Desde el Costa Serena, en el momento de zarpar.

DUBAI

Yacht

IMO: 1006324

MMSI: 470886000

Call Sign: A6E3044

Flag: UAE (AE)

AIS Type: Unspecified

Gross Tonnage: 12488

Deadweight: 1557 t

Length × Breadth: 160m × 22.49m

Year Built: 2006

Status: Active

Project Name:Panhandle; Golden Star; PlatinumYacht type:Motor Yacht

Based concept:Sub type:

Displacement

Imo:1006324MMSI:470886000

Call sign:A6E3044SYT#:Y00283

Flag:United Arab EmiratesPort of Registry:Dubai

Length Overall (m):162.00Length Overall (ft):531.50

Length On Deck (m):Length On Deck (ft):

Length Waterline (m):Length Waterline (ft):

Beam (m):22.00Beam (ft):72.18

Draught Max (m):5.00Draught Max (ft):16.40

Draught Min (m):Draught Min (ft):

Shipyard:Platinum Yachts FZCOYear:2006

Hull:1Status:Completed

Port:DubaiCountry:United Arab Emirates

Comment:

The hull and superstructure were built by Blohm & Voss in Germany.

Naval Architect:Blohm & Voss GmbH

Exterior Designer:Andrew Winch Designs Ltd.

Interior Designer:Andrew Winch Designs Ltd., Nakheel Interiors

Hull Material:SteelSuperstructure:Steel / Aluminium

Gross Tonnage:13470Displacement:9150

Class:Lloyds Register / SOLAS

Class Comments:MCA:Yes

Guest Cabins:

Guests:72Max Charter Guests:

Crew Cabins:Crew:115

Engine Manufacturer:MTUModel:20V 1163 TB93

Number of Engines:4Type:Diesel

HP:8,450KW:6,301

Total HP:33,800Total KW:25,205

Engines:

Max Speed:26Cruise Speed:25

Range:8,500 at 25Propulsion:Twin Screw

Fuel Capacity (Liters):1,050,000Fuel Capacity (Gallons):277,410

Water Capacity (Liters):400,000Water Capacity (Gallons):105,680

Motor Yacht Dubai

Launched in 2006 by Platinum Yachts, Dubai is the world’s second largest private yacht, measuring 162 metres. Dubai’s incredible size is disguised by the elegant lines of her steel hull and aluminium superstructure – the work of renowned designer Andrew Winch. Her stunning interior was designed by Platinum Yachts.

The construction of this megayacht began for Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei more than 10 years before the yacht’s launch. The construction, then a joint project between Blohm + Voss and Lurssen shipyards, was halted until 2001 when the hull was acquired by Platinum Yachts for His Highness Sheik Mohammed Rashid al-Maktoum. The project, previously named Platinum, Panhandle and Golden Star, was re-named Dubai.

Dubai’s luxurious interior design blends bold colours with fine fabrics and intricately detailed handmade mosaics. A spectacular staircase creates Dubai’s showpiece. Bathed in natural light from the top deck, this dramatic circular staircase features glass steps, which change colour. Dubai’s spacious decks offer a split-level owner’s deck; a large social area including the main lounge with its centrepiece red sofa; numerous VIP and guest suites, and a crew area to accommodate 115 people including crew and guest staff.

With seven decks, Dubai has a wealth of sunbathing areas; a striking mosaic swimming pool and several Jacuzzis. She can accommodate a helicopter of up to 9.5 tonnes and can carry two 10-metre long tenders.

Dubai has a displacement of 9,150 tonnes, yet can reach an impressive 26 knots at maximum speed. She has exceptional worldwide capability with a range of 8,500 miles at 25 knots, powered by four MTU diesel engines.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

U.S. Route 34 marker

U.S. Route 34

Trail Ridge Road

Route information

Maintained by NPS

Length: 48 mi (77 km)

Existed: 1932 – present

Tourist

routes: Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow Road

Major junctions

West end: Grand Lake

East end: Estes Park

Location

Counties: Grand County, Larimer County

Highway system

Trail Ridge Road

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

NRHP Reference # 84000242[1]

Added to NRHP November 14, 1984

Trail Ridge Road is the name for a stretch of U.S. Highway 34 that traverses Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park, Colorado in the east to Grand Lake, Colorado in the west. The road is also known as Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway,

Trail Ridge Road is closed during the winter, and often remains closed until late spring or early summer depending on the snowpack. It requires access to Rocky Mountain National Park even for local residents.

Route description

Trail Ridge Road, with Longs Peak (left of center), Pagoda Peak (center, in sun), Chief's Head (right of center, in shadow), and Mount Terra Tomah (at far right edge, in shadow), from 12,000 feet (3,700 m) above sea level in Rocky Mountain National Park

View of Trail Ridge Road

Trail Ridge Road, Colorado

The wooden poles mark the edge of the road for the spring snowplowing. The road is closed through the winter.[2]

From Kawuneeche Visitor Center at the park's Grand Lake Entrance, Trail Ridge Road follows the North Fork of the Colorado River north through the Kawuneeche Valley. There are several trailheads along this section of the road, notably the Colorado River Trailhead, which is the western terminus of the road segment closed during the winter.

The road crosses the Continental Divide at Milner Pass (elev. 10,758 ft or 3,279 m) and reaches a maximum elevation of 12,183 ft (3,713 m), near Fall River Pass (elev. 11,796 ft or 3,595 m). Near the highest point on the road is another pass, Iceberg Pass (elev. 11,827 ft or 3,605 m).

According to construction contracts and park maintenance files the east end of the road is located at the Fall River Entrance, however some guides state that earlier - at Deer Ridge Junction.[3]

Trail Ridge is a high flat spur range extending east from the main range of the Rockies between Fall River in the North and the Big Thompson River in the South. The road follows Trail Ridge from the Fall River Pass near Alpine Visitor Center to the Deer Ridge Junction.[3]

Trail Ridge Road - elevation profile, based on elevation values obtained from Google Maps Elevation Service (m/km here).

History

Fall River Road was the first road into the park's high country. It opened in 1921 and quickly proved inadequate for motor travel as a single-track road with steep grades (up to 16%), tight curves and a short annual season due to snowpack.[4] Construction began in 1929 and was complete to Fall River Pass by July 1932, with a maximum grade of 7%. The road was complete through the Kawuneeche Valley to Grand Lake in 1938.[5] The route followed what was known to local Arapaho Indians as the Dog Trail. Internal opposition to the construction of a road through the park's alpine tundra was overruled by National Park Service director Horace Albright, who wished to encourage park visitation. The road was designed to intrude as little as possible into the landscape, in accordance with Park Service design principles.[6]

Hidden Valley (or Ski Estes Park) was a local ski area attraction from 1955 - 1991, off of Trail Ridge Road, now defunct.[7]

Before the road was constructed

Trail Ridge had been used by Native Americans to cross the mountains between their home lands in the west and hunting areas on the east side. Arapahoe Indians called the trail located on the ridge as "taienbaa" ("Where the Children Walked") because it was so steep that children could not be carried, but had to walk. The Ute tribe crossing the mountains at Forest Canyon Pass marked their route with stone cairns. The present park Ute Trail follows partially that ancient route.[3]

On the west side, about 1880, a wagon road was constructed along the Kawuneeche Valley from the town of Grand Lake to the mining camps of Lulu City and Gaskil. The camps were abandoned after a few years when short-lived mining boom ended and later the road was used only occasionally by hunters and tourists.[3]

LAKE KIVU

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lake Kivu

Coordinates 2°0′S 29°0′ECoordinates: 2°0′S 29°0′E

Type Rift Valley lakes, Meromictic

Primary outflows Ruzizi River

Catchment area 2,700 km2 (1,000 sq mi)

Basin countries Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Max. length 89 km (55 mi)[1]

Max. width 48 km (30 mi)[1]

Surface area 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi)[1]

Average depth 240 m (787 ft)

Max. depth 480 m (1,575 ft)

Water volume 500 km3 (120 cu mi)

Surface elevation 1,460 m (4,790 ft)

Islands Idjwi

Settlements Goma, Congo

Bukavu, Congo

Kibuye, Rwanda

Cyangugu, Rwanda

Lake Kivu with Goma in the background

Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika. The name comes from kivu which means "lake" in some Bantu languages, just like the words tanganyika or nyanza.[citation needed]

Contents

1 History

2 Geography

3 Chemistry

3.1 Methane extraction

4 Biology and fisheries

5 See also

6 References

History

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2012)

People on the shore at Gisenyi

The first European to visit the lake was German Count Adolf von Götzen in 1894. Since then it has been caught up in the conflict between Hutu and Tutsi people in Rwanda, and their allies in DR Congo, which led to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and the First and Second Congo Wars. Lake Kivu gained notoriety as a place where many of the victims of the genocide were dumped.

Geography

The lake covers a total surface area of some 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi) and stands at a height of 1,460 metres (4,790 ft) above sea level. Some 1 370 km2 or 58% of the lake's waters lie within DRC borders. The lake bed sits upon a rift valley that is slowly being pulled apart, causing volcanic activity in the area, and making it particularly deep: its maximum depth of 480 m (1,575 ft) is ranked eighteenth in the world.

The world's tenth-largest inland island, Idjwi, lies in Lake Kivu, as does the tiny island of Tshegera, which also lies within the boundaries of Virunga National Park; while settlements on its shore include Bukavu, Kabare, Kalehe, Sake, and Goma in Congo, and Gisenyi, Kibuye, and Cyangugu in Rwanda.

Chemistry

Lake Kivu is a fresh water lake and, along with Cameroonian Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun, is one of three that experience limnic eruptions. Around the lake, geologists found evidence of massive biological extinctions about every thousand years, caused by outgassing events. The trigger for lake overturns in Lake Kivu's case is unknown, but volcanic activity is suspected. The gaseous chemical composition of exploding lakes is unique to each lake; in Lake Kivu's case, methane and carbon dioxide due to lake water interaction with a volcano. The amount of methane is estimated to be 65 cubic kilometers (if burnt over one year, it would give an average power of about 100 gigawatts for the whole period). There is also an estimated 256 cubic kilometers of carbon dioxide. The water temperature is 24°C, and the pH level is about 8.6.[2] The methane is reported to be produced by microbial reduction of the volcanic CO2.[3] The risk from a possible Lake Kivu overturn is catastrophic, dwarfing other documented lake overturns at Lakes Nyos and Monoun, because of the approximately two million people living in the lake basin.

Cores from the Bukavu Bay area of the lake reveal that the bottom has layered deposits of the rare mineral monohydrocalcite interlain with diatoms, on top of sapropelic sediments with high pyrite content. These are found at three different intervals. The sapropelic layers are believed to be related to hydrothermal discharge and the diatoms to a bloom which reduced the carbon dioxide levels low enough to precipitiate monohydrocalcite.[4]

Scientists hypothesize that sufficient volcanic interaction with the lake's bottom water that has high gas concentrations would heat water, force the methane out of the water, spark a methane explosion, and trigger a nearly simultaneous release of carbon dioxide.[5][6] The carbon dioxide would then suffocate large numbers of people in the lake basin as the gases roll off the lake surface. It is also possible that the lake could spawn lake tsunamis as gas explodes out of it.[7][8]

The risk posed by Lake Kivu began to be understood during the analysis of more recent events at Lake Nyos. Lake Kivu's methane was originally thought to be merely a cheap natural resource for export, and for the generation of cheap power. Once the mechanisms that caused lake overturns began to be understood, so did awareness of the risk the lake posed to the local population.

An experimental vent pipe was installed at Lake Nyos in 2001 to remove gas from the deep water, but such a solution for the much larger Lake Kivu would be considerably more expensive. No plan has been initiated to reduce the risk posed by Lake Kivu.[dubious – discuss] The approximately 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the lake is a little under 2 percent of the amount released annually by human fossil fuel burning. Therefore the process of releasing it could potentially have costs beyond building and operating the system.

Methane extraction

Methane extraction platform.

Lake Kivu has recently been found to contain approximately 55 billion cubic metres (1.94 trillion cubic feet) of dissolved biogas at a depth of 300 metres (1,000 ft). Until 2004, extraction of the gas was done on a small scale, with the extracted gas being used to run boilers at a brewery, the Bralirwa brewery in Gisenyi.[9][10] As far as large-scale exploitation of this resource is concerned, the Rwandan government has negotiated with a number of parties to produce methane from the lake.

In 2011 ContourGlobal, a U.S. based energy company focused on emerging markets, secured project financing to initiate a large-scale methane extraction project. The project will be run through a local Rwandan entity called KivuWatt, using an offshore barge platform to extract, separate, and clean the gasses obtained from the lake bed before pumping purified methane via an underwater pipeline to on-shore gas engines. Stage one of the project aims to build and supply three "gensets" along the lake shore, totaling 25MW of electrical capacity. Initial project operations are scheduled to commence in 2012.[11] In addition to managing gas extraction, KivuWatt will also manage the electrical generation plants and on-sell the electrical power to the Rwandan government under the terms of a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). This allows KivuWatt to control a vertically integrated energy offering from point of extraction to point of sale into the local grid. Extraction is said to be cost-effective and relatively simple because once the gas-rich water is pumped up, the dissolved gases (primarily carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and methane) begin to bubble out as the water pressure gets lower. This project is expected to increase Rwanda's energy generation capability by as much as 20 times, and will enable Rwanda to sell electricity to neighboring African countries.[10] The firm was awarded the 2011 Africa Power deal of the year for innovation in the financing arrangements it obtained from various sources for the KivuWatt project. [12] .[13]

A problem associated with the prevalence of methane is that of mazuku.

Biology and fisheries

Fishing boats on Lake Kivu, 2009.

Reflection of the sky on Lake Kivu

The fish fauna in Lake Kivu is relatively poor with 28 species, including four introduced species.[14] The natives are the Lake Rukwa minnow (Raiamas moorii), four species of Barbus (B. altianalis, B. apleurogramma, B. kerstenii and B. pellegrini), an Amphilius catfish, two Clarias catfish (C. liocephalus and C. gariepinus), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and 15 endemic Haplochromis cichlids.[14] The introduced species are three cichlids, the longfin tilapia (Oreochromis macrochir), O. leucostictus and redbreast tilapia (Coptodon rendalli), and a clupeid, the Lake Tanganyika sardine, Limnothrissa miodon.[14]

The exploitable stock of the Lake Tanganyika sardine was estimated at 2000–4000 tons per year.[15] It was introduced to Lake Kivu in the late 1959 by a Belgian Engineer A. Collart. At present, Lake Kivu is the sole natural lake in which L. miodon, a sardine originally restricted to Lake Tanganyika, has been introduced initially to fill an empty niche. Prior to the introduction, no planktivorous fish was present in the pelagic waters of Lake Kivu. In the early 1990s, the number of fishers on the lake was 6,563, of which 3,027 were associated with the pelagic fishery and 3,536 with the traditional fishery. Widespread armed conflict in the surrounding region from the mid-1990s resulted in a decline in the fisheries harvest.[16]

Following this introduction, the sardine has gained substantial economic and nutritional importance for the lakeside human population but from an ecosystem standpoint, the introduction of planktivorous fish may result in important modifications of plankton community structure. Recent observations showed the disappearance during the last decades of a large grazer, Daphnia curvirostris, and the dominance of mesozooplankton community by three species of cyclopoid copepod: Thermocyclops consimilis, Mesocyclops aequatorialis and Tropocyclops confinis.[17][18]

The first comprehensive phytoplankton survey was released in 2006.[19] With an annual average chlorophyll a in the mixed layer of 2.2 mg m-3 and low nutrient levels in the euphotic zone, the lake is clearly oligotrophic. Diatoms are the dominant group in the lake, particularly during the dry season episodes of deep mixing. During the rainy season, the stratified water column, with high light and lower nutrient availability, favour dominance of cyanobacteria with high numbers of phototrophic picoplankton.[19][20][21][22] The actual primary production is 0.71 g C m-2 d-1 (~ 260 g C m-2 y-1).[23]

A study of evolutionary genetics showed that the cichlids from lakes in northern Virunga (e.g., Edward, George, Victoria) would have evolved in a "proto-lake Kivu", much older than the intense volcanic activity (20,000-25,000 years ago) which cut the connection.[24] The elevation of the mountains west of the lake (which is currently the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, one of the largest reserves of eastern lowland (or Grauer's) gorillas in the world), combined with the elevation of the eastern rift (located in eastern Rwanda) would be responsible for drainage of water from central Rwanda in the actual Lake Kivu. This concept of "proto-lake Kivu" was challenged by lack of consistent geological evidence,[25] although the cichlid's molecular clock suggests the existence of a lake much older than the commonly cited 15,000 years.

Lake Kivu is the home of four species of freshwater crab, including two non-endemics (Potamonautes lirrangensis and P. mutandensis) and two endemics (P. bourgaultae and P. idjwiensis).[26] Among Rift Valley lakes, Lake Tanganyika is the only other with endemic freshwater crabs.[26]

Silhouette: A-line

Neckline: Strapless

Hemline/Train: Tea-length

Sleeve: Sleeveless

Fabric: Taffeta

Shown Color: Sage (Color & Style representation may vary by monitor.)

www.mltailor.com/products/a-line-strapless-tea-length-taf...

site-> www.cloverfieldoverlay.com/tinyhi-mens-pre-tied-satin-for...

Ficha Técnica:

Camera Canon EOS REBEL T1i

Lenses Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)

Aperture f/7.1

Focal Length 29 mm

ISO Speed 100

História:

O Ford Galaxie foi um automóvel fabricado pela Ford no Brasil de 1967 a 1983.

Tratava-se de um modelo sedan luxuoso, contando inclusive com ar condicionado e direção hidráulica

já no fim da década de 1960, itens considerados opcionais até hoje em muitos carros.

Eleito pela Revista Autoesporte o Carro do Ano de 1967.

- Na Década de 1960:

O Ford Galaxie fabricado no Brasil surgiu no ano de 1967 baseado no Ford Galaxie fabricado nos Estados Unidos de 1965 a 1967. Com a versão 500 do Galaxie brasileiro, que era um sonho de consumo, tinha um motor V8 de 164 hp (potência bruta) , 4,5 litros (4.458 cm³) e pesava 1780 quilos. Com o motor 272 ele alcançava mais de 140km/h (muito para a época). Ele tinha bastante força e era uma usina de torque,

podendo retomar de 30km/h na última marcha (o câmbio era de três marchas na coluna) em uma leve subida.

Nessa edição "Galaxie 500" contava com 5,33 metros, suspensão e bancos (mais considerados sofás) muito macios.

Em 1969, foi lançada a versão LTD do Galaxie, mais luxuosa, com acabamento do painel e das portas em melhorado, teto em vinil, ar-condicionado e câmbio automático (hidramático, como chamado na época) opcionais, etc.

Para essa versão, passava a ser oferecido o novo motor 292 de 4,8 litros (4.785 cm³) e 190 hp.

Já no ano seguinte esse motor passaria a ser montado também na versão Galaxie 500 e na versão de entrada,

chamada apenas de Galaxie.

Fonte:

pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_galaxie

History:(In the USA market)

The Ford Galaxie was a full-size car built in the United States by the Ford Motor Company for model years 1959 through 1974. The name was used for the top models in Ford’s full-size range from 1959 until 1961, in a marketing attempt to appeal to the excitement surrounding the Space Race. In 1962, all full-size Fords wore the Galaxie badge, with "500" and "500/XL" denoting the higher series. 1965 saw the introduction of the Galaxie 500/LTD, followed by Galaxie 500 7-Litre in 1966. The Galaxie 500 part was dropped from the LTD in 1966, and from the XL in 1967, however the basic series structuring levels were maintained. The "regular" Galaxie 500 continued below the LTD as Ford’s mid-level full-size model from 1965 until its demise at the end of the 1974 model year.[1]

The Galaxie was the high volume counterpart to the Chevrolet Impala. Some Galaxies were high-performance, racing specification machines, a larger forebear to the muscle car era. Others were plain family sedans.

A version of the car was also produced in Brazil under the names Galaxie 500, LTD and Landau from 1967 to 1983.

The similarly named Ford Galaxy is a large car/minivan available in the European market. The vehicle's name is taken from the original Ford Galaxie.

Bio:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Galaxie

House Finches are small-bodied finches with fairly large beaks and somewhat long, flat heads. The wings are short, making the tail seem long by comparison. Overall length is from 5.1 - 5.5 inches (13 - 14 cm) with a wing span of 7.9 - 9.8 inches (20 - 25 cm). Many finches have distinctly notched tails, but the House Finch has a relatively shallow notch in its tail. Adult males are rosy red around the face and upper breast, with streaky brown back, belly and tail. In flight, the red rump is conspicuous. Adult females are plain grayish-brown with thick, blurry streaks and an indistinctly marked face.

The House Finch was originally only a resident of Mexico and the southwestern part of the United States, until they were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s. The birds were sold illegally in New York City as "Hollywood Finches", a marketing artifice. To avoid prosecution under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, vendors and owners released the birds. They have become naturalized; in largely unforested land across the Eastern U.S., they have displaced the native Purple Finch in many areas and even the non-native House Sparrow. As a result, the total House Finch population is now staggering. Scientists estimate between 267 million and 1.4 billion individuals reside across North America.

House Finches frequent city parks, backyards, urban centers, farms, and forest edges across the continent. In the western United States, you’ll also find House Finches in their native habitats of deserts, grassland, chaparral, and open woods.

House Finches are mainly permanent residents throughout their range, although some northern and eastern birds migrate south. Their breeding habitat is urban and suburban areas in eastern North America as well as various semi-open areas in the west from southern Canada to northern Florida and the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

House Finches are gregarious birds that collect at feeders or perch high in nearby trees. When they’re not at feeders, they feed on the ground, on weed stalks, or in trees. They move fairly slowly and sit still as they shell seeds by crushing them with rapid bites. Flight is bouncy, like many finches.

ISO800, aperture f/8.0, exposure .006 seconds (1/200) focal length 630mm

General Cargo,

IMO: 9074078,

MMSI: 477287000,

Call Sign: VRUR7,

Flag: Hong Kong [HK],

Gross Tonnage: 29381 t,

Summer DWT: 47053 t,

Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 199.2 x 30.57 m,

Year Built: 1994,

Lynnmour, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The JCB Display Team, more commonly known as the "Dancing Diggers" performs across the length and breadth of the country and is recognised as one of the top arena attractions available.

The team has appeared on television many times, showcasing the amazing abilities of the machine operators as they push their diggers to the absolute maximum of their capabilities.

The team comprised of 4 giant JCB 3CX diggers and one 527-55 loadall.

The four JCB's in the team weigh 8.5 tonnes each and cost in excess of £48,000 each.

The Display Team drivers perform dare devil stunts and formation digger dancing. During a performance accompanied by music they push the machines and themselves to the limit, thrilling audiences of all ages.

The stunts performed are not only very difficult, but are also very dangerous, and must, under no circumstances be attempted by anyone in the audience!

Whilst on location the team provided a static display for the public which was very popular

The Machines

527-55 LOADALL

The JCB 527-55 is a hugely efficient Dieselmax-powered Loadall. It’s powerful, productive, manoeuvrable, comfortable and safe.

3CX Eco

The JCB 3CX is the world’s number one backhoe loader (along with the JCB 4CX). The 3CX is a product of JCB’s efficient design philosophy, responding to today’s rising fuel prices and environmental concerns with class-leading efficiency and low running costs. In short, innovative technologies have been applied to squeeze the absolute maximum out of every drop of fuel on the JCB 3CX Eco.

The Company

The firm was founded by Joseph Cyril Bamford in October 1945 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England.

The JCB logo dates from 1953; from 1960 the company typewriters were given an extra key to render it accurately. The logo was designed by Leslie Smith, and is off-set at 18 degrees from the horizontal and 22 degrees from the vertical - the angles Joe Bamford liked.

To demonstrate his faith in the hydraulic failsafes on JCB machines (which lock the arms in the event of a loss of hydraulic pressure, preventing them from crashing to the ground), Joe Cyril Bamford arranged to have several backhoes raise themselves up on their arms, and drove his car beneath them.

This has since developed into a world famous demonstration of the versatility of the backhoe configuration. The JCB display team (JCB Dancing Diggers) tour agricultural shows and produce videos, showing some of the unusual ways in which such vehicles can support themselves or manoeuvre. For example, it is quite common for drivers to support the vehicle on both buckets, either for turning on the spot without damaging ground, or for spinning the tracks in a puddle to clean them. The display team expanded this concept into a sort of vehicle gymnastics. The drivers are members of JCB's demonstration team, who visit prospective customers and demonstrate machines on the customer's property in order to prove the machine's suitability for the task at hand.

The Park of the Alcantara River covers the basin of the Alcantara river located on the northern slopes of the Etna volcano. The source of the river is located in the Nebrodi Mountains near to Floresta. The Alcantara river has a length of around 50 kilometres and, near to the point where it crosses a series of imposing lava flows, the river has created a series of deep gorges characterised by their sheer sides and columns with prismatic bases. The columns surround the walls of the basalt canyon like organ pipes. Inside the gorges small pools and cascades have formed where it is possible to take a swim. Access to the park is located near to Motta Camastra at Fondaco Motta and from this point it is possible to descend into the gorge to the riverbank on foot via a long pathway or, upon payment, via a series of private lifts. In the summer the Circumetnea railway offers a tourist package which includes a guided tour of the Alcantara Gorges. Another feature worthy of a visit are the so-called "Gurne" of small lakes which are formed by the river near to Francavilla di Sicilia.

The Alcantara is a river in Sicily. It has its source on the south side of Monti Nebrodi and its mouth in the Ionian Sea at Capo Schiso in Giardini-Naxos. The river is 52 km long.The name Alcantara is of Arabic origin (al Qanţara - the Bridge) and refers to a bridge from Roman times found by the Arabs.Thucydides called it Akesines Potamos while its Latin names were "Assinus or Assinos" and "Onobala".Cantera was another hydronym adopted by Normans.The Alcantara has its source at an altitude of 1250m in the municipality of Floresta. On its way to the sea, past the north of Mount Etna, it flows through the municipalities of Randazzo, Mojo Alcantara, Francavilla di Sicilia, Motta Camastra, Castiglione di Sicilia, Graniti, Gaggi, Calatabiano, Taormina and Giardini-Naxos.Several thousand years ago, the river bed was blocked by a lava flow from Mount Etna. As the lava was cooled much more quickly by the water than it would have done otherwise, it crystallised in the form of columns. Over the next millennia, the river naturally eroded a channel through these columns, resulting in impressive gorges and ravines such as the "Gole dell'Alcantara".

Il parco fluviale dell'Alcantara è un parco regionale della Sicilia che è stato istituito nel 2001 al posto della preesistente riserva e comprende quella parte di territorio delle province di Messina e Catania che forma il bacino fluviale del fiume Alcantara, ed è situato nel versante nord dell'Etna, allo scopo di proteggere e promuovere il sistema naturale esistente.La sede del Parco si trova a Francavilla di Sicilia, nella struttura costruita negli anni novanta per ospitare un asilo nido e mai usata.Il territorio attraversato dal fiume Alcantara è di particolare importanza in virtù della sua morfologia creata proprio dallo scorrimento delle acque che lo hanno modellato ed inciso creando, nell'attraversamento di un'imponente serie di colate laviche, in località Fondaco Motta (comune di Motta Camastra) delle suggestive e profonde gole a strapiombo, conosciute come le Gole dell'Alcantara. Insieme ad uno spettacolare succedersi di laghetti e di cascate, di acque freddissime, è possibile osservare le stupefacenti strutture laviche colonnari a base prismatica. Disposte a canne d'organo esse decorano per lunghi tratti le pareti di roccia basaltica. Grazie allo studio di tali strutture i geologi hanno potuto elaborare precisi studi sull'evoluzione del vulcano Etna e sulla successione nel tempo delle sue colate più imponenti.Nel 1493 il Bembo descriveva la valle dell'Alcantara come fitta di boschi di platani, querce, roveri ed olmi. Oggi sopravvivono solo rare tracce di Platanus orientalis, mentre predomina la tipica macchia mediterranea con varie specie di ginestra e la Peonia mascula con la sua infiorescenza rossa. Man mano che si scende di quota fitti boschi di nocciolo si alternano agli agrumeti e ai vigneti da cui si ricava un vino scuro e corposo famoso dall'antichità. Ancora boschetti di quercia e pascoli. In primavera le rive sono tutte un'esplosione cromatica: fioriture di viola, papavero, anemone, mirto, rosa canina, ficodindia, terebinto, oleandro e varie specie di orchidee (tra le altre Anacamptis papilionacea, Ophrys tenthredinifera e Orchis purpurea).

L'avifauna della valle dell'Alcantara è assai varia, circa 200 specie, tra le quali vanno menzionate tra i rapaci il falco pellegrino, il gheppio e il lodolaio, estinto come nidificante il Lanario. Dubbia la presenza del piccione selvatico ben distribuita la tortora selvatica e il martin pescatore fino ai migratori della foce. Non raramente si incontrano anche la coturnice, la garzetta e il corvo imperiale. Altri animali presenti sono la volpe, il gatto selvatico, la martora, e il ghiro; ed ancora il riccio, l'istrice, l'arvicola di Savi e la crocidura siciliana. Presso le rive può trovarsi il discoglosso dipinto, anfibio tipico della Sicilia e il colubro leopardino, un bellissimo rettile raro ed innocuo. Tra le specie ittiche troviamo la trota iridea che in questo particolare corso d'acqua riesce a riprodursi, il triotto, l'anguilla e il ghiozzo.

L'Alcantara è un fiume della Sicilia orientale lungo 52 chilometri, tributario del Mar Ionio. Il suo bacino idrico si estende per circa 573 km² nelle province di Messina e di Catania.

L'Alcantara anticamente era chiamato dai Greci Akesines e dai Romani Onobola. Il nome attuale deriva dal termine di origine araba Al qantar (il ponte).Nasce dai Nebrodi a circa 1.400 m dalla Serra Baratta in Provincia di Messina. Dirigendosi impetuoso verso sud entra in Provincia di Catania giungendo in breve nella parte Nord della cittadina di Randazzo: qui muta bruscamente direzione grazie alla "spinta" del suo principale affluente di destra: il fiume Flascio. Rimpinguato notevolmente nella portata dall'affluente l'Alcantara si dirige verso est compiendo praticamente un angolo retto (è da precisare che sulle carte il fiume principale parebbe essere addirittura il Flascio e non l'Alcantara tanto è netto l'angolo di confluenza). Da qui il fiume prende a scorrere tra il massiccio di origine vulcanica del monte Etna a sud e i contrafforti meridionali dei monti Nebrodi e Peloritani a nord, fungendo sino alla foce da confine tra le province di Messina e Catania. Dal comune di Moio Alcantara in poi il fiume inizia a scorrere per lo più incassato, lambendo i centri di Francavilla di Sicilia e Castiglione di Sicilia. Presso Motta Camastra in località Fondaco Motta, dopo aver ricevuto da sinistra il torrente Zavianni, il fiume si inforra in uno spettacolare tratto ingolato costituito da lave basaltiche delle colate dell'Etna, le cosiddette Gole dell'Alcantara, meta assai celebre e frequentata ogni anno da migliaia di turisti. Da Gaggi fino verso Calatabiano il fiume amplia l'alveo per tornare a restringersi in prossimità della foce, nel territorio di Giardini-Naxos, dove solcano le campate del famoso ponte di origine araba Al qantar (il ponte), dal quale derivò il nome di questo meraviglioso corso d'acqua. La foce avviene nel Mar Ionio e precisamente in loc. San Marco.Il letto dell'Alcantara, sotto il profilo vulcanologico, ha visto in epoche preistoriche e protostoriche, il passaggio a più riprese di colate laviche che ne hanno ostruito e modificato il percorso. Il corso d'acqua ha così creato localmente delle caratteristiche forre con pareti alte diverse decine di metri, caratterizzate da strutture a colonne subverticali detta a canna d'organo o leggermente arcuate ad arpa e a ventaglio o disposte orizzontalmente a catasta di legna o, infine, disposte caoticamente e fratturate. Nel comune di Motta Camastra, sul versante Messinese, si trova l'unica grotta di scorrimento vulcanico: difficile da raggiungere ma splendida da ammirare viene chiamata Grotta dei Cento cavalli a testimoniare le sue enormi dimensioni.L'Alcantara è uno dei principali fiumi siciliani per portata media d'acqua in quanto seconda solo a quella del Simeto con circa 9 m³/s. Ove però si considerasse la regolarità di regime delle portate il fiume è sicuramente il primo della regione in quanto assai più regolare rispetto al Simeto. Ciò grazie alla collocazione dell'alto bacino che si estende in una delle aree più piovose della Sicilia unitamente all'approvvigionamento dato dai nevai dell'Etna e al carsismo dei terreni di origine lavica del medio bacino, spiega la sua cospicua portata annua e la presenza di acque anche nel periodo estivo. Non mancano in ogni caso piene eccezionali dovute a piogge insistenti, come avvenuto recentemente nel dicembre 2003, durante le quali l'Alcantara può mostrare un'impressionante irruenza soprattutto nel tratto ingolato.

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Thanks to the Nailbourne project, I now understand how the communities and landscape fots in along its length, though that a bubbling noisy stream can just vanish then appear miles away is very difficult to get your head round. The Nailbourne only fully flows in very wet years, but when it does, the beds that are dry now can be several feet deep.

But downstream of Littlebourne, where the Nailbourne becomes the Little Stour, it is wider, about six feet wide, clogged with reeds and weeds, but also was used to power to large mills. They both stand, one between Littlebourne and Wickhambreaux, and the other in Wickhambreaux itself, though is now just a house But is a large white clapboard building, with a large wheel.

These days, the village looks very prosperous, all grand houses or cottage conversions.

From here, the Little Stour makes its way over the marshes which centuries ago was the Wantsum Channel, so Wickhambreaux was almost a seaside town.

Od that the only features I remembered from my previous visits was the avenue of pollarded trees and the blue ceiling of the roof. Missed was the glorious glass, especially the fine east window, very art deco.

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The interior of this very pretty church is dominated by nineteenth-century work. The whole of the chancel and baptistry is lined with dark brown encaustic tiles, hiding a straightforward fourteenth-century church. The east window is an early example of American Art Nouveau in England, and dominates the entire building. It was designed by Baron Arild Rosenkrantz in 1896. Above the window are stencilled paintings of angels ascending, which can also be seen in the nave, whilst the roof there has a charming star-spangled sky. At the south-west corner is a vestry - screened off by an eighteenth-century screen which may have formed part of the refitting of the chancel paid for by Mary Young. Her monument in the chancel records that 'infirm from her youth she protracted life to the 68th year of her age'. She left £100 for wainscotting and ornamenting the chancel. The interior viewed from the east gives an unusual appearance as the aisles flank the tower (see also Sandhurst).

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Wickhambreaux

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WICKHAM BREAUS

LIES adjoining to Littleborne north-eastward, being usally called Wickham Brook. It is likewise called Wickham by Wingham, to distinguish it from the two other parishes of the same name in this county. In Domesday it is written Wicheham, a name derived from its situation near the banks of the river, which runs close to it. There is only one borough in it, viz. the borough of Wickham, which comprehends the whole parish.

Wickham is a low, flat, and unpleasant situation, and lying so near the marshes cannot but be unhealthy, the land throughout it is in general good and sertile, especially near the village, where the fields are very large and level ground. The village, in number about twenty houses, stands at the south-east boundary of the parish, built round a green, over which the road leads to Ickham, having the church and court-lodge on one side, and the parsonage, a handsome brick house, on the other. At the further end of the green, the Lesser Stour crosses the road, and turns a corn-mill belonging to the manor, beyond it is only one house, called the Stone-house, being built of squared stones and slints in chequers, and by the arched windows and door-ways seems of some antiquity. The parish stretches a good distance northward, as far as Groveferry, the house of which is within it, and the greater Stour river, over a level of about 500 acres of marsh land, which extend from the river into a sinus, with a ridge of upland on each side, to within a quarter of a mile of the village. North eastward from which is the Saperton, formerly the property of the Beakes's, who resided here as early as king Henry the VIIIth.'s reign; it was sold by them to the Furneses, whence it came by marriage, with Copthall, in this parish, to the St. John's, viscounts Bolingbroke, who have lately sold it, but one of the family of Beake, many of whom lie buried in this church, now occupies it. A little beyond this is Newnham, once accounted a manor, formerly belonging to the Ropers, lords Teynham, afterwards to the Bartholomews, then to Joseph Brooke, esq. of Rochester, and now to his devisee the Rev. John Kenward Shaw Brooke, of Town-Malling.—Hence among the marshes is the hamlet of Grove, through which the road leads across them to the right over the lesser Stour, to Wingham, Ash, and the eastern parts of Kent, and to the left by Grove-ferry over the Greater Stour, to the northern part of the country and the Isle of Thanet. There is no other wood in the parish excepting Trendley park. There is no fair.

At the time of taking the survey of Domesday, in the year 1080, this place was part of those possessions with which that king had enriched his half-brother Odo, the great bishop of Baieux. Accordingly it is thus entered in that record, under the general title of his lands:

In Donamesford hundred, the bishop himself holds in demesne Wicheham. It was taxed at four sulings. The arable land is eleven carucates. In demesne there are two carucates, and thirty-six villeins, with thirty-two cottagers having nine carucates. There is a church, and one priest who gives forty shillings per annum. There is one park, and two mills of fifty shillings, and two saltpits of thirtytwo pence, and three fisheries of four shillings, and thirtytwo acres of meadow. Pasture for three hundred sheep and for thirty-one beasts. Wood for the pannage of eighty bogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth twenty-five pounds, when he received it twenty pounds, now thirty pounds. There belong to this manor in Canterbury three plats of land paying six shillings and eight pence. Alured Biga held it of king Edward. Moreover there belongs to this manor half a suling of free land, which Sired held of Alured Biga, and Goisfrid, son of Badland, now holds it of the bishop of Baieux, and it is and was worth separately sixty shillings.

Four years afterwards the bishop was disgraced, and all his possessions were consiscated to the crown, of which this manor appears afterwards to have been held by the Cliffords. Walter, son of Walter de Clifford, possessed it in the reign of king John, and with Agnes de Cundy, his wife, was a good benefactor to St. Augustine's abbey, and that of St. Radigund. (fn. 1) By the marriage of Margaret, daughter and heir of Walter Clifford, with John de Brewse, it passed into that name, and William de Brewse, or de Braiosa, as they were written in Latin, was possessed of it in the 42d year of king Henry III. His descendant William de Brewse, lord of the honour of Brembre, in Sussex, and of Gower, in Wales, as he stiled himself, whose ancestor came into England with the Conqueror, who gave him the castle of Brember, and whose descendant afterwards, by the marriage with Bertha, daughter and one of the coheirs of Milo, earl of Hereford, became possessed of the castles of Brecknock and Gower likewife, and bore for his arms, Azure, a lion rampant, between twelve cross-croslets, or; though I find by the pedigrees of this family, that his ancestors bore Azure, three bars vaire, argent, and gules. He was several times summoned to parliament in king Edward I.'s reign, as was his son of the same name, both in that and Edward II.'s reign, and died possessed of this manor in the 19th year of the latter. Very soon after which it appears, with the church appendant to it, to have come into the possession of Edmund of Woodstock, earl of Kent, half brother to king Edward II. (fn. 2) After which it descended to his brother John Plantagenet, likewife earl of Kent, it being then held of the king in sergeantry. He died anno 26 Edward III. upon which Joane his sister, commonly called the Fair Maid of Kent, wife of Sir Thomas Holand, became his heir, who in her right not only possessed this manor, but became earl of Kent likewise. She afterwards married Edward the black prince, and died in the 9th year of king Richard II. being succeeded in this manor then held in capite, by Thomas Holand, earl of Kent, her son by her first husband, whose two sons, Thomas and Edward, both earls of Kent, and the former created Duke of Surry, in turn succeeded to it, and the latter dying anno 9 Henry IV. his five sisters became his coheirs, and on a partition made between them, Edmund, earl of March, son of Eleanor, late countess of March, the eldest of them became entitled to this manor in his mother's right, being the last earl of March of this family, for he died s. p. in the 3d year of king Henry VI. being then possessed of it. The year after which, Joane, wife of Sir John Gray, appears by the escheat rolls to have been entitled to it; not long after which it became the property of the family of Tibetot, or Tiptoft, as they were usually called, in whom it continued down to John Tiptost, earl of Worcester, who was attainted and beheaded in 1471, anno 10 Edward IV. king Henry being then restored to the crown. He lest an infant son Edward, who, though he was afterwards restored in blood by king Edward IV. yet I do not find that he was ever reinstated in the possession of this manor, which remained in the crown till the reign of king Henry VIII. who granted it, with the advowson of the church, to Sir Matthew Browne, of Beechworth-castle, who in the 22d year of it, passed it away to Lucy, widow of his uncle Sir Anthony Browne, standard-bearer of England, whose grandson Anthony was, anno I and 2 of Philip and Mary, created viscount Montague, and died possessed of this manor anno 34 Elizabeth, and by his will devised it to his eldest son by his second wife, Sir George Browne, who was of Wickham Breaus, and his grandson Sir George Browne, K. B. leaving two daughters his coheirs, Winifrid, married to Basil Brooks, esq. of Salop, and Eleanor, to Henry Farmer, esq. of Oxfordshire, they joined in the sale of it, at the latter end of Charles II.'s reign, to Sir H. Palmer, bart. of Wingham, who died possessed of it in 1706, s. p. and by his will devised it to his nephew Sir Thomas Palmer, bart. who died in 1723, and by his will gave it to his natural son Herbert Palmer, esq. who married Bethia, one of the daughters of Sir Thomas D'Aeth, bart. of Knowlton, who died in 1760, s. p., having devised this manor, with the advowson of the church appendant, to his widow. She afterwards married John Cosnan, esq. who in her right became possessed of it, and died in 1778, s. p. leaving her furviving, upon which she again became entitled to the possession of it, and continued owner of it till her death in 1797, on which it came to her nephew Sir Narborough D'Aeth, bart. of Knowlton, the present owner of it. A court leet and court baron is held for this manor.

Trendley park, now accounted a manor of itself, is situated at the north-west boundary of this parish, being entirely separated from the rest of it by that of Littleborne intervening. It was part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, and is noticed in the survey of Domesday, in the description of the manor of Wickham above recited, in which it is mentioned as being then a park; and it should seem that at least part of it was then accounted as appurtenant to that manor; though in the description of the manor of Littleborne, in the same survey, which then belonged to the abbey of St. Augustine, it appears that the bishop had lands belonging to that manor too lying within his park here. Of this manor the bishop of Baieux has in his park as much land as is worth sixty shillings, says the record. In part of the recompence for which, the bishop seems to have given the abbot the manor of Garwinton, in Littleborne, and other land within the manor of Leeds, as may be seen by the entries of both these manors in the same record. Soon after which there was another exchange of land made between the bishop and archbishop Lanfranc, for some which lay within his park of Wikeham. What is remarkable in this instrument is, that it is given in two languages, in Saxon and Latin, but neither is a translation of the other, for both are originals, as was a frequent custom of that time. Appendant to it is the bishop's seal in wax, representing him on one side on horseback, with his sword and spurs, as an earl, and on the other habited as a bishop, with his pastoral staff; being perhaps the only seal of Odo at this time extant. (fn. 3) By all which it appears, that this park is much more antient than that of Woodstock, which has been accounted the first inclosed park in England. How long it continued an inclosed park, I have no where found; but in the beginning of king Henry VI.'s reign it was not so, as appears by the escheat-rolls of the 3d year of it, after the death of Edmund, earl of March, at which time there were two hundred acres of wood in it. He was lord of the manor of Wickham, and Trendley park was chiefly at that time certainly appurtenant to it, and continued so whilst in the possession of the same owners, which it did most probably till the attainder of John Tiptost, earl of Worcester, in the 10th year of king Edward IV. when they both came into the hands of the crown, and though king Henry VIII. afterwards granted the manor of Wickham to Sir Matthew Browne, yet I do not find that Trendley park was granted with it. From which time it has had separate owners. For some time it has been the property of the family of Denne, who continue at this time the owners of it. It lies in an unpleasant, lonely part of the parish, facing Westbere, and consists of three hundred acres of woodland, and a house called the Park-house. There is a high road through the middle of it from Stodmarsh to Canterbury market, which in king Edward II.'s reign, was attempted to be shut up, but the sheriff, with the posse comitatus, was ordered to open it again, as being an antient and allowed high road.

Charities.

Andrew Holness, of Seton, in Ickham, by will in 1554, gave to the poor 2s. in money and bread, to be distributed yearly; the churchwardens to take so much yearly out of his lands in Ickham and Wickham, except his house and garden at Seton, in case his executors did not give the same yearly.

Henry Sloyden, of Wickham Breaus, by will in 1568, gave for the use of the poor and Littleborne, in equal portions, a piece of land containing six acres and a half in the latter parish, called Church-close, which is distributed twice a year by the respective minister and churchwardens, and is of the annual produce of 4l.

John Smith, rector of this parish, by deed in 1656, gave a school-room, and a house and garden for a schoolmaster, in this parish, for teaching the children of it. The master to be chosen from one of his relations in preference, if any such could be found, is vested in the rector and churchwardens of this parish.

Sir Henry Palmer, of Bekesborne, by his will in 1611, gave the sum of 10s. to each of the several parishes of Wickham, Stodmarsh, Littleborne, and five others therein mentioned, to be paid into the hands of the minister and churchwardens yearly, out of his manor and lands of Well-court, at Michaelmas, towards the relief of the poor of each of them.

Thomas Belke, D. D. rector of this parish, by will in 1712, gave 501. for the putting out of five poor children of this parish apprentices.

There are about thirty poor constantly relieved, and casually seventy.

This parish is within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Bridge.

¶The church, which is dedicated to St. Andrew, consists of three isles and one chancel, having at the west end a square tower, in which hang six bells. The church is not large, but is handsome and neat. In the middle isle are several memorials for the Beakes, of Saperton. In the south isle for the Larkins, who lived at Grove, in this parish. In the east window are remains of good painted glass, viz. the arms of Edward the black price and of Mortimer, quartered with Burgh, and a representation of Herod's daughter beheading John the Baptist. In the chancel, on the pavement, is the figure of a priest in brass, and inscription, for Henry Welde, rector, obt. 1420. A gravestone, and monument for Alexander Young, B D. rector of this parish, who rebuilt this parsonage-house, and repaired that of Eastchurch, of which he was vicar likewife, at the expence of 2000l. obt. March 21, 1755. A memorial for John Smith, rector, obt. Oct. 28, 1658. In the church-yard are many headstones, and a tombstone for the family of Beake. In the windows of this church there were formerly many different shields of arms, long since demolished.

This church was always an appendage to the manor, and continues so at this time, Sir Narborough D' Aeth, bart. owner of the manor of Wickham, being the present patron of it.

There was antiently both a rectory and vicarage in this church, which continued till the year 1322, when on a vacancy of the latter, Richard de Newcastle, the rector, petitioned archbishop Walter Reynolds, that they might be consolidated, which was granted, and they have continued in that state to the present time. (fn. 4)

This rectory is valued in the king's books at 29l. 12s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at 2l. 19s. 3d. In 1588 it was valued at 250l. communicants one hundred and sixty-three. In 1640 the same. There are eighteen acres of glebe-land.

The marsh-lands in this parish, within Wickham and Preston valleys, pay a modus of two-pence an acre, and those within Newnham 1½d. only, in lieu of all tithes.

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp158-166

A full length portrait of the empress Vibia Sabina, wife of Hadrian (married at 17 years old in 100 CE). She died in 136 or 137 CE. She is shown fully draped, wearing the tunica muliebris, and wears a diadem. The statue was excaved at the Theater of Vaison-la-Romaine (Vasio) in the campaigns of 1909-1913 (found in 1913).

Musée municipal. H: 2.06 m

RBU2013.1624

www.merledress.com/amazing-trumpet-mermaid-strapless-slee...

by KOWA PROMINAR 8.5mm F2.8

17.0mm ( 35mm equivalent focal length )

2014: 365 - 47 We were all calling dibs on the shower when we got home from the lake. This is all I have the strength to take tonight... I am now going to go fall into bed!

www.lunadress.co.uk/destination-queen-anne-a-line-lace-te...

The JCB Display Team, more commonly known as the "Dancing Diggers" performs across the length and breadth of the country and is recognised as one of the top arena attractions available.

The team has appeared on television many times, showcasing the amazing abilities of the machine operators as they push their diggers to the absolute maximum of their capabilities.

The team comprised of 4 giant JCB 3CX diggers and one 527-55 loadall.

The four JCB's in the team weigh 8.5 tonnes each and cost in excess of £48,000 each.

The Display Team drivers perform dare devil stunts and formation digger dancing. During a performance accompanied by music they push the machines and themselves to the limit, thrilling audiences of all ages.

The stunts performed are not only very difficult, but are also very dangerous, and must, under no circumstances be attempted by anyone in the audience!

Whilst on location the team provided a static display for the public which was very popular

The Machines

527-55 LOADALL

The JCB 527-55 is a hugely efficient Dieselmax-powered Loadall. It’s powerful, productive, manoeuvrable, comfortable and safe.

3CX Eco

The JCB 3CX is the world’s number one backhoe loader (along with the JCB 4CX). The 3CX is a product of JCB’s efficient design philosophy, responding to today’s rising fuel prices and environmental concerns with class-leading efficiency and low running costs. In short, innovative technologies have been applied to squeeze the absolute maximum out of every drop of fuel on the JCB 3CX Eco.

The Company

The firm was founded by Joseph Cyril Bamford in October 1945 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England.

The JCB logo dates from 1953; from 1960 the company typewriters were given an extra key to render it accurately. The logo was designed by Leslie Smith, and is off-set at 18 degrees from the horizontal and 22 degrees from the vertical - the angles Joe Bamford liked.

To demonstrate his faith in the hydraulic failsafes on JCB machines (which lock the arms in the event of a loss of hydraulic pressure, preventing them from crashing to the ground), Joe Cyril Bamford arranged to have several backhoes raise themselves up on their arms, and drove his car beneath them.

This has since developed into a world famous demonstration of the versatility of the backhoe configuration. The JCB display team (JCB Dancing Diggers) tour agricultural shows and produce videos, showing some of the unusual ways in which such vehicles can support themselves or manoeuvre. For example, it is quite common for drivers to support the vehicle on both buckets, either for turning on the spot without damaging ground, or for spinning the tracks in a puddle to clean them. The display team expanded this concept into a sort of vehicle gymnastics. The drivers are members of JCB's demonstration team, who visit prospective customers and demonstrate machines on the customer's property in order to prove the machine's suitability for the task at hand.

Brookfield Zoo.

Addax nasomaculatus

Body Length:4'6"–5'6"

Weight:135–280 lbs

Geographic Distribution:Sahara Desert and Sahel region

Habitat:Sand and stony deserts

Wild Diet:Grass, leaves of bushes and trees

Zoo Diet:Herbivore grain, carrots, sweet potatoes, and grass hay

Status in the Wild:Critically Endangered

Location:Hoofed Animals

Addax have comparatively heavy bodies and large heads, on top of which they have impressive spiraling horns. In the summer, they have light-colored coats, but in the winter they become darker in color. Addax are marked with white on their legs and bellies, but their foreheads are brown.

czs.org/addax

No. 28.

Buick Regal 4-door sedan "Police" (1973-1977).

Escala 1/64 (?).

Length: 75.0 mm.

Corgi Juniors.

Made in Great Britain.

Produced from 1977 to 1979 (?).

Source: www.hobbydb.com/catalog_items/buick-regal-police-car-b963...

This variant is probably the following:

28-C1a

"White with black roof, black plastic GB base, CORGI JUNIORS, amber windows, chrome interior, dbl spoke, red bubble light, red taillights, "P/D Police" labels."

Note;

I haven´t found info about the flag on the hood and the ´ARMY´ label on the roof.

I don´t know if both came from the origin with the model.

More variants in:

www.publicsafetydiecast.com/Corgi-Juniors-Buick_Regal_Pol...

www.hobbydb.com/variant_groups/11935

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

Buick Regal

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Buick Regal is an upscale mid-sized automobile that was first introduced by Buick for the 1973 model year.

North American production ended in 2004 and began again in 2011. For the 2011 model year, Buick re-introduced the Regal to the North American market, positioned as an upscale sports sedan. Production and sales in China have continued since 1999.

For certain model years between 1973 and 2004, the Regal shared bodies and powertrains with the similar Buick Century. The current model (2011–present) is an American market version of the Opel Insignia, known as the Vauxhall Insignia in the UK."

(...)

First generation (1973–1977)

"Buick had been the first GM division to bring a personal luxury car to market with its full-size 1963 Riviera, but was otherwise slow to react to the developing lower-priced mid-size personal luxury market, which Pontiac created with the 1969 Grand Prix and Chevrolet with the Monte Carlo the following year, 1970. At the same time, Oldsmobile added a formal notchback coupé to its intermediate line, the Cutlass Supreme, in 1970 and that model soon became Olds' best selling intermediate.

Buick did not get its own personal luxury coupe until the GM intermediates were redesigned in 1973, the so-called "Colonnade" cars that eliminated hardtop models completely. In a curious name swap, the Skylark name was dropped from Buick's intermediate line and instead the Century nameplate, last used in the 1950s, was revived for them.

(...)

For the first year in 1973, the Regal nameplate was only used for Buick's version of the GM intermediate personal luxury coupe, but the following year gained a sedan companion (there was no Regal station wagon).

Regal interiors were generally more luxurious than lesser Century models with woodgrain trim on dashboard and door panels, along with door-pull straps and bench seats with center armrests with cloth, velour, or vinyl upholstery. Optionally available throughout the run was a 60/40 split bench seat with armrest.

For 1976-77, the Regal coupe was available with the S/R option that included reclining bucket seats with corduroy upholstery.

The model lasted five years with minimal changes, although there was a fairly substantial facelift in 1976 (for the coupe only — sedans stayed with original 1973 sheetmetal through 1977), which incorporated the recently legalized square headlights (horizontally mounted on coupes, and vertically on sedans — much like the mid-1960s Pontiacs). The Regal coupe sold reasonably well, although it lagged behind the Monte Carlo and Cutlass Supreme which had become the best-selling cars in America by 1976. Regal sedans and all Century models had far fewer takers.

The Regal was most commonly powered by Buick's 350 in³ V8, which was standard equipment on all models in 1973 and 1974 and optional on coupes but remained standard on sedans from 1975 to 1977, and the larger 455 in³ V8 was optional in 1973 and 1974 only.

Starting in 1975, Regal coupes came standard with Buick's resurrected 231 cu in (3.8 L) V6 engine previously offered on the Skylark from 1964 to 1967; the engine's tooling had been sold to Kaiser Motors for use in Jeep models (Kaiser was purchased by American Motors in 1970 and Jeep became an AMC division) and sold back to GM by AMC in 1974.

In 1975 and 1976, the Century and Regal were the only mid-sized cars in America to offer V6 engines. The bolt pattern for this vehicle is 5x4 3⁄4 inches (120.7 mm).

The Century designation was quietly dropped from the Regal in 1975."

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

First generation [ Buick Regal ]

Also called

Buick Century Regal

Model years

1973–1977

Assembly

United States: Flint, Michigan (Buick City)

Framingham, Massachusetts (Framingham Assembly)

Fremont, California (Fremont Assembly)

Lakewood Heights, Georgia (Lakewood Assembly)

Body style

2-door coupe

4-door sedan

Layout

FR layout

Platform

A-body

Related

Buick Century

Chevrolet El Camino

Chevrolet Malibu

Chevrolet Monte Carlo

Oldsmobile Cutlass

Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

Pontiac Grand Am

Pontiac Grand Prix

Engine

231 cu in (3.8 L) Buick V6 (gasoline)

350 cu in (5.7 L) Buick V8 (gasoline)

455 cu in (7.5 L) Buick V8 (gasoline)

Transmission

3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 350 automatic

3-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 400 automatic

Dimensions

Wheelbase

112 in (2,800 mm) (coupe)

116 in (2,900 mm) (sedan)

Length

212 in (5,400 mm) (coupe)

216 in (5,500 mm) (sedan)

Height

53.3 in (1,350 mm) (coupe)

54.1 in (1,370 mm) (sedan)

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Regal

Model: 0008

Shipping Weight: 1kg

This kind of pleated wedding dress features its mermaid design. There are beadings decorated around the body of the dress.The real goods will be 95% matched with the photo.

Silhouette: A-line ,Princess

Waist: Empire

Sleeve Length: Sleeveless

Back Details: Zipper ,Lace up

Fully Lined: Yes

Built-in Bra: Yes

Fabric: Satin ,Chiffon

Shown Color: White (Color & Style representation may vary by monitor.)

Body Shape: Apple ,Inverted Triangle ,Rectangle ,Petite ,Hourglass ,Pear ,Plus Sizes ,Misses

Wedding Venues: Garden / Outdoor ,Church ,Hall Beach / Destination

Season: Spring ,Fall ,Winter ,Summer

Tips: Accessories not included

Length: 133 m; Beam: 30 m; Flag: Italy; Built: 1983; Accommodation: certified for 96 people; Helideck: suitable for one helicopter; IMO: 8302014

Total cargo capacity is approximately 8,000 tons. The turntable has a maximum capacity of 7,000 tons of cable.

Current job: Stretch several miles of power cables {designed to carry as much as 660 megawatts of electricity — about 5 percent of the power consumed in New York City on the hottest summer days} beneath the river between Midtown Manhattan (West 52nd Street) and Edgewater New Jersey. The electricity that is to run through the cables, three of them bundled together with two thinner fiber-optic wires, is from the grid that serves New Jersey and several other states.

Type: Space heavy fighter-bomber

Crew: 1

Length/wingspan: 28 studs/22 studs

Engine(s): 1 Tiren Broad T-34 ion engine

Speed:

Service ceiling: Unlimited

Range:

Weaponry: 4x 0.7in laser cannons and 4 hard points capable of numerous weapons (though usually 4x 2.5 in laser cannons)

The T-57 Stalker is Ranter Tec’s winning entry in the HBC (Heavy Bomber Challenge) issued by the Trynin military as a direct response to the Boeing B-100 Boomerang. Technically the T-57 is fighter-bomber, not a heavy bomber. This break in the rules didn’t matter to the Trynin military who saw great potential in the versatile, heavily armored, single pilot, “heavy” fighter-bomber.

The T-57 was created immediately after the Trynin military issued the HBC and went from schematics to prototype in six month time. It was the first official entry in the HBC but was the last to go through military trials due to problems with the weight and engines. It took the T-57 almost two more years to go into mass production.

When the first T-57 squadrons were first flown in 2076 during the battle of [], they saw little success which was mainly due to their operators not correctly arming the T-57s. For the next year the T-57s would only claim two warships and only a hundred fighter-craft, with a loss of over seven-hundred T-57s. It wasn’t until [general] armed the T-57s with three inch beam cannons did they become success.

The T-57 is heavily armored with eight inch trendmite armor on the sides a two inch coating on the body. It does however lack a shield generator.

The Tiren Broad T-34 ion engines provide the T-57 with over [] pounds of thrust but its heavy armor plating reduce its top speed to [] mph. The broad emplacement (thus the name) of the engines across the whole rear end allows the T-57 to maneuver efficiently but again, its weight reduces its maneuverability. Although it does have two anti-gravity generators to allow atmospheric flight and increase its maneuverability. It also features an experimental magnetic thrust vectoring system to boost maneuverability and speed.

Most anti-aircraft T-57s are armed with the normal four .7 inch laser cannons in the nose and four 2.5 laser cannons in the roots. This gave the T-57 enough stopping power to down a small transport if necessary, and a light enough airframe to maneuver correctly and maintain high enough speeds.

Many of the bomber variants were armed with two .7 inch laser cannons in the upper nose, two 1 inch plasma cannons in the lower nose, and two 3 inch beam cannons in the roots. This arrangement of weapons gave the T-57 almost as much firepower as the Boeing B-100 Boomerang but greatly hinders the maneuverability and speed.

During the end of the Agronomic war the T-57 began to operate more and more as a fighter craft. This was due to the massive amounts of real fighters lost in battle and the arrival of the U-2 Bomber.

The T-57s destroyed twenty-seven warships and over twenty-thousand fighter-craft during the Agronomic War. Today T-57s are the hottest fighter-craft on the market and all but the U.E.C (United Earth Confederation) have at least one squad of T-57s.

www.social6.com/alexkane Camera: Nikon 1 J4

Aperture: f/2.8

Exposure: ¹⁄₆₄₀ sec at f/2.8

ISO: 400

Lens: 1 NIKKOR 18.5mm f/1.8

Focal Length: 18.5mm (49mm in 35mm equivalent)

Delicate Arch trail.

Length: 3 miles roundtrip

Difficulty: Moderate

Description: Delicate Arch is the most recognizable arch in Arches National Park, and perhaps anywhere in the world. It also happens to be located along one of the most dynamic hiking trails within Arches National Park. More than 480 feet above the parking lot and trailhead in the valley below, Delicate Arch is hidden in a bowl at the top of one of the park’s famous sandstone fins. Delicate Arch is freestanding, and magnificently alone in the natural sandstone bowl, standing out against the multitude of horizontal planes around it. The arch was once part of the upper section of the fin, until erosion took its toll upon the sandstone throughout the years, and now Delicate Arch is all that remains of that Entrada sandstone formation.

The Delicate Arch Trailhead is located on the Wolfe Ranch turnoff, which is 11.5 miles up the Arches Entrance Road. The right turn to Delicate Arch is advertised at the turnoff, and the trailhead is on the left side of the road, at the ranch. The trail is rugged and steep, especially near the end as it mounts the sloped side of the sandstone fin. Along the way, visitors will pass a pioneer homestead, Ute Indian petroglyphs, an overgrown streambed, throngs of juniper, a smaller arch, and the famous slickrock for which the Moab area is world-famous.

Delicate Arch Trailhead

The trail starts at a fairly large parking lot off the side of the road, passes the old Wolfe Homestead, and then crosses a bridge over Salt Wash.

Wolfe Ranch

This homestead was built by a disabled Civil War vet, John Wesley Wolfe, in 1888 and inhabited until 1910, when the aging owner moved back to Ohio.

Ute Petroglyphs

This panel of rock art is attributed to the Ute culture. In includes a number of bighorn sheep, horses and dogs.

Frame Arch

Frame Arch is next to invisible when compared with the splendor of Delicate Arch just around the corner; most hikers barely even recognize the arch on its own merits. However, Frame Arch is famous for being the perfect window through which to photograph Delicate Arch, and many people use it to frame their shots of its more photogenic sibling, as its name suggests.

Delicate Arch

Delicate Arch has graced many magazine covers, mantle pieces, coffee tables, stamps, license plates, and a variety of other media. It is an international attraction, and has drawn its fair share of abuse over the years, including (now illegal) climbing, and ignorant pyrotechnics.

Thursday, September 06, 2012

english

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Walls_of_Lugo

The Roman Walls of Lugo (Spanish, Galician: Muralla Romana de Lugo) were constructed in the 3rd Century and are still largely intact today, stretching over 2 kilometers around the historic centre of Lugo in Galicia (Spain). The fortifications were inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in late 2000 as "the finest example of late Roman fortifications in western Europe." The walls have also held Spanish monument status (Bien de Interés Cultural) since 1921. In 2007, the walls were twinned with the Great Wall of China during a ceremony attended by China's then-ambassador to Spain, Qiu Xiaoqi.

A walkway over the walls now allows visitors to stroll along the entire length. The town also has a visitor's centre dedicated to the walls, the Centro de Interpretación de la Muralla. Since the inscription of the walls on the World Heritage List in 2000, Lugo holds a popular festival called Arde Lucus each year to celebrate its Roman past.

The city walls were built between 263 and 276 A.D. to defend the Roman town of Lucus Augusti (present-day Lugo) against local tribesmen and Germanic invaders. The walls formed part of a complex of fortifications which also included a moat and an intervallum (the clearing between the walls and the city). The entire length of the walls is around 2,120 m, enclosing an area of 34.4 hectares. Not all of the town was enclosed by walls: much of the southeastern part of the town remained unprotected, while in other places unused areas were enclosed by walls.

The width of the walls is around 4.2 m and the height of the walls varies between 8 and 12 m. The walls consist of internal and external stone facing with a core of earth mixes with gravel, pebbles and worked Roman stone recycled from demolished buildings, cemented with water.

There are 10 gates in the walls: five dating to Roman times and five added after 1853 to accommodate the expanding town population. The best preserved of the five original gates are the Porta Falsa and the Porta Miña, the latter of which still has the original vaulted arch set between two towers. Five stairways and a ramp provide access to the parapet walk over the walls. Within the walls, a number of double staircases provide access to the towers from the parapet walk.

Of the original towers, 49 are still intact, and another 39 have partially survived. The towers were built at irregular intervals along the walls. They consist of two stories and are mostly semicircular; a few are rectangular. The gaps in the wall for the towers vary in length from 5.35 m to 12.80 m. Different materials were used for the construction of the towers. Often the base of the tower was constructed of dressed granite, with the remainder in slate.

During the Middle Ages, pilgrims passed through the gates of the Lugo walls, particularly Porta Miña, on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

Português

A muralha romana de Lugo rodeia a zona histórica da cidade de Lugo na província homónima, na Galiza.

A antiga cidade romana de Lucus Augusti, fundada por Paulo Fábio Máximo em nome do imperador Augusto em 13 a.C. com a finalidade de anexar definitivamente o nordeste da península Ibérica ao Império Romano, foi dotada de um muro de defesa que perdurou, com escassas reformas, até aos tempos atuais.

A muralha, com um comprimento de mais de dois quilómetros, delimita a zona histórica da urbe galega. Construída como separação e defesa, transformou-se num elemento integrador entre a antiga Lucus e a que se desenvolveu ao redor dela. Suas dez portas realizam a função de ligar uma parte da cidade com a outra, e o seu adarve tornou-se uma rua, percorrida pelos viandantes autóctones e visitantes. Passou, portanto, de ser um obstáculo para sua evolução e crescimento a ser um monumento integrado na estrutura urbana e fonte de riqueza turística.

A muralha romana foi declarada Patrimônio da Humanidade pela UNESCO em 2000 e está irmanada desde 6 de Outubro de 2007 com a Muralha da China de Qinhuangdao.

A muralha da antiga Lucus Augusti é a melhor conservada das muralhas romanas situadas na península Ibérica. As modificações que sofreu ao longo dos seus mais de dezessete séculos de existência não chegaram a modificar substancialmente o seu aspeto original, que segue as diretrizes do engenheiro romano Vitrúvio.

O conjunto defensivo tem um comprimento de 2.117 metros, embora haja divergências na medida, e abrange uma extensão de 34,4 Ha. A largura dos muros é de 4,20 metros atingindo os 7 metros em alguns trechos.

A muralha mantém uma série de torres defensivas entre as quais se erguem os muros da mesma. A distância entre torres, varia entre os 8,80 e 9,80 metros até os 15,90 e 16,40 metros, com uma altura entre os 8 e os 12 metros pela parte exterior. Tem-se registro de que havia 85 ou 86, 46 delas conservam-se íntegras enquanto há vestígios das outras 39

As torres têm umas dimensões de 5,35 metros até 12,80 metros no oco ou segmento, e de 4,80 até 6 metros, na flecha. Uma das torres tem vitrais de meio ponto de 1,15 m de largo e de 1,43 m de alto (algum alcança 1,53 m).

Traçado

O traçado da construção defensiva está envolvido em mistério, pois ninguém consegue explicar por que deixou fora importantes núcleos residenciais da antiga cidade ao mesmo tempo em que protegia zonas desabitadas.

Estende-se por uma orografia irregular, mais alto a noroeste e em descenso para sudeste. A forma é quadrangular, com vértices suavizados.

Materiais

Os materiais dos quais esta construída a muralha são, nomeadamente, o granito, para os remates das portas e ângulos de reforço das torres, e as lajes de lousa, que constitui a exterior dos muros. O interior está recheio com um morteiro composto de terra, pedras e seixos cimentados com água. Todos estes materiais são abundantes na zona.

Torres

Das 85 ou 86 torres originais conservam-se 71, de elas 60 são de planta circular e 11 quadrangulares. Deveram estar coroadas por torres de dois pavimentos que tinham vitrais, como testemunha a torre chamada de A Mosqueira na qual ainda permanecem.

A disposição das torres evita a existência de ângulos mortos. Os trechos de muro entre duas torres têm um comprimento dentre 6,30 m. e 13,50 m.

Os vestígios da torre chamada A Mosqueira fazem supor que cada uma das torres, ou cubos, tinha na origem uma estrutura superior que contava, ao menos, com dois pavimentos. Estes pavimentos teriam grandes vitrais onde se estima que seriam situadas armas defensivas como bestas, onagris ou escorpiões.

Portas

A muralha dispunha de cinco portas de acesso que correspondiam às vias principais do traçado urbano. Entre 1853 e 1921 de abriram outras cinco por necessidades da expansão da cidade, das dez portas existentes, seis são de pedestres e quatro permitem o tráfego rodado.

Na época romana havia cinco portas que coincidem com as atuais de Porta Miñá (Minhã), Porta Falsa, Porta de São Pedro, Porta Nova e Porta de Santiago. Delas, a Porta Miñá e, possivelmente, a Falsa são de fatura original, as outras três são posteriores. A porta principal estava em onde se construiu o Reduto de Cristina e era conhecida pelo nome de Porta Castelli.

As portas abertas a partir de 1853 são as de São Fernando (1853), a Estação (1875), Bispo Izquierdo (1888), Bispo Aguirre (1894) e Bispo Odoário (1921).

Pela porta de São Pedro entravam as pistas XIX e XX procedentes de Asturica Augusta, atual Astorga e Braccara Augusta, atual cidade de Braga em Portugal. Pela Porta Nova ligava-se com Brigantium, Betanzos e pela Porta Miñá ia-se para Iria Flavia (Padrón) enquanto pela Porta Falsa ia-se para a costa e o porto de Lucus Asturum (Lugo de Llanera).

A muralha não somente era um elemento defensivo, mas também servia para delimitar o foro e com ele os impostos da cidade. Nelas cobrava-se o imposto de portagem e realizava-se o controlo das pessoas que entravam e saíam do recinto.

As portas de madeira que permitiam fechar o acesso permaneceram até ao século XIX. A partir de 1877 desapareceram definitivamente. O controlo do trânsito manteve-se até bem entrado o século XX permanecendo como testemunha do mesmo as portagens em várias das portas.

Porta de Santiago

A antiga porta do Poxigo (do Postigo), que existia já na época romana; o nome referiria a uma portela existente dentro de uma porta de maiores dimensões. Suas dimensões são 4,15 m de largo, 5,50 m de alto e até ao adarve 6,90 m.

Em 1759 foi reformada para permitir a passagem de carruagens e decorada pela sua parte interior com um nicho com a imagem de Santiago Maior e o escudo de armas do Bispo Izquierdo. Foi porta particular para uso exclusivo dos cônegos para aceder às suas hortas até 1589. Na época de pestes era a porta que permanecia aberta e tinha uma ponte levadiça.

Porta Miñá

De indubitável origem romana, é a que menos modificações teve. Está situada num talvegue e tem 3,65 m de largo. É chamada de Miñá (Minhã, lat. Mineana) devido a que por ela se acede ao rio Minho; também é conhecida como Porta do Carme e foi chamada Minei ou Miñá.

Sua obra é em abóbada de berço e arco de volta perfeita. Está guarnecida por dois torreões e tem um recinto destinado ao corpo de guarda (usado como capela durante algum tempo). Graças à crise econômica do município em 1870, livrou-se de ser demolida.

Porta do Bispo Odoário

A construção desta porta, realizada ilegalmente, deu lugar a que a muralha fora declarada Monumento Nacional. Abriu-se o vão em 1921 como parte das obras do novo Hospital de Santa Maria e construiu-se em 1928 pelo arquiteto Ramiro Sainz Martínez, arquiteto oficial do monumento.

Mede 12 m de largo e 9,10 de alto. Tem um arco de tipo carpanel e uma abóbada de corno de vaca.

Porta Nova

A porta medieval foi demolida em 1899 e, no seu lugar, foi construída outra mais moderna e de maior tamanho. Tem 4,60 m de largo e 8 de alto com arco tipo carpanel e aparelho de silhar. Perdura o habitáculo destinado à portagem.

A atual construção deve-se ao arquiteto Juan Álvarez de Mendoza e foi inaugurada em Abril de 1900. Constava de um recinto para o corpo de guarda, de origem romano, que se utilizou como capela.

Porta de São Fernando

Inaugurada em 1858 pela rainha Isabel II da Espanha, foi começada em 1853 e finalizado no ano seguinte. Chamou-se de porta do príncipe em honra do filho de Isabel II. Em 1962 foi reformada, aumentando a largura da mesma e dando-lhe seu aspeto atual. As suas medidas são, largo 12,5 m, alto 7,50m. Tem uma abóbada de corno de vaca, ou de passagem oblíqua.

Converteu-se no principal acesso à cidade velha e é a única que permite o passo de veículos e pedestres ao mesmo tempo. Comunica as zonas mais povoadas da urbe.

Porta Falsa

Nos séculos XVII e XVIII era conhecida como Porta do Boquete e é, pelas suas dimensões, uma das originais romanas. Responde ao tipo de portas romanas chamadas de posterulae de uso militar, embora fosse muito modificada.

Mede 3,45 m de largo e 5,65 de alto. Em 1798 foi modificada; é formada por um arco de volta perfeita. Durante a Idade Média foi condenada e reaberta em 1602, ainda que até 20 anos depois não se estabilizaria essa apertura.

Porta da Estação

A chegada da ferrovia à cidade e a situação da estação forçou a apertura desta porta, que foi projeto de Nemesio Cobreros Cuevillas e abriu-se em 1875. Um ano mais tarde foi ampliada, tirando as duas torres situadas a seus lados. Em 1921 foi demolida e construída a atual. Tem 10 m de largura e 8 de altura. É de arco tipo carpanel e tem encostados dois recintos que serviram como portagens.

Porta de São Pedro

situada no lugar de uma porta romana era denominada na Idade Média como Porta de Sancti Petri bem como como Porta Toletana ao ser a que dá acesso ao caminho de Castela. É por onde entra o Caminho de Santiago na variante Caminho Primitivo de Lugo.

Mede 3,70m de largo e 4,85 m de alto e é constituída por uma abóbada de meio canhão e uma abóbada de berço. Está ladeada por dois torreões e tem um recinto de corpo de guarda. Salvou-se da modificação em 1865 por motivos econômicos. No exterior ostenta o escudo da cidade e a data da remodelação data de 1781.

Porta do Bispo Izquierdo

Batizada en honra do Bispo Izquierdo que é considerado como um dos benfeitores da cidade. É também conhecida como Porta do cárcere, já que se abriu, em 1888, por necessidades de acesso ao novo recinto carcerário. Foi a terceira nova porta que se abriu no século XIX.

Tem uma largura de 4,32m e uma altura de 7,15. Com arco de volta perfeita e abóbada de berço, tem recinto que servia como portagem. O arquiteto foi Nemesio Cobreros Cuevillas.

Porta do Bispo Aguirre

Em 1894 abriu-se esta porta com o objeto de facilitar a comunicação com o seminário que se construíra nas cercanias em 1885 por ordem do Bispo Aguirre e com o cemitério que se inaugurara em 1858.

Tem uma largura de 10 m e uma altura de 8,15. É de arco tipo carpanel e está dotada de recintos para o uso de portagens. Assim como o seminário, foi realizada pelo arquiteto Nemesio Cobreros Cuevillas. Na sua construção foram demolidas duas torres da muralha que continham lápidas romanas.

Escadas

O acesso para o adarve realizava-se mediante escadas embutidas nos muros das torres. Estas escadas eram duplas, de padrão imperial. Há rasto de 16 destas construções.

Em 1962 acharam-se os primeiros vestígios da existência destas escadas de acesso ao adarve, mas estavam totalmente tapadas por lixo e terra. Foram reabilitadas quando a posta em marcha do Plano Integral da Muralha. Estima-se que havia uma escada por cada torre.

As escadas não chegavam à altura do chão. Para aceder ao primeiro degrau era preciso utilizar escadas móveis. Isto permitiria, caso necessidade, isolar a muralha retirando-as.

Atualmente, acede-se mediante quatro escadas exteriores aos muros e uma rampa, construídos a partir do século XVIII.

Estrutura defensiva

A estrutura defensiva que formava a muralha estava formada pelo fosso, a própria muralha e o intervallum.

O fosso ficava a cerca de 5 metros das torres; tinha uma largura de 20 metros e uma profundeza de 4. Embora apenas fiquem vestígios do mesmo, foi documentado em 1987 mediante diferentes estudos arqueológicos, sendo comprovado que não era um fosso contínuo, mas formado por diversos trechos independentes com encontros acoplados. Têm no fundo uma série de canais cuja finalidade está sem definir.

O intervallum era um espaço que ficava entre a muralha e as edificações urbanas. Recorria o contorno todo da mesma, como um passeio de ronda inferior, e servia para a intendência da defesa. Com o passar do tempo este espaço foi sendo ocupado por edificações. Em meados do século XX havia mais de 30 edifícios encostados à muralha, invadindo o intervallum.

Um fosso perimetral funcionava como primeiro elemento defensivo, documentado nas distintas intervenções arqueológicas levadas a cabo no século XXI. Ficava a unha distancia de 32 metros em relação as muralhas e 25 metros en relación ao eixo dos cubos.[

História

A datação da muralha de Lugo, baseada nos materiais construtivos e nos achados arqueológicos, a situa na segunda metade do século III. A sua construção coincide com a percepção da ameaça bárbara pelas autoridades do Império. Estima-se que sua construção foi um único projeto, que rematou em finais do século III ou na primeira metade do século IV.

Além da ameaça bárbara, a situação e importância estratégica da cidade aconselharam a sua construção. A própria situação da cidade, bem resguarda ao ficar no alto de uma pequena colina e rodeada por um lado pelo rio Minho e pelos outros pelos arroios Rato, Paradai e Chanca. A muralha protegeu a cidade do vento frio de Norte.

A construção da linha defensiva deixou fora bairros inteiros como o de Recatelo e incluiu terras de trabalho e despovoadas. Enquanto outras cidades se reduziam quando se fortificavam, Lugo cresceu.

Sob o domínio dos suevos e visigodos Lugo vai despovoando-se. Afonso I tentou frear essa perda populacional, mas não foi até depois da sua conquista aos muçulmanos que se inverteu a tendência.

No século VIII a cidade cai em mãos de Musa, e em 998 é atacada por Almançor, que demoliu um dos muros embora não atingisse conquistar a urbe.

Na Baixa Idade Média forma-se um novo núcleo urbano ao redor da praça central. Mas ainda há grandes zonas despovoadas dentro do núcleo defensivo, tal é, portanto a princípios do século XXI ainda existem áreas sem urbanizar compreendidas em ele.

Erguem-se complexos defensivos sobre a muralha, há documentação do realizado sobre a chamada porta de São Pedro pelo Infante D. Enrique, no século XIV. Em 1621 reabre-se a chamada «porta Falsa».

No século XVI começa a construção de moradias nos ocos entre as torres pela parte exterior, propiciando o crescimento ultra-muros da cidade.

Em 1837 realiza-se a construção do chamado Reduto Cristina e entre 1853 e 1921 vão-se abrindo novas portas nas muralhas. Chegariam a ser cinco. Estas são;

1853, a do Príncipe Alfonso.

1875, a da Estação.

1888, a do Bispo Izquierdo.

1894, a do Bispo Aguirre.

1921, a do Bispo Odoário.

A 16 de Abril de 1921 a muralha é declarada Monumento Nacional, a partir da apertura dum vão num dos muros para a construção de uma das portas. Em 1971 inicia-se o plano conhecido como Operação Muralha Limpa que tem como objetivo o livrar o monumento de todas as edificações encostadas ao seu paramento exterior.

O reduto de María Cristina

© Mariana Tomas 2008

Scale model of the schooner 'Rifleman' on display at Harrington NSW.

Details:

Name: Rifleman

Type: Schooner

Length: 82.6ft

Beam: 18.0ft

Depth: 7.4ft

Tonnage: (Volumetric measure 1 ton = 100 cubic ft)

Tonnage: 81.5tons

Builder: Alexander Newton Snr

Launched: Saturday 14th December 1861.

Official number: ON036732

Signal letters:unknown

Registered: Sydney - 7th January 1862 -1/1862

Ports & Owners:

- 1862 - Alexander Newton

- 1862/March - J.C. Aickman - Merchant, & T. McClatchie - Mariner, Christchurch New Zealand 8/8/62

- 1864 - T. McClatchie & W. Wilson, Nurseryman.

- 1870 - T. McClatchie & J. Hobbs, Mariner, Lyttelton.

- 1871 - August - Part owner 1871, Captain Joseph Hobbs.

Description:

- 1 White beech deck

- 3 stepped masts/white beech topmasts

- Square stern

- Scroll figure head /female bust

- Carvel built from locally sourced hardwoods.

Launch:

Custom House

“The Victoria crossed Manning River bar at 6 p.m, on Monday (16th), and arrived here at 11 a.m, yesterday. She reports the Mary and Gleaner lying in the river, and also the launch of a large three-masted schooner, on Saturday (14th), named the Rifleman, from Mr. Newton’s yard.

The Victoria brings up 280 bags maize, 28 bags onions, 45 cases eggs, 10 coops poultry, 50 hides, 3 casks tallow.

Sydney Morning Herald Wednesday 18th December 1861.

History:

1862

The'Rifleman'

"This fine new three-masted schooner arrived from the Manning on Monday afternoon, having left there on Saturday, in command of Mr Alexander Newton, her builder.

She is 77 tons new measurement, breadth of beam 15ft, depth of hold 7 feet 8 inches; length 81 feet on the keel, and 90 feet over -all.

Mr Newton, her builder was formerly in partnership with Mr Malcolm, which firm turned out several smart vessels on the Manning.

He is now cutting timber for building a barque of 80 tons."

The Maitland Mercury Tuesday 7th January 1862.

NEW ZEALAND

After registration, under the command of Captain Newton the Rifleman set sail for Otago on the 16th January 1862 with 34 passengers.

Alexander Newton spent six months with the Rifleman around the New Zealand coast before selling her to Aickman and McClatchie.

John Campbell Aickman was a man with far-reaching interests, whose advertisements in the Christchurch newspapers of the time covered land sales, hardware, furniture,corn, chandlery and clothing.

Thomas McClatchie, Rifleman's first New Zealand master, retained his half-share in the schooner for the rest of her nine-year career.

William Wilson, who bought Aickman's share in the schooner in 1864, was a well-known horticulturalist, credited with introducing many exotic plant species into the Canterbury Province, and was Mayor of Christchurch for a period during the 1860's.

MAORI WARS

1868

In July 1868, Rifleman featured in an event which caused considerable alarm among the colonists of the North Island of New Zealand. Waitangi in the Chatham Islands had become a prison camp for political exiles after the land wars between the settlers and tribes of the East Coast. In 1866 some 180 East coast Maoris had been sent without trial to the Chatham Islands, where their women and children were allowed to join them.

Promised that they should be allowed to return when the war ended, they were docile and well behaved until about May 1868, when it became clear that they faced indefinite exile.

The most active and vocal of the prisoners was Te Turuki Rikirangi, who claimed he had been unjustly imprisoned, and had demanded trial before a Court of Justice so many times that his nickname became "Te Kooti" (the Court) - the name by which he has been known ever since.

ARK OF SALVATION

On the 3rd of July, the Rifleman arrived at Waitangi with a cargo of provisions for the garrison; also anchored in the bay was another smaller vessel, the schooner Florence.

The Rifleman would be the 'ark of salvation' that Te Kooti had predicted.

THE ESCAPE

On the afternoon of the 4th of July Te Kooti put his escape plan into action. The prisoners overwhelmed and handcuffed the men of the Armed Constabulary who were their guards, boarded the Florence and cast her adrift so that they should not be followed, and seized the Rifleman.

With 163 men, 64 women and 71 children as passengers, the Rifleman arrived at Whareongaonga near Gisborne on the 10th of July. Te Kooti kept his promise that no harm would befall the crew, paid them £6 each and provided a letter for the authorities exonerating them from any involvement in the escape.

Meanwhile, at Waitangi, events had turned out just as Te Kooti had hoped: the Florence had stranded and all attempts to refloat her failed, frustrating any chance the garrison and the two ships masters had of giving chase.

WRECK OF THE RIFLEMAN

1871

In August 1871 Rifleman's new part owner, Joseph Hobbs, was in command of the schooner when she stranded on Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf.

"By the arrival of a gentleman yesterday from the Great Barrier, we learn that the rumour circulated on Monday last respecting the wreck of the three-masted schooner Rifleman is correct.

The schooner left here on the 29th ult. for the Chatham Islands and that night, it coming on to blow a strong south-west gale, the master of the vessel deemed it advisable to run for the Barrier for shelter. It was Captain Hobbs' intention to have brought up in Tryphena Bay, but owing to the darkness of the night he mistook the harbour and run into Blind Bay, and before Captain Hobbs noticed his mistake the vessel went ashore, striking heavily. The schooner is considerably damaged and there is little hope of being able to get her off again. The crew got ashore all safe. When our informant left the men were engaged in stripping the vessel of her sails, rigging and anything of value."

Wellington Independent 13th September 1871.

Despite this pessimistic report, Rifleman was refloated and taken to Auckland for repair. The accident may have weakened the structure of the schooner, for her end came only a month later.

LOST WITH ALL HANDS

On the 10th of October 1871, Rifleman left Lyttelton bound for Havelock in the Marlborough Sounds, under the command of Peter Toomey.

The schooner was last sighted in a gale off Cape Campbell.

No wreckage, or sign of Captain Toomey and his six-man crew was ever found; Cook Strait had claimed another victim.

References:

- "War and Politics in New Zealand 1855 - 1870" B.J. Dalton.

-"Historic Poverty Bay" - J.A. Mackay."

-"Shipwrecks, New Zealand Disasters" - Ingram & Wheatley

-"Scotchtown and Pelican" - The Shipwright's Tale-by V.A. Newton.

Image Source: Nicholson Family Collection

All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.

GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flickr Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List

by Voigtländer NOKTON Classic 40mm F1.4 MC

80.0mm ( 35mm equivalent focal length )

The JCB Display Team, more commonly known as the "Dancing Diggers" performs across the length and breadth of the country and is recognised as one of the top arena attractions available.

The team has appeared on television many times, showcasing the amazing abilities of the machine operators as they push their diggers to the absolute maximum of their capabilities.

The team comprised of 4 giant JCB 3CX diggers and one 527-55 loadall.

The four JCB's in the team weigh 8.5 tonnes each and cost in excess of £48,000 each.

The Display Team drivers perform dare devil stunts and formation digger dancing. During a performance accompanied by music they push the machines and themselves to the limit, thrilling audiences of all ages.

The stunts performed are not only very difficult, but are also very dangerous, and must, under no circumstances be attempted by anyone in the audience!

Whilst on location the team provided a static display for the public which was very popular

The Machines

527-55 LOADALL

The JCB 527-55 is a hugely efficient Dieselmax-powered Loadall. It’s powerful, productive, manoeuvrable, comfortable and safe.

3CX Eco

The JCB 3CX is the world’s number one backhoe loader (along with the JCB 4CX). The 3CX is a product of JCB’s efficient design philosophy, responding to today’s rising fuel prices and environmental concerns with class-leading efficiency and low running costs. In short, innovative technologies have been applied to squeeze the absolute maximum out of every drop of fuel on the JCB 3CX Eco.

The Company

The firm was founded by Joseph Cyril Bamford in October 1945 in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England.

The JCB logo dates from 1953; from 1960 the company typewriters were given an extra key to render it accurately. The logo was designed by Leslie Smith, and is off-set at 18 degrees from the horizontal and 22 degrees from the vertical - the angles Joe Bamford liked.

To demonstrate his faith in the hydraulic failsafes on JCB machines (which lock the arms in the event of a loss of hydraulic pressure, preventing them from crashing to the ground), Joe Cyril Bamford arranged to have several backhoes raise themselves up on their arms, and drove his car beneath them.

This has since developed into a world famous demonstration of the versatility of the backhoe configuration. The JCB display team (JCB Dancing Diggers) tour agricultural shows and produce videos, showing some of the unusual ways in which such vehicles can support themselves or manoeuvre. For example, it is quite common for drivers to support the vehicle on both buckets, either for turning on the spot without damaging ground, or for spinning the tracks in a puddle to clean them. The display team expanded this concept into a sort of vehicle gymnastics. The drivers are members of JCB's demonstration team, who visit prospective customers and demonstrate machines on the customer's property in order to prove the machine's suitability for the task at hand.

Features of Princess 54 Flybridge

Basic data

Type: Motoryacht

Year : 2009

Length: 16.59 m

Location: Torquay

Name: GOOSE

Flag: Reino Unido

Shipyard: Princess

Material: Fibreglass

Dimensions

Beam: 4.57 m

Draft: -

Ballast: -

Displacement: 23500.17 Kg

Capacity

Maximum number of passengers: 15

Cabins: 3

Berths: 3

Heads: 2

Water capacity: 473.18 L

Motor

Number of engines: 2

Total power: 1550 HP

Fuel capacity: 2081.98 L

Engine 1

Motor type : Inboard

Power: 775 HP

Fuel type : Diesel

Make of the motor: Volvo D12-800

Engine usage (hours): 596

Engine 2

Motor type : Inboard

Power: 775 HP

Fuel type : Others

Make of the motor: Volvo D12-800

Engine usage (hours): 596

This Motoryacht's equipment

Accommodation

Her practical 3 compartment and 2 powder room layout sleeps up to 6 visitors overnight:

- Master Stateroom with en-suite powder room.- Twin Cabin.- Forward VIP Cabin.

A apart air-conditioned team compartment is located aft which includes a single cot and powder room.

The Guest Bathroom is accessed via the hallway on the lower deck or alternatively through a door from the VIP Cabin. If required, this door from the VIP Cabin can be locked and this powder room can be pre-owned by visitors during the day.

All compartments feature openable seaportholes. Each powder room is provisioned with ventilation fans and electric quietflush toilets (excluding her Crew Cabin which special a basic fit out and a Marine WC).

A 26" SAMSUNG LCD TV is mounted on the Master Stateroom's forward bulkhead.

Main Deck Living Area

- Seritona Cherry Gloss finish throughout.

- Leather cushioning.

- U-shaped sofa with desk on starboard side.

- Triple stainless steel framed sliding doors.

- Port side Bar with glassware stowage and sideboard group.

- Bottle stowage compartmentet with shelves for glassware.

- WAECO Refrigerator with Ice Box section.

- 26" LG LCD TV which can be deployed or hidden using electric Up & Down motor .

- Tinted gustows.

- Curtains or blinds to all gustows and doors.

- Clock and pubometer.

- U-shaped Dining Area for 6 with desk.

- Wheelhouse (See 'Wheelhouse and Navigation Gear' section below).

- Stairs to Lower Deck.

Deck Equipment

- OPACMARE Hydraulic Passerelle with Remote Control (2.75m range, 320kg lifting capacity).

- New exterior cushioning in 2017.

- Upholstered Cockpit sofa.

- Bimini top on Flybridge.

- Self-draining.

- Hatch on gasoline strut to lazarette stowage.

- Lazarette.

- Lockable access hatch to engine room.

- Steps to side decks.

- Cockpit beaming.

- Transom gate leading to bathing floor.

- 2 x Underwater illumination.

- Side safes.

- Fender stowage.

- 220/ 240 v sand supseaport inlet.

- Stainless steel handrails.

- Remote fuel cocks located in safe.

- Integral stairway to flybridge with teak treads.

- Transom teak laid bathing floor with foldaway swimming ladder, hot and chilly shower.

- Transom stowage safe.

- Dinghy chock system.

- Teak-laid transom floor, cockpit deck, flybridge stairway and stairs to side decks.

- Reversible electric mainstay winch with foredeck, main helm and flybridge controls.

- Self stowing 20kg Delta Anchor with 60m of chain.

- Stemhead roller with automated mainstay launch and retrieve.

- Foredeck freshwater mainstay / deckwash system.

- Stainless-steel front, rear and spring cleats.

- Stainless-steel front fairleads.

- Stainless-steel pulpit and guard rails with fender baskets.

- Stainless steel coachroof and flybridge rails.

- Stainless steel rubbing band with rubber insert.

- Full set of IMCO direction illumination.

- Riding beam.

- Twin beam searchbeam with dual-station remote controls.

- Twin electric horns.

- Fuel and water fillers.

- OCEAN 8 passenger liferaft.

Wheelhouse and Navigation Gear

Dual station instruments and controls at Flybridge and main deck Wheelhouse position including:

- Burr elm instrument console with engine instruments and fuel gauges.

- Rudder position indicator

- Power-assisted water potential navigation

- Anchor winch remote control.

- Volvo Penta EVC engine controls.

- SIDEPOWER Bowthruster and Sternthruster controls.

- BENNET cut tab controls.

- ACR Point Pad, Universal Remote Control.

- RAYMARINE ST60 Speed, Depth instruments.

- RAYMARINE Autohelm Autopilot.

- FURUNO 3D-DRS4A NavNet3D Radar / GPS Plotter with an additional 12.1" MFD12 repeater group on the Flybridge.

- High-velocity PLASTIMO magnetic compass.

- SIMRAD RS87 VHF.

- SEAFIRE Fire Fighting system group.

- Horn button.

Wheelhouse:

- Searchbeam remote control.

- Opening side gustow.

- Navigation beam switches.

- Flybri

Sailboat Specifications

Hull Type: Keel/Cbrd.

Rigging Type: Gaffhead Sloop

Length overall: 22’6″ 6.858m

Length over deck: 19’3” 5.867m

Length of waterline: 17’7″ 5.334m

Beam: 7’2” 2.184m

Draught:1’6” – 4’0”0.457m – 1.219m

Displacement:2350lb1065kg

Ballast: 700 lb / 318 kg

Sail area:194ft218.02m2

Approx towing weight:3300lb1500kg

RCD categoryC

S.A./Disp.: 17.60

Bal./Disp.: 29.79

Disp./Len.: 195.75

Construction: GRP

Designer: Roger Dongray

First Built: 1979

# Built: 1000

Builder

Cornish Crabbers LLP

Unit 5, Bess Park Road

Wadebridge

Cornwall

PL27 6HB

Telephone: +44 (0)1208 862 666

Email: info@cornishcrabbers.co.uk

Auxiliary Power/Tanks (orig. equip.)

Make: Yanmar (opt.)

Model: Yanmar 1GM10 9hp

Type: Diesel

Sailboat Calculations

S.A./Disp.: 17.60

Bal./Disp.: 29.79

Disp./Len.: 195.75

Comfort Ratio: 14.60

Capsize Screening Formula: 2.16

Shrimper 19 standard sail away specification

Hull Construction: Hand laid solid GRP hull with no foam core. Integral centerplate case laminated as part of the complete hull structure. Internal bunk and

forepeak moulding bonded into hull with internal structural bulkheads bonded to both hull and deck mouldings. Standard colours are off white, dark blue

or dark green. The hull and deck joint is by way of an overlap or ‘Biscuit Tin Lid’ with GRP bonding.

Rudder: The rudder is transom hung on two stainless steel hangings bolted through the transom with Hardwood backing pads. The rudder is constructed

from laminated plywood with a stainless steel lifting drop plate.

Engine Beds: Engine beds are incorporated in the GRP bunk moulding with mild steel mounts bonded into the bed design which incorporates an oil drip tray.

Ballast: Ballast is by way of iron punchings encapsulated in resin inside the hull keel moulding. A galvanised steel centerplate forms part of the ballast

with a stainless steel lifting wire leading to a winch lifting system operated from the cockpit.

Boot Top: A single boot top moulded in gel coat located above antifouling level. Colour in contrast to main hull and normally matching the deck.

Deck Construction: Hand laid GRP with Balsa core in way of horizontal load areas. Hard wood pads under deck fittings and stress points.

Cockpit : Cockpit locker lids are hand laid with Balsa core. There is integrated non slip on horizontal surfaces with an optional two tone colour. A cockpit

drain is located in the center of the main foot well with additional drainage from the seats. A central watertight locker offers general storage or houses the

diesel engine when fitted.

Deck Fittings: Bespoke deck fittings including bowsprit, tabernacle and chain plates are made from stainless steel. 4 aluminium deck cleats are positioned

aft & amidships with two fairleads feeding a teak Sampson post forward. All sail controls are led aft to rope clutches / jammers with a single halyard

winch to starboard. Adjustable jib & mainsheet cars. Access below is via a teak lined sliding companionway hatch and split plywood / Perspex washboards.

Extra ventilation provided by an aluminium forward hatch.

Ports: 2 aluminium fixed ports are fitted one each in the hull topsides.

Chain plates: Chain plates are in stainless steel and through bolted on the hull sides.

Vents: Ventilation is via a washboard vent and opening forward hatch.

Miscellaneous Equipment: Fuel filler &tank vent.(Inboard version only), Life harness attachment point by the companionway, Rope tidies for halyards.

Cockpit Lockers: Two main watertight lockers with latches and padlocks are provided. A padlock is also provided for the companionway hatch.

Mainmast: Laminated in Sitka Spruce and treated with Sikkens Cetol including a stainless steel mast band to take Cap shrouds, jib and mainsail halyards.

All deck mounted on a substantial stainless steel tabernacle.

Main Boom: Laminated in Sitka Spruce and treated with Sikkens Cetol including a Stainless steel gooseneck fitting, kicker and mainsheet bands and all

associated reefing line leads / terminals.

Bowsprit: Laminated in Sitka Spruce and treated with Sikkens Cetol including a Stainless steel pivot fitting, end plate and bobstay take off points.

Gaff: Laminated in Sitka Spruce and treated with Sikkens Cetol including a Stainless steel gaff collar with rubber protection on bearing surface. Wire hoist

span and block.

Standing Rigging: Cap shrouds, lower shrouds & forestay in 4mm 1 x 19 stainless steel wire with swagged ends. Chromed rigging screws. Jib mounted on

reefing spar and controls led aft to cockpit.

Running Rigging: Main throat / peak halyards – 6mm braid. Jib &Staysail halyards – 6mm braid. Main topping lift – 6mm braid. Mainsail reefing lines –

6mm braid. Mainsail outhaul – 6mm braid. Mainsheet & Jib sheets – 10mm sheet rope. All associated blocks for purchase tackles.

Mainsail: Dacron in tan or cream. 2 reef points with tie in lacing. Luff and gaff lacing as required.

Jib: Dacron in tan or cream with wire luff and tell tails.

Boom Cover: In maroon, or cream acrylic. Fixings to allow for topping lift and mainsheet take off. All sails supplied with, sail numbers, logo and ties.

Engineering

Outboard Version

Outboard well: A teak engine mounting with stainless brackets. Engine well hull blank. GRP moulded fuel tank stowage and fuel lead splitter through aft

locker compartment. (fuel lead not supplied as standard)

Inboard Version

Stern Gear: A 1” stainless steel shaft is fitted, connected to the engine via a coupling and fitted with a Tides Marine ‘lip seal’ gland. The shaft drives a fixed

2-bladed propeller.

Engine: Yanmar 1GM10 9hp marine diesel engine. A 55 amp (12V) alternator is fitted to the engine.

Engine Instruments and Controls: The engine instruments are located at the rear of the cockpit coaming and are recessed with a clear cover. Instruments

include audible alarm, alternator warning light, start switch and stop control. A single lever engine control is supplied and fitted in the cockpit well.

Engine Cooling: The engine is directly salt water cooled. A 1/2″ diameter pipe leads from the main seawater inlet through a strainer to the engine and

discharges overboard through the exhaust.

Engine Exhaust: A flexible exhaust hose connects the exhaust via a swan neck with water trap to the outlet fitting through the transom.

Fuel System: A plastic diesel tank with a capacity of approximately 18 litres, breather and integrated fuel gauge. The tank is fitted with flow and return

lines, the flow line having a manual shut off valve.

Plumbing

Bilge System: 1 x Manual bilge pump operated from the cockpit with a handle stored in the aft locker.

Fresh Water Tanks: 2 x 10ltr plastic jerry cans with manual hand pump. Also a bucket / sink.

Soil System: When fitted the heads discharge directly to sea via a vent loop and skin fitting.

Inlet / Outlet Fittings: Engine: In through a single skin fitting with a valve and strainer, out via the exhaust system.

Gas System: There is a double burner hob cooker attached to a separately stored gas bottle.

12 volt DC system

Batteries: Engine – one 12 volt 55 amp/hour. (Optional on outboard version)

Charging: Via main engine – a 35 amp (at 12 volt) alternator.

Switchboard: An optional switch panel is fitted to boats that have additional electronics fitted.

Miscellaneous Standard Equipment

Deck: 1 x winch handle. 1 x bilge pump handle. Stowed in aft cockpit locker. 1 x fire extinguisher – situated down below.

Joinery: The interior joinery is constructed from high quality materials and in accordance with good yacht practice. Bulkheads and side back linings are

from plywood.

Finish: All cabin woodwork is finished in a mix of painted bulkheads and varnished trim.

Soles: Rubber textured sole throughout.

Upholstery: A choice of soft or wipe down plastic upholstery is available.

Thanks to the Nailbourne project, I now understand how the communities and landscape fots in along its length, though that a bubbling noisy stream can just vanish then appear miles away is very difficult to get your head round. The Nailbourne only fully flows in very wet years, but when it does, the beds that are dry now can be several feet deep.

But downstream of Littlebourne, where the Nailbourne becomes the Little Stour, it is wider, about six feet wide, clogged with reeds and weeds, but also was used to power to large mills. They both stand, one between Littlebourne and Wickhambreaux, and the other in Wickhambreaux itself, though is now just a house But is a large white clapboard building, with a large wheel.

These days, the village looks very prosperous, all grand houses or cottage conversions.

From here, the Little Stour makes its way over the marshes which centuries ago was the Wantsum Channel, so Wickhambreaux was almost a seaside town.

Od that the only features I remembered from my previous visits was the avenue of pollarded trees and the blue ceiling of the roof. Missed was the glorious glass, especially the fine east window, very art deco.

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The interior of this very pretty church is dominated by nineteenth-century work. The whole of the chancel and baptistry is lined with dark brown encaustic tiles, hiding a straightforward fourteenth-century church. The east window is an early example of American Art Nouveau in England, and dominates the entire building. It was designed by Baron Arild Rosenkrantz in 1896. Above the window are stencilled paintings of angels ascending, which can also be seen in the nave, whilst the roof there has a charming star-spangled sky. At the south-west corner is a vestry - screened off by an eighteenth-century screen which may have formed part of the refitting of the chancel paid for by Mary Young. Her monument in the chancel records that 'infirm from her youth she protracted life to the 68th year of her age'. She left £100 for wainscotting and ornamenting the chancel. The interior viewed from the east gives an unusual appearance as the aisles flank the tower (see also Sandhurst).

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Wickhambreaux

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WICKHAM BREAUS

LIES adjoining to Littleborne north-eastward, being usally called Wickham Brook. It is likewise called Wickham by Wingham, to distinguish it from the two other parishes of the same name in this county. In Domesday it is written Wicheham, a name derived from its situation near the banks of the river, which runs close to it. There is only one borough in it, viz. the borough of Wickham, which comprehends the whole parish.

Wickham is a low, flat, and unpleasant situation, and lying so near the marshes cannot but be unhealthy, the land throughout it is in general good and sertile, especially near the village, where the fields are very large and level ground. The village, in number about twenty houses, stands at the south-east boundary of the parish, built round a green, over which the road leads to Ickham, having the church and court-lodge on one side, and the parsonage, a handsome brick house, on the other. At the further end of the green, the Lesser Stour crosses the road, and turns a corn-mill belonging to the manor, beyond it is only one house, called the Stone-house, being built of squared stones and slints in chequers, and by the arched windows and door-ways seems of some antiquity. The parish stretches a good distance northward, as far as Groveferry, the house of which is within it, and the greater Stour river, over a level of about 500 acres of marsh land, which extend from the river into a sinus, with a ridge of upland on each side, to within a quarter of a mile of the village. North eastward from which is the Saperton, formerly the property of the Beakes's, who resided here as early as king Henry the VIIIth.'s reign; it was sold by them to the Furneses, whence it came by marriage, with Copthall, in this parish, to the St. John's, viscounts Bolingbroke, who have lately sold it, but one of the family of Beake, many of whom lie buried in this church, now occupies it. A little beyond this is Newnham, once accounted a manor, formerly belonging to the Ropers, lords Teynham, afterwards to the Bartholomews, then to Joseph Brooke, esq. of Rochester, and now to his devisee the Rev. John Kenward Shaw Brooke, of Town-Malling.—Hence among the marshes is the hamlet of Grove, through which the road leads across them to the right over the lesser Stour, to Wingham, Ash, and the eastern parts of Kent, and to the left by Grove-ferry over the Greater Stour, to the northern part of the country and the Isle of Thanet. There is no other wood in the parish excepting Trendley park. There is no fair.

At the time of taking the survey of Domesday, in the year 1080, this place was part of those possessions with which that king had enriched his half-brother Odo, the great bishop of Baieux. Accordingly it is thus entered in that record, under the general title of his lands:

In Donamesford hundred, the bishop himself holds in demesne Wicheham. It was taxed at four sulings. The arable land is eleven carucates. In demesne there are two carucates, and thirty-six villeins, with thirty-two cottagers having nine carucates. There is a church, and one priest who gives forty shillings per annum. There is one park, and two mills of fifty shillings, and two saltpits of thirtytwo pence, and three fisheries of four shillings, and thirtytwo acres of meadow. Pasture for three hundred sheep and for thirty-one beasts. Wood for the pannage of eighty bogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth twenty-five pounds, when he received it twenty pounds, now thirty pounds. There belong to this manor in Canterbury three plats of land paying six shillings and eight pence. Alured Biga held it of king Edward. Moreover there belongs to this manor half a suling of free land, which Sired held of Alured Biga, and Goisfrid, son of Badland, now holds it of the bishop of Baieux, and it is and was worth separately sixty shillings.

Four years afterwards the bishop was disgraced, and all his possessions were consiscated to the crown, of which this manor appears afterwards to have been held by the Cliffords. Walter, son of Walter de Clifford, possessed it in the reign of king John, and with Agnes de Cundy, his wife, was a good benefactor to St. Augustine's abbey, and that of St. Radigund. (fn. 1) By the marriage of Margaret, daughter and heir of Walter Clifford, with John de Brewse, it passed into that name, and William de Brewse, or de Braiosa, as they were written in Latin, was possessed of it in the 42d year of king Henry III. His descendant William de Brewse, lord of the honour of Brembre, in Sussex, and of Gower, in Wales, as he stiled himself, whose ancestor came into England with the Conqueror, who gave him the castle of Brember, and whose descendant afterwards, by the marriage with Bertha, daughter and one of the coheirs of Milo, earl of Hereford, became possessed of the castles of Brecknock and Gower likewife, and bore for his arms, Azure, a lion rampant, between twelve cross-croslets, or; though I find by the pedigrees of this family, that his ancestors bore Azure, three bars vaire, argent, and gules. He was several times summoned to parliament in king Edward I.'s reign, as was his son of the same name, both in that and Edward II.'s reign, and died possessed of this manor in the 19th year of the latter. Very soon after which it appears, with the church appendant to it, to have come into the possession of Edmund of Woodstock, earl of Kent, half brother to king Edward II. (fn. 2) After which it descended to his brother John Plantagenet, likewife earl of Kent, it being then held of the king in sergeantry. He died anno 26 Edward III. upon which Joane his sister, commonly called the Fair Maid of Kent, wife of Sir Thomas Holand, became his heir, who in her right not only possessed this manor, but became earl of Kent likewise. She afterwards married Edward the black prince, and died in the 9th year of king Richard II. being succeeded in this manor then held in capite, by Thomas Holand, earl of Kent, her son by her first husband, whose two sons, Thomas and Edward, both earls of Kent, and the former created Duke of Surry, in turn succeeded to it, and the latter dying anno 9 Henry IV. his five sisters became his coheirs, and on a partition made between them, Edmund, earl of March, son of Eleanor, late countess of March, the eldest of them became entitled to this manor in his mother's right, being the last earl of March of this family, for he died s. p. in the 3d year of king Henry VI. being then possessed of it. The year after which, Joane, wife of Sir John Gray, appears by the escheat rolls to have been entitled to it; not long after which it became the property of the family of Tibetot, or Tiptoft, as they were usually called, in whom it continued down to John Tiptost, earl of Worcester, who was attainted and beheaded in 1471, anno 10 Edward IV. king Henry being then restored to the crown. He lest an infant son Edward, who, though he was afterwards restored in blood by king Edward IV. yet I do not find that he was ever reinstated in the possession of this manor, which remained in the crown till the reign of king Henry VIII. who granted it, with the advowson of the church, to Sir Matthew Browne, of Beechworth-castle, who in the 22d year of it, passed it away to Lucy, widow of his uncle Sir Anthony Browne, standard-bearer of England, whose grandson Anthony was, anno I and 2 of Philip and Mary, created viscount Montague, and died possessed of this manor anno 34 Elizabeth, and by his will devised it to his eldest son by his second wife, Sir George Browne, who was of Wickham Breaus, and his grandson Sir George Browne, K. B. leaving two daughters his coheirs, Winifrid, married to Basil Brooks, esq. of Salop, and Eleanor, to Henry Farmer, esq. of Oxfordshire, they joined in the sale of it, at the latter end of Charles II.'s reign, to Sir H. Palmer, bart. of Wingham, who died possessed of it in 1706, s. p. and by his will devised it to his nephew Sir Thomas Palmer, bart. who died in 1723, and by his will gave it to his natural son Herbert Palmer, esq. who married Bethia, one of the daughters of Sir Thomas D'Aeth, bart. of Knowlton, who died in 1760, s. p., having devised this manor, with the advowson of the church appendant, to his widow. She afterwards married John Cosnan, esq. who in her right became possessed of it, and died in 1778, s. p. leaving her furviving, upon which she again became entitled to the possession of it, and continued owner of it till her death in 1797, on which it came to her nephew Sir Narborough D'Aeth, bart. of Knowlton, the present owner of it. A court leet and court baron is held for this manor.

Trendley park, now accounted a manor of itself, is situated at the north-west boundary of this parish, being entirely separated from the rest of it by that of Littleborne intervening. It was part of the possessions of Odo, bishop of Baieux, and is noticed in the survey of Domesday, in the description of the manor of Wickham above recited, in which it is mentioned as being then a park; and it should seem that at least part of it was then accounted as appurtenant to that manor; though in the description of the manor of Littleborne, in the same survey, which then belonged to the abbey of St. Augustine, it appears that the bishop had lands belonging to that manor too lying within his park here. Of this manor the bishop of Baieux has in his park as much land as is worth sixty shillings, says the record. In part of the recompence for which, the bishop seems to have given the abbot the manor of Garwinton, in Littleborne, and other land within the manor of Leeds, as may be seen by the entries of both these manors in the same record. Soon after which there was another exchange of land made between the bishop and archbishop Lanfranc, for some which lay within his park of Wikeham. What is remarkable in this instrument is, that it is given in two languages, in Saxon and Latin, but neither is a translation of the other, for both are originals, as was a frequent custom of that time. Appendant to it is the bishop's seal in wax, representing him on one side on horseback, with his sword and spurs, as an earl, and on the other habited as a bishop, with his pastoral staff; being perhaps the only seal of Odo at this time extant. (fn. 3) By all which it appears, that this park is much more antient than that of Woodstock, which has been accounted the first inclosed park in England. How long it continued an inclosed park, I have no where found; but in the beginning of king Henry VI.'s reign it was not so, as appears by the escheat-rolls of the 3d year of it, after the death of Edmund, earl of March, at which time there were two hundred acres of wood in it. He was lord of the manor of Wickham, and Trendley park was chiefly at that time certainly appurtenant to it, and continued so whilst in the possession of the same owners, which it did most probably till the attainder of John Tiptost, earl of Worcester, in the 10th year of king Edward IV. when they both came into the hands of the crown, and though king Henry VIII. afterwards granted the manor of Wickham to Sir Matthew Browne, yet I do not find that Trendley park was granted with it. From which time it has had separate owners. For some time it has been the property of the family of Denne, who continue at this time the owners of it. It lies in an unpleasant, lonely part of the parish, facing Westbere, and consists of three hundred acres of woodland, and a house called the Park-house. There is a high road through the middle of it from Stodmarsh to Canterbury market, which in king Edward II.'s reign, was attempted to be shut up, but the sheriff, with the posse comitatus, was ordered to open it again, as being an antient and allowed high road.

Charities.

Andrew Holness, of Seton, in Ickham, by will in 1554, gave to the poor 2s. in money and bread, to be distributed yearly; the churchwardens to take so much yearly out of his lands in Ickham and Wickham, except his house and garden at Seton, in case his executors did not give the same yearly.

Henry Sloyden, of Wickham Breaus, by will in 1568, gave for the use of the poor and Littleborne, in equal portions, a piece of land containing six acres and a half in the latter parish, called Church-close, which is distributed twice a year by the respective minister and churchwardens, and is of the annual produce of 4l.

John Smith, rector of this parish, by deed in 1656, gave a school-room, and a house and garden for a schoolmaster, in this parish, for teaching the children of it. The master to be chosen from one of his relations in preference, if any such could be found, is vested in the rector and churchwardens of this parish.

Sir Henry Palmer, of Bekesborne, by his will in 1611, gave the sum of 10s. to each of the several parishes of Wickham, Stodmarsh, Littleborne, and five others therein mentioned, to be paid into the hands of the minister and churchwardens yearly, out of his manor and lands of Well-court, at Michaelmas, towards the relief of the poor of each of them.

Thomas Belke, D. D. rector of this parish, by will in 1712, gave 501. for the putting out of five poor children of this parish apprentices.

There are about thirty poor constantly relieved, and casually seventy.

This parish is within the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Bridge.

¶The church, which is dedicated to St. Andrew, consists of three isles and one chancel, having at the west end a square tower, in which hang six bells. The church is not large, but is handsome and neat. In the middle isle are several memorials for the Beakes, of Saperton. In the south isle for the Larkins, who lived at Grove, in this parish. In the east window are remains of good painted glass, viz. the arms of Edward the black price and of Mortimer, quartered with Burgh, and a representation of Herod's daughter beheading John the Baptist. In the chancel, on the pavement, is the figure of a priest in brass, and inscription, for Henry Welde, rector, obt. 1420. A gravestone, and monument for Alexander Young, B D. rector of this parish, who rebuilt this parsonage-house, and repaired that of Eastchurch, of which he was vicar likewife, at the expence of 2000l. obt. March 21, 1755. A memorial for John Smith, rector, obt. Oct. 28, 1658. In the church-yard are many headstones, and a tombstone for the family of Beake. In the windows of this church there were formerly many different shields of arms, long since demolished.

This church was always an appendage to the manor, and continues so at this time, Sir Narborough D' Aeth, bart. owner of the manor of Wickham, being the present patron of it.

There was antiently both a rectory and vicarage in this church, which continued till the year 1322, when on a vacancy of the latter, Richard de Newcastle, the rector, petitioned archbishop Walter Reynolds, that they might be consolidated, which was granted, and they have continued in that state to the present time. (fn. 4)

This rectory is valued in the king's books at 29l. 12s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at 2l. 19s. 3d. In 1588 it was valued at 250l. communicants one hundred and sixty-three. In 1640 the same. There are eighteen acres of glebe-land.

The marsh-lands in this parish, within Wickham and Preston valleys, pay a modus of two-pence an acre, and those within Newnham 1½d. only, in lieu of all tithes.

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp158-166

The Thing from Another World 1951

Watch the skies, everywhere! Keep looking. Keep watching the skies!

—Ned “Scotty” Scott

www.youtube.com/v/T5xcVxkTZzM Trailer

This is one of the major classics of 50s sci fi movies. Released in April of 1951, it was the first full-length film to feature a flying saucer from outer space, which carried a hostile alien. The budget and the effects are typical B-grade stuff, but the acting and pacing are well above the usual B levels. Kenneth Toby and Margaret Sheriden star. James Arness (more known for his westerns) plays The Thing.

Howard Hawks' early foray into the science fiction genre took advantage of the anti-communist feelings of the time to help enhance the horror elements of the story. McCarthyism and the Korean War added fuel to the notion of Americans stalked by a force which was single of mind and "devoid of morality." But in the end, it is American soldiers and scientists who triumph over the evil force - or the monster in the case of this film. Even today, this is considered one of the best of the genre.

Film review by Jeff Flugel. June 2013

There's not a lot new or particularly insightful I can offer when it comes to discussing the seminal sci-fi flick, The Thing from Another World that hasn't been written about ad naseum elsewhere. One of the most famous and influential of all 1950s creature features, it kicked off more than a decade of alien invasion and bug-eyed monster movie mayhem, inspired a host of future filmmakers (one of whom, John Carpenter, would go on to direct his own version of the story in 1982), and remains one of the best-written and engaging films of its kind.

Loosely (and I do mean loosely) adapted from John W. Campbell's novella, "Who Goes There?," The Thing is legendary director Howard Hawks' lone foray into the science fiction/ horror genres, but it fits comfortably into his filmography, featuring as it does Hawks' favorite themes: a group of tough professionals doing their job with ease, good-humored banter and practiced finesse; a bit of romance with a gutsy dame who can easily hold her own with the boys; and lots of overlapping, razor-sharp dialogue. Featuring a script by Charles Lederer and an uncredited Ben Hecht, The Thing is easily the most spryly written and funniest of all 50s monster movies. In fact, it's this sharpness in the scripting, and the extremely likeable ensemble cast of characters, rather than the now-familiar story and somewhat unimaginative monster design, that makes the film still feel fresh and modern to this day.

There's likely few people out there reading this who don't know the story of The Thing like the back of their hand, but here goes...When an unidentified aircraft crashes close to a remote research station near the North Pole, Captain Pat Hendry (Kenneth Tobey, in the role of his career) and his squad are dispatched there to investigate. Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) heads the scientific contingent there, and he informs Hendry that he thinks the downed craft is possibly "not of this earth." A joint team of soldiers and scientists head out to the crash site and find an actual, honest-to-goodness flying saucer lying buried under the ice.

The spaceship is destroyed while the men try to melt the ice around it with thermite bombs, but they find a lone, 8-foot-tall extraterrestrial occupant frozen nearby and bring the body back to the outpost in a block of ice. Dr. Carrington and his crew of eggheads want to study the thing, but Hendry is adamant that it should be kept as is until he gets word from his superior in Anchorage, General Fogerty. It wouldn't be a monster movie without something going pear-shaped, of course, and before you know it, a careless mistake results in the creature being thawed out of his iceberg coffin and going on a bit of a rampage, taking out a number of sled dogs and a few unsuspecting scientists along the way. The rest of the film details the tense battle between the surviving humans and the coldly intelligent, remorseless alien invader, which seems virtually unkillable, impregnable to cold, bullets and fire...

The set-up for the film, and how everything eventually plays out, might seem overly familiarly nowadays, but in 1951, this was cutting-edge stuff, at least in cinemas. The Thing plays as a veritable blueprint of how to make a compelling "alien monster-on-the-loose" movie. Howard Hawks not being particularly well-versed, or even interested in, science fiction per se likely worked to its benefit, as he ended up making, as he so often did in his other films, what is first-and-foremost a well-oiled entertainment, rather than simply a genre exercise.

Typical of a Hawks film, The Thing is meticulously designed, composed and shot, but in such a way as to appear offhand. Hawks almost never went in for showy camera angles or flashy effects. His technique was nearly invisible; he just got on with telling the story, in the most straightforward, unfussy way. But this easy, seemingly effortless style was very carefully considered, by a shrewd and knowing mind. As Bill Warren, author of one of the best (and certainly most encyclopedic) books about 1950s sci-fi filmmaking, Keep Watching the Skies, notes in his detailed analysis of the film:

As most good movies do, The Thing works in two areas: sight and sound. The locale is a cramped, tunnel-like base; the men are confined within, the Thing can move freely outdoors in the cold. Compositions are often crowded, with more people in the shot than seems comfortable, reinforcing the idea of confinement After the Thing escapes, only the alien itself is seen standing and moving alone.

This feeling of a cold, hostile environment outside the base is constantly reinforced throughout the film, and a real tension mounts when, towards the climax, the highly intelligent Thing, itself immune to the subzero arctic conditions, turns off the compound's heating, knowing the humans inside will quickly die without it. (The freaky, otherworldly theremin-flavored music by Dimitri Tiomkin adds a lot to the eerie atmosphere here.)

As groundbreaking and well-structured as the plot of The Thing was (and is), what makes the film play so well today is the great script and the interaction of a bunch of seasoned character actors, who toss off both exposition and pithy bon mots in such a low-key, believable manner. This is a truly ensemble movie, and the fact that it doesn't feature any big name stars really adds to the overall effect; no one really hogs all the limelight or gets the lion's share of good lines. Hawks was a director who usually worked with the biggest names in the business, but, much as in the earlier Air Force, he was equally at home working with a cast of rock-solid character actors.

All this talk of Howard Hawks as director, when it's actually Christian Nyby who is credited with the job, has long been a source of speculation with fans of the film. Todd McCarthy, in his bio Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood, seems to clear the issue up once and for all (though really, after viewing enough Hawks films, the results speak for themselves):

The perennial question surrounding The Thing From Another World has always been, Who actually directed it, Christian Nyby or Howard Hawks? The sum of participants' responses make the answer quite clear. Putting it most bluntly, (associate producer) Ed Lasker said "Chris Nyby didn't direct a thing. One day Howard was late and Chris said,'Why don't we get started? I know what the shot should be.' And I said, 'No, Chris, I think we'll wait until Howard gets here." Ken Tobey testified, "Chris Nyby directed one scene. Howard Hawks was there, but he let Chris direct one scene. We all rushed into a room, eight or ten of us, and we practically knocked each other over. No one knew what to do." Dewey Martin, Robert Cornthwaite and Richard Keinen all agreed that Hawks was the director, and Bill Self said, "Chris Nyby was a very nice, decent fellow, but he wasn't Howard Hawks."

Nyby had been Hawks' editor on a number of films, and Hawks apparently decided to help his collaborator establish a name for himself by allowing him directorial credit on the film. This seemingly altruistic gesture didn't mean that Hawks wasn't involved in virtually every aspect of the making of the film, however, and ultimately, The Thing did little for Nyby's directing career, at least on the big screen (he did go on to a long and busy career directing for numerous television programs, however.)

Bill Self was told at the time that Hawks didn't take directing credit on The Thing because it was planned as a low-budget film, one in which RKO didn't have much confidence. But, as critics have been saying ever since it was released, The Thing is a Howard Hawks film in everything but name. The opening scene of various members of the team bantering is so distilled as to be a virtual parody of Hawksian overlapping dialogue. Even more than Only Angels Have Wings, the picture presents a pristine example of a group operating resourcefully in a hermetically sealed environment in which everything in the outside world represents a grave threat. (3)

In addition to all the masculine camaraderie and spooky goings-on, one of the best aspects of The Thing is the fun, charming little tease of a romance between Capt. Hendry and Nikki (top-billed Margaret Sheridan). Nikki works as Prof. Carrington's assistant and is not merely the requisite "babe" in the film. True to the Hawksian norm, she's no pushover when it comes to trading insults with the men, nor a shrinking violet when up to her neck in perilous situations. Unlike most actresses in 50s monster movies, she doesn't utter a single scream in The Thing

and in fact, it's her practical suggestion which gives Bob, Hendry's ever-resourceful crew chief (Dewey Martin), the notion of how to finally kill the monster. Lederer and Hecht's screenplay hints at the backstory to Nikki and Pat's relationship in humorous and oblique ways, and their flirtation amidst all the chaos adds sparkle to the film but never gets in the way of the pace of the story. One nice little throwaway exchange near the finale encapsulates their verbal give-and-take, as Nikki playfully pokes the temporarily-befuddled Hendry, as his men scurry about, setting Bob's plan in motion.

Nikki: Looks as if the situation's well in hand.

Hendry: I've given all the orders I'm gonna give.

Nikki: If I thought that were true, I'd ask you to marry me.

Sheridan, a former model signed to a 5-year contract by Hawks, is quite good here, but after The Thing her career never really caught fire and she retired from acting a few years later. The closest thing to a star turn in the film is Kenneth Tobey as Capt. Hendry. Tobey racked up an impressive number of credits throughout his nearly 50-year-long career, generally as gruff, competent military men or similar types, and he was always good value, though it's as Capt. Hendry in The Thing that he truly shines. He consistently humanizes the no-nonsense, take charge man of action Hendry by displaying an easygoing approach to command. Most of Hendry's men call him by his first name, and delight in ribbing him about his budding romance with Nikki, and he responds to all this joshing in kind. When things get hairy, Tobey's Hendry doesn't have to bark his orders; it's clear that, despite the friendly banter, his men hold him in high esteem and leap to do his bidding at a moment's notice.

Many of the other members of the cast, while none of them ever became household names, will likely be recognizable from countless other roles in both film and television. Hawks gave Dewey Martin co-star billing in The Big Sky a few years later. Robert Cornthwaite kept busy for decades on stage and television, as well as in supporting roles in films such as Monkey Business, Kiss Me Deadly and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? John Dierkes (Dr. Chapman) and Douglas Spencer (Scotty) both had juicy roles in the western classic Shane, as well as many other movies too numerous to name. Sharp-eyed viewers will also recognize Eduard Franz, Paul Frees (he of the famous voice) and Groucho Marx's right-hand man on You Bet Your Life, George Fenneman, in pivotal roles. And of course we mustn't forget 6' 7" James Arness (years before becoming renowned as Marshall Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke) as the hulking Thing.

A quick note on the "remake": John Carpenter's The Thing (1982), a bleak, grisly and brilliant take on the story, was a box-office dud when first released, but has since attained well-deserved status as a modern classic. While most fans seem divided into two camps - those who love the more restrained, old-fashioned thrills of the original, and those who prefer the more visceral, paranoiac Carpenter version - I happen to treasure both films equally and revisit each of them often. The Carpenter version is by far the gutsier, unsettling one, emphasizing as it does the "trust no one," shape-shifting "the alien is one of us" scenario imagined by John W. Campbell, but the Hawks' film is the most fun, with a far more likeable array of characters, working together to defeat an implacable menace. Each has its own clear merits. I wouldn't want to do without either film, and frankly see no need to choose one over the other.

"Every one of you listening to my voice...tell the world. Tell this to everybody, wherever they are: Watch the skies. Everywhere. Keep looking. Keep watching the skies.”

Acting Credits

Margaret Sheridan - Nikki Nicholson

Kenneth Tobey - Captain Patrick Hendrey

Robert Cornthwaite - Professor Carrington

Dewey Martin - Crew Chief

Douglas Spencer - Ned "Scotty" Scott

Eduard Franz - Dr Stern

Robert Nichols - Lieutenant Ken Erickson

William Self - Colonel Barnes

Sally Creighton - Mrs Chapman

John Dierkes - Dr. Chapman

James R. Young - Lieutenant Eddie Dykes

Norbert Schiller - Dr. Laurenz

William Neff - Olson

Allan Ray - Officer

Lee Tung Foo - Cook

Edmund Breon - Dr. Ambrose

George Fenneman - Dr. Redding

Tom Steele - Stuntman

James Arness - The Thing

Billy Curtis - The Thing While Shrinking

by Voigtländer NOKTON 25mm F0.95

50.0mm ( 35mm equivalent focal length )

The Park of the Alcantara River covers the basin of the Alcantara river located on the northern slopes of the Etna volcano. The source of the river is located in the Nebrodi Mountains near to Floresta. The Alcantara river has a length of around 50 kilometres and, near to the point where it crosses a series of imposing lava flows, the river has created a series of deep gorges characterised by their sheer sides and columns with prismatic bases. The columns surround the walls of the basalt canyon like organ pipes. Inside the gorges small pools and cascades have formed where it is possible to take a swim. Access to the park is located near to Motta Camastra at Fondaco Motta and from this point it is possible to descend into the gorge to the riverbank on foot via a long pathway or, upon payment, via a series of private lifts. In the summer the Circumetnea railway offers a tourist package which includes a guided tour of the Alcantara Gorges. Another feature worthy of a visit are the so-called "Gurne" of small lakes which are formed by the river near to Francavilla di Sicilia.

The Alcantara is a river in Sicily. It has its source on the south side of Monti Nebrodi and its mouth in the Ionian Sea at Capo Schiso in Giardini-Naxos. The river is 52 km long.The name Alcantara is of Arabic origin (al Qanţara - the Bridge) and refers to a bridge from Roman times found by the Arabs.Thucydides called it Akesines Potamos while its Latin names were "Assinus or Assinos" and "Onobala".Cantera was another hydronym adopted by Normans.The Alcantara has its source at an altitude of 1250m in the municipality of Floresta. On its way to the sea, past the north of Mount Etna, it flows through the municipalities of Randazzo, Mojo Alcantara, Francavilla di Sicilia, Motta Camastra, Castiglione di Sicilia, Graniti, Gaggi, Calatabiano, Taormina and Giardini-Naxos.Several thousand years ago, the river bed was blocked by a lava flow from Mount Etna. As the lava was cooled much more quickly by the water than it would have done otherwise, it crystallised in the form of columns. Over the next millennia, the river naturally eroded a channel through these columns, resulting in impressive gorges and ravines such as the "Gole dell'Alcantara".

Il parco fluviale dell'Alcantara è un parco regionale della Sicilia che è stato istituito nel 2001 al posto della preesistente riserva e comprende quella parte di territorio delle province di Messina e Catania che forma il bacino fluviale del fiume Alcantara, ed è situato nel versante nord dell'Etna, allo scopo di proteggere e promuovere il sistema naturale esistente.La sede del Parco si trova a Francavilla di Sicilia, nella struttura costruita negli anni novanta per ospitare un asilo nido e mai usata.Il territorio attraversato dal fiume Alcantara è di particolare importanza in virtù della sua morfologia creata proprio dallo scorrimento delle acque che lo hanno modellato ed inciso creando, nell'attraversamento di un'imponente serie di colate laviche, in località Fondaco Motta (comune di Motta Camastra) delle suggestive e profonde gole a strapiombo, conosciute come le Gole dell'Alcantara. Insieme ad uno spettacolare succedersi di laghetti e di cascate, di acque freddissime, è possibile osservare le stupefacenti strutture laviche colonnari a base prismatica. Disposte a canne d'organo esse decorano per lunghi tratti le pareti di roccia basaltica. Grazie allo studio di tali strutture i geologi hanno potuto elaborare precisi studi sull'evoluzione del vulcano Etna e sulla successione nel tempo delle sue colate più imponenti.Nel 1493 il Bembo descriveva la valle dell'Alcantara come fitta di boschi di platani, querce, roveri ed olmi. Oggi sopravvivono solo rare tracce di Platanus orientalis, mentre predomina la tipica macchia mediterranea con varie specie di ginestra e la Peonia mascula con la sua infiorescenza rossa. Man mano che si scende di quota fitti boschi di nocciolo si alternano agli agrumeti e ai vigneti da cui si ricava un vino scuro e corposo famoso dall'antichità. Ancora boschetti di quercia e pascoli. In primavera le rive sono tutte un'esplosione cromatica: fioriture di viola, papavero, anemone, mirto, rosa canina, ficodindia, terebinto, oleandro e varie specie di orchidee (tra le altre Anacamptis papilionacea, Ophrys tenthredinifera e Orchis purpurea).

L'avifauna della valle dell'Alcantara è assai varia, circa 200 specie, tra le quali vanno menzionate tra i rapaci il falco pellegrino, il gheppio e il lodolaio, estinto come nidificante il Lanario. Dubbia la presenza del piccione selvatico ben distribuita la tortora selvatica e il martin pescatore fino ai migratori della foce. Non raramente si incontrano anche la coturnice, la garzetta e il corvo imperiale. Altri animali presenti sono la volpe, il gatto selvatico, la martora, e il ghiro; ed ancora il riccio, l'istrice, l'arvicola di Savi e la crocidura siciliana. Presso le rive può trovarsi il discoglosso dipinto, anfibio tipico della Sicilia e il colubro leopardino, un bellissimo rettile raro ed innocuo. Tra le specie ittiche troviamo la trota iridea che in questo particolare corso d'acqua riesce a riprodursi, il triotto, l'anguilla e il ghiozzo.

L'Alcantara è un fiume della Sicilia orientale lungo 52 chilometri, tributario del Mar Ionio. Il suo bacino idrico si estende per circa 573 km² nelle province di Messina e di Catania.

L'Alcantara anticamente era chiamato dai Greci Akesines e dai Romani Onobola. Il nome attuale deriva dal termine di origine araba Al qantar (il ponte).Nasce dai Nebrodi a circa 1.400 m dalla Serra Baratta in Provincia di Messina. Dirigendosi impetuoso verso sud entra in Provincia di Catania giungendo in breve nella parte Nord della cittadina di Randazzo: qui muta bruscamente direzione grazie alla "spinta" del suo principale affluente di destra: il fiume Flascio. Rimpinguato notevolmente nella portata dall'affluente l'Alcantara si dirige verso est compiendo praticamente un angolo retto (è da precisare che sulle carte il fiume principale parebbe essere addirittura il Flascio e non l'Alcantara tanto è netto l'angolo di confluenza). Da qui il fiume prende a scorrere tra il massiccio di origine vulcanica del monte Etna a sud e i contrafforti meridionali dei monti Nebrodi e Peloritani a nord, fungendo sino alla foce da confine tra le province di Messina e Catania. Dal comune di Moio Alcantara in poi il fiume inizia a scorrere per lo più incassato, lambendo i centri di Francavilla di Sicilia e Castiglione di Sicilia. Presso Motta Camastra in località Fondaco Motta, dopo aver ricevuto da sinistra il torrente Zavianni, il fiume si inforra in uno spettacolare tratto ingolato costituito da lave basaltiche delle colate dell'Etna, le cosiddette Gole dell'Alcantara, meta assai celebre e frequentata ogni anno da migliaia di turisti. Da Gaggi fino verso Calatabiano il fiume amplia l'alveo per tornare a restringersi in prossimità della foce, nel territorio di Giardini-Naxos, dove solcano le campate del famoso ponte di origine araba Al qantar (il ponte), dal quale derivò il nome di questo meraviglioso corso d'acqua. La foce avviene nel Mar Ionio e precisamente in loc. San Marco.Il letto dell'Alcantara, sotto il profilo vulcanologico, ha visto in epoche preistoriche e protostoriche, il passaggio a più riprese di colate laviche che ne hanno ostruito e modificato il percorso. Il corso d'acqua ha così creato localmente delle caratteristiche forre con pareti alte diverse decine di metri, caratterizzate da strutture a colonne subverticali detta a canna d'organo o leggermente arcuate ad arpa e a ventaglio o disposte orizzontalmente a catasta di legna o, infine, disposte caoticamente e fratturate. Nel comune di Motta Camastra, sul versante Messinese, si trova l'unica grotta di scorrimento vulcanico: difficile da raggiungere ma splendida da ammirare viene chiamata Grotta dei Cento cavalli a testimoniare le sue enormi dimensioni.L'Alcantara è uno dei principali fiumi siciliani per portata media d'acqua in quanto seconda solo a quella del Simeto con circa 9 m³/s. Ove però si considerasse la regolarità di regime delle portate il fiume è sicuramente il primo della regione in quanto assai più regolare rispetto al Simeto. Ciò grazie alla collocazione dell'alto bacino che si estende in una delle aree più piovose della Sicilia unitamente all'approvvigionamento dato dai nevai dell'Etna e al carsismo dei terreni di origine lavica del medio bacino, spiega la sua cospicua portata annua e la presenza di acque anche nel periodo estivo. Non mancano in ogni caso piene eccezionali dovute a piogge insistenti, come avvenuto recentemente nel dicembre 2003, durante le quali l'Alcantara può mostrare un'impressionante irruenza soprattutto nel tratto ingolato.

Font : Wikipedia

it's been a while since i've posted a BAM selfie. i have a few that i still need to upload. this one is from today, just hanging around in my apartment, wet hair, and lots of sunlight. taken at arm's length with the iPhone. just a day in the life. 7/13/11.

BAM {29/52}

The Saint Louis Cathedral, sitting along Place John Paul II, the promenaded section of Chartres Street stretching the last length of Jackson Square is the oldest, continuously operating cathedral in the United States and the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans.

Three Roman Catholic churches have sat on this site since 1718. The first church was a crude wooden structure in the early days of the colony. Construction of a larger brick and timber church began in 1725 and was completed in 1727. It was destroyed, along with a large number of other buildings of the city, in the Great New Orleans Fire on Good Friday, March 21, 1788.

The cornerstone of the present structure, designed by Gilberto Guillemard and was financed by Don Andrès Alomonester y Rojas, was laid in 1789, elevated to cathedral status in 1794 and completed in 1795. In 1819, Henry S. Boneval Latrobe added the clock and bell tower. Between 1845 and 1851, Jacques N. B. de Pouilly remodeled and enlarged the church.

On 25 April, 1909 a dynamite bomb was set off in the Cathedral, blowing out windows and damaging galleries. The Cathedral suffered further damage in the New Orleans Hurricane of 1915. The following year a portion of the foundation collapsed, closing the church for a year, from Easter 1916 to Easter 1917, while repairs were made.

In 1964, the cathedral was designated as a minor basilica by Pope Paul VI. Pope John Paul II visited the basilica, on the occassion of his second pastoral visit in the United States on September 12, 1987.

While Hurricane Katrina did not hit the French Quarter hard, the high winds managed to displace two large oak trees in St. Anthony's Garden behind the Cathedral. In the process, thirty feet of ornamental gate was dislodged, while the marble statue of Jesus Christ only lost a forefinger and a thumb. Because Katrina was suddenly downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 4 and made a last second turn to the north just before impacting the coast, local folklore says that of Jesus sacrificed his two fingers while flicking the storm away from the city and saving it from its total destruction.

To St. Louis Cathedral's left is the Cabildo, built in 1795. It served as the capitol for the Spanish colonial government, then later as City Hall, and home of the State Supreme Court, and today houses the Louisiana State Museum. It was here that the finalization of the Louisiana Purchase was signed. To the cathedral's right is the Presbytère, built between 1794 and 1813. It originally housed the city's Roman Catholic priests and authorities, and then served as a courthouse until 1911. Today it is part of the Louisiana State Museum, housing a Mardi Gras Exhibit.

Vieux Carré Historic District National Register #66000377 (1966)

Altamont Gardens, Co.Carlow 21-06-2021

72 (%) Seen in Irish Gardens

21cm Length

33cm Wingspan

390000 pairs Breeding Population

Like other thrushes, the song thrush likes earthworms and can be seen feeding on large lawns and parks. It also likes snails which it smashes open on a small rock or tree stump, often referred to as an anvil, leaving a large number of broken shells scattered about. In Britain, an alarming increase in the use of snail-killing chemicals in recent years, both commercially and domestically, is thought to be the main cause of a recent decline there. Like the Blackbird, song thrushes from Britain and Scandinavia come here each winter and in severe cold winters thrushes from all over the continent arrive here in large numbers.

[order] Passeriformes | [family] Turdidae | [latin] Turdus philomelos | [UK] Song Thrush | [FR] Grive musicienne | [DE] Singdrossel | [ES] Zorzal Común | [IT] Tordo bottaccio | [NL] Zanglijster | [IRL] Smólach ceoil

Measurements

spanwidth min.: 33 cm

spanwidth max.: 36 cm

size min.: 21 cm

size max.: 24 cm

Breeding

incubation min.: 11 days

incubation max.: 16 days

fledging min.: 12 days

fledging max.: 16 days

broods 2

eggs min.: 3

eggs max.: 6

Throstle, Mavis, Whistling Thrush

One of Ireland's top-20 most widespread garden birds.

Status: Resident. Additional birds arrive from Continent in winter.

Conservation Concern: Green-listed in Ireland. The European population is regarded as Secure by BirdLife International.

Identification: The thrush most familiar to people. Roughly the size of a Blackbird, plain brown upperparts and buffish white underside, with prominent arrow-shaped black spots in lines down the breast and flanks. Legs pale pinkish-grey. Bounds along ground in search of worms. Males sit on high perch delivering song, which is loud and far-carrying. Usually occurs in ones and twos - never in flocks.

Similar Species: Blackbird, Mistle Thrush, Redwing

Call: A close rival songster to the Blackbird, from which it mainly differs in its repetition of each phrase three or four times. Typical phrases include "cherry dew, cherry dew, cherry dew" and "knee-deep, knee-deep…." . Loud, fluty and far-carrying. Distress call is an agitated loud rattle or a quiet "seep" and contatct note a short "swick" , often given in flight.

Diet: Insects, especially earthworms - snails a favourite. Also berries and other fruit including apples.

Breeding: Breeds throughout Ireland - mainly in hedgerows and gardens. Nest in trees, bushes, ivy, brambles and sometimes conifers.

Wintering: Widespread.

Where to See: Common throughout Ireland.

Identification Features

Slightly smaller and slimmer than a Blackbird.

Upperparts

Plain, warm brown;

Underside

Pale buff with conspicuous black spots, arranged so close together as to form lines, thinnest on the throat and upper breast, thickest with largest spots on the flanks and belly; eyes black; beak small and sharp, looks up-tilted; legs long and pink. On open ground often makes short dashes.

In Flight

Mainly unmarked upper parts, pale buff-orange inner underwing.

Voice Guide

Its call is a loud thick, repeated several times quickly. The song, delivered from a high leafy perch, roof or TV aerial, is similar to that of a Blackbird, but more musical and structured, containing short phrases repeated clearly, usually two to four times.

Diet

Mainly earthworms and insects. During dry periods will eat snails and in the autumn and winter will eat berries and other fruit also.

Food to put out

May take fruit and kitchen scraps from the ground.

Nesting Season

Mid-March to mid-June.

Nest Location

Usually nests in a well-hidden site in trees or shrubs and occasionally on buildings.

Nest

A neat cup-shaped nest made of a variety of plant materials lined with mud or rotten wood pulp. Nest built by the female.

Eggs

Four to six, 27mm, slightly shiny bright pale green-blue eggs with flecks or spots ranging in colour from dark green to dark rusty red. Usually only a light scattering of marks, rarely concentrated towards the broad end of the egg.

Incubation Period

Twelve to fourteen days, by female.

Fledging Time

Thirteen to fifteen days, fed by both parents.

Number of broods reared per year

Two to three.

Nest Box

Nest bundles and occasionally small platforms.

Average Lifespan

Three years.

Oldest Known Individual

Ten years.

Confusion Species

Redwing a winter visitor, is slightly smaller; pale buff supercilium; dark red-orange on inner underwings and flanks; call a thin tseeep. Mistle thrush is larger, colder brown; white inner underwing; round spots not arranged in lines; stands very upright.

Pictured here is the schooner 'Amy Robsart' astern of the schooner 'Hannah Newton' , moored at the site of the Mackay wharves Queensland in 1868.

Details:

Name: Amy Robsart

Type: Brigantine/Two Masts

Length: 76.0 ft

Beam: 20.5 ft

Depth: 7.6 ft

Tonnage: (Volumetric measure 1 ton = 100 cubic ft)

Tonnage: 75 tons

Builder: Henry Robert Cox

Launched: 1865 Brisbane Water

Official number: ON52370

Signal letters:unknown

Figure Head: Female Bust

Fate: Wrecked near Conical Rocks, Tasmania 28th February 1883.

Details:

Name: Hannah Newton

Type: Brigantine/Two Masts

Length: 85.0 ft

Beam: 18.7 ft

Depth: 7.7 ft

Tonnage: (Volumetric measure 1 ton = 100 cubic ft)

Tonnage: 78 tons

Builder: Alexander Newton Snr

Launched: 24th May 1867 ‘Pelican’ Manning River.

Official number: ON38841

Signal letters:unknown

Registered: Sydney 8th July 1867/050

Ports & Owners:

- 1867 - Alexander Newton

- 1869 - J.L. Magnus

- 1871 - J Haynes

Masters:

- Alexander Newton Snr

- John Willing (Mate: C. H. Newton)

Construction:

- Carvel built from locally sourced hardwoods.

- White beech decks.

- Hardwood planking and copper fastened throughout.

Launch:

1867

The Manning River News of the 1st of June 1867 reported, ‘After the launching of the ‘Pelican’ on May 24th 1867 by Captain Alexander Newton, a sumptuous lunch was provided; toasts were drunk and responded to. The greater portion of the company adjourned to Francis Longworth’s hotel where dancing was kept up with great spirit until the following morning.’

The Pelican launched here had become the Hannah Newton by the time her departure was recorded in the shipyard logbook on 16th June by Alexander Senior, obviously he had decided to rename the vessel in honour of his wife or daughter, or both.

The Hannah Newton was built with the goldfields trade in mind. In the shipyard logbook Newton described her building in detail, making several references to the fitting out of passenger accommodation. The shipping correspondent of the “West Coast Times”, Hokitika, NZ regarded the brigantine’s accommodation as “very superior”, and she was known to be a fast sailer.

The Hannah Newton sailed for Sydney on 16th June with Alexander Newton in command. Eighteen year- old Charles (son) was among the crew. The eldest son, 20 -year old Alexander Jnr, was left in charge of the shipyard at Pelican.

HOKITIKA NZ

The river port of Hokitika was closest to the goldfields, so it was the favoured place for miners to arrive from Australia and elsewhere in New Zealand. Hokitika, on the bar-bound mouth of the Hokitika River, on the West Coast of the South Island, sprang into life in 1864 when gold was found at her back door.

Between 1865 and 1867 there were 108 strandings, of which 32 were total wrecks.

STRANDED ON MAIDEN VOYAGE

On her maiden voyage the Hannah Newton left the port of Sydney on the 15th July, arriving at Hokitika on the 26th with a grand entrance, captured by the following detailed report from the West Coast Times.

‘If that spectral vessel the Flying Dutchman had suddenly arisen from the sea, she could scarcely have created greater amazement amongst the beach promenaders yesterday, than did the appearance of a handsome looking brigantine heading direct for the bar under canvas, about half-past four o'clock. She was observed to get under-way, and stand in under head sails, foretopsail and top-gallant-sail, and mainsail with the tack braced up, and at first it was supposed she merely intended to take a look at the bar, and, if possible, entice one of the tugs out to tow her across it. But it soon became apparent that her captain was actuated by a determination to take the bar, tug or no tug, for instead of tacking ship when about a quarter of a mile from shore, he dropped foresail, soused down the tack of the mainsail, and with the canvas just drawing to a light S.W. breeze entered the broken water and shaped fair enough for the channel. She was a handsome looking craft, and evidently of no mean sailing pretensions, as she slipped along at a great rate and providing the channel had been deep enough would, we feel assured, have succeeded in entering the river. But as the bar happened to be very shallow certainly not covered by a greater depth than seven feet, the brigantine was suddenly brought up all standing, and between the surf and current was worked upon the end of the North spit, in dangerous proximity to the old Gratitude. We imagine her master must have felt rather astonished, at so untoward termination to his little experiment, but we can assure him that his amazement was capped by the wonder of the folk ashore, who could scarcely credit their eyesight when they saw the brigantine rushing headlong to destruction. To take the bar with a vessel of her size, under canvas, is inexcusable at any time, but under the conditions of yesterday, when 'the bar was silted and the tides at dead neap, the act was simply that of a madman. It is true that the beacons were up to facilitate the departure of the two steamers; but no red flag was hoisted at the flagstaff, the signalman considering the bar unsafe (which indeed it was) for anything but the lightest draught steamers. We ascertained that the stranded craft is named the Hannah Newton, a brand-new vessel on her first trip, and solely owned by the master, Captain Newton. She comes up partially laden with about 50 tons of coal and a few tons of sundries, and is consigned to Mr W. S. Lockhart, who only arrived in the Claud Hamilton yesterday. Measures were taken last night to get her afloat again, warp being run out to the South Spit, and, providing she keeps clear of the two wrecks, it is possible, her deliverance may be effected sometime today. Much, however, depends upon the surf. We have since heard that the Hannah Newton sailed from Sydney on the 15th inst., carried westerly winds across the middle ground, and anchored off Hokitika on Tuesday evening last, thus making the run in nine days. Out of this time she was hove-to during the greatest part of the last twenty-four hours by thick weather.’ West Coast Times 27th July 1867

1869

In February 1869 Alexander Newton, relinquished command of his brigantine to John Willing. Charles Newton stayed with the Hannah Newton as mate until she was sold to J.L. Magnus on the 17th November 1869. Magnus bought the Hannah Newton for £1,194/5/4, and mortgaged her to Alex. Newton for the full amount at 1.5% interest. The mortgage was discharged in full on the 21st November 1870, when Magnus re-mortgaged to the Bank of New South Wales.

LOST WITH ALL HANDS

1873

Hannah Newton’s trade with the goldfields continued until the 18th October 1873, when the brigantine left Sydney bound for Broad Sound, Queensland and was never seen again. Her owner’s insurance claim was paid on the 18th March 1874. Subsequently, Hannah Newton was reported in Sydney in January 1875, but it was the case of mistaken identity; she had been lost with all hands.

References:

-"Scotchtown and Pelican" - The Shipwright's Tale-by V.A. Newton

-"Crossing the Bar" by Rebecca Linton

Image Source:

Courtesy of the State Library of Queensland N0:146295.

‘The Discovery and Settlement of Port Mackay’, Queensland by H. Ling Roth. Fig. 82-The Amy Robsart and the Hannah Newton at the site of the Mackay Wharves, 1868.

All Images in this photostream are Copyright - Great Lakes Manning River Shipping and/or their individual owners as may be stated above and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or used in any way without prior written approval.

GREAT LAKES MANNING RIVER SHIPPING, NSW - Flickr Group --> Alphabetical Boat Index --> Boat builders Index --> Tags List

Shooting Mode - Continuous

Mode - sports - aka Vari Program - Sport

4fps

Focal Length (35mm format) - 75 mm

o.jpg" width="4323" height="3146"

Flickriver: Searching for most recent photos matching 'D5100 eagle1effi'

D5100 DSLR - DXo Score 80 - JPEG

- JEPEG with Active D-Lighting: more shadow detail while holding on to more of the highlights.

-> here: Active D- Lighting - Auto

- JEPEG HDR some settings do a very good job of taming hot highlights while bringing up some of the shadows and deeper midtones, though notice the desaturation of colors, especially in the sky when using higher settings.

- Very high resolution, ~1,900 lines of strong detail from JPEGs, ~2,000 from converted RAW files.

A little more detail can be obtained from carefully processing RAW files, though, without introducing additional artifacts.

www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D5100/D5100IMAGING.HTM

- Cheap mid-level DSLR

While the Nikon D5100 started at an MSRP of $900, the best price right now is $499. - 300 €

D5300 kit ~ 600 €

www.dxomark.com/Cameras/Nikon/D5100

With an overall sensor score of 84, the new Toshiba sourced CMOS imaging chip in the Nikon D5200 ( ~ D5300, = D5500, D5600) achieves the no.1 spot for APS-C sized sensors.

-_____

Edelkompakte sind im Trend

-

Canon G 7 X Mark II

erreicht bei ISO 125 mit 1694 LP/BH und

bei 400 1625 LP/BH auch eine recht hohe Auflösung.

Canon Powershot G7 X Mark II ( 1-Zoll-Sensor ) vs. Fujifilm X70 ( APS-C-Sensor )

Die Fujifilm X70 muss sich mit einer lichtstarken 18,5-mm-Festbrennweite (umgerechnet 28 mm) zufrieden geben, womit konstruktionsbedingt die bessere Bildqualität zu erwarten ist.

Bis in hohe ISO-Stufen erzielt die X70 mit durchgehend 1958 LP/BH.

G7 X Mark II ist um einiges kompakter, leichter und liegt besser in der Hand.

Das Bedienkonzept ist überschaubarer und weitgehend selbsterklärend. Canon hat zwar weniger Funktionen, aber einen gut funktionierenden Bildstabilisator an Bord.

Dazu gibt es einen ND-Filter, NFC und sie toppt die Fuji X70 bei der Anzahl der Bildserien. Pluspunkte kann sie auch mit ihrem Zoom-Objektiv sammeln, das von Landschaftsfotos bis Porträts mehr Flexibilität bietet.

VIDEO

Full-HD mit maximal 60 B/s müssen reichen, jeweils mit gutem Stereoton. Blende, Belichtung und ISO lassen sich bei beiden manuell einstellen. Zeitraffer- und Zeitlupenfunktion runden bei Canon das Angebot ab.

- _____

Nikon D500

sensor review: Performance redefined - Score 83

higher-resolution sensors found in the D5500 (84) and D7200 (87).

But like the D5, it looks as if some sensor resolution was traded for improved DR at high ISOs, along with faster readout.

Color depth, dynamic range and low-light ISO measurements are all excellent, but just not quite at the same level as the more pedestrian offerings.

Da schauen wir halt nochmal was die Alte kann.

Quite small. Fore wing length: 23–31 mm. Typically found in association with tea trees (Leptospermum spp.) and occasionally on Melaleuca spp. wherever they grow in clumps in open forest and woodland.

Distribution and seasonality: A temperate distribution, from the Granite Belt region in southern Queensland south along the coast and ranges of New South Wales, through the Australian Capital Territory and further to Melbourne in Victoria. Adults are present from September to February.

Calling song and behaviour: A quiet series of phrases: "zip zip zip zip zip zip..." sung in unison. Adults usually sit on the stems of tea trees and will fly readily when approached.

Information from dr-Pop.net 'A web Guide to the Cicadas of Australia'.

LAKE KIVU

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lake Kivu

Coordinates 2°0′S 29°0′ECoordinates: 2°0′S 29°0′E

Type Rift Valley lakes, Meromictic

Primary outflows Ruzizi River

Catchment area 2,700 km2 (1,000 sq mi)

Basin countries Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Max. length 89 km (55 mi)[1]

Max. width 48 km (30 mi)[1]

Surface area 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi)[1]

Average depth 240 m (787 ft)

Max. depth 480 m (1,575 ft)

Water volume 500 km3 (120 cu mi)

Surface elevation 1,460 m (4,790 ft)

Islands Idjwi

Settlements Goma, Congo

Bukavu, Congo

Kibuye, Rwanda

Cyangugu, Rwanda

Lake Kivu with Goma in the background

Lake Kivu is one of the African Great Lakes. It lies on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, and is in the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Lake Kivu empties into the Ruzizi River, which flows southwards into Lake Tanganyika. The name comes from kivu which means "lake" in some Bantu languages, just like the words tanganyika or nyanza.[citation needed]

Contents

1 History

2 Geography

3 Chemistry

3.1 Methane extraction

4 Biology and fisheries

5 See also

6 References

History

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People on the shore at Gisenyi

The first European to visit the lake was German Count Adolf von Götzen in 1894. Since then it has been caught up in the conflict between Hutu and Tutsi people in Rwanda, and their allies in DR Congo, which led to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and the First and Second Congo Wars. Lake Kivu gained notoriety as a place where many of the victims of the genocide were dumped.

Geography

The lake covers a total surface area of some 2,700 km2 (1,040 sq mi) and stands at a height of 1,460 metres (4,790 ft) above sea level. Some 1 370 km2 or 58% of the lake's waters lie within DRC borders. The lake bed sits upon a rift valley that is slowly being pulled apart, causing volcanic activity in the area, and making it particularly deep: its maximum depth of 480 m (1,575 ft) is ranked eighteenth in the world.

The world's tenth-largest inland island, Idjwi, lies in Lake Kivu, as does the tiny island of Tshegera, which also lies within the boundaries of Virunga National Park; while settlements on its shore include Bukavu, Kabare, Kalehe, Sake, and Goma in Congo, and Gisenyi, Kibuye, and Cyangugu in Rwanda.

Chemistry

Lake Kivu is a fresh water lake and, along with Cameroonian Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun, is one of three that experience limnic eruptions. Around the lake, geologists found evidence of massive biological extinctions about every thousand years, caused by outgassing events. The trigger for lake overturns in Lake Kivu's case is unknown, but volcanic activity is suspected. The gaseous chemical composition of exploding lakes is unique to each lake; in Lake Kivu's case, methane and carbon dioxide due to lake water interaction with a volcano. The amount of methane is estimated to be 65 cubic kilometers (if burnt over one year, it would give an average power of about 100 gigawatts for the whole period). There is also an estimated 256 cubic kilometers of carbon dioxide. The water temperature is 24°C, and the pH level is about 8.6.[2] The methane is reported to be produced by microbial reduction of the volcanic CO2.[3] The risk from a possible Lake Kivu overturn is catastrophic, dwarfing other documented lake overturns at Lakes Nyos and Monoun, because of the approximately two million people living in the lake basin.

Cores from the Bukavu Bay area of the lake reveal that the bottom has layered deposits of the rare mineral monohydrocalcite interlain with diatoms, on top of sapropelic sediments with high pyrite content. These are found at three different intervals. The sapropelic layers are believed to be related to hydrothermal discharge and the diatoms to a bloom which reduced the carbon dioxide levels low enough to precipitiate monohydrocalcite.[4]

Scientists hypothesize that sufficient volcanic interaction with the lake's bottom water that has high gas concentrations would heat water, force the methane out of the water, spark a methane explosion, and trigger a nearly simultaneous release of carbon dioxide.[5][6] The carbon dioxide would then suffocate large numbers of people in the lake basin as the gases roll off the lake surface. It is also possible that the lake could spawn lake tsunamis as gas explodes out of it.[7][8]

The risk posed by Lake Kivu began to be understood during the analysis of more recent events at Lake Nyos. Lake Kivu's methane was originally thought to be merely a cheap natural resource for export, and for the generation of cheap power. Once the mechanisms that caused lake overturns began to be understood, so did awareness of the risk the lake posed to the local population.

An experimental vent pipe was installed at Lake Nyos in 2001 to remove gas from the deep water, but such a solution for the much larger Lake Kivu would be considerably more expensive. No plan has been initiated to reduce the risk posed by Lake Kivu.[dubious – discuss] The approximately 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the lake is a little under 2 percent of the amount released annually by human fossil fuel burning. Therefore the process of releasing it could potentially have costs beyond building and operating the system.

Methane extraction

Methane extraction platform.

Lake Kivu has recently been found to contain approximately 55 billion cubic metres (1.94 trillion cubic feet) of dissolved biogas at a depth of 300 metres (1,000 ft). Until 2004, extraction of the gas was done on a small scale, with the extracted gas being used to run boilers at a brewery, the Bralirwa brewery in Gisenyi.[9][10] As far as large-scale exploitation of this resource is concerned, the Rwandan government has negotiated with a number of parties to produce methane from the lake.

In 2011 ContourGlobal, a U.S. based energy company focused on emerging markets, secured project financing to initiate a large-scale methane extraction project. The project will be run through a local Rwandan entity called KivuWatt, using an offshore barge platform to extract, separate, and clean the gasses obtained from the lake bed before pumping purified methane via an underwater pipeline to on-shore gas engines. Stage one of the project aims to build and supply three "gensets" along the lake shore, totaling 25MW of electrical capacity. Initial project operations are scheduled to commence in 2012.[11] In addition to managing gas extraction, KivuWatt will also manage the electrical generation plants and on-sell the electrical power to the Rwandan government under the terms of a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). This allows KivuWatt to control a vertically integrated energy offering from point of extraction to point of sale into the local grid. Extraction is said to be cost-effective and relatively simple because once the gas-rich water is pumped up, the dissolved gases (primarily carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and methane) begin to bubble out as the water pressure gets lower. This project is expected to increase Rwanda's energy generation capability by as much as 20 times, and will enable Rwanda to sell electricity to neighboring African countries.[10] The firm was awarded the 2011 Africa Power deal of the year for innovation in the financing arrangements it obtained from various sources for the KivuWatt project. [12] .[13]

A problem associated with the prevalence of methane is that of mazuku.

Biology and fisheries

Fishing boats on Lake Kivu, 2009.

Reflection of the sky on Lake Kivu

The fish fauna in Lake Kivu is relatively poor with 28 species, including four introduced species.[14] The natives are the Lake Rukwa minnow (Raiamas moorii), four species of Barbus (B. altianalis, B. apleurogramma, B. kerstenii and B. pellegrini), an Amphilius catfish, two Clarias catfish (C. liocephalus and C. gariepinus), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and 15 endemic Haplochromis cichlids.[14] The introduced species are three cichlids, the longfin tilapia (Oreochromis macrochir), O. leucostictus and redbreast tilapia (Coptodon rendalli), and a clupeid, the Lake Tanganyika sardine, Limnothrissa miodon.[14]

The exploitable stock of the Lake Tanganyika sardine was estimated at 2000–4000 tons per year.[15] It was introduced to Lake Kivu in the late 1959 by a Belgian Engineer A. Collart. At present, Lake Kivu is the sole natural lake in which L. miodon, a sardine originally restricted to Lake Tanganyika, has been introduced initially to fill an empty niche. Prior to the introduction, no planktivorous fish was present in the pelagic waters of Lake Kivu. In the early 1990s, the number of fishers on the lake was 6,563, of which 3,027 were associated with the pelagic fishery and 3,536 with the traditional fishery. Widespread armed conflict in the surrounding region from the mid-1990s resulted in a decline in the fisheries harvest.[16]

Following this introduction, the sardine has gained substantial economic and nutritional importance for the lakeside human population but from an ecosystem standpoint, the introduction of planktivorous fish may result in important modifications of plankton community structure. Recent observations showed the disappearance during the last decades of a large grazer, Daphnia curvirostris, and the dominance of mesozooplankton community by three species of cyclopoid copepod: Thermocyclops consimilis, Mesocyclops aequatorialis and Tropocyclops confinis.[17][18]

The first comprehensive phytoplankton survey was released in 2006.[19] With an annual average chlorophyll a in the mixed layer of 2.2 mg m-3 and low nutrient levels in the euphotic zone, the lake is clearly oligotrophic. Diatoms are the dominant group in the lake, particularly during the dry season episodes of deep mixing. During the rainy season, the stratified water column, with high light and lower nutrient availability, favour dominance of cyanobacteria with high numbers of phototrophic picoplankton.[19][20][21][22] The actual primary production is 0.71 g C m-2 d-1 (~ 260 g C m-2 y-1).[23]

A study of evolutionary genetics showed that the cichlids from lakes in northern Virunga (e.g., Edward, George, Victoria) would have evolved in a "proto-lake Kivu", much older than the intense volcanic activity (20,000-25,000 years ago) which cut the connection.[24] The elevation of the mountains west of the lake (which is currently the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, one of the largest reserves of eastern lowland (or Grauer's) gorillas in the world), combined with the elevation of the eastern rift (located in eastern Rwanda) would be responsible for drainage of water from central Rwanda in the actual Lake Kivu. This concept of "proto-lake Kivu" was challenged by lack of consistent geological evidence,[25] although the cichlid's molecular clock suggests the existence of a lake much older than the commonly cited 15,000 years.

Lake Kivu is the home of four species of freshwater crab, including two non-endemics (Potamonautes lirrangensis and P. mutandensis) and two endemics (P. bourgaultae and P. idjwiensis).[26] Among Rift Valley lakes, Lake Tanganyika is the only other with endemic freshwater crabs.[26]

The Mekong is a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia. It is the world's 12th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,350 km, and it drains an area of 795,000 km2, discharging 457 km3 of water annually.

From the Tibetan Plateau the river runs through China's Yunnan province, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. In 1995, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam established the Mekong River Commission to assist in the management and coordinated use of the Mekong's resources. In 1996 China and Myanmar became "dialogue partners" of the MRC and the six countries now work together within a cooperative framework.

The extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls in the Mekong make navigation difficult. Even so, the river is a major trade route between western China and Southeast Asia.

NAMES

In English the river is called the "Mekong River", derived from "Mae Nam Khong", a term of both Thai and Lao origin. In the Lao-Thai toponymy, "rivers" translates to "mother of water", signalled by the prefix "mae", meaning "mother", and "nam" for water. In the Mekong's case, Mae Nam Khong means "khong, the mother of water". Many northern Thai and Laos locals refer to it as the "River Khong". Such is the case with the Mae Nam Ping in Chiang Mai which is known as the "Ping River". The Tonle Sap in Cambodia is a similar example, where tonle translates as "great lake" or "great river", making the Tonle Sap River an unnecessary repetition of what is in fact the "Sap River". In Khmer language, Mékôngk means "mother of water" translated as Mé "Mother" and kôngk for kôngkea "water".

COURSE

The Mekong rises as the Za Qu and soon becomes known as the Lancang (Lantsang) in the "Three Rivers Source Area" on the Tibetan Plateau in the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve; the reserve protects the headwaters of, from north to south, the Yellow (Huang He), the Mekong, and the Yangtze Rivers. It flows through the Tibetan Autonomous Region and then southeast into Yunnan Province, and then through the Three Parallel Rivers Area in the Hengduan Mountains, along with the Yangtze to its east and the Salween River (Nujiang in Chinese) to its west.

The Mekong then meets the tripoint of China, Myanmar and Laos. From there it flows southwest and forms the border of Myanmar and Laos for about 100 kilometres until it arrives at the tripoint of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand. This is also the point of confluence between the Ruak River (which follows the Thai-Myanmar border) and the Mekong. The area of this tripoint is sometimes termed the Golden Triangle, although the term also refers to the much larger area of those three countries that is notorious as a drug producing region.

From the Golden Triangle tripoint, the Mekong turns southeast to briefly form the border of Laos with Thailand. It then turns east into the interior of Laos, flowing first east and then south for some 400 kilometres before meeting the border with Thailand again. Once more, it defines the Laos-Thailand border for some 850 kilometres as it flows first east, passing in front of the capital of Laos, Vientiane, then turns south. A second time, the river leaves the border and flows east into Laos soon passing the city of Pakse. Thereafter, it turns and runs more or less directly south, crossing into Cambodia.

At Phnom Penh the river is joined on the right bank by the river and lake system the Tonlé Sap. When the Mekong is low, the Tonle Sap is a tributary; water flows from the lake and river into the Mekong. When the Mekong floods, the flow reverses; the floodwaters of the Mekong flow up the Tonle Sap.

Immediately after the Sap River joins the Mekong by Phnom Penh, the Bassac River branches off the right (west) bank. The Bassac River is the first and main distributary of the Mekong; thus, this is the beginning of the Mekong Delta. The two rivers, the Bassac to the west and the Mekong to the east, enter Vietnam very soon after this. In Vietnam, the Bassac is called the Hậu River (Sông Hậu or Hậu Giang); the main, eastern, branch of the Mekong is called the Tiền River or Tiền Giang. In Vietnam, distributaries of the eastern (main, Mekong) branch include the Mỹ Tho River, the Ba Lai River, the Hàm Luông River, and the Cổ Chiên River.

DRAINAGE BASIN

The Mekong Basin can be divided into two parts: the 'Upper Mekong Basin' in Tibet of China, and the 'Lower Mekong Basin' from Yunnan downstream from China to the South China Sea. From the point where it rises to its mouth, the most precipitous drop in the Mekong occurs in Upper Mekong Basin, a stretch of some 2,200 km. Here, it drops 4,500 metres before it enters the Lower Basin where the borders of Thailand, Laos, China and Myanmar come together in the Golden Triangle. Downstream from the Golden Triangle, the river flows for a further 2,600 km through Laos, Thailand and Cambodia before entering the South China Sea via a complex delta system in Vietnam.

UPPER BASIN

The Upper Basin makes up 24 percent of the total area and contributes 15 to 20 percent of the water that flows into the Mekong River. The catchment here is steep and narrow. Soil erosion has been a major problem and approximately 50 percent of the sediment in the river comes from the Upper Basin.

In Yunnan province in China, the river and its tributaries are confined by narrow, deep gorges. The tributary river systems in this part of the basin are small. Only 14 have catchment areas that exceed 1,000 km2, yet the greatest amount of loss of forest cover in the entire river system per square kilometer has occurred in this region due to heavy unchecked demand for natural resources. In the south of Yunnan, in Simao and Xishuangbanna Prefectures, the river changes as the valley opens out, the floodplain becomes wider, and the river becomes wider and slower.

LOWER BASIN

Major tributary systems develop in the Lower Basin. These systems can be separated into two groups: tributaries that contribute to the major wet season flows, and tributaries that drain low relief regions of lower rainfall. The first group are left bank tributaries that drain the high-rainfall areas of Lao PDR. The second group are those on the right bank, mainly the Mun and Chi rivers, that drain a large part of northeast Thailand.

Laos lies almost entirely within the Lower Mekong Basin. Its climate, landscape and land use are the major factors shaping the hydrology of the river. The mountainous landscape means that only 16 percent of the country is farmed under lowland terrace or upland shifting cultivation. With upland shifting agriculture (slash and burn), soils recover within 10 to 20 years but the vegetation does not. Shifting cultivation is common in the uplands of Northern Laos and is reported to account for as much as 27 percent of the total land under rice cultivation. As elsewhere in the basin, forest cover has been steadily reduced during the last three decades by shifting agriculture and permanent agriculture. The cumulative impacts of these activities on the river regime have not been measured. However, the hydrological impacts of land-cover changes induced by the Vietnam War were quantified in two sub-catchments of the Lower Mekong River Basin.

Loss of forest cover in the Thai areas of the Lower Basin has been the highest in all the Lower Mekong countries over the past 60 years. On the Khorat Plateau, which includes the Mun and Chi tributary systems, forest cover was reduced from 42 percent in 1961 to 13 percent in 1993. Although this part of northeast Thailand has an annual rainfall of more than 1,000 mm, a high evaporation rate means it is classified as a semi-arid region. Consequently, although the Mun and Chi Basins drain 15 percent of the entire Mekong Basin, they only contribute six percent of the average annual flow. Sandy and saline soils are the most common soil types, which makes much of the land unsuitable for wet rice cultivation. In spite of poor fertility, however, agriculture is intensive. Glutinous rice, maize and cassava are the principal crops. Drought is by far the major hydrological hazard in this region.

As the Mekong enters Cambodia, over 95 percent of the flows have already joined the river. From here on downstream the terrain is flat and water levels rather than flow volumes determine the movement of water across the landscape. The seasonal cycle of changing water levels at Phnom Penh results in the unique "flow reversal" of water into and out of the Great Lake via the Tonle Sap River. Phnom Penh also marks the beginning of the delta system of the Mekong River. Here the mainstream begins to break up into an increasing number of branches.

In Cambodia, wet rice is the main crop and is grown on the flood plains of the Tonle Sap, Mekong, and Bassac (the Mekong delta distributary known as the Hậu in Vietnam) Rivers. More than half of Cambodia remains covered with mixed evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forest, but forest cover has decreased from 73 percent in 1973 to 63 percent in 1993. Here, the river landscape is flat. Small changes in water level determine the direction of water movement, including the large-scale reversal of flow into and out of the Tonle Sap basin from the Mekong River.

The Mekong delta in Vietnam is farmed intensively and has little natural vegetation left. Forest cover is less than 10 percent. In the Central Highlands of Vietnam, forest cover was reduced from over 95 percent in the 1950s to around 50 percent in the mid-1990s. Agricultural expansion and population pressure are the major reasons for land use and landscape change. Both drought and flood are common hazards in the Delta, which many people believe is the most sensitive to upstream hydrological change.

WATER FLOW ALONG ITS COURSE

By taking into account hydrological regimes, physiography land use, and existing, planned and potential resource developments, the Mekong is divided into six distinct reaches:Reach 1: Lancang Jiang or Upper Mekong River in China. In this part of the river, the major source of water flowing into the river comes from melting snow on the Tibetan Plateau. This volume of water is sometimes called the “Yunnan Component” and plays an important role in the low-flow hydrology of the lower mainstream. Even as far downstream as Kratie, the Yunnan Component makes up almost 30 percent of the average dry season flow. A major concern is that the ongoing and planned expansion of dams and reservoirs on the Mekong mainstream in Yunnan could have a significant effect on the low-flow regime of the Lower Mekong Basin system.

Reach 2: Chiang Saen to Vientiane and Nong Khai. This reach is almost entirely mountainous and covered with natural forest, although there has been widespread slash and burn agriculture. Although this reach could hardly be described as "unspoiled", the hydrological response is perhaps the most natural and undisturbed in all the Lower Basin. Many hydrological aspects of the Lower Basin start to change rapidly at the downstream boundary of this reach.

Reach 3: Vientiane and Nong Khai to Pakse. The boundary between Reach 2 and 3 is where the Mekong hydrology starts to change. Reach 2 is dominated in both wet and dry seasons by the Yunnan Component. Reach 3 is increasingly influenced by contributions from the large left bank tributaries in Laos, namely the Nam Ngum, Nam Theun, Nam Hinboun, Se Bang Fai, Se Bang Hieng, and Se Done rivers. The Mun-Chi river system from the right bank in Thailand enters the mainstream within this reach.

Reach 4: Pakse to Kratie. The main hydrological contributions to the mainstream in this reach come from the Se Kong, Se San, and Sre Pok catchments. Together, these rivers make up the largest hydrological sub-component of the Lower Basin. Over 25 percent of the mean annual flow volume to the mainstream at Kratie comes from these three river basins. They are the key element in the hydrology of this part of the system, especially to the Tonle Sap flow reversal.

Reach 5: Kratie to Phnom Penh. This reach includes the hydraulic complexities of the Cambodian floodplain, the Tonle Sap and the Great Lake. By this stage, over 95 percent of the total flow has entered the Mekong system. The focus turns from hydrology and water discharge to the assessment of water level, over- bank storage and flooding and the hydrodynamics that determine the timing, duration and volume of the seasonal flow reversal into and out of the Great Lake.

Reach 6: Phnom Penh to the South China Sea. Here the mainstream divides into a complex and increasingly controlled and artificial system of branches and canals. Key features of flow behaviour are tidal influences and salt water intrusion. Every year, 35–50 percent of this reach is flooded during the rainy season. The impact of road embankments and similar infrastructure developments on the movement of this flood water is an increasingly important consequence of development.

Flows at Chiang Saen entering the Lower Basin from Yunnan make up about 15 percent of the wet season flow at Kratie. This rises to 40 percent during the dry season, even this far downstream. During the wet season, the proportion of average flow coming from Yunnan rapidly decreases downstream of Chiang Saen, from 70 percent to less than 20 percent at Kratie. The dry season contribution from Yunnan is much more significant. The major portion of the balance comes from Laos, which points to a major distinction in the low-flow hydrology of the river. One fraction comes from melting snow in China and Tibet and the rest from over-season catchment storage in the Lower Basin. This has implications for the occurrence of drought conditions. For example, if runoff from melting snow in any given year is very low, then flows upstream of Vientiane-Nong Khai would be lower.

In a large river system like the Mekong, seasonal flows can be quite variable from year to year. Although the pattern of the annual hydrograph is fairly predictable, its magnitude is not. The average monthly flows along the mainstream are listed in Table 3, providing an indication of their range and variability from year to year. At Pakse, for example, flood season flows during August would exceed 20,000 cubic metres per second 9 years out of 10, but exceed 34,000 m³/s only 1 year in ten.

RIVER MODIFICATIONS

The Mekong is already heavily dammed, with many more dams planned and under construction. China has already built 6 dams on the Mekong since 1995, and plans another 14 dams in the coming years. Downriver countries such as Laos are planning to build an additional 11 large dams on the Mekong, making it the fastest growing large river basin in the world in terms of hydropower construction.

NATURAL HISTORY

The Mekong basin is one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world. Only the Amazon boasts a higher level of biodiversity. Biota estimates for the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) include 20,000 plant species, 430 mammals, 1,200 birds, 800 reptiles and amphibians, and an estimated 850 freshwater fish species (excluding euryhaline species mainly found in salt or brackish water, as well as introduced species). The most species richness orders among the freshwater fish in the river basin are cypriniforms (377 species) and catfish (92 species). New species are regularly described from the Mekong. In 2009, 145 new species were described from the region, comprising 29 fish species previously unknown to science, 2 new bird species, 10 reptiles, 5 mammals, 96 plants and 6 new amphibians. The Mekong Region contains 16 WWF Global 200 ecoregions, the greatest concentration of ecoregions in mainland Asia. No other river is home to so many species of very large fish. The biggest include three species of Probarbus babs, which can grow up to 1.5 metres and weigh 70 kilograms, the giant freshwater stingray (Himantura polylepis, syn. H. chaophraya), which can have a length of up to 4.3 metres, the giant pangasius (Pangasius sanitwongsei), giant barb (Catlocarpio siamensis) and the endemic Mekong giant catfish (Pangasianodon gigas). The last three can grow up to about 3 metres in length and weigh 300 kilograms. All of these are in serious decline, because of dams, flood control and overfishing.

One species of freshwater dolphin, the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris), was once common in the whole of the Lower Mekong but is now very rare, with only 85 individuals remaining.

Among other wetland mammals that have been living in and around the river are the smooth-coated otter (Lutra perspicillata) and fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus).

The endangered Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis) occurs in small isolated pockets within the northern Cambodian and Laotian portions of the Mekong River. The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) once ranged from the Mekong Delta up the river into Tonle Sap and beyond but is now extinct in the river, along with being extinct in all of Vietnam and possibly even Cambodia.

WIKIPEDIA

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Autogiro Company of America AC-35:

Developed for a Department of Commerce competition to create an aerial "Model T," the innovative two-seat AC-35 Autogiro could takeoff and land in 52 m (173 ft). After folding back the rotors, the pilot could switch engine power to the rear drive wheel, allowing street speeds of 40 kph (25 mph). The AC-35 initially suffered from stability problems, but further experimentation resulted in an aircraft that was safe and relatively easy to fly.

The AC-35 prototype performed well, but the $12,500 price tag was several times the average family income of 1936, and did not meet the goal of an affordable $700 aircraft for the suburbanite. Harold Pitcairn's Autogiro Company of America built only one AC-35 but continued work on an improved version. The beginning of World War II and the advent of the practical helicopter and spelled an end to Pitcairn's hopes for quantity production of the type.

Transferred from the Civil Aeronautics Administration.

Manufacturer:

Autogiro Company of America

Date:

1936

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Rotor Diameter: 11.1 m (36 ft 4 in)

Length: 5.0 m (16 ft 3 in)

Height:2.4 m (8 ft)

Weight:Empty, 376 kg (828 lb)

Gross, 599 kg (1,320 lb)

Materials:

Silver-doped fabric and steel tube 2-seat roadable autogiro; 3-blade wood and fabric rotor; 2-blade wood propeller.

• • • • •

Quoting Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum | Hiller XH-44 Hiller-Copter:

In 1944, at the age of 19, Stanley Hiller, Jr. designed, built, and test flew the first helicopter with coaxial rotors to fly successfully in the United States. The XH-44 was also the first helicopter to fly successfully with all-metal blades and a rigid rotor. Hiller used the counter-rotating coaxial configuration to distinguish his designs from Sikorsky's single main rotor designs that dominated the helicopter industry in the mid-1940s.

The first tie-down tests of the XH-44 took place on his parents' driveway and the initial flight tests occurred at the University of California at Berkeley's football stadium, where Hiller was a student. He initially tested the XH-44 with amphibious floats in his family's swimming pool. Up-scaled coaxial Hiller designs failed to sell, but his company prospered with the introduction of the popular UH-12 single rotor model.

Gift of the Hiller Aircraft Company.

Manufacturer:

United Helicopters Incorporated

Date:

1943-1945

Country of Origin:

United States of America

Dimensions:

Rotor Dia:7.6m(15ft); Fuselage Length:4.1m(13ft4in);

Height:2.7m(9ft); Weight Empty: 564kg(1,244lb)

Materials:

Steel tube and fabric fuselage; 2 2-blade metal rotors

Whole-length, full face photograph of an unidentified man standing holding a bicycle, wearing knickerbockers and coat, straw boater, sash over right shoulder with medallion and the letters D R.

Learn more about this image, or download a hi-res copy, by checking out our catalogue: handle.slv.vic.gov.au/10381/49399