentäler und verbindet fünf Hütten miteinander. Die Route ist blau-weiss markiert und die schwierigsten Stellen sind mit Sicherungen (Drahtseile, Metallbügel) versehen. Die VAV führt oft durch sehr ausgesetztes Gelände mit Kletterstellen, so dass sie nur für erfahrene Berggänger zu empfehlen ist.

 

Die Bergwanderung Trekking 700 von Mesocco (GR) nach Formazza (I) führt durch das Valle Verzasca: die 4. Etappe: Biasca – Capanna Efra, die 5. Etappe: Capanna Efra – Sonogno und die 6. Etappe: Sonogno – Prato-Sornico.

 

Der Verzasca-Fluss ist unter Kanuten und Tauchern beliebt, gilt aber als schwierig bis gefährlich.

 

Über Geschichte und Gegenwart des Tales informiert das Museo di Val Verzasca in Sonogno.

 

Geschichte

 

Wegen seiner schweren Erreichbarkeit gilt das Verzascatal als eines der Täler, das am besten seine Ursprünglichkeit bewahren konnte. Die abgelegene geographische Lage machte es für die Eroberer uninteressant.

 

Zeugen einer sehr frühen Besiedlung der Verzasca-Region fanden sich an der Mündung der Verzasca. Dort wurden Steinarten aus der jüngeren Steinzeit (1800 v. Chr.) gefunden. In Berzona, einem Ortsteil (frazione) von Vogorno, liegt am Wanderweg ein grosser Schalenstein, der Sass di Striöi (Hexenstein), der vermutlich um 600 bis 700 v. Chr. bearbeitet wurde. Insgesamt gibt es im Verzascatal rund neunzig derartig eingemeisselte Felsen. In Tenero wurde 1880 eine bedeutende römische Nekropole aus dem 1. und 2. Jahr. n. Chr. entdeckt. Die Funde (Bronzen, Amphoren, Münzen) befinden sich im archäologischen Museum des Castello dei Visconti in Locarno.

 

Vermutlich um 1000 n. Chr. gründeten die Talbewohner eine Gemeinschaft (comunità) bestehend aus den vier Dorfgenossenschaften (vicinie): Vogorno (mit Corippo), Lavertezzo, Brione (mit Gerra) und Frasco (mit Sonogno). Die Gemeinschaft gehörte zum Pieve von Locarno, gegen den sie sich 1398 auflehnte. Zwischen 1410 und 1500 geriet das Tal abwechselnd unter die Herrschaft der Eidgenossen, Savoyer, Leventiner und der Rusca. Nach 1686 konnte sich die Gemeinschaft von den Marcacci Vögten befreien. 1803 wurde das Verzascatal ein Kreis (circolo) mit dem Hauptort Lavertezzo. In religiöser Hinsicht gehörte das Verzascatal bis zum 13. Jahrhundert zur Pfarrei San Vittore di Locarno.

 

Geologie

 

Einzigartig für die Region ist der spektakulär gefärbte Gneis. Es handelt sich um einen Oligoklasgneis, der unter dem Handelsnamen Serizzo bekannt ist. Die Farben verlaufen zwischen Braun, Schwarz, Grau und Weiss. Die Gesteine des benachbarten Valle Maggia sind dagegen meist rein grau.

 

(Wikipedia)

A water droplet slowly moving down the length of a leaf

  

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by Nikkor S.C Auto 55mm F1.2

110.0mm ( 35mm equivalent focal length )

Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railorad Class XM-6A 10290 at Cicero at Illinois on an unknown day in August 1980, Kodachrome by Chuck Zeiler. This was one of ten cars in the 10290-10299 number series, Class XM-6A, deliverd by Pullman in 1965. Initially designed for auto parts service, these cars had both 10 foot and 6 foot plug doors, Keystone cushion underframe, 6,400 cubic foot capacity, and an inside length of 60 feet 10 inches. By March 1969, all ten cars were assigned to the Kellogg Company in Omaha. This car is stenciled: BLT 9-65 and CEREAL LOADING ONLY

Author : @Kiri Karma

museumPASSmusees 2022 - Mima - Mima Reload

 

Le musee se devoile en exposant sa collection permanente.

Chacune des oeuvres est une porte d'entree sur l'univers d'un artiste ou sur le souvenir d'une exposition. Rassemblees par le MIMA, elles donnent une image de la creation contemporaine, de l'esprit creatif de l'epoque, d'un 'Zeitgeist' du Millenium.

 

La caverne

 

Les oeuvres rassemblees au premier etage ont ete produites par des artistes qui n'ont pas exposes ici. Elles ont ete acquises, pour la plupart, avant l'ouverture du MIMA en 2016.

Symboliquement cet etage est baptise la 'caverne' en clin d'oeil a l'allegorie platonicienne critiquant notre connaissance biaisee de la realite. Dans le mythe, des hommes au fond d'une grotte prennent les ombres sur les murs pour la realite. Ces illusions du reel, sont comparables pour le MIMA aux peintures du premier niveau qui vantent une culture filtree par les ecrans et les livres plutot qu'experimentee sur son propre terrain d'exposition.

 

Le terrain de jeu

 

Les travaux presentes au deuxieme etage sont comme des jouets laisses par les artistes exposes au MIMA.

A partir de 2016, la collection devient un miroir imparfait du passe ou tous les artistes et toutes les expositions de l'institution n'y figurent pas pour de nombreuses raisons. En pointille se dessine la le portrait societal raconte par l'institution.

 

Les champs Elisee

 

Le projet museal du MIMA sera-t-il encore adapte a son epoque apres dix ans d'activite?

Pour y repondre, le musee annonce sa fermeture definitive a la fin de 2026!

En se fixant une deadline a sa propre existence, le musee s'impose une remise en question qui aboutira soit a se reinventer, soit a disparaitre.

L'installation du troisieme etage imagine l'heritage que laisserait le MIMA s'il ferme ses portes en 2027.

 

( 1 pass, plus de 200 musees

 

Visitez tous les musees belges participants pendant toute une annee. Quand vous voulez et autant de fois que vous le souhaitez, pour seulement 59 ?.

 

Collections permanentes

Avec votre pass musees, vous accedez librement aux collections permanentes de plus de 200 musees.

Expositions temporaires

Vous pouvez egalement visiter les expositions temporaires, gratuitement ou avec une forte reduction. Vous trouverez des details quant a cette reduction sur chaque page d'exposition.

 

www.museumpassmusees.be )

“Hunted by a man-made monster, they fled into an empty world, two last survivors who dared to gamble for the dawn of a new forbidden day . . . “

 

------------------------------------------------------------

 

"When Wyndham Smith is transported to the 45th century, he finds himself fighting a sterile dystopia in which machines have created a sterile womb for mankind, without pain or suffering. Humanity is on the verge of deliberate racial suicide, but Wyndham and Vinetta escape the doomed city, fleeing to Sicily. There they must fight a Man Killer robot that has been programmed to eliminate the last hope of mankind. Can the two lovers defeat this implacable metal monster?"

[Description from the 2009 Borgo Press edition of the novel, which has been re-titled "Wyndham Smith: His Adventures in the 45th Century: A Science Fiction Novel"]

Native of Australia & New Zealand.

 

Size: Female - Length 27-36cm (10.5-14") Wingspan 70-85cm (25.5-33.5") Weight 194-360g (7-12.5oz)

Male - Length 23-36cm (9-14") Wingspan 70-85cm (25.5-33.5") Weight 170-298g (6-10.5oz)

 

Habits: Generally nocturnal, roosts by day in thick foliage. When threatened, they sit bolt upright, with feathers pressed tight against the body, and turn side-on to the source of the threat, appearing long and slender.

 

Voice: Normal call is a brief double hoot with the second note pitched lower than the first, each note lasting for about a quarter of a second with a half second gap in between. There is usually a brief pause and then the call is repeated at a frequency of about twenty calls a minute. Calling may last for only a minute or two or may go on for hours. Boobooks also call in a low, soft 'pot pot pot por pot pot por'. This is a call between mated birds but its use is not confined to the breeding season. The breeding call is a tremulous braying call, the equivalent of the bleating call of the Powerful Owl.

 

Hunting & Food: The type of prey taken seems to vary greatly with individual birds. Generally feeds on small mammals, especially the House Mouse Mus musculus, and birds up to the size of a House Sparrow. Will also take invertebrates including beetles and moths. Hunts from a from a perch, such as a low branch or fence-post. Flying insects are taken by hawking flight through and above trees, taking only one insect each flight, and transferring it to the beak before bringing it to the nest or landing to eat it. Other insects are snatched from foliage or caught on the ground.

 

Breeding: The breeding season is August and September almost throughout Australia. Pairs perch close together with the male giving 'pot pot por' call for long periods. This may commence well before start of season. One or both birds may roost in nest hole together for weeks before breeding starts but these out-of-season roosts are not always chosen as the eventual nest site. The nest can be a wide variety of tree hollows - the tree may be alive or dead with a hole in a limb or the main trunk, upright or sloping. The male cleans out the hollow before eggs are laid - usually 2 or 3, rarely up to 5. The eggs are white and almost round, being 40-45mm (1.6-1.8") by 32-37mm (1..25-1.5"). They are laid at 1 to 2 day intervals and are incubated for 35 days. The young have white down and are fledged in 5 to 6 weeks. Like other Ninox Owls, they leave the nest well below full size and with abundant down. They are probably dependent on the parents for 2 to 3 months after this.

 

Habitat: Almost anywhere where there are trees. Eucalypt forest and woodland appears to be the optimum habitat but also mallee, mulga, semi-desert, tree-lined creeks, residual timber on farmland, leafy suburbs, offshore islands. They are generally absent from dense rainforest, except for the Red Boobook of north Queensland.

 

Distribution: Almost Australia-wide including many offshore islands. Lesser Sunda Islands, Timor and New Guinea.

The wide focal length range covered by this lens is definitely its strongest asset. Before I go any farther, I need to specify that this is a Sigma "DC" or Digital Camera-only lens meaning it is only compatible with Canon 1.6x FOVCF DSLR bodies. From 18mm on the wide end to 125mm on the long end, few lens changes are needed to get the desired framing for a wide range of scenes. Experience this focal length range in the mouseover example below.

 

for you.