View allAll Photos Tagged Long reference here
Of our Flower writes Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962) - fine author and intimate friend of Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) - in the section 'Spring' of her long poem The Land:
And then I came to a field where the springing grass
Was dullen by the hanging cups of fritillaries,
Sullen and foreign-looking, the snaky flower,
Scarfed in dull purple, like Egyptian girls
Camping among the furze, staining the waste
With foreign colour, sulky-dark and quaint,
Dangerous too, as a girl might sidle up,
An Egyptian girl, with an ancient snaring spell,
Throwing a net, soft round the limbs and heart,
Captivity soft and abhorrent, a close-meshed net,
- See the square web on the murrey flesh of the flower -
Holding her captive close with her bare brown arms.
Close to her little breast beneath the silk,
A gipsy Judith, witch of a ragged tent,
And I shrank from the English field of fritillaries
Before it should be too late, before I forgot
The cherry white in the woods, and the curdled clouds,
And the lapwings crying free above the plough.
In Wikipedia's article on our plant I'd noticed a reference to Vita Sackville-West - 'sinister little flower, in the mournful colour of decay' - and thought it would be interesting to hunt it down. But I by-passed that reference and came to the above.
Fascinatingly awful, to my eyes. Here's a xenophobic fear of the exotic, clothed in lurid almost pornographic language. Fear of the pure English for an Egyptian/Gipsy 'net', and yet written in 'longing' language for 'her little breast' and forgetfulness. The Fritillary as a foreign plant in England, as it indeed once was. And its purple, sulky-dark in oppostion to the cherry white in the woods. Curious is the negative reference to Judith and her tent in which she slew Holofernes (usually today she's a paragon of feminism). A poem for a long series of lectures...
Of course Vita Sackville-West's 'lapwings crying free above the plough' call to mind the Dutch word for our Flower: Kievitsbloem, Lapwing Flower. Flowers in bud look like lapwing eggs.
Olymp took this photo in De Hoge Dijk, a conservation park on the west side of Driemond, where I walked the other day.
HELP EXPOSE THE SCAMMERS!! I've had no dealings with any of the following "SCAMMERS" however felt it was a good idea to make some sort of reference point that exposes Flickr members who have been accused of scamming in the past. Unfortunately this is not an all inclusive list -- if you know of anyone who is not on this list please feel free to add to it. This shit is outta control! I'm not naive enough to believe it will stop, but hopefully this will help prevent a few "Bad Deals". I'm not accusing anyone (the finger has already been pointed), read the complaints and decide for yourself. This is meant to be informatory, not accusatory. Take it for whatever it is worth. A lot of accusations are poorly stated/reported -- More personal info such as actual address, actual name, and phone number are way more helpful than just a flickr link or flickr name -- Please keep this in mind when posting scammers. Flickr names and accounts can be changed or recreated w/ too much ease. You may wish to "favorite" this for future reference - I'll do my best to keep it up to date and accurate -- Any help or additional info is greatly appreciated. I know some of these are going back a year and accounts deleted, but chose to include them hoping they may possibly send an alert to someone otherwise unsuspecting.
ALL CREDIT GOES TO JACKTHEMANIAC814 WITHOUT HIM NONE OF THIS WOULD EVEN BE HERE
The following are mentioned Scammers without specific accusations made here -- www.flickr.com/photos/51084828@N03/5728937398/; --
contact the flickr member posting the name for specifics and verification --
Scammer list-- (link posted above)
vtboy - Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/49675600@N04/5507831148/;
caliwrestler103 AKA suplay 40 - www.flickr.com/photos/65064221@N03/;
flackjacket
straightbar15
mdwrestler103
brbks
blairwrestler15
njwrestlingboys95
njwrestler90
HEADLOX
alex cusano ct-wrestler
NJWrestler90
DscottAV
superduck
Northnjwrestler
kolatking5555
Superduck103. AKA: Milik Dawkins.
wR3stling@n!m@L98 -- accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/59961964@N07/5717111128/;
Another link to a Scammer list without specific accusations listed - www.flickr.com/photos/52445234@N02/5626146414/ ; contact flickr member posting scammer name for specifics.
Branson125
Branson 140 and now
MissouriKilla94
Page -- www.flickr.com/photos/40928958@N04/with/5302289500/;
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/40654400@N05/5362208236/ ;
Wrestler160(need to sell red fargo)
iwrestle130(updating very soon) -
Tucker mcgregor from ct.
pawrestler -
Zach Mill of Elverson PA.
joneswrestler52
usawrestling103 --
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/55677399@N06/5486285795/;
njwrestler90 -max nauta --
njwrestlingboys95(needs to sell a lot).
Shoe(.Y.)King..!
Zac Blevins --
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/34035080@N05/5547816938/;
Flackjacket
Accusations -- www.flickr.com/photos/54939123@N02/5611533365/ ; www.flickr.com/photos/54939123@N02/5578826554/ ; www.flickr.com/photos/47231129@N04/5200047614/;
jkc9000
FalconDDS
jamdsanwich 21 --
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/40991922@N03/5072662474/;
ii103 -
Christian Monserrat --
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/47678621@N03/5487742190/;
killian baker
williamsport125 -
is a pair of siblings. One is now
BAKER140 and the other is
mdwrestler.
NJ152wants takedown 3's -
Louis Middleton --
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/senecawrestler/5482743021/;
virginiawrestler112
Terrance Jean Jaques of Kingston PA
tfrese112 -
Tyler Frese
Stevensville MI -
barnwrestler80.
John Fritz
Cartersville , GA
And yet another list of scammers from this link -- www.flickr.com/photos/58552132@N04/5482977350/;
ZainKail
LHSwrastlin
suplex130
tr3ypataky
williamsport125
baker140
mikex00x - Mike Bondarchuk - 711 fairview pl deerfield,NY 13502
wrestling160OH
Suplex119 has teals
Cheesehead145.
Wrestlingman224 - joey balboni
monseratt103
Pawrastlerallday
D.Wood2
valleyfunk.
ABCodename(Need Cash) --
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/65371270@N03/;
link to accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/58743145@N03/5985260434/ ; - www.flickr.com/photos/47146350@N02/5995467502/; -
MaineWrestler (Best collection in NewEngland!) -
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/45257394@N06/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/51359236@N05/5647926094/in/photostream ; - www.flickr.com/photos/36689450@N02/6026805993/; - www.flickr.com/photos/51359236@N05/5649520069/ ; www.flickr.com/photos/41485829@N08/6067692136/in/photostream ;
NJwrestler90 **Acct Deleted**
(Max Nauta - 12 saxton Lane, zip-07840)
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/49825075@N04/5601603602/ ; www.flickr.com/photos/59043100@N07/5564698837/ ;
nywrestler112 ***Changed to - "i have wrestling shoes"****
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/66150498@N05/;
Accusation(s) - www.flickr.com/photos/60618301@N03/6040383862/; www.flickr.com/photos/63367451@N07/6034352390/; - www.flickr.com/photos/58693522@N06/6034360076/; -
MSJ'S 149 --
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/43815942@N03/;
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/statechampionhaha/6040235076/ ;
MI_wrestler_91//140(R.I.P. $wag hound) N/J COOPER --
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/63797557@N05/ ; www.flickr.com/photos/65872152@N04/6097969075/in/contacts/ ;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/52558433@N04/6023492837/ ;
CHECK THIS ONE CLOSE, MANY ACCOUNTS!
*** NYwrestingRulz IS ALSO
** West Wrestler IS ALSO
** NYsectionSix IS ALSO
** NYmwisniewski (page- www.flickr.com/photos/77214195@N07/) IS ALSO
** SuperSixRulz (page- www.flickr.com/photos/79413981@N06/)
** WAS nywrestler20 (acct deleted)
**NYwrestlingRuLz(has bnib kolat speeds)
Page- www.flickr.com/photos/65286894@N07/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/62586438@N03/6023104290/;
**WestWrestler(Has blue P2s size 9) --- ***Had previous acct as nywrestler20 see below***
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/74325691@N03/
**nywrestler20
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/62802387@N08/ ;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/63367451@N07/5931510177/;.
NYsectionSix page - www.flickr.com/photos/78517059@N05/
Mike Wisniewski
716 698 8267
Trent Nadeau
iliketop (716-239-3677)
page - www.flickr.com/photos/bamff/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/66865964@N03/7298929480/
Burcher103(LetsDoSomeDeals) --
Page- www.flickr.com/photos/52930707@N08/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/50917943@N02/6017543525/;
Dperr00(641 257 8026) -
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/58681690@N05/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/58743145@N03/6009819112/ ;
Zach Hertling
Spartanwrestler ( www.flickr.com/photos/44883592@N03/; )
blairwrestler (page not found) ,
nj106 (page not found)
Accusation(s) - www.flickr.com/photos/48314728@N03/5988646721/ ; www.flickr.com/photos/55114985@N03/5991662318/;
Some believe what goes around comes around - www.flickr.com/photos/senecawrestler/5885794701/;
beatsbydreseller (page not found)
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/svtakedown/5965330503/;
BlairWrestler15
Bulldgwrstlr07
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/peteysieges/5830912516/;
www.flickr.com/photos/56404375@N06/5728030465/;
www.flickr.com/photos/52445234@N02/5748528571/;
www.flickr.com/photos/peteysieges/5728372200/;
Vic morrison
1126 askin st martinsville VA
Bulldgwrstlr07 (page not found/Acct deleted) -
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/56564230@N08/5965945992/;
www.flickr.com/photos/41272676@N07/5958424567/;
***PLEASE TAKE NOTE --
adio89 (rockNjock13) -- www.flickr.com/photos/63935286@N07/;
appears to be Vics new acct
according to *PA_113* (UNCwrestling103) said:
im not 100 percent positive but i believe bulldogwrstlr07 made a new account.
remeber how he had a pic of blue ogs that he was gonna dye lime green?? kinda like a "one of a kind" shoe, right?? well adio89(rocknjock13) had the same pair of shoes, traded to me...etc, etc.
well they act basically the same and had all of the same shoes, kendalls, combats, lime inflicts.
im just saying, not like idk calling him a scammer, persay, but its kinda odd all the similiarities
jmcarthy45
Page (no longer active) -http://www.flickr.com/photos/63697497@N03/.
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/statechampionhaha/5951201125/ ; -
valleyfunk
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/58552132@N04/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/58917718@N05/5928846000/;
Alex Cusano -
38 White Birch Circle CT - 06537
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/59634542@N08/5818948707/in/photostream;
Is Gamer Oliver - Johhny Penrose ??
I thought that was one of caliwrestlers alias' --
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/62100126@N04/5856413583/;
Caleb Little
2104 Loudenslager Dr Thompsons Station TN 37179.
Indywrestler140 (take my teals). page - www.flickr.com/photos/53236229@N05/;
INDYwrestler140(text all offers to 615-499-8006) -
Caleb Little
2104 Loudenslager Dr. Thompsons Station, TN 37179 ...
Page --- www.flickr.com/photos/53236229@N05/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/60304374@N07/6202024335/in/contacts/ ;
Trswrestling119need money please by things
Page -- www.flickr.com/photos/47983286@N07/;
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/60885994@N07/5768351190/ ;
Skylar Hoth
New Hampton IA
6415124840
Relentless Wrestling
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/52445234@N02/5748528571/;
Michael Bee
Deerfield NY
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/52445234@N02/5748528571/;
711 fairview pl
utica ny 13502
Screen name:MIwrestler152 - (deleted acct.)
accusations - www.flickr.com/photos/40928958@N04/6906003795/
www.flickr.com/photos/75579029@N03/6899791481/
www.flickr.com/photos/72523627@N07/6783677636/in/contacts/
bubba338
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/60432954@N05/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/48461758@N08/5685366374/ ; -- www.flickr.com/photos/48461758@N08/5655376045/ ;
PAWRESTLER1 --
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/47223212@N02/5245722206/;
merrell10
Page -- www.flickr.com/photos/51524172@N02/;
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/56486149@N03/5239720204/ ;
**Same person
JLayne ,
DariusSanders,
anthony 125,
gibes 125,
Casswrestler,
JohnnyCaddle112
FROM CARTERSVILLE, GA
Accusations -- www.flickr.com/photos/44208935@N07/5077915539/;
SnowmannN- 601 301 4607
Zach Snow
420 Autumn Lane Reading PA, 19605
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/46449478@N04/4905913635/ ; www.flickr.com/photos/49427915@N07/4894028683/;
Limeaid
Page -- www.flickr.com/photos/46635374@N05/;
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/43702904@N03/4596152113/ ;
zashoe --
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/zashoe/;
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/37091788@N02/4339988316/ ;
**Victor Ramirez (several flickr names/accts)
CALwrestler2011
double-boots43
Techfall-15
Superducks24-7
Pawrestler106
Mr.Granby126
T.Vikes106
Lives in MASS
Cell Phone Number: 978-457-4918
CALwrestler2011 -- www.flickr.com/photos/70123030@N08/ ; --http://www.flickr.com/photos/69835342@N08/6396945139/in/contacts/
double-boots43 www.flickr.com/photos/cheeseheadsallday/; --- Old Accts -->Techfall-15, Superducks24-7, Pawrestler106, Mr.Granby126, T.Vikes106 (page- -www.flickr.com/photos/65764293@N06) ; accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/60041113@N07/6163958921/in/photostream;
www.flickr.com/photos/51084828@N03/5978858041/in/photostream ;
www.flickr.com/photos/63018723@N07/6049467549/in/contacts/;
MIZZOUx2( 1847-997-0805 text me) --
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/60363096@N05/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/53236229@N05/6050509809/in/contacts/ ;
n1co103
is a scammer
according to lenny_bird112(9083343021) see accusation in comments below.
or here's the link - www.flickr.com/photos/48907619@N02/6056150822/in/photostream;
BAKER140 --- 240-469-0731.
Kemper Baker
10526 Greenwich Drive, Williamsport MD 21795
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/34574207@N03/;
Accusation -- www.flickr.com/photos/61328303@N06/6081964064/in/contacts/;
Sling Bag Here! - www.flickr.com/photos/42917664@N05/ ;
Logan Strope from Lancaster, OH --- Finally sent after 3.5 weeks of hassling him --
One excuse after another -- www.flickr.com/photos/61193575@N08/6135186972/in/photostream;
This Kid is Super SKETCHY
$up3r_5wrestlingman( wants grapplers)
Anthony Cimorosi Elkton Maryland --> www.flickr.com/photos/65872152@N04/; .... -->
Accusation --> www.flickr.com/photos/65823086@N08/6144412139/in/photostream;
www.flickr.com/photos/65823086@N08/6144412051/in/photostream;
www.flickr.com/photos/65823086@N08/6144411989/in/photostream;
Mtwretsler90 -- www.flickr.com/photos/67169881@N07/;
Victor Kenderine
28 Buch Avenue
Lancaster, PA 17601
Cell Phone 717-231-1310
jerekene@verizon.net
Fathers Name is Jere Kenderine
717-569-3102
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/jamaicaharvey/6159261420/in/contacts/;
dudewrestler (www.flickr.com/photos/66172357@N08/;)
MAtussler (www.flickr.com/photos/wrestlingshit;) --
Accusation --> www.flickr.com/photos/55663391@N07/6386611847/in/contacts/;
Cross6297 (aka - kolatman101)
www.flickr.com/photos/65251379@N06/;
Phone #: 203-615-4870 -- accusation(s) posted in comments below.
USAWrestler125 used to be anklepick112 ---
justin perez / Ryan Donohue
163 springtime lane / 112 Sunrise Lane
levittown,ny 11756
516 859 1520
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/27573035@N07/6415611559/in/contacts/;
Forrest Touchberry
Chapin South Carolina-
Original acct - tl3erry130
Accusation www.flickr.com/photos/61513059@N02/6655992713/in/contacts/;
www.flickr.com/photos/66079637@N07/6469680045/in/contacts/;
further accusation listed below in comments section.
yar130 -
Ray stambaugh
2375 jones road
Waterford Michigan
48327
Page link -- www.flickr.com/photos/54726831@N04/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/65712731@N02/6490110217/in/set-7215...;
Milik Dawkins -
Superduck103 --
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/69348816@N07/ ; *** acct not active as of 12/25/11
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/phil_rock/6566135297/in/contacts/;
SGWrestlr106(lilleb22)(txt me 17175213675)1 --
Levi Witmer
7877 Gnatstown Rd.
Hanover PA 17331
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/69113173@N03/;
Accusation --> www.flickr.com/photos/fcorr22/6616676983/in/contacts/;
www.flickr.com/photos/reaster2021/6631384723/in/contacts/;
Murrphh8 -
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/34537313@N07/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/64677651@N06/6624419203/in/contacts/;
neggativezer0 (i need white cael v1 size 9)!!!! -
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/65763746@N06/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/34035080@N05/6624403983/in/contacts/;
www.flickr.com/photos/34035080@N05/6662115279/in/contacts/;
ryan ferero
82 Forest Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652
201 400 5875
**Has 2 accts
wrestler 14 - Page --> www.flickr.com/photos/ryry123/;
Ryan.1114 - Page --> www.flickr.com/photos/52910018@N05/;
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/58693522@N06/6664084647/in/contacts/;
Barnwrestler90 -
Brad Beaulieu
85 sunset circle
north waterboro maine 04061
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/69276482@N02/
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/58363186@N05/6681191155/in/contacts/
purlerwrestler -- (was using other members photos saying they are his shoes )
Page - www.flickr.com/photos/73464318@N08/ ** deleted acct.
His # - 785-787-3928 (www.flickr.com/photos/73464318@N08/6663372895 /)
Name is Blaise Allen Albers HIS account is Now Kswrestler2015
Goes to Salina high school .. KS
Ct-Wrestler -
Alex Cusano 860-908-4495
30 chesterfield road
east lyme Conn. 06333
page - www.flickr.com/photos/61491944@N07/
accusation- www.flickr.com/photos/chantzgriffith/6863780441/in/contacts/
ULM-DIDDY106
noah ulmer
177 kiess hill road,
linden pennsylvania 17744
page - www.flickr.com/photos/58363186@N05/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/59229168@N05/6866984437/in/photostream
570 651 3927
Anthony Rendleman
1113 Red Fall Lane
Gambrills, MD 21054
AHSwresting145
page - www.flickr.com/photos/76850660@N08/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/62492835@N04/6948073751/in/contacts/
ba wrestler
aka - NY_Allday01(has oes!!!!) acct deleted
aka - suplaywrestler acct deleted
1528 willow woods
Alden New York 14004
page -
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/51084828@N03/6947255101/
NY_Allday01 (has oes!!!)
Edward Hutchenreuter
1528 Willow Woods, Alden NY 14004
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/57570055@N05/5920919202/;
austin ripke
19688 county road x
archbold ohio 43502
419.789.1102
acct name - Docter Ripke
page- www.flickr.com/photos/austinripke/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/59095612@N07/6808157964/in/contacts/
Tristan Schmitz
7984 112th ave SE
Oakes, ND 58474
Flickr name - tks1452x
page- www.flickr.com/photos/41181854@N02/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/65075212@N05/6977019509/in/contacts/
erick orellana
bay shore new York
112 KiDD
page- www.flickr.com/photos/ayee112/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/77549749@N02/6804528650/
josh miller
31450 west 115th street
olathe kansas 66061
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/58693522@N06/6837535102/
terry fleming,
high point nc, 27260
phone - 336 862 6775
at least 2 accts - flemming113(TEXT ME OFFERS 336 862 6775) -
page - www.flickr.com/photos/73399878@N08/
and tfleming113 -
page- www.flickr.com/photos/73830561@N03/
prodigywrestler103-
page-http://www.flickr.com/photos/78694095@N06/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/56287326@N03/6838361230/in/photostream
**CHECK THIS ONE CLOSE -- several accts/names/numbers and a couple addresses
alias Christian Vargas aka Anthony Mateo, aka Anthony Metos, Josh,
numbers - 951-870-7510
213- 478-6839
213-375-6803
805 Broadway and 32860 keel drive Lake Elsinore CA, 92530
Lake Elsinore, California
Flickr acct - anthony1465 text me offers (951-870-7510)
page - www.flickr.com/photos/77916081@N06/
flickr acct - Josh1449
page- www.flickr.com/photos/76045282@N06/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/61408719@N07/6993771991/in/contacts/
www.flickr.com/photos/pantherwrestler/6889332854/in/photo...
www.flickr.com/photos/ineedp2shmu5085773259/7036485725/in...
www.flickr.com/photos/fcorr22/7051870269/in/contacts/
SAME AS --->
cali wrestler
805 broadway st lake elsinore california 92530
Accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/geoffv123/5839776447/ ; page - www.flickr.com/photos/62761494@N04/;
www.flickr.com/photos/51064057@N05/5816340812/;
TJ Davis
Fatkidnation(Text offers to 908 839 9045)
AKA - Rebelwrestler (everythings for sale)
From - asbury park nj 07712
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/nblanco20/6998116327/in/contacts/
www.flickr.com/photos/62373861@N05/6836875274/
MAUwrestler
Justin Morse
85 Mattison Road
North Bennington, VT 05257
802-733-6047
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/tiger-coach-1/6858763764/in/contacts/
George Stagner
557 mandsfield village
Hackettstown NJ 07840
908 374 6484
account -deleted --- was --> nikewrestling9.5
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/captainfuckfunk103/7019559311/in/co...
jeryl denton
7853176602
Junction City, KS
09-12statechamp(785-317-6602)
www.flickr.com/photos/77101187@N07/
acct - www.flickr.com/photos/77101187@N07/
AKA ** Jiguyo www.flickr.com/photos/jiguyo/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/58593357@N05/6873608502/in/contacts/
jordan roths
206 phillips drive,
new hampton Iowa zip: 50659
Flickr name - NH wrestling club
acct- www.flickr.com/photos/52955189@N06/
accusations - www.flickr.com/photos/75167063@N02/7028184645/in/contacts/
www.flickr.com/photos/60000790@N02/6883982412/in/contacts/
www.flickr.com/photos/65251379@N06/7110502359/in/contacts/
MIwrestler
Jeremy and Josh Kadish -- alias - Jacob Dish - alias - Jake Gould
8300 Venture P.2 Ln
Gladstone, MI 49837
906 420 6001
accts-
Havesissys-
page- www.flickr.com/photos/77693401@N03/
MIwrestler 906-420-6001 - www.flickr.com/photos/69835342@N08/
up_wrestler(9064206001) - www.flickr.com/photos/64534789@N07/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/55715740@N08/7029433507/in/photostream
www.flickr.com/people/64534789@N07/
anthony1465 text me offers (951-870-7510)
Anthony Meteo "or something like that" ??
california
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/pantherwrestler/6889332854/in/conta...
Cody Jack ??
978 476 4880
Haverhill, MA.
Prepkid0728(Looking fo OGinflicts9784764880))
acct - www.flickr.com/photos/74387987@N02/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/72320633@N07/7074651497/in/contacts/
www.flickr.com/photos/72772224@N08/7185711442/
choctaw wrestler is going to kansas city tourny if
page - www.flickr.com/photos/smitty133/
Josh Smith
405 615 0232
from oklahoma
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/agags62/7111240791/
INDYwrestler138
page- www.flickr.com/photos/53236229@N05/
Thadd Little
2104 Loudenslager Dr.
Thompsons Station, TN 37179
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/51684998@N03/6990340432/in/contacts/
130mdwrestler(text for any questions 2403105785)
AKA - ohiostatewrestling130
page- www.flickr.com/photos/61043793@N08/
accusation- www.flickr.com/photos/66870043@N08/7139798765/in/contacts/
www.flickr.com/photos/66870043@N08/7198879898/in/contacts/
Watch Out For ----->
Cam Wright
61 Crowell street Haverhill MA
his # is 6178618638
www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001433257604
FLICKR name - Cost-a-mill(wants red or black p2s size 12)
page- www.flickr.com/photos/77979832@N03/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/48258388@N07/7155708636/in/contacts/
tristian schmitz
7984 112th avenue south east
oakes ND
his number is 701 - 710 - 1643
Flickr NAMES (more than 1 acct) - grizzly3x
page- www.flickr.com/photos/77315721@N04/
AND - tks1452x
page- www.flickr.com/photos/41181854@N02/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/66865964@N03/7166482578/in/photostream
www.flickr.com/photos/66865964@N03/7007681634/in/photostream
BRENTT SMITH
860-917-6249
23 greentree drive
Waterford Conneticut
facebook- www.facebook.com/brentt.smith.3
Lancer103(needs footsweeps)
page - www.flickr.com/photos/58606112@N03/
ALSO KNOWN AS -
BEASTof theEast
page - www.flickr.com/photos/beastmode120/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/59803399@N03/7182669154/in/contacts/
www.flickr.com/photos/77145131@N03/7206322678/in/contacts/
www.flickr.com/photos/74206083@N02/7291869136/in/contacts/
His dad's info - Brent Smith Sr Phone: (860) 437-1334 (info listed here on 1/29/12 - www.themat.com/pages/schedules.php?Category=&Division...)
www.flickr.com/photos/61042390@N07/
blastdouble45 - www.flickr.com/photos/75751022@N05/
J52Fuller - www.flickr.com/photos/61339668@N05/
Jacob Edward
# 586 944 5966
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/77363111@N07/7224150200/in/contacts/
Nhstar93 -
page - www.flickr.com/photos/78965966@N05/
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/montrie/7249340196/in/contacts/
state champ 152
page - www.flickr.com/photos/nastynigga/
Isaiah Bradley
5019 E. Inlow Springs Road
Muncie IN 47302
756-729-7834
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/ncwrestler12/7296835766/in/contacts/
I go to herndon high wants golds
page- www.flickr.com/photos/52967705@N07/
Fabian Rodriguez
9851 Alan ct
Manasses, VA 20109
Mannasas Park HS
Fabians #
571-388-2127
accusation - www.flickr.com/photos/76081501@N03/7317202460/in/contacts/
www.flickr.com/photos/76081501@N03/7173981532/
Trevor Mooney
njwrestler221102
southern Regional high
Accusation: www.flickr.com/photos/61408719@N07/7167048279/in/photostream
Jose_4life162
all the info i know
Jack Staggs- Jstaggs2
9189 Emerson rd.
Apple Creek, Ohio 44606
Accusation: www.flickr.com/photos/corndog/7439765380/in/photostream
Matt noble may be scammer. Don't send first
Keegan McQueen
Mustang wrestler39
Info:
Keagan McQueen
8107 Richfield rd
Davison, MI
48423
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**Trigger Warning** This chapter involves references of gory violence.
Blood dripped from Aiden's wrench into the growing pool of blood as he stood above the unmoving body of Micah. Breathing heavily, Aiden felt his rage slowly seep out of him as he realized he'd done it! He'd killed the bastard who dared to hurt Vincent!
From inside his cell, Vincent lay there on his stomach, propped up on his hand and elbow as he stared with wide eyes. It had happened so quickly! But what shocked him the most was how Aiden had taken down Micah without hesitation. After a long moment of silence, Vincent licked his lips and finally spoke with a small humorless chuckle.
"Remind me to never get on your bad side."
At the sound of his voice, Aiden's gaze lifted from the dead man at his feet to take in the sight of Vincent as he lay there on the stone floor. Now that he had a moment to really look at him, Aiden saw the bruises and cuts that adorned Vincent's face and arms.
"Oh shit, Vincent..."
Aiden dropped the wrench as it clattered to the ground and stepped over Micah's lifeless body. He quickly moved into the cell to kneel by Vincent's side while summoning Pete over his shoulder, "Pete, come!"
Immediately the lantern obeyed and made its way around the cell bars, illuminating the cell completely. Vincent's eyes flicked towards the small lantern and recognized it as the lantern Aiden had brought aboard the ship a few weeks ago on one of his outings. Despite the pain flaring in his side, he fleetingly felt impressed in Aiden's ability to have gotten it to actually work somehow.
"Vincent!"
Ignoring Aiden's fussing, Vincent had begun to push himself to sit back on his buttocks, grimacing and clenching his teeth as white hot pain flared to life in his left rib cage once again. Breathing slowly and deeply, he closed his eyes and tried to block out the pain as he caressed his broken ribs. When he opened his eyes a few seconds later, he was met with Aiden's concerned gaze.
"I'm okay," he assured Aiden but Aiden scowled at him, his eyes shifting to inspect the nasty cut and bruise along his ribs where he'd been kicked.
"Like hell you are! Bloody hell, Vincent, let me help you!"
"I'm fine!"
"No you're not!"
Vincent scowled at Aiden who just stared back at him so seriously. After a moment, Aiden licked his lips and pleaded in a softer tone but no less determined, "Please? You're not okay. Please let me help you."
Vincent gazed back into his eyes and after a moment, he gave a sigh and nodded reluctantly. He knew Aiden was right; he was badly injured and having help would keep it from worsening. Aiden pushed up from his kneeling position and then leaned down and slid his arms under Vincent's armpits and held him close. He quietly gave a countdown once Vincent slid his arms over Aiden's shoulders.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
"One. Two. Three."
On three Aiden began to lift Vincent carefully to his feet. Vincent's arms tightened over Aiden's shoulders and he clenched his teeth to keep from crying out as his body screamed at him for relief. After a moment, Aiden was surprised as Vincent lowered his arms and took a small step back and held his side.
"I'm okay, Aiden. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Aiden's brows furrowed as he gazed at his captain and the expression on his face clearly indicated he didn't believe him. Vincent ignored the look and went to make his way towards the cell door, breathing slowly and carefully. Behind him, Aiden followed with Pete trailing behind him.
Aiden leaned down to pick up the wrench from the ground when he heard Vincent grunt ahead of him. His head snapped up to see what was wrong and watched as Vincent leaned against the wall and was clearly not doing so well.
Realizing Vincent needed his help, Aiden abandoned the wrench. There was no way he'd be able to help Vincent out of here AND carry the wrench! He went over to Vincent and placed his hand on his shoulder and said gently, "We really need to get you to a doctor."
Vincent opened his eyes and glanced over at Aiden, seeing his worried face blur as a dizzy spell washed over him. Grimacing at the combination of pain and dizziness, he fought back a wave of nausea as he grunted, "No. Not yet. Thorn's still in the building."
"Not yet? You want to find him NOW?!"
"Yes. Now."
Staring into each other's eyes, Aiden finally relented. He sure hoped Vincent knew what he was doing.
"You're so stubborn. Fine...where is he?"
"Stubbornness keeps me alive. And I'm willing to bet he's up at the very top."
Vincent pushed aside the dizziness and took a deep breath as he turned to go up the stairs. However, before he could even set his foot on the first stair, he felt Aiden's arm gently slide around his waist.
"What are you doing?!"
"Have you SEEN how big this place is? It's huge! If you want to go to the top, let me help you. Please?"
Vincent stared at him for a long moment and then grumbled incoherently before he reluctantly slid his arm up over Aiden's shoulder. Secretly pleased that Vincent was willing to accept his help, Aiden reached up and took Vincent's hand and began to help him up the staircase. A moment later Pete scurried up ahead of them and led the way up the stairs.
Vincent didn't want the help but he knew Aiden was right. Damn right he was going to be stubborn about it but if he was going to be forced to accept help, he wasn't going to like it!
However, a few steps up the staircase, Aiden heard Vincent mutter, "Thank you." Even as grumbly as he was, Aiden could hear the sincerity in his voice. With a small reassuring smile, Aiden glanced back at Vincent and replied, "You're welcome, Cap'n."
With adrenaline fueling them, the two comrades continued to make their way up the stairs towards the topmost floor...
...Upstairs in his private quarters, Thorn was ready to wind down for the rest of the night. He'd sent Micah to his own quarters a short while ago and his captive was secured in his cell for the night. All would be quiet until tomorrow as planned. Now that he'd straightened Micah out, there should be no more surprises.
Tossing his rose eyepatch aside on his nightstand, Thorn sighed to himself and rubbed his face. What a stressful day! Thank fucking God it was over.
Glancing up, Thorn's gaze shifted across the room to where he kept some of his favorite loot possessions: a mirror once belonging to royalty, pure gold wine pitcher and wine goblets...and then among them was his absolute prized possession: a large lantern which contained one of the rarest materials known to man: Fulgora's Eye*. Dazzling and beautiful, he'd found it not long ago at a museum and snatched it up! Remembering the heist and how splendidly it went, Thorn smirked as he rose from the bed and walked across the room to admire the stunning self-sustaining energy. Already he was feeling better.
As he approached, his mind began to turn about the value of such an item. He knew it would fetch an exceedingly hefty sum. After all, even a small piece the size of a pebble could cost a man his whole life's savings. And this? Well this piece was easily the size of a grapefruit. Thorn knew he could sell it and live a life of luxury!
'Maybe I won't sell it,' he thought to himself as he approached the table. It was such a dazzling piece...
Creeeek...CLANG!
Startled, Thorn turned and glanced over his shoulder. What the fuck was that?! Honestly it sounded like a clang of one of the iron doors out on the other side of the catwalk outside his room. Why wasn't Micah in his damned room like he was told?! With a sigh, Thorn cursed under his breath and stomped his way across the room towards his door.
Wrenching the door open, he glared across the way and opened his mouth to snarl at Micah when he realized it wasn't Micah across the catwalk at all.
It was Vincent.
*For more information on Fulgora's Eye, please reference:
19. The Captain and The Engineer: The Newest Crewmate
www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/51186193945
**
Next Part: www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/51955140105/
To read the rest of the story, here's the album link:
www.flickr.com/photos/153660805@N05/albums/72157717075565127
***Please note this is a BOY LOVE (BL/yaoi/gay) series. It is a slow burn and rated PG13!***
***
Special thank you to Vin Aydin Raven-Mysterious for collaborating with me on this series and co-starring as The Captain! He not only created the poses for this scene, he also put together the creative layering of this chapter's pictures!
And of course, thank you to Diavkha for starring as the villainous Thorn!
You can check out both of their creative, amazing photography in People in Photo!
~
DISCORD SERVER: That's right! The Captain and the Engineer has a Discord Server! If you would like to join and chat with other crewmates and see what's new and happening before it gets posted to Flickr, click the link!
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I had never heard of this word but when I took this close photo of a Great Northern Diver I noticed that it had unusual nostrils. If you zoom in you can clearly see it has two nostrils in a line, a feature that I have never noticed on any bird before. I searched online, and in all my books, but could find no reference to this feature. That was until I looked up "naris" (the scientific term for nostril) in the Dictionary of Birds (ed Campbell & Lack, 1985). Here it says "amphirhinal signifies that there are two bony apertures (one behind the other) on each side". But what it did not tell me is which birds are amphirhinal. Birds of the Western Palearctic and Handbook of Birds of the World both simply describe diver nostrils as long and slit-like with no reference to double nostrils, yet photos show that all diver species have double nostrils (though they are difficult to discern when most bills are darker in summer). DNA studies show that divers have no close relatives, but are distantly related to birds like herons, tropicbirds and kagu, none of which appear to be amphirhinal from photographs.
I managed to get so close to this diver by playing Grandmother's Footsteps with it. Grandmother's Footsteps is that children's game where one person turns their back and the others have to creep towards them, but you were "out" if they turned and saw you moving. So I watched the Diver from a distance that did not perturb it, and waited until it was close to shore. But the split second it dived I quickly advanced to the spot where I predicted it would emerge and crouched low on the water's edge waiting for it to appear. This photo is just about straight off the camera, and is so close you can see that it is amphirhinal.
One final thing; this diver is an adult in non-breeding plumage, identified by those scattered white spots on its back retained from summer breeding plumage, when it looks like this: www.flickr.com/photos/timmelling/35265495712/in/photolist Usually lost birds out of habitat are youngsters.
The Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle, more commonly known as the Matthias Church, more rarely the Coronation Church of Buda, is a Roman Catholic church located in the Holy Trinity Square, Budapest, Hungary, in front of the Fisherman's Bastion at the heart of Buda's Castle District. According to church tradition, it was originally built in Romanesque style in 1015, although few references exist. The current building was constructed in the florid late Gothic style in the second half of the 14th century and was extensively restored in the late 19th century. It was the second largest church of medieval Buda and the seventh largest church of the medieval Hungarian Kingdom.
It is a historic building with an important history. Two Kings of Hungary were crowned within its walls: Franz Joseph I of Hungary and Elisabeth, and Charles IV of Hungary and Zita of Bourbon-Parma.
The church was also the location of the "Marian Miracle" of Buda. In 1686, during the siege of Buda city by the Holy League, a wall of the church - used as a mosque by the Ottoman occupiers of the city - collapsed due to cannon fire. It turned out that an old votive Madonna statue was hidden behind the wall. As the sculpture of the Virgin Mary appeared before the praying Muslims, the morale of the Muslim garrison collapsed and the city fell on the same day.
According to the tradition, the first church on the site was founded by Saint Stephen, King of Hungary, in 1015: this is based on an inscription erected in 1690 inside he church and burned in 1748, which some previous references seem to confirm. However, there is no clear evidence of the foundation by St. Stephen. This building was destroyed in 1241 by the Mongols; the current building was constructed in the latter half of the 13th century. Originally named after the Virgin Mary, taking names such as "The Church of Mary" and "The Church of Our Lady," since the 19th century the church has been referred to as Matthias Church, after King Matthias, who ordered the transformation of its original southern tower.
King Béla IV of Hungary after the Mongol invasion, between 1255 and 1269, replaced the older, smaller church with a towering three-nave basilica. During the first phase of construction (1255–1260), a main shrine and auxiliary shrines were built, under the direction of Villard de Honnecourt. The first stage of the construction of the main church of Buda is closest relative to the Lyon Cathedral. The group of masters consisted of the builders of the Cistercian Monastery of Tišnov, Czech Republic, who travelled to Hungary after the Mongol invasion probably at the behest of the cousin of king Béla IV, Agnes of Bohemia. The reasons for its disintegration of this group around 1260 are unknown.
The construction was completed through a second phase, between 1260 and 1269. The work of the second group of masters was already influenced by Northern French religious architecture, mediated by German master builders. Other works of this group are the Franciscan Kecske Church in Sopron, Hungary, and the Monastery of Klosterneuburg, Austria, probably related to the Dominican monastery of Margaret Island, Budapest, which was the home of a daughter of Béla IV, St Margaret of the Árpád House. The king, out of regard for his daughter, granted to the monastery the jus patronatus over the Buda church for a period of time.
The Church of the Assumption of the Buda Castle became the earliest and most complete work of classical Gothic church architecture in Hungary, giving a complete picture of the architectural schools of Béla's era.
14th century: Gothic Hall church
In the second half of the 14th century was rebuilt into a Gothic Hall church. The whole building was remodeled in a mature Gothic style. In 1370 king Louis I of Hungary began with the construction of the iconic Maria Gate at the southwest. The closest parallel to this representative two-door gate is the portal of St. Lorenz Church in Nuremberg, built fifteen years earlier. During the reign of Louis, a complete redesign of the church basilica space was begun in the spirit of mature Gothic architecture. The arches of the side naves were raised to the height of the main nave, and huge windows with rich stone lattice were placed on the high walls, thus creating a bright, airy hall. During the reign of king Sigismund, the side shrines were extended and provided with an octagonal Gothic closure. In the final phase of the construction, the masters of the Prague Parler workshop also worked on the building. Between 1412 and 1433 they ordered the burial chapel of the aristocratic Garai family beside the north side sanctuary at the request of Nicholas II Garai. The closest relative of the newly formed Hall church is the Abbey of Hronský Beňadik, current Slovakia.
The church reached its peak in medieval prosperity during the reign of king Matthias Corvinus. The king built the southwest bell tower, one of the finest pieces of Gothic architecture in Hungary. According to the coat of arms of Matthias, the south tower, which collapsed in 1384, was rebuilt in 1470. Apart from its destroyed helmet, the bell tower still retains its original form, although in the late 19th century a complete replacement of its stone material became inevitable. However, the head of the great arch supporting the choir still preserves its original stone.
Matthias also erected a royal oratory near the southern sanctuary of the church, but it was completely destroyed during the Turkish occupation. At that time, at the end of the 15th century, they began the construction of the northwestern tower, which had already been completed with the exception of the helmet before the Turkish conquest.
During the first Turkish invasion in 1526, the medieval roof structure and most of its equipment were destroyed. In 1541 the rebuilt Church of the Blessed Virgin was converted into a mosque by the Turks after the final conquest of Buda; in this church the Sultan Suleiman gave thanks to Allah for the victory. Its equipment and altars were discarded and the painted walls were plastered over. While most other churches in Buda were destroyed by the Ottomans, the Church of Mary survived, converted into a mosque and called from this point Büyük (Great), Eski (Old) or Suleiman Han Cami. Of course, destruction could not be completely avoided; the Matthias royal oratory, the north tower, the Garai chapel and the side chapels were demolished to use their stones elsewhere.
After Buda was retaken (1686), the church first became the property of the Franciscans, and then of the Jesuit Order, which restored it in Baroque style. Between 1688 and 1702, a huge dormitory was built on its north side and a three-story seminary on its south side. Between 1702 and 1714, the originally free-standing church was made part of a large building complex. Although the scene of great pastoral work, the church lost almost all its medieval ornamentation, rendering its exterior façade insignificant.
In 1690 the Palatine of Hungary Paul I, Prince Esterházy built the new Baroque main altar, and in 1696 built a lobby in front of the main gate. In the same year, Matthias' bell tower was crowned with a Baroque onion dome. The Chapel of Loreto was built in 1707, this received a bell tower in 1719, and soon afterwards its side chapels were erected, and a new sacristy was erected in place of the Bride's Gate.
Baroque transformations were conducted in many medieval elements; only the few windows of the Matthias Bell tower guarded the original character of the church's facade.
After the dissolution of the Jesuit Order in 1773, the council of the city of Buda owned the church.
Under the leadership of the king Franz Joseph I of Austria, between 1874 and 1896, a major rebuilding took place, under the architect Frigyes Schulek, which restored the original image of the building. The stone carving was done by Jakab Kauser, a well-known family of architects from Pest.
The church was restored to its original 13th-century plan, but a number of early original Gothic elements were uncovered. By also adding new motifs of his own (such as the diamond pattern roof tiles and gargoyles laden spire) Schulek ensured that the work, when finished, would be highly controversial.
Schulek freed the church, enclosed in former Jesuit buildings, at the expense of the demolition of adjacent parts, restoring its original, distinctive character. The vault and walls of the building were demolished to the ground in several places to reconstruct the original architectural solutions. In all the church he removed the Baroque joints and sought to restore the ancient ones, but by completely restoring the damaged parts and surfaces. Thus Sigismund's side sanctuaries were demolished and the original, simpler closures restored; the Maria Gate dating back to Louis I of Hungary was reopened, the Matthias bell tower was renovated – at the same time almost all the original main column capitals were replaced with faithful copies. Wherever he could find no clue, the architect introduced new elementsof his own design: he erected a foyer in front of the Maria Gate, he created the new St Stephen's chapel in place of the destroyed Garai chapel, he renovated the Baroque side chapels along the northern nave in a neo-Gothic style; based on old images, he topped the southern tower with the rich neo-Gothic cap and balcony row that we see today. The northern tower was equipped with a late Romanesque style top, a pediment was placed between the two towers. He built the two sacristies and a royal oratory opening to the main apse from the north. The crypt, which had been built in 1780, was also renewed in a free neo-Gothic style.
Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz directed, together with Schulek, the interior decoration and furnishing,utilising the remains of the medieval wall paintings. They painted the figurative murals themselves, made the designs for the stained glass windows executed by Ede Kratzmann, and for the new sculptural decoration made by Ferenc Mikula. The altarpieces were painted by Mihály Zichy (St Imre's chapel) and Gyula Aggházy (Loreto chapel); the bas-relief on the main gate depicting the Our Lady of the Hungarians is by Lajos Lontay. The benches and the organ cabinet were designed by Schulek.
The church was completed in 1893; by the time of the Millenary celebrations it shone, though not in its original forms but in all of its old splendour. In 1898 the remains of Béla III of Hungary and his first wife, Agnes of Antioch, found their final burial place in the chapel of the northern nave of the church. They had been unearthed during the excavations carried out on the ruins of the royal basilica in Székesfehérvár in 1848 (basilica destroyed by the Turks)
The Southwest Virgin Mary gate, - which in the tympanum depicts the Virgin Mary falling asleep - is one of the few original medieval remains from the beginning of the 15th century. This is a replica of the 13th century main gate. The Loreto Chapel, of medieval origin, beneath the southern tower preserves a Madonna statue from the end of the 17th century. This work of art was created to replace the original medieval sculpture of the Madonna, which was walled in during the Turkish occupation in the church.
Assessing Schulek's rebuilding, he did not appreciate the historic importance of the church, which was in a very poor condition, but replaced many of its historical stones with careful copies. However, thanks to his scientific depth and precise work of form, we can today see the former state of this church in its facade. Reconstructed faithfully and, to a lesser extent, re-imagined in a worthy way, the church is the highest-quality example of Hungarian neo-Gothic architecture, and its interior decoration, one of the highest achievements of Eastern European Art Nouveau.
In 1936, on the 250th anniversary of the recapture of the Buda Castle, a Hungarian and Italian inscription commemorating the Baron Michele d'Aste was placed on the right-hand apse wall. Lieutenant-Colonel D'Aste, who died during the battle, contributed greatly to the success of the action. The inscription reads as follows: "Lieutenant Colonel Michele d'Aste, Italian Colonel, on September 2, 1686, was among the first to sacrifice his life for the liberation of Buda"
In 1927 the "Chapel of the Knights of Malta" was created in an oratory in the northern gallery of the church. Around the altar and along the corridor were the shields of the then Hungarian Knights of Malta. A restoration was made in 2005, after which the church authorities and the Hungarian Association of the Order of Malta restored the custom of exposing the coats-of-arms of deceased knights. Around the altar there are five commemorative shields of noteworthy Chaplains of the Order, among them Cardinal Jusztinián György Serédi, and the martyr Bishop Blessed Vilmos Apor. In the foreground one can see the shields of the members from 1925 to 1944, while in the passage from the sacristy to the lower church there are the shields of deceased members after 1945. On All Souls Day each year, after a funeral Mass, the knights place on the wall the coats-of-arms of the members who died during the year.
Before World War II, on the initiative of Pál Teleki, a complete renovation of the church was begun, but the war prevented its completion. During the 1944–1945 siege of Budapest by the Allies, the building was severely damaged. The crypt was used by the Germans for their camp kitchen, and after the fall of the city, the Soviets used the sanctuary to stable their horses. War damage was repaired by the Hungarian State between 1950 and 1970. The five-manual organ, which had been severely damaged during the war, was repaired and re-consecrated in 1984.
In 1994, an unidentified terrorist detonated an IED at the gate of the building that opens towards the Fisherman's Bastion, damaging sixteen of the church's windows.
In 1999 the church was - for the first time in its history - handed over to the Catholic Church as parish property. The ístate financedrestoration works from 2005 to 2015.
The new Church of Mary built by Béla IV of Hungary in 1270 soon became a venue for events of national importance. In 1279 had already held a national council here under the leadership of Lieutenant of the Pope Fülöp Fermói and the Archbishop of Esztergom Lodomer, where they were invited by king Ladislaus IV of Hungary.
In the aftermath of the throne after 1301, the Czech king Wenceslaus III and Bavarian king Otto III were nominated as kings of Hungary here, and then in 1309 at another national council, papal legate cardinal Gentile Portino da Montefiore, and Archbishop of Esztergom Tamás crowned here with a new crown to the Anjou king Charles I of Hungary. The same king was found here between his death in Visegrád and his funeral in Székesfehérvár.
In January 1412 King Sigismund for the first time suspended his victory flags on the walls of the church, which had been rebuilt by then, which he captured in the campaign against Republic of Venice. This gesture later created a tradition of John Hunyadi. In 1424, in the Corpus Christi feast as a guest of the German-Roman Emperor Sigismund and the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaiologos turned between its walls. After the death of Sigismund in 1438 the Hungarian king Albert II of Germany and in 1440 the Hungarian king Władysław III of Poland was introduced in the church after their election. In 1444 Władysław III, after his triumphant campaign, here held his solemn thanksgiving with John Hunyadi.
St John of Capistrano held a recruiting speech here to promote his involvement and recruit troops for the Turkish campaign. In 1455 John Hunyadi received the cross here from the papal legacy of Carvajal and started from here to Belgrade.
In 1456 Pope Callixtus III founded a cathedral chapter near the church. This was abolished during the Turkish occupation, but the provost title of "Pest-újhegyi", named after the Virgin Mary, has been bestowed by the Hungarian apostolate and from 1920 to the Archbishop of Esztergom.
When Matthias Corvinus ascended the throne, in 1458 the Holy Crown of Hungary was not in Hungary. Therefore, Matthias, returning from his captivity in Prague, solemnly began his reign in the Church of Mary in the form of a "crown without crown": thanking God and Mary, the Grandmother of Hungary, whose inheritance was honored by her father; before the altar he promised to keep the sacred rights, then went to his palace and sat on his throne and began to deal with the affairs of the country.
Matthias held both of his weddings in this church: in 1463 with Catherine of Poděbrady and in 1476 with Beatrice of Naples. The south gate, which is still called the Bride's Gate, reminds us of this. The parish priest of the church at that time was Marcin Bylica, a friend of Matthias, an excellent astronomer, and Regiomontanus.
In 1526 the treasures of the church were fled to Bratislava. The Palatine of Hungary István Werbőczy proclaimed here the covenant of the king John Zápolya with the French, the Pope, Venice and Florence. A few months later, at the feast of King St Stephen, the "counter-king", Habsburg Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor attended the Mass here.
It was used as the main mosque of Buda by the occupying Turks from 1541 to 1686. Legend has it that Gül Baba, a member of the Bektás Dervish Order in the temple, whose tomb (mausoleum) is still near Margaret Bridge, it is still the northernmost Islamic pilgrimage site in the world.
The victory of the desperate struggle for Buda was attributed by contemporaries to the miracle of the church's statue of Mary, which was not destroyed by the Turks, but simply bricked up. In 1686, before the last attack of the siege of Vladislaus II. The wall drawn in front of a vow sculpture donated by Vladislaus fell down during a major explosion, and the long-forgotten statue of the Our Lady of the Hungarians appeared in front of the Turks praying in the main mosque (current church of Mary). The triumphant statue of Mary was carried on the streets of Buda in a Thanksgiving procession. Remembering this event, the church is still a place of worship for the image.
In 1686 the church was owned by the Jesuit Order and was a very careful landlord in his own way: the 87-year pastoral flower in the history of the church, marked by the Society of Jesus. The spiritually deprived city was cultivated and re-catholicized by their college. The Order (also in the wake of the Counter-Reformation) was strongly attached to the Habsburg Ruler, and there are hardly any Hungarians among their members, as was the newly settled citizenship, as in the Middle Ages, being German. Yet it is thanks to these monks that the cult of the Our Lady of the Hungarians and the idea of the Regnum Marianum (the Kingdom of Mary) and the reverence of the holy kings, which became one of the pillars of Hungarian identity and the spiritual foundation of national independence aspirations.
In front of the church, a plague memorial was erected in 1713, the Holy Trinity Column, which served as a model for many similar works in the country.
In 1867, as culmination of the Austro-Hungarian Compromise, cardinal-Archbishop of Esztergom János Simor crowned here as Hungarian king to the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife, Elizabeth with the Holy Crown. The Coronation Mass by Franz Liszt was performed for the first time in this important celebration.
On 30 December 1916, Charles IV and his wife, Queen Zita were crowned here, by the cardinal-Archbishop of Esztergom János Csernoch with the Holy Crown.
In 2000, in the year of the Great Jubilee, remembering the former sending of the crown, the young people of the church made a fresh copy of the Holy Crown of Hungary for Pope John Paul II which him was brought to the Vatican on a walking pilgrimage blessed in Rome and crowned with the statue of Virgin Mary on the main altar at the Assumption of the Pope.
The size of a 40.000 year old tooth from the Denisova cave indicates a very tall individual, and artefacts found tell about
an unbelievable modern technology - including high speed drilling. The first kings of Egypt were called Gods, but they lived with the people and helped them to develop their civilisation. Many of the granite and basalt artefacts found in Egypt can only have been done by high speed drilling. Were these divine kings in fact Denisova hominins? Did they underestimate how fragile the eco-balance of our environment is, did they trigger a worldwide catastrophe that "capsized" the Earth and wiped them out?
Remnants of a previously unknown hominin, distinct from both early modern humans and Neanderthals,
were a few years ago found in the Denisova cave of southern Siberia: Denisova hominins. The bones and also artefacts excavated at the same level were carbon dated to around 40.000 BP. The scientists say these Denisovans had "modern technology and ornaments, including a very beautiful bracelet". Our archaic cousins the Denisova Hominins
A catastrophe in form of a flood that, according to the legends wiped out the Egyptian civilization that was developed by divine kings (Gods), shall have taken place more than 30.000 years ago. The finger bone, the large tooth and the artefacts found in the Denisova cave in the north-east Altai Mountains region are also dated to be more than 30.000 years old. The small bone belonged to a very young girl. A small bracelet of polished stone was also found, and since it was found in the same layer and dated to the same age; it might have belonged to her.
We can only speculate why the young girl was in the cave. Could it be that she was seeking shelter from a coming catastrophe, might be brought there by her mother or father? Or that she was washed into the cave by the raging wave of a tsunami - even if the cave today is 600 meters above sea level?
It seems that the first rulers of Egypt had a technology that was even more advanced than we have today; we are in fact unable to replicate many of the artefacts found. And it still is an open question how they managed to construct the Great Pyramid with its incredible precision and up to 70 ton's stones.
The archaeologists say that the ancient Egyptians used simple tools like bronze chisels and stone hammers but many of the items found, like basalt jars and also the so called sarcophagus in the Great Pyramid, cannot be made without high speed drilling with drill-bits harder than basalt and granite. The artefacts found in the Denisova cave, the bracelet with pendant, the eyed needles and other ornaments, also witness of a superior technology - and believe it or not: They had used hight speed drilling!
Not us homo sapien sapien
We do not know how the Denisova hominines looked but as mentioned: A tooth found in the cave was very large, so they might have been very tall. We know that people in the area surrounding the Altai Mountains in the 6th to 3rd centuries BC had a very advanced technology; a race of white skinned, blond, blue eyed and very tall people with Caucasian features and long skulls.
The divine kings, the "Gods", of Egypt were often depicted as white skinned, blond, blue eyed and very tall people with Caucasian features and a long skull. Were the "Gods" of the ancient Egyptian king-lists in fact Denisovans? Not us homo sapien sapien but our archaic cousins the Denisova Hominins?
We do not yet know what the Denisova hominins looked like but a Denisovan tooth found in the cave is the largest archaic homo species tooth found. Were the Denisovans the giants of the legends all over the world? Where they the first kings of Egypt - the divine Pharaohs? Did they have an advanced technology that later got lost, might be together with the Denisovans themselves, in a world wide catastrophe?
Global warming
Professor Gregory Ryskin at Northwestern University in Illinois, USA, has found that the long-term changes in the Earth's main magnetic field are possibly induced by our oceans' circulation. We know that global warming already has raised the temperatures of the oceans of the world and some scientists have proposed that this could disrupt thermohaline circulation (THC), which is a massive, worldwide system of ocean currents. We have already seen a change in some ocean currents, so a change in our Earth's magnetic field might already be happening! Might be this is why our magnetic poles are moving much more rapid than before! Scary stuff - because this could also mean a change in the Earth's gravity - and changes in gravitational forces will certainly affect the tectonic plates and with the continents on them. Might be this is the reason why we also experience more earthquakes than before?! Might be we should take Hapgood's conclusions and Heyerdahl's warning serious?
Did the Egyptian "capsize" the world - did they have technologies that could contribute to a sudden and rapid polar change? Might be because of and a change in the Earths gravity and/or magnetic field? Well, some say that the ancient Egyptians used the pyramids to create a unique form of energy. That they by paying special attention to celestial events, they could have used natural forces like static electricity, the Earth's magnetic field, and lightning.
Electric phenomenon
Sir William Seimens, a famous German born English inventor, travelled to Egypt and visited the Great Pyramid. While they were standing on the top, the guide remarked that when he raised his hand with his fingers spread, it caused an intense ringing noise in his ears. Sir William ventured a few tests, one by raising his arm with his index finger pointing, which he claimed caused a prickling sensation. He then drank some wine from a metallic cup which gave him a distinct shock. He was convinced he was witnessing some sort of electric phenomenon and instantly put this to the test by assembling a makeshift Leyden Jar, an apparatus for the storage of static electricity, by wrapping moistened newspaper around the wine bottle. The static charge at the peak of the pyramid was so high that sparks began to stream from the bottle. The guide was so shocked that he accused Sir William of witchcraft and tried to grab the bottle, but an electrical jolt knocked him unconscious.
A power plant?
Master craftsman and engineer Christopher Dunn argues that based on his measurements of Egyptian monuments, ancient stonecutting achieved a high-precision accuracy surpassing modern accuracy standards in building. He asked himself what was the power source that fuelled such a civilization and after twenty years of research, Dunn reveals that the Great Pyramid of Giza was actually a electrical power plant. Based on the technology of harmonic resonance, he claims that the pyramid was a large acoustical device! By its size and dimensions, this crystal edifice created a harmonic resonance with the Earth and converted Earth's vibrational energies to microwave radiation. He shows in his books and articles how the pyramid's numerous chambers and passageways were positioned with the deliberate precision to maximize its acoustical qualities.
Inventor Michael F. Praamsma partly agrees but he says that the Great Pyramid at Giza was "a sophisticated acoustical sound chamber that was used as a technique to generate natural sounds to create an elevated frequency environment confined to a single resonant physical cavity". He claims that the Great Pyramid was systematically and competently sealed, and that this was "a sign it was decommissioned and intended to be of use again at a future day, when the awakened humanity would restore it competently to its rightful function, unfortunately history went another way."
A California researcher, Peter Grandics, has shown how an antenna, modeled on the Great Pyramid of Giza, can transfer the power of atmospheric electrostatic discharge impulses into a resonant circuit that converts the random impulses into an alternating current as a potential source of renewable electric power. Thousands of terawatts of power are generated in the troposphere by thunderstorms and a pyramidal structure, with its optimal geometry and construction, can act as a suitable charge sink, capturing this electric.
A biological engineer named John Burke argues that the movement of underground water in limestone aquifers below monuments produces an electric current via friction and the rich magnetic dolomite content of the stone. Burke measured positive ground current at Silbury hill in England, an ancient pyramidal mound composed of chalk and clay that lies on top of such limestone bedrock riddled with zig zagging aquifers filled with rainwater. Such tunnels and water caverns lie beneath the Giza plateau as well. Abd'El Hakim Awyan, a native Egyptian archaeologist, attests to swimming in such tunnels during his youth on the Giza plateau.
Electric torches?
Another alternative theory is that the pyramids were wireless power plants used to generate electricity and for wireless communication. On the internet you will find a video where it is speculated that the Great Pyramid may have been powered by the Ark of the Covenant. The person behind the video is saying that murals inside tombs and temples show that the ancient Egyptians were using handheld electric torches powered by cable free power sources. It is believed that the so called sarcophagus inside the Great Pyramid has the exact dimensions, according to the Christian bible, to house the Ark of Covenant: That the pyramid with a capstone of gold and the covenant in place was a kind of super capacitor the could produce and store electric energy. It is also theorized that Moses stole the Ark of Covenant from the pyramid and took it with him out of Egypt. This should be the main reason for the downfall of the Egyptian pharaohs; without the electrics power their own power dwindled. This should have happened at the time of the pharaoh Ramses II.
Three engineers; Erica Miller, Sean Sloan and Gregg Wilson all agree on one theory: That the Great Pyramid acted as a huge nuclear breeder reactor, which produced Plutonium fuel by mediating uranium isotopes in water. Supposedly, the King's Chamber was flooded with a water pump, and the sarcophagus was packed with uranium ore.
Frenchman Antoine Bovis stumbled upon dead cats and mice that had been disposed of in the trash cans inside the Great Pyramid, and they were perfectly mummified - apparently automatically, without putrefying or giving off a stench. When Bovis returned to France he built a scale model of Khufu's monument, deposited a dead cat inside - and the Giza phenomenon repeated itself, the cat mummified without rotting. Karl Drbal of Czechoslovakia researched this further and said that this was due to the pyramid's special cavity that resonated with cosmic microwaves concentrated in the earth's magnetic field. He also hypothesized that the same concept would work for rusted shavers, and claimed the sharpness of the tools returned after lacing them in a scale model of the pyramid. Stanford Research Institute, however, carrying out experiments in the Great Pyramid, and found that biological samples deteriorated at normal rates within the structure.
Energy grid
Some researchers say that it not by chance that the Great Pyramid was built where it was. They propose that the Earth has a planetary energetic grid that operates through geometric patterns called Sacred Geometry. Grids meet at various intersecting points forming a grid or matrix. These grid points shall be found at some of the strongest power places on the planet. A planetary grid map outlined by the Russian team of Goncharov, Morozov and Makarov has an overall organization anchored to the north and south axial poles and the Great Pyramid at Giza.
It is said that the ancient people, including the Egyptians, knew that wherever the earth's energy gathered into a vortex was a sacred place. Very simular is the theory that the Earth has as net of electromagnetic lines, and that the intersecting points of the network, the knots, are influenced by underground veins of water as well as magnetic forces emanating naturally from the Earth. The ancient Egyptians are said to have been able to move and/or anchor the energy lines by pushing metal rods into the ground before they built a temple or pyramid - they shall have called it "piercing the snake".
Also what is called lay lines seems to be connected to an ancient grid of a form. According to Wikipedia; "Ley lines are hypothetical alignments of a number of places of geographical interest, such as ancient monuments and megaliths." Archaeologists have documented that the alignments are existing but it is not proved that the ley lines and their intersection points resonate a special psychic or magical energy or that they have electrical or magnetic forces as some writers claim.
Pyramid fortex using a Tesla coil
In addition to all this it is also said that we have high energy spots on the Earth called vortices - and they shall be linked ley lines. A Vortex (plural: vortices) is usually a spinning, often turbulent, flow of fluid but some also include a kind of spinning Earth energy due to its electromagnetic field. Such vortices can be volcanoes, high mountains, hot springs, mineral deposits, deep gorges, rock outcroppings and even in deserts like the Sinai. Ancient sites can also be vortices, like the pyramids of Egypt. Dr. Dee J. Nelson has taken a so called Kirlian photograph of energy spiralling out of the top of a pyramid using a Tesla Coil.
Nikola Tesla - Earthquake Machine
The Tesla Coil was invented by Serbian-American engineer Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943), one of history's greatest scientists. His coil is an electrical resonant transformer circuit, used to produce high-voltage, low-current, and high frequency alternating-current electricity. Yes, he is best known for inventing the alternating electrical current (AC) used all over the world today, but his patents and theoretical work helped form the basis for radio comunication and many other inventions.
Nikola Tesla was an electrical genius, but he also was responsible for a number of mechanical devices. One of these was his "Earthquake Machine" also known as the Tesla Oscillator. The machine which Tesla tested was no larger than an alarm clock but it is said that when he started to twiddle the machine's frequency-controller in his lab: blocks around chaos reigned as objects fell off shelves, furniture moved across floors, windows shattered, and pipes broke. When the police arrived they found the inventor smashing the resonator to bits with a hammer: "Gentlemen, I am sorry. You are just a trifle too late to witness my experiment. I found it necessary to stop it suddenly and unexpectedly in an unusual way, he said calmly to the astonished officers.
Tesla was convinced that by finding the correct frequency, any structure can be destroyed (an obvious example is the wine glass shattered by an opera singer). He later told a friend that he could split the Earth with one of these devices: "I could set the earth's crust into such a state of vibration that it would rise and fall hundreds of feet, throwing rivers out of their beds, wrecking buildings, and practically destroying civilization".
Tesla and coils
Tesla claimed that the laws of electromagnetics were connected to gravity, and one of his patents was on a flying machine without wings or propellers but based on what he called electrogravitics. Tesla also was working on a generator that basically worked by harnessing the electricity from the air and the ground. He used the natural conductivity of limestone aquifers to generate electrical power. The power ran up the ground into the Tesla coil tower above, which in theory should channel wirelessly transmitted power over great distances. Since Telsa wanted the distribution of the energy to be free, the inventor's sponsor pulled out from funding the scientist's machine before it was completed. Tesla died a poor and disillusioned man.
His research station for transmitting power at Colorado Springs might have a link to the Great Pyramid - a notable harmonic association between the latitude positions of both sites. Coral Castle - 9-ton gate that moves with just a touch of the finger.
Edward Leedskalnin - Coral Castle
Another person that was interested in gravity and electromagnetism was Edward Leedskalnin (1887-1951) - an eccentric Latvian emigrant to the United States. He built the extraordinary monument known as Coral Castle in Florida. Leedskalnin single-handedly and secretly carved and displayed over 1,100 tons of coral rock, the heaviest stone weighing 35 tons. It is a mystery how the tiny man could move all the heavy stones. He claimed to have discovered the secrets of the pyramids, and had found out how the Egyptians and the ancient builders in Peru, Yucatan, and Asia, with only primitive tools, raised and set in place blocks of stone weighing many tons! But he did not want to show
"I have discovered the secrets of the pyramids, and have found out how the Egyptians and the ancient builders in Peru, Yucatan, and Asia, with only primitive tools, raised and set in place blocks of stone weighing many tons!"
- Edward Leedskalninanybody how it was done and worked mostly at night-time. A group of young witnesses claimed to see coral blocks floating through the air "like hydrogen balloons" and another time one of Ed's neighbours found him singing to the stones with his hands placed on their surface as if he were somehow making them lighter.
Ed Leedskalnin disputed contemporary science and believed that "all matter consists of magnets which can produce measurable phenomena, and electricity." Ed would say he had "re-discovered the laws of weight, measurement, and leverage," and that these concepts "involved the relationship of the Earth to celestial alignments."
Researchers have speculated that Ed Leedskalnin learned the secret of levitation and one theory in particular caught the imagination of many. The planetary grid hypothesis postulates that the earth is covered by an invisible web of energy which is concentrated at points of telluric power, the convergence of which create unusual phenomena. Leedskalnin moved the complex from Florida City to Homestead and some suggest this was because Ed realized he had made a mathematical error in his original positioning and moved to an area with greater telluric force.
The famed American psychic Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) said during his readings that the Great Pyramid "was erected by the application of those universal laws and forces of nature which cause iron to float. By the same laws, gravity may be overcome, or neutralized, and stone made to float in air. The Pyramid was thus built by levitation, abetted by song and chanting". He also said that the Great Pyramid was built was built as a hall of initiation around 10,500BC by those who originally came from the civilization of Atlantis.
Levitation by sound
Metal rods that caused the stone to levitate
The current estimates of mainstream science contends that it took a workforce of 4,000 to 5,000 men 20 years to build the Great Pyramid using ropes, pulleys, ramps, ingenuity and brute force. But the 10th century Arab historian, Abul Hasan Ali Al-Masudi had written a 30-volume history of the world and he wrote about how the great stone blocks of the pyramid were transported. First, he said, a "magic papyrus" was placed under the stone to be moved. Then the stone was struck with a metal rod that caused the stone to levitate and move along a path paved with stones and fenced on either side by metal poles. The stone would travel along the path, wrote Al-Masudi, for a distance of about 50 meters and then settle to the ground. The process would then be repeated until the builders had the stone where they wanted it.
An ancient legend tells that The Great Pyramid was built from year 10,490 to 10,390 B.C. That the god Ra made studies of the terrain and took great care in figuring the geometrical location in relation to the Sphinx and the four cardinal points of the compass. The Pyramid was then built by levitation, abetted by song and chanting.
Well, we do not have any proof that the ancient Egyptians could make the huge stones fly through the air but levitation is no longer only a party-trick by magicians with quick fingers. We have high speed trains that levitate by the help of magnetic power and in an incredible move for modern medicine; scientists are using sound waves to help levitate droplets of drugs to make them with less side effects.
A kind of Swiss knife
The Great Pyramid is very different to other pyramids, in Giza or else. Most alternative researches conclude that it was some kind of machine; most possibly a power station. We have seen that it would be impossible to use the Great Pyramid as a tomb for a pharaoh and that dating of seashell tells that it much older than the other pyramids. The nearby sphinx has been re-dated to be at least 5000 years old because of the erosion from water, but it might be much older. The same will go for the Great Pyramid. Some speculate that the Great Pyramid was a kind of Swiss knife - a gigantic multipurpose tool. The world "pyramid" means "fire in the middle" - so if it was a kind of power station with the power source situated in what is called Khufu's sarcophagus the some researches in one way might be correct when that speculate that the pyramid also was built as a gigantic ram water pump - inside the base of the pyramid. Yes, it could have been a power-station with a water cooling system! We have seen that some say that the power source was the ark of covenant from the Christian bible and some say
The King's Chamber with the stones above
King's Chamber and large stones
that Moses was the person who stole it from the pyramid. That the pharaohs' rapid decline took place because with no more energy, in form of electric power, then their advanced civilisation could no longer exist!
A gigantic Tesla coil?
Or might be the Great Pyramid was a kind of a gigantic Tesla coil? That the huge granite stones, highly polished on the underside and placed above the so called Kings chamber, made it possible to harness electricity from the ionosphere - just like Nikola Tesla wanted to do it?
About 20 minutes drive from the Great Pyramid is the site of Abu Ghurab, the "Place of Osiris". The ruined stepped pyramid once had an alabaster platform on the top and on the platform it had been standing an obelisk ("sun stick"); most likely, the total height was between fifty and seventy meters. It had looked like a pyramid with a flat top, just like Great Pyramid! Is it possible that the Great Pyramid once had an obelisk standing on it's flat top - and not a capstone? The legends says that spirit of the sun god entered the obelisks at certain periods…
Could it have been like this - an obelisk on top of the Great Pyramid?
Can it have been like this?
Tesla viewed the Earth as a negative electric pole and the sun as a positive pole of an electrode; so an obelisk standing on top of a pyramid would to him be a solar-electric diode! If the under ground part of the pyramid was a pump that brought water up to the Kings Chamber then we would have a capacitor with a very good earth ground. Yes, the Great Pyramid could have been an extremely powerful kind of solar-panel!
Might be Tesla got the idea of harnessing the ionosphere from the Egyptians? Might be they had made the strongest power station ever but that something went terribly wrong; a technical fault or a construction-fault? Or might be extra strong solar activity? Stephen A. Reynods of New Zealand has done research showing that changes in the ionosphere caused by strong solar activity can cause changes in the Earth's internal magnetic field and through telluric current induced in the Earth's crust trigger earthquakes. So might be it happened that instead of harnessing high voltage that could be stored and used, the pyramid send the current into the ground and
The God Ptah with a Djed pillar
Ptah and pillar
triggered a gigantic earthquake that literally shook the whole Earth and caused geological catastrophes worldwide? Might be the changes to the internal magnetic field was so fast and so strong that the outer crust slipped - just like professor Charles H. Hapgood once suggested (but not due to imbalance of the polar ice)?
Interesting enough; one of the oldest and most important symbols to the ancient Egyptian was the "Djed Pillar". Take a look at the image to the right of the God Ptah holding a Djed pillar. The pillar looks very simular til the set-up of the stones above the Kings Chamber - and also a homemade Tesla coil! You might also have noticed a Djed pillar in picture of what could illustrate an electric lamp in an ancient Egyptian temple, higher up in the article!
Very advanced technology
In the Palermo, Turin and Manetho king lists, there are names of eight god kings that ruled Egypt in the beginning; Ptah, Ra, Geb, Osiris, Set, Horus, Thoth and the female god Ma'at. Even if they sometimes were represented in a variety of forms on murals, often with human body and animals/birds heads, these gods seemed to be something else than imaginary gods living in a theological heaven. They lived on earth, were married with children, and had duties they performed. They also helped the ordinary people to develop. We have seen that Ptah made the Nile-delta liveable after the great flood and Thoth is credited as the author of all works of science, religion, philosophy as well as magic and he is said to have been married with the female god and ruler Ma'at.
Pharaoh Can it be that the first kings of Egypt were called Gods because they came from a far away place and looked a bit different to the other humans in ancient Egypt? The word "God" comes from "shining/bright" and murals picturing the first pharaohs/gods show that they had so white skin that the must have looked very bright compared to other people! Were they also called devine because they had much better mental capabilities and a very advanced technology?
www.sydhav.no/giants/denisova_giants_egypt.htm
Dendera light
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The dendera light
The dendera light is a motif in the Hathor temple at Dendera in Egypt. A fringe theory interpretation of the reliefs is that they depict some form of ancient Egyptian lighting technology, similar to an arc lamp or cathode ray tube.
The temple contains several reliefs depicting Harsomtus, in the form of a snake, emerging from a lotus flower which is usually attached to the bow of a barge. The so-called dendera light is a variation of this motif, showing Harsomtus in an oval container called hn, which might represent the womb of Nut.[1][2][3] Sometimes a djed pillar supports the snake or the container. A closely related motif is "god resting on the lotus flower".
Contents
1Depictions and text
2Similar motifs
3Fringe interpretation
4See also
5References
6External links
Depictions and text
Each of the three objects consists of two reliefs. One half (a) of each pair is in south crypt 1-C (crypte 4), the other half (b) in room G (chambre V) of the temple.[3]
Object
(location)
TextRelief
Object 1(a)
(Crypt 1-C, south wall)
Speaking the words of Harsomtus, the great God, who dwells in Dendera, who is in the arms of the first in the night-barge, sublime snake, whos Chentj-statue carries Heh, whos crew carries in holiness his perfection, whos Ba caused Hathor to appear in the sky, whos figure is revered by his followers, who is unique, encircled by his forehead-snake, with countless names on the top of Chui-en-hesen, the symbol of power of Re in the land of Atum (Dendera), the father of the Gods, who created everything.
Gold his metal, height: four handbreadths
(left)
Object 2(a)
(Crypt 1-C,
south wall)
Speaking the words of harsomtus, the great God, who dwells in Dendera, the living Ba in the lotus flower of the day-barge, whos perfection is carried by the two arms of the djed-pillar as his Seschemu-image, while the Kas on their knees bend their arms.
Gold and all precious stones, height: three handbreadths
(right)
Object 3(a)
(Crypt 1-C,
north wall)
Speaking the words of harsomtus, the great God, who dwells in Dendera, who emerges out of the lotus flower as a living Ba, whos completeness is elevated by the Kematju-images of his Ka, whos Seschemu-image is revered by the crew of the day-barge, whos body is carried by the djed-pillar, underneath his Seschemu-image is the Primal and whos majesty is carried by the companions of his Ka.
Gold, height: one cubit
Denderah. Grand temple. Crypte no. 4 (NYPL b16461786-1548062) (lower).jpg
Object 1(b)
(Room G,
south wall)
Harsomtus in the hn-container of the night-barge that contains four figures. The figure of heh is in front of him, whereas this flower is behind him, the water beneath him.
Gold his metal, height: four handbreadths.
Denderah. Grand temple. Chambre V (NYPL b16461786-1547977) (lower).jpg
Object 2(b)
(Room G,
north wall)
Harsomtus on his barge
Gold and all precious stones, height: three handbreadths
(left)
Object 3(b)
(Room G,
north wall)
Harsomtus of Upper- and Lower Egypt, the Sata-snake, that emerges from the flower, which contains the hn-container, who is flanked by four figures with human faces, under his head the figure of Heh on the Serech on the bow of his barge. The Juf-monkey with the face of a toad, armed with knives, is in front of him, as are the two figures that carry the front part of this flower.
(right)
Similar motifs
Denderah. Grand temple. Chambre V (NYPL b16461786-1547977) (upper).jpg
Denderah. Grand temple. Crypte no. 4 (NYPL b16461786-1548061) (Harsomtus).jpg
Denderah. Grand temple. Chambre V (NYPL b16461786-1547978) (upper).jpg
Denderah. Grand temple. Crypte no. 1 (NYPL b16461786-1548026) (harsomtus).jpg
Denderah. Grand temple. Chambres de la terrasse. Osiris du sud. Chambre no. 3 (NYPL b16461786-1548166) (cropped).tiff
NaqaLionTempleApedemakSnake.jpg
Fringe interpretation
In contrast to the mainstream interpretation, a fringe theory proposes that the reliefs depict Ancient Egyptian technology, based on comparison to similar modern devices (such as a Cathode-ray tube, Geissler tubes, Crookes tubes, and arc lamps). J. N. Lockyer's passing reference to a colleague's humorous suggestion that electric lamps would explain the absence of lampblack deposits in the tombs has sometimes been forwarded as an argument supporting this particular interpretation (another argument being made is the use of a system of reflective mirrors).[4] Proponents of this interpretation have also used a text referring to "high poles covered with copper plates" to argue this,[5] but Bolko Stern has written in detail explaining why the copper-covered tops of poles (which were lower than the associated pylons) do not relate to electricity or lightning, pointing out that no evidence of anything used to manipulate electricity had been found in Egypt and that this was a magical and not a technical installation.[6]
Archaeologist and debunker Kenneth Feder argued that if ancient Egyptians really had such advanced technology, some light bulb remains (glass shards, metal sockets, filaments...) should have been discovered during archaeological excavations. By applying Occam's razor, he instead highlighted the feasibility of the aforementioned reflective mirrors system, and also that the notion of adding salt to torches to minimize lampblack was well known by ancient Egyptians.[7]
See also
Egyptian mythology
References
"Dendera Temple Crypt Archived 2010-04-25 at the Wayback Machine". iafrica.com.
Wolfgang Waitkus, Die Texte in den unteren Krypten des Hathortempels von Dendera: ihre Aussagen zur Funktion und Bedeutung dieser Räume, Mainz 1997 ISBN 3-8053-2322-0 (tr., The texts in the lower crypts of the Hathor temples of Dendera: their statements for the function and meaning of these areas)
Waitkus, Wolfgang (2002). "Die Geburt des Harsomtus aus der Blüte Zur Bedeutung und Funktion einiger Kultgegenstände des Tempels von Dendera". Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur. 30: 373–394. JSTOR 25152877.
Press, The MIT (15 May 1973). The Dawn of Astronomy | The MIT Press. mitpress.mit.edu. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262120142. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
Bruno Kolbe, Francis ed Legge, Joseph Skellon, tr., "An Introduction to Electricity". Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, 1908. 429 pages. Page 391. (cf., "[...] high poles covered with copper plates and with gilded tops were erected 'to break the stones coming from on high'. J. Dümichen, Baugeschichte des Dendera-Tempels, Strassburg, 1877")
Stern, Bolko (1998) [1896]. Ägyptische Kulturgeschichte. Reprint-Verlag-Leipzig. pp. 106–108. ISBN 978-3826219085.
Feder, Kenneth H. (2014). Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-803507-4., pp.225–7
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dendera light.
The Dendera Reliefs, Catchpenny Mysteries.
Frank Dörnenburg, Electric lights in Egypt?. 2004.
Mariette, Auguste (1870) - Dendérah: description générale du grand temple de cette ville (II: 48, 49; III: 44, 45)
Coordinates: 26.141611°N 32.670139°E
Categories: EgyptologyOut-of-place artifactsPseudoarchaeology
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendera_light
The ancient Egyptian Dendera Light "protective magical energy in liquid form" is the evaporative cooling fog. The fact that the Dendera Light is made of liquid water that transforms itself in a magical way, is exactly what are describing ancient Egyptians themselves : [About the snake inside the Dendera Light Bulb] "The field surrounding Ra’s snake form is referred to in ancient Egyptian literature as protective magical energy in liquid form that all gods and pharaohs possess (Faulkner 1970*)." ahotcupofjoe.net/2016/11/dendera-light-bulb-and-bagdad-ba...
*I'm not sure, but the excerpt might be from "The ancient Egyptian book of the dead / translated by Raymond O. Faulkne ; edited by Carol Andrews, 1972."
www.milleetunetasses.com/blog/the-great-pyramid-of-khufu-...
Evaporative cooling for the sodium carbonate manufacturing
My study is based on 2 key elements : the first one is the cold production inside the horizontal passage of the Great Pyramid ; and the second one is the production of sodium carbonate (pure natron), as suggested by the Red Pyramid.
The ammonia still present inside the Red Pyramid, indicates that they were using a sodium carbonate process identical or very close to the ammonia-soda process known as the Solvay process, developed into its modern form in the 1860s in Europe.
In the Solvay process, the ammonia only has a minor role ; but inside the Red Pyramid, my guess is that they didn't control the temperature of the different chemical reactions inside the Solvay towers. They couldn't cool down the towers.
That is the reason why they engineered the visible part of the Great Pyramid : to produce cold inside the horizontal passage, store it inside the Queen's chamber, and transfer it to the sodium carbonate production towers, passing through the Queen's chamber shafts.
www.khyber.org/places/2005/ZhobDistrict.shtml
Elevation: 7,500-10,000 feet
Area: 20,297 Sq Km
Zhob means oozing water, a reference perhaps to the spring which constitutes the source of Zhob River. Karez water can be seen everywhere when there is no drought situation. The Zhob district is located in the Balochistan Province in the north east of Pakistan. It lies close to the Afghanistan border. Zhob town is just east of Zhob river on an open plain. To the north is a ridge, about 150 ft high, on which is a castle from the time when the British colonized the area. In the winter, the weather is cold and the snow is normal. In the summer, although the temperature can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, there is little moisture, so it is not uncomfortable.
Zhob is a picturesque valley known for its beautiful mountains, treks and archeological sites. It starts from the Muslim Bagh (7500 feet) and ends at the Afghan border at Fort Sandeman (10000 feet). It expands to beautiful, breathtaking views throughout the valley. With an abundance of fruit orchards there is one dangerous little thing found amongst them, and that is the scorpion. In the month of April the flowers bloom and you'll be able to see an extraordinary site with flowers and snow together.
History:
The tribes inhabiting the area are indigenous to the land. Zhob is the cradle of the Afghan race. Qais Abdul Rashid, who is believed to be one of the progenitors of the Pashtoons or Afghans, lived in the Suleiman mountains near Zhob. He was born in 575 AD and died in 661 AD. Natives call the place where he is buried "Da Kase Ghar" (the mountain of Qais). He is buried near the Takht-e-Suleiman. The Chinese pilgrim Hiven Tsiang who visited India in 629 AD, described the Afghans as living in Zhob.
The inhabitants of Zhob valley gave tough resistance to Mehmood Ghazni, when he initiated his raids on India. Later, however they joined ranks with him. Subsequently the area came under the rule of Nadir Shah from 1736 to 1747 and later Ahmed Shah Abdali from 1747 to 1773. Zhob remained under the rule of Durranis and Barakzais till British captured it. Preceding this event was a period of fifty years of anarchy when Zhob was dubbed as 'Yaghistan" or the land of the rebels. A number of areas now in Zhob, Killa Saifullah, and Pishin districts were ceded to British India after signing of Durand Treaty in 1893. They soon became a district
Sir Robert Sandeman, the first Agent to the governor General in Balochistan occupied Zhob in 1889 extending his forward policy to the region with the subjugation of the tribes inhabiting the Suleman range and occupation and control of numerous passes through it to the south. He also secured the great Gomal pass and the carvanic routes to Ghazani and Kandhar. Captain Mac Ivor had been appointed the first political agent in Zhob with formation as the Political Agency in 1890. Zhob district is the second oldest existing district of Balochistan, after Quetta.
Zhob was formed as a Political Ageny under the British rule in 1890. The district and its town acquired the name of Zhob in 1975. Previously, it was known as Fort Sandeman after Sir Robert Sandeman; who was then Political Agent to the Governor General in Balochistan. It was Sir Robert Sandeman who extended British Rule into this region. The name was changed on July 30 1976 by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan; Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The hand written remarks inserted by him into the visitors book; preserved at the Zhob Militia Mess, says "Today we have taken a decision to eliminate the last vestige of colonialism in this historical place by changing the name to Zhob instead of Sandeman; the British conqueror and oppressor of Pathan and Baloch people and of the country." Traditionally, Fort Sandeman was called Appozai, named after a village situated two kilometres away.
Geography:
The district lies between 30 30 to 32 05 north latitudes and 67 26 to 70 00 east longitudes. It is bounded on the north by Afghanistan and South Waziristan agency of FATA, on the east by the tribal area adjoining Dera Ismail Khan district of NWFP and Musakhel district, on the south and south-west by Loralai and Killa Saifullah districts. Total area of district is 20297 square kilometers.
The district has an important geo-strategic location. It links Afghanistan, South Waziristan Agency, D.I.Khan district, Killa Saifullah, Loralai, and MusaKhel.
Topographically, the district is covered with mountains and hills intersected by the broad valley of Zhob and its tributaries. The Toba Kakar range covers the western half of the district extending from the boundary of Afghanistan up to the Zhob River. The Suleman range locally called as the Kasi Ghar lies on the eastern boundary of the district. The famous Takht-e-Sulaiman or Solomon's Throne is the highest peak of this range. It is about 3441 meters above sea level and located just outside the boundary. The Sindh Ghar, Tor Ghar and Sur Ghar ranges are also situated in the eastern side of the district. The two mountainous regions are of different character. The great part of the district, beyond the left bank of the Zhob, consists almost entirely beyond the district boundary. The general elevation of the district is 1500 to 3000 meters (7,500-10,000 feet)
On the south of Zhob valley, a succession of parallel ridges running from north-east to south-west divide the drainage of the Zhob from that of the Bori valley in the Loralai district.
RIVERS AND STREAMS
The two principal drainage channels of the district are the Zhob and the Kundar Rivers, both flow into the Gomal River. The Zhob river has a total length of about 410 kilometres. Zhob River is the only river in the country that follows a north eastern course. It springs from the Kan Metarzai range (Tsari Mehtarazai Pass), passes about 4 kilometre from Zhob city and finally flows into the Gomal river near Khajuri Kach. The broad plain of the Zhob River is occupied by the alluvial formation. The Kundar River rises from the central and highest point of the Toba Kakar range, a few kilometers northeast of the Sakir. It constitutes boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan territory for a considerable length.
The other subsidiary rivers or streams are the Baskan, Chukhan, Sri Toi, Sawar, Surab, etc.
CLIMATE
The climate of the district is hot and dry in summer and cold in winter. June is the hottest month with mean maximum and minimum temperature of about 37C and 23C respectively. January is the coldest month with mean maximum and minimum temperature of about 13C and -1C degree respectively. The dust storms occur in summer from July to September accompanied by thunderstorms. In winters the wind blows from the west and is very cold. The winds from the Southwest and east are also common, the later invariably brings rain. The wind from the north occasionally blows during September to April bring drought and damage standing crops. Rainfall is scanty and varies with the altitude. Most of the rainfall is received during winter seasons.
Flora & Fauna:
Principal trees and plants found in Zhob district are wild olive (shinay), pistachio, chilgoza or edible pine and wild almond in ghigh lands. Other trees include willow, tamarisk (along the beds of streams) pastawana (grewia oppositifolio) and spalnai (calotropis gigantea).
Wild animals are wolves, jackals, hyenas, foxes, deer, and porcupines. Leopards and black bear are occasionally found in the high hills in Suleman range. Wild pigs are seen along Zhob river while straight horned markhors, wild goats, are present in moderate numbers in Shinghar mountains. Among the game bird chakor, partridge and pigeon are numerous i n higher altitudes, Sand grouse, quails, and bustard are found in plains. Other birds are doves, hoopoe, starlings and vegetals, Jay black birds, wood pigeons, cuckoos and thrush live in high ranges while wild duck and pelican are seen along the Zhob river in winter. Snake and scorpion are common every where in Zhob. Fish (Mahsir) are found in every running stream and in Zhob river some of which weigh up to 8 pounds.
Agriculture
Most part the area is hilly and barren with every limited water resources for agriculture purposes. However, during recent years tube wells have become quite abundant with the result that agricultural activity has registered a rise and a total of 36170 acre of land is under cultivation in the district. Sowing and harvesting are still largely carried out in traditional manner but the use of agricultural machinery is increasing day by day. However, there is very little scope for a radical increase in the area under cultivation as the area is mostly "Barani". There are two cropping seasons, Kharif and Rabi. Rabi crops are sown between October and mid February and harvested in June. Kharif crops are sown from April to July and harvested by the end of October.
Forestry
The district has big potential for social and natural forestry and vegetation cover in the district is quite extensive. There are two forest reserves in the district. The total area under forest cover (including social forest) is around 10,010 hectares. Commercial forestry in the district is for the production of pine nut and timber. The pine- nut forests are very profitable. Commercial forestry or cutting of timber for commercial purposes exists in Sherani sub-division.
Horticulture
Grapes are grown in abundance on the foothills of the mountains. Other is almond, apricot and apple.
Livestock
Livestock raising is an important source of livelihood for the rural population and this has a great potential. There are four veterinary hospitals in the district, with 57 veterinary dispensaries. There is also one Artificial Insemination Center (A.I) and one Disease Investigation Laboratory (D.I.L).
Irrigation
Only 16,206 acres of land is irrigated throughout the district. Majority of the area in the district is irrigated by springs. The following forms of irrigation are found in the district:
•Perennial Irrigation Schemes - 35
•Flood Irrigation Schemes - 10
•Delay Action Dam/Storage Dam - 5
•Flood Protection Schemes - 6
Political Parties in Zhob
Two political parties play an active role in the district. They are Jamiat-e-Ullemah Islam (JUI) and Pakhtoon Milli Awami Party (PKMAP). However, the JUI is a stronger political group than the PKMAP. It is more disciplined and organised on ideological grounds. Since its establishment in 1947, the Pakistan Muslim League received only little support in Zhob district. However, since 1988, support for the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has increased, after its candidate Jaffar Khan Mandokhel started winning election. Still he is supported for tribal (Mandokhel) than for party-political reasons.
There are two Senators from the Zhob district, Zariff Khan Mandokhel and Subedar Khan Mandokhel; both are members of the PML-Nawaz. Previously there was another Senator, Rahim Khan Mandokhel from PKMAP, but he resigned after his election to the Provincial Assembly.
Trade & Industries
Trade and trading activity in the district is largely in the informal sector because of proximity with Afghanistan. Regular formal trade is relatively limited and mostly confined to consumable items.
Apart from two flourmills located in Zhob town, no industry worth the name exist in the district.
Communication:
Zhob is linked by air with major cities of the country. A fokker flight operate from Quetta linking Zhob with Multan, Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar and Islamabad. Zhob is 320kilometers from Quetta, 225 kilometer from Dera Ismail Khan. However, the road linking with Dera Ismail Khan is for most part a dirt track passing through water streams and only 48 kilometers is metalloid.
The poor condition of the road acts as a deterrent for an increase in inter-provincial transportation and commercial exploitation of the route. The narrow railway linking Quetta with Zhob became moribund in 1984 and the service is no longer available. While it functioned, the railway was a romantic reminder of yesteryears highest railway-station of the country, enroute namely Kan Mehtarzai (altitude 2800 meters). The total length of the track of the track was 295 kilometers with 11 railway stations on the way.
A radio station is functioning at Zhob, broadcast from which are widely listened to in the district to in the district. In the urban television sets are common. The signal is transmitted from the booster located at Loralai. The use of dish antennas is also growing.
Zhob is linked through the Nation Wide Dialing system to the country and other telecommunication facilities such fax and telegraph are also available.
Postal service in Zhob is based on departmental arrangements. There are three departmental post offices at Zhob City, Zhob GPO and Qamardin Karez respectively. There are nine extra-departmental branches one each at Killi Appozai, Killi Ibrahim Khel, Kili Gohar Appozai, Killi Lowara, Mani Kwa, Mir Ali Khel, Sambaza, Shinghar and Sharan Jogezai.
Ethnicity and Tribes
The district is inhabited by Mandokhels, Kakars, Sheranis, Haripals, Babars, Lawoons, Khosty and Syeds. Sulemankhels, Nasars, Kharots, and other tribes of Afghan origin are also present.
RELIGION
The population of the district is almost Muslim. They constitute 99.43 percent of the total population, with a breakup of 99.67 percent in rural and 98.15 percent in urban areas.The absolute majority of the muslims living in Zhob district belongs to the Sunni sect of Islam. A very small number of Shia people lives in the district. There are Syeds living in the district but they belong to Sunni sect as well. There is no "Imam Bara" found in the district. The two major festivals are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. They are occasions of great jubilation and joy. Other festivals are "Eid-Miladuld Nabi, and Sab-e-Barat". During these festivals alms are given to the poor and relatives give each other presents.
The population of Zhob district are religiously very conservative and strict. There is large attendance in mosques, routine prayers, and religious observance. The performing of "Hajj" (pilgrimage to Mecca) is common. Also poor people have performed Hajj. During the Ramzan, the observance of fasting is generally very strict.
The role of the "Mullah" (religious leader) is very important in the performance of rituals. The role of Mullahs is still strong in rural areas where literacy is low. A Mullah is respected for being the leader in prayers, profound knowledge of the Quran and performing rituals. Sick persons visit him to be healed.
There are very few Christians, Hindu, Qadiani/Ahmadi, Scheduled Caste and other communities which are only 0.58 percent of the total population. The district used to have a huge Hindu population, but since partition of the sub-continent most of them have migrated. The Hindu population left behind is not seen celebrating "Diwali" and "Holi".
MOTHER TONGUE
The predominant mother tongue of the population of the district is Pushto which is spoken by 96.82 percent of the total population followed by Saraki at 1.27 percent. The proportion of the population speaking Pushto is higher in rural areas at 99.65 percent as compared to 81.93 percent in urban areas. In contrast the proportion of Saraiki is higher in urban areas at 7.71 percent in comparison to that in rural areas at 0.05 percent. The proportion of the population speaking Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi and others is 1.91 percent.
Culture & Traditions:
The dominating life style is still nomadic. Scattered mud huts exist for seasonal habitation; summer is spent in highlands and winter in lower plains for feeding cattle in tribal reserved pastures. The people are deeply religious and their lives are marked by strict adherence to tribal norms and values.There are two major channels for conflict resolution in the district: namely the traditional/tribal and the government/ institutional. The traditional/tribal channel however has proved more effective than the latter. In the past jirga system operated in the region which was the traditional system where by tribal elders sat together to settle disputes and mete out justice to offenders. The system stands annulled by a decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1991. The government however, still forms informal jirgas (comprising of notables from the tribes) for conflict resolution, as they have proven to be very effective.
A high order of social cooperation exists among the people both on occasions of happiness and sorrow. In case of death of a relative neighbor or friend, food is supplied to the deceased's household for two to three days.
Majority of the people living in Zhob district belongs to the Sunni sect of Islam with a marginal number of people belonging to the Shia sect of Islam.
There are two major channels for conflict resolution in the district namely the traditional/tribal and the government/institutional. The traditional /tribal channel however, has proved more effective than the latter. In the past the jirga system operate in the region which was proved more effective than the latter. In the Past the Jirga system operated in the region which was the traditional system where by tribal elders sat together to settle disputes and mete out justice to offenders. The system stands annulled by a decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1991. The Government however, still forms informal jirgas (comprising notable's etc) for conflict resolution, as they have proven to be very effective.
Food
Majority of the people have two meals daily, one in the morning and other at sunset. Only well-to-do families have a third meal. An average meal consists of nan, locally called "marai" with pulses, vegetables/meat broth and butter milk (lassi). Consumption of landhi, or dried meat is common during winters. Sheep are specially fattened so that they may be more suitible for preparing "landhi"
Dress And Ornaments
The majority of the male population wears shalwar kameez and a turban to cover their heads both in summer and in winter with a chadder (piece of cloth) slung across the shoulders. The women wear a wrapper and a long shirt reaching to the knees. Women belonging to the middle and upper classes dress in the manner of other urban women in the province and also wear gold ornaments.
Marriages in Zhob
The marriage system is more or less the same for all tribes living in the district. Marriage is regarded as an important institution. The age for a man to marry is from 20 to 25 years. Women are 13 to 18 years old when they marry. The majority of marriages is pre-arranged and the bride and groom often come from the same family. Marriages within the family with first or second (paternal/maternal) cousins are common. The marriage is settled by the families of the bride and bride-groom. Compared to women, men have a bigger say in the selection of their brides than women have in the selection of their future husbands. Yet the mutual families play the biggest role. Polygamy is practised. A large number of men has two wives. Hardly any man has three or four wives. When the husband dies, the wife has little chance of remarrying. When the wife dies, the husband easily marries again, no matter how many children he has. Through a girl is valuable asset in an Afghanistan family by virtue of the bride price that she fetches yet no joy attends her birth while the birth of a baby boy is celebrated in a joyous manner with the offering of shots in the air.
The system of vulvar (bride-price) is widely practised in the district. Money is paid by the groom for a proposal to the guardians/parents of the girl. The amount varies from case to case. In case of close family marriages, the amount may be smaller or waived completely. The payment of vulvar is imputed at the time a proposal of marriage is made. There are no fixed rules about the amount of vulvar. The amount of vulvar may be paid by the bridegroom, his parents/guardians or relatives. The demanded price is usually raised when a proposal is repeated to the bride's side or when the one proposed to is very beautiful; or when the man proposing is very rich and already married.
The centuries old system of exchanging girls for marriage is commonly practised. It is called "tsarai". The system is strongly practised in semi-nomadic and the lower classes of society. In tsarai, a girl is married to a man in exchange for a bride for her brother. The system brings down marriage expenses as no vulvar has to be paid. Under the system girls are left with no choice. They are not asked for their consent. After their daughters are married, parents become almost indifferent towards their future welfare. The newly wedded wives remain at the mercy of their husband and in-laws. It is observed that under an exchange system of marriages, retaliation may be shown by the husband's side against his wife in case his sister is not happy with his wife's brother. A second marriage on the side may result in marriage break-up or ill treatment of the wife.
The major expenses involved in marriages, other than vulvar, are the arrangement of the wedding and the purchase of jewellery and dresses. Gifts are given by relatives and friends to bride and bride-groom. The bride is wearing a typical red bridal dress designed for the occasion, with her hands and feet dyed red with henna. In Zhob district, where society is close, a man marrying outside the family under an arranged marriage is not allowed to see his bride before the wedding night. Marriage proposals, vulvar arrangements are verbal agreements. Though nothing is on paper, they are respected by and large.
A marriage is regarded as a way to strengthen tribal or family relations. Marriages can be used to settle tribal or family disputes. Refusal of a marriage if proposed may result in the weakening of a family relationship. However, the spread of education and literacy are mitigating this kind of considerations. The educated class of Zhob society is less rigid in the following of traditional rules, though they are not totally free from them.
Role of Women Zhob
The entire society of Zhob district is male and tribally dominated. Men decide on politics and the fate of the family and tribe. Therefore, they assume a predominant role in both the community and family decision making. The rate of literacy amongst women is very low. Because of illiteracy and unawareness, women enjoy fewer civil amenities and fundamental rights. Human rights of women are frequently violated without any report.
Politically women are without any say. The women's seats of the Union Councils are filled, but they do not participate in meetings. Female participation in elections has increased since 1985. Previously, women were discouraged to vote.
Women play a minor role in decision-making, but they play an important role in the household and agricultural affairs of the district. Though a woman shares the economic burden of the family as she contributes to the household and productive work outside the house in fields, nonetheless, her household work is not considered an economic contribution, and seldom credit is given to her by husband or elders for her significant contribution to the family and society.
In rural areas, women are commonly observed to be involved in looking after horses, camels and sheep, assisting in cultivation and doing traditional embroidery work. Society constrains them to remain illiterate and to endure problems related to polygamy, vulvar and a generally low social status. In case of polygamy, the first wife's opinion is not considered when a man wants to marry a second wife. A change in the women's status is observed in areas with more female literacy. Educated women have more influence in decision making and have more authority. Interest in female education is rising, but there are not enough schools.
Cases of Siakari, or adultery, are very rarely reported. Because of the tribalism and Pashtoon code of honour, such an incident if happens is not reported. A number of females found suspected of having illegal relationship are believed to have been put to death (by shooting or beheading) without being reported officially. The man she was involved with may be killed as well. The discussion of the act is regarded as taboo.
Arms in Zhob
The population possess a large number of weapons. According to the Political Agent office report, both traditional and advanced weapons have been used in different situations. They include traditional rifles and 12-bore shot-guns, and advanced weapons. The use of rocket launchers and mortar gun has been reported as well.
In the tribal "B" area, the role of the police is limited. It is easy to obtain a licence for small arms, but there are many unlicensed arms in the district, particularly amongst tribes living close to the borders where many arms are smuggled in from Afghanistan. The frontier towns are believed to have stored arms and ammunition for supply into Pakistan during the Afghan revolution (1979 to 1994). The frontier town Kamardin Karez, at a distance of 224 kilometres from Zhob, had a famous arms market where one could buy a variety of arms including rocket launchers.
Housing in Zhob
Houses in the district are mostly solid buildings of stone-blocks and mud. In both urban and rural areas, the use of the stone is very frequent in the construction of houses. They are coated with thick mud. Well-off people coat their houses with cement or concrete. The use of clay bricks and baked bricks is common in the construction of houses in Zhob city and some other areas. The use of clay bricks is common for roofs, boundary walls and barns. The majority of the houses has roofs made of tin or iron, which are curved because of the snow fall in winter. The construction of double storey buildings is uncommon. There are a few in Zhob city. In rural areas a courtyard may enclose a number of the houses, both for reasons of safety and social affinity.
The housing characteristics are more or less similar all over the district. The houses are knit together in villages which may comprise few or many houses. Seventy-five percent of the houses in rural areas are without latrine and bath-room. Eighty-five percent of all houses in the district is without proper drainage, human waste disposal arrangements and sewerage system. However, because of the mountains and hills, the absence of drainage does not cause sewerage problems.
Eighty percent of the houses in the district are owned. The ratio of rented houses other than in Zhob city is 5 to 8 percent. The rest of the houses is let to tenants. The ratio of rented houses in the district is higher in Zhob city. In Zhob city, the ratio of rented houses is 35 to 40 percent, because of the large number of army, FC, and government officers.
In Zhob city and the surrounding area there are buildings constructed during the British period. In Zhob city the British built a huge airforce/military garrison, the Zhob Militia Mess and residences for Political Agent and Assistant Political Agents. Most of them were built during the period 1893 to 1910. Buildings which are important from an historical point of view are the Political Agent's Official residence known as "The Castle" and the Zhob Militia Mess the centennial of which was celebrated in 1989. All VIPs to Zhob can, if desired, stay overnight in one of these two buildings. There are a number of officers' bungalows, now under the occupation of army officers, situated on the VIP lane which are 80 to 100 years old. The APA house is also very old and nowadays accommodates the Assistant Commissioner.
At Shinghar, at a distance of 82 km from Zhob, at the height of 2850 metres above sea level, are a number of huts which were used by British officers. The place was the summer camp for the British Political Agent, the Assistant Political Agent, the Commandant Zhob militia, and other few officers. Arrangements were made for the pumping of water and transportation. The site is now abandoned because the present Pakistani district administrators do not seem to show the least of interest in the place. It appears a ghost town where occasionally people go for an adventurous over-night stay or a picnic.
A number of forts exist in the surrounding of the district which were built by the British for the deployment of militia troops. Some of them are abandoned and have collapsed. Others are in use by the Frontier Corps and Levy. The important ones are at Mir Ali Khel, Dana Sher and Mughalkot. There is one in Qamardin Kariz under the use of FC.
Construction Material Used in Housing:
As mentioned earlier, the houses in the district are made of stone, clay and baked bricks with thick clay or mud topping and iron or steel roofing. Doors, windows and ventilators are made of wood. Iron grills are rare. Most houses have a room with a ventilator. The use of cement is not common. It is mostly found in case of government buildings and upper class people housing. There are a number of houses which are over 100 years old. The height of the houses is usually not more than 3 metres.
Sources of Energy
Twenty-five percent of the area of the district is electrified. Gas is not available in the district except in cylinders by those who can afford buying them. For industrial and mechanical/agricultural purpose, the use of electricity is the only source. For the purpose of cooking and heating electricity, dung-cake and wood are used. The use of coal for heating is less common after the railway service was abandoned. In winter time, the rural population has difficulty finding sources of energy for heating. Therefore, they start storing wood in summer.
Drinking Water and Sanitation
The major source of drinking water in the district is spring water. The drinking water in urban area of Zhob is supplied through gravity source by storage tanks. There are six reservoirs with each 120,000 gallon capacity. There is no regular sanitation system except in Zhob city which is however not properly maintained. As mentioned, because of the hilly slop and lack of mud, the rain water is soon absorbed.
Places to See:
Zhob Town
Zhob situated at a distance of 320 kilometers from Quetta was previously called Fort Sandeman. It still contains relics that harkens back to its grand past, one is the Zhob Militia mess and the other is the officials residence of Political Agent, Zhob known as the "castle". The British cemetery at Zhob, which was another reminder of the "Raj", has been vandalized and lies in ruins.
Muslim Bagh
Muslim Bagh is the center of Chromate Mines and is located 96 kilometers north east of Quetta. Coming to Muslim Bagh and not visiting the chromate mines is a waste of a tour. The Muslim Bagh is known as an Oasis of Orchards. Yet another place to see in Muslim Bagh is Asia's highest Railway Station Kanmehtarzai Pass, which is on the road that connects Fort Sandeman with Bostan.
Qilla Saifullah
Qila Saifullah is the seat of the famous Jogezai family located on the ancient Carvan routes. It is famous for its Apples, Pistachio Nuts, and some beautiful scenery spots. Its community is known to be the earliest agricultural community in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent, which flourished at the beginning of 3000 BC. The climate here is heavy, but enthrallingly seductive for adventure travellers!
Fort Sandeman
Fort Sandeman is at the Afghan-Pakistan border and is sorrounded with beautiful scenery. Sheen Ghar (Green Mountain) at this height is covered with Pine forests and is the best area in the valley to shoot Chakor.
Shrines
There are two well-known shrines in the district. They are of Hazrat Nazar Nika at six km from Zhob and Hazrat Khostoo Baba 100 km from Zhob in the direction of Waziristan. Two other shrines are Zakoo Nika near Zhob and Palwand Baba in the Mughalkot area. Visits to shrines is not common in Zhob. There are no shrines in the district where regular "urs" (annual celebrations) are observed.
The tomb of Qais Rashid on the top of Suleiman mountain is also a place to visit. However, as the mountain is steep and high, visits are difficult to make. People who reach the top take goats for sacrifice for the fulfilment of their desires and for the sake of the saint.
Historical And Archeological Sites
A number of mounds, ruins, and caves dot the expanse of the district, which have historical and archeological importance. The general consensus among most experts is that they belong to the Mughal period.
The region is rife with many legends. One legend relates that on their way back to Palestine, Prophet Suleman was requested by his newly wed Indian bride who was a princess that she be allowed to take a last look at her ancestral land India and Soloman Landed his "takht" or flying throne on the mountains.
Paryano Ghundi
Paryan-o-Ghundi, which means a hill of fairies, is at two miles distance to the west of Zhob town. It was excavated by Sir Aural Syien in 1924. It was visited in 1950 by Fair resemblance with that found in Harapa. Unfortunately, the mound has been completely destroyed by the local people.
Rana Ghundi
Rana Ghundi is an archeological site having mounds from which remains of a culture have been found with affinities spread to the Hisar culture of North East Iran dating back to 3500 BC. Red Pottery has also been found, which is estimated to belong to a period earlier than the Indus valley civilization.
Occupations
Animal husbandry, small-scale farming and Government service are the major occupations. The Mandokkhels are an enterprising lot who dominate the realm of Government contractor-ship in Balochistan and as far away as Karachi and Islamabad, while numerous members of the Shirani tribe are serving in the Gulf countries, mostly as laborers.
Population Size and Growth
The population of Zhob district is 275.14 thousands in 1998 as compared to 213.29 thousands in 1981 recording an increase of 29.00 percent over the last 17 years i.e. 1981-98. The increase of 113.50 and 99.36 percent was observed during intercensal period 1972-81 (8.46 years) and 1961-72 (11.67 years) respectively. Overall the population of the district has increased rapidly showing substantial increase of 449.07 percent during the last 37 years i.e. 1961-98 which is five and a half times.
The total are of the district is 20297 square kilometers having population density 13.6 persons per square per square kilometer in March 1998.
Rural/Urban Distribution
The rural population of the district is 231.30 thousands constituting 84.07 percent of the total population. The average annual growth rate of rural population during 1981-98 is 1.44 percent which was 9.74 and 5.96 percents during 1972-81 and 1961-72 respectively. The urban population of the district is 43.84 thousands constituting 15.93 percent of the total population. The average annual growth rate of the urban population during 1981-98 is 1.88 percent which was 7.52 and 6.76 percent during 1972-81 and 1961-72 respectively
Literacy
A person was treated as literate in the 1998 census if he could read a newspaper and write a simple letter in any language. The literacy ration of the district among the population aged 10 years and above is 16.78 percent, 47.84 percent for urban areas, and 10.40 percent for rural areas.The literacy ratio of the district among the population aged 10 years and above is 16.78 percent, 47.84 percent is urban areas and 10.40 percent in rural areas. The male literacy ratio is 24.53 percent compared to 6.90 percent for female.
Education Attainment
During the 1990s, the enrollment of children in schools nearly doubled in the Zhob district. For boys, it went from 15136 in 1993 to 21841 in 1997. For girls, it more than doubled, from 3046 in 1993 to 6789 in 1997. A large variation exists in the ratio of educated persons by sex and area. The percentage of educated males is 23.72 percent and of females, 6.33 percent. It is 47.65 percent for urban areas as against 9.58 for rural areas.
Immunization
53.34 percent of the children under 10 years of age have been reported as vaccinated, while 21.01 percent have been reported as not vaccinated, leaving the rest 25.65 as not known.
Zhob in Comparison to Rest of Balochistan
The main objective of the series of District Profiles is to provide information on a wide range of sectors and subjects for each of the 26 districts in Balochistan. The result however creates the possibility to compare the districts among themselves and to compare the situation in each of them with the situation in Balochistan as a whole. To introduce this perspective, 32 indicators have been selected on which this comparison can take place. These indicators, and others, can be found on the following two pages. Each district can be ranked on each of the indicators. The relative position of Zhob district is reflected in the diagram on the third page. The diagram gives a bottom-up ranking: position nr.1 means the lowest score on that particular indicator, while position nr.26 implies the highest score.
An overall ranking of districts is not given, because that would mean attaching as certain weight to each of the indicators.
As far as Zhob district is concerned, the following observations can be made.
•With its 16,520 square kilometer, Zhob is about 3,000 square kilometer bigger than the average size of districts in Balochistan; the size of the area gives the district position nr.20, while the population (projected to be 344,122) puts it one position lower. The density of population is the same as the density for the whole of the province.
•The quantity of fruit production is comparatively high (fifth highest in the province), while the overall agricultural production puts the district in the middle category. The agricultural production value per hectare is the third highest, which might indicate a reasonably favourable productivity.
•Zhob district scores relatively high as far as the number of livestock units is concerned; it takes however a fairly low position in the ranking on pasture area and available pasture area per livestock unit. This would suggest that expansion of the livestock sector is only feasible through more intensive methods of production. The current value of livestock off-take per capita puts the district in the upper half of the ranking.
•The enrolment figures in primary education for both boys and girls belong to the middle category (position nr.13 and 10 respectively); while the pupils/teacher ratio is on the high side compared to the other districts (position nr.21 for boys and nr.17 for girls).
•All of the four health indicators fall in the middle category of rankings with the lowest score for the population per doctor ratio (position nr.9), although the number of population per bed is nearly twice the average in the province as a whole.
•Although exact figures on the coverage of water supply are not available, the impression is that also on this indicator the district takes a position in the middle.
•The density of metalled roads (length of road per square kilometer) is about 50% higher than the average in the province and gives Zhob district position nr.16. The situation with regard to shingle roads is less favourable: position nr.9 and a density which is 20% lower than the provincial average.
Providence and Worcester Railroad's Valley Falls based local PR-3 heads up the Moshassuck Running Track with a single load of rebar for Nucor/Harris Rebar seen here in this going away shot looking north just over the Mineral Spring Avenue crossing at MP 0.4. To facilitate the move the gondola is sandwiched between their two units, and they dropped the rest of their big train back on the mainline up by old Lawn Tower. After running north to the end of the line at Higginson Ave. in Lincoln they'll spot the car then MU their two units and return light back thru here off the 1.2 mile long branch.
Looking like the proud independent regional I grew up with, PR-3's two units still wear the classic red and brown scheme some eight years after Genesee and Wyoming orange took over. GP38-2s 2006 and 2008 are original to the road having been built new for the then only 7 year independent company by EMD in Feb. and Dec. 1980 respectively), and have spent their entire careers working the rails in and out of the Ocean State.
Colloquially known to railroaders as 'The Mud' this branch had been out of service for a couple years, but in a pleasant turnabout it recently returned to life when the railroad cleared all the enchroaching brush and put the signals back in service. In fact I believe this might be the first car since it returned to service.
Looking at this line as an outsider you wouldn't think much of it as it seems to be no more than any other old urban spur, but digging a bit deeper this line is so much more. This was once the mainline of one of the nation's shortest of shortlines and the tiniest of three such roads that maintained their independence through the late 19th and nearly all of the 20th centuries when the mighty New Haven was buying, leasing, merging, or crushing every other independent railroad in southern New England.
With credit to Edward Ozog's wonderful Rhode Island Railroads web site and Ronald Dale Karr's invaluable reference book "The Rail Lines of Southern New England" here is a bit of history.
Chartered in 1874 the two mile long Moshassuck Valley Railroad Company commenced operations in 1877 and ran from a main line interchange in Woodlawn, Pawtucket to Saylesville in the town Lincoln. It was built to serve the textile finishing mills of the Sayles brothers, but it was also a common carrier with a profitable freight business and for many years frequent passenger service. In fact until 1921 it ran up to 10 passenger trains a day with four stops on the 2 mile route.
The Sayles mills were the reason for building the MVRR and its major customer for most of its existence. Textiles to and from the Sayles Bleacheries, Lorraine Manufacturing Co. and Glenlyon Dye Works were a major source of traffic but there was also large amounts of coal for the mills and a variety of related products.
The textile industry in Rhode Island declined in the 1920's and 30's due to lower costs in the south and in 1960 Sayles operations ended. After 90 years being run by the Sayles family, the little road was sold to Standard Transportation in December 1967 and traffic remained relatively good as various light industries replaced the textile mills.
After 105 years of independent operations it was finally sold to its connecting carrier which by 1982 was the reborn Providence and Worcester. Nine years later the P&W abandoned the northern 3/4 of a mile of track north of the Higginson Avenue crossing where the MVRR's small yard and shop were located. Those shops still exist in fact and for decades the modern day P&W used the remodeled MVRR enginehouse to maintain MofW vehicles though when I drove by recently it appears to have been sold or leased for non railroad use.
To learn more and see some fabulous images of the MVRR in its earliest days and right up to the end in the late 70s click this link:
sites.google.com/site/moshassuckvalleyrailroad/Home
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Wednesday November 20, 2024
I don't know who to credit this to, but it is a piece I found on www.cwmorthin.com/ I'm so glad that someone takes the trouble to record the history of these slate communities and the people who lived and worked there
The Joneses of Cwmorthin Uchaf
By far the most well-known family of the cwm and the oldest family recorded as living there, the Shon Joneses were for their time something of a legend.
Oral history, as the following article outlines, has them living there for eight centuries and their longevity is well noted. With only the odd journey out of the cwm to market or for provisions perhaps it was their isolation in a time when life expectancy was around the 40 mark that protected them. Their water would be fresh off the mountain, naturally filtered; in a very rural area such as the parish of Ffestiniog with a population of less than 1000 before 1820 transmission of disease would be limited.
The reference to the length of Jones tenancy in Cwmorthin may have originated in an early Welsh gazeteer of sorts published in 1875 called “Cymru” where the author Owen Jones relates a conversation that Sion Jones had heard his father say that his father said that the family had lived there for 800 years.
Shon Jonsiaid Cwmorthin / The Shon Jones' of Cwmorthin by Emrys Evans – translated by Catrin Roberts
published in edition No51 of the publication Llafar Gwlad in 1996
The opening of four quarries in Cwmorthin led to new houses and two chapels being built there for the quarrymen, but long before the period of the quarries there stood two farmhouses here...Cwmorthin Isa (Lower Cwmorthin) and Cwmorthin Ucha (Higher Cwmorthin).
Cwmorthin Isa and its small patches of land has long since disappeared under the slate waste tips, fortunately Cwmorthin Uchaf escaped this fate.
It lies to the right of the valley, at the foot of Allt y Ceffylau ( the steep track of the horses) built here, more likely than not, in order to make the most of the sunshine available.
It is believed that the lineage of the Shon Jones' family living at Cwmorthin goes as far back as 800 years, with the last of the Shon Jones passing away in 1863 at the grand old age of a 100. The family were renowned for members of the family living to be a hundred, the other being that the eldest son of every generation was named Shon Jones, and hence the family was always referred to as the 'Shon Jones' of Cwmorthin'.
The last of the 'Shon Jonsiaid' was a tall bony man, who bore a rural appearance as well as a rural way of life. His appearance didn't concern him in the least. He was a completely illiterate man and his whole world was his farm, the fairs he attended and how to buy and sell his sheep and cattle.
The 'Shon Jonsiaid' reared prime sheep and would drive them to Ruthin to be sold. This meant walking them all the way from Ffestiniog, and Ruthin became known by the locals as "Shon Jones' England".
With regards to raising their sheep a reflection of their good reputation may be seen when one learns of how a member of the Tan y Bwlch family, who upon insisting that nothing but the very best young animal (llwdn) would suffice for their wedding feast, purchased his animal from the Cwmorthin Ucha farm, for three shillings and a groat.
Before the slate industry came into being, those who lived in the area survived solely on what they grew or raised on the land. Very little would have been obtained for these animals.
The last Shon Jones to live in the valley said that his father, who had some very good 'Speckled Hens'(Frech) about a year and half old, tried to charge the young summer shepherd boy, half a guinea for one of them. The young lad discussed this offer with his own father, who then went up to see Shon Jones and turned down the offer, it being much too expensive.
Even as the last of the Shon Jones' got too old to care for his sheep, he would still visit the sheep pen when the time came for shearing. Saying "Cheap for the good, cheap for the good" on the way towards the pens, and "May God be with them, may God be with them" as he left.
Locally it is believed that the first clock in North Wales was the one that arrived at Cwmorthin Ucha farm.
Whether or not this is true, it did cause much excitement.
People came from all over the local area to see this wonder. It is hard for us to imagine nowadays what this would have meant to them, we have grown so used to clocks and watches etc wherever we go.
Shon Jones felt that the children had been honoured to be a part of this experience.
On the day after the clock was installed in the kitchen he was asked by his son if he liked it. The reply was "Indeed I do not. This is the most noisy creature I've ever heard. It has been noisy all night long, not stopping for a single minute"!
A week later the man who had installed the clock called at the farm to check that it was keeping the correct time and to wind up the mechanism. Whilst he was attending to the clock, Shon Jones asked his wife what the man was up to.
"Well making it go" she replied,
"Where to?" asked Shon,
"Well Shon dear, don't you understand?" the elderly lady said "It’s going to keep the time", "Oh! oh!" said Shon.
A while later the clockmaker had finished with the clock and said
"There you go Shon Jones, it's fine now, but don't be surprised when it warns you".
The elderly Shon got a bit perplexed
"Warn indeed" he said "Warn who indeed. No one in this family has ever been warned in this place before! What will something like this be warning us here of I wonder?" The clockmaker reassured Shon Jones that he and his family were in no danger if the clock warned them - it was just that the clock would 'warn' them before striking the hour.
Over a period of time, Shon Jones and the clock came to an understanding, although one must admit that Shon Jones never fully understood the clocks movements in its entirety but the conversation, whoever he met, would always be turned to the clock.
Once he was asked what the time was, he entered his house to have a look, and the reply that came was "It isn't ", "How is that?" asked his companion.... "Well" he said "they told me that on the clock there is nothing more than twelve o'clock and nothing less than one o'clock, and both hands are between twelve and one, hence we have no time at all."
Once, when Shon Jones and his brother walked over to the Llanrwst fair, there being no other means of transport in those days, Shon Jones asked a neighbour how many miles it was over to Llanrwst. "14 miles" came the reply.
"Come on then Harri" said Shon Jones "Just seven miles each!".
Shon Jones had another brother called Dici, who was not as sensible as most of us. When they went to the Llan Ffestiniog fair, Dici , almost without exception, would start arguing and inevitably fighting with someone, and Shon Jones would be pulled into the incident. Often they would be followed out of the village by their opponents as far as Pen y Cefn, about two miles away from their home, where those who followed them would turn back home and the trouble would have come to its end until the following year.
Once when the two were walking back from the fair, past Tanygrisiau farm , their aunt : Catrin Cadwaladr, saw them and asked Dici if he had had a lot to drink, and if he'd been fighting.
"Well yes" he replied " I drank as much as the largest bowl in your house, but with regards to the fight I got into, there's no danger of the law getting involved, I hit him ...but not with a closed fist"
Later on in his life Dici took to gathering knives of all kinds and sizes, and had a chest full of them when he died. He married late on in his life, but the marriage didn't last very long. His wife took up with another man and they moved away to England to live.
Dici picked one of his knives and went after them in the hope of bringing his wife back and killing the man. Unfortunately for Dici he soon ran out of money and had to take on some work corn thrashing for a short while before making his way home. Upon his return home Cadwaladr Owen of Glan'r'Afon Ddu asked him how things went for him on his journey to England.
"I'm embarrassed to say" came the reply " I worked with the two wooden halfs and I shan't go thrashing with it again no matter what this old world will bring me, it would come over from this side and the other and hit me on the head each time!".
It's no wonder, even though it was a popular mean of threshing at this time, that Dici didn't know how to use the ffust [flails](or the two wooden halfs as he called them), as their means of threshing at Cwmorthin Ucha farm was to thresh what little oats they grew on the old potato strips next to the lake, using washing boards against their barn door.
Seeing how the last of the Shon Jones' lived to be a hundred, and his father before him the same bar five years, he had up to about two hundred years of memory all told.
His way when reminiscing was to say "I remember my Father saying, having heard my Grandfather say...." and then carrying on relating the memory. Some of these memories gave an insight into their lives back then. He once said "I remember my Father saying, having heard my Grandfather say, that a gentleman lived at Tan y Bwlch (now Plas Tan y Bwlch, Maentwrog), and that one Sabbath day morning he'd asked his servant to go to the Llan church to see if he could spot the Rhiwbryfdir man, and tell him to bring him some money the following week. Upon the servants return the he was asked what the reply was. The servant said 'He said that he had no money and that you must come over to fetch some of the animals that he has there if you want something for your land.'
'That won't do 'said the gentleman, 'Go there again and tell him that he must try and get some money together for me. I want 17 shillings to go to London next week'. "
Another time there were a couple of men making their way through Cwmorthin heading towards Croesor and Nanmor to the west, one of them had a letter to give to someone in Beddgelert.
Shon Jones saw them and then saw one of them turning back. His companion went over to talk to Shon Jones whilst he waited for him. Shon Jones enquired as to the reason why the man, known as Huw, had turned around and gone back the other way.
His response to this was "Heavens above! There is such a fuss with things like this! I remember a time when there only three people who could even do a letter in our parish - Hwmffra Bwmffra, from Glan y Pwll , someone over at Plas Meini, and William Dafis, John Dafis' son, from Cae'r Blaidd."
The Shon Jonsiaid' of Cwmorthin came to the end of their lineage when the last Shon Jones died in 1863. The valley lost its King, and this was how Shon Jones saw himself. Quarry men lived here for a while before they all moved away and Cwmorthin Ucha was left to become a ruin along with the quarry buildings.
Descendants of Shon Jones have been traced to Australia. I wonder what Shon would say!
I built this last December for my LDD remake of the 2012 Advent Calendar over on Eurobricks. But for a project that we're working on, EB member Bob de Quatre rendered it for me, so I figured I'd post it here. (Lots more models in the EB topic, by the way.)
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I honestly didn't intend for this one to be so big. I started with the bridge, and then used that to determine the length of the hull, and before I knew it, I was building a 40-stud-long model. However, I really liked how the proportions turned out, and I decided not to fiddle too much with it. The toughest part was probably the base of the superstructure. There are so many half-plate offsets in there to get the right shapes of the layers, and then I also had to make sure the two halves were close to touching at the top of each layer. But it was definitely worth the effort; I think the layers turned out perfectly compared to the studio model I was looking at.
Speaking of reference material, I used these photos of the Devastator.
The one thing I couldn't do that I wish I could've is build the ship a proper Technic skeleton to support it. I started with Technic, but I couldn't get the beams to line up at the right angles in LDD. (I was going with the same basic design as the triangle of Technic inside TLG's Midi ISD, but with studless beams) I think that can be fixed in real life, though. I'm considering building this one for myself with physical bricks.
Actually, it's the exuvia (molted exoskeleton) of a tiny mayfly on the outside of our kitchen window. About a week ago I noticed several of these tiny shed skins on the glass, which at first seemed odd -- mayfly larvae are aquatic, and our kitchen window is not near water. Plus, it hasn't rained here in months, the window faces south, and it's oven-hot in L.A. this time of year. We do have a small goldfish pond in the backyard, but for a 4mm-long insect, that's too far away to crawl to shed its skin -- it might as well be miles. So what's the deal? Well, it's a mayfly thing.
Most people know adult mayflies live very short lives, often only a day or so, just long enough to mate and make more mayflies. Their ephemeral nature is even baked into the name of the insect order they belong to -- Ephemeroptera. But mayflies are unique among insects in a specific way -- they usually have two fully-winged stages. Once all other insects molt and have full-sized wings, they never molt again. This final, reproductive, adult stage is called an imago. But when mayfly larvae crawl out of the water and molt, most species transform into an in-between stage called a subimago.
Subimagos can fly (although often not strongly). The subimago phase is often even shorter-lasting than the imago -- I've read that in some species, subimagos literally exist for only a few minutes, then they molt again. (I have no idea how they pull off that biological costume change so quickly.) By the way, trout fishermen are familiar with subimagos -- they call them "duns," a reference to the subimagos' muted, often brown or grey colors.
So, that's what this photo shows -- the shed skin of a tiny subimago mayfly. I think the larvae crawled out of my little backyard pond, molted into subimagos, then flew off and landed on our kitchen window (maybe attracted by the lights inside). They then molted again into their final imago stage and disappeared. As for the "stars" in the picture -- they're dust specks on the outside of the window. I shot the photo (actually five photos stacked together) in late afternoon, with the shed skin strongly backlit by the sun. I used no flash because the double-pane glass would have caused too many reflections. Because the subject is semi-transparent and the light was so strong, properly exposing the exuvia meant that everything in the distance, which was in the shade, was several stops underexposed -- essentially black.
Title.
Lines, Light and People.
( LUMIX G3 shot )
Paris. France. 2012. … 4 / 6
(Today's photo. It is unpublished.)
Images.
Linda Sikhakhane - Inkehli
youtu.be/vDHbPFAlrO4?si=2ikXbiJ6JwXAyjHh
::Photo Music and iTunes Playlist Link::
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/photo-music/pl.u-Eg8qefpy8Xz
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“A.I. - About Apple’s Identity”
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54271473379/in/dateposted...
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### Will Apple Listen to Mark Zuckerberg’s Criticism?
I Don’t Think So—At Least Not for Someone Enchanted by the Apple Vision Pro.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, recently appeared on a well-known podcast, where he criticized Apple for failing to release an innovative product since the iPhone and for experiencing a decline in sales.
Appearing on a podcast originating from Apple and then proceeding to criticize the company might seem like a lighthearted joke, but I believe he was serious.
Why? Because he now wields a weapon—the AR glasses.
With the support of various institutions and a team of highly skilled professionals, he has likely achieved some notable milestones. Yet, as someone who has been a devoted Apple user since the PowerBook 540c, I still do not sense any real craftsmanship or identity in what he creates.
This sentiment extends to other IT giants that currently dominate the world—Meta, Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft, and Google.
Just by listing their names, readers of this text are likely already picturing their respective CEOs.
In the past, I wrote that Steve Jobs was not an artist.
What he excelled at was weaving together scattered ideas from across the world, expanding upon them, and linking them to the future.
The true creator was Jonathan Ive.
A minority of people may share this perspective with me.
However, when I see these IT moguls quickly shifting their corporate stances the moment the possibility of Trump returning to power emerges, I feel compelled to speak my mind.
The AR glasses, the cars—everything they create lacks a fundamental concept.
Call it ideology or, in lighter terms, identity.
It is true that Tim Cook and Apple’s current team have become more prone to letting slip details about upcoming products before their official release.
I have always loved music.
Artists shut themselves in a studio, cutting off the outside world, pouring their anger, hatred, joy, and sorrow into each note with intense focus.
It’s as if they are entrusting something to their music.
And when they finally release their album, they explain the emotions and thoughts behind its creation.
(Prince, whom I admire, rarely spoke about his work, so understanding his art required engaging with the final product itself.)
Until an album is complete and released, artists say nothing.
It was those artists who moved me to my core.
The faint glow of Apple’s innovation still remains within me.
Not even last year’s widely criticized "failure"—the Apple Vision Pro—could extinguish it.
In fact, it shines even brighter than the iPhone.
Because beyond its cutting-edge electronic components, I can sense a concept, an ideology.
Unfortunately, I will never feel the same from Meta’s AR glasses or Tesla’s cars.
I have written at length, but here is the key article:
**Tim Cook Donates Over $1.5 Million to Trump’s Inauguration Ceremony**
🔗 [Gigazine Article](gigazine.net/news/20250104-apple-ceo-tim-cook-donates-1-m...)
At first glance, this might make it seem like Tim Cook, like other tech CEOs, has sold his soul. But that is not the case.
While Cook personally donated to Trump, Apple itself did not follow the same path as other companies.
Apple refused to bow to Trump.
If asked what Apple’s ideology truly is, I would answer this:
**Apple is a group of individuals who believe in themselves.**
Steve Jobs, watching from heaven, is probably chuckling at this overly serious text I wrote.
A company that does not pander to Trump—
That is Apple. :)
### January 15
After reading a heartwarming article.
**Mitsushiro Nakagawa**
---
**Postscript:**
Corrections made:
Before: "Appearing on Apple's podcast"
After: "Appearing on a podcast originating from Apple"
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:
Photo Music and iTunes Playlist Link::
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/photo-music/pl.u-Eg8qefpy8Xz
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消えた境界線から生まれたもの ～ 去ってゆく川村記念美術館を振り返って ～
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54020588671/in/dateposted...
What Emerged from the Vanishing Boundaries~ Reflecting on the Departing Kawamura Memorial Museum ~
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54020588671/in/dateposted...
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8mm film of our honeymoon resurrected after decades.
youtu.be/zH-dG7bMeL4?si=yLF5_f1m-LhAVdPp
We found the 8mm film of our honeymoon for the first time in decades, and burned it onto a DVD.
On June 6, 1993, we got married, and headed straight to Nassau, Bahamas, via New York.
Our destination was the pink sand beach where the late Princess Diana went on her honeymoon.
If you're heading to the Bahamas, this might be a good reference.
The hotel we stayed at was the Ramada Hotel, which no longer exists.
My wife is showing us the hotel room.
But now you can see the beautiful scenery in real time.
When I played the DVD that arrived, it showed footage of our arrival in the Bahamas.
Please take a look if you'd like.
This time, we asked Fujifilm to make the DVD.
I'll post the link below.
Digitize videos and photos and convert them to DVDs | Fujifilm
fujifilmmall.jp/conversion/?_gl=1*1smvac9*_gcl_au*NTA1NDU....
#Bahamas #Nassau #PinkSandBeach #Honeymoon #1993
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Important Notices.
I have relaxed the following conditions.
I will distribute my T-shirt to the world for free.
m.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/50656401427/in/dateposted-p...
m.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/50613367691/in/dateposted-p...
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Exhibition in 2025
Theme
The Nightfly
Images
Donald Fagen … I.G.Y.
youtu.be/Ueivjr3f8xg?si=xmqGPQjyIKoTs4Q5
Live.
youtu.be/Di0_KYtmVKI?si=CLFpU2n0gXahqLPB
Mitsushiro - Nakagawa
Organizer
Design Festa
Location
Tokyo Big Sight
Date
Autumn 2025.
exhibition.mitsushiro.nakagawa@gmail.com
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Notice regarding "Lot No.402_”.
From now on I will host "Lot No.402_".
The work of Leonardo da Vinci who was sleeping.
That is the number when it was put up for auction.
No sign was written on the work.
So this work couldn't conclude that it was his work.
However # as a result of various appraisals # it was exposed to the sun.
A work that no one notices. A work that speaks quietly without a title.
I will continue to strive to provide it to many people in various ways.
October 24 2020 by Mitsushiro - Nakagawa.
Mitsushiro Nakagawa belong to Lot No. 402 _.Copyright©︎2025 Lot No.402_ All rights reserved.
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Profile.
In November 2014 # we caught the attention of the party selected to undertake the publicity for a mobile phone that changed the face of the world with just a single model # and will conclude a confidentiality agreement with them.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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Here’s a translated version with a style suitable for a news site introduction:
---
### **Interview and Novel: My Work**
I published a book in the past.
At that time, I uploaded my interview as a PDF online, both in Japanese and English.
Now, I am making it available for free.
More details can be found on Amazon.
**Writing a Novel.**
**Photography Techniques.**
**The Sense of Distance Between the Creator and the Work.**
These all share a common theme.
I put into words the things I felt and left them behind as a record.
I hope my text reaches many readers.
Thank you.
**Mitsushiro**
🔗 **[Access the Files Here](drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...)**
### **Contents**
📄 **1. Interview (English Version)**
📖 **2. Novel: *Unforgettable* (English Version)**
📄 **3. Interview (Japanese Version)**
📖 **4. Novel: *Unforgettable* (Japanese Version)**
*(This novel is dedicated to future artists.)*
*(456 pages in Japanese manuscript format.)*
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
---
### **Synopsis**
Kei Kitami, a student preparing for university entrance exams, meets Kaori Kamimura, an event companion six years his senior, through social media.
Kaori has come to Tokyo with a dream—to befriend famous artists.
To achieve this, she needs the influence of Ryo Osawa, a well-known radio producer.
During a live radio broadcast, Osawa speaks directly to Kaori:
*"I have a wife and child. But still, I want to see you."*
Meanwhile, Rika Sanjo, Kei’s classmate who secretly harbors feelings for him, is closely watching Kaori’s every move...
---
Main story
There are two reasons why a person faces the sea.
One to enjoy a slice of shine in the sea like children bubbling over in the beach.
The other to brush the dust of memory like an old man who misses old days staring at the shine
quietly.
Those lead to only one meaning though they do not seem to overlap. It’s a rebirth.
I face myself to change tomorrow a vague day into something certain.
That is the meaning of a rebirth.
I had a very sweet girlfriend when I was 18.
After she left I knew the meaning of gentleness for the first time and also a true pain of loss. After
she left # how many times did I depend too much on her # doubt her # envy her and keep on telling lies
until I realized it is love?
I wonder whether a nobody like me could have given something to her who was struggling in the
daily life in those days. Giving something is arrogant conceit. It is nothing but self-satisfaction.
I had been thinking about such a thing.
However I guess what she saw in me was because I had nothing. That‘s why she tried to see
something in me. Perhaps she found a slight possibility in me # a guy filled with ambiguous unstable
tomorrow. But I wasted days depending too much on her gentleness.
Now I finally can convey how I felt in those days when we met.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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iBooks. Electronic Publishing. It is free now.
0.about the iBooks.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
1.unforgettable '(ENG.ver.)(This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/unforgettable/id1216576828?ls=1&...
2.unforgettable '(JNP.ver.)(This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/unforgettable/id1216584262?ls=1&...
3. Streamlined trajectory.(For Japanese only.)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/%E6%B5%81%E7%B7%9A%E5%BD%A2%E3%8... =11
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My Novel : Unforgettable'
(This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
Kei Kitami, a student preparing for university entrance exams, meets Kaori Kamimura, an event companion six years his senior, through social media.
Kaori has come to Tokyo with a dream—to befriend famous artists.
To achieve this, she needs the influence of Ryo Osawa, a well-known radio producer.
During a live radio broadcast, Osawa speaks directly to Kaori:
*"I have a wife and child. But still, I want to see you."*
Meanwhile, Rika Sanjo, Kei’s classmate who secretly harbors feelings for him, is closely watching Kaori’s every move...
Mitsushiro Nakagawa
All Translated by Yumi Ikeda .
images.
U2 - No Line On The Horizon Live in Dublin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oKwnkYFsiE&feature=related
Main story
There are two reasons why a person faces the sea.
One to enjoy a slice of shine in the sea like children bubbling over in the beach.
The other to brush the dust of memory like an old man who misses old days staring at the shine
quietly.
Those lead to only one meaning though they do not seem to overlap. It’s a rebirth.
I face myself to change tomorrow a vague day into something certain.
That is the meaning of a rebirth.
I had a very sweet girlfriend when I was 18.
After she left I knew the meaning of gentleness for the first time and also a true pain of loss. After
she left # how many times did I depend too much on her # doubt her # envy her and keep on telling lies
until I realized it is love?
I wonder whether a nobody like me could have given something to her who was struggling in the
daily life in those days. Giving something is arrogant conceit. It is nothing but self-satisfaction.
I had been thinking about such a thing.
However I guess what she saw in me was because I had nothing. That‘s why she tried to see
something in me. Perhaps she found a slight possibility in me # a guy filled with ambiguous unstable
tomorrow. But I wasted days depending too much on her gentleness.
Now I finally can convey how I felt in those days when we met.
1/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24577016535/in/dateposted...
2/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24209330259/in/dateposted...
3/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/23975215274/in/dateposted...
4/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24515964952/in/dateposted...
5/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24276473749/in/dateposted...
6/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24548895082/in/dateposted...
7/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24594603711/in/dateposted...
8/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24588215562/in/dateposted...
9/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24100804163/in/dateposted...
Fin.
images.
U2 - No Line On The Horizon
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oKwnkYFsiE&feature=related
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Title of my book : unforgettable'
Author : Mitsushiro Nakagawa
Out Now.
ISBN978-4-86264-866-2
in Amazon.
Unforgettable’ amzn.asia/d/eG1wNc5
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The schedule of the next novel.
Still would stand all time. (Unforgettable '2)
(It will not go away forever)
Please give me some more time. That is Japanese.
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My Works.
1 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48072442376/in/dateposted...
2 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48078949821/in/dateposted...
3 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48085863356/in/dateposted...
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Do you want to hear my voice?
:)
1
About the composition of the picture posted to Flicker. First type.
2
About the composition of the picture posted to Flicker. Second type.
3
About when I started Fotolog. Architect 's point of view.
4
Why did not you have a camera so far?
5
What is the coolest thing? The photo is as it is.
6
About the current YouTube bar. I also want to tell # I want to leave.
7
About Japanese photographers. Japanese YouTube bar is Pistols.
8
The composition of the photograph is sensibility. Meet the designers in Milan. Two questions.
9
What is a good composition? What is a bad composition?
10
What is the time to point the camera? It is slow if you are looking into the viewfinder or display.
11
Family photos. I can not take pictures with others. The inside of the subject.
12
About YouTube 's photographer. Camera technology etc. Sensibility is polished by reading books.
13
About the Japanese newspaper. A picture of a good newspaper is Reuters. If you continue to look at useless photographs # it will be useless.
14
About Japanese photographers. About the exhibition.
Summary. I wrote a novel etc. What I want to tell the most.
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I talked about how to make a work.
About work production 1/2
About work production 2/2
1 Photo exhibition up to that point. Did you want to go?
2 Well # what is an exhibition that you want to visit even if you go there?
3 Challenge to exhibit one work every month before opening a solo exhibition at the Harajuku Design Festa.
4 works are materials and silhouettes. Similar to fashion.
5 Who is your favorite artist? What is it? Make it clear.
6 Creating a collage is exactly the same as taking photos. As I wrote in the interview # it is the same as writing a novel.
7 I want to show it to someone # but I do not make a piece to show it. Aim for the work you want to decorate your own room as in the photo.
8 What is copycat? Nowadays # it is suspected to be beaten. There is something called Mimesis?
kotobank.jp/word/Mimesis-139464
9 What is Individuality? What is originality?
www.youtube.com/user/mitsushiro/
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Explanation of composition. 2
1.Composition explanation 2 ... 1/4
2.Composition explanation 2 ... 2/4
3.Composition Explanation 2 ... 3/4
4.Composition Explanation 2 ... 4/4
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My shutter feeling.
Today's photo.
It is a photo taken from Eurostar.
This video is an explanation.
I went to Milan in 2005.
At that time # I went from Milan to Venice.
We took Eurostar into the transportation.
This photo was not taken from a very fast Eurostar.
When I changed the track # I took a picture at the moment I slowed down.
Is there a Japanese beside you?
Please have my video translated.
:)
In the Eurostar to Venice . 2005. shot ... 1 / 2
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/49127115021/in/dateposted...
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Miles Davis sheet 1955-1976.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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flickr.
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/
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instagram.
www.instagram.com/mitsushiro_nakagawa/
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Pinterest.
www.pinterest.jp/MitsushiroNakagawa/
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YouPic
youpic.com/photographer/mitsushironakagawa/
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twitter.
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facebook.
www.facebook.com/mitsushiro.nakagawa
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threads.
www.threads.net/@mitsushiro_nakagawa
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Blue sky.
bsky.app/profile/mitsushironakagawa.bsky.social
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Amazon.
www.amazon.co.jp/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AHSKI3YMYPYE5UE...
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My statistics (as of December 15, 2024)
How many views have you had on Flickr and Youpic
Flickr 24,260,172 Views
Youpic 7,957,826 Views
x.com/mitsushiro/status/1868185157909582014
My statistics (as of August 1, 2024)
How many views have I had on Flickr and Youpic
Flickr 23,192,383 Views
Youpic 7,574,603 Views
My statistics. (As of February 7, 2024)
What is the number of accesses to Flickr and YouPic
Flickr 21,694,434 Views
Youpic 7,003,230 Views
What is the number of accesses to Flickr and YouPic?
(As of November 13, 2023)
Flickr 20,852,872 View
Youpic 6,671,486 View
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Japanese is the following.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
Title of my book unforgettable' Mitsushiro Nakagawa Out Now. ISBN978-4-86264-866-2
Mitsushiro Nakagawa belong to Lot No. 204 _ . Copyright©︎2024 Lot No.402_ All rights reserved.
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Title.
線と光と人間。
( LUMIX G3 shot )
パリ。フランス。2012. … 4 / 6
(今日の写真。それは未発表です。）
Images.
Linda Sikhakhane - Inkehli
youtu.be/vDHbPFAlrO4?si=2ikXbiJ6JwXAyjHh
::写真の音楽とiTunesプレイリストをリンク::
music.apple.com/jp/playlist/photo-music/pl.u-Eg8qefpy8Xz
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重要なお知らせ。
僕は以下の条件を緩和します。
僕はTシャツを無料で世界中へ配布します。
m.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/50656401427/in/dateposted-p...
m.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/50613367691/in/dateposted-p...
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２０２5年の展示
テーマ
The Nightfly
Images
Donald Fagen … I.G.Y.
youtu.be/Ueivjr3f8xg?si=xmqGPQjyIKoTs4Q5
Live.
youtu.be/Di0_KYtmVKI?si=CLFpU2n0gXahqLPB
Mitsushiro - Nakagawa
主催
デザインフェスタ
場所
東京ビッグサイト
日程
2025年 秋。
exhibition.mitsushiro.nakagawa@gmail.com
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タイトル
“” A.I. アップルのアイデンティティについて””
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/54271473379/in/dateposted...
マークザッカーバーグ氏の批判に、アップルは耳を傾けるだろうか。
僕にはそう思えない。アップルヴィジョンプロに夢を見せられた僕には。
メタのマークザッカーバーグ氏は、有名なポッドキャストに出演し、アップルはアイフォン以来革新的な製品を発売せず、売り上げも落ちていると批判したようだ。
アップル発祥のポッドキャストに現れ、アップルを批判すると言うのは軽いジョークに思えるが、真剣に訴えたんだろうと僕は思う。
なぜなら、今の彼はARグラスという武器を手にしているからだ。
おそらく、さまざまな関係機関や優秀なスタッフが彼を支え、それなりの目標を達成したんだろうが、パワーブック５４０cから使い続けてきた僕のような古いアップルファンからしてみれば、まだ物作りのアイデンティを彼からはまったく感じない。
これは他の、現在世界を制覇しているIT企業らも含む。
メタ、アマゾン、テスラ。マイクロソフト。グーグル。
社名が並ぶだけで、このテキストを読まれている方は名前と顔をすでに浮かべているはずだ。
僕は以前、スティーブ・ジョブズはアーティストではないと書いた。
彼は、現世界に散らばったイメージを紡ぎ合わせ、それを膨らます。そして未来へリンクさせる。それが得意だっただけだ。
実際に創作していたのはジョナサンアイブだ。少数ながらも僕のような意見を持っている方もいるだろう。
しかし、先述したIT関連の面々が、トランプ氏に再び権力が戻るとなった途端に会社の方針を覆す様子を見ていると、僕は一言、どうしても意見したいのだ。
彼らが作ったARグラスや車などには、肝心な観念が欠けている。思想という重い言葉や、軽めのアイデンティティと言い換えてもいい。
確かに、ティムクック氏やアップルの現在のスタッフらは、発売前の商品に関して口を滑らせることが多くなった。
僕は、以前から書いているように音楽が大好きだ。
外界を断ち、アーティストらがスタジオにこもって、怒りや憎しみ、喜びや悲しみを一心不乱になって一音に吹き込む。何かを託すと言ってもいい。
そして、完成したアルバムを発表し、どんな思いを込めて制作したのかを語る。（僕が好きなプリンスはほとんど語らなかったので、完成された作品を理解する必要があった）
アルバムが完成し、発表するまで、彼らはひとことも語らない。
僕の胸を震わせたのは、そんなアーティストらだった。
僕の中に淡く灯っているアップルの革新性は、いまでも消えていない。
それは昨年、大失敗だと批判されたアップルヴィジョンプロでさえも消すことはできない。むしろ、アイフォン以上の強烈な光を放っている。
ただの斬新な電化製品ではなく、細かな電気部品の向こうに観念や思想を感じるからだ。
残念ながら、メタのARグラスやテスラの車に、僕がその観念や思想を感じることは今後もないだろう。
長々と書いてきたが、結論は以下の記事だ。
1.5億円超をAppleのティム・クックCEOがトランプの大統領就任式に寄付
gigazine.net/news/20250104-apple-ceo-tim-cook-donates-1-m...
一読すると、ティムクック氏も他のIT会社同様、魂を売ったのかと思われるがそうではない。
ティムクック氏は個人的にトランプ氏へ献金をするが、アップル社だけは他社と同じようには献金していない。
アップルは、トランプ氏になびかなかったのだ。
アップル社の観念や思想とは、具体的に何かと訊かれたら、僕はこう答える。
アップルとは、自分自身を信じる人間が集まっているグループだ。
たぶん、天国のスティーブ・ジョブズは、僕がクソ真面目に書いたテキストを、鼻で笑っていることだろう。
トランプ氏に媚びない会社。
それがAppleさ。:)
１月１５日
嬉しい記事を読んだ後で。
Mitsushiro Nakagawa.
追記。
修正しました。
修正前 アップルのポッドキャストに現れ、
修正後 アップル発祥のポッドキャストに現れ、
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新婚旅行の8mmフィルムを数十年ぶりに復活😃
youtu.be/zH-dG7bMeL4?si=yLF5_f1m-LhAVdPp
新婚旅行の8mmフィルムが数十年ぶりに出てきて、DVDに焼きました。
１９９３年６月６日、僕らは結婚し、そのままニューヨークを経由して、バハマのナッソーへ向かいました。
目的地は、亡くなられたダイアナ妃が新婚旅行へ向かったピンクサンドビーチです。
もしもこれからバハマへ向かうならば、参考に見てもよいかもしれません。
泊まったホテルは、今はもうないラマダホテル。
妻がホテルの部屋を紹介しています。
でも、今はリアルタイムで美しい景色が見られますね。
届いたDVDを再生したら、バハマに到着したところからの映像でした。
もしもよかったら見てください。
今回、DVD化を依頼した場所は、富士フィルムさんです。
下にリンクを貼っておきます。
ビデオや写真をデータ化しDVDに変換 | 富士フイルム
fujifilmmall.jp/conversion/?_gl=1*1smvac9*_gcl_au*NTA1NDU....
#バハマ #ナッソー #ピンクサンドビーチ #新婚旅行 #1993
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” Lot No.402_ ” に関するお知らせ。
今後、僕は、” Lot No.402_ ”を主催します。
このロットナンバーは、眠っていたレオナルドダヴィンチの作品がオークションにかけらた際に付されたものです。
作品にはサインなどがいっさい記されていなかったため、彼の作品だと断定できませんでした。
しかし、様々な鑑定の結果、陽の光を浴びました。
誰にも気づかれない作品。肩書がなくとも静かに語りかける作品。
僕はこれから様々な形で、多くの皆様に提供できるよう努めてゆきます。
2020年10月24日 by Mitsushiro - Nakagawa.
Copyright©︎2021 Lot No.402_ All rights reserved.
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プロフィール
2014年11月、たった1機種で世界を塗り替えた携帯電話の広告を請け負った選考者の目に留まり、秘密保持同意書を結ぶ。
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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インタビューと小説。
僕の本について。
僕は、昔に本を出版しました。
その際に、僕のインタビューをPDFでネット上へアップロードしていました。
その日本語と英語。
僕は、無料でを公開します。
詳細は、アマゾンのサイトへ解説しました。
小説の書き方。
写真の撮影方法。
作品への距離感。
これらはすべて共通項があります。
僕は、僕が感じたことを文章にして、残しました。
僕のテキストが多くの人に読んでもらえることを望みます。
ありがとう。
Mitsushiro.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
１ インタビュー 英語版
２ 小説。unforgettable’ 英語版。
３ インタビュー 日本語版
４ 小説。unforgettable’ 日本語版。(この小説は未来のアーティストへ捧げます)
(四百字詰め原稿用紙４５６枚)
あらすじ
大学を目指している北見ケイは、SNS上で、6歳年上のイベントコンパニオン、上村香織に出会う。
上京してきた香織の夢は、有名なアーティストの友達になるためだ。
そのためにはラジオ局のプロデューサー、大沢亮の存在が必要だった。
大沢は、ラジオの生放送中、香織へ語りかける。
「僕には妻子がある。しかし、僕は君に会いたいと思っている」
ケイの同級生で、彼を想っている三條里香は、香織の動向を探っていた。。。。。
本編
人が海へ向かう理由には、二つある。
ひとつは、波打ち際ではしゃぐ子供のように、今の瞬間の海の輝きを楽しむこと。
もうひとつは、その輝きを静かに見据えて、過ぎ去った日々を懐かしむ老人のように記憶の埃を払うこと。
二つは重なり合わないようではあるけれども、たったひとつの意味しか生まない。
再生だ。
明日っていう、曖昧な日を確実なものへと変えてゆくために、自分の存在に向き合う。
それが再生の意味だ。
十八歳だった僕には大切な人がいた。
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
５ 流線形の軌跡。 日本語のみ。
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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iBooks.電子出版。（現在は無料）
0.about the iBooks.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
1.unforgettable’ ( ENG.ver.)(This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/unforgettable/id1216576828?ls=1&...
2.unforgettable’ ( JNP.ver.)(この小説は未来のアーティストへ捧げます)
itunes.apple.com/us/book/unforgettable/id1216584262?ls=1&...
3.流線形の軌跡。
itunes.apple.com/us/book/%E6%B5%81%E7%B7%9A%E5%BD%A2%E3%8...
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僕の小説。英語版
My Novel Unforgettable' (This book is Dedicated to the future artist.)
Mitsushiro Nakagawa
All Translated by Yumi Ikeda .
1/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24577016535/in/dateposted...
2/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24209330259/in/dateposted...
3/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/23975215274/in/dateposted...
4/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24515964952/in/dateposted...
5/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24276473749/in/dateposted...
6/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24548895082/in/dateposted...
7/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24594603711/in/dateposted...
8/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24588215562/in/dateposted...
9/9
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/24100804163/in/dateposted...
Fin.
images.
U2 - No Line On The Horizon Live in Dublin
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oKwnkYFsiE&feature=related
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Title of my book : unforgettable'
Author : Mitsushiro Nakagawa
Out Now.
ISBN978-4-86264-866-2
in Amazon.
Unforgettable’ amzn.asia/d/eG1wNc5
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僕の作品。
1 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48072442376/in/dateposted...
2 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48078949821/in/dateposted...
3 www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/48085863356/in/dateposted...
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あなたは僕の声を聞きたいですか？
:)
1
フリッカーへ投稿した写真の構図について。１種類目。
2
フリッカーへ投稿した写真の構図について。２種類目。
3
Fotologを始めた時について。 建築家の視点。
4
なぜ、今までカメラを手にしなかったのか？
5
何が一番かっこいいのか？ 写真はありのままに。
6
現在のユーチューバーについて。僕も伝え、残したい。
7
日本人の写真家について。日本のユーチューバーはピストルズ。
8
写真の構図は、感性。ミラノのデザイナーに会って。二つの質問。
9
良い構図とは？ 悪い構図とは？
10
カメラを向ける時とは？ ファインダーやディスプレイを覗いていては遅い。
11
家族写真。他人では撮れない。被写体の内面。
12
ユーチューブの写真家について。カメラの技術等。感性は、本を読むことで磨く。
13
日本の新聞について。良い新聞の写真はロイター。ダメな写真を見続けるとダメになる。
14
日本の写真家について。その展示について。
まとめ。僕が書いた小説など。僕が最も伝えたいこと。
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作品制作について 1/2
作品制作について 2/2
１ それまでの写真展。自分は行きたいと思ったか？
２ じゃ、自分が足を運んででも行きたい展示とは何か？
３ 原宿デザインフェスタで個展を開くまでに、毎月ひとつの作品を展示することにチャレンジ。
４ 作品とは、素材とシルエット。ファッションと似ている。
５ 自分が好きなアーティストは誰か？ どんなものなのか？ そこをはっきりさせる。
６ コラージュの作成も写真の撮り方と全く同じ。インタビューに書いたように小説の書き方とも同じ。
７ 誰かに見せたい、見せるがために作品は作らない。写真と同じように自分の部屋に飾りたい作品を目指す。
８ パクリとは何か？ 昨今、叩かれるパクリ疑惑。ミメーシスとは？
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/ミメーシス
https://kotobank.jp/word/ミメーシス-139464
９ 個性とはなにか？ オリジナリティってなに？
おまけ 眞子さまについて
という流れです。
お時間がある方は是非聴いてください。
:)
www.youtube.com/user/mitsushiro/
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構図の解説２
1.構図の解説２ ... 1/4
2.構図の解説２ ... 2/4
3.構図の解説２ ... 3/4
4.構図の解説２ ... 4/4
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僕のシャッター感覚
In the Eurostar to Venice . 2005. shot ... 1 / 2
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/49127115021/in/dateposted...
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Miles Davis sheet 1955-1976.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
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flickr.
www.flickr.com/photos/stealaway/
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YouTube.
www.youtube.com/user/mitsushiro/
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instagram.
www.instagram.com/mitsushiro_nakagawa/
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Pinterest.
www.pinterest.jp/MitsushiroNakagawa/
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YouPic
youpic.com/photographer/mitsushironakagawa/
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fotolog
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twitter.
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facebook.
www.facebook.com/mitsushiro.nakagawa
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threads.
www.threads.net/@mitsushiro_nakagawa
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Blue sky.
bsky.app/profile/mitsushironakagawa.bsky.social
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Amazon.
www.amazon.co.jp/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AHSKI3YMYPYE5UE...
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僕の統計。（2024年12月15日現在）
フリッカー、ユーピクのアクセス数は？
Flickr 24,260,172 View
Youpic 7,957,826 View
x.com/mitsushiro/status/1868185157909582014
僕の統計。（2024年8月1日現在）
フリッカー、ユーピクのアクセス数は？
Flickr 23,192,383 View
Youpic 7,574,603 View
僕の統計。（2024年2月7日現在）
フリッカー、ユーピクのアクセス数は？
Flickr 21,694,434 View
Youpic 7,003,230 View
僕の統計。（2023年11月13日現在）
フリッカー、ユーピクのアクセス数は？
Flickr 20,852,872 View
Youpic 6,671,486 View
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Japanese is the following.
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vBRMWGk29EmsoBV2o9NM1LIVi...
Title of my book unforgettable' Mitsushiro Nakagawa Out Now. ISBN978-4-86264-866-2
Mitsushiro Nakagawa belong to Lot no.204_ . Copyright©︎2020 Lot no.204_ All rights reserved.
_________________________________
_________________________________
” Lot No.402_ ” に関するお知らせ。
今後、僕は、” Lot No.402_ ”を主催します。
このロットナンバーは、眠っていたレオナルドダヴィンチの作品がオークションにかけらた際に付されたものです。
作品にはサインなどがいっさい記されていなかったため、彼の作品だと断定できませんでした。
しかし、様々な鑑定の結果、陽の光を浴びました。
誰にも気づかれない作品。肩書がなくとも静かに語りかける作品。
僕はこれから様々な形で、多くの皆様に提供できるよう努めてゆきます。
2020年10月24日 by Mitsushiro - Nakagawa.
Copyright©︎2024 Lot No.402_ All rights reserved.
_________________________________
_________________________________
“Living in the city is catching up with us. We live here for the excitement of doing things but, we can’t afford to do things because of our poor, lackluster jobs. It’s like what Tuco says in The Magnificent Seven…”
He propped himself up onto one arm and faced her.
“If you work for a living, why do you kill yourself working?”
Running his finger down her oiled, bronzed skin, starting at the bottom of her lime green bikini top, “Ya, but…” and ending at a swipe halfway.
“Cut it out! That tickles.”
“Ya, but, isn’t he saying that to a chicken?” He looks up at the multitudes of folk all gathered on the beach; a gloriously sunny, summer Sunday that has brought city dwellers out in droves.
“When was the last time we attended a concert, let alone cough up for the overpriced beer or glass of wine there? When was the last time we could afford to view an art exhibit at the museum on any other night but freebie Friday? I can’t remember the last meal we went out for that didn’t involve standing in line to request your order, wait for your number to be called by some pimply-faced kid behind a counter and the usage of all your condiments came from little, plastic sachets.”
He was listening to her, he half-listened to her whilst watching all the beach activity and he, at most points, wasn’t listening to her at all. The term, a ‘broken record’ meant something to him, as he could remember the black, vinyl disks and what would happen if the needle got stuck in a groove but, she had no context for the reference. She knew it, in the same way she knew the movie quote – from being with him. Each time the conversation came up it wasn’t one. She would espouse her unhappiness with their current financial situation and he couldn’t argue back. She was right, of course, there was no debating the facts. It wasn’t how their union was supposed to evolve, from the heady excitement of the early days when anything seemed possible. He had not long been single, after cutting loose from an unhappy marriage and she was young, vibrant and infectious with it. However, as menial job hopping, as well as intermittent lulls in actual employment of any kind, were normal for someone of her youth, at his age, he was expected to be more settled into a good paying position, a stable and fulfilling line of work. He wished now that he had been more resilient and diligent during the last year with Maggie, bucking down to meet his quotas, which were never a problem beforehand. All the turmoil at home though interfered with his nine-to-five and by six most nights, he was into his third brew with the gang at The Fox. By the time he and Delilah got together, he was on his third job and like the previous two, didn’t come close to matching his prior earnings. Then there was Maggie’s settlement demands that were being bandied about by two lawyers who needed to pay for orthodontists, cottages up at the lake and additional footwear for their wives’ shoe closets. She blamed him for the break-up of the marriage, her inability to work due to the post-traumatic stress involved and the hovel on Bellwoods Ridge Blvd. she was forced to live in.
“I want an ice cream.”
“Okay Di, let’s go get an ice cream.”
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For the EXPLORE Worthy - The Number Games 4,S4 (2018 Art) challenge.
Berlin (/bərˈlɪn/, German: [bɛɐ̯ˈliːn] ( listen)) is the capital of Germany, and one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.5 million people,[4] Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union.[5] Located in northeastern Germany on the banks of Rivers Spree and Havel, it is the centre of the Berlin-Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, which has about six million residents from over 180 nations.[6][7][8][9] Due to its location in the European Plain, Berlin is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. Around one-third of the city's area is composed of forests, parks, gardens, rivers and lakes.[10]
First documented in the 13th century, Berlin became the capital of the Margraviate of Brandenburg (1417-1701), the Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918), the German Empire (1871–1918), the Weimar Republic (1919–1933) and the Third Reich (1933–1945).[11] Berlin in the 1920s was the third largest municipality in the world.[12] After World War II, the city was divided; East Berlin became the capital of East Germany while West Berlin became a de facto West German exclave, surrounded by the Berlin Wall (1961–1989).[13] Following German reunification in 1990, the city was once more designated as the capital of all Germany, hosting 158 foreign embassies.[14]
Berlin is a world city of culture, politics, media, and science.[15][16][17][18] Its economy is based on high-tech firms and the service sector, encompassing a diverse range of creative industries, research facilities, media corporations, and convention venues.[19][20] Berlin serves as a continental hub for air and rail traffic and has a highly complex public transportation network. The metropolis is a popular tourist destination.[21] Significant industries also include IT, pharmaceuticals, biomedical engineering, clean tech, biotechnology, construction, and electronics.
Modern Berlin is home to renowned universities, orchestras, museums, entertainment venues, and is host to many sporting events.[22] Its urban setting has made it a sought-after location for international film productions.[23] The city is well known for its festivals, diverse architecture, nightlife, contemporary arts, and a high quality of living.[24] Over the last decade Berlin has seen the emergence of a cosmopolitan entrepreneurial scene.[
History
Etymology
The origin of the name Berlin is uncertain. It may have its roots in the language of West Slavic inhabitants of the area of today's Berlin, and may be related to the Old Polabian stem berl-/birl- ("swamp").[26] Folk etymology connects the name to the German word for bear, Bär. A bear also appears in the coat of arms of the city.[
12th to 16th centuries
The earliest evidence of settlements in the area of today's Berlin are a wooden rod dated from approximately 1192[28] and leftovers of wooden houseparts dated to 1174 found in a 2012 digging in Berlin Mitte.[29] The first written records of towns in the area of present-day Berlin date from the late 12th century. Spandau is first mentioned in 1197 and Köpenick in 1209, although these areas did not join Berlin until 1920.[30] The central part of Berlin can be traced back to two towns. Cölln on the Fischerinsel is first mentioned in a 1237 document, and Berlin, across the Spree in what is now called the Nikolaiviertel, is referenced in a document from 1244.[28] The former (1237) is considered to be the founding date of the city.[31] The two towns over time formed close economic and social ties. In 1307 they formed an alliance with a common external policy, their internal administrations still being separated.[32][33]
In 1415, Frederick I became the elector of the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which he ruled until 1440.[34] During the 15th century his successors would establish Berlin-Cölln as capital of the margraviate, and subsequent members of the Hohenzollern family ruled until 1918 in Berlin, first as electors of Brandenburg, then as kings of Prussia, and eventually as German emperors. In 1443, Frederick II Irontooth started the construction of a new royal palace in the twin city Berlin-Cölln. The protests of the town citizens against the building culminated in 1448, in the "Berlin Indignation" ("Berliner Unwille").[35][36] This protest was not successful, however, and the citizenry lost many of its political and economic privileges. After the royal palace was finished in 1451, it gradually came into use. From 1470, with the new elector Albrecht III Achilles, Berlin-Cölln became the new royal residence.[33] Officially, the Berlin-Cölln palace became permanent residence of the Brandenburg electors of the Hohenzollerns from 1486, when John Cicero came to power.[37] Berlin-Cölln, however, had to give up its status as a free Hanseatic city. In 1539, the electors and the city officially became Lutheran.[
17th to 19th centuries
The Thirty Years' War between 1618 and 1648 devastated Berlin. One third of its houses were damaged or destroyed, and the city lost half of its population.[39] Frederick William, known as the "Great Elector", who had succeeded his father George William as ruler in 1640, initiated a policy of promoting immigration and religious tolerance.[40] With the Edict of Potsdam in 1685, Frederick William offered asylum to the French Huguenots.[41] By 1700, approximately 30 percent of Berlin's residents were French, because of the Huguenot immigration.[42] Many other immigrants came from Bohemia, Poland, and Salzburg.[43]
Since 1618, the Margraviate of Brandenburg had been in personal union with the Duchy of Prussia. In 1701, however, the dual state formed the Kingdom of Prussia, as Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg now crowned himself as king Frederick I in Prussia. Berlin became the capital of the new Kingdom. This was a successful attempt to centralise the capital in the very outspread state, and it was the first time the city began to grow. In 1709 Berlin merged with the four cities of Cölln, Friedrichswerder, Friedrichstadt and Dorotheenstadt under the name Berlin, "Haupt- und Residenzstadt Berlin".[32]
In 1740, Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great (1740–1786), came to power.[44] Under the rule of Frederick II, Berlin became a center of the Enlightenment.[45] Following France's victory in the War of the Fourth Coalition, Napoleon Bonaparte marched into Berlin in 1806, but granted self-government to the city.[46] In 1815, the city became part of the new Province of Brandenburg.[47]
The Industrial Revolution transformed Berlin during the 19th century; the city's economy and population expanded dramatically, and it became the main railway hub and economic centre of Germany. Additional suburbs soon developed and increased the area and population of Berlin. In 1861, neighboring suburbs including Wedding, Moabit and several others were incorporated into Berlin.[48] In 1871, Berlin became capital of the newly founded German Empire.[49] In 1881, it became a city district separate from Brandenburg.[50]
20th to 21st centuries
In the early 20th century, Berlin had become a fertile ground for the German Expressionist movement.[51] In fields such as architecture, painting and cinema new forms of artistic styles were invented. At the end of World War I in 1918, a republic was proclaimed by Philipp Scheidemann at the Reichstag building. In 1920, the Greater Berlin Act incorporated dozens of suburban cities, villages, and estates around Berlin into an expanded city. The act increased the area of Berlin from 66 to 883 km2 (25 to 341 sq mi). The population almost doubled and Berlin had a population of around four million. During the Weimar era, Berlin underwent political unrest due to economic uncertainties, but also became a renowned center of the Roaring Twenties. The metropolis experienced its heyday as a major world capital and was known for its leadership roles in science, technology, the humanities, city planning, film, higher education, government, and industries. Albert Einstein rose to public prominence during his years in Berlin, being awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.
In 1933, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power. NSDAP rule effectively destroyed Berlin's Jewish community, which had numbered 160,000, representing one-third of all Jews in the country. Berlin's Jewish population fell to about 80,000 as a result of emigration between 1933 and 1939. After Kristallnacht in 1938, thousands of the city's persecuted groups were imprisoned in the nearby Sachsenhausen concentration camp or, starting in early 1943, were shipped to death camps, such as Auschwitz.[52] During World War II, large parts of Berlin were destroyed in the 1943–45 air raids and during the Battle of Berlin. Around 125,000 civilians were killed.[53] After the end of the war in Europe in 1945, Berlin received large numbers of refugees from the Eastern provinces. The victorious powers divided the city into four sectors, analogous to the occupation zones into which Germany was divided. The sectors of the Western Allies (the United States, the United Kingdom and France) formed West Berlin, while the Soviet sector formed East Berlin.[54]
All four Allies shared administrative responsibilities for Berlin. However, in 1948, when the Western Allies extended the currency reform in the Western zones of Germany to the three western sectors of Berlin, the Soviet Union imposed a blockade on the access routes to and from West Berlin, which lay entirely inside Soviet-controlled territory. The Berlin airlift, conducted by the three western Allies, overcame this blockade by supplying food and other supplies to the city from June 1948 to May 1949.[55] In 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was founded in West Germany and eventually included all of the American, British, and French zones, excluding those three countries' zones in Berlin, while the Marxist-Leninist German Democratic Republic was proclaimed in East Germany. West Berlin officially remained an occupied city, but it politically was aligned with the Federal Republic of Germany despite West Berlin's geographic isolation. Airline service to West Berlin was granted only to American, British, and French airlines.
The founding of the two German states increased Cold War tensions. West Berlin was surrounded by East German territory, and East Germany proclaimed the Eastern part as its capital, a move that was not recognized by the western powers. East Berlin included most of the historic center of the city. The West German government established itself in Bonn.[56] In 1961, East Germany began the building of the Berlin Wall between East and West Berlin, and events escalated to a tank standoff at Checkpoint Charlie. West Berlin was now de facto a part of West Germany with a unique legal status, while East Berlin was de facto a part of East Germany. John F. Kennedy gave his "Ich bin ein Berliner" – speech in 1963 underlining the US support for the Western part of the city. Berlin was completely divided. Although it was possible for Westerners to pass from one to the other side through strictly controlled checkpoints, for most Easterners travel to West Berlin or West Germany was prohibited. In 1971, a Four-Power agreement guaranteed access to and from West Berlin by car or train through East Germany.[57]
In 1989, with the end of the Cold War and pressure from the East German population, the Berlin Wall fell on 9 November and was subsequently mostly demolished. Today, the East Side Gallery preserves a large portion of the Wall. On 3 October 1990, the two parts of Germany were reunified as the Federal Republic of Germany, and Berlin again became the official German capital. In 1991, the German Parliament, the Bundestag, voted to move the seat of the (West) German capital from Bonn to Berlin, which was completed in 1999. Berlin's 2001 administrative reform merged several districts. The number of boroughs was reduced from 23 to 12. In 2006, the FIFA World Cup Final was held in Berlin.
Geography
Topography
Berlin is situated in northeastern Germany, in an area of low-lying marshy woodlands with a mainly flat topography, part of the vast Northern European Plain which stretches all the way from northern France to western Russia. The Berliner Urstromtal (an ice age glacial valley), between the low Barnim Plateau to the north and the Teltow Plateau to the south, was formed by meltwater flowing from ice sheets at the end of the last Weichselian glaciation. The Spree follows this valley now. In Spandau, Berlin's westernmost borough, the Spree empties into the river Havel, which flows from north to south through western Berlin. The course of the Havel is more like a chain of lakes, the largest being the Tegeler See and Großer Wannsee. A series of lakes also feeds into the upper Spree, which flows through the Großer Müggelsee in eastern Berlin.[58]
Substantial parts of present-day Berlin extend onto the low plateaus on both sides of the Spree Valley. Large parts of the boroughs Reinickendorf and Pankow lie on the Barnim Plateau, while most of the boroughs of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Tempelhof-Schöneberg, and Neukölln lie on the Teltow Plateau.
The borough of Spandau lies partly within the Berlin Glacial Valley and partly on the Nauen Plain, which stretches to the west of Berlin. The highest elevations in Berlin are the Teufelsberg and the Müggelberge in the city's outskirts, and in the center the Kreuzberg. While the latter measures 66 m (217 ft) above sea level, the former both have an elevation of about 115 m (377 ft). The Teufelsberg is in fact an artificial hill composed of a pile of rubble from the ruins of World War II.
Climate
Berlin has an Maritime temperate climate (Cfb) according to the Köppen climate classification system.[59] There are significant influences of mild continental climate due to its inland position, with frosts being common in winter and there being larger temperature differences between seasons than typical for many oceanic climates.
Summers are warm and sometimes humid with average high temperatures of 22–25 °C (72–77 °F) and lows of 12–14 °C (54–57 °F). Winters are cool with average high temperatures of 3 °C (37 °F) and lows of −2 to 0 °C (28 to 32 °F). Spring and autumn are generally chilly to mild. Berlin's built-up area creates a microclimate, with heat stored by the city's buildings. Temperatures can be 4 °C (7 °F) higher in the city than in the surrounding areas.[60]
Annual precipitation is 570 millimeters (22 in) with moderate rainfall throughout the year. Snowfall mainly occurs from December through March.
Cityscape
Berlin's history has left the city with a highly eclectic array of architecture and buildings. The city's appearance today is predominantly shaped by the key role it played in Germany's history in the 20th century. Each of the national governments based in Berlin — the Kingdom of Prussia, the 1871 German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, East Germany, and now the reunified Germany — initiated ambitious (re-)construction programs, with each adding its own distinctive style to the city's architecture.
Berlin was devastated by bombing raids, fires and street battles during World War II, and many of the buildings that had remained after the war were demolished in the post-war period in both West and East Berlin. Much of this demolition was initiated by municipal architecture programs to build new residential or business quarters and main roads. Many ornaments of pre-war buildings were destroyed following modernist dogmas. While in both systems and in reunified Berlin, various important heritage monuments were also (partly) reconstructed, including the Forum Fridericianum with e.g., the State Opera (1955), Charlottenburg Palace (1957), the main monuments of the Gendarmenmarkt (1980s), Kommandantur (2003) and the project to reconstruct the baroque facades of the City Palace. A number of new buildings is inspired by historical predecessors or the general classical style of Berlin, such as Hotel Adlon.
Clusters of high-rise buildings emerge at e.g., Potsdamer Platz, City West and Alexanderplatz. Berlin has three of the top 40 tallest buildings in Germany.
Architecture
The Brandenburg Gate is an iconic landmark of Berlin and Germany. The Reichstag building is the traditional seat of the German Parliament, was remodeled by British architect Norman Foster in the 1990s and features a glass dome over the session area, which allows free public access to the parliamentary proceedings and magnificent views of the city.
The East Side Gallery is an open-air exhibition of art painted directly on the last existing portions of the Berlin Wall. It is the largest remaining evidence of the city's historical division.
The Gendarmenmarkt, a neoclassical square in Berlin the name of which derives from the headquarters of the famous Gens d'armes regiment located here in the 18th century, is bordered by two similarly designed cathedrals, the Französischer Dom with its observation platform and the Deutscher Dom. The Konzerthaus (Concert Hall), home of the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, stands between the two cathedrals.
The Museum Island in the River Spree houses five museums built from 1830 to 1930 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Restoration and the construction of a main entrance to all museums, as well as the reconstruction of the Stadtschloss is continuing.[65][66] Also located on the island and adjacent to the Lustgarten and palace is Berlin Cathedral, emperor William II's ambitious attempt to create a Protestant counterpart to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. A large crypt houses the remains of some of the earlier Prussian royal family. St. Hedwig's Cathedral is Berlin's Roman Catholic cathedral.
Unter den Linden is a tree-lined east–west avenue from the Brandenburg Gate to the site of the former Berliner Stadtschloss, and was once Berlin's premier promenade. Many Classical buildings line the street and part of Humboldt University is located there. Friedrichstraße was Berlin's legendary street during the Golden Twenties. It combines 20th-century traditions with the modern architecture of today's Berlin.
Potsdamer Platz is an entire quarter built from scratch after 1995 after the Wall came down.[67] To the west of Potsdamer Platz is the Kulturforum, which houses the Gemäldegalerie, and is flanked by the Neue Nationalgalerie and the Berliner Philharmonie. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a Holocaust memorial, is situated to the north.[68]
The area around Hackescher Markt is home to the fashionable culture, with countless clothing outlets, clubs, bars, and galleries. This includes the Hackesche Höfe, a conglomeration of buildings around several courtyards, reconstructed around 1996. The nearby New Synagogue is the center of Jewish culture.
The Straße des 17. Juni, connecting the Brandenburg Gate and Ernst-Reuter-Platz, serves as the central East-West-Axis. Its name commemorates the uprisings in East Berlin of 17 June 1953. Approximately half-way from the Brandenburg Gate is the Großer Stern, a circular traffic island on which the Siegessäule (Victory Column) is situated. This monument, built to commemorate Prussia's victories, was relocated 1938–39 from its previous position in front of the Reichstag.
The Kurfürstendamm is home to some of Berlin's luxurious stores with the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church at its eastern end on Breitscheidplatz. The church was destroyed in the Second World War and left in ruins. Nearby on Tauentzienstraße is KaDeWe, claimed to be continental Europe's largest department store. The Rathaus Schöneberg, where John F. Kennedy made his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner!" speech, is situated in Tempelhof-Schöneberg.
West of the center, Schloss Bellevue is the residence of the German President. Schloss Charlottenburg, which was burnt out in the Second World War is the largest historical palace in Berlin.
The Funkturm Berlin is a 150 m (490 ft) tall lattice radio tower at the fair area, built between 1924 and 1926. It is the only observation tower which stands on insulators and has a restaurant 55 m (180 ft) and an observation deck 126 m (413 ft) above ground, which is reachable by a windowed elevator.
Demographics
On 31 December 2014, the city-state of Berlin had a population of 3,562,166 registered inhabitants[4] in an area of 891.85 km2 (344.35 sq mi).[69] The city's population density was 3,994 inhabitants per km2. Berlin is the second most populous city proper in the EU. The urban area of Berlin comprised about 4 million people making it the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union.[5] The metropolitan area of the Berlin-Brandenburg region was home to about 4.5 million in an area of 5,370 km2 (2,070 sq mi). In 2004, the Larger Urban Zone was home to about 5 million people in an area of 17,385 km2 (6,712 sq mi).[9] The entire Berlin-Brandenburg capital region has a population of 6 million.[70]
National and international migration into the city has a long history. In 1685, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in France, the city responded with the Edict of Potsdam, which guaranteed religious freedom and tax-free status to French Huguenot refugees for ten years. The Greater Berlin Act in 1920 incorporated many suburbs and surrounding cities of Berlin. It formed most of the territory that comprises modern Berlin and increased the population from 1.9 million to 4 million.
Active immigration and asylum politics in West Berlin triggered waves of immigration in the 1960s and 1970s. Currently, Berlin is home to about 200,000 Turks,[71] making it the largest Turkish community outside of Turkey. In the 1990s the Aussiedlergesetze enabled immigration to Germany of some residents from the former Soviet Union. Today ethnic Germans from countries of the former Soviet Union make up the largest portion of the Russian-speaking community.[72] The last decade experienced an influx from various Western countries and some African regions.[73] Young Germans, EU-Europeans and Israelis have settled in the city.[
International communities
In December 2013, 538,729 residents (15.3% of the population) were of foreign nationality, originating from over 180 different countries.[76] Another estimated 460,000 citizens in 2013 are descendants of international migrants and have either become naturalized German citizens or obtained citizenship by virtue of birth in Germany.[77] In 2008, about 25%–30% of the population was of foreign origin.[78] 45 percent of the residents under the age of 18 have foreign roots.[79] Berlin is estimated to have from 100,000 to 250,000 non-registered inhabitants.[80]
There are more than 25 non-indigenous communities with a population of at least 10,000 people, including Turkish, Polish, Russian, Lebanese, Palestinian, Serbian, Italian, Bosnian, Vietnamese, American, Romanian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Austrian, Ghanaian, Ukrainian, French, British, Spanish, Israeli, Thai, Iranian, Egyptian and Syrian communities.
The most-commonly-spoken foreign languages in Berlin are Turkish, English, Russian, Arabic, Polish, Kurdish, Vietnamese, Serbian, Croatian and French. Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish, Serbian and Croatian are heard more often in the western part, due to the large Middle Eastern and former-Yugoslavian communities. English, Vietnamese, Russian, and Polish have more native speakers in eastern Berlin.
Religion
More than 60% of Berlin residents have no registered religious affiliation.[82] The largest denominations in 2010 were the Protestant regional church body of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia (EKBO) (a church of united administration comprising mostly Lutheran, and few Reformed and United Protestant congregations; EKBO is a member of the umbrellas Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) and Union Evangelischer Kirchen (UEK)) with 18.7% of the population,[83] and the Roman Catholic Church with 9.1% of registered members.[83] About 2.7% of the population identify with other Christian denominations (mostly Eastern Orthodox)[84] and 8.1% are Muslims.[85] 0.9% of Berliners belong to other religions.[86] Approximately 80% of the 12,000 (0.3%) registered Jews now residing in Berlin[84] have come from the former Soviet Union.
Berlin is the seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of Berlin and EKBO's elected chairperson is titled bishop of EKBO. Furthermore, Berlin is the seat of many Orthodox cathedrals, such as the Cathedral of St. Boris the Baptist, one of the two seats of the Bulgarian Orthodox Diocese of Western and Central Europe, and the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral of the Diocese of Berlin (Patriarchate of Moscow).
The faithful of the different religions and denominations maintain many places of worship in Berlin. The Independent Evangelical Lutheran Church has eight parishes of different sizes in Berlin.[87] There are 36 Baptist congregations (within Union of Evangelical Free Church Congregations in Germany), 29 New Apostolic Churches, 15 United Methodist churches, eight Free Evangelical Congregations, six congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an Old Catholic church, and an Anglican church in Berlin.
Berlin has 76 mosques (including three Ahmadiyya mosques), 11 synagogues, and two Buddhist temples, in addition to a number of humanist and atheist groups.
Government
City state
Since the reunification on 3 October 1990, Berlin has been one of the three city states in Germany among the present 16 states of Germany. The city and state parliament is the House of Representatives (Abgeordnetenhaus), which currently has 141 seats. Berlin's executive body is the Senate of Berlin (Senat von Berlin). The Senate of Berlin consists of the Governing Mayor (Regierender Bürgermeister) and up to eight senators holding ministerial positions, one of them holding the official title "Mayor" (Bürgermeister) as deputy to the Governing Mayor.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Left (Die Linke) took control of the city government after the 2001 state election and won another term in the 2006 state election.[88] Since the 2011 state election, there has been a coalition of the Social Democratic Party with the Christian Democratic Union, and for the first time ever, the Pirate Party won seats in a state parliament in Germany.
The Governing Mayor is simultaneously Lord Mayor of the city (Oberbürgermeister der Stadt) and Prime Minister of the Federal State (Ministerpräsident des Bundeslandes). The office of Berlin's Governing Mayor is in the Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall). Since 2014 this office has been held by Michael Müller of the SPD.[89] On 26 August 2014, Wowereit announced his resignation as of 11 December 2014.[90]
The total annual state budget of Berlin in 2007 exceeded €20.5 ($28.7) billion including a budget surplus of €80 ($112) million.[91] The total budget included an estimated amount of €5.5 ($7.7) bn, which is directly financed by either the German government or the German Bundesländer.[
Boroughs
Berlin is subdivided into twelve boroughs (Bezirke). Each borough contains a number of localities (Ortsteile), which often have historic roots in older municipalities that predate the formation of Greater Berlin on 1 October 1920 and became urbanized and incorporated into the city. Many residents strongly identify with their localities or boroughs. At present Berlin consists of 96 localities, which are commonly made up of several city neighborhoods—called Kiez in the Berlin dialect—representing small residential areas.
Each borough is governed by a borough council (Bezirksamt) consisting of five councilors (Bezirksstadträte) including the borough mayor (Bezirksbürgermeister). The borough council is elected by the borough assembly (Bezirksverordnetenversammlung). The boroughs of Berlin are not independent municipalities. The power of borough administration is limited and subordinate to the Senate of Berlin. The borough mayors form the council of mayors (Rat der Bürgermeister), led by the city's governing mayor, which advises the senate. The localities have no local government bodies.
Sister cities
Berlin maintains official partnerships with 17 cities.[93] Town twinning between Berlin and other cities began with sister city Los Angeles in 1967. East Berlin's partnerships were canceled at the time of German reunification and later partially reestablished. West Berlin's partnerships had previously been restricted to the borough level. During the Cold War era, the partnerships had reflected the different power blocs, with West Berlin partnering with capitals in the West, and East Berlin mostly partnering with cities from the Warsaw Pact and its allies.
There are several joint projects with many other cities, such as Beirut, Belgrade, São Paulo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Oslo, Shanghai, Seoul, Sofia, Sydney, New York City and Vienna. Berlin participates in international city associations such as the Union of the Capitals of the European Union, Eurocities, Network of European Cities of Culture, Metropolis, Summit Conference of the World's Major Cities, and Conference of the World's Capital Cities. Berlin's official sister cities are:
Capital city
Berlin is the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany. The President of Germany, whose functions are mainly ceremonial under the German constitution, has his official residence in Schloss Bellevue.[97] Berlin is the seat of the German executive, housed in the Chancellery, the Bundeskanzleramt. Facing the Chancellery is the Bundestag, the German Parliament, housed in the renovated Reichstag building since the government moved back to Berlin in 1998. The Bundesrat ("federal council", performing the function of an upper house) is the representation of the Federal States (Bundesländer) of Germany and has its seat at the former Prussian House of Lords.
Though most of the ministries are seated in Berlin, some of them, as well as some minor departments, are seated in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany. Discussions to move the remaining branches continue.[98] The ministries and departments of Defence, Justice and Consumer Protection, Finance, Interior, Foreign, Economic Affairs and Energy, Labour and Social Affairs , Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Food and Agriculture, Economic Cooperation and Development, Health, Transport and Digital Infrastructure and Education and Research are based in the capital.
Berlin hosts 158 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of many think tanks, trade unions, non-profit organizations, lobbying groups, and professional associations. Due to the influence and international partnerships of the Federal Republic of Germany as a state, the capital city has become a venue for German and European affairs. Frequent official visits, and diplomatic consultations among governmental representatives and national leaders are common in contemporary Berlin.
Economy
In 2013, the nominal GDP of the citystate Berlin experienced a growth rate of 1.2% (0.6% in Germany) and totaled €109.2 (~$142) billion.[99] Berlin's economy is dominated by the service sector, with around 80% of all companies doing business in services. The unemployment rate reached a 20-year low in June 2014 and stood at 11.0% .[100]
Important economic sectors in Berlin include life sciences, transportation, information and communication technologies, media and music, advertising and design, biotechnology, environmental services, construction, e-commerce, retail, hotel business, and medical engineering.[101]
Research and development have economic significance for the city. The metropolitan region ranks among the top-3 innovative locations in the EU.[102] The Science and Business Park in Adlershof is the largest technology park in Germany measured by revenue.[103] Within the Eurozone, Berlin has become a center for business relocation and international investments.[
Companies
Many German and international companies have business or service centers in the city. For some years Berlin has been recognized as a center of business founders in Europe.[105] Among the 10 largest employers in Berlin are the City-State of Berlin, Deutsche Bahn, the hospital provider Charité and Vivantes, the local public transport provider BVG, and Deutsche Telekom.
Daimler manufactures cars, and BMW builds motorcycles in Berlin. Bayer Health Care and Berlin Chemie are major pharmaceutical companies headquartered in the city. The second largest German airline Air Berlin is based there as well.[106]
Siemens, a Global 500 and DAX-listed company is partly headquartered in Berlin. The national railway operator Deutsche Bahn and the MDAX-listed firms Axel Springer SE and Zalando have their headquarters in the central districts.[107] Berlin has a cluster of rail technology companies and is the German headquarter or site to Bombardier Transportation,[108] Siemens Mobility,[109] Stadler Rail and Thales Transportation.[
Tourism and conventions
Berlin had 788 hotels with 134,399 beds in 2014.[111] The city recorded 28.7 million overnight hotel stays and 11.9 million hotel guests in 2014.[111] Tourism figures have more than doubled within the last ten years and Berlin has become the third most-visited city destination in Europe.
Berlin is among the top three congress cities in the world and home to Europe's biggest convention center, the Internationales Congress Centrum (ICC) at the Messe Berlin.[19] Several large-scale trade fairs like the consumer electronics trade fair IFA, the ILA Berlin Air Show, the Berlin Fashion Week (including the Bread and Butter tradeshow), the Green Week, the transport fair InnoTrans, the tourism fair ITB and the adult entertainment and erotic fair Venus are held annually in the city, attracting a significant number of business visitors.
Creative industries
Industries that do business in the creative arts and entertainment are an important and sizable sector of the economy of Berlin. The creative arts sector comprises music, film, advertising, architecture, art, design, fashion, performing arts, publishing, R&D, software,[112] TV, radio, and video games. Around 22,600 creative enterprises, predominantly SMEs, generated over 18,6 billion euro in revenue. Berlin's creative industries have contributed an estimated 20 percent of Berlin's gross domestic product in 2005.[
Media
Berlin is home to many international and regional television and radio stations.[114] The public broadcaster RBB has its headquarters in Berlin as well as the commercial broadcasters MTV Europe, VIVA, and N24. German international public broadcaster Deutsche Welle has its TV production unit in Berlin, and most national German broadcasters have a studio in the city including ZDF and RTL.
Berlin has Germany's largest number of daily newspapers, with numerous local broadsheets (Berliner Morgenpost, Berliner Zeitung, Der Tagesspiegel), and three major tabloids, as well as national dailies of varying sizes, each with a different political affiliation, such as Die Welt, Neues Deutschland, and Die Tageszeitung. The Exberliner, a monthly magazine, is Berlin's English-language periodical focusing on arts and entertainment. Berlin is also the headquarters of the two major German-language publishing houses Walter de Gruyter and Springer, each of which publish books, periodicals, and multimedia products.
Berlin is an important centre in the European and German film industry.[115] It is home to more than 1000 film and television production companies, 270 movie theaters, and around 300 national and international co-productions are filmed in the region every year.[102] The historic Babelsberg Studios and the production company UFA are located outside Berlin in Potsdam. The city is also home of the European Film Academy and the German Film Academy, and hosts the annual Berlin Film Festival. With around 500,000 admissions it is the largest publicly attended film festival in the world.
Infrastructure
Transport
Berlin's transport infrastructure is highly complex, providing a diverse range of urban mobility.[118] A total of 979 bridges cross 197 km (122 mi) of inner-city waterways. 5,422 km (3,369 mi) of roads run through Berlin, of which 77 km (48 mi) are motorways ("Autobahn").[119] In 2013, 1.344 million motor vehicles were registered in the city.[119] With 377 cars per 1000 residents in 2013 (570/1000 in Germany), Berlin as a Western global city has one of the lowest numbers of cars per capita.
Long-distance rail lines connect Berlin with all of the major cities of Germany and with many cities in neighboring European countries. Regional rail lines provide access to the surrounding regions of Brandenburg and to the Baltic Sea. The Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the largest grade-separated railway station in Europe.[120] Deutsche Bahn runs trains to domestic destinations like Hamburg, Munich, Cologne and others. It also runs an airport express rail service, as well as trains to several international destinations, e.g., Vienna, Prague, Zürich, Warsaw and Amsterdam.
Public transport
Airports
Flights departing from Berlin serve 163 destinations around the globe
Berlin has two commercial airports. Berlin Tegel Airport (TXL), which lies within the city limits, and Schönefeld Airport (SXF), which is situated just outside Berlin's south-eastern border in the state of Brandenburg. Both airports together handled 26.3 million passengers in 2013. In 2014, 67 airlines served 163 destinations in 50 countries from Berlin.[122] Tegel Airport is an important transfer hub for Air Berlin as well as a focus city for Lufthansa and Germanwings, whereas Schönefeld serves as an important destination for airlines like easyJet.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER) will replace Tegel as single commercial airport of Berlin.[123] The new airport will integrate old Schönefeld (SXF) facilities and is scheduled to open not before 2017. Because of the rapid passenger growth at Berlin airports the capacities at the BER are already considered too small for the projected demand.
Cycling
Berlin is well known for its highly developed bicycle lane system.[124] It is estimated that Berlin has 710 bicycles per 1000 residents. Around 500,000 daily bike riders accounted for 13% of total traffic in 2009.[125] Cyclists have access to 620 km (385 mi) of bicycle paths including approximately 150 km (93 mi) of mandatory bicycle paths, 190 km (118 mi) (120 miles) of off-road bicycle routes, 60 km (37 mi) of bicycle lanes on roads, 70 km (43 mi) of shared bus lanes which are also open to cyclists, 100 km (62 mi) of combined pedestrian/bike paths and 50 km (31 mi) of marked bicycle lanes on roadside pavements (or sidewalks).[
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Although difficult to quantify, some lenses enhance overall image quality by producing more subjectively pleasing out-of-focus areas. Good bokeh is especially important for large-aperture lenses, macro lenses, and long telephoto lenses because they are typically used with a shallow depth of field. Bokeh is also important for medium telephoto "portrait lenses" (typically 85–150 mm on 35 mm format) because in portraiture photography, the photographer typically seeks to obtain a shallow depth of field to achieve an out-of-focus background and make the subject stand out.
Bokeh characteristics may be quantified by examining the image's circle of confusion. In out-of-focus areas, each point of light becomes an image of the aperture, generally a more or less round disc. Depending how a lens is corrected for spherical aberration, the disc may be uniformly illuminated, brighter near the edge, or brighter near the center. Lenses that are poorly corrected for spherical aberration will show one kind of disc for out-of-focus points in front of the plane of focus, and a different kind for points behind. This may actually be desirable, as blur circles that are dimmer near the edges produce less-defined shapes which blend smoothly with the surrounding image. Lens manufacturers including Nikon, Minolta, and Sony make lenses designed with specific controls to change the rendering of the out-of-focus areas.
The shape of the aperture has an influence on the subjective quality of bokeh as well. For conventional lens designs (with bladed apertures), when a lens is stopped down smaller than its maximum aperture size (minimum f-number), out-of-focus points are blurred into the polygonal shape formed by the aperture blades. This is most apparent when a lens produces hard-edged bokeh. For this reason, some lenses have many aperture blades and/or blades with curved edges to make the aperture more closely approximate a circle rather than a polygon. Minolta has been on the forefront of promoting and introducing lenses with near-ideal circular apertures since 1987, but, since bokeh has become a recognized property of lenses, most other manufacturers now offer lenses with shape-optimized diaphragms, at least for the domain of portraiture photography. In contrast, a catadioptric telephoto lens renders bokehs resembling doughnuts, because its secondary mirror blocks the central part of the aperture opening. Recently, photographers have exploited the shape of the bokeh by creating a simple mask out of card with shapes such as hearts or stars, that the photographer wishes the bokeh to be, and placing it over the lens.[11]
Leica lenses, especially vintage ones, are often claimed to excel in bokeh quality[citation needed], although Leica photographers have tended to make more use of maximum aperture due to the lenses' ability to maintain good sharpness at wide openings and the suitability of the Leica camera system for available-light theatre work and reportage. This reputation is founded on the excellence of Leitz/Leica pre-war lenses, which were at the forefront of complex mathematical design and manufacturing know-how, at a time when all computations and glass making were done by hand.
The Minolta/Sony STF 135mm f/2.8 [T4.5] (with STF standing for smooth trans focus) is a lens which is specifically designed to produce pleasing bokeh. An apodization filter is used to soften the aperture edges which results in a smooth defocused area with gradually fading circles. Those qualities make it the only lens of this kind currently on the market.
The Nikon 105mm DC and 135mm DC lenses (DC stands for "Defocus Control") have a control ring that permits the over-correction or under-correction of spherical aberration to change the bokeh in front of and behind the focal plane.
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#50: As of 2/15/20, of my 2200+ pics, this is listed as #50 in most # of comments.
#324: As of 2/6/20, of my 2100+ pics, this is listed as #324 in most # of faves.
#770: As of 2/6/20, under Flickr's popularity rankings of my 2100+ pics, this is listed as #770 in "interestingness."
VIDEO at: youtu.be/UD3bcOXLHiI
Since 2017, I've been engaging in a number of short, private crossdressing opportunities at home, after acquiring and trying out some new clothes, shoes, and accessories. This is another pic posted from this renewed CD activity, and was taken inside at home.
As usual, I really enjoy color-coordinating attractive/sexy/cute outfits, and this one features:
* a Sepia Collection "Broadway" long layered curly frosted golden blonde wig with bangs, from Wig Factory in SF;
* Kayleen by LA nude-beige laser-cutout caged slingback 4.5"-wedge heel sandals, from amazon;
* a California Sunshine "gold coast" yellow women's one-piece swimsuit with side-cutouts, from Kohl's;
* a Forever 21 yellow semi-sheer chiffon sash-belted kimono swim cover-up;
* an INC yellow floral-printed sheer-polyester neck scarf with 5.5" end tassels, from Macy's;
* a Sonoma "camel" straw small hobo handbag, from Kohl's;
* gold/yellow necklace, watch, and bracelets;
* gold rings & earrings; and
* french-tip press-on nails.
This particular pic is a snapshot from a video I took at home. The video, 2019-11-13-video1, is posted with my other, older YouTube videos at youtu.be/UD3bcOXLHiI. Please check it out and comment/fave here if you like.
More about this and other 2017-20 pics has been written up in my profile or "About" page here on Flickr. It details some choices made for these 2017-20 pics.
Let me know your thoughts... :-)
Well, it's that time of year again.
To start us off, here's a bit of what I said about this photo from Patreon so we're all up to speed:
“I'll tell you right now this was very unplanned, hell, I don't even own all the correct versions of these figures to begin with! I just had a hankering to photograph something Marvel.”
“In fact, I've been wrestling with the idea of an Infinity War photoshoot for months now. I was keen for the film, but I wasn't REALLY pumped like some people. Bringing all these properties to a head was the most intriguing me, to say the least.”
“So here's this, photographed on the 19th, so it's still pretty fresh in my brain, but hey what ever, it'll just be another movie... right?”
...(btw here on out there are spoilers... just so you know)...
Well I went in hoping to have my mind blown, but assumed I'd probably leave feeling the same way I do about most Marvel films lately. “It was just okay.”
I really wanted to like this film! I really did!
And you know what?
HOLY HELL!
WHAT!?
This movie changed the game! It raised the bar! :D
Infinity War has got to be the most comic book-y feeling film yet! (It legitimately felt like a reboot cataclysm or a crisis event!)
The stakes felt legitimate, and it was a rather pleasant revival from the usual marvel formula. Another thing that surprised me was how well the pacing was executed. It didn’t feel long enough in terms of story. That's a weird sentiment, considering that the movie took up an eighth of my day.
Dr Strange was probably my favorite character in the film. Personally (outside of Thanos and Spider-Man) he felt like the most accurate character they have in the movies right now and I love it! Plus his use of magic and combat were really well thought through in terms of how both he and Wong used their abilities.
Another moment I really enjoyed was Tony’s Space Plan. It was really cool to see just a handful of heroes take on The Mad Titan, and almost easily take him down! Plus Dr. Strange going toe-to-toe with The Gauntlet was super cool!
I did have some gripes too though.
The Guardians pissed me off (but they always do) but I'm really glad they wrangled back ole Dick-Joke Drax because that shit wasn't funny the first time or the other four hundred times he made them in Vol.2. With the exception of Rocket/Gamora, none of those characters ever act like real people in this movie. When ever the walking-80s-reference known as Star Lord is on the screen with other characters, he's the least likable in the group. Far more childish than Spider-Man, and I found it really irritating. Tony's reactions to him were almost the same faces I was making when he was on screen.
But on the other hand, splitting up The Guardians and giving them a reason to be focused on a singular goal gave them a reason to be serious, and that was nice to see.
It was nice to have Alan Silvestri back on the music, because that score was fantastic! Oh and speaking of music, I'm still really hoping Rubber Band Man will be used for the Plastic Man movie one day (every time I hear that song I think of Eel O’Brian) :P
I suppose another thing worth mentioning was the colors! I feel like post-Raganarok, the color palettes have been abundant! Maybe that's kind of in response to DC but whatever, it was just a really pretty movie!
If we could talk about the writing for a second though... dude! There wasn’t any useless plot points for the characters! *cough*LastJedi*cough* Everybody had stuff to do! All these different units and locations and concepts blended well for being so scattered and diverse!
The film was also emotionally well established. It wasn't constantly ruined by quips via that standard Marvel formula. I enjoyed the fact that comedic characters like (Bruce/Hulk Spider-Man, Chris Pratt) were kept separate from serious characters (Dr Strange, Cap, Black Panther). None of these characters had two-sided personalities to please the masses. They were correctly interpreted and written to bounce off each other (like Iron Man reacting to Parker or Quill). There wasn’t a perpetual grey area of personalities that most of these characters typically sit in, and that was refreshing.
One thing I genuinely didn't expect, was a solid emotional movie around Thanos. I really thought they were gonna screw him over like they did Ultron (who really should have been just as dynamic of a character!) But in Infinity War, that’s what we got and it was great! As an audience member going to these movies for so long now, I didn't feel disrespected. I didn't pay money to see the same villain over and over again, and I'm really glad that wasn't the case!
For a character that was largely introduced in this film alone, Thanos was ripe with conflict and strife. HE WAS A REAL CHARACTER! WOO! :P
His motives and views of the cosmos were well portrayed, and not once did they feel evil-for-evil's-sake type situations. His ideas of Radical Extremism were... strangely relatable :P
He wasn't just a bad guy. He was a twisted Genghis Khan that just wanted to make the galaxy a better place! And once more, a credit to the writers, they stuck extremely close to the source material. Thanos was literally the Thanos I've been reading for years!
His own moral conflict with Gamora in particular was fascinating, and heartbreaking.
On a lighter note!
I went into this movie expecting all the action figures to meet up together to fight the bad guy. The End. Also I expected another Last Jedi where there was too many characters and sub-plots established previously that would be dropped or tossed out leading characters with nothing to do.
To be frank, the plot was honestly, everybody gets into some hijinks meeting each other, Thanos grabs dem gems, then were done. A simple premise but the execution was really great, and that's where it was it's strongest! The movie was about nuances, actions, and re-actions to events taking place. I liked that a lot! :)
However, I would have liked to see Tony and Cap meet up again, but OH WELL!
It's weird for me though, because I actually want to know what happens next (which normally doesn’t occur to me leaving Marvel movies) I tend to leave most of them content, but not this one! Plus the audience around me left, possibly unsatisfied...? After the credit's rolled, there was a quiet and anxiousness feeling throughout the room, with no pity clapping for sitting there the entire time. (tangent; WHY DO PEOPLE CLAP AT MOVIES IT MAKES NO SENSE THERE'S NO ONE THERE TO APPLAUD WHY ARE PEOPLE SO DUMB; okay tangent over)
But yeah it was odd. A quiet theater generally leaves me thinking it impacted people like say Arrival, or LOGAN, or Blade Runner 2049 as just a few examples.
I want to think the 10 year build up, payed off. I'm sure other people don't agree, and I have friends that concur upon that sentiment. Yes, the slow burn was fine in the long run. Not perfect certainly, but worth it (I think?)
I was pretty worried that this was gonna be another Star Wars (over the top too much to handle battle scenes, so many flips and quips, and action action action!) And in a way it was just that, but tied to a good story! (Thank you Jim Starlin) :P
Speaking of action though, Thor's dramatic entrance in Wakanda was sweet! Not as good as the Raganarok Led Zeppelin one, but still pretty solid. Now I just want 90s Thor with the ponytail going head to head against Beta Ray Bill! :P
Okay, now I'm just rambling so lets wrap this up!
Here's some final thoughts rattling around in my brain:
Red Skull?! (Legit thought that it was Lady Death at first based on the silhouette)
Wasn't Adam Warlock supposed to be in this...?
Ant-man and Clint... Too good for the Avengers I guess? Are they little dust piles too?!
Is Ant-man 2 pre Infinity War or post Infinity War?
I guess Peter Dinklage isn’t in the X-Men Universe anymore...?
WHAT HAPPENED TO KORG?! (I hope he's still around!)
Now that we've finally concluded the endless Thanos teasing... we can all stop going to see these movies now right? We're done here, no more movies? :P
Nah! Infinity War wrangled me back in, and now I kinda want to see where Marvel goes with this (crazy right?)
...Bums me out that DC's films aren’t this good, but I'm holding out for Aquaman! :P
Okay that's it, that's all I've got!
This took a very long time to write, but feel free to chat it up in the comments! :)
***
This post and many others are brought to you by my Friends and Patrons! One of this month's newest Patron, Derek Xu! He's got a great collection of custom minifigures to show off! He's new to flickr so he asked me to give him a shout-out to his Instagram page instead! Go follow him over at derekxu2099! www.instagram.com/derekxu2099/
Also, another new Patron to join, Sara AU! They too have a great Lego Collection, including a really neat Spider-Man Homecoming poster re-creation over on their page! flic.kr/ps/3n2MYG
Thanks for your support guys! You're the best! :)
If you'd like to support my work and get a shout out of your own, visit me on Patreon! For just a dollar a month, you'll get unlimited access to all of my behind the scenes content, including WIPs, Builds, and even some videos! :)
There's currently some sweet Telltale Batman photo's being shared right now, so go check 'em out! :)
***
Patreon: andrewcookston
Facebook: andrewcookstonphotography/
Instagram: a.cookston.photography
At a car show, long, long ago, I was encouraged to purchase this collection of vintage Roll-Royce motor car models made by model make Lledo. They have subsequently been hidden on shelves or stuck in boxes for a near;y 30 years, but I thought it was only right to bring them out for this challenge.
Of note, as a set, the cars represent nearly 10 years of Rolls-Royce (and attendant body producer's) development, yet the plasti-chrome parts of the models are all but identical - a feature that I have continued on the Lego recreations.
Another intriguing feature is that the three models sit not in the same order as the information tablets behind them. If I also want to be picky, the information tablets do not specifically note out if the cars are of any particular specification - though the interweb provided a mostly useful reference to this.
The summary is here only, the cars featured, from left to right are:
Rolls-Royce 1931 Phantom II Brewster Sedan
Rolls-Royce 1934 Phantom II Playboy Brewster
Rolls-Royce 1925 Silver Ghost Barker Tourer
I will separately note the details contained in the information tablets for each car.
These Lego miniland scale Rolls-Royce Motor cars have been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 97th Build Challenge, titled - 'Our First Wheels' - a challenge to recreate, in Lego, a vehicle that we have owned as a toy or model.
Instructions available on my Rebrickable page at: bit.ly/3hmcO1f
Or go to www.rebrickable.com and type ‘Rubblemaker’ into the search bar
Here is my 1436 piece, 36cm long, proportionally accurate (hopefully, for the most part) Razor Crest.
I used Hasbro’s super detailed Haslab Razor Crest model as a reference to try and create a moc as accurate as possible and I’m quite pleased with how it’s come out.
I also designed an angled stand for it that slots in and out of the underside of the ship and it comes with detachable landing gear, fully functional side and rear doors and… a tiny little Mando and Grogu waiting inside.
The Uncanny X-Men: Days of Future Past (1981) Issue No. 141
2nd (and final) submission for OLS's contest.
Here is a copy of the original cover for reference.
A couple of notes:
1) This is probably my all-time favorite comic / cover. I have a soft spot for the X-Men and for Wolverine in particular. This is, of course, the original source material which inspired the Marvel Studios / Fox film of the same namesake ("X-Men: DoFP").
2) The uber writer / artist team of Chris Claremont, John Byrne and Terry Austin -- IMO no one did the X-Men better (...well aside from Jim Lee... I digress...)
3) No bootleg pieces or figs -- everything here is official, custom or MOC pieces.
4) This took way, way longer than I thought it would -- win or lose, I'm pretty pleased at how it turned out and hope everyone enjoys it!
Please do leave a comment! :)
Trallval is a Norse name meaning 'Hill of the Trolls', a name given by the Viking settlers on the the island, as are most of the names of the Rum hills. In Norse folklore, trolls are beings living in isolated caves, rocks and mountains, rarely helpful to human beings and therefore to be avoided if possible.
One explanation for the association of this hill with the dwellings of trolls is the large number of burrows of Manx Shearwaters, birds which still nest on the island in huge numbers. Manx Shearwaters spend most of their life at sea, only returning to land to raise their young. They return to their nests only under cover of complete darkness to avoid predation and when landing make unearthly sounds which must have put fear into the hearts of the local inhabitants.
Despite there being no cairn on the west top of Trallval (seen here), it is the higher of the two tops. Just to confuse matters, the east top has a small cairn, so it's probable that especially in poor visibility this cairn on the east top is taken for the summit if the route guide isn't known or to hand for reference. The west top is an airy perch and the scramble between the two tops is one of the highlights of the traverse of the Rum Cuillin. For better balance and agility, I left my rucksack at this point to scramble out and back (including, I realised at some point on the traverse, leaving behind my camera) so you'll just have to take my word for it that I got to that pointy bit of grass that indicates the summit!
The way I took the traverse was on the right side to start with, switching to the left of the crest on starting the ascent. My chosen route included a short OMG section ('slip now and you're dead') with a narrow ledge about one foot wide and six foot long, the drop being probably more than a hundred feet. That's perhaps why I didn't go back to do it a second time with my camera round my neck.
To view more of my images, of Walberswick, please click
"here" !
From the achieves, reprocessed, using Photoshop CC 2022.
Please, no group invites; thank you!
Walberswick is a village on the Suffolk coast in England, across the River Blyth from Southwold. Coastal erosion and the shifting of the mouth of the River Blyth meant that the neighbouring town of Dunwich was lost as a port in the last years of the 13th century. Following a brief period of rivalry and dispute with Dunwich, Walberswick became a major trading port from the 13th century until World War I. Almost half of the properties in the village are holiday homes. A small rowing boat ferries passengers across the river Blyth to Southwold during the high season. The name Walberswick is believed to derive from the Saxon Waldbert – probably a landowner – and "wyc" meaning shelter or harbour. At the top of the village is the 15th century St. Andrew's Church. The size of the St. Andrew's ruins demonstrate how large the parish once was. The name 'Walleburyswyke', appearing in a Latin legal record, dated 1440, may refer to the village. With over 1,000 acres (4 km2) of heath and marshland protected within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Walberswick has good varied local habitats for birds. The village and surrounding beach and marshland have long attracted residents drawn from the arts, film and media. In the 1890s and 1900s the village became associated with Philip Wilson Steer and his circle of English Impressionists. It was home to the noted artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh from 1914. It was also the birthplace of Oscar nominated documentary film maker Humphrey Jennings famous for his World War II documentaries. The World War Two defences constructed around Walberswick have been documented. They included a number of pillboxes, landmines and flame fougasse installations. The beaches were protected with extensive barriers of scaffolding. The ornate metalwork village sign on the Green is a replica of the one erected in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The original sign went missing in the 1980s but after changing hands has since been returned and restored to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The restored sign has been erected opposite the church. Considering its size, an inordinate number of British celebrities own or have owned holiday homes in the village including the late Sir Clement Freud and his wife Jill, and their daughter, Emma Freud and her husband Richard Curtis. Martin Bell, and Geoffrey Palmer, maintain properties here while Paul Heiney and Libby Purves live nearby. Film director Paul Greengrass has a house in the village, as does ITV's Director Peter Fincham. The village is the setting for Esther Freud's novel, The Sea House, thinly disguised as 'Steerborough' - presumably a coded reference, or in-joke, towards one-time resident, Philip Wilson Steer (see above). Esther Freud, the cousin of Emma Freud and daughter of painter Lucian Freud, also has a house in the village with her husband, actor David Morrissey. The village was famous for its annual crabbing competition - The British Open Crabbing Championship, last held in August 2010. The person who caught the single heaviest crab within a period of 90 minutes was declared the winner. The proceeds supported many charitable causes. A derelict windmill stands on the marshes near Walberswick. The area around the village makes up the Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve, a protected area on 1,340 hectares (3,300 acres) with a range of wetland and heathland habitats.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
If you would like to view some of my earlier shots of Echinacea, please click "here"
Echinacea is a genus, or group of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. The Echinacea genus has nine species, which are commonly called purple coneflowers. They are found only in eastern and central North America, where they are found growing in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer. These flowering plants and their parts have different uses. Some species are cultivated in gardens for their showy flowers. Echinacea purpurea is used in folk medicine. Two of the species, E. tennesseensis and E. laevigata, are listed in the United States as endangered species. Echinacea species are herbaceous, drought-tolerant perennial plants growing up to 140 cm or 4 feet, in height. They grow from taproots, except E. purpurea, which grows from a short caudex with fibrous roots. They have erect stems that in most species are unbranched. Both the basal and cauline (stem) leaves are arranged alternately. The leaves are normally hairy with a rough texture, having uniseriate trichomes (1-4 rings of cells) but sometimes they lack hairs. The basal leaves and the lower stem leaves have petioles, and as the leaves progress up the stem the petioles often decrease in length. The leaf blades in different species may have one, three or five nerves. Some species have linear to lanceolate leaves, and others have elliptic- to ovate-shaped leaves; often the leaves decrease in size as they progress up the stems. Leaf bases gradually increase in width away from the petioles or the bases are rounded to heart shaped. Most species have leaf margins that are entire, but sometimes they are dentate or serrate. The flowers are collected together into single rounded heads at the ends of long peduncles. The inflorescences have crateriform to hemispheric shaped involucres which are 12–40 mm wide. The phyllaries, or bracts below the flower head, are persistent and number 15–50. The phyllaries are produced in a 2–4 series. The receptacles are hemispheric to conic. The paleae (chaffs on the receptacles of many Asteraceae) have orange to reddish purple ends, and are longer than the disc corollas. The paleae bases partially surrounding the cypselae, and are keeled with the apices abruptly constricted to awn-like tips. The ray florets number 8–21 and the corollas are dark purple to pale pink, white, or yellow. The tubes of the corolla are hairless or sparsely hairy, and the laminae are spreading, reflexed, or drooping in habit and linear to elliptic or obovate in shape. The abaxial faces of the laminae are glabrous or moderately hairy. The flower heads have typically 200-300 fertile, bisexual disc florets but some have more. The corollas are pinkish, greenish, reddish-purple or yellow and have tubes shorter than the throats. The pollen is normally yellow in most species, but usually white in E. pallida. The three or four-angled fruits (cypselae), are tan or bicolored with a dark brown band distally. The pappi are persistent and variously crown-shaped with 0 to 4 or more prominent teeth. x = 11. Like all members of the sunflower family, the flowering structure is a composite inflorescence, with rose-colored (rarely yellow or white) florets arranged in a prominent, somewhat cone-shaped head – "cone-shaped" because the petals of the outer ray florets tend to point downward (are reflexed) once the flower head opens, thus forming a cone. Plants are generally long lived, with distinctive flowers. The common name "cone flower" comes from the characteristic center "cone" at the center of the flower head. The generic name Echinacea is rooted in the Greek word ἐχῖνος (echinos), meaning hedgehog, it references the spiky appearance and feel of the flower heads.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amur Tiger Cub - Howlettes Wild Animal Park, Kent, England - Sunday March 8th 2009.
Click here to see the Larger image
Click here to see My most interesting images
As you can see, I've gone back to what I do best...in my humble opinion anyway.....:O))Yup...it's going to be a fun filled Critter week..lol..:O))
Well as you can see, I went back to Howletts Wild Animal Park yesterday and ended doing a bit of scouting for West Ham...lol
Having watched this lil guy in action I can confirm that he's got a Killer right foot, he's deadly in attack, eats defenders for breakfast and scare teams to death..lol
In fact his ball control was better then most of our players..."Cough"...Carlton Cole..."Cough".....lol...:O)))
Yup...this lil guy has a big future...:O))
But seriously, I've only seen lil Kitties doing this before, having brought toys for my Ex's lil Kitty...she behaved in exactly the same way as this lil tiger cub...when chasing the ball around his enclosure...it was fun to watch..:O))
Well, you will also be pleased to hear that they also have several baby Elephants in the Park as well....I've NEVER seen such a small Elephant...no more then three feet small...photos to follow in the coming days...as well as more of these cute Tiger cubs and his parents..:O))
Anyhoo, I hope you are all having a wonderful star to the working week..:O))
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ~ The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Amur tiger, Manchurian tiger, or Ussuri tiger, is a rare subspecies of tiger (P. tigris) confined completely to the Amur region in the Far East, where it is now protected. It is considered to be the biggest of the nine recent tiger subspecies and the largest member of the family Felidae.
Physiology ~ The Siberian tiger is typically 2-4 inches taller at the shoulders than the Bengal tiger, which is about 107-110 cm (42-43 in) tall. Mature males reach an average head and body length of 190-230 centimetres (75-90 in). The largest male with largely assured references was 350 cm (138 in) "over curves" (3,30 m/130 in. between pegs) in total length. The tail length in fully grown males is about 1 m (39 in). Weights of up to 318 kg (700 lb) have been recorded and exceptionally large males weighing up to 384 kg (847 lb) are mentioned in the literature but, according to Mazak, none of these cases can be confirmed via reliable sources.[2] A further unconfirmed report tells of a male tiger shot in the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in 1950 weighing 384.8 kg (846.6 lb) and measuring 3.48 m (11.5 ft).[3] Females are normally smaller than males and weigh 100-167 kg (220-368 lb),[4] probably up to 180 kg (400 lb).
The "Siberian Tiger Project", which has operated from Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik since 1992, found that 215 kg (474 lb) seemed to be the largest that they were able to verify, albeit from a limited number of specimens. According to modern research of wild Siberian tigers in Sikhote-Alin, an average adult male tiger (>35 months) weighs 167.3 - 185.7 kg (the average asymptotic limit, computed by use of the Michaelis-Menten formula, gives 222.3 kg for male tigers) and an adult tigress – 117.9–122.6 kg, respectively. The mean weight of historical Siberian tigers is supposed to be higher: 215.3-260 kg for male tigers. At least one authority suspects that this is the difference between real weights and hunter's estimates. Dale Miquelle, program director of the Siberian Tiger Project, writes that, despite repeated claims in the popular literature that the Siberian is the largest of all tigers, their measurements on more than fifty captured individuals suggest that body size is, in fact, similar to that of Bengal tigers.
Based on skull measurements, it appears that the biggest Siberian tigers came from Manchuria, where today the cats are reduced to a handful of individuals. The largest Manchurian skull on record measures 406 mm in length, which is about 20-30 mm more than the maximum skull lengths achieved by tigers from the Amur region and northern India.
Apart from its size, the Siberian tiger is differentiated from other tiger subspecies by its mane of fur around the neck and some of the head, which is much more developed than in other subspecies as an adaptation against the cold. The fur of this subspecies grows longer and thicker than that of other tigers. During cold winter months, the fur can measure as long as 21 inches with 3,000 hairs over every square centimetre of its surface. The paws have extra fur to provide insulation against the snow. Siberian tigers have more white in their coats than other subspecies and coat colour is more gold than orange. Compared to other subspecies, the Siberian tiger has less striping, the stripes being more brown than black. Stripes appear largely absent on the outer area of the front legs. There can either be white siberian tigers or orange siberian tigers.
To view more of my images, of Walberswick, please click
"here" !
Please, do not insert images, or add group invites; thank you!
From the Achieves, reprocessed, using Photoshop CC 2024..
Walberswick is a village on the Suffolk coast in England, across the River Blyth from Southwold. Coastal erosion and the shifting of the mouth of the River Blyth meant that the neighbouring town of Dunwich was lost as a port in the last years of the 13th century. Following a brief period of rivalry and dispute with Dunwich, Walberswick became a major trading port from the 13th century until World War I. Almost half of the properties in the village are holiday homes. A small rowing boat ferries passengers across the river Blyth to Southwold during the high season. The name Walberswick is believed to derive from the Saxon Waldbert – probably a landowner – and "wyc" meaning shelter or harbour. At the top of the village is the 15th century St. Andrew's Church. The size of the St. Andrew's ruins demonstrate how large the parish once was. The name 'Walleburyswyke', appearing in a Latin legal record, dated 1440, may refer to the village. With over 1,000 acres (4 km2) of heath and marshland protected within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Walberswick has good varied local habitats for birds. The village and surrounding beach and marshland have long attracted residents drawn from the arts, film and media. In the 1890s and 1900s the village became associated with Philip Wilson Steer and his circle of English Impressionists. It was home to the noted artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh from 1914. It was also the birthplace of Oscar nominated documentary film maker Humphrey Jennings famous for his World War II documentaries. The World War Two defences constructed around Walberswick have been documented. They included a number of pillboxes, landmines and flame fougasse installations. The beaches were protected with extensive barriers of scaffolding. The ornate metalwork village sign on the Green is a replica of the one erected in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The original sign went missing in the 1980s but after changing hands has since been returned and restored to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The restored sign has been erected opposite the church. Considering its size, an inordinate number of British celebrities own or have owned holiday homes in the village including the late Sir Clement Freud and his wife Jill, and their daughter, Emma Freud and her husband Richard Curtis. Martin Bell, and Geoffrey Palmer, maintain properties here while Paul Heiney and Libby Purves live nearby. Film director Paul Greengrass has a house in the village, as does ITV's Director Peter Fincham. The village is the setting for Esther Freud's novel, The Sea House, thinly disguised as 'Steerborough' - presumably a coded reference, or in-joke, towards one-time resident, Philip Wilson Steer (see above). Esther Freud, the cousin of Emma Freud and daughter of painter Lucian Freud, also has a house in the village with her husband, actor David Morrissey. The village was famous for its annual crabbing competition - The British Open Crabbing Championship, last held in August 2010. The person who caught the single heaviest crab within a period of 90 minutes was declared the winner. The proceeds supported many charitable causes. A derelict windmill stands on the marshes near Walberswick. The area around the village makes up the Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve, a protected area on 1,340 hectares (3,300 acres) with a range of wetland and heathland habitats.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Graffiti (plural; singular graffiti or graffito, the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire (see also mural).
Graffiti is a controversial subject. In most countries, marking or painting property without permission is considered by property owners and civic authorities as defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime, citing the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. Graffiti has become visualized as a growing urban "problem" for many cities in industrialized nations, spreading from the New York City subway system and Philadelphia in the early 1970s to the rest of the United States and Europe and other world regions
"Graffiti" (usually both singular and plural) and the rare singular form "graffito" are from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"). The term "graffiti" is used in art history for works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is "sgraffito", which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who would glaze their wares and then scratch a design into them. In ancient times graffiti were carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The word originates from Greek γράφειν—graphein—meaning "to write".
The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, and such, found on the walls of ancient sepulchres or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Historically, these writings were not considered vanadlism, which today is considered part of the definition of graffiti.
The only known source of the Safaitic language, an ancient form of Arabic, is from graffiti: inscriptions scratched on to the surface of rocks and boulders in the predominantly basalt desert of southern Syria, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia. Safaitic dates from the first century BC to the fourth century AD.
Some of the oldest cave paintings in the world are 40,000 year old ones found in Australia. The oldest written graffiti was found in ancient Rome around 2500 years ago. Most graffiti from the time was boasts about sexual experiences Graffiti in Ancient Rome was a form of communication, and was not considered vandalism.
Ancient tourists visiting the 5th-century citadel at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka write their names and commentary over the "mirror wall", adding up to over 1800 individual graffiti produced there between the 6th and 18th centuries. Most of the graffiti refer to the frescoes of semi-nude females found there. One reads:
Wet with cool dew drops
fragrant with perfume from the flowers
came the gentle breeze
jasmine and water lily
dance in the spring sunshine
side-long glances
of the golden-hued ladies
stab into my thoughts
heaven itself cannot take my mind
as it has been captivated by one lass
among the five hundred I have seen here.
Among the ancient political graffiti examples were Arab satirist poems. Yazid al-Himyari, an Umayyad Arab and Persian poet, was most known for writing his political poetry on the walls between Sajistan and Basra, manifesting a strong hatred towards the Umayyad regime and its walis, and people used to read and circulate them very widely.
Graffiti, known as Tacherons, were frequently scratched on Romanesque Scandinavian church walls. When Renaissance artists such as Pinturicchio, Raphael, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, or Filippino Lippi descended into the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea, they carved or painted their names and returned to initiate the grottesche style of decoration.
There are also examples of graffiti occurring in American history, such as Independence Rock, a national landmark along the Oregon Trail.
Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s. Lord Byron's survives on one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Attica, Greece.
The oldest known example of graffiti "monikers" found on traincars created by hobos and railworkers since the late 1800s. The Bozo Texino monikers were documented by filmmaker Bill Daniel in his 2005 film, Who is Bozo Texino?.
In World War II, an inscription on a wall at the fortress of Verdun was seen as an illustration of the US response twice in a generation to the wrongs of the Old World:
During World War II and for decades after, the phrase "Kilroy was here" with an accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and ultimately filtering into American popular culture. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began appearing around New York with the words "Bird Lives".
Modern graffiti art has its origins with young people in 1960s and 70s in New York City and Philadelphia. Tags were the first form of stylised contemporary graffiti. Eventually, throw-ups and pieces evolved with the desire to create larger art. Writers used spray paint and other kind of materials to leave tags or to create images on the sides subway trains. and eventually moved into the city after the NYC metro began to buy new trains and paint over graffiti.
While the art had many advocates and appreciators—including the cultural critic Norman Mailer—others, including New York City mayor Ed Koch, considered it to be defacement of public property, and saw it as a form of public blight. The ‘taggers’ called what they did ‘writing’—though an important 1974 essay by Mailer referred to it using the term ‘graffiti.’
Contemporary graffiti style has been heavily influenced by hip hop culture and the myriad international styles derived from Philadelphia and New York City Subway graffiti; however, there are many other traditions of notable graffiti in the twentieth century. Graffiti have long appeared on building walls, in latrines, railroad boxcars, subways, and bridges.
An early graffito outside of New York or Philadelphia was the inscription in London reading "Clapton is God" in reference to the guitarist Eric Clapton. Creating the cult of the guitar hero, the phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington, north London in the autumn of 1967. The graffito was captured in a photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall.
Films like Style Wars in the 80s depicting famous writers such as Skeme, Dondi, MinOne, and ZEPHYR reinforced graffiti's role within New York's emerging hip-hop culture. Although many officers of the New York City Police Department found this film to be controversial, Style Wars is still recognized as the most prolific film representation of what was going on within the young hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 took hip hop graffiti to Paris and London as part of the New York City Rap Tour in 1983
Commercialization and entrance into mainstream pop culture
Main article: Commercial graffiti
With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." IBM paid Chicago and San Francisco collectively US$120,000 for punitive damages and clean-up costs.
In 2005, a similar ad campaign was launched by Sony and executed by its advertising agency in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami, to market its handheld PSP gaming system. In this campaign, taking notice of the legal problems of the IBM campaign, Sony paid building owners for the rights to paint on their buildings "a collection of dizzy-eyed urban kids playing with the PSP as if it were a skateboard, a paddle, or a rocking horse".
Tristan Manco wrote that Brazil "boasts a unique and particularly rich, graffiti scene ... [earning] it an international reputation as the place to go for artistic inspiration". Graffiti "flourishes in every conceivable space in Brazil's cities". Artistic parallels "are often drawn between the energy of São Paulo today and 1970s New York". The "sprawling metropolis", of São Paulo has "become the new shrine to graffiti"; Manco alludes to "poverty and unemployment ... [and] the epic struggles and conditions of the country's marginalised peoples", and to "Brazil's chronic poverty", as the main engines that "have fuelled a vibrant graffiti culture". In world terms, Brazil has "one of the most uneven distributions of income. Laws and taxes change frequently". Such factors, Manco argues, contribute to a very fluid society, riven with those economic divisions and social tensions that underpin and feed the "folkloric vandalism and an urban sport for the disenfranchised", that is South American graffiti art.
Prominent Brazilian writers include Os Gêmeos, Boleta, Nunca, Nina, Speto, Tikka, and T.Freak. Their artistic success and involvement in commercial design ventures has highlighted divisions within the Brazilian graffiti community between adherents of the cruder transgressive form of pichação and the more conventionally artistic values of the practitioners of grafite.
Graffiti in the Middle East has emerged slowly, with taggers operating in Egypt, Lebanon, the Gulf countries like Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and in Iran. The major Iranian newspaper Hamshahri has published two articles on illegal writers in the city with photographic coverage of Iranian artist A1one's works on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design magazine, PingMag, has interviewed A1one and featured photographs of his work. The Israeli West Bank barrier has become a site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of the Berlin Wall. Many writers in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as JUIF from Los Angeles and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference "נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן" ("Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman") is commonly seen in graffiti around Israel.
Graffiti has played an important role within the street art scene in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), especially following the events of the Arab Spring of 2011 or the Sudanese Revolution of 2018/19. Graffiti is a tool of expression in the context of conflict in the region, allowing people to raise their voices politically and socially. Famous street artist Banksy has had an important effect in the street art scene in the MENA area, especially in Palestine where some of his works are located in the West Bank barrier and Bethlehem.
There are also a large number of graffiti influences in Southeast Asian countries that mostly come from modern Western culture, such as Malaysia, where graffiti have long been a common sight in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Since 2010, the country has begun hosting a street festival to encourage all generations and people from all walks of life to enjoy and encourage Malaysian street culture.
The modern-day graffitists can be found with an arsenal of various materials that allow for a successful production of a piece. This includes such techniques as scribing. However, spray paint in aerosol cans is the number one medium for graffiti. From this commodity comes different styles, technique, and abilities to form master works of graffiti. Spray paint can be found at hardware and art stores and comes in virtually every color.
Stencil graffiti is created by cutting out shapes and designs in a stiff material (such as cardboard or subject folders) to form an overall design or image. The stencil is then placed on the "canvas" gently and with quick, easy strokes of the aerosol can, the image begins to appear on the intended surface.
Some of the first examples were created in 1981 by artists Blek le Rat in Paris, in 1982 by Jef Aerosol in Tours (France); by 1985 stencils had appeared in other cities including New York City, Sydney, and Melbourne, where they were documented by American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis
Tagging is the practice of someone spray-painting "their name, initial or logo onto a public surface" in a handstyle unique to the writer. Tags were the first form of modern graffiti.
Modern graffiti art often incorporates additional arts and technologies. For example, Graffiti Research Lab has encouraged the use of projected images and magnetic light-emitting diodes (throwies) as new media for graffitists. yarnbombing is another recent form of graffiti. Yarnbombers occasionally target previous graffiti for modification, which had been avoided among the majority of graffitists.
Theories on the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Asger Jorn, who in 1962 painting declared in a graffiti-like gesture "the avant-garde won't give up"
Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation or, in the achievement of a political goal
In times of conflict, such murals have offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically, or racially divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective tools in establishing dialog and thus, of addressing cleavages in the long run. The Berlin Wall was also extensively covered by graffiti reflecting social pressures relating to the oppressive Soviet rule over the GDR.
Many artists involved with graffiti are also concerned with the similar activity of stenciling. Essentially, this entails stenciling a print of one or more colors using spray-paint. Recognized while exhibiting and publishing several of her coloured stencils and paintings portraying the Sri Lankan Civil War and urban Britain in the early 2000s, graffitists Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., has also become known for integrating her imagery of political violence into her music videos for singles "Galang" and "Bucky Done Gun", and her cover art. Stickers of her artwork also often appear around places such as London in Brick Lane, stuck to lamp posts and street signs, she having become a muse for other graffitists and painters worldwide in cities including Seville.
Graffitist believes that art should be on display for everyone in the public eye or in plain sight, not hidden away in a museum or a gallery. Art should color the streets, not the inside of some building. Graffiti is a form of art that cannot be owned or bought. It does not last forever, it is temporary, yet one of a kind. It is a form of self promotion for the artist that can be displayed anywhere form sidewalks, roofs, subways, building wall, etc. Art to them is for everyone and should be showed to everyone for free.
Graffiti is a way of communicating and a way of expressing what one feels in the moment. It is both art and a functional thing that can warn people of something or inform people of something. However, graffiti is to some people a form of art, but to some a form of vandalism. And many graffitists choose to protect their identities and remain anonymous or to hinder prosecution.
With the commercialization of graffiti (and hip hop in general), in most cases, even with legally painted "graffiti" art, graffitists tend to choose anonymity. This may be attributed to various reasons or a combination of reasons. Graffiti still remains the one of four hip hop elements that is not considered "performance art" despite the image of the "singing and dancing star" that sells hip hop culture to the mainstream. Being a graphic form of art, it might also be said that many graffitists still fall in the category of the introverted archetypal artist.
Banksy is one of the world's most notorious and popular street artists who continues to remain faceless in today's society. He is known for his political, anti-war stencil art mainly in Bristol, England, but his work may be seen anywhere from Los Angeles to Palestine. In the UK, Banksy is the most recognizable icon for this cultural artistic movement and keeps his identity a secret to avoid arrest. Much of Banksy's artwork may be seen around the streets of London and surrounding suburbs, although he has painted pictures throughout the world, including the Middle East, where he has painted on Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. One depicted a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. A number of exhibitions also have taken place since 2000, and recent works of art have fetched vast sums of money. Banksy's art is a prime example of the classic controversy: vandalism vs. art. Art supporters endorse his work distributed in urban areas as pieces of art and some councils, such as Bristol and Islington, have officially protected them, while officials of other areas have deemed his work to be vandalism and have removed it.
Pixnit is another artist who chooses to keep her identity from the general public. Her work focuses on beauty and design aspects of graffiti as opposed to Banksy's anti-government shock value. Her paintings are often of flower designs above shops and stores in her local urban area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some store owners endorse her work and encourage others to do similar work as well. "One of the pieces was left up above Steve's Kitchen, because it looks pretty awesome"- Erin Scott, the manager of New England Comics in Allston, Massachusetts.
Graffiti artists may become offended if photographs of their art are published in a commercial context without their permission. In March 2020, the Finnish graffiti artist Psyke expressed his displeasure at the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat publishing a photograph of a Peugeot 208 in an article about new cars, with his graffiti prominently shown on the background. The artist claims he does not want his art being used in commercial context, not even if he were to receive compensation.
Territorial graffiti marks urban neighborhoods with tags and logos to differentiate certain groups from others. These images are meant to show outsiders a stern look at whose turf is whose. The subject matter of gang-related graffiti consists of cryptic symbols and initials strictly fashioned with unique calligraphies. Gang members use graffiti to designate membership throughout the gang, to differentiate rivals and associates and, most commonly, to mark borders which are both territorial and ideological.
Graffiti has been used as a means of advertising both legally and illegally. Bronx-based TATS CRU has made a name for themselves doing legal advertising campaigns for companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Toyota, and MTV. In the UK, Covent Garden's Boxfresh used stencil images of a Zapatista revolutionary in the hopes that cross referencing would promote their store.
Smirnoff hired artists to use reverse graffiti (the use of high pressure hoses to clean dirty surfaces to leave a clean image in the surrounding dirt) to increase awareness of their product.
Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes the anarcho-punk band Crass, who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war, anarchist, feminist, and anti-consumerist messages throughout the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In Amsterdam graffiti was a major part of the punk scene. The city was covered with names such as "De Zoot", "Vendex", and "Dr Rat". To document the graffiti a punk magazine was started that was called Gallery Anus. So when hip hop came to Europe in the early 1980s there was already a vibrant graffiti culture.
The student protests and general strike of May 1968 saw Paris bedecked in revolutionary, anarchistic, and situationist slogans such as L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is counterrevolutionary") and Lisez moins, vivez plus ("Read less, live more"). While not exhaustive, the graffiti gave a sense of the 'millenarian' and rebellious spirit, tempered with a good deal of verbal wit, of the strikers.
I think graffiti writing is a way of defining what our generation is like. Excuse the French, we're not a bunch of p---- artists. Traditionally artists have been considered soft and mellow people, a little bit kooky. Maybe we're a little bit more like pirates that way. We defend our territory, whatever space we steal to paint on, we defend it fiercely.
The developments of graffiti art which took place in art galleries and colleges as well as "on the street" or "underground", contributed to the resurfacing in the 1990s of a far more overtly politicized art form in the subvertising, culture jamming, or tactical media movements. These movements or styles tend to classify the artists by their relationship to their social and economic contexts, since, in most countries, graffiti art remains illegal in many forms except when using non-permanent paint. Since the 1990s with the rise of Street Art, a growing number of artists are switching to non-permanent paints and non-traditional forms of painting.
Contemporary practitioners, accordingly, have varied and often conflicting practices. Some individuals, such as Alexander Brener, have used the medium to politicize other art forms, and have used the prison sentences enforced on them as a means of further protest. The practices of anonymous groups and individuals also vary widely, and practitioners by no means always agree with each other's practices. For example, the anti-capitalist art group the Space Hijackers did a piece in 2004 about the contradiction between the capitalistic elements of Banksy and his use of political imagery.
Berlin human rights activist Irmela Mensah-Schramm has received global media attention and numerous awards for her 35-year campaign of effacing neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist graffiti throughout Germany, often by altering hate speech in humorous ways.
In Serbian capital, Belgrade, the graffiti depicting a uniformed former general of Serb army and war criminal, convicted at ICTY for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnian War, Ratko Mladić, appeared in a military salute alongside the words "General, thank to your mother". Aleks Eror, Berlin-based journalist, explains how "veneration of historical and wartime figures" through street art is not a new phenomenon in the region of former Yugoslavia, and that "in most cases is firmly focused on the future, rather than retelling the past". Eror is not only analyst pointing to danger of such an expressions for the region's future. In a long expose on the subject of Bosnian genocide denial, at Balkan Diskurs magazine and multimedia platform website, Kristina Gadže and Taylor Whitsell referred to these experiences as a young generations' "cultural heritage", in which young are being exposed to celebration and affirmation of war-criminals as part of their "formal education" and "inheritance".
There are numerous examples of genocide denial through celebration and affirmation of war criminals throughout the region of Western Balkans inhabited by Serbs using this form of artistic expression. Several more of these graffiti are found in Serbian capital, and many more across Serbia and Bosnian and Herzegovinian administrative entity, Republika Srpska, which is the ethnic Serbian majority enclave. Critics point that Serbia as a state, is willing to defend the mural of convicted war criminal, and have no intention to react on cases of genocide denial, noting that Interior Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin decision to ban any gathering with an intent to remove the mural, with the deployment of riot police, sends the message of "tacit endorsement". Consequently, on 9 November 2021, Serbian heavy police in riot gear, with graffiti creators and their supporters, blocked the access to the mural to prevent human rights groups and other activists to paint over it and mark the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism in that way, and even arrested two civic activist for throwing eggs at the graffiti.
Graffiti may also be used as an offensive expression. This form of graffiti may be difficult to identify, as it is mostly removed by the local authority (as councils which have adopted strategies of criminalization also strive to remove graffiti quickly). Therefore, existing racist graffiti is mostly more subtle and at first sight, not easily recognized as "racist". It can then be understood only if one knows the relevant "local code" (social, historical, political, temporal, and spatial), which is seen as heteroglot and thus a 'unique set of conditions' in a cultural context.
A spatial code for example, could be that there is a certain youth group in an area that is engaging heavily in racist activities. So, for residents (knowing the local code), a graffiti containing only the name or abbreviation of this gang already is a racist expression, reminding the offended people of their gang activities. Also a graffiti is in most cases, the herald of more serious criminal activity to come. A person who does not know these gang activities would not be able to recognize the meaning of this graffiti. Also if a tag of this youth group or gang is placed on a building occupied by asylum seekers, for example, its racist character is even stronger.
By making the graffiti less explicit (as adapted to social and legal constraints), these drawings are less likely to be removed, but do not lose their threatening and offensive character.
Elsewhere, activists in Russia have used painted caricatures of local officials with their mouths as potholes, to show their anger about the poor state of the roads. In Manchester, England, a graffitists painted obscene images around potholes, which often resulted in them being repaired within 48 hours.
In the early 1980s, the first art galleries to show graffitists to the public were Fashion Moda in the Bronx, Now Gallery and Fun Gallery, both in the East Village, Manhattan.
A 2006 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum displayed graffiti as an art form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early 1980s with the work of Crash, Lee, Daze, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It displayed 22 works by New York graffitists, including Crash, Daze, and Lady Pink. In an article about the exhibition in the magazine Time Out, curator Charlotta Kotik said that she hoped the exhibition would cause viewers to rethink their assumptions about graffiti.
From the 1970s onwards, Burhan Doğançay photographed urban walls all over the world; these he then archived for use as sources of inspiration for his painterly works. The project today known as "Walls of the World" grew beyond even his own expectations and comprises about 30,000 individual images. It spans a period of 40 years across five continents and 114 countries. In 1982, photographs from this project comprised a one-man exhibition titled "Les murs murmurent, ils crient, ils chantent ..." (The walls whisper, shout and sing ...) at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.
In Australia, art historians have judged some local graffiti of sufficient creative merit to rank them firmly within the arts. Oxford University Press's art history text Australian Painting 1788–2000 concludes with a long discussion of graffiti's key place within contemporary visual culture, including the work of several Australian practitioners.
Between March and April 2009, 150 artists exhibited 300 pieces of graffiti at the Grand Palais in Paris.
Spray paint has many negative environmental effects. The paint contains toxic chemicals, and the can uses volatile hydrocarbon gases to spray the paint onto a surface.
Volatile organic compound (VOC) leads to ground level ozone formation and most of graffiti related emissions are VOCs. A 2010 paper estimates 4,862 tons of VOCs were released in the United States in activities related to graffiti.
In China, Mao Zedong in the 1920s used revolutionary slogans and paintings in public places to galvanize the country's communist movement.
Based on different national conditions, many people believe that China's attitude towards Graffiti is fierce, but in fact, according to Lance Crayon in his film Spray Paint Beijing: Graffiti in the Capital of China, Graffiti is generally accepted in Beijing, with artists not seeing much police interference. Political and religiously sensitive graffiti, however, is not allowed.
In Hong Kong, Tsang Tsou Choi was known as the King of Kowloon for his calligraphy graffiti over many years, in which he claimed ownership of the area. Now some of his work is preserved officially.
In Taiwan, the government has made some concessions to graffitists. Since 2005 they have been allowed to freely display their work along some sections of riverside retaining walls in designated "Graffiti Zones". From 2007, Taipei's department of cultural affairs also began permitting graffiti on fences around major public construction sites. Department head Yong-ping Lee (李永萍) stated, "We will promote graffiti starting with the public sector, and then later in the private sector too. It's our goal to beautify the city with graffiti". The government later helped organize a graffiti contest in Ximending, a popular shopping district. graffitists caught working outside of these designated areas still face fines up to NT$6,000 under a department of environmental protection regulation. However, Taiwanese authorities can be relatively lenient, one veteran police officer stating anonymously, "Unless someone complains about vandalism, we won't get involved. We don't go after it proactively."
In 1993, after several expensive cars in Singapore were spray-painted, the police arrested a student from the Singapore American School, Michael P. Fay, questioned him, and subsequently charged him with vandalism. Fay pleaded guilty to vandalizing a car in addition to stealing road signs. Under the 1966 Vandalism Act of Singapore, originally passed to curb the spread of communist graffiti in Singapore, the court sentenced him to four months in jail, a fine of S$3,500 (US$2,233), and a caning. The New York Times ran several editorials and op-eds that condemned the punishment and called on the American public to flood the Singaporean embassy with protests. Although the Singapore government received many calls for clemency, Fay's caning took place in Singapore on 5 May 1994. Fay had originally received a sentence of six strokes of the cane, but the presiding president of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong, agreed to reduce his caning sentence to four lashes.
In South Korea, Park Jung-soo was fined two million South Korean won by the Seoul Central District Court for spray-painting a rat on posters of the G-20 Summit a few days before the event in November 2011. Park alleged that the initial in "G-20" sounds like the Korean word for "rat", but Korean government prosecutors alleged that Park was making a derogatory statement about the president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, the host of the summit. This case led to public outcry and debate on the lack of government tolerance and in support of freedom of expression. The court ruled that the painting, "an ominous creature like a rat" amounts to "an organized criminal activity" and upheld the fine while denying the prosecution's request for imprisonment for Park.
In Europe, community cleaning squads have responded to graffiti, in some cases with reckless abandon, as when in 1992 in France a local Scout group, attempting to remove modern graffiti, damaged two prehistoric paintings of bison in the Cave of Mayrière supérieure near the French village of Bruniquel in Tarn-et-Garonne, earning them the 1992 Ig Nobel Prize in archeology.
In September 2006, the European Parliament directed the European Commission to create urban environment policies to prevent and eliminate dirt, litter, graffiti, animal excrement, and excessive noise from domestic and vehicular music systems in European cities, along with other concerns over urban life.
In Budapest, Hungary, both a city-backed movement called I Love Budapest and a special police division tackle the problem, including the provision of approved areas.
The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 became Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign issued a press release calling for zero tolerance of graffiti and supporting proposals such as issuing "on the spot" fines to graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to anyone under the age of 16. The press release also condemned the use of graffiti images in advertising and in music videos, arguing that real-world experience of graffiti stood far removed from its often-portrayed "cool" or "edgy'" image.
To back the campaign, 123 Members of Parliament (MPs) (including then Prime Minister Tony Blair), signed a charter which stated: "Graffiti is not art, it's crime. On behalf of my constituents, I will do all I can to rid our community of this problem."
In the UK, city councils have the power to take action against the owner of any property that has been defaced under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005) or, in certain cases, the Highways Act. This is often used against owners of property that are complacent in allowing protective boards to be defaced so long as the property is not damaged.
In July 2008, a conspiracy charge was used to convict graffitists for the first time. After a three-month police surveillance operation, nine members of the DPM crew were convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal damage costing at least £1 million. Five of them received prison sentences, ranging from eighteen months to two years. The unprecedented scale of the investigation and the severity of the sentences rekindled public debate over whether graffiti should be considered art or crime.
Some councils, like those of Stroud and Loerrach, provide approved areas in the town where graffitists can showcase their talents, including underpasses, car parks, and walls that might otherwise prove a target for the "spray and run".
Graffiti Tunnel, University of Sydney at Camperdown (2009)
In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities in Australia have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by graffitists. One early example is the "Graffiti Tunnel" located at the Camperdown Campus of the University of Sydney, which is available for use by any student at the university to tag, advertise, poster, and paint. Advocates of this idea suggest that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or trespassing.[108][109] Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere. Some local government areas throughout Australia have introduced "anti-graffiti squads", who clean graffiti in the area, and such crews as BCW (Buffers Can't Win) have taken steps to keep one step ahead of local graffiti cleaners.
Many state governments have banned the sale or possession of spray paint to those under the age of 18 (age of majority). However, a number of local governments in Victoria have taken steps to recognize the cultural heritage value of some examples of graffiti, such as prominent political graffiti. Tough new graffiti laws have been introduced in Australia with fines of up to A$26,000 and two years in prison.
Melbourne is a prominent graffiti city of Australia with many of its lanes being tourist attractions, such as Hosier Lane in particular, a popular destination for photographers, wedding photography, and backdrops for corporate print advertising. The Lonely Planet travel guide cites Melbourne's street as a major attraction. All forms of graffiti, including sticker art, poster, stencil art, and wheatpasting, can be found in many places throughout the city. Prominent street art precincts include; Fitzroy, Collingwood, Northcote, Brunswick, St. Kilda, and the CBD, where stencil and sticker art is prominent. As one moves farther away from the city, mostly along suburban train lines, graffiti tags become more prominent. Many international artists such as Banksy have left their work in Melbourne and in early 2008 a perspex screen was installed to prevent a Banksy stencil art piece from being destroyed, it has survived since 2003 through the respect of local street artists avoiding posting over it, although it has recently had paint tipped over it.
In February 2008 Helen Clark, the New Zealand prime minister at that time, announced a government crackdown on tagging and other forms of graffiti vandalism, describing it as a destructive crime representing an invasion of public and private property. New legislation subsequently adopted included a ban on the sale of paint spray cans to persons under 18 and increases in maximum fines for the offence from NZ$200 to NZ$2,000 or extended community service. The issue of tagging become a widely debated one following an incident in Auckland during January 2008 in which a middle-aged property owner stabbed one of two teenage taggers to death and was subsequently convicted of manslaughter.
Graffiti databases have increased in the past decade because they allow vandalism incidents to be fully documented against an offender and help the police and prosecution charge and prosecute offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. They also provide law enforcement the ability to rapidly search for an offender's moniker or tag in a simple, effective, and comprehensive way. These systems can also help track costs of damage to a city to help allocate an anti-graffiti budget. The theory is that when an offender is caught putting up graffiti, they are not just charged with one count of vandalism; they can be held accountable for all the other damage for which they are responsible. This has two main benefits for law enforcement. One, it sends a signal to the offenders that their vandalism is being tracked. Two, a city can seek restitution from offenders for all the damage that they have committed, not merely a single incident. These systems give law enforcement personnel real-time, street-level intelligence that allows them not only to focus on the worst graffiti offenders and their damage, but also to monitor potential gang violence that is associated with the graffiti.
Many restrictions of civil gang injunctions are designed to help address and protect the physical environment and limit graffiti. Provisions of gang injunctions include things such as restricting the possession of marker pens, spray paint cans, or other sharp objects capable of defacing private or public property; spray painting, or marking with marker pens, scratching, applying stickers, or otherwise applying graffiti on any public or private property, including, but not limited to the street, alley, residences, block walls, and fences, vehicles or any other real or personal property. Some injunctions contain wording that restricts damaging or vandalizing both public and private property, including but not limited to any vehicle, light fixture, door, fence, wall, gate, window, building, street sign, utility box, telephone box, tree, or power pole.
To help address many of these issues, many local jurisdictions have set up graffiti abatement hotlines, where citizens can call in and report vandalism and have it removed. San Diego's hotline receives more than 5,000 calls per year, in addition to reporting the graffiti, callers can learn more about prevention. One of the complaints about these hotlines is the response time; there is often a lag time between a property owner calling about the graffiti and its removal. The length of delay should be a consideration for any jurisdiction planning on operating a hotline. Local jurisdictions must convince the callers that their complaint of vandalism will be a priority and cleaned off right away. If the jurisdiction does not have the resources to respond to complaints in a timely manner, the value of the hotline diminishes. Crews must be able to respond to individual service calls made to the graffiti hotline as well as focus on cleanup near schools, parks, and major intersections and transit routes to have the biggest impact. Some cities offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of suspects for tagging or graffiti related vandalism. The amount of the reward is based on the information provided, and the action taken.
When police obtain search warrants in connection with a vandalism investigation, they are often seeking judicial approval to look for items such as cans of spray paint and nozzles from other kinds of aerosol sprays; etching tools, or other sharp or pointed objects, which could be used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces; permanent marking pens, markers, or paint sticks; evidence of membership or affiliation with any gang or tagging crew; paraphernalia including any reference to "(tagger's name)"; any drawings, writing, objects, or graffiti depicting taggers' names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or any mention of tagging crew membership; and any newspaper clippings relating to graffiti crime.
This is an alternative version of my previous photo ( www.flickr.com/photos/133750589@N08/26968747465/in/photos... ) and the description continues the story from the point we left it last time…
I know, I know... the story is very long lol :)
A beep informs her the last file has been successfully copied to her mass storage device. She grabs it and she moves toward the door. She got was she came for and now all she has to do is the get out of here without attracting more unwanted attentions.
She is few steps away from the door when she turns toward the center of the room.
The device is now emitting a reddish light and a hum is getting louder.
She walks closer to it. She does not know why. Whatever this device is it is clearly beyond her knowledge but yet she feels the impulse to come closer and closer; to touch it.
She can hear a indistinct sound, like a chorus of voices merged together. She must leave this place soon. The enemy is regrouping. She must go. Yet she continues to advance toward the device staring at the lights coming from it.
She wants to touch it, to comply with that impulse.
She rises her hand ready to touch its surface when a shouts brings her back to reality.
“Step back, redhead scum! Don’t touch it!”
She looks up and she sees a whole Stormtrooper squad on the catwalk; their weapons trained on her.
“Damn-she thinks- I have a bad feeling about this”
“Redhead scum?” Asks the Stormtrooper Gunner (for the records they are those Stormtroopers with the tactical vest, like those from the First Order Lego battle pack)
“Well, I couldn’t say Resistance scum! We don’t know if she is working for the resistance. She has red hair so I thought..”
“And do you have to say scum something at all costs?”
“Of course, it’s our catch phrase!”
She always knew one day her career could have come to an abrupt end. Her job is a dangerous one. But ending it at the ends of these idiots it’s not very satisfying.
“You are lucky the high places want you alive for interrogation..um.. scum something.” Says the first Stormtrooper.
“Now we are going to capture you and have some fun!”
“What the hell are you saying?” intervenes the gunner.
“Um, nothing in particular…I was just trying to look like a menacing villain.” replies the Stormtrooper.
“We bring Order to a Galaxy of chaos- continues the gunner- we don’t say things like that. We capture prisoners so our Great Boss can bore them to death with his monologues.”
“Ok, then” says the Stormtrooper
“We are going to capture you unknown scum, so our Great Boss can bore you to death with…”
“I already said it why are you repeating it?”
“I have to inform her..”
Before the two caricatural troopers have the chance to complete their dialogue she see an intense flash of light, followed by gunfire. When the smoke clears she sees the dead bodies of the Stormtroopers and there on the same catwalk she spots a familiar figure.
“Hello Nat- he says- Of all people I’d expect to meet on a top secrete base in the middle of nowhere, I run into the most beautiful.”
She smiles. “Thank you. You just saved…”
“No problem. I was around and I thought you needed some backup” He replies.
She surely needed it and he seems to always appear in the right place, at the right moment. This is the second time he saves her.
How can he always do these things with such timing?
Does he try to act like a sort of Galactic Hero with everyone he meets or are his feelings for her deeper than she thought?
These and many other questions cross her mind but all she says is:
“How did you get here?”
“From the main entrance.” he replies nonchalantly.
“From the main entrance?! Do you mean you fought your way… Never mind. Things are going to get messy soon and I could use a hand.”
“Of course. You know we make a great team.”
He jumps down from the catwalk and walks toward her.
She is staring at the device again.
“The spokesman of the silly troopers was right about one thing: don’t touch it, Nat” He tells her.
“What..ok. I didn’t even realize I was going to.”
“I know. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it”
“What is it?” She asks.
“I’ll explain you later but now we have more pressing matters.”
They surely have.
Alarms start to ring all over the base.
They are going to have a lot of company and soon but at least she not alone now and the chances to get out here alive just grew exponentially…
Like I said above this an alternate version of the photo featuring Hot Toys Black Widow action figure I posted few days ago. I usually made many versions of each photo I upload but I rarely post more than one. However the lighting was so different from the “original” one I wanted to share it with you :)
The title, like for the previous version, is a reference to the classic James Bond film :)
I know I wrote a very long description lol but I had this story in mind (well actually a part of it since it will continue) and I wrote it down without even realizing how long it was until I finished it hehe :)
I hope you like this photo :)
Foto capturada em Brasília, Brasil.
Photo captured in Brasília, Brazil.
O Gavião-carrapateiro (Milvago chimachima) é uma ave da ordem Ciconiiformes (antigamente Falconiformes), da família dos falconídeos, que ocorre da América Central ao norte do Uruguai e da Argentina e em todo o Brasil, onde é um dos gaviões mais conhecidos. A espécie possui cerca de 40 cm de comprimento, dorso marrom-escuro, cabeça, pescoço e partes inferiores branco-amareladas, face nua e alaranjada, asas longas, com nítida mancha branca, e cauda longa. É associado à pecuária, alimentando-se de carrapatos e bernes, além de lagartas, cupins e outros itens alimentares. Também é conhecido pelos nomes de caracará-branco, caracaraí, caracaratinga, carapinhé, chimango, gavião-pinhé, papa-bicheira, pinhé, pinhém, chimango, chimango-branco e chimango-carrapateiro e chimango-do-campo.
Recebe o nome popular de carrapateiro por ser comumente observado alimentando-se de carrapatos ou bernes de bovinos e de eqüinos. Esta espécie de gavião, assim como Polyborus plancus, o carcará, é muito comum, inclusive em áreas urbanas, sendo talvez a ave de rapina mais visível nas cidades brasileiras, com exceção do urubu, por conta de sua abundância (pode ser visto até nas torres de iluminação do Aterro do Flamengo, no Rio de Janeiro), do seu vôo lento - que inclusive o torna alvo de ataques do bem-te-vi e outras aves - e das suas vocalizações freqüentes. Quando em sobrevôo, emite um grito agudo que soa como "pinhé", semelhante ao canto do gavião carijó (Buteo magnirostris). Alimentação: artrópodes, principalmente carrapatos, frutos e, mais raramente, cadáveres; saqueia ninhos de outras aves e captura pequenos vertebrados indefesos ou depauperados. Nidificação: constroem grandes ninhos, de ramos secos, em palmeiras ou em outras árvores. Os ovos, de 5 a 7, são redondos, pardo-amarelos com manchas pardo-vermelhas. A fêmea encarrega-se da incubação e o macho fornece-lhe o alimento durante tal período. Nos Falconiformes, o tempo de incubação é de 4 a 8 semanas; após o nascimento dos filhotes o macho continua a alimentar a fêmea e esta, por sua vez , os jovens. Habitat: pastagens, campos com árvores esparsas, vizinhanças de cidades e margens de rodovias. Tamanho: 40,0 cm
Texto livre extraído da Wilkipédia, a enciclopédia livre, no endereço a seguir:
pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcar%C3%A1
The following text, in english, is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Yellow-headed Caracara, Milvago chimachima, is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is found in tropical and subtropical South America and the southern portion of Central America. Unlike the Falco falcons in the same family, the caracaras are not fast-flying aerial hunters, but are rather sluggish and often scavengers.
The Yellow-headed Caracara is 41–46 cm (16–18 in) cm long and weighs 325 g (11.5 oz) on average. The female is larger than the male, weighing 310–360 g (11–13 oz), against his 280–330 g (9.9–12 oz). It is broad-winged and long-tailed, somewhat resembling a small Buteo. The adult has a buff head, with a black streak behind the eye, and buff underparts. The upperparts are brown with distinctive pale patches on the flight feathers of the wings, and the tail is barred cream and brown.
The sexes are similar, but the head and underparts of immature birds have dense brown mottling. The voice of this species is a characteristic screamed schreee.
This is a bird of savannah, swamps and forest edges. The Yellow-headed Caracara is a resident bird from Costa Rica south through Trinidad and Tobago to northern Argentina (the provinces of Misiones, Chaco, Formosa, Corrientes and Santa Fe). It is typically found from sea level to 1,800 m (5,900 ft), occasionally to 2,600 m (8,500 ft) ASL. In southern South America, it is replaced by a close relative, the Chimango Caracara (Milvago chimango), whose range overlaps with that of the Yellow-headed Caracara in southern Brazil, northern Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. A larger and stouter paleosubspecies, Milvago chimachima readei, occurred in Florida and possibly elsewhere during the Late Pleistocene, some tens of thousand years ago.[1] According to the Peregrine Fund database, the Yellow-headed Caracara is expanding its range into Nicaragua.[2]
The Yellow-headed Caracara is omnivorous, and will eat reptiles, amphibians and other small animals as well as carrion. Birds are rarely if ever taken, and this species will not elicit warning calls from mixed-species feeding flocks that cross its path even in open cerrado habitat .[3] It will also take ticks from cattle, and is locally called "tickbird". In addition, at least younger birds are fond of certain fruits, such as those of the Oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense).[4] It lays from five to seven brown-marked buff eggs in a stick nest in a tree.[5]
The Yellow-headed Caracara has benefited from forest clearing for cattle ranching. Its status in Trinidad has changed from rare to fairly common, and it was first seen on Tobago in 1987.[6] It adapts readily to urban areas and, together with species such as the American Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), it is among the most commonly seen bird of prey in Latin American cities. Consequently, this wide-ranging species is not considered threatened by the IUCN.[7] In Panama City for example, as a result of the increased urban sprawl, Yellow-headed Caracara pairs are frequently seen along the rooftops in suburban neighborhoods.
The following text, in english, is from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris [1][3][4]), also known as capibara, chigüire in Venezuela, ronsoco in Peru, chigüiro, and carpincho in Spanish,[5][6][7] and capivara in Portuguese[6], is the largest living rodent in the world.[8] Its closest relatives are agouti, chinchillas, coyphillas, and guinea pigs.[9] Its common name, derived from Kapiÿva in the Guarani language,[6] means "master of the grasses"[10] while its scientific name, hydrochaeris, is Greek for "water hog".[9]
Capybaras have heavy, barrel-shaped bodies and short heads with reddish-brown fur on the upper part of their body that turns yellowish-brown underneath. Adult capybaras may grow to 130 centimetres (4.3 ft) in length, and weigh up to 65 kg (140 lb).[11][12][13] The top recorded weight is 105.4 kg (232 lbs).[14] Capybaras have slightly webbed feet, no tail,[15] and 20 teeth.[16] Their back legs are slightly longer than their front legs and their muzzles are blunt with eyes, nostrils, and ears on top of their head.[15] Females are slightly heavier than males.[9]
Though now extinct, there once existed a larger capybara called Neochoerus pinckneyi. Other fossil caviomorphs that were eight times the size of modern capybaras have been called "capybaras" by the popular press, but were actually dinomyids related to the pacarana.[15][16] There is also a "lesser capybara", Hydrochoerus isthmius.[3]
Capybaras reach sexual maturity within 22 months[15] and breed when conditions are perfect, which can be once per year (such as in Brazil) or throughout the year (such as in Venezuela and Colombia). The male pursues a female and mounts when the female stops in water. Capybara gestation is 130–150 days and usually produces a litter of four capybara babies, but may produce between two and eight in a single litter.[12] Birth is on land and the female will rejoin the group within a few hours of delivering the newborn capybaras, who will join the group as soon as they are mobile. Within a week the young can eat grass, but will continue to suckle - from any female in the group - until weaned at about 16 weeks. Youngsters will form a group within the main group.[10][15] The rainy season of April and May mark the peak breeding season.[6] Like other rodents, the front teeth of capybaras grow continually to compensate for the constant wearing-down from eating grasses;[10] their cheek teeth also grow continuously.[8] When fully grown, a capybara will have coarse hair that is sparsely spread over their skin, making the capybara prone to sunburn. To prevent this, they may roll in mud to protect their skin from the sun.[16]
Capybara have an extremely efficient digestive system that sustains the animal while 75% of its diet encompasses only 3-6 species of plants.[17]
Capybara are semi-aquatic mammals[13] found wild in much of South America (including Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana, Uruguay, Peru, and Paraguay[10]) in densely forested areas near bodies of water, such as lakes, rivers, swamps, ponds and marshes,[11] as well as flooded savannah and along rivers in tropical forest.[15] They roam in home ranges of 25–50 acres (10–20 ha).[16] Many escapees from captivity can also be found in similar watery habitats around the world. Though it has been erroneously stated that a population of capybara existed in the River Arno in Florence, Italy, this was determined to be the nutria or coypu, (Myocastor coypus) a considerably smaller South American aquatic rodent with a similar appearance.
Capybara is an herbivore, grazing mainly on grasses and aquatic plants,[5][11] as well as fruit and tree bark.[13] An adult capybara will eat 6 to 8 pounds (2.7 to 3.6 kg) of grasses per day.[16] Capybara's jaw hinge is non-perpendicular and they thus chew food by grinding back and forth rather than side-to-side.[8]
Capybaras are coprophagous, meaning they eat their own faeces as a source of bacterial gut flora and in order to help digest the cellulose in the grass that forms their normal diet and extract the maximum protein from their food. Additionally, they may regurgitate food to masticate the food again, similar to cud-chewing by a cow.[17]
Capybaras are social animals, usually found in groups, between 10 and 30 (though larger groups of up to 100 sometimes can be formed),[15] controlled by a dominant male[11] (who will have a prominent scent gland on his nose[15] used for smearing his scent on the grasses in his territory.)[10] They communicate through a combination of scent and sound, being very vocal animals with purrs and alarm barks,[15] whistles and clicks, squeals and grunts.[10]
Capybaras are excellent swimmers and can survive completely underwater for up to five minutes,[11] an ability they will use to evade predators.[citation needed] If necessary, a Capybara can sleep underwater, keeping its nose just at the waterline.[citation needed]
During midday, as temperatures increase, Capybaras wallow in water to keep cool and then graze in late afternoons and early evenings. They sleep little, usually dozing off and on throughout the day and grazing into and through the night.[15]
They have a lifespan of 4–8 years in the wild[citation needed] but average a life less than four years as they are "a favourite food of jaguar, puma, ocelot, eagle and caiman".[10] The capybara is the preferred prey of the anaconda, the heaviest snake on Earth, which can reach a length of 7.5 metres.
Capybara are not on the IUCN list[9] and therefore not considered a threatened species; their population is stable through most of their South American ranges, though in some areas hunting has reduced their numbers.[10][11]
Capybaras are hunted for their meat and pelts in some areas,[7] and otherwise killed by humans who see their grazing as competition for livestock. The skins are particularly prized for making fine gloves because of its unusual characteristic of stretching in just one direction.[5][18] In some areas they are farmed, which has the effect of ensuring that the wetland habitats are protected. Their survival is aided by their ability to breed rapidly.[10]
Capybaras can be found in many areas in zoos and parks,[8][11][13][19][20][21][22][23] sometimes allowed to roam freely and may live for 12 years in captivity.[10][15]
Capybaras are gentle and will usually allow humans to pet and hand-feed them. Capybara skin is tough, and thus in some areas where capybaras are wild, they are hunted for meat and their skin, which is turned into a high-quality leather,[10] while some ranchers hunt them for fear of the competition for grazing. The meat is said to look and taste like pork.[6] The Capybara meat is dried and salted, then shredded and seasoned.[24] Considered a delicacy, it is often served with rice and plantains.[25][26]
During the Christian observation of Lent, capybara meat is especially popular as it is claimed that the Catholic church, in a special dispensation, classified the animal as a fish in the 16th century. (cf. Barnacle goose) There are differing accounts of how the dispensation arose. The most cited refers to a group of 16th Century missionaries who made a request which implied that the semi-aquatic capybara might be a "fish" and also hinted that there would be an issue with starvation if the animal weren't classified as suitable for Lent.[6][16][24][25]
References
^ a b Charles A. Woods and C. William Kilpatrick (2005-11-16). Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds). ed. Mammal Species of the World (3rd edition ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
^ Queirolo, D., Vieira, E. & Reid, F. (2008). Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 5 January 2009.
^ a b Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (capybara). University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved on December 16, 2007.
^ Darwin, Charles R. (1839), Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle between the years 1826 and 1836, describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagle's circumnavigation of the globe. Journal and remarks. 1832-1836., London: Henry Colburn, pp. 619
In page 57, Darwin says "The largest gnawing animal in the world, the Hydrochærus Capybara (the water-hog), is here also common."
See it also in The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online
^ a b c (Spanish) J Forero-Montana, J Betancur, J Cavelier. "Dieta del capibara Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris (cavia: Hydrochaeridae) en Caño Limón, Arauca, Colombia", Rev. biol. trop, Jun. 2003, vol.51, no.2, pp. 571–578. ISSN 0034-7744. PDF available (English translation)
^ a b c d e f Capybara Natural History. JunglePhotos.com. Retrieved on December 16, 2007.
^ a b "Trip to South America gives new meaning to outdoors life" from inRich.com (Link last retrieved/verified 17 January 2008)
^ a b c d Capybara. San Francisco Zoo. Retrieved on December 17, 2007.
^ a b c d Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris). Chester Zoo (UK). Retrieved on December 17, 2007
^ a b c d e f g h i j k Capybara. Bristol Zoo Gardens (UK). Retrieved on December 16, 2007.
^ a b c d e f g Capybara Facts. Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Retrieved on December 16, 2007.
^ a b The Encyclopædia Britannica (1910) Capybara (from Google Books)
^ a b c d Capybara. Palm Beach Zoo. Retrieved on December 17, 2007.
^ www.waza.org/virtualzoo/factsheet.php?id=110-020-001-001&... and Hares&main=virtualzoo
^ a b c d e f g h i j k Capybara. British Broadcasting Corp.: Science and Nature: Animals. Retrieved on December 16, 2007.
^ a b c d e f Capybara fact sheet
^ a b Capybara Foraging and Feeding Behavior
^ Smith, N. J. H. (1981). "Caimans capybaras otters manatees and man in amazonia." Biological Conservation 19(3): 177-187.
^ Jerusalem Biblical Zoo - Capybara
^ Saint Louis Zoo, Capybara
^ Philadelphia Zoo, Overview & Mission
^ San Diego Zoo
^ Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Capybara
^ a b Lipske, Michael. The Ranchers' Favorite Rodent. National Wildlife Federation (Feb/Mar 2006, vol. 44 no. 2)
^ a b Ellsworth, Brian. "In Days Before Easter, Venezuelans Tuck Into Rodent-Related Delicacy". New York Sun(March 24, 2005)
^ Romero, Simon (March 21, 2007), "In Venezuela, Rodents Can Be a Delicacy", The New York Times, retrieved 2008-03-18
O texto, em português, a seguir é da wikipédia:
Encontrada em certas áreas das Américas do Sul e Central, próximo a rios e lagos, a capivara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) é o maior roedor herbívoro do mundo. Alimenta-se de capins e ervas, comuns em várzeas e alagados, e pode chegar a pesar até 80 kg.
No Rio Grande do Sul, é também conhecida por capincho ou carpincho.
É uma excelente nadadora, tendo inclusive pés com pequenas membranas. Ela se reproduz na água e a usa como defesa, escondendo-se de seus predadores. Ela pode permanecer submersa por alguns minutos. A capivara também é conhecida por dormir submersa com apenas o focinho fora d'água.
No Pantanal, seus principais períodos de atividade são pela manhã e à tardinha, mas em áreas mais críticas podem tornar-se exclusivamente noturnas. Nas décadas de 60 e 70 as capivaras foram caçadas comercialmente no Pantanal, por sua pele e pelo seu óleo que era considerado como tendo propriedades medicinais. Estudos posteriores indicam que pode haver, no mínimo, cerca de 400 mil capivaras em todo o Pantanal.
A capivara, como animal pastador, utiliza a água como refúgio, e não como fonte de alimentos, o que a torna muito tolerante à vida em ambientes alterados pelo homem: tornou-se famoso o caso da "capivara da lagoa", que viveu durante meses no entorno da Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas na área urbana do Rio de Janeiro, assim como é notória a presença de capivaras em partes dos rios Tietê e Pinheiros, em plena São Paulo, apesar do altíssimo índice de poluição destes rios.
Nas regiões ao longo do Rio Paraná no sul do Brasil e norte da Argentina, as capivaras são freqüentemente capturadas e aprisionadas para criações em cativeiro ou para serem abatidas como carne de caça.
Entretanto, no Brasil, esta prática tem de ser precedida de projeto e licenciada pelos órgãos de controle ambiental sob pena de configurar crime ambiental, já que a capivara é uma espécie protegida por lei.
Existem estudos para sua criação em cativeiro visando a produção de carne como substituto à caça predatória, mas ainda há poucos resultados práticos nesse sentido. Sua carne tem sabor próximo ao do porco e é mais magra porém com um sabor mais picante.
No xadrez, capivara é o apelido que é dado a um jogador muito ruim.
Aquilegia chrysantha 'Yellow Queen' .
This columbine cultivar is perennial that features large, upward facing, fragrant, bright yellow flowers with long, outward curving spurs.
Flowers grow on a long stem above the leaves and have five pointed yellow sepals and five yellow petals with long spurs projecting backwards between the sepals. At the center of the flower are many yellow stamens.
Aquilegia comes from the Latin word for eagle in reference to the flower's five spurs which purportedly resemble an eagle's talon.
THANK YOU for your time and comments, greatly appreciated, M, (*_*)
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Khajuraho"
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Location Madhya Pradesh, India Edit this at Wikidata
Coordinates 24°51′08″N 79°55′20″E
Criteria Cultural: (i), (iii) Edit this on Wikidata[1]
Reference 240
Inscription 1986 (10th Session)
Khajuraho Group of Monuments is located in India
Khajuraho Group of Monuments
Location of Khajuraho Group of Monuments
[edit on Wikidata]
The Khajuraho Group of Monuments is a group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh, India, about 175 kilometres (109 mi) southeast of Jhansi. They are one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in India.[2][3] The temples are famous for their nagara-style architectural symbolism and their erotic sculptures.[4]
Most Khajuraho temples were built between 950 and 1050 by the Chandela dynasty.[5] Historical records note that the Khajuraho temple site had 85 temples by the 12th century, spread over 20 square kilometers Of these, only about 25 temples have survived, spread over 6 square kilometers.[3] Of the various surviving temples, the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is decorated with a profusion of sculptures with intricate details, symbolism and expressiveness of ancient Indian art.[6]
The Khajuraho group of temples were built together but were dedicated to two religions, Hinduism and Jainism, suggesting a tradition of acceptance and respect for diverse religious views among Hindus and Jains in the region.[7]
Contents
1 Location
2 History
3 Description
3.1 Architecture of the temples
4 Construction
5 Chronology
6 Arts and sculpture
7 Tourism and cultural events
8 See also
9 References
10 Further reading
11 External links
Location
The Khajuraho monuments are located in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, in Chhatarpur district, about 620 kilometres (385 mi) southeast of New Delhi. The temples are near a small town also known as Khajuraho,[8] with a population of about 20,000 people (2001 Census).
Khajuraho is served by Civil Aerodrome Khajuraho (IATA Code: HJR), with services to Delhi, Agra, Varanasi and Mumbai.[9] The site is also linked by the Indian Railways service, with the railway station located approximately six kilometres from the entrance to the monuments .
The monuments are about 10 kilometres off the east-west National Highway 75, and about 50 kilometres from the city of Chhatarpur, which is connected to the state capital Bhopal by the SW-NE running National Highway 86.
The 10th century Bhand Deva Temple in Rajasthan was built in the style of the Khajuraho monuments and is often referred to as 'Little Khajuraho'.
History
The Khajuraho group of monuments was built during the rule of the Chandela dynasty. The building activity started almost immediately after the rise of their power, throughout their kingdom to be later known as Bundelkhand.[10] Most temples were built during the reigns of the Hindu kings Yashovarman and Dhanga. Yashovarman's legacy is best exhibited by The Lakshmana Temple. Vishvanatha temple best highlights King Dhanga's reign.[11]:22 The largest and currently most famous surviving temple is Kandariya Mahadeva built in the reign of King Vidyadhara.[12] The temple inscriptions suggest many of the currently surviving temples were complete between 970 and 1030 CE, with further temples completed during the following decades.[7]
The Khajuraho temples were built about 35 miles from the medieval city of Mahoba,[13] the capital of the Chandela dynasty, in the Kalinjar region. In ancient and medieval literature, their kingdom has been referred to as Jijhoti, Jejahoti, Chih-chi-to and Jejakabhukti.[14]
Khajuraho was mentioned by Abu Rihan-al-Biruni, the Persian historian who accompanied Mahmud of Ghazni in his raid of Kalinjar in 1022 CE; he mentions Khajuraho as the capital of Jajahuti.[15] The raid was unsuccessful, and a peace accord was reached when the Hindu king agreed to pay a ransom to Mahmud of Ghazni to end the attack and leave.[14]
Khajuraho temples were in active use through the end of 12th century. This changed in the 13th century; after the army of Delhi Sultanate, under the command of the Muslim Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak, attacked and seized the Chandela kingdom. About a century later, Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller in his memoirs about his stay in India from 1335 to 1342 CE, mentioned visiting Khajuraho temples, calling them "Kajarra"[16][17] as follows:
Until the 12th century, Khajuraho was under Hindu kings and featured 85 temples. Central India was seized by Delhi Sultanate in 13th century. Under Muslim rule, some temples were destroyed and the rest left in neglect. Ruins of some old temples (Ghantai temple above) are still visible.
...near (Khajuraho) temples, which contain idols that have been mutilated by the Moslems, live a number of yogis whose matted locks have grown as long as their bodies. And on account of extreme asceticism they are all yellow in colour. Many Moslems attend these men in order to take lessons (yoga) from them.
— Ibn Battuta, about 1335 CE, Riḥlat Ibn Baṭūṭah, Translated by Arthur Cotterell[18]
Central Indian region, where Khajuraho temples are, remained in the control of many different Muslim dynasties from 13th century through the 18th century. In this period, some temples were desecrated, followed by a long period when they were left in neglect.[7][10] In 1495 CE, for example, Sikandar Lodi’s campaign of temple destruction included Khajuraho.[19] The remoteness and isolation of Khajuraho protected the Hindu and Jain temples from continued destruction by Muslims.[20][21] Over the centuries, vegetation and forests overgrew, took over the temples.
In the 1830s, local Hindus guided a British surveyor, T.S. Burt, to the temples and they were thus rediscovered by the global audience.[22] Alexander Cunningham later reported, few years after the rediscovery, that the temples were secretly in use by yogis and thousands of Hindus would arrive for pilgrimage during Shivaratri celebrated annually in February or March based on a lunar calendar. In 1852, Maisey prepared earliest drawings of the Khajuraho temples.[23]
Nomenclature
The name Khajuraho, or Kharjuravāhaka, is derived from ancient Sanskrit (kharjura, खर्जूर means date palm,[24] and vāhaka, वाहक means "one who carries" or bearer[25]). Local legends state that the temples had two golden date-palm trees as their gate (missing when they were rediscovered). Desai states that Kharjuravāhaka also means scorpion bearer, which is another symbolic name for deity Shiva (who wears snakes and scorpion garlands in his fierce form).[26]
Cunningham’s nomenclature and systematic documentation work in 1850s and 1860s have been widely adopted and continue to be in use.[23] He grouped the temples into the Western group around Lakshmana, Eastern group around Javeri, and Southern group around Duladeva.[27]
Khajuraho is one of the four holy sites linked to deity Shiva (the other three are Kedarnath, Kashi and Gaya). Its origin and design is a subject of scholarly studies. Shobita Punja[28] has proposed that the temple’s origin reflect the Hindu mythology in which Khajuraho is the place where Shiva got married; with Raghuvamsha verse 5.53, Matangeshvara honoring ‘’Matanga’’, or god of love.
Description
Sections and orientation of Khajuraho temples.
The temple site is within Vindhya mountain range in central India. An ancient local legend held that Hindu deity Shiva and other gods enjoyed visiting the dramatic hill formation in Kalinjar area.[27] The center of this region is Khajuraho, set midst local hills and rivers. The temple complex reflects the ancient Hindu tradition of building temples where gods love to play.[27][29]
The temples are clustered near water, another typical feature of Hindu temples. The current water bodies include Sib Sagar, Khajur Sagar (also called Ninora Tal) and Khudar Nadi (river).[30] The local legends state that the temple complex had 64 water bodies, of which 56 have been physically identified by archeologists so far.[27][31]
All temples, except[27] one (Chaturbhuja) face sunrise - another symbolic feature that is predominant in Hindu temples. The relative layout of temples integrate masculine and feminine deities and symbols highlight the interdependence.[28] The art work symbolically highlight the four goals of life considered necessary and proper in Hinduism - dharma, kama, artha and moksha.
Of the surviving temples, 6 are dedicated to Shiva and his consorts, 8 to Vishnu and his affinities, 1 to Ganesha, 1 to Sun god, 3 to Jain Tirthankars.[27] For some ruins, there is insufficient evidence to assign the temple to specific deities with confidence.
An overall examination of site suggests that the Hindu symbolic mandala design principle of square and circles is present each temple plan and design.[32] Further, the territory is laid out in three triangles that converge to form a pentagon. Scholars suggest that this reflects the Hindu symbolism for three realms or trilokinatha, and five cosmic substances or panchbhuteshvara.[27] The temple site highlights Shiva, the one who destroys and recycles life, thereby controlling the cosmic dance of time, evolution and dissolution.[28]
The temples have a rich display of intricately carved statues. While they are famous for their erotic sculpture, sexual themes cover less than 10% of the temple sculpture.[33] Further, most erotic scene panels are neither prominent nor emphasized at the expense of the rest, rather they are in proportional balance with the non-sexual images.[34] The viewer has to look closely to find them, or be directed by a guide.[35] The arts cover numerous aspects of human life and values considered important in Hindu pantheon. Further, the images are arranged in a configuration to express central ideas of Hinduism. All three ideas from Āgamas are richly expressed in Khajuraho temples - Avyakta, Vyaktavyakta and Vyakta.[36]
The Beejamandal temple is under excavation. It has been identified with the Vaidyanath temple mentioned in the Grahpati Kokalla inscription.[37]
Of all temples, the Matangeshvara temple remains an active site of worship.[28] It is another square grid temple, with a large 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) high and 1.1 metres (3.6 ft) diameter lingam, placed on a 7.6 metres (25 ft) diameter platform.[27]
The most visited temple, Kandariya Mahadev, has an area of about 6,500 square feet and a shikhara (spire) that rises 116 feet.[10][27]
Jain temples
Main article: Jain temples of Khajuraho
The Jain temples are located on east-southeast region of Khajuraho monuments.[38] Chausath jogini temple features 64 jogini, while Ghantai temple features bells sculptured on its pillars.
Architecture of the temples
The layout plan of Kandariya Mahadeva Temple. It uses the 64 pada grid design. Smaller Khajuraho temples use the 9, 16, 36 or 49 grid mandala plan.[39]
Khajuraho temples, like almost all Hindu temple designs, follow a grid geometrical design called vastu-purusha-mandala.[40] This design plan has three important components - Mandala means circle, Purusha is universal essence at the core of Hindu tradition, while Vastu means the dwelling structure.[41]
The design lays out a Hindu temple in a symmetrical, concentrically layered, self-repeating structure around the core of the temple called garbhagriya, where the abstract principle Purusha and the primary deity of the temple dwell. The shikhara, or spire, of the temple rises above the garbhagriya. This symmetry and structure in design is derived from central beliefs, myths, cardinality and mathematical principles.[42]
The circle of mandala circumscribe the square. The square is considered divine for its perfection and as a symbolic product of knowledge and human thought, while circle is considered earthly, human and observed in everyday life (moon, sun, horizon, water drop, rainbow). Each supports the other.[29] The square is divided into perfect 64 sub-squares called padas.[40]
Most Khajuraho temples deploy the 8x8 (64) padas grid Manduka Vastupurushamandala, with pitha mandala the square grid incorporated in the design of the spires.[39] The primary deity or lingas are located in the grid’s Brahma padas.
Khajuraho temples use the 8x8 (64) Vastupurusamandala Manduka grid layout plan (left) found in Hindu temples. Above the temple’s brahma padas is a Shikhara (Vimana or Spire) that rises symmetrically above the central core, typically in a circles and turning-squares concentric layering design (right) that flows from one to the other as it rises towards the sky.[29][43]
The architecture is symbolic and reflects the central Hindu beliefs through its form, structure and arrangement of its parts.[44] The mandapas as well as the arts are arranged in the Khajuraho temples in a symmetric repeating patterns, even though each image or sculpture is distinctive in its own way. The relative placement of the images are not random but together they express ideas, just like connected words form sentences and paragraphs to compose ideas.[45] This fractal pattern that is common in Hindu temples.[46] Various statues and panels have inscriptions. Many of the inscriptions on the temple walls are poems with double meanings, something that the complex structure of Sanskrit allows in creative compositions.[26]
All Khajuraho temples, except one, face sunrise, and the entrance for the devotee is this east side.
An illustration of Khajuraho temple Spires (Shikhara, Vimana) built using concentric circle and rotating-squares principle. Four spires (left) are shown above, while the inside view of one Shikara ceiling (right) shows the symmetric layout.
Above the vastu-purusha-mandala of each temple is a superstructure with a dome called Shikhara (or Vimana, Spire).[41] Variations in spire design come from variation in degrees turned for the squares. The temple Shikhara, in some literature, is linked to mount Kailash or Meru, the mythical abode of the gods.[29]
In each temple, the central space typically is surrounded by an ambulatory for the pilgrim to walk around and ritually circumambulate the Purusa and the main deity.[29] The pillars, walls and ceilings around the space, as well as outside have highly ornate carvings or images of the four just and necessary pursuits of life - kama, artha, dharma and moksa. This clockwise walk around is called pradakshina.[41]
Larger Khajuraho temples also have pillared halls called mandapa. One near the entrance, on the east side, serves as the waiting room for pilgrims and devotees. The mandapas are also arranged by principles of symmetry, grids and mathematical precision. This use of same underlying architectural principle is common in Hindu temples found all over India.[47] Each Khajuraho temple is distinctly carved yet also repeating the central common principles in almost all Hindu temples, one which Susan Lewandowski refers to as "an organism of repeating cells".[48]
Construction
The temples are grouped into three geographical divisions: western, eastern and southern.
The Khajuraho temples are made of sandstone, with a granite foundation that is almost concealed from view.[49] The builders didn't use mortar: the stones were put together with mortise and tenon joints and they were held in place by gravity. This form of construction requires very precise joints. The columns and architraves were built with megaliths that weighed up to 20 tons.[50] Some repair work in the 19th Century was done with brick and mortar; however these have aged faster than original materials and darkened with time, thereby seeming out of place.
The Khajuraho and Kalinjar region is home to superior quality of sandstone, which can be precision carved. The surviving sculpture reflect fine details such as strands of hair, manicured nails and intricate jewelry.
While recording the television show Lost Worlds (History Channel) at Khajuraho, Alex Evans recreated a stone sculpture under 4 feet that took about 60 days to carve in an attempt to develop a rough idea how much work must have been involved.[51] Roger Hopkins and Mark Lehner also conducted experiments to quarry limestone which took 12 quarrymen 22 days to quarry about 400 tons of stone.[52] They concluded that these temples would have required hundreds of highly trained sculptors.
Chronology
The Khajuraho group of temples belong to Vaishnavism school of Hinduism, Saivism school of Hinduism and Jainism - nearly a third each. Archaeological studies suggest all three types of temples were under construction at about the same time in late 10th century, and in use simultaneously. Will Durant states that this aspect of Khajuraho temples illustrates the tolerance and respect for different religious viewpoints in the Hindu and Jain traditions.[53] In each group of Khajuraho temples, there were major temples surrounded by smaller temples - a grid style that is observed to varying degrees in Hindu temples in Angkor Wat, Parambaran and South India.
The largest surviving Saiva temple is Khandarya Mahadeva, while the largest surviving Vaishnava group includes Chaturbhuja and Ramachandra.
Kandariya Mahadeva Temple plan is 109 ft in length by 60 ft, and rises 116 ft above ground and 88 ft above its own floor. The central padas are surrounded by three rows of sculptured figures, with over 870 statues, most being half life size (2.5 to 3 feet). The spire is a self repeating fractal structure.
Temples, religious affiliations and consecration years
Sequence Modern Temple name Religion Deity Completed by
(CE)[27][54] Image
1 Chausath Yogini Hinduism Devi, 64 Yoginis 885 Khajuraho,Chausath-Yogini-Tempel2.jpg
2 Brahma Hinduism Vishnu 925
3 Lalgun Mahadev Hinduism Shiva 900 India-5696 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
4 Matangeshwar Hinduism Shiva 1000 India-5772 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
5 Varaha Hinduism Vishnu 950 India-5595 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
6 Lakshmana Hinduism Vaikuntha Vishnu 939 India-5679 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
7 Parshvanatha Jainism Parshvanatha 954 Le temple de Parshvanath (Khajuraho) (8638423582).jpg
8 Vishvanatha Hinduism Shiva 999 India-5749 - Visvanatha Temple - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
9 Devi Jagadambi Hinduism Devi, Parvati 1023 Khajuraho Devi Jagadambi Temple 2010.jpg
10 Chitragupta Hinduism Sun, Chitragupta 1023 India-5707 - Flickr - archer10 (Dennis).jpg
11 Kandariya Mahadeva (Largest temple) Hinduism Shiva 1029 Temple at Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, India.jpg
12 Vamana Hinduism Vamana 1062 Khajuraho Vaman Temple 2010.jpg
13 Adinath Jain Temple Jainism Adinatha 1027 Adinath Jain Temple Khajuraho 12.jpg
14 Javeri Hinduism Vishnu 1090 Javari Temple, Khajuraho.jpg
15 Chaturbhuja Hinduism Vishnu 1110 Khajuraho Chaturbhuja Temple.jpg
16 Duladeo (Duladeva) Hinduism Shiva 1125 Khajuraho Dulhadeo 2010.jpg
17 Ghantai Jainism Adinatha 960 A ruin, pillars at Khajuraho, India.jpg
18 Vishnu-Garuda Hinduism Vishnu 1000
19 Ganesha Hinduism Shiva 1000
20 Hanuman Hinduism Hanuman 922[55] Hanuman Inscription at Khajuraho.jpg
21 Mahishasuramardini Hinduism Mahishasuramardini 995 Khajuraho India, Lakshman Temple, Sculpture 10.JPG
22 Shantinatha temple Jainism Shantinatha 1027 Jain group of temples - Khajuraho 09.jpg
Arts and sculpture
Khajuraho temples are famous for their erotic arts. These constitute about 10% of total art displayed at the monuments.
Erotic sculptures
The Khajuraho temples feature a variety of art work, of which 10% is sexual or erotic art outside and inside the temples. Some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. Some scholars suggest these to be tantric sexual practices.[56] Other scholars state that the erotic arts are part of Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life, and its symbolic or explicit display is common in Hindu temples.[6][57] James McConnachie, in his history of the Kamasutra, describes the sexual-themed Khajuraho sculptures as "the apogee of erotic art":
"Twisting, broad-hipped and high breasted nymphs display their generously contoured and bejewelled bodies on exquisitely worked exterior wall panels. These fleshy apsaras run riot across the surface of the stone, putting on make-up, washing their hair, playing games, dancing, and endlessly knotting and unknotting their girdles....Beside the heavenly nymphs are serried ranks of griffins, guardian deities and, most notoriously, extravagantly interlocked maithunas, or lovemaking couples."
Over 90% of the art work at the temple is about daily life and symbolic values in ancient Indian culture.
The temples have several thousand statues and art works, with Kandarya Mahadeva Temple alone decorated with over 870. Some 10% of these iconographic carvings contain sexual themes and various sexual poses. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities;[58] however the kama arts represent diverse sexual expressions of different human beings.[59] The vast majority of arts depict various aspects the everyday life, mythical stories as well as symbolic display of various secular and spiritual values important in Hindu tradition.[3][6] For example, depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians making music, potters, farmers, and other folks in their daily life during the medieval era.[60] These scenes are in the outer padas as is typical in Hindu temples.
There is iconographic symbolism embedded in the arts displayed in Khajuraho temples.[6] Core Hindu values are expressed in multitude of ways. Even the Kama scenes, when seen in combination of sculptures that precede and follow, depict the spiritual themes such as moksha. In the words of Stella Kramrisch,
This state which is “like a man and woman in close embrace” is a symbol of moksa, final release or reunion of two principles, the essence (Purusha) and the nature (Prakriti).
— Stella Kramrisch, 1976[29]
The Khajuraho temples represent one expression of many forms of arts that flourished in Rajput kingdoms of India from 8th through 10th century CE. For example, contemporary with Khajuraho were the publications of poems and drama such as Prabodhacandrodaya, Karpuramanjari, Viddhasalabhanjika and Kavyamimansa.[61] Some of the themes expressed in these literary works are carved as sculpture in Khajuraho temples.[26][62] Some sculptures at the Khajuraho monuments dedicated to Vishnu include the Vyalas, which are hybrid imaginary animals with lions body, and are found in other Indian temples.[63] Some of these hybrid mythical art work include Vrik Vyala (hybrid of wolf and lion) and Gaja Vyala (hybrid of elephant and lion). These Vyalas may represent syncretic, creative combination of powers innate in the two.[64]
Tourism and cultural events
Temples layout map – Khajuraho Group of Monuments.
The temples in Khajuraho are broadly divided into three parts : the Eastern group, the Southern Group and the Western group of temples of which the Western group alone has the facility of an Audio guided tour wherein the tourists are guided through the seven eight temples. There is also an audio guided tour developed by the Archaeological Survey of India which includes a narration of the temple history and architecture.[65]
The Khajuraho Dance Festival is held every year in February.[66] It features various classical Indian dances set against the backdrop of the Chitragupta or Vishwanath Temples.
The Khajuraho temple complex offers a light and sound show every evening. The first show is in English language and the second one in Hindi. It is held in the open lawns in the temple complex, and has received mixed reviews.
The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development has set up kiosks at the Khajuraho railway station, with tourist officers to provide information for Khajuraho visitors.
See also
List of megalithic sites
Jain temples of Khajuraho
Ajanta Caves
Badami Chalukya architecture
Western Chalukya architecture
Hindu temple
Madan Kamdev
Hemvati
Kama Sutra
Kamashastra
The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple (Devanagari: कंदारिया महादेव मंदिर, Kaṇḍāriyā Mahādeva Mandir), meaning "the Great God of the Cave", is the largest and most ornate Hindu temple in the medieval temple group found at Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, India. It is considered one of the best examples of temples preserved from the medieval period in India.
Contents
1 Location
2 History
3 Features
4 References
5 Bibliography
6 Further reading
7 External links
Location
Temples layout map of Khajuraho Group of Monuments: Kandariya Mahadeva Temple is in the western group
Kaṇḍāriyā Mahādeva Temple is located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh in Central India.[1] It is in the Khajuraho village, and the temple complex is spread over an area of 6 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi).[2] It is in the western part of the village to the west of the Vishnu temple.[3][4]
The temple complex, in the Khajuraho village at an elevation of 282 metres (925 ft), is well connected by road, rail and air services. Khajuraho is 55 kilometres (34 mi) to the south of Mahoba, 47 kilometres (29 mi) away from the Chhatarpur city to its east, 43 kilometres (27 mi) away from Panna, 175 kilometres (109 mi) by road away from Jhansi on the north, and 600 kilometres (370 mi) to the south - east of Delhi. It is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) from the railway station.[1][5] Khajuraho is served by Khajuraho Airport (IATA Code: HJR), with services to Delhi, Agra and Mumbai. It is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from the temple.[5][6]
History
Khajuraho was once the capital of the Chandela dynasty. The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, one of the best examples of temples preserved from the medieval period in India,[1][7] is the largest of the western group of temples in the Khajuraho complex which was built by the Chandela rulers. Shiva is the chief deity in the temple deified in the sanctum sanctorium.[8]
The Kandariya Mahadeva temples was built during the reign of Vidyadhara (r. c. 1003-1035 CE).[9] At various periods of the reign of this dynasty many famous temples dedicated to Vishnu, Shiva, Surya, Shakti of the Hindu religion and also for the Thirthankaras of Jain religion were built. Vidhyadhara, also known as Bida in the recordings of the Muslim historian Ibn-al-Athir, who is credited with building the Kaṇḍāriyā Mahādeva Temple, was a powerful ruler who fought Mahmud of Ghazni in the first offensive launched by the latter in 1019.[1] This battle was not conclusive and Mahmud had to return to Ghazni. Mahmud again waged war against Vidhyadhara in 1022. He attacked the fort of Kalinjar.[1] The siege of the fort was unsuccessful. It was lifted and Mahmud and Vidhyadhara called a truce and parted by exchanging gifts. Vidhyadhara celebrated his success over Mahmud and other rulers by building the Kaṇḍāriyā Mahādeva Temple, dedicated to his family deity Shiva. Epigraphic inscriptions on a pilaster of the mandapa in the temple mentions the name of the builder of the temple as Virimda, which is interpreted as the pseudonym of Vidhyadhara.[1] Its construction is dated to the period from 1025 and 1050 AD.[4]
All the extant temples including the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple were inscribed in 1986 under the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites under Criterion III for its artistic creation and under Criterion V for the culture of the Chandelas that was popular till the country was invaded by Muslims in 1202.[10][11]
Features
Various features of the temple marked on the Kandariya Mahadeo Temple.
Simplified map of the temple
The Kandariya Mahadeva Temple, 31 metres (102 ft) in height, is in the western complex, which is the largest among the three groups of the Khajuraho complex of temples.[12] This western group of temples, consisting of the Kandariya, Matangeshwara and Vishvanatha temples, is compared to a "cosmic design of a hexagon (a yantra or Cosmo gram)" representing the three forms of Shiva.[5] The temple architecture is an assemblage of porches and towers which terminates in a shikhara or spire, a feature which was common from the 10th century onwards in the temples of Central India.[12]
The temple is founded on a massive plinth of 4 metres (13 ft) height.[13] The temple structure above the plinth is dexterously planned and pleasingly detailed.[14] The superstructure is built in a steep mountain shape or form, symbolic of Mount Meru which is said to be the mythical source of creation of the world.[8] The superstructure has richly decorated roofs which rise in a grand form terminating in the shikara, which has 84 miniature spires.[4] The temple is in layout of 6 square kilometres (2.3 sq mi), of which 22 are extant including the Kaṇḍāriyā Mahādeva Temple. This temple is characteristically built over a plan of 31 metres (102 ft) in length and 20 metres (66 ft) in width with the main tower soaring to a height of 31 metres (102 ft), and is called the "largest and grandest temple of Khajuraho".[2][14][15] A series of steep steps with high rise lead from the ground level to the entrance to the temple.[16] The layout of the temple is a five-part design, a commonality with the Lakshmana and Vishvanatha temples in the Khajuraho complex. Right at the entrance there is torana, a very intricately carved garland which is sculpted from a single stone; such entrances are part of a Hindu wedding procession.[4] The carvings on the entrance gate shows the "tactile quality of the stone and also the character of the symmetrical design" that is on view in the entire temple which has high relief carvings of the figurines. Finely chiseled, the decorative quality of the ornamentation with the sharp inscribed lines has "strong angular forms and brilliant dark-light patterns". The carvings are of circles, undulations giving off spirals or sprays, geometric patterns, masks of lions and other uniform designs which has created a pleasant picture that is unique to this temple, among all others in the complex.[14]
The main temple tower with 84 mini spires
Erotic sculptures on the external walls of the temple
In the interior space from the entrance there are three mandapas or halls, which successively rise in height and width, which is inclusive of a small chamber dedicated to Shiva, a chamber where Shiva's wife, Parvati is deified, and a central sanctum or garbhagriha (literal meaning "womb chamber") where the Shiva linga, the phallic emblem of Shiva is deified. The sanctum sanctorum is surrounded by interlinked passages which also have side and front balconies. Due to inadequate natural light in the balconies the sanctum has very little light thus creating a "cave like atmosphere" which is in total contrast to the external parts of the temple.[4][13][17][18] In the interior halls of the temple and on its exterior faces there are elaborately carved sculptures of gods and goddesses, musicians and apsaras or nymphs.[4] The huge pillars of the halls have architectural features of the "vine or scroll motif". In the corners of the halls there are insets which are carved on the surface with incised patterns.[14] There is a main tower above the sanctum and there are two other towers above the other mantapas also in the shape of "semi-rounded, stepped, pyramidal form with progressively greater height". The main tower is encircled by a series of interlinked towers and spires of smaller size.[19] These are in the form of a repeated subset of miniature spires that abut a central core which gives the temple an unevenly cut contour similar to the shape of a mountain range of mount Kailasa of the Himalayas where god Shiva resides, which is appropriate to the theme of the temples here.[18]
The exterior surfaces of the temples are entirely covered with sculptures in three vertical layers.[4] Here, there are horizontal ribbons carved with images, which shine bright in the sun light, providing rhythmic architectural features. Among the images of gods and heavenly beings, Agni, the god of fire is prominent.[14] They are niches where erotic sculptures are fitted all round which are a major attraction among visitors. Some of these erotic sculptures are very finely carved and are in mithuna (coitus) postures with maidens flanking the couple, which is a frequently noted motif. There is also a "male figure suspended upside" in coitus posture, a kind of yogic pose, down on his head.[4] The niches also have sculptures of Saptamatrikas, the septad of mother goddesses along with the gods Ganesha and Virabhadra. The seven fearful protector goddesses include: Brahmi seated on a swan of Brahma; Maheshwari with three eyes seated on Shiva's bull Nandi; Kumari; Vaishnavi mounted on Garuda; the boar-headed Varahi; the lion-headed Narasimhi and Chamunda, the slayer of demons Chanda and Munda.[4]
There are gentle walks here on Tegg's Nose for feeble old fogeys like me and very demanding routes for the ultra fit. The whole site is a long curved hill in Cheshire on the edge of the Peak District. Likening it to Tegg's nose might be a cleaned up reference to another part of his anatomy, a guide once told me.There are bronze age tombs, evidence of iron age fortifications, a Victorian quarry workings and a sense of isolation. There is a visitors' centre and toilets. Hang gliding happens here too.
Can you guess what it is yet ?
Taken on a miserable Summer day a few years ago, I never uploaded this shot of the iconic Battersea Power Station. Whilst I normally keep my post-production on the 'light' side I thought it would be interesting to push this image a bit with a combination of a strong Topaz Adjust / Nik SilverFX filters.
Hopefully the result adds to the image and gives some impression of it's former life as a coal powered fire station.
Click here for more of my more 'alternative' London shots : www.flickr.com/photos/darrellg/albums/72157647920607519
From Wikipedia : "Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Nine Elms, Battersea, an inner-city district of South West London. It comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built in the 1930s, with Battersea B Power Station to the east in the 1950s. The two stations were built to a nearly identical design, providing the long-recognized four-chimney layout. The station ceased generating electricity in 1983, but over the past 50 years it has become one of the best known landmarks in London and is Grade II* listed. The station's celebrity owes much to numerous popular culture references, which include the cover art of Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals and its appearance in the 1965 Beatles' film Help!
The station is one of the largest brick buildings in the world and is notable for its original, lavish Art Deco interior fittings and decor. The building has remained largely unused since its closure and the condition of the structure has been described as "very bad" by English Heritage, which included it in its Heritage at Risk Register. The site was also listed on the 2004 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund."
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Aquilegia comes from the Latin word for eagle in reference to the flower's five spurs which purportedly resemble an eagle's talon (use your imagination? LOL).
This columbine cultivar is perennial that features large, upward facing, fragrant, bright bi-toned flowers with outward curving spurs.
Flowers grow on a long stem above the leaves and have five pointed sepals and five petals with long spurs projecting backwards between the sepals.
The plant's seeds and roots are highly poisonous however, and contain cardiogenic toxins which cause both severe gastroenteritis and heart palpitations if consumed as food.
Native Americans used very small amounts of Aquilegia root as a treatment for ulcers.[
However, the medical use of this plant is better avoided due to its high toxicity; columbine poisonings may be fatal.
I is ALWAYS better to wash your hands thoroughly, after handling flowers!
Photographed the back, I felt it was almost as interesting as the front.
FOR THE GREAT EXPERIENCE VIEW LARGE AND View On Black
Thank you for your time and comments, greatly appreciated, M, (*_*)
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Walton on the Naze, Essex, England - Sunday February 22nd 2009.
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Yup, once again I took my life and my camera's life in my hands as it hovered mm's from the surface of the seawater.....falling into fresh water is one thing...sea water would not have been so good!!!...so luckily we both survived...lol
It's also the first day of Lent today...so time to give something up!!!...Perhaps I should give up living so dangerously......lol
Anyhoo...once again the weather is Bobbins here in London..:O((
So I will be staying in again...oh well...I get to see West Ham get knocked out of the FA Cup tonight in our 5th round replay away to Middlesbourgh, as it's live on ITV1 here in England...mind you, if we win...we have Everton away in the 1/4 finals...which is another defeat...we are rubbish Oooop North...so we may as well get knocked out now as opposed to next weekend I guess..:O(((
Oh well.....I wish you all a wonderful Hump Day Wednesday...no matter what you may be doing...:O)))
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ~ Walton-on-the-Naze is a small town in Essex, England, on the North Sea coast in the Tendring district. It is north of Clacton and south of the port of Harwich. It abuts Frinton-on-Sea to the south, and is part of the parish of Frinton and Walton. It is a resort town, with a permanent population of about 12,000. It attracts many visitors, the Naze being the main attraction. There is also a pier.
Walton has an HM Coastguard team and houses Thames MRCC (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre), organising rescues from Southwold to Herne Bay.
Walton-on-the-Naze railway station is on a branch of the Sunshine Coast Line.
The Naze ~ "Naze" derives from Old English næss "ness, promontory, headland". In 1722 Daniel Defoe mentions the town calling it "Walton; under the Nase".
The Naze is a peninsula north of the town. It is important for migrating birds and has a small nature reserve. The marshes of Hamford Water behind the town are also of ornithological interest, with wintering ducks and brent geese. Many Bird watchers visit at migration times.
The Hanoverian tower (more commonly known as the Naze Tower) at the start of the open area of the Naze was a sea mark to assist ships on this otherwise fairly featureless coast.
The Naze is eroding rapidly and threatening the tower and the wildlife. The Naze Protection Society was formed to campaign for erosion controls. The Naze has become popular for school fieldwork into erosion and methods to protect the coast. Protection includes a sea wall, a riprap, groynes and a permeable groyne as well as drainage. Millions of tons of sand have been added to the beach to replenish it and stop the cliff eroding. However, the cliff near Naze Tower is greatly eroded. The cliff is receding fast and within 50 years Naze Tower may have tumbled into the sea like the pill boxes that can be seen on the beach.
Walton Pier ~ The original pier was built in 1830, one of the earliest in the country. It was built for landing goods and passengers from steamers and was 300ft (91m) long. The pier was badly damaged in a storm in the 1890s. In 1895, the Walton-on-the-Naze hotel and pier company (then owners of the pier) opened a replacement pier 500ft longer than the original. Several extensions have increased the pier's length to 2,600ft (793m), the third longest in the UK.
When the new pier opened in 1895, an electric tramway was installed to take passengers from the steamers to the front of the pier. This was in use until 1935 when it was upgraded to a battery-powered carriage. In 1945 fire damaged the pier, and the carriage was replaced by a diesel locomotive train. This was removed during the 1970s.
Today, the pier remains a popular attraction, with amusements and fun-fair rides in a hangar-type building. Beyond this, the pier extends into a promenade popular with anglers.
War memorial ~ The unusual war memorial commemorates a Halifax crew which all died when they crashed on the Naze. It also has a tribute to Herbert George Columbine ,who won the VC and after whom the local leisure centre is named, and a tribute to those lost in World War I in HMS Conquest.
Cultural references ~ Walton was inspiration for the fictional Balford-le-Nez in Elizabeth George's "Deception on His Mind." Hamford Water and the town of Walton-on-the-Naze are the location of Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons book, Secret Water.
From now on I will be uploading images, for reference purposes only.
All my latest images will be uploaded in my Facebook page here.
A sweeping view into the Chinatown–Rose Pak Station reveals one of the most distinctive public-art moments in San Francisco’s transit system. The arched concrete corridor frames a brilliant geometric tile installation that stretches across the far wall, forming a radiant mosaic of color, symmetry, and cultural resonance. Soft overhead lighting tracks the curve of the ceiling and falls evenly across the polished floor, allowing the tiled surface to become the visual anchor of the space. Reflections shimmer below the artwork, subtly doubling its pattern and giving the hallway a calm, almost meditative quality.
The tile composition itself is an intricate interplay of circular and petaled forms, echoing classical Chinese latticework, textile motifs, and the mathematical beauty of repeating geometry. Each tile quadrant introduces a new combination of color and pattern—some warm and earthy, others bright and playful, many referencing traditional Chinese decorative arts. Collectively they form an expansive tapestry that honors both the cultural history of the neighborhood and the contemporary design ambitions of the Central Subway project.
The Chinatown–Rose Pak Station was conceived not only as transportation infrastructure but as a celebration of community identity. Built deep beneath Stockton Street, the station is one of the most technically ambitious portions of the Central Subway, threading through dense urban layers while responding to a neighborhood defined by immigration, resilience, and continuity across generations. This particular corridor is a transitional space—neither platform nor street—but it carries the emotional weight of arrival. Commuters come through here on their way up into Chinatown’s street-level bustle, stepping from a serene, modernist tunnel into one of the city’s most historic and energetic districts.
The artwork reinforces that transition. The clean concrete envelope represents contemporary engineering, while the tile wall reintroduces ornament, cultural specificity, and a sense of handcrafted detail. It’s an intentional bridge between the present and the past, the subterranean quiet of the subway and the vibrancy of the neighborhood above. The installation also resonates with the station’s dedication to Rose Pak, the influential community advocate whose work shaped modern Chinatown and helped bring the Central Subway to life.
From a photographic standpoint, the symmetry of the frame highlights the corridor’s architectural precision. The centered perspective draws the viewer straight toward the art, while the smooth floor’s subtle reflections add visual depth. The absence of people emphasizes the station’s scale and the contemplative quality of the space—an unusual sense of stillness in a city that rarely pauses.
Dolls to Tea
Time frame -- The Gilded age
Season -- Autumn
Back in the early 20’s there was at the time ( and still is today) a rather large hotel/Inn located just 20 minutes’ motor ride from Cambridge. For the sake of a name, we will generically call it The Riverside Inn….
It had been built almost 2 hundred years ago around a natural mineral spring long said to have healing benefits by drinking or bathing. The pamphlets for the place promised ‘ Here, for just a two week stay, almost miraculous cures for a litany of ailments are promised simply by imbibing of the water’.
Gullibly wealthy guests from all over the realm come to visit, lured in by those intriguing promises of great well-being.
The hotel still stands in this modern age of cells rap,and mini motels…
But allow us to take the reader back, back in the hotels sometimes murky past, to a time when Jazz was all the rage and socialization was held firmly under thumb by some rather imposing hierarchy led standards. AKA, if you weren’t in their circles, you just did not exist… which made it far too easy for certain talented scoundrels to ply their nefarious trades…..
This story is taken from a dusty, tattered old journal kept in the study archives of Chatwick University. It was discovered in an old 1930’s era steamer trunk found in a dark corner of the Riverside Inn’s basement.
The trunk, containing a males’ possessions, was tucked away amongst a rather old, musty collection of unclaimed luggage and steamer trunks, filled with clothes and other artefacts from bygone ages. These trunks were being examined during the early 1950’s in an effort to gather materials for several new display cases.
The rather unique journal was turned over to a university professor by the authorities’ for investigation. The Journal contained entries made in the mid-(19) twenties and concerned, well you will read bout it soon enough…
The gentleman who kept the journal had written a first name on the inside cover… the name was Sabastien
Here is the story… Mostly in his words
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“This journal entry was made during my second visit to the Riverside, nearly 4 years after the first, plenty of enough time given for short memories to have forgotten previous, rather encroaching, incidents.”
What follows is a description of Sabastien’s two week stay at the rather ancient resort/hotel called Riverside. He details in full observations about his fellow guests, noting especially the females, , members of their entourage, their dress on certain evenings, the jewels they wear on those times, as well as their everyday jewels. Chronicles are also made of movements, habits, rooms occupied and a multitude of lists that would be far too much for this story. So we have just condensed his story to the relevant facts and descriptions pertaining to the gyst of his story….
If interested in reading these rather lengthy entries, please contact the Criminology Department of Chatwick University.
We will start out story on the events recorded on Sabastiens’s final day… The EDS.
It was a rather balmy fall day, that Saturday Afternoon that I was planning to leave. It had been quite an interesting week spent, as noted previously, and I was all too ready to leave now that my plans had been finalized and strategies worked out for my next adventure, as I always preferred to call them.
…..
The hotels motor car was not due for some 30 minutes, my trunk had been packed and ready for transportation to the railyard since breakfast, so I decided to entertain me self by going down one last time for afternoon Tea in the outside garden area.
I always enjoyed afternoon tea’s here, meandering amongst the well attired, wealthy guests, most of whom were under the impression that I was one of their class. If they only knew the truth!
The men dapper in day suits, straw hats and dangling thick gold and silver watch chains, and clutching ivory handled canes.
Their ladies were enchanting in their afternoon frocks, hats and parasols, their shimmering day jewels flickering an appealing display of colourful lights.
Ah yes, the ladies… The whole lot of em were mascaraed and lipsticked up, reminding me, not for the first time, like so many well-dressed posh dolls. Dolls at tea I was constantly thinking..Genuine Dolls, with genuine jewels my mind always added… For there-in lay opportunism, but for a different game than the one I was currently playing!
This is basically how the scene played out every afternoon in the Inns’ proper English back garden, complete with encircling hedge!
Today was no bloody exception.
As I leaned against the post of a deserted gazebo and watched with interest as the above thoughts played about in me head…
I let meself travel back to a time when as kids, my twin sister and I were shooed outside to play on a brite sunny afternoon. Sis had met a friend, and I had gone alone for a tramp in the woods. As I was coming back into the garden I saw me twin sister and a friend, both dressed up in some of their mums old shiny dresses, wearing some bits of play jewellery. They were pretending to have a tea party and had collected an assortment of dolls which they circled about. One of em, a larger one in a shiny pink ruffled frock, was wearing a small rhinestone necklace that sparkled in the sun. I walked past as sis and her friend pouring the tea for a rather dishevelled clown doll across form the doll in pink. With their backs adventitiously turned away, I walked past and whisked away the necklace, with the intention of waiting till the girl’s noticed so I could tease them a bit.
When the pair satisfactorily discovered the doll’s, necklace had gone dodgy, they discovered my hiding place and chased me around trying to get it back. One thing led to another and we discovered a new game.
We called it Robing hood at tea, me sister having an infatuation with the bowman thief!
They would set their dolls about wearing jewels. I would try to find them and, while avoiding the sheriffs guards ( the girls) , lift the doll’s jewels and try to make it back to Sherwood forest uncaptured with the girls usually in chase if I was discovered. Basically it was a mixture of cops n robbers and hide and seek.
My mind drifted back to the present, I let my eyes travel as I rested in my perch, pondering.
It twas an intriguing thought though, I mean, what if some of these ladies, all dressed and bedecked in real jewels, had been actual life size porcelain dolls? How easy it would be to walk past some of them whilst avoiding the guards, and become a far richer man for it? Of course, for me it was more than just fantasizing, but I would not allow meself to mix any pleasure whilst I was still out on business.
I straightened, stretched, and with my thoughts still in mind, started to head over to a group of ladies that had just wondered out after refilling their china teacups. One of em was wearing a necklace and earrings dripping of rhinestones. Her name was Theodora ( Teddi for short) and I called her privately “The Flamingo” for she was always fetchingly dressed in some shade of pink.
Today was no exception, a frilly frock of pink island coral. I fell in place beside her, and her jewels…which I, for the reasons given above, was obviously being vexed enough by to get a closer look at!
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After a bit, I left the enchanting Teddi, and continued walking around , joining various groups of chattering guests, and making small talk for about another half of an hour, behaving me self like quite the proper (mock) gentleman.
Soon I observed the hotels car pull in and a chauffeur exited and disappear inside. He promptly reappeared, followed by a lad carrying me trunk. I caught the chauffeurs eye and taking my leave of a of a rather fetchingly cross-eyed red haired Irish lass by the name of Cybele Gealach, I kiss’d her well ringed fingers, while studying with wry amusement her emerald bracelets as they slipped down from her inviting wrist in a shower of sparks. She smiled prettily at me, and I bathed meself in one last look at her lovely figure, resplendent in a green satin frock, with a pretty display of jewels as green as the emerald isles themselves, before I forced meself to turn and head over to the path leading from the garden to the car park.
But to some trepidation, I found me path was blocked at the end by the “triplets”, standing under an old chestnut tree, amusing themselves.
The triplets now were a trio of young gangly 16 year old “ladies” who fancied themselves as being proper grown up adults! Thicker than thieves that lot was, and possessed no less a mischievous thievish outlook upon happily creating misery for others! And there they were, looking all pretty and innocent in the dappled sunlight that was coming through the grove of chestnut trees. A group of charming angels, to all outward appearances, these young ladies could be mistaken for……! Never mind, even in me private journal I am unable to put down the word!
But then, appearances can be a bit deceiving….
My personal nickname for these pet peeves was the triplets , even though they all had different mothers, and for all I know different fathers. Two were cousins, the third belonged to a wealthy lady( hell, they were all wealthy ladies there, now, weren’t they?) named Beverly whom I had become rather great chums with, when her youngest daughter Sadie and friends were not around that is!.
The three girls set themselves apart from most of the other children their age by being rather snooty, stuck up and all too very self-important. The lot liked to be dressed up, insisting on wearing their Mothers’ good jewellery rather than costume that most girls their age wore. This all made themselves to appear far older than the 16 years they were. They also liked to huddle about and make snide comments loud enough so that their victim was quite aware of what they were saying. . And they were always willing to play the innocent children, the all pure and sweetness role , if things got too hot, or their gullible parents got involved.
They were Pretty.. pretty much damn near an annoyance any time I ( and most others I noticed with satisfaction) I encountered them…
But now there was nothing to do but walk past the triplets as they stood there chatting away in aimless abandon.
I approached and tipping my hat to the three, watched as all three heads turned away, averting my saltation. I heard sassy Sadie say loudly enough to reach my ears( no accident), in her habitually whining voice, wonder where that repulsive prat is goin? Away for good, hopefully!, I heard her sulky cousin Jackelyn chime in, and homely Miranda just giggled, or cackled was it?
I tried to walked nonchalantly past, but as I did something struck me smartly at the back of me head. I turned, but the three had their backs to me, giggling … No tellin which one had done it, but I was pretty sure there was one less horse chestnut sitting at their feet. Who’s did they think they was playin at.., a bloody Pulcinella?
Now I could have behaved meself like a proper gentleman and kept on walking as if nothing had occurred and let them have their little laugh. But what would be the fun in that?
So I turned and faced their lovely shiny backsides.
“Oi’ Miranda”, I called out cheerfully like I was greeting a well liked friend.
The tallest of the trio, and far less pretty, Miranda, was a blonde lass, fetchingly wearing a party dress of sage satin and lace, with pearls that dangled about , now turned and looked at me with arched eyes. She was showing a most unfavourable expression upon her puckered face as she threw back her long brown hair, pearled earrings swinging gaily. I knew she had to have been taken aback that I knew her name, but it did not show.
The other two looked also, on ready to pounce at me next move, I saw Sadie quickly glance over at her mother Beverly, making sure she was close enough to scurry to her daughters rescue..
For disclosure the cousins, their names were Jackelyn and Sadie. Both lassies were brunettes, of the same height and shapely build. Jackelyn was wearing a rather adultish cocktail dress of flowing purple silk, with brite silver chains decorating her figure. Sadie was wearing a velvet long sleeved French Frock, and her jewels were obviously an adults seed pearls with diamond clasps. If I had been up to the challenge of playing that robin hood game, Sadie’s pearls would have been the most desirable objective of all.
But I digress…
As Miranda and her “clowder” looked on I smiled and said…
Ta’ Miranda, almost forgot, Lucius said he would meet you in the gardens at ten tonight..
(Lucius was a 17 year old playboy with Italian good looks that all three had been playing for after he had arrived with his Mother, a vivacious raven haired lady by the name of Pamela) several days ago..
I turned heel abruptly and walked away with a purpose. After lobbying that bombshell into their midst I figured that jealousy should rear its vindictive head and do the rest of the damage. It would be ever quite a delight to see the three of em receive some comeuppance
I heard nothing from them as I walked away, and made it to the waiting car without further incident ( or thrown horse chestnuts).
The ride in the hotel’s car was rather dull, and unexciting. I arrived at the train station with 45 minutes to spare, saw my trunk on the train, and carrying my black valise headed off across the street to a pub for a spot of rhine steak and kidney pie( a item never found on a classy Riverside Menu) , along with two pints of house bitters to wash the lot down with.
I took my time, not even budging when the train, ten minutes late, whistled for the final departure.
I got to the station just as the departing train was just disappearing around the corner.
Appearing breathless I explained to the station master my predicament , and he told me that there would be no other train heading out till 2:00 am! ( a fact that I was well aware of, but I kept it on the quiet) Mocking my displeasure, I paid for a second ticket and had the master cable ahead to secure my trunk.
Taking my valise I went into town and found a place that hired out cars. Paying for 1 day in advance, I hopped in and headed back to the Riverside. There I made my story of woe known to a chosen few that I had missed my train and had decided to come back to pass the time.
Fortunately there was always enough going on to help pass the time ( one could almost feel Sabastien winking as he wrote this, especially considering what mischief follows ….the eds)
Traditionally, every weekend on Saturday there was a 5 course meal served (formal attire required) followed by a posh ball held for the guests in the elegant Regal ballroom located at the end of the Inns west wing, with a full orchestra playing. ( The ballroom still exists, but has since been turned into a modern dinner play theatre..the eds)
After supper I meandered out to the gardens while most of my fellow guests headed over to the ball room’s bar to start drinking their way into the night’s festivities. The Orchestra started up promptly at 8 and soon the ballroom was filled with the vast majority of the guests who were staying at the hotel that week, happily dancing and socializing with not a care in the world. If they only knew of the cat amongst the pigeons.
With the majority of the hotels security helping out at the ballroom, and with the guests letting down what little guard they felt about protecting any of their valuables here, it was the perfect opportunity to do a bit of my business that evening in the Hotels’ East wings third floor.
This area was home to some to some of the better suites, occupied by the wealthiest of the Riversides’ guests. Since said guests were all happily partying their night away, I was soon to be most happily occupying my “accidental” layover by emptying their rooms safes of jewels, money notes and other small, but pretty things of value. I was certainly not unabashed, for my livelihood, my trade and pleasure in life, is being a professional jewel thief, burglar and rather skilled amateur pickpocket.
I added the pickpocketing bit due to the reference I have written earlier in my journal about the Robing hood at tea game I played with my sister and her friend … because it had a direct refence to my becoming a pickpocket as well as a cat burglar…
This was because at my suggestion, usually the girls would be in play dress up mode, which I found to add a quite alluring addition to our play. I found meself becoming tantalized by dangling jewels shimmering about them as we were involved in the game. So Robing Hode soon had a private desire, to not only take the jewels that adorned the hidden dolls, but to lift those that the dolls’ guards were wearing! At first I was caught in all my attempts at this new objective… but practice makes one perfect! And so it was that I was soon able to become quite adept at certain opportune times ,lifting the very jewels me twin sister and her friend were wearing! Using the various distractions and engaging conversations I employed, Rhinestone necklaces, bracelets, and brooches soon fell under my ever increasing light touch. This awakened in me a certain secret desire, that may been a major focal point leading me to my eventual path in life.
So, for having played those childhood games with my sister and her friend, I would say made me a somewhat skilled amateur pickpocket. Giving me quite a feel for some things, I guess would be a way of putting it! So much so, that even though I started out emulating that persona of a gentleman thief , being a pickpocket of certain shiny lures was at the same time, never far from me mind!
Then, as it so happened , I was able to meet up with a like-minded bloke who( for a price) instructed me on a few of the finer, less practiced, points of pickpocketing.
So I was more than prepared for the first time the opportunity arose! And once it did for the first time, I was able to relieve, quite unnoticed, a pricey necklace from around the throat of a lady I had been dancing with… Possibly not an outstanding accomplishment on its own, for some people I will admit.
But when taking in consideration that I had brought up the subject to a lady I had been seeing during the course of gathering information, and found her so quite intrigued by the notion that she bet five shillings against me taking a piece of her jewellery before the night was gone, says something! It proved to be a rather enticing little challenge: If she caught me with my fingers in the till, I was out a few shillings, and if she didn’t?
Well suffice to say, betting 5 shillings against a 1000 sovereigns worth of her jewellery was a suckers bet, and the end play was, as I paid off my bet and left ,was a whole new avenue opened to me on a way to make a nice bit of extra money between heists..
**********************************
So, now, with just burgling on me mind, I waited in the shadows till the party was well underway before making my move from the gardens. Once I made sure all the players/pigeons were in position, and away from their suites, I slipped away to my hired car. Once there I retrieved my valise, and in the obscurity of some nearby woods, donned a black silk face mask, holstered my rather wicked looking military stiletto knife with its finely whetted blade., and pocketed a set of well used skeleton keys.
Then I circled around the woods, and cut across a small bit of grass, to a seldom used service door that I had opened earlier from the inside. I than snuck up a back-service staircase to the third floor, and opened the upstairs service door leading directly onto the east wing. Making sure the coast was clear, I went into the corridor, and starting at the far end, I began to work my back down..
I Finished the first six suites in record time, easily locating the safes( It was not Sabastiens first time here..the eds ) and quickly opening them and scooping out their lovely contents. End result being ¾ of me valise filled. To be honest, it had almost become mechanical and a bit run of the mill at times, but the thrill that drove me( as well as living money) still held strong….So It went quite smoothly, with no interruptions, or hearing any intruding footsteps coming down the tiled hallway floor. The tiles were black and white in a chess board pattern, which made me feel that I was playin a game on chess against and unseen, probably unforgiving, master. It kept me on my toes, never knowing if a vengeful queen would appear to check ( or checkmate) my roguish Pallidum as he pilfered the fair maidens jewellery caskets !
My next move was on the seventh Suite. This one was a large double suite at the end of the hallway, across from rooms 8 and 9 across the hall. This room was occupied by a silly lady named( kid you not) Bunny! , and her two pretty younger sisters’. I went across and easily picked opened the locked double doors.
This room was a right cornucopia with not one but two bedroom safes!
I took the master suite located on the right first. Slipping in I took my torch around for a careful look. A large four poster was off to one side, a vanity was set up next to it, my light catching in its mirror. Holding the light firm, I watched as my shadowy form approached, filling up the mirror. Above the vanity was a pretty picture of a lady in pink lingerie reading a book as she sat in a chair, her evening dress spilling about . This picture was on a hinge, and I moved it, exposing the wall safe hidden behind. Spinning the tumblers I soon cracked it and upon opening its door was rewarded by my torch setting off a display of rather dazzling light from an open jewels case. The small safe was crammed full of other, unopened jewel boxes and cases. Quickly, holding me torch tween my teeth, I quickly opened them and dumped their quite glittery contents into my valise. Then following the same pattern I had been all evening, I closed up the safe, slide back the picture, and making sure nothing else in the room had been disturbed , or missed,by me, quickly walked out.
Then I made my way to the second bedroom and slipped through the door. Again I let my torch canvas the room. This time a rather small, but shimmering pinprick of light came from one of the twin beds that lay on either side of a rather large vanity. My torch, following the pinpricks, soon captured a figure laying on the bed. Quickly I turned off me torch and by the moons light streaming through a window watched with held breath, not a peep! , Cautiously I made my way to the bed. It was Khaliesi, one of the sisters ( the prettiest in my book), out stone cold.
I looked at the small table next to her where several bottles lay. I picked up a couple, one was for a cold, the other was a sleeping aid, one I knew to be strong enough to put an elephant down for the count. I turned on my torch and allowed my light cautiously go up and down her silken peach coloured nightgown that outlined her petite figure. It was a diamond bracelet upon her lovely wrist that was sending out the shimmery pinpricks . It was a beauty, worth quite a few quid and I was rather shocked it had not been locked away safe. She also was wearing an emerald ring on her pinkie.
Turning away I went up between the beds and slid open the middle ages themed picture above the vanity. Then quiet as a churchmouse I cracked the safe and began opened a second assortment of jewel cases and boxes.
This safe was a little smaller, but no less full! I finished up, locked the safe and slid back the picture. Not a peep from the sleeping lady in the bed. I let me torches light go over her again, she looked like a china doll there asleep , her colourful silk kimono making her appear even more doll like! Me light caught the living doll’s bracelet again, and beckoned out to me like some dazzling sireen..
For a second my mind travelled back to when me sister and I were children. Sis had been wearing a costume bracelet that shimmered like the sleeping Khaliesi, along with a quite soft long gown our mother had worn as a bridesmaid to out Aunts wedding. I had taken that very bracelet from one of her dolls during play the week before, so I knew its clasp. As sis was talking to her friend ( similarly dressed for “tea”), I ran up to them and told them I had seen a fox with her pups in the hedge. Naturally the both wanted to see it and led them to a hole in the hedge. As both girls were bending down and gawking through, I stood close enough to be able to press a certain arm between me and a silken waist, then undo the clasp the shiny bracelet form the pressed wrist and slip it off without notice….The I went over to our friend, and attempted the same maneuverer on her necklace, but was caught red handed and promptly pummled and tackled in a smothering of silk and satin until I was forced to give up my ill gotten gains!
Shaking me head clear of the rather pleasant memory, I focused on the task in hand. There would be no friendly pummelling if I was caught now.
I tip toed on over and looked down upon the lovely girl’s Bracelet encircling her wrist. It was a simple enough clasp, box style with a button on the side.. In for a penny ,I thought to meself, and I reached down and ever so gently flicked open the clasp. It lay there shimmering along the brown satin sheets of the bed. I crouched down, and watching the lass’s sleeping face, half covered with her mass of long silken black hair, , slipped away her bracelet off from under her wrist, where it fell into my palm with the whisper of a swish. I watched carful, not so much as a flutter. Then I carefully removed a glove and dipping two fingers in a obligingly placed glass of water, whetted her pinky finger, the lass was out cold, did not stir a bit as I prepared. I Than slowly worked the ring over her wetted knuckle, then simply slipped it off her finger as easy as if she had been a real life doll. Actually, almost like, one of the mannequins I head of being used by some pickpockets to train others…..I hadn’t needed a mannequin with bells, not with an obliging sister close at hand !
Rising from her bedside, I backed my way carefully from the room, she had never as much as budged.
I made it back into the main room and took a few seconds to catch my breath and take quick inventory. Both safes had been surprisingly full, with enough jewellery and cash that my small satchel was now filled to bursting.
I right then and there then decided that I should call it a night, an early placed Checkmate if you will, leaving the last 2 rooms on the opposite side of the hall untouched.
Though one of em belonged Beverly and her three daughters, one daughter being Sadie of the nefarious triplets who like tossing horse chestnuts. Their room had been on my not to be missed list, but alas, birds in hand I thought. Though I would have liked to have nicked something of Sadie’s, if only to cause her further grief for the twit’s actions earlier.
The last room belonged to the flamingo, the beguiling young lady named Theodora ( call me Teddi, simply everyone does luv) . Teddi was a whimsical long blonde haired, blue eyed lass always ( as I wrote about earlier), dressed in some shade of pink and usually wearing pearls. I had quite liked the lass, so probably would have given her room a miss anyway I consoled meself.
Un-donning my mask and placing it in my vest pocket, I placed my knife in its sheath strapped to my right leg, straightened myself nicely up in one of the rooms floor length mirrors, picked up my now weighty black valise, then headed back out to the corridor. Swiftly walking the few paces to the end, I entered the service door, and made way down the corner staircase, and out the side door leading to the back lot.
I cut across the green space at the back, keeping in the shadows of the tall bushes that lined it. I stopped on the inside of the exit and looked over the parking lot where I could see my rental was still parked in its corner..
As I stopped and looked about for any signs of quick movement, I suddenly heard a girl giggling form quite close by. . I froze, then immediately hiding the weighty valise in a small hedge, cunningly made my way around to the corner. Glad I had stopped!
I let my eyes quickly become accustomed to the dark, a trick I had learned when as a lad I had gone into the woods at night searching for the elusive foxfire mushroom! I tiptoed It past the corner looked around a small shrub. There, I saw the girl Miranda talking to Lucius. Both had a clear view of the car park and my car! I grinned to meself, so the silly twit had believed me and approached Lucius I thought, well all the luck to them I thought!
I knew that Lucius and Pamela had had plans that evening, so was a bit surprised to see him around that early?
I will admit That earlier I had envisioned Lucius being out of the picture and a well jewelled Amanda searching in vain for him around the darkened gardens , perfect for a good jewel lifting bumping into! It had been a nice daydream while going to the station.
One that note, Miranda was looking quite rather fetching in a long lime green gown of satin and chiffon, an outfit I had seen her wearing out in earlier that week. . Her accompanying jewels were also the same, glittered smartly as they were bathed in the full cloudless evenings’ harvest moons brite light. It was a rather nice set, emeralds and small diamonds. As well as an expensively complete one, hairs clip, earrings, necklace, brooch, bracelet and ring, the horse being worth far more than the buggy, as my great uncle Thomas was always found of saying..! But wait a minute, Miranda was not wearing the either necklace or the brooch of the set… twas odd I thought at the time, knowing how she liked to flaunt her mother’s pretty jewels about ?
I watched the show for a bit, waiting till the quite engrossed couple were distracted enough to permit my unnoticed escape. I decided to chance taking the long way around and approach form the ballroom’s front gardens so that it would not seem unusual for them to see me coming from that area. I had begun to slink back, when the pair did me a favour and moved off towards that very garden. I watched until they had disappeared around the English ivory covered stone entrance. I did not think for a minute that the pair were heading back inside, rather probably going to one of the secluded gazebos to have a bit of unobserved fun…
I slipped away, retrieving the valise, I made my way straight into the woods and circled out of sight back to the rental car. I Quietly opened the boot and hide the valise with its purloined contents inside, carefully closing it. locked it up and pulled out me silver pocket watch. Luck had been on me side that evening, no lie, and it had all gone so very smoothly that time was also now on me side. I had well over 3 hours left to make my train. Double checking the autos door locks, I turned and slipped back into the woods to ponder about things a bit.. .
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From my concealment, I looked back at the far wing, eyeballing the lights spilling out from the ballroom’s massive windows unto the green close cut grass.. The faint strands of the orchestra could be heard from inside wafting over the top f the coming mist..
I mulled it over a bit, In my chosen line of business, one learned not to shy away from taking risks. I will also admit I was keen on practicing up on my pickpocketing skills. I had been a good boy up till then in regards to any such thievery for fear of upsetting my planned bit of burgling.. but now that that had been accomplished in spades, I felt a simmering desire to make an attempt, but only if the situation was 110% in my favour…. Seeing Miranda all decked out had whetted my appetite for an additional score, and one of the Triplet Doll’s would be a perfect “after meal Hors d'oeuvre”! Miranda was out of the running, But her cohorts Sadie and Jacklyn were probably not!
Now to note, even though I had behaved meself for the whole week, opportunities to lift a few rather enticing baubles form unsuspecting lassies had come up on numerous occasions. But during that time, I remained true to my plans. But If I hadn’t, I could almost guarantee that the jewels of one, if not all of the triplets, would have fallen into my plucking grasp. So, that now I decided if I was going to try for a second bird the evening, It would make all the sense in the world to try to make an additional score one of my pet peeves….!
I only needed 20 minutes to drive to the train station, so I had plenty of time to re-join the party, for one last look around at the poshly dressed guests, and also to satisfy my rather wide array of curiosities.
I skirted back through the woods around the opposite side the Inn from where the happy couple were probably snogging. I stayed in the wood line till I reached the back garden, hidden behind some thick hedges. I knew that there was a break in those hedges behind a pagoda that I could squeeze through. I did so and cutting across the deserted gardens made my way to one of the 3 exits that led back into the ballroom/banquet halls…
I entered a door that was next to the restrooms and looked around at the mingling throng of guests, all decked out for the grand event. There were whole families in attendance, ladies and girls in proper gowns and dresses, decorated with all sorts of gems and jewels imaginable. The men and male youths were all dapper in starched evening dress, high collars, many of the men wearing gold pocket watches that dangling from vests, and sporting large family crested signet rings.
I made my way through the crowd before I spotted Ms Bunny and entourage. I wanted to find her for two reasons, the first was to make sure she saw me there (after all, what thief is going to chat it up with the person whose room he has just burgled). The second reason was the question I had as to why the safes had seemed too full of jewels. That was answered as I came up to Bunny and her other sister, none of them were wearing any jewellery, other than a small ring or two. Lucky thing for me, rather a pity for Bunny and her sisters…
I showed no previous knowledge of where her sister Khaliesi was , playing it nonchalant by asking if she was, dancing with some dark mysterious stranger perhaps… Bunny , twittering at my foolish jestering, admitted Khaliesi had retired upstairs, with a cold, poor dear! That explains it I thought to meself, for I had made sure all the occupants of the rooms I had planned to visit were accounted for, and I knew I had seen Khaliesi’s perky figure swishing about earlier….
So my curiosity satisfied, I stayed around for a bit continuing on with my socializing when I noticed someone ( jewels) of interest coming towards me….
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Now, while I had been chatted up Bunny, I had been discreetly watching a table that was in a shadowy corner of the dining area. The shadows were caused by the placement of the table under an upstairs walkway that led across the wall of the room. The stairway was used by the service staff to take food up to the guest rooms. Since most of the guests were down here partying, it was not seeing a lot of use this particular evening.
But getting back to the table. There were two young ladies, quite well dressed, sitting there. Both were decidedly pouting. They were none other than the other 2 thirds of the triplets ,I had been seeking. Sadie and Jacklyn! It took no genius to guess what they were sulking on about, Miranda being absent, and in their vapid minds, still probably snogging Pamela’s prodigy Lucius!
I had been keeping them under eye, admiring their quite flickering jewels, positioning meself so that they stayed in my view. I was duly rewarded when Sadie pulled away and began walking with purpose across the room. Most of the tables were deserted, supper being over, most of the guests being on the dance floor, smoking room, or drinking heavily at the rather extensive bar on the opposite side of the ballroom. There were a few groups of ladies talking amongst themselves in the dining area, but all had their backs on the sulking girls. So Sadie leaving was not observed by anyone other than me!
I offered my sad my goodbyes To Miss Bunny, kissing her shiny gloved hand and whimsically wandered off, falling in line a discreet few paces behind young Sadie, who was walking with her usual swishing strut, nose high in the air.
Now Sadie had proudly preened herself in a rather fetchin silvery dress with puffed sleeves, that flowed with an elegant slickness along her petite figure. Sadie wore only three pieces of jewellery. One being a long gold braided chain with diamonded pendent in the shape of a rose, with deep blue sapphires for petals, the second was a brite Sapphire ring with diamond chips.
But it twas her third item of jewellery that dazzled above its companions! A pair of long diamond and sapphire earrings that shimmered and sparkled like African wild fires as she walked with her snooty noise held high with arrogance. The jewels were probably were her mothers, or an older sisters, and I was surprised that she wasn’t better watched whilst wearing such expensive baubles about.
My curiosity whetted, I was being speculative about where she was heading off to, weaving in and out of the mingling crowd, unescorted by any adult, advantageously unattended by her “clowder” of fellow fiends namely Miranda and Jackelyn!
I saw her stop by the door wherein I had gained entrance. I backed off and went to an opposite corner. She had stopped and was looking out looking out to the deserted (still I hoped) garden. So she did probably know about Miranda, and hence the reason for the sulkiness. But no, She skipped away and headed towards the ladies powder chamber. So I now pondered, should I wait to see until she came back through, or chance it that she was going to come out into the gardens? I didn’t want to make the wrong decision by hesitation too long .. There was a reason for this…
As I have stated previously, I had forced meself to be on best behaviour the entire week while plotting my nocturnal visits to the selected damsels inviting safes/lockboxes on Friday evening. So much so that even though opportunities were constantly waved beneath my nose, I had tried not to allow even so much as an attempt at any well decked out Ladies pretty baubles for the better part of a week. . Which was not easy, especially if I felt the opportunity presented would have been a way at teaching some snotty young lady a rather surreptitious lesson, even for my benefit only. Then it happened, on Thursday.
One of those opportunities had presented itself in a rather unexpected way. It concerned Miss Sadie, who on that delightfully enchanted evening’s party, had given me a bit to fantasize on. Sadie was scampering about in a ridiculously pretty long satin number that spilled and flowed swishing in an all too naughty fashion for one so young and naive. She was also wearing the even more ridiculously expensive Necklace and Earrings, bouncing gaily to and fro, that she was wearing again this very evening.
But I had been good, and had taken leave and was heading to bed when I started chatting it up with the pretty female desk clerk. Out of the corner of me eye, I caught sight of young Sadie scurrying through the lobby towards the rickety old elevator that led to the upper floors suites. I hesitated mulling it over, then the devil on my right shoulder made much more sense than the rather harried angel perched on the other. I made it just as the door closed in to my face. I watched as the ancient machined groaned and jostled its way up. Ahh it would have been all so very easy, but I convinced myself it was all for the better.
And now, right here, I was being given a rare second opportunity to …….. well you know!
So I made my gamble, and moved along the wall, reaching the outside door I propped it open an inviting( I hoped) crack ,then headed outside and took a position in the shadows of an advantageous and welcomed hedge wall. I figured that she would after all try coming into the garden to snoop up on Miranda. So I wanted to be ready to seize upon that little bit of opportunity if it presented itself..If not, than I was just all the closer to my exit anyway!.
So now I cunningly waited, ready to take full advantage of whatever situation decided to present its lucrative self.
My intentions were to do a bit of falling in step, slipping up against, and execute a bump like move in order to pickpocket a bit of this ones jewels, especially a try at her fancy necklace
.
Now I harboured no doubts that the Sadie’s earrings possibly would be out of reach, but her pretty ring and necklace would not be so elusive and was worth a tidy enough sum to whet my appetite to the point of taking the risk.
Now there are several ways to relieve a lady of her ring or necklace! I have at times given employment to a majority of them. So, with me thoughts training on which method to use, I waited, still hidden in the shadows, in eager anticipation. For the hunt was now very much on!
Then I saw a petitely lithe shadow by the door and sure enough, Sadie had come peeking around the corner and flutters down the path towards the hedge where I awaited with eager anticipation. I could see her flickering jewels sparkling with pinpricks of fire, as they were swinging against her figure whilst she made her way down the path towards me lair, and the trap I had set!
I smelled her perfume before I saw her… another chess piece was on the scene… Pamela!
Her shadow loomed behind the girl, she had swiftly came from the same exit as both Sadie and I.
It was most definitely Pamela ( or Pam Pam as Lucius was apt to call her) … She must have seen the naughty girl sneak out of the party and come to collect her back inside. I moved deeper inside the hedge, cursing me luck as I watched through a crack. And what I was witness too made me freeze in place. For this evening I was not the only scoundrel out seizing an opportunities.
Pamela, it should be noted, was purposefully dressed up in a pretty gown of slippery green taffeta, quite simply stunning on her. Her only jewellery was a pair of long earrings, swinging provocatively down to and almost touching her semi bared shoulders.
As I watched she approached, unnoticed, right up behind the girl, catching Sadie just before she had reached my hidey hole. She tapped Sadie on her satin clad shoulder, catching her startled attention with a hug of apology. She excitedly asked Sadie what she was ever up too this evening, outside all alone? She was seemingly surprised that Sadie was not with Jacklyn? Sadie just told her that Jacklyn was back inside, and that, she(Sadie) was old enough to be on her own. Of course you are me dear, were the approving words given, and Valentine gave Sadie a second hug to show no worries.
Within the course of the conversation, just 5 short minutes, Pamela admired Sadie’s slick silvery dress, her silken blonde hair which she playfully lifted up over the child’s head and let it flow down again in a silken mass. Then she had held Sadie’s hands as she cooed to the girl over how pretty Sadie was looking that evening. It was being laid on all too rather thick for my tastes I was thinking as I watched the show. Sadie had giggled as Pamela had touched her (Sadie’s) wrist, and with a ticklish touch, had let her fingers brush along the girl’s sides, doubling Sadie over giggling. Pamela laughed right along with he. Sadie was eating it all right up, blushing red at all of Pamela’s flattering words and the pleasant touch of her long, quite nimble fingers.
Pamela then told the girl to better shoo on about her business. I could see the relief in Sadie’s eyes that an adult had not scolded her for being out on her own, and had instead treated her like a real grown up girl! She turned skipping merrily towards my hiding spot. I shrunk back into the shadows, watching from a crack. Sadie came past, her shiny dress fluttering as she still was skipping happily on her own secret mission.
I then looked back at Pamela. She was still standing there, watching Sadie with a rather interesting smirk playing along her ruby red lips. After a long few seconds Pamela briskly turned and headed purposefully back inside, again using the very door that both Sadie and I had used to come into the garden.
I watched her disappear inside, my mind reeling over what had just transpired between Pamela and poor unwary Sadie.
I had watched, captivated and captured, the whole affair with awed astonishment...
Now, of course I have met several male pickpockets, including the one who had mentored me. But never given much thought that there would be any female ones, until now. For as I had watched in amazement as in a much quicker fashion, and using much more honed methods, than ever I would manged to accomplish. Pamela had first lifted and slipped Sadie’s sparkly pendent and gold braided chain effortlessly away from the poor thing not!). Then, focusing on Sadie’s hand, she had greedily, ever so gently caressed ,Sadie’s fingers while slipping off the enticing sapphire and diamond ring from her pinkie finger with an almost effortless simplicity of ease. Thus only Leaving Sadie’s dangling earrings, expensively and beckoningly, last on her list!. Pamela had then, with great finesse, managed to pluck the pretty sparklers off from delicate earlobes, one by one, as the pair of ladies had giggling away, their fore heads touching in a conspiracy like manner.
Mulling over the entire bit of Pamela’s’ inspiring achievement, I gave some careful thought to the situation as it now existed, whilst I waited for the coast to clear.
Now, I had learned earlier through idle gossip, that that the function Pamela and her “son” Lucius had been attending was rather posh, fancy dress bit of a wedding. It was taking place, or had been, at the big cathedrals ballroom in Cambridge. I figured that Her “son” Lucius, if indeed the handsome youth was her son atoll, ( I had wondered what the Pam Pam bit was all on about!) must be the spotter, giving Pamela information on the jewels of the girls he had met and probably danced and cajoled with.
Pamela, tipped off ahead of time, must then have moved in and worked her talents, magically making the chosen victims jewels mysteriously disappear. I wondered how many times the team struck gold (diamonds?) tempting fate before wisely knowing when to vanish before the wealthy guests finally figured something was not on the up an up due to the fact that their jewels were vanishing at an alarming rate?
Quite a charmingly practiced team indeed. I found meself wondering how much they had gotten away with ?, And now they had come back here , playing their tricks, putting a nice bit of shimmering icing on their already jewel gem encrusted cake!
(While doing research on the Journal, an undergrad was able to match up some of the incidents Sabastien described , including the ones that occurred at the Riverside, to police reports of unsolved thefts during the same time frame! Since it is highly unlikely that any arrest could be made( even if the suspects are still alive) by solely using the journals’ entries, said cases will most likely remain unsolved. Though in some a footnote has been made in the official files. the eds…)
I looked at the door leading back into the ball room. The one Pamela had just used a minute or so ago. I wondered if she had a purpose in mind, another well adorned victim, previously preselected and carefully observed. A vision of Jacklyn suddenly popped into me head. The last of the three. If that was where Pamela was heading, I knew of a shortcut to the dining area!
Now I was determined to beat Pamela at her own game….. go to play out a gambit. For there was yet one of the trio still in play, the fair damsel Jackelyn! I rose and went up the path, my mind traveling inside to her, as she had sat alone at the table after Sadie had passed me.
My vision went to her, imagining that she was still put, sitting alone at her table, wallowing in her self-induced misery….Jackie was wearing a soft gown of long purple silk that fell fluttering in layers from her shoulders down to her high heeled lavender painted toes.. Each layer was adorned with long fringed threads that swayed every time she moved. Her jewels were far pricier than Sadie’s, all genuine sapphires ringed with small diamond chips. They had consisting of a dainty jewelled necklace ,small dangling earrings, brooch on one shoulder and matching bracelets and rings, one on each wrist and hand.
A thought played out that I should not take any risks, bird in hand and all of that usual bit. But I felt an overwhelming urge to take something sparkling from at least one of the triplets, and to silently beat Pamela. For now I was sure that Pamela had Jacklyn in her heinous sights!
Or I could just leave right then and there, but where would the fun in that be! I ask of thee?
So, on a lark, I headed to the third entrance off the garden. A secluded door stuck in a corner that led to an upstairs corridor that looked down over the banquet hall. The hall below containing the tables where I had seen Jacklyn and Sadie brooding sulkily earlier. It would get me there far quicker than it should reasonably take Valentina who had to travel across the crowded ballroom before reaching the area.
Reaching the door , I waited a few precious seconds before slipping inside. I made my way up the stairs and into the seldom used , quite deserted corridor. I made my way, hugging the wall and staying in the shadows. The banquet hall came into a birds eyed view. I looked down and saw a flicker of a rich purple Silken gown at one of the tables. Jacklyn was still there, and she was alone, none of the other tables were occupied, everyone appeared to be on the dance floor, except for a small group with their backs to the dining area as they huddled by a roaring fire in the large stone hearth.
All I had to do was go down the back staircase, and walk up behind Jacklyn and make my move. It was a perfect set up, or would have been. For as I studied Jacklyn, while making my way to the stairway, I could not make out any sparkling signs of her expensive sapphires. which was odd, for they had ever so sparkled, winking vexingly at me as I was talking to Bunny.
I Made my way down stairs to the banquet hall floor, and started to stalk ever so carefully towards the unsuspecting Jackelyn. Soon I got close enough, without being spotted, to verify the reason I couldn’t see her sapphires sparkling, she was no longer wearing any of them.. She had been plucked as clean as her partner in crime, Sadie!
So once again, I was too be denied! But by whom? Was there yet another? A third pickpocket working the area stripping these unwary dolls of their precious baubles? Lucius perhaps?
I stopped in step and looked around.
Soon I saw her. So she had either beaten me to it, or had already visited the poor doll after I had left to follow Sadie!! Either way, she had made rather quick of it I thought , looking back at the totally unawares Jacklyn…
Pamela was back in the area, and had joined in with the group of four exceptionally well dressed ladies standing by the Hearth. As I watched one was hugging everyone good night, I observed her as she walked off… She was wearing a rather provocative long ruffled dress of ivory lace and satin. Her ears, wrist and fingers were home to a matching set of blood red rubies and diamonded jewellery. She was wearing no necklace, which I found conspicuous, and as I looked back towards the remainder of the group, I wondered what else, aside from Sadie and Jacklyn’s jewels, dear Pamela had buried deep inside some unseen pockets!?
Pamela stood amongst them as the rather shimmering decked out group prattled on. She currently had her hand on the gloved elbow of a lady in a long teal satin frock. Diamond rhinestone chains were hanging down from the ladies bobbed haired head, and a rather nice set of dazzling diamonds sparkling along the rest of her well-endowed figure, tightly outlined by her cocoon of shiny teal.
I looked back at Jacklyn, she had a foxy gleam in her eyes, and was happily singing to herself, obviously making plans. She was watching out towards the dance floor, oblivious to anything different. As I watched I saw her stand and move off towards the dance floor, perhaps looking for the erstwhile Sadie and Miranda?
I looked back to Pamela, she was already briskly moving off, her eyes on the wandering Jacklyn. I looked back at the well-dressed group she was leaving. Immediately I saw that a diamond bracelet was gone ,that quick and easy, from the lady in green teals wrist. The same arm Valentina had been so chummily holding… and I couldn’t quite put a finger as to why, but there was another member of that group wearing a brown satin gown that appeared familiar. And I had the distinct impression that there was a rather pretty diamond brooch that should have been hanging down like a glittering waterfall, from the front of that very same shiny brown gown!
Bollocks, I swore silently to meself , right there and then deciding to concede my intriguingly private game to the quite skilful Pamela and leave forthwith. For with a hefty satchel brimming with these wealthy guests purloined jewels in hand, it really was quite silly to keep trying riske it all on a silly parlour game of trying to outwit a fellow jewel thief! Turning sharply, I regained the stairs and again keeping against the shadows of the wall, followed the corridor to the outside exit, pausing up at the top of the stairs to see if I was being observed. I was not!
But my mood was anything but dark due to my missed opportunities. For I had still made quite a nice hull that evening, far more than Pamela had made from what she had taken from the triplets, and speaking of the triplets ; it twas Quite a delight to see the three of em receive their comeuppance, even if it was not done by my hand.
I went outside and entered the garden looked quickly around. No one was in sight. I darted behind a fountain, and watching the exit doors from the building, and the exit from the hedge for newcomers. With the coast seemingly clear, I slowly meandered my way down the path to the exit from the garden. The exit was in the form of a rather fancy wood trellis with red climbing moss roses set in the hedge. As I walked I heard voices, and looking back I saw all three of the triplets by a corner gazebo, talking with Lucius.
I could see nothing sparkly from anywhere on any the poor lassies figures. And apparently none of the three twits had noticed they had been royally stripped down to their pretty frocks either. What a shame I said, sarcastically, to meself, feeling not a bit of pitying empathy…And I was sure that Lucius was not going to enlighten the wretched young ladies’ as to the situation either!
Gaining the exit I waltzed me way out . I I then, with my back to the hedge , skirted the woods and made it back to the car, unseen as far as I could know, and hope.
Checking the boot to make sure I hadn’t been burgled (that would have been a laugh, not!), I started the engine and drove a nice leisurely pace back to the station. I only passed two other cars, so the road was my own so I travelled with comfort and ease, and made it to the train station without incident.
I gained my seat with 35 minutes to spare..
Figuring I would be the last on, I snuggled down and prepared to sleep the hours till the next stop (Chelsea which was about 2 hours away where I would meet up with my luggage, having the clerk telegraph ahead to have it taken off for me)
The train blew a last call whistle at 5 minutes to leaving. Suddenly there was a bustle of activity as two passengers scurried on. Cutting it close I thought.
Sure enough they were, and it turned out to be none other than Pamela and Lucius. Lucius was attentively carrying a large carpetbag, and I was pretty sure I knew some of its contents. Neither had changed costume, so they must have had a car loaded and ready for a quick exit.
They breezed past me without a glance and disappeared into the back bowels of the train.
I pulled me hat down over the eyes and pretended to be asleep , dozing for a quick kip as it were , while they passed by…
No need to chance uneasy recognition.
My mind, far from sleeping, now started to whirl with all sorts of thoughts upon the new development in me plans! Just as the train was pulling out at midnight I was pondering over those two, and the shiny contents of a certain carpet bag.
Now the express only stopped at larger cities, a total of 5 more stops on the route before that last at Surrey..
As I had said Chelsea was the next stop, and if Pamela and luscious did not depart the train with me at that stop, the next one was 4 hours away in Hampshire, which had a rather respectable police presence, no less than 2 chief detective inspectors
So I thought to meself, If the pair were to stay on the train, and the Hampshire constabulary were to receive an anonymous wire about what the contents of a certain carpet bag has to do with some nefarious activities occurring at Riverside Inn, Cambridge earlier that evening. And if the triplets jewels were returned, than it would mean that they were back in play for me to follow them home and try to steal the pretties for meself at a later date! It was a rather warming thought indeed!
Or, I additionally reasoned, I could give honour to the supposed thieves code and keep me tongue?
But than, I ask of ye, where would the fun be in that?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Editors Note:
The journal has been ended at this point deliberately to maintain an element of mystery to the tellin.
However, without giving too much away.
We can reveal that there was at least a third visit that Sabastien made to the Riverside some years later, possibly this is when the trunk was left behind unclaimed.
During this visit he once again met up with one of the triplets, a bit older, a bit more posh, and a bit more of a bratty glib . She was also adorned with far more enticing baubles….. So it was no great deliberation on Sabastian’s part to come away from that rather unexpected reunion with a nice bit of added acquisitions. He accomplished this feat in ( his words) a rare trifecta; Burgling, lifting(pickpocketing), and stealing jewels from the same female victim in a 24 hour period!
And that is where the fun in that would be!
Apologies for my inactivity during the past week but here' a few new flash villains.
L-R:
Snart: I thought this Jurrasic World and a hood would look well on him.
Mirror Master: I think I posted him not too long ago but he now has Nexo Knights armor.
King Shark: Some gauntlets for big hands (cause he's a big guy). Figured the collar would be a good reference to his Squad days. I also gave him the unicorn tail piece with the tail cut off as well as plate feet for some extra height (he's a big guy).
Anyways, enjoy!
To view more of my images, of Walberswick, please click "here" !
From the Achieves, reprocessed, using Photoshop CC 2022..
Walberswick is a village on the Suffolk coast in England, across the River Blyth from Southwold. Coastal erosion and the shifting of the mouth of the River Blyth meant that the neighbouring town of Dunwich was lost as a port in the last years of the 13th century. Following a brief period of rivalry and dispute with Dunwich, Walberswick became a major trading port from the 13th century until World War I. Almost half of the properties in the village are holiday homes. A small rowing boat ferries passengers across the river Blyth to Southwold during the high season. The name Walberswick is believed to derive from the Saxon Waldbert – probably a landowner – and "wyc" meaning shelter or harbour. At the top of the village is the 15th century St. Andrew's Church. The size of the St. Andrew's ruins demonstrate how large the parish once was. The name 'Walleburyswyke', appearing in a Latin legal record, dated 1440, may refer to the village. With over 1,000 acres (4 km2) of heath and marshland protected within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Walberswick has good varied local habitats for birds. The village and surrounding beach and marshland have long attracted residents drawn from the arts, film and media. In the 1890s and 1900s the village became associated with Philip Wilson Steer and his circle of English Impressionists. It was home to the noted artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh from 1914. It was also the birthplace of Oscar nominated documentary film maker Humphrey Jennings famous for his World War II documentaries. The World War Two defences constructed around Walberswick have been documented. They included a number of pillboxes, landmines and flame fougasse installations. The beaches were protected with extensive barriers of scaffolding. The ornate metalwork village sign on the Green is a replica of the one erected in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The original sign went missing in the 1980s but after changing hands has since been returned and restored to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The restored sign has been erected opposite the church. Considering its size, an inordinate number of British celebrities own or have owned holiday homes in the village including the late Sir Clement Freud and his wife Jill, and their daughter, Emma Freud and her husband Richard Curtis. Martin Bell, and Geoffrey Palmer, maintain properties here while Paul Heiney and Libby Purves live nearby. Film director Paul Greengrass has a house in the village, as does ITV's Director Peter Fincham. The village is the setting for Esther Freud's novel, The Sea House, thinly disguised as 'Steerborough' - presumably a coded reference, or in-joke, towards one-time resident, Philip Wilson Steer (see above). Esther Freud, the cousin of Emma Freud and daughter of painter Lucian Freud, also has a house in the village with her husband, actor David Morrissey. The village was famous for its annual crabbing competition - The British Open Crabbing Championship, last held in August 2010. The person who caught the single heaviest crab within a period of 90 minutes was declared the winner. The proceeds supported many charitable causes. A derelict windmill stands on the marshes near Walberswick. The area around the village makes up the Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve, a protected area on 1,340 hectares (3,300 acres) with a range of wetland and heathland habitats.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Stone Images - Limited Edition Fine Art Prints
Fine Art Photography Prints & Luxury Wall Art:
Our presence on flickr is to showcase our catalogue, we have selected pictures on our website, but can always add more depending on the requests we receive:
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All images on Flickr have been specifically published in a lower grade quality to amber our copyright being infringed. We have 4096x pixel full sized quality on all our photos and any of them could be ordered in high grade museum quality grade and a discount applied if the voucher WS-100 is used. Any image seen on flickr can be printed in museum grade quality, use the unique reference at the bottom of the photo description when contacting us:
We do plan future trips and do catalogue our past ones:
In our galleries you will find some amazing fine art photography for sale as limited edition and open edition, gallery quality prints. Only the finest materials and archival methods are used to produce these stunning photographic works of art.
Some of the gear we use at William Stone Fine Art are listed here:
Some of our latest work & more!
Embedded galleries within a gallery on various aspects of Photography:
We celebrate light in our pictures. Understanding how light interacts with the camera is paramount to the work we do. The temperature, intensity and source of light can wield different photography effect on the same subject or scene; add ISO, aperture and speed, the camera, the lens type, focal length and filters…the combination is varied and multi-layered and if you know how to use them all, you will come to appreciate that all lights are useful, even those surrounded by a lot of darkness.
We are guided by three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, our longing to capture in print, that which is beautiful, the constant search for the one picture, and constant barrage of new equipment and style of photography. These passions, like great winds, have blown us across the globe in search of the one and we do understand the one we do look for might be this picture right here for someone else out there.
We want to thank you for your interest in our work and thanks for visiting our work on Flickr, we do appreciate you and the contributions you make in furthering our interest in photography and on social media in general.
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Colorado Model Alix R.
I find my images in all sorts of strange places, sites, articles and blogs. To the credit of the web community I usually find a credit or tag that leads back to my images and for me that is thanks enough. I know there are a those out there who are just appalled by this idea of people using images without asking me in advance but for me... I want my pictures to be seen. Just give me a fair credit and we are golden.
surfnation.co.uk/surf_nation/2010/01/do-red-wine-and-cody...
I was pretty pleased to see someone use this image and even more impressed to see Alix get her love too :) She is such a good model and has always made me look good.
So I decided to take a voyage in photo shoots past and find an image of Alix that I hadn't posted yet. Something I passed on for whatever reason or just didn't post. You'd be surprised how many images slip through the cracks.
Some of you have made it very clear that info is good and I suck at sharing.. so here is a little more randomness about this shoot, Alix and the ideas.
The shoot was Alix's idea. She has done some cool stuff with us before and wanted to do a shoot for her boyfriend for his Birthday I think it was. Something sexy and memorable. I am thinking he is not the jealous type but anyway…
We used the video editing suite of our lighting guru Chad and tried to shoot some "naked but not nude" shots. A term I made up and use to say that we are shooting the model naked but not showing any fine details of that nakedness.
We rarely do anything beyond "Naked but not nude".. it's just our style. I do have a couple of exceptions to that statement but they are not posted to Flickr. Maybe in a future newsletter though. eepurl.com/f4DV
We had 2 Alienbee 400 strobes at the time and some sunlight from the balcony door. I assure you that when it comes to equipment less is more and for all of you out there with a cheap kit… don't let the lack of arsenal keep you from shooting creative set-ups. You can do a lot with minimal light.
The great debate on the set was the couch. Some thought it was too fuzzy looking and others thought it was a good contrast to the skin. One person said "what couch?"
For those that know the diagonal thirds rule… this very much applies.
Cam
Rj Dollen
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/d/dovestone/
A landscape that will take your breath away. Towering hills, sheer rock faces, swathes of open moorland, a picturesque reservoir - that's Dove Stone, the northern gateway to the Peak District National Park.
Walking, climbing, running, playing, cycling and even sailing. If you're into adrenalin-pumping activity or simply want to chill out surrounded by amazing wildlife, streams, waterfalls and woodland, then Dove Stone is a must.
At this stunning site, we're working with United Utilities to bring benefits for people, water and wildlife.
Opening times
Open at all times.
Entrance charges
Entrance to the reserve is free. Parking is free for RSPB members, but there is a parking charge for non-members.
Information for families
There are lots of natural areas to play and explore, but no formal facilities. Some events will include family activities like quizzes or trails.
Information for dog owners
Dogs are allowed anywhere. We would request that they are kept on a lead, as most of the reserve comprises of working sheep farms.
Star species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Curlew
Curlews are large, brown wading birds with very long, curved bills. In spring, you can hear their gorgeous, 'bubbling' song.
Golden plover
In their breeding plumage, golden plovers look very smart with black undersides and spangled golden backs.
Peregrine
Keep an eye out for a commotion among birds - a peregrine may be making a fly past. They are a regular sight overhead when a pair is nesting in the area.
Raven
You can see ravens' plummeting display flights from late winter, through the spring and hear their gruff, ringing 'kronk' calls throughout the year here.
Red grouse
Listen out for sharp 'go back, go back' of the red grouse, or watch them flying across the heather.
Seasonal highlights
Each season brings a different experience at our nature reserves. In spring, the air is filled with birdsong as they compete to establish territories and attract a mate. In summer, look out for young birds making their first venture into the outside world. Autumn brings large movements of migrating birds - some heading south to a warmer climate, others seeking refuge in the UK from the cold Arctic winter. In winter, look out for large flocks of birds gathering to feed, or flying at dusk to form large roosts to keep warm.
Spring
See ravens and peregrine squabbling on the quarry cliffs. Curlews and lapwings breed on the in-bye fields, wheatears and ring ouzels on the moorland edge with golden plovers on the open moor. Dunlins may also make an appearance.
Summer
Canada geese love to breed on the open moor. Dippers race up and down the brooks and streams, and keep an eye out for water voles on the moorland streams.
Autumn
Watch out for meadow pipits, fieldfares and redwings moving through. You could also see siskins and lesser redpolls.
Winter
Look for mountain hares turning white and red grouse scratching out a living amongst the heather. Mallards don't seem to mind what the weather is like and stay put.
Facilities
Facilities
•Car park : Parking is pay-and-display and costs 60 p for two hours or £1.30 all day. No height restriction and there'll be bike racks soon.
•Toilets
•Disabled toilets
•Picnic area
•Guided walks available
•Good for walking
•Pushchair friendly
How to get here
By train
Greenfield Station near Oldham - outside the station, turn right, walk down the hill following main road (A669), follow sharp left bend, pass Tesco on the left and continue to mini-roundabout with pub on corner. Turn left up Holmfirth Road (A635). Turn right at brown sign for Dove Stone reservoir.
By road
To get to Dove Stone, go through Greenfield village on the A669 towards Holmfirth. At the mini roundabout, turn left up the hill on Holmfirth Road A635. After 500 m, turn right onto Bank Lane. There's a brown signpost for Dove Stone reservoir. Crowden car park is off the A628 Woodhead Road in the Longdendale Valley.
Accessibility
11 February 2013
Before you visit
•Open all year
•Free, apart from car parking charges
•No RSPB visitor centre, café, shop or office but regular RSPB presence on site
•Car park and toilets open from 7 am to 10 pm, April to October; from 7 am to 7 pm, November to March
•Registered assistance dogs and other dogs (on leads from March to July) welcome.
How to get here
•Directions on RSPB website
Car parking
•Main car park just outside Greenfield. 117 spaces plus four Blue Badge bays
•Smaller RSPB car park at Binn Green, off the A635 Greenfield to Holmfirth road. 18 spaces plus three Blue Badge bays
•Charge for both. 60p for three hours or £1.80 for the day. Free to Blue Badge holders and RSPB members.
•No height restrictions.
Nature trails
•Main visitor trail part tarmac, part gravel surfaced 2.5 mile (4 km) circular route around Dove Stone Reservoir. Fairly level but steep in two places. Radar keys are required to access stock gates. Starts about 50m from the Blue Badge bays in main car park
•Wooden benches (most with backs and some with arms) at fairly regular intervals along path
•1.5 mile (2 km) trail around adjacent Yeoman Hey Reservoir. Rough, undulating grassy track and can be muddy
•Part Tarmac/part gravel steep track up to Chew Reservoir, 1.5 miles (2.5 km)
•Access to reservoirs and woodland trails from RSPB car park down a 1.5 mile (2.5 km) steep woodland track with steps and narrow stone stile
•Several informal woodland trails as well as large areas of open access countryside.
Viewing facilities
•Viewpoint at Binn Green car park up short, wide, surfaced track
•Woodland bird feeding zone in both car parks.
Picnic area
•A formal picnic area at Ashway Gap half way round main Dove Stone trail
•Five picnic tables and benches, including two accessible tables
•Wooden benches in main car park and Log benches at Binn Green. No tables at either.
Catering
•Hot food and ice cream van in main car park in good weather
•Variety of pubs and cafes in nearby Greenfield, Mossley and Uppermill.
Public toilets
•Main car park (managed by Oldham Council). Accessible toilet for use with RADAR key and unisex facilities
•Binn Green car park - male and female accessible composting toilets. No RADAR key required
•No baby changing at either.
Future plans
•Plans to improve the gravel surfaces around the site to make them easier for wheelchair access
•Plans to provide way marker signage for the main trails.
For more information
Dove Stone
Telephone:01457 819880
Moorland magic
We all know that the wild, moorland landscape above Dove Stones is breathtakingly beautiful. But did you know that it is incredibly important to both wildlife and people?
These moorlands supply the water that comes out of our taps.
If the moorland is badly managed, regularly burned, or overgrazed by sheep, it exposes the bare peat. The peat is then easily washed away by rain and gets into the streams, turning the water brown, the colour of stewed tea!
But, if we manage the moorlands well and protect the peat by growing sphagnum mosses, bilberry and heather, then the colour of the water is much improved.
On your walks, watch the skies for thrilling aerial displays from the fastest bird in the world - the peregrine
The peat has taken more than 5,000 years to develop. It is made up of dead sphagnum mosses and has locked up thousands of tonnes of carbon.
If the peat loses its cover of vegetation, the carbon is released into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change.
However, if we can ensure the continued growth of the mosses that form the peat, not only can we reduce the losses, but the bogs can actually soak up additional carbon from the atmosphere, helping buffer both ourselves and wildlife from the effects of a warming climate.
The Dove Stones moors are a special place for wildlife. On your walks, watch the skies for thrilling aerial displays from the fastest bird in the world - the peregrine.
In winter, you might be lucky enough to see snow-white mountain hares racing across the plateau; while spring signals the return of the moorland dawn chorus, with bubbling calls of curlews and the plaintive whistle of a golden plover.
The streams feeding into the reservoir are not only a great place for a paddle, they are also home to endangered creatures like water voles (Ratty from Wind in the Willows) and the delightful dipper. Did you know they keep their eyes open underwater as they search for insects to eat?
So you see, Dove Stone is a wonderful place for people, water and wildlife. We want to keep it that way – will you help us?
Community, youth and education
Access to Nature is a community, youth and education project with both on-site events and outreach sessions. The project is funded by Natural England, through Access to Nature, as part of the Big Lottery Fund's Changing Spaces programme.
What we offer
Keep an eye on the events pages for a wide range of activities and guided walks. For schools and groups we offer tailor made sessions and bespoke training for teachers and leaders with RSPB staff and other experts.
Conservation, wildlife, art, photography, drama, storytelling, debates, walks and skills training are just some of the things the project has provided so far.
Contact
Rachel Downham
Community Engagement Officer
Email: rachel.downham@rspb.org.uk
07825 022 636
Geoff de Boer
Education Officer
Email: geoff.deboer@rspb.org.uk
Tel: 01457 819 884 / 07801 135 106
Contact us
Tel: 01457 819880
Where is it?
Lat/lng: 53.529355,-1.981482
Postcode: OL3 7NE
Grid reference: SE013036
Nearest town: Mossley, Greater Manchester
County: Greater Manchester
Country: England
POIMANDRES, THE VISION OF HERMES
The Divine Pymander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus is one of the earliest of the Hermetic writings now extant. While probably not in its original form, having been remodeled during the first centuries of the Christian Era and incorrectly translated since, this work undoubtedly contains many of the original concepts of the Hermetic cultus. The Divine Pymander consists of seventeen fragmentary writings gathered together and put forth as one work. The second book of The Divine Pymander, called Poimandres, or The Vision, is believed to describe the method by which the divine wisdom was first revealed to Hermes. It was after Hermes had received this revelation that he began his ministry, teaching to all who would listen the secrets of the invisible universe as they had been unfolded to him.
The Vision is the most: famous of all the Hermetic fragments, and contains an exposition of Hermetic cosmogony and the secret sciences of the Egyptians regarding the culture and unfoldment of the human soul. For some time it was erroneously called "The Genesis of Enoch," but that mistake has now been rectified. At hand while preparing the following interpretation of the symbolic philosophy concealed within The Vision of Hermes the present author has had these reference works: The Divine Pymander of Hermes Mercurius Trismegistus (London, 1650), translated out of the Arabic and Greek by Dr. Everard; Hermetica (Oxford, 1924), edited by Walter Scott; Hermes, The Mysteries of Egypt (Philadelphia, 1925), by Edouard Schure; and the Thrice-Greatest Hermes (London, 1906), by G. R. S. Mead. To the material contained in the above volumes he has added commentaries based upon the esoteric philosophy of the ancient Egyptians, together with amplifications derived partly from other Hermetic fragments and partly from the secret arcanum of the Hermetic sciences. For the sake of clarity, the narrative form has been chosen in preference to the original dialogic style, and obsolete words have given place to those in current use.Hermes, while wandering in a rocky and desolate place, gave himself over to meditation and prayer. Following the secret instructions of the Temple, he gradually freed his higher consciousness from the bondage of his bodily senses; and, thus released, his divine nature revealed to him the mysteries of the transcendental spheres. He beheld a figure, terrible and awe-inspiring. It was the Great Dragon, with wings stretching across the sky and light streaming in all directions from its body. (The Mysteries taught that the Universal Life was personified as a dragon.) The Great Dragon called Hermes by name, and asked him why he thus meditated upon the World Mystery. Terrified by the spectacle, Hermes prostrated himself before the Dragon, beseeching it to reveal its identity. The great creature answered that it was Poimandres, the Mind of the Universe, the Creative Intelligence, and the Absolute Emperor of all. (Schure identifies Poimandres as the god Osiris.) Hermes then besought Poimandres to disclose the nature of the universe and the constitution of the gods. The Dragon acquiesced, bidding Trismegistus hold its image in his mind.Immediately the form of Poimandres changed. Where it had stood there was a glorious and pulsating Radiance. This Light was the spiritual nature of the Great Dragon itself. Hermes was "raised" into the midst of this Divine Effulgence and the universe of material things faded from his consciousness. Presently a great darkness descended and, expanding, swallowed up the Light. Everything was troubled. About Hermes swirled a mysterious watery substance which gave forth a smokelike vapor. The air was filled with inarticulate moanings and sighings which seemed to come from the Light swallowed up in the darkness. His mind told Hermes thatthe Light was the form of the spiritual universe and that the swirling darkness which had engulfed it represented material substance.Then out of the imprisoned Light a mysterious and Holy Word came forth and took its stand upon the smoking waters. This Word--the Voice of the Light--rose out of the darkness as a great pillar, and the fire and the air followed after it, but the earth and the water remained unmoved below. Thus the waters of Light were divided from the waters of darkness, and from the waters of Light were formed the worlds above and from the waters of darkness were formed the worlds below. The earth and the water next mingled, becoming inseparable, and the Spiritual Word which is called Reason moved upon their surface, causing endless turmoil.Then again was heard the voice of Poimandres, but His form was not revealed: "I Thy God am the Light and the Mind which were before substance was divided from spirit and darkness from Light. And the Word which appeared as a pillar of flame out of the darkness is the Son of God, born of the mystery of the Mind. The name of that Word is Reason. Reason is the offspring of Thought and Reason shall divide the Light from the darkness and establish Truth in the midst of the waters. Understand, O Hermes, and meditate deeply upon the mystery. That which in you sees and hears is not of the earth, but is the Word of God incarnate. So it is said that Divine Light dwells in the midst of mortal darkness, and ignorance cannot divide them. The union of the Word and the Mind produces that mystery which is called Life. As the darkness without you is divided against itself, so the darkness within you is likewise divided. The Light and the fire which rise are the divine man, ascending in the path of the Word, and that which fails to ascend is the mortal man, which may not partake of immortality. Learn deeply of the Mind and its mystery, for therein lies the secret of immortality."The Dragon again revealed its form to Hermes, and for a long time the two looked steadfastly one upon the other, eye to eye, so that Hermes trembled before the gaze of Poimandres. At the Word of the Dragon the heavens opened and the innumerable Light Powers were revealed, soaring through Cosmos on pinions of streaming fire. Hermes beheld the spirits of the stars, the celestials controlling the universe, and all those Powers which shine with the radiance of the One Fire--the glory of the Sovereign Mind. Hermes realized that the sight which he beheld was revealed to him only because Poimandres had spoken a Word. The Word was Reason, and by the Reason of the Word invisible things were made manifest. Divine Mind--the Dragon--continued its discourse:"Before the visible universe was formed its mold was cast. This mold was called the Archetype, and this Archetype was in the Supreme Mind long before the process of creation began. Beholding the Archetypes, the Supreme Mind became enamored with Its own thought; so, taking the Word as a mighty hammer, It gouged out caverns in primordial space and cast the form of the spheres in the Archetypal mold, at the same time sowing in the newly fashioned bodies the seeds of living things. The darkness below, receiving the hammer of the Word, was fashioned into an orderly universe. The elements separated into strata and each brought forth living creatures. The Supreme Being--the Mind--male and female, brought forth the Word; and the Word, suspended between Light and darkness, was delivered of another Mind called the Workman, the Master-Builder, or the Maker of Things.
"In this manner it was accomplished, O Hermes: The Word moving like a breath through space called forth the Fire by the friction of its motion. Therefore, the Fire is called the Son of Striving. The Workman passed as a whirlwind through the universe, causing the substances to vibrate and glow with its friction, The Son of Striving thus formed Seven Governors, the Spirits of the Planets, whose orbits bounded the world; and the Seven Governors controlled the world by the mysterious power called Destiny given them by the Fiery Workman. When the Second Mind (The Workman) had organized Chaos, the Word of God rose straightway our of its prison of substance, leaving the elements without Reason, and joined Itself to the nature of the Fiery Workman. Then the Second Mind, together with the risen Word, established Itself in the midst of the universe and whirled the wheels of the Celestial Powers. This shall continue from an infinite beginning to an infinite end, for the beginning and the ending are in the same place and state."Then the downward-turned and unreasoning elements brought forth creatures without Reason. Substance could not bestow Reason, for Reason had ascended out of it. The air produced flying things and the waters such as swim. The earth conceived strange four-footed and creeping beasts, dragons, composite demons, and grotesque monsters. Then the Father--the Supreme Mind--being Light and Life, fashioned a glorious Universal Man in Its own image, not an earthy man but a heavenly Man dwelling in the Light of God. The Supreme Mind loved the Man It had fashioned and delivered to Him the control of the creations and workmanships."The Man, desiring to labor, took up His abode in the sphere of generation and observed the works of His brother--the Second Mind--which sat upon the Ring of the Fire. And having beheld the achievements of the Fiery Workman, He willed also to make things, and His Father gave permission. The Seven Governors, of whose powers He partook, rejoiced and each gave the Man a share of Its own nature."The Man longed to pierce the circumference of the circles and understand the mystery of Him who sat upon the Eternal Fire. Having already all power, He stooped down and peeped through the seven Harmonies and, breaking through the strength of the circles, made Himself manifest to Nature stretched out below. The Man, looking into the depths, smiled, for He beheld a shadow upon the earth and a likeness mirrored in the waters, which shadow and likeness were a reflection of Himself. The Man fell in love with His own shadow and desired to descend into it. Coincident with the desire, the Intelligent Thing united Itself with the unreasoning image or shape."Nature, beholding the descent, wrapped herself about the Man whom she loved, and the two were mingled. For this reason, earthy man is composite. Within him is the Sky Man, immortal and beautiful; without is Nature, mortal and destructible. Thus, suffering is the result of the Immortal Man's falling in love with His shadow and giving up Reality to dwell in the darkness of illusion; for, being immortal, man has the power of the Seven Governors--also the Life, the Light, and the Word-but being mortal, he is controlled by the Rings of the Governors--Fate or Destiny."Of the Immortal Man it should be said that He is hermaphrodite, or male and female, and eternally watchful. He neither slumbers nor sleeps, and is governed by a Father also both male and female, and ever watchful. Such is the mystery kept hidden to this day, for Nature, being mingled in marriage with the Sky Man, brought forth a wonder most wonderful--seven men, all bisexual, male and female, and upright of stature, each one exemplifying the natures of the Seven Governors. These O Hermes, are the seven races, species, and wheels."After this manner were the seven men generated. Earth was the female element and water the male element, and from the fire and the æther they received their spirits, and Nature produced bodies after the species and shapes of men. And man received the Life and Light of the Great Dragon, and of the Life was made his Soul and of the Light his Mind. And so, all these composite creatures containing immortality, but partaking of mortality, continued in this state for the duration of a period. They reproduced themselves out of themselves, for each was male and female. But at the end of the period the knot of Destiny was untied by the will of God and the bond of all things was loosened."Then all living creatures, including man, which had been hermaphroditical, were separated, the males being set apart by themselves and the females likewise, according to the dictates of Reason."Then God spoke to the Holy Word within the soul of all things, saying: 'Increase in increasing and multiply in multitudes, all you, my creatures and workmanships. Let him that is endued with Mind know himself to be immortal and that the cause of death is the love of the body; and let him learn all things that are, for he who has recognized himself enters into the state of Good.'"And when God had said this, Providence, with the aid of the Seven Governors and Harmony, brought the sexes together, making the mixtures and establishing the generations, and all things were multiplied according to their kind. He who through the error of attachment loves his body, abides wandering in darkness, sensible and suffering the things of death, but he who realizes that the body is but the tomb of his soul, rises to immortality."Then Hermes desired to know why men should be deprived of immortality for the sin of ignorance alone. The Great Dragon answered:, To the ignorant the body is supreme and they are incapable of realizing the immortality that is within them. Knowing only the body which is subject to death, they believe in death because they worship that substance which is the cause and reality of death."Then Hermes asked how the righteous and wise pass to God, to which Poimandres replied: "That which the Word of God said, say I: 'Because the Father of all things consists of Life and Light, whereof man is made.' If, therefore, a man shall learn and understand the nature of Life and Light, then he shall pass into the eternity of Life and Light."Hermes next inquired about the road by which the wise attained to Life eternal, and Poimandres continued: "Let the man endued with a Mind mark, consider, and learn of himself, and with the power of his Mind divide himself from his not-self and become a servant of Reality."Hermes asked if all men did not have Minds, and the Great Dragon replied: "Take heed what you say, for I am the Mind--the Eternal Teacher. I am the Father of the Word--the Redeemer of all men--and in the nature of the wise the Word takes flesh. By means of the Word, the world is saved. I, Thought (Thoth)--the Father of the Word, the Mind--come only unto men that are holy and good, pure and merciful, and that live piously and religiously, and my presence is an inspiration and a help to them, for when I come they immediately know all things and adore the Universal Father. Before such wise and philosophic ones die, they learn to renounce their senses, knowing that these are the enemies of their immortal souls."I will not permit the evil senses to control the bodies of those who love me, nor will I allow evil emotions and evil thoughts to enter them. I become as a porter or doorkeeper, and shut out evil, protecting the wise from their own lower nature. But to the wicked, the envious and the covetous, I come not, for such cannot understand the mysteries of Mind; therefore, I am unwelcome. I leave them to the avenging demon that they are making in their own souls, for evil each day increases itself and torments man more sharply, and each evil deed adds to the evil deeds that are gone before until finally evil destroys itself. The punishment of desire is the agony of unfulfillment."Hermes bowed his head in thankfulness to the Great Dragon who had taught him so much, and begged to hear more concerning the ultimate of the human soul. So Poimandres resumed: "At death the material body of man is returned to the elements from which it came, and the invisible divine man ascends to the source from whence he came, namely the Eighth Sphere. The evil passes to the dwelling place of the demon, and the senses, feelings, desires, and body passions return to their source, namely the Seven Governors, whose natures in the lower man destroy but in the invisible spiritual man give life."After the lower nature has returned to the brutishness, the higher struggles again to regain its spiritual estate. It ascends the seven Rings upon which sit the Seven Governors and returns to each their lower powers in this manner: Upon the first ring sits the Moon, and to it is returned the ability to increase and diminish. Upon the second ring sits Mercury, and to it are returned machinations, deceit, and craftiness. Upon the third ring sits Venus, and to it are returned the lusts and passions. Upon the fourth ring sits the Sun, and to this Lord are returned ambitions. Upon the fifth ring sits Mars, and to it are returned rashness and profane boldness. Upon the sixth ring sits Jupiter, and to it are returned the sense of accumulation and riches. And upon the seventh ring sits Saturn, at the Gate of Chaos, and to it are returned falsehood and evil plotting."Then, being naked of all the accumulations of the seven Rings, the soul comes to the Eighth Sphere, namely, the ring of the fixed stars. Here, freed of all illusion, it dwells in the Light and sings praises to the Father in a voice which only the pure of spirit may understand. Behold, O Hermes, there is a great mystery in the Eighth Sphere, for the Milky Way is the seed-ground of souls, and from it they drop into the Rings, and to the Milky Way they return again from the wheels of Saturn. But some cannot climb the seven-runged ladder of the Rings. So they wander in darkness below and are swept into eternity with the illusion of sense and earthiness."The path to immortality is hard, and only a few find it. The rest await the Great Day when the wheels of the universe shall be stopped and the immortal sparks shall escape from the sheaths of substance. Woe unto those who wait, for they must return again, unconscious and unknowing, to the seed-ground of stars, and await a new beginning. Those who are saved by the light of the mystery which I have revealed unto you, O Hermes, and which I now bid you to establish among men, shall return again to the Father who dwelleth in the White Light, and shall deliver themselves up to the Light and shall be absorbed into the Light, and in the Light they shall become Powers in God. This is the Way of Good and is revealed only to them that have wisdom."Blessed art thou, O Son of Light, to whom of all men, I, Poimandres, the Light of the World, have revealed myself. I order you to go forth, to become as a guide to those who wander in darkness, that all men within whom dwells the spirit of My Mind (The Universal Mind) may be saved by My Mind in you, which shall call forth My Mind in them. Establish My Mysteries and they shall not fail from the earth, for I am the Mind of the Mysteries and until Mind fails (which is never) my Mysteries cannot fail." With these parting words, Poimandres, radiant with celestial light, vanished, mingling with the powers of the heavens. Raising his eyes unto the heavens, Hermes blessed the Father of All Things and consecrated his life to the service of the Great Light.Thus preached Hermes: "O people of the earth, men born and made of the elements, but with the spirit of the Divine Man within you, rise from your sleep of ignorance! Be sober and thoughtful. Realize that your home is not in the earth but in the Light. Why have you delivered yourselves over unto death, having power to partake of immortality? Repent, and change your minds. Depart from the dark light and forsake corruption forever. Prepare yourselves to climb through the Seven Rings and to blend your souls with the eternal Light."Some who heard mocked and scoffed and went their way, delivering themselves to the Second Death from which there is no salvation. But others, casting themselves before the feet of Hermes, besought him to teach them the Way of Life. He lifted them gently, receiving no approbation for himself, and staff in hand, went forth teaching and guiding mankind, and showing them how they might be saved. In the worlds of men, Hermes sowed the seeds of wisdom and nourished the seeds with the Immortal Waters. And at last came the evening of his life, and as the brightness of the light of earth was beginning to go down, Hermes commanded his disciples to preserve his doctrines inviolate throughout all ages. The Vision of Poimandres he committed to writing that all men desiring immortality might therein find the way.In concluding his exposition of the Vision, Hermes wrote: "The sleep of the body is the sober watchfulness of the Mind and the shutting of my eyes reveals the true Light. My silence is filled with budding life and hope, and is full of good. My words are the blossoms of fruit of the tree of my soul. For this is the faithful account of what I received from my true Mind, that is Poimandres, the Great Dragon, the Lord of the Word, through whom I became inspired by God with the Truth. Since that day my Mind has been ever with me and in my own soul it hath given birth to the Word: the Word is Reason, and Reason hath redeemed me. For which cause, with all my soul and all my strength, I give praise and blessing unto God the Father, the Life and the Light, and the Eternal Good.
Chevrolet Corvette (C1) 1956
Hackberry is an unincorporated community in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. Hackberry is located on Arizona State Route 66 (former U.S. Route 66) 23 miles (37 km) northeast of Kingman. Hackberry has a post office which serves 68 residential mailboxes with ZIP code 86411.
A former mining town, Hackberry takes its name from the Hackberry Mine which was named for a hackberry tree in a nearby spring.
Prospector Jim Music helped develop the Hackberry Silver Mine in 1875. Mining of various metals developed the town, sending it from boom to bust based on fluctuating commodity prices.
The Indianapolis Monroes Iron Clad Age of June 12, 1886 includes a brief article titled "They Changed the Minds of Several" referring to an educated miner from the area.
J.J. Watts writes from Hackberry, Arizona: "The books you sent me last year have changed the minds of several to whom I loaned them. It is a pity that liberal books and papers cannot be more generally circulated and read. If they could be we should soon have more outspoken, honest men that would dare to speak their true sentiments."
Based on an article taken from the July 24, 1909 edition of the Mohave County Miner out of Kingman, Arizona, JJ Watts was an old prospector. Here is that article.
"Some time ago the report was current in Kingman that Indians had killed an old prospector, in the Wallapai mountains, first burying the body and later burning up everything of an incriminating nature. The man was supposed to be J. J. Watts, who mined and prospected in the Music mountain range many years. William Grant, the Hackberry merchant, this week received a letter from B.F. Watts, of Marshall, Oklahoma, conveying the information that J.J. Watts died at Lander, Wyoming, last winter. The man who was killed by the Indians is believed to be a stranger that came to Kingman and was lured to the mountains by the Indians by a story of a lost mine that they had found in that section. The man was killed by Willietopsy and his sons, so it is reported by the other Indians.
By 1919, infighting between the mine's owners had become litigation and the ore was beginning to be depleted. The mine closed; Hackberry briefly almost became a ghost town.
Various service stations in town served U.S. Route 66 travellers after the highway came to town in 1926; all were shut down after Interstate 40 in Arizona bypassed the town. Interstate 40's 69-mile path between Kingman and Seligman diverges widely from the old 82-mile Highway 66 segment between these points, leaving Hackberry stranded sixteen miles from the new highway. Hackberry Road would not even be given an off-ramp. John Grigg operated a Union 76 service station on Route 66 in Hackberry from the 1920s until his death in 1967. The Northside Grocery (established 1934) and its Conoco station were among the last to close, in 1978.
Hackberry almost became a ghost town again, but members of the Grigg family have lived there since the 1890s and continue to live there. Six generations of the Grigg family are buried in the Hackberry cemetery.
In 1992, itinerant artist Bob Waldmire re-opened the Hackberry General Store as a Route 66 tourism information post and souvenir shop on the former Northside Grocery site.
Waldmire sold the store to John and Kerry Pritchard in 1998 due to local disputes regarding the environmental and aesthetic impact of quarries, which by that time were establishing themselves in the area to remove local stone for use in landscaping.
The store remains in operation with a collection of vintage cars from the heyday of U.S. Route 66 in Arizona; in 2008, its owners donated land for a new fire hall to be built for the community.
(Wikipedia)
The Chevrolet Corvette (C1) is the first generation of the Corvette sports car produced by Chevrolet. It was introduced late in the 1953 model year and produced through 1962. This generation is commonly referred to as the "solid-axle" generation, as the independent rear suspension did not appear until the 1963 Sting Ray.
The Corvette was rushed into production for its debut model year to capitalize on the enthusiastic public reaction to the concept vehicle, but expectations for the new model were largely unfulfilled. Reviews were mixed and sales fell far short of expectations through the car's early years. The program was nearly canceled, but Chevrolet decided to make necessary improvements.
The most expensive Corvette (C1) to sell in history was sold by Barrett-Jackson in the United States in March 2021 for $825,000 (~$915,195 in 2023) (£591,470).
History
Origins
Harley Earl, as head of GM's Styling Section, was an avid fan of sports cars. He recognized that GIs returning after serving overseas in the years following World War II were bringing home MGs, Jaguars, and Alfa Romeos. In 1951, Nash Motors began selling an expensive two-seat sports car, the Nash-Healey, that was made in partnership with the Italian designer Pininfarina and British auto engineer Donald Healey, but there were few moderate-priced models. Earl convinced GM that they needed to build an all-American two-seat sports car, and with his Special Projects crew began working on the new car in late 1951. The last time Chevrolet offered a 2-door, 2-passenger convertible/roadster body style was in 1938 with the Chevrolet Master.
Prototype EX-122
The secretive effort was code-named "Project Opel" (after GM's German division Opel). The result was the hand-built, EX-122 pre-production Corvette prototype, which was first shown to the public at the 1953 General Motors Motorama at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on January 17, 1953. When production began six months later, at an MSRP of US$3,513 ($40,006 in 2023 dollars ), it had evolved into a considerably costlier car than the basic $2,000 roadster Harley Earl originally had in mind. The EX-122 car is now located at the Kerbeck Corvette museum in Atlantic City and is believed to be the oldest Corvette in existence.
Design and engineering
To keep costs down, GM executive Robert F. McLean mandated off-the-shelf mechanical components. The new car used the chassis and suspension design from the 1949 through 1954 Chevrolet passenger vehicles. The drivetrain and passenger compartment were moved rearward to achieve a 53/47 front-to-rear weight distribution. It had a 102 in (2,591 mm) wheelbase. The engine was a 235 cu in (3.85 L) inline six engine that was similar to the 235 engine that powered all other Chevrolet car models, but with a higher-compression ratio, three Carter side-draft carburetors, mechanical lifters, and a higher-lift camshaft. Output was 150 hp (112 kW). Because there was currently no manual transmission available to Chevrolet rated to handle 150 HP, a two-speed Powerglide automatic was used. The 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time was 11.5 seconds.
Three body variants were created. The roadster was built as the Corvette, the Corvair fastback variant never went into production, and the two-door Nomad station wagon was eventually built as the Chevrolet Nomad.
During the last half of 1953, 300 Corvettes were to a large degree hand-built on a makeshift assembly line that was installed in an old truck plant in Flint, Michigan, while a factory was being prepped for a full-scale 1954 production run. The outer body was made of then-revolutionary glass fiber reinforced plastic material. Although steel shortages or quotas are sometimes mentioned as a factor in the decision to use fiberglass, no evidence exists to support this. In calendar years 1952 and 1953, Chevrolet produced nearly 2 million steel-bodied full-size passenger cars, and the intended production volume of 10,000 Corvettes for 1954 was only a small fraction of that.
The body engineer for the Corvette was Ellis James Premo. He presented a paper to the Society of Automotive Engineers in 1954 regarding the development of the body.
Several excerpts highlight some of the key points in the body material choice:
The body on the show model was made of reinforced plastic purely as an expedient to get the job done quickly.
Although we were going ahead with the building of an experimental plastic body in order to get a car rolling for chassis development work – at the time of the Waldorf Show, we were actually concentrating body-design-wise on a steel body utilizing Kirksite tooling for the projected production of 10,000 units during the 1954 model year. It was some time later that we decided to produce this quantity in reinforced plastic.
About this time, some doubt was expressed that we should build the 1954 model of steel. People seemed to be captivated by the idea of the fiberglass plastic body. Furthermore, information being given to us by the reinforced plastic industry seemed to indicate the practicality of fabricating plastic body parts for automobiles on a large scale.
A 55-degree raked windshield was made of safety glass, while the license plate holder was set back in the trunk, covered with a plastic window. Underneath the new body material were standard components from Chevrolet's regular car line, including the "Blue Flame" inline six-cylinder engine, two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, and drum brakes. The engine's output was increased to 150 hp (112 kW) via a Carter triple-carburetor system exclusive to the Corvette, but performance of the car was decidedly "lackluster". Compared to the British and Italian sports cars of the day, the Corvette lacked a manual transmission and required more effort to bring to a stop, but like their British competition, such as Morgan, was not fitted with roll-up windows;[19] this would have to wait until some time in the 1956 model year. A Paxton centrifugal supercharger became available in 1954 as a dealer-installed option, greatly improving the Corvette's straight-line performance, but sales continued to decline.
The Chevrolet division was GM's entry-level marque. Managers at GM were seriously considering shelving the project, leaving the Corvette to be little more than a footnote in automotive history, and would have done so if not for three important events. The first was the 1955 introduction of Chevrolet's first V8 engine since 1919. Late in the model year, the new 195 hp (145 kW) 265 small-block became available with a Powerglide automatic transmission, until the middle of the production year when a manual 3-speed became available, coupled to a 3.55:1 axle ratio, the only one offered. The engine was fitted with a single 2218S or 2351S WCFB four-barrel (four-choke) Carter carburetor. The combination turned the "rather anemic Corvette into a credible if not outstanding performer". The second was the influence of a Russian émigré in GM's engineering department, Zora Arkus-Duntov. The third factor in the Corvette's survival was Ford's introduction of the 1955 two-seat Thunderbird, which was billed as a "personal luxury car", not a sports car. Even so, the Ford-Chevrolet rivalry in those days demanded GM not appear to back down from the challenge. The original concept for the Corvette emblem incorporated an American flag into the design, but was changed well before production, since associating the flag with a product was frowned upon.
1953–1955
1953
The 1953 model year was not only the Corvette's first production year, but at 300 produced it was also the lowest-volume Corvette. The cars were essentially hand-built and techniques evolved during the production cycle so that each 1953 Corvette is slightly different. All 1953 models had red interiors, Polo white exteriors, and painted blue engines (a reference to the three colors represented on the Flag of the United States, where the Corvette was assembled) as well as black canvas soft tops. Order guides showed heaters and AM radios as optional, but all 1953 models were equipped with both. Over two hundred 1953 Corvettes are known to exist today. They had independent front suspension, but featured a rigid axle supported by longitudinal leaf springs at the rear. The cost of the first production model Corvettes in 1953 was US$3,490 ($38,795 in 2023 dollars).
The quality of the fiberglass body as well as its fit and finish were lacking. Other problems, such as water leaks and doors that could open while the car was driven, were reported with the most severe errors corrected in subsequent units produced, but some shortcomings continued beyond the Corvette's inaugural year. By December 1953, Chevrolet had a newly equipped factory in St. Louis ready to build 10,000 Corvettes annually. However, negative customer reactions to 1953 and early 1954 models caused sales to fall short of expectations.
1954
In 1954, a total of 3,640 of this model were built and nearly a third were unsold at year's end. New colors were available, but the six-cylinder engine and Powerglide automatic, the only engine and transmission available, were not what sports car enthusiasts expected. It is known that 1954 models were painted Pennant Blue, Sportsman Red, and Black, in addition to Polo White. All had red interiors, except for those finished in Pennant Blue which had a beige interior and beige canvas soft top. Order guides listed several options, but all options were "mandatory" and all 1954 Corvettes were equipped the same.
In the October 1954 issue of Popular Mechanics, there was an extensive survey of Corvette owners in America. The surprising finding was their opinions in comparison to foreign sports cars. It was found that 36% of those taking the survey had owned a foreign sports car, and of that, half of them rated the Corvette as better than their previous foreign sports car. Nineteen percent rated the Corvette as equal to their foreign sports car and 22% rated the Corvette as inferior. While many were well pleased with the Corvette, they did not consider it a true sports car. The principal complaint of the surveyed owners was the tendency of the body to leak extensively during rainstorms.
1955
Chevrolet debuted its 265 cu in (4.3 L) small-block, 195 hp (145 kW) V8 in 1955 and the engine was available for the Corvette. Early production 1955 V8 Corvettes continued with the mandatory-option Powerglide automatic transmission (as did the few 6-cylinder models built). A new three-speed manual transmission became available later in the year for V8 models, but was not popular with about 75 equipped with it. Exterior color choices were expanded to at least five, combined with at least four interior colors. Soft-tops came in white, dark green, or beige and different materials. A total of 700 1955 Corvettes were built, making it second only to 1953 in scarcity. The "V" in the Corvette emblem was enlarged and gold colored, signifying the V8 engine and 12-volt electrical systems, while 6-cylinder models retained the 6-volt systems used in 1953–54.
Although not a part of the original Corvette project, Zora Arkus-Duntov was responsible for the addition of the V8 engine and three-speed manual transmission. Duntov improved the car's marketing and image and helped the car compete with the new V8—engined Ford Thunderbird, Studebaker Speedster and the larger Chrysler C-300, and turned the Corvette from its lackluster performance into a credible performer. In 1956 he became the director of high-performance vehicle design and development for Chevrolet helping him earn the nickname "Father of the Corvette."
Although the C1 Corvette chassis and suspension design were derived from Chevrolet's full-size cars, the same basic design was continued through the 1962 model even after the full-size cars were completely redesigned for the 1955 model year. This was due to the combined factors of the relatively high reengineering and retooling costs for this low-volume production vehicle, the continued potential for cancellation of the car, and the increased size and weight of the all-new suspension design for the full-size cars, which made it unsuitable for use in the lighter weight Corvette.
1956–1957
1956
The 1956 Corvette featured a new body, with real glass roll-up windows and a more substantial convertible top. The straight-6 engine was discontinued, leaving only the 265 cu in (4.3 L) V8. Power ranged from 210 to 240 hp (157 to 179 kW). The standard transmission remained the 3-speed manual with an optional 2-speed Powerglide automatic. Other options included power assisted convertible top, a removable hardtop, power windows, and a "then-leading edge" signal-seeking partially transistorized Delco car radio. A high-performance camshaft was also available (as RPO 449) with the 240 hp (179 kW) engine. Sales volume was 3,467, a low number by any contemporary standard and less than 1954's 3,640, making it the third lowest in Corvette history.
1957
Visually the 1957 model was unchanged. The V8 was increased to 283 cu in (4.6 L), fuel-injection became a very expensive option, and a 4-speed manual transmission became available after April 9, 1957. GM's Rochester subsidiary used a constant flow system, producing a listed 290 hp (216 kW) at 6200 rpm and 290 lb⋅ft (393 N⋅m) of torque at 4400 rpm. Debate continues to swirl whether this was underrated by Chevrolet (to allow for lower insurance premiums, or give the car an advantage in certain forms of racing) rather than overrated, as was common practice at the time (to juice sales). Either way, it was advertised as producing "One HP per cubic inch", allowing it to claim it was one of the first mass-produced engines to do so.
Pushed toward high-performance and racing, principally by its designer, Zora Arkus-Duntov, who had raced in Europe, 1957 Corvettes could be ordered ready-to-race with special performance options, such as an engine fresh air/tach package, heavy-duty racing suspension, and 15 by 5.5 in (380 by 140 mm) wheels.
Also in 1957, Chevrolet developed a new racing variation of the Corvette with the aim to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. Originally known as Project XP-64, it would eventually become known as the Corvette SS. It featured a tuned version of the new 283 CID V8 and a specialized tubular space frame chassis. However, after a rear bushing failure retired the car during a 1957 Sebring race, the AMA announced a ban on motor racing in April 1957 for member companies like GM, leading to the cancellation of further developments of the Corvette SS platform.
Sales volume was 6,339, a jump of almost 83%. Fuel-injected models were in short supply and 1,040 were sold.
1958–1960
1958
In an era of chrome and four headlamps, the Corvette adapted to the look of the day. The 1958 model year and the four that followed all had the exposed four-headlamp treatment and prominent grilles, but a faux-louvered hood and chrome trunk spears were unique to this model year. The interior and instruments were updated, including placing a tachometer directly in front of the driver. For the 1958 model, an 8000 rpm tachometer was used with the 240 and 290 hp (179 and 216 kW) engines, rather than the 6000 rpm units used in the lower horsepower engines. Optional engine choices included two with twin carburetors (including a 270 hp (201 kW) version with Carter 2613S and 2614S WCFB four-barrels) and two with fuel injection. The power output for the highest-rated fuel-injected engine was 290 hp (216 kW). Displacement remained 283 cu in (4.6 L). For the first time, seat belts were factory-installed rather than dealer-installed as on previous models. Options that were not popular included RPO 684 heavy-duty brakes and suspension (144), RPO 579 250 hp (186 kW) engine (554), and RPO 276 15×5.5-inch steel road wheels (404).
1959
For the 1959 model, engines and horsepower ratings did not change. The interiors were revised slightly with different instrument graphics and the addition of a storage bin to the passenger side. A positive reverse lockout shifter with "T" handle was standard with 4-speed manual transmission. This was the only year a turquoise convertible top color could be ordered, and all 24-gallon fuel tank models through 1962 could not be ordered with convertible tops due to inadequate space for the folding top mechanism.[26] Rare options: RPO 684 heavy-duty brakes and suspension (142), RPO 686 metallic brakes (333), RPO 276 15"×5.5" wheels (214), RPO 426 power windows (547), RPO 473 power convertible top (661).
1960
The last features to appear in 1960 models included taillamps molded into the rear fenders and heavy grill teeth. New features include aluminum radiators, but only with 270 and 290 hp (201 and 216 kW) engines. Also for the first time, all fuel-injection engines required manual transmissions. The 1960s Cascade Green was metallic, unique to the year, and the most infrequent color at 140 made. Options that were not often ordered included RPO 579 250 hp (186 kW) engine (100), RPO 687 heavy-duty brakes and suspension (119), RPO 276 15×5.5-inch steel road wheels (246), RPO 473 power convertible top (512), and RPO 426 power windows (544).
1961–1962
1961
Twin taillights appeared on the 1961, a treatment that continues to this day. Engine displacement remained at 283 cubic inches, but power output increased for the two fuel-injected engines to 275 and 315 hp (205 and 235 kW). Output ratings for the dual-four barrel engines did not change (245 and 270 hp (183 and 201 kW)), but this was the last year of their availability. This was the last year for contrasting paint colors in cove areas, and the last two-tone Corvette of any type until 1978. Also debuting in 1961 was a new boat-tail that was carried through to the C2. Infrequently ordered options included RPO 353 275 hp (205 kW) engine (118), RPO 687 heavy-duty brakes and steering (233), RPO 276 15×5.5-inch steel road wheels (357), and RPO 473 power convertible top (442).
1962
With a new larger engine the 1962 model year Corvette was the quickest to date. Displacement of the small-block V8 increased from 283 cu in (4.6 L) to 327 cu in (5,360 cc), which was rated at 250 hp (186 kW) in its base single 4-barrel carburetor version. Hydraulic valve lifters were used in the standard and optional 300 hp (224 kW) engines, solid lifters in the optional carbureted 340 hp (254 kW) and fuel-injected 360 hp (268 kW) versions. Dual 4-barrel carburetor engines were no longer available.
1962 saw the last solid-rear-axle suspension, that had been used from the beginning. Rocker panel trim was seen for the first time, and exposed headlights for the last, until 2005. This was the last Corvette model to offer an optional power convertible top mechanism. Rare options: RPO 488 24-gallon fuel tank (65), RPO 687 heavy-duty brakes and steering (246), RPO 473 power convertible top (350), RPO 276 15"×5.5" wheels (561).
Scaglietti Corvette
In 1959, a Texan oil well drilling contractor named Gary Laughlin wondered if it would be possible to create a vehicle with Italian design characteristics using the chassis and engine components from an American car like the Corvette. To oversee this creation, he enlisted the help of car constructer Jim Hall and race car driver Carroll Shelby, whom he was good friends with, to assist with the engineering of the project and, after their efforts, each man was to receive their own Corvette custom made to their liking. Thus, the trio managed to get three rolling Corvette chassis off of the production line and arranged to have them shipped to Modena, Italy. There, with the help of Road & Track correspondent Pete Coltrin, they managed to get in touch with Italian coachbuilder Sergio Scaglietti, famous for his design work on Ferrari road cars at the time. Scaglietti agreed to create and fit a new lightweight aluminium body to each car in secret, as Enzo Ferrari reportedly threatened to cancel Scaglietti's partnership with him after learning of the project. The resulting Scaglietti Corvette ended up weighing roughly 400 lbs less than any other Corvette at the time.
Each of the three cars assembled were unique for each owner:
Car #1, originally for Laughlin, was finished in red. It used a slightly different body than cars #2 and #3 to accommodate an existing Corvette front grille. It originally came with a 283 cu in V8 with 315 hp and a four-barrel carburetor, mated to a 2-speed automatic transmission.
Car #2, originally for Hall, was finished in blue. This version had a body more closely resembling the Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta LWB. It came with the same carbureted V8 and automatic transmission as Car #1.
Car #3, originally for Shelby, was finished in red. This model was somewhat unique as though it used a similarly designed body to Car #2, it was the only model fitted with fuel-injection and a Borg-Warner 4-speed manual transmission. Unlike the other two members of the project, Shelby never took delivery of his car, citing that it was too expensive for his purposes for it.
However, the Scaglietti Corvette was not without its issues. Though conceived in 1959, the final projects wouldn't be completed and shipped back to the US until 1961, by which time it became clear that the aluminum bodies, though much lighter, had caused dramatic effects to the Corvette's chassis, resulting in dangerous front end lift at high speeds. Coupled with legal pressure from General Motors and Enzo Ferrari to put an end to production, and the Scaglietti Corvette project would be forever cemented as only a concept. However, many ideas from the car would prove inspirational, leading Jim Hall to found his Chevrolet-powered Chaparral racing team and Carroll Shelby to revisit the idea of a European-American sports car with the AC Cobra.
(Wikipedia)
Die Chevrolet Corvette C1 ist die erste Generation der Corvette. Der Wagen wurde von 1953 bis 1962 gebaut und in dieser Zeit mehrfach optisch wie auch technisch überarbeitet. Seit ihrem Erscheinen wurden viele Merkmale bis zur 7. Generation, der Corvette C7 weitgehend beibehalten. Dazu gehören unter anderem der 1955 eingeführte „Small-Block“-V8-Motor, die Glasfaserkunststoff-Karosserie und die vier typischen runden Heckleuchten, die 1961 eingeführt wurden.
Geschichte
Die erste Corvette wurde auf der „Motorama“ im New Yorker Hotel Waldorf Astoria im Januar 1953 der Öffentlichkeit vorgestellt. Das Publikum reagierte positiv und ein halbes Jahr danach begann die Serienproduktion.
Als zweites Serienauto nach dem in kleiner Stückzahl gebauten Woodill Wildfire hatte die Corvette C1 eine Karosserie aus glasfaserverstärktem Kunststoff. Außer der Gewichtsersparnis sprachen die größere Gestaltungsfreiheit der Designer und die schneller zu fertigenden Produktionswerkzeuge für dieses Material – anders wäre der zügige Serienstart nicht zu realisieren gewesen. An der ersten Corvette wurde sichtbar, was man aus den Originalteilen anderer Chevrolet-Modelle alles machen konnte. So wollte man den Preis niedrig halten, da man das Auto nicht von Grund auf neu konstruieren musste. Ursprünglich wurden drei Karosserievarianten als Prototypen gebaut: Der Roadster wurde die Corvette, der Fastback ging nicht in Serie und aus dem Sportsback (Kombi) wurde der Chevrolet Nomad.
Bereits sechs Monate nach der ersten Präsentation lief am 30. Juni 1953 die Serienfertigung in Flint im US-Bundesstaat Michigan an. 1954 wurde die Produktion nach St. Louis (Missouri) verlegt. Die erste Corvette wurde ab 1953 in begrenzter Stückzahl gebaut, anfangs waren es nur etwa 300 Exemplare pro Jahr. Einige davon wurden von Projekt-Ingenieuren, General-Motors-Managern und einigen ausgewählten Schauspielern und anderen Prominenten übernommen.
Der Grund für die geringe Stückzahl von nur rund 300 Stück war unter anderem die problematische Fertigung der Kunststoffkarosserie. Der 110 kW (150 bhp) starke Sportwagen war nicht schneller und dennoch teurer als die prestigeträchtigeren Modelle von Jaguar und Cadillac. Auch der etwas später erschienene Kaiser Darrin war auf den Markt nicht erfolgreich. So konnte Chevrolet im ersten Jahr nicht einmal die Hälfte der Produktion verkaufen. Es fehlte ein hubraumstarker V8-Motor mit genügend Leistung.
Noch dramatischer wurde die Lage im folgenden Jahr 1954. Statt der geplanten 10.000 Einheiten rollten nur 3.640 Corvette vom Band, von denen 1.100 Einheiten keinen Käufer fanden. Das Aus für die Corvette drohte 1955: Knapp 700 Corvette verließen die neuen Produktionsanlagen in St. Louis und dies vielleicht auch nur noch, um Flagge zu zeigen, als Ford seinen zweisitzigen Sportwagen, den Thunderbird, erfolgreich auf den Markt brachte. Innerhalb von zehn Tagen konnte Ford 3.500 Einheiten absetzen, überwiegend mit dem 156 kW (212 bhp) starken V8-Motor.
Die Rettung für die Corvette brachte Chevrolets ab 1955 verfügbarer neuer „Small-Block“-Motor mit acht Zylindern. Der neue verantwortliche Ingenieur Zora Arkus-Duntov, auch Rennfahrer, passte die Corvette an diesen Motor an, nachdem er die GM-Verantwortlichen von seinem Konzept überzeugt hatte, und legte damit die Basis für einen erfolgreichen Neustart. Er sorgte für den Einbau von Scheibenbremsen, Einspritzung und konstruierte eine schärfere Nockenwelle, um die Motorleistung zu steigern. Die Premierenfeier der überarbeiteten Corvette wurde 1956 wieder im New Yorker Hotel Waldorf Astoria ausgerichtet. Im Jahr 1958 stiegen die Corvette-Verkaufszahlen auf über 9.000 Einheiten – genug, um erstmals schwarze Zahlen zu erwirtschaften.
Um zu beweisen, dass die Corvette auch auf der Rennstrecke ein konkurrenzfähiges Auto war, nahm Briggs Cunningham 1960 mit mehreren Modellen beim 24-Stunden-Rennen von Le Mans teil. Das beste Ergebnis war ein achter Platz.
Die Corvette C1 ist immer noch sehr beliebt.
Produktionszeit war von Juni 1953 bis August 1962. Dabei wurden insgesamt 69.015 Exemplare produziert. Da die C1 noch nicht als Coupé lieferbar war, wurden ausschließlich Roadster (offene Zweisitzer mit einfachem Verdeck) gefertigt. Danach wurde die Produktion eingestellt und 1963 wurde die Corvette C2 vorgestellt.
Karosserie
Die Corvette C1 hatte eine Karosserie aus glasfaserverstärktem Kunstharz, die bis heute bei der Corvette beibehalten wird. Dadurch sparte man Gewicht und die Herstellung ist heute relativ einfach. Allerdings war die Produktion der Kunststoffkarosserie zunächst aufwändig und langwierig. Motor, Getriebe und Fahrwerk stammten von anderen Chevrolet-Modellen.
Heckflossen-Erfinder Harley Earl hatte dem offenen Zweisitzer mit der Kunststoff-Karosserie seine Form gegeben – wie ein Raubtier zeigte diese Corvette die Chromzähne ihres Kühlergrills. Die geschwungenen Kotflügel spannten sich über die Radhäuser. Die Scheinwerfer lagen unter einem Steinschlagschutzgitter, am Heck gab es angedeutete Flossen. Die Panorama-Frontscheibe war an den Seiten herumgezogen. Der symmetrisch aufgebaute lackierte Armaturenträger hatte zwei halbkreisförmige Aussparungen, deren fahrerseitige einen Einsatz mit sechs Anzeigeinstrumenten enthielt. Bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte die Corvette keine äußeren Türgriffe oder Seitenscheiben. Im Jahr 1954 waren ca. 80 % der verkauften Fahrzeuge „Polo Weiß“ lackiert, rund 16 % „Pennant Blau“ und die restlichen 4 % des Modelljahres „Sportsman Rot“ und „Schwarz“.
Die erste grundlegende äußere Überarbeitung der Corvette fand 1956 statt. Die Heckflossen verschwanden völlig, dafür hielten seitliche Einbuchtungen hinter den Vorderrädern und die erste Zweifarb-Lackierung in der Modellgeschichte Einzug. Äußere Türgriffe und Seitenscheiben mit Fensterkurbel waren eine weitere Neuerung dieses Jahrgangs. Das Hardtop wurde ab Werk mitgeliefert. Die bisher in die Karosserie integrierten Frontscheinwerfer lagen nun frei und standen etwas hervor, während die bei der ersten Corvette noch herausragenden Rücklichter nun in die hinteren Kotflügel integriert wurden. Es standen zusätzliche Lackierungen und Innenfarben zur Auswahl. Mit dem überarbeiteten Fahrwerk konnte die Corvette noch mehr Leistung auf die Straße bringen. Die Verkaufszahlen stiegen 1956 auf 3467 Fahrzeuge.
1958 wurde die Corvette ein weiteres Mal überarbeitet und mit Doppelscheinwerfern ausgerüstet, außerdem um 9,2 in (234 mm) verlängert und verbreitert. Aufhängung und Chassis waren im Grunde die gleichen geblieben, ebenso die einfache Starrachse. Die 1959er-Version sah im Wesentlichen genauso aus wie ihr Vorgänger, allerdings verzichtete man in diesem Jahr auf die Chromzierleisten am Heck und die großen Lüftungsschlitze auf der Motorhaube. Das Auto bot gute Fahrleistungen und war im Vergleich mit manchen Konkurrenten gut ausgestattet und konnte so 9168 mal verkauft werden. Für das Modelljahr 1959 änderte sich nicht viel. Es entfiel etwas Chromzierat und die Sitze sowie die Türpappen wurden überarbeitet. Eine neue Hinterachsfederung mit Stabilisator erhielt die Corvette 1960.
Die Verkaufszahlen stiegen weiter an. So wurden 9.670 Fahrzeuge im Jahr 1959 verkauft, 1960 fanden sich 10.261 Käufer und 1961 dann etwas mehr, nämlich 10.939. Im letzten Jahr 1962 der ersten Generation verkaufte sich die Corvette mit 14.531 am besten in den neun Produktionsjahren.
1961 wurde die C1 ein letztes Mal außen überarbeitet. Dabei wurde die Front von den Vorgängermodellen übernommen. Das Heck wurde hingegen geändert und war nun ein Bootsheck, das sowohl bei der Baureihe der C2 beibehalten wurde, als auch noch in den folgenden Modellen C3, C4 und C5 erkennbar ist. Die seit 1955 bestellbaren seitlichen akzentuierten Flächen entfielen im Jahr 1962, die Corvette gab es nur noch einfarbig.
Die vier runden Rückleuchten führte der damals neue GM-Chefdesigner Bill Mitchell ebenfalls 1961 ein. Diesem typischen Stilelement blieb GM bis heute treu, obwohl die Leuchten ab Generation C7 zwar noch paarweise angeordnet, jedoch nicht mehr rund sind.
Motor/Fahrleistungen
Der Motor war anfangs ein nur leicht veränderter „Blue Flame“-Sechszylinder-Reihenmotor aus einem Lastwagen mit einem Hubraum von 3,8 Litern (235 in3) mit einer Kompression von 8 : 1. Höhere Verdichtung und drei Carter-Einfach-Vergaser vom Type YH steigerten die Leistung auf erst 110 imp. kW (150 bhp) und ab 1954, durch eine geänderte Nockenwelle, auf 114 imp. kW (155 bhp) bei 4200 min–1 und stellten ein maximales Drehmoment von 302 Nm bei 4500 min–1 zur Verfügung.[2] Die Corvette C1 beschleunigte damit je nach Quelle in 8 bis 11 Sekunden von 0–100 km/h. Die Höchstgeschwindigkeit wurde mit 172 bis 180 km/h angegeben. Diese Fahrleistungen entsprachen jedoch sogar für damalige Verhältnisse nicht denen eines Sportwagens.
Darum verordneten Ed Cole und Zora Arkus-Duntov der Corvette C1 eine Kraftkur: Statt des bisherigen Sechszylinders entschieden sie sich für einen „Small-Block“-V8 mit zunächst 4,3 Litern (265 in3) Hubraum und 143 kW (195 bhp) bei 5000 min–1. Der erste Chevrolet-„Small-Block“-V8-Motor und somit erste Corvette-V8-Motor kam 1955 auf den Markt. Dass ein Fahrzeug damit motorisiert war, wurde mit einem großen „V“ im Namen „CheVrolet“ an den Seiten der vorderen Kotflügel gezeigt. Mit dieser Veränderung entwickelte sich die Corvette zu einem echten Sportwagen mit sehr guten Fahrleistungen. Die Beschleunigung von 0 auf ca. 100 km/h absolvierte die Corvette mit dem V8-Motor in 8,7 Sekunden. Duntov beschleunigte die Corvette in Daytona auf eine Höchstgeschwindigkeit von 150 mph (241 km/h), was zur damaligen Zeit einen respektablen Wert darstellte. 1956 wurde ebenfalls der Motor überarbeitet. Er leistete nun in der Serienstufe 210 bhp bei 5200 min–1 mit einer Verdichtung von 9,25 : 1 und war mit einem Carter Doppel-Register-Vergaser bestückt. Als Extra konnte eine Version mit 225 bhp oder 240 bhp bestellt werden. Diese beiden Motoren waren mit einer anderen Nockenwelle und zwei Doppel-Register-Vergasern ausgerüstet. Die 225 bhp-Variante beschleunigte von 0 auf rund 100 km/h in 7,3 Sekunden.
Im Jahre 1957 kam erneut ein neuer Motor in die C1. Das auf 4,6 Liter (283 in3) vergrößerte V8-Triebwerk leistete mit der neuen Einspritzung bereits 208 kW (283 bhp) und wurde 1040 mal (etwa 11 %) verkauft. Mit exakt einem PS pro cubic inch (Kubikzoll) Hubraum (umgerechnet 16,4 cm3) war damit ein sehr hoher Wert erreicht. Von 0 auf 100 km/h beschleunigte der Zweisitzer mit der leistungsstärksten Maschine in 5,7 Sekunden; er erreichte eine Höchstgeschwindigkeit von 132 mph (212 km/h). Noch schneller war die Corvette des letzten Jahrgangs dieser ersten Modellgeneration.
Die Motorenpalette reichte dann schließlich 1958 von einem V8 mit 169 kW (230 bhp) bis zum stärksten Motor mit 213 kW (290 bhp) und Einspritzung. Ersterer beschleunigte in 9,2 Sekunden auf rund 100 km/h, letzterer benötigte für den Sprint nur 6,9 Sekunden. Am beliebtesten war aber die Grundversion mit 4,6-Liter-Motor, deren Fahrleistungen als ausreichend empfunden wurden. Ab 1960 wurden beim V8-Motor Zylinderköpfe aus Aluminium verwendet.
Die letzte 1962er-Version der Corvette C1 war mit dem 5,3-Liter-V8 (327 in3) ausgestattet. Dieser war der stärkste je lieferbare Motor für die C1. Er leistete, ebenfalls mit Einspritzung ausgestattet, 360 brutto SAE-PS und beschleunigte die Corvette auf bis zu 241 km/h. Leistungsvarianten waren ebenfalls eine 300 bhp- sowie 340 bhp-Variante.
Getriebe
Anfangs hatte das Auto die Zweigang-Powerglide-Automatik, es stand auch ein Handschaltgetriebe zur Wahl. Die Verkaufszahlen stiegen jedoch erst, als der damals neue Corvette-Chefingenieur Zora Arkus-Duntov die V8-Version mit einem Dreigang-Schaltgetriebe kombinierte.
1957 konnten Autokäufer erstmals bei der Corvette auf Wunsch ein Handschaltgetriebe mit einer Kraftstoffeinspritzung kombinieren. Das neue Automatikgetriebe besaß nun vier statt drei Stufen. Im Modelljahr 1960 wurden mehr als die Hälfte der Fahrzeuge mit dem manuellen 4-Gang-Getriebe ausgeliefert, im Jahr 1961 waren es sogar 64 %. Ab 1962 hatte das Automatikgetriebe der Corvette ein Aluminiumgehäuse.
Hybrid als Hommage
Eine Zusammenarbeit der American Made Corporation und Beijing Locomotive Co., Ltd. bietet seit 2020 unter der chinesischen Marke Songsan Motors ein, von der C1 des Baujahres 1958, inspiriertes Fahrzeug unter dem Namen SS Dolphin an. Der als PlugIn-Hybrid konstruierte Wagen beschleunigt in 4,9 Sekunden auf 100 km/h und kostet ¥ 590.000 (ca. 74.000 Euro, Stand September 2020). Der Antrieb besteht aus einem turboaufgeladenen 1,5-Liter-Ottomotor sowie einem Elektromotor, welcher von einem 16 kWh-leistenden Akku versorgt wird. Damit hat der SS Dolphin eine 90 bis 100 km rein elektrische Reichweite. Die Systemleistung beträgt 230 kW bei 535 Nm und wirkt auf ein manuelles Sechsgang-Schaltgetriebe mit Vorderradantrieb. Das Fahrzeug hat eine Länge von 4800 mm, eine Breite von 1850 mm und eine Höhe von 1390 mm.
(Wikipedia)
UPDATE: Instructions are now available for this model. You can get them here: gum.co/Sawtooth
So this took WAY longer than anticipated.
Mostly because I hadn't much time to build over the summer, but also because I wanted to build him in an entirely differently scale at first.
But here you go: My favourite machine from Horizon, the Sawtooth!
The reference picture is very small, but it is the only one I could find where all his amor is attached.
As I said, I first wanted to build him in minifig-scale as is the Thunderjaw (roughly). Soon I realised that I can't put as much detail as I wanted in the build. That's why I scaled him up significantly.
This allowed for some fun part uses, especially with the Big Figure parts :D
Hope you guys like the final result! :)
Nothing gets cloven except by dividing.
The future is chosen by atoms colliding.
The past’s an elision forever eliding.
Today is a fog bank in which I am hiding.
Love is a burn forever debriding.
—from "Pentatina for Five Vowels," by Campbell McGrath
I've sipped from the well of "Pentatina for Five Vowels" in two other themes (here and here) for Poetography and Literary Reference in Pictures. You may remember that the poem uses a rhyme scheme for each of the long vowel sounds of a, e, i, o, and u in five separate stanzas. This third post, as you can hear, uses long i. Like the first two stanzas/posts, the third stanza has themes of time—past, present, future—love, and life. The last line of the stanza, as you can see, holds Poetography's theme for this week—Forever. If you remember what debride means, you may feel, in a compelling sensory image of touch, the forever pain that love may bring. (Ouch! We just can't win, can we?)
(for Poetography, Theme 183—Forever; Literary Reference in Pictures)
To view more of my images, of Walberswick, please click "here" !
Walberswick is a village on the Suffolk coast in England, across the River Blyth from Southwold. Coastal erosion and the shifting of the mouth of the River Blyth meant that the neighbouring town of Dunwich was lost as a port in the last years of the 13th century. Following a brief period of rivalry and dispute with Dunwich, Walberswick became a major trading port from the 13th century until World War I. Almost half of the properties in the village are holiday homes. A small rowing boat ferries passengers across the river Blyth to Southwold during the high season. The name Walberswick is believed to derive from the Saxon Waldbert – probably a landowner – and "wyc" meaning shelter or harbour. At the top of the village is the 15th century St. Andrew's Church. The size of the St. Andrew's ruins demonstrate how large the parish once was. The name 'Walleburyswyke', appearing in a Latin legal record, dated 1440, may refer to the village. With over 1,000 acres (4 km2) of heath and marshland protected within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Walberswick has good varied local habitats for birds. The village and surrounding beach and marshland have long attracted residents drawn from the arts, film and media. In the 1890s and 1900s the village became associated with Philip Wilson Steer and his circle of English Impressionists. It was home to the noted artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh from 1914. It was also the birthplace of Oscar nominated documentary film maker Humphrey Jennings famous for his World War II documentaries. The World War Two defences constructed around Walberswick have been documented. They included a number of pillboxes, landmines and flame fougasse installations. The beaches were protected with extensive barriers of scaffolding. The ornate metalwork village sign on the Green is a replica of the one erected in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The original sign went missing in the 1980s but after changing hands has since been returned and restored to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The restored sign has been erected opposite the church. Considering its size, an inordinate number of British celebrities own or have owned holiday homes in the village including the late Sir Clement Freud and his wife Jill, and their daughter, Emma Freud and her husband Richard Curtis. Martin Bell, and Geoffrey Palmer, maintain properties here while Paul Heiney and Libby Purves live nearby. Film director Paul Greengrass has a house in the village, as does ITV's Director Peter Fincham. The village is the setting for Esther Freud's novel, The Sea House, thinly disguised as 'Steerborough' - presumably a coded reference, or in-joke, towards one-time resident, Philip Wilson Steer (see above). Esther Freud, the cousin of Emma Freud and daughter of painter Lucian Freud, also has a house in the village with her husband, actor David Morrissey. The village was famous for its annual crabbing competition - The British Open Crabbing Championship, last held in August 2010. The person who caught the single heaviest crab within a period of 90 minutes was declared the winner. The proceeds supported many charitable causes. A derelict windmill stands on the marshes near Walberswick. The area around the village makes up the Suffolk Coast National Nature Reserve, a protected area on 1,340 hectares (3,300 acres) with a range of wetland and heathland habitats.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I am continuing my recent investigation of the old Boulder, Colorado railroad grade cut with aspirations of reaching Lefthand Canyon, Jamestown and Middle Park in the western slope of the Rockies. Realistically, the small problem of the continental divide gets in the way of that goal... but when does honesty ever get in the way of advertising or stock and bond sales. I once saw a wonderful sheet of bonds issued by the Denver Western RR. None were clipped. I've never seen bonds for the B,LH&MP, chuckle. If there are any, I'm sure they are pristine.
Here is my six stage, three layer pano from the abandoned prestressed concrete parking lot north of Boulder, Colorado along Highway #36. I made a stop there a week before but came away with several problems, even exact view point. I returned and found a better vantage spot to set up the podzilla. I used the longer zoom in landscape mode to image the entire territory of visible grade this pano covers with its six steps across the foothills. I had to include the tops of the hills. Atmospherics are starting to show in the distance. I had to abandon further work on the file because I hit the 2gig file size in the Photoshop I am using. My previous postings were made up the North Foothills Trail. I discovered that there were no historic markers up there relating the railroad grade's history. Tim Ostwald of Boulder and I found a reference in the Robert Ormes Colorado Railroads book. It was named Boulder, LeftHand, JamesTown and Middle Park Rail Road and Telegraph company in that source... but I found another error elsewhere in it.
Ah dreams of vast wealth. Realistically, miners opted for mills as close as possible to the mines in order to minimize the costs of (rail) transportation. Processed ore is far less a load than raw ore. I am posting the best captures of the traces I found. It is reasonably visible here on the trail north. This footpath follows the grade, as if trekkers know what are actually following. The path seems to follow the grade all the way to the former Beech Aircraft plant on Google maps. There, they built the Apollo fuel tanks. The B,LH&MP (also seen as B,LH,JT&MP) grade dropped from the northern Boulder bluff behind me where it was slowly gaining altitude from the south. Here, I wandered the footpath north until I found another revealing view. The trail along the route cuts across the foot hills dropping from the hogback and north toward Lefthand Canyon. Early on, Boulder and Longmont graded routes up Lefthand and thence James Canyon to the booming camp of Jamestown. Traces show most of the way into the mouth of the canyon. Longmont was an agricultural community while Boulder had rail access to mountain mining communities and may have had ore mills and smelters. Boulder would have been the more reasonable narrow gauge route to the booming Jamestown mining camp.
The old grade of the Boulder, Left Hand, Jamestown & Middle Park Railroad and Telegraph Company (whew) can be seen much if the way from north Boulder, along #36 on the foothills to the west of the highway north from Boulder, Colorado to where it turns into Lefthand Canyon near the Greenbriar Restaurant. I spotted traces into the canyon for a short stretch. Obviously, they fell far short of their goal of Jamestown let alone Middle Park, Colorado which would have entailed an impossible crossing of the Continental Divide. Cutting tunnels always slows when granite is hit. And it fell short of its goal of Jamestown (and/or Ward), Colorado. The lower canyon pinches tightly below the confluence. It did achieve the Left Hand River Valley and through the very best of fortunes retained, rails were never laid on the grade. The canyons uphill from Jamestown are a choice of bad and a much worse grades. They lost just a fraction of the investment they easily could have.
A cold, wintery, moonlit night... in Hawaii.
View on black background.
The Big Isle's Mauna Kea is the tallest point in Hawaii at 13,803 feet (4207m). Here we see a pu‘u (volcanic cinder cone vent) up on the summit covered with snow peaking over a lower ridge. This was taken at the Visitors' Center at 9000 feet (2743m). The high altitude allows for great star gazing because of the lack of city light and thin atmosphere.
The peak of Mauna Kea is also 33,476 feet (10,203m) above its base on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. It is the world's tallest mountain by this measure, taller than Mount Everest which is the highest mountain above sea level.
While this pu‘u is only a sneak peek of the summit (more to come later), you can see that from the months of December through April and sometimes May, Mauna Kea's summit is covered with snow. The Hawaiian words "Mauna" translates to "mountain," and "Kea" translates to "white." This is of course in reference to the snow.
In addition to the astronomers who operate the many telescopes and observatories from all over the world, tourists also come here in the winter to ski and snowboard. All visitors must be very cautious though as the high altitude can affect you from lack of oxygen. Several times I felt my head spinning, and found it difficult to remember how to change the camera controls when I would "rush" to a position or exert myself to get a shot while up top! The astronomers here go through an acclimation process and can only stay for a few days in a row for any shift.
On a side note, Mauna Kea's sister mountain Mauna Loa is only a couple of hundred feet shorter and its summit is blanketed in snow as well during these months.