View allAll Photos Tagged Marking
From April 1, 1943 - a 1 cent War Tax was added to the first weight step preferred letter rate. The preferred letter rate was 4 cents for the first ounce and 2 cents for each additional ounce.
4 cents preferred letter rate + 10 cents registration fee = 14 cents
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VANCOUVER, B.C. SUB OFFICE No. 20 opened - 1 January 1913 and closed in 1990. In 1943 this sub office was located in Cunningham's Drug Store at 2705 West 4th Ave, Vancouver, B.C. - The Postmaster during this period was Arthur William Scott - he served as Postmaster from - 2 February 1917 to - 1 September 1955.
LINK to a list of the Postmasters who served at VANCOUVER, B.C. SUB OFFICE No. 20 - recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record...
Arthur William Scott
(b. 5 January 1893 in Vancouver, British Columbia - d. 30 November 1971 at age 78 in Vancouver, British Columbia) occupations - Postmaster / Pharmacist / Druggist - he was the manager of "Terminal Wholesale Drugs Ltd." - the Wholesale and Warehouse of Cunningham Drug Stores - LINK to his death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/cf... - LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-obituary-for...
His wife - Ellen Pauline "Emma" (nee Smith) Scott
(b. 8 April 1897 in Vancouver, British Columbia - d. 18 July 1969 at age 72 in Surrey, British Columbia) - they were married - 3 November 1917 in Vancouver, B.C. - LINK to their marriage certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/87... - LINK to her death certificate - search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/9f...
Ellen Pauline Smith (sometimes called “Emma”). Ellen Pauline Smith was born in Vancouver on April 8, 1897. On November 3, 1917, in Vancouver, she married Arthur William Scott, who was a druggist. He was born in Vancouver on January 5, 1893. His parents were John William Scott and Grace Guthrie. On February 28, 1918, Arthur was drafted to serve in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. He served for a time in Russia. He was discharged from the military forces on July 20, 1919, during the demobilization at the end of the war. Ellen died in White Rock, British Columbia on July 18, 1969. Arthur died in Vancouver on November 30, 1971. LINK - westendvancouver.wordpress.com/biographies-n-z/biographie...
- sent from - / VANCOUVER • B.C. / AP 24 / 43 / S.O. No 20. / - cds cancel - this cds hammer (B-1) was proofed - 3 January 1913.
- sent by registered mail - / R / VANCOUVER, B.C., / SUB No. 20 / ORIGINAL NO. / (424) / - boxed registered marking in purple ink - (R-Box-1).
- via - / VANCOUVER / AP 26 / 43 / B.C. / - cds transit backstamp
- arrived at - / SASKATOON / AP 28 / 43 / SASK. / - cds arrival backstamp
- sent by - From - E. Harrison / 2997 West 2nd Ave. / Vancouver, B.C.
Earla Elizabeth (nee Walker) Harrison
(b. 9 September 1913 in Sutherland, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - d. 27 May 1974 at age 60 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) - LINK to her newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/star-phoenix-obituary-for-earl...
Her husband - Victor "Vic" Henry Harrison
(b. 1901 in England - d. 18 September 1967 at age 66 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) - occupation - Boeing worker, journeyman-fitter - LINK to his newspaper obituary - www.newspapers.com/article/star-phoenix-obituary-for-vict...
LINK to - A Hero (Victor Harrison) Pulls Children from Path of Tram - www.newspapers.com/article/the-vancouver-sun-victor-harri...
LINK to - City Youngster Drowned In Lake - Earle Harrison, 2-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Harrison - www.newspapers.com/article/the-province-victor-harrison/1...
Registered letter was addressed to - Mr. Gaswell / Caswell's Clothing Store / 1st Ave and 21st St. / Saskatoon / Saskatchewan
Yesterday I gained an even greater appreciation for the majesty & beauty of Mother Nature. We've had Northern Flicker's occasionally as visitors over the years here, but they don't hang around long when they know we're out there. Yesterday, this beauty hung around, & posed, long enough that I was able to get shots of all his beautiful markings. I absolutely love that red patch on the back of his head, & the tail feather designs are stunning. Mother Nature teaches me things everyday!! Thank you God for making me pay attention!
Between 2014 and 2018 Australia will commemorate the Anzac Centenary, marking 100 years since our nation's involvement in the First World War.
These photos are almost 10 years old to the day (7 days away) as it will soon be Anzac day 2015.
I have attended quite a few dawn services but none quite as sobering as being a foreigner, walking fields where Australian soldiers died during wartime, and were burried.
I thought it was time to post my photos from Kranji.
I got up at 4 am along with many other of my Australian Microsoft and MVP friends. Bleary eyed, fighting the fog, we found our way to the bus.
We were in a daze as we were bumped about making our way to the killing fields of Kranji.
Kranji is a suburb in northwestern Singapore, located about 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the city centre.
The Kranji War Memorial in Singapore honours the men and women from the Commonwealth who died in the line of duty during World War II.
A very appropropriate and solem place for Anzac Day 2005.
Back then I was not interested in Photography and my cameras were not that great. Still, that is not the reason for the photos. I did want to try for a perfect shot. I just wanted memories.
It was humid, dark and very quiet as the service started. Bagpipes from overhead and marching in front.
Deep within this quiet neighbourhood, lies the Kranji War Memorial, a hillside cemetery that is quite beautiful in its serenity once you get there.
Every year, a memorial service is held to pay tribute to those who gave their lives.
The memorial honours the men and women from Britain, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, Malaya, the Netherlands and New Zealand who died in the line of duty during World War II.
Here, we see more than 4,400 white gravestones lined up in rows on the cemetery’s gentle slope. Many graves hold unknown soldiers.
The Chinese Memorial in plot 44 marks a mass grave for 69 Chinese servicemen who were killed by the Japanese when Singapore fell in February 1942.
Next to the Kranji War Memorial are the Kranji Military Cemetery and the Singapore State Cemetery, where Singapore’s first and second presidents are buried.
As we walked the short flight of steps to the hilltop terrace, we saw four memorials.
The largest is the Singapore Memorial, with its huge star-topped central pylon that rises to a height of 24 metres.
This memorial bears the names of more than 24,346 Allied soldiers and airmen killed in Southeast Asia who have no known grave. You can find the register, kept by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, at the entrance.
Every year, on the Sunday closest to Remembrance Day on 11 November, a memorial service is held to pay tribute to those who gave their lives.
Next to the Kranji War Memorial is the Kranji Military Cemetery, a non-world war site of more than 1,400 burials, as well as the Singapore State Cemetery, where the country’s first and second presidents, Encik Yusof Ishak and Dr Benjamin Henry
Sheares, are buried.
The Battle of Kranji was the second stage of the Empire of Japan's plan for the invasion of Singapore during the Second World War. On 9 February 1942 the Imperial Japanese Army assaulted the north-western front of the British colony of
Singapore. Their primary objective was to secure a second beachhead after their successful assault at Sarimbun Beach on 8 February, in order to breach the Jurong-Kranji defence line as part of their southward thrust towards the heart of
Singapore City. Defending the shoreline between the Kranji River and the Johor–Singapore Causeway was the Australian 27th Brigade, led by Brigadier Duncan Maxwell, and one irregular company.
On 10 February the Japanese forces suffered their heaviest losses while moving up the Kranji River, which caused them to panic and nearly aborted the operation. However, a series of miscommunications and withdrawals by Allied forces in the
ensuing battles allowed the Japanese to swiftly gain strategic footholds, which eventually led to the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942.
The terrain around Kranji was primarily mangrove swamps and tropical forest intersected by streams and inlets. The shoreline between the Kranji River and the Johor–Singapore Causeway, nearly four kilometers long, was defended by the
Australian 27th Brigade, led by Australian Brigadier Duncan Maxwell. The 27th Infantry Brigade consisted of three battalions—the 2/30th, 2/29th, and 2/26th and was supported by the 2/10th Field Artillery Regiment, as well as one platoon from the
2/4th Machine Gun Battalion.
They were supported by one company from Dalforce (named after its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel John Dalley of the Malayan Police Special Branch), a local Chinese militia consisting of Communists, Nationalist supporters, and other
volunteers. As the war intensified, the Dalforce volunteers were given only three to four days of training and sent to the war front with elementary weapons. Lacking uniforms, the volunteers improvised by wearing a red triangle on their blue shirts to
avoid being mistaken for Japanese by the Australians.
The Allied forces at Kranji were to be assaulted by the Imperial Guards Division led by Major General Takuma Nishimura. 400 Imperial Guards had landed and taken Pulau Ubin, an island in the north-east of Singapore, in a feint attack on 7
February, where they encountered minimal resistance.
On 9 February, two divisions of the Japanese Twenty Fifth Army, led by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita, landed on the northwestern coast of Singapore, in the Sarimbun area. Yamashita's headquarters (HQ) was in the Sultan of Johor's
palace on Istana Bukit Serene, which offered him and his officers a bird's eye view of virtually every key target in the northern sector of Singapore Island, only 1.6 kilometres (one mile) across the Straits of Johor. Sultan Ibrahim's palace was not fired
upon by the British because any damage caused would have extensive repercussions for British-Johor ties.
The primary objective of the Japanese at Kranji was to capture Kranji village; this would let them repair the demolished Causeway in order to facilitate easy flow of reinforcements and supplies down the roads of Woodlands and Mandai, and to the
rest of the island for their vanguard force. Once the leading wave of Japanese was safely ashore, the massed Japanese artillery switched their fire to the defensive positions at Kranji. Telegraph and telephone communications were destroyed in the
bombardment and communications between the front line and command HQ were broken. At 8:30pm that night, the men of the Imperial Guards Division began the crossing from Johor in special armoured landing-crafts, collapsible boats and by
swimming.
In the early hours of 10 February, Japanese forces suffered their heaviest losses during the Battle of Singapore. While moving up the Kranji River, advance landing parties from the 4th Regiment of the Imperial Guard Division found themselves
under heavy fire from Australian machine gunners and mortar teams. They also found themselves surrounded by oil slicks, which had been created by Allied personnel emptying the nearby Woodlands oil depot, to prevent its capture. A scenario
feared by Yamashita came to pass by accident; the oil was set alight by Allied small arms fire, causing many Japanese soldiers to be burnt alive. Sustaining heavy losses, Nishimura requested permission to abandon the operation. However,
Yamashita denied the request.
Maxwell, who had limited communications with his division headquarters, was concerned that his force would be cut off by fierce and chaotic fighting at Sarimbun and Jurong to the south west, involving the Australian 22nd Brigade. Maxwell's
force consequently withdrew from the seafront. This allowed the Japanese to land in increasing strength and take control of Kranji village. They also captured Woodlands, and began repairing the causeway, without encountering any Allied attacks.
Japanese light tanks, which had good buoyancy, were towed across the straits to Lim Chu Kang Road where they joined the battle at dusk. With reinforced troops and tanks advancing down Choa Chua Kang Road, the Australian troops were no
match for the tanks and fled to the hills of Bukit Panjang. The 5th Division (Imperial Japanese Army) captured Bukit Timah village by the evening of 11 February.
Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding of HQ Malaya Command, drew a defence perimeter covering Kallang aerodrome, MacRitchie and Peirce reservoirs and the Bukit Timah supply depot area to ensure the integrity
of the city's defence. One line of the north-western defence perimeter was the Jurong-Kranji defence line, a narrow ridge connecting the sources of the Jurong and the Kranji Rivers, forming a natural defence line protecting the north-west
approach to the Singapore City. (Its counterpart was the Serangoon Line, which was sited between Kallang Airfield and Paya Lebar village on the eastern part of Singapore). The troops were to defend this Line strongly against the invading
Japanese force. The Line was defended by the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade which covered milestone 12 on Jurong Road, the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade and the reinforced 22nd Australian Brigade which guarded the northern part of the Line and
maintained contact with the 44th Indian Brigade. The 15th Indian Infantry Brigade was re-positioned near Bukit Timah Road to guard the island's vital food and petrol supplies. A secret instruction to protect this area was issued to Percival's
generals.
Percival's secret orders to withdraw to the last defence line around the city only if necessary were misunderstood by Maxwell, who took this to be an order for an immediate withdrawal to the Line. As a result, the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade, the 12th
Indian Infantry Brigade and the 22nd Australian Brigade, reinforced after their withdrawal from Sarimbun beach in the north-west, abandoned the Line on 10 February. Fearing that the large supplies depot would fall into Japanese hands should
they make a rush for Bukit Timah too soon, General Archibald Wavell, Allied commander-in-chief of the Far East sent an urgent message to Percival:
It is certain that our troops in Singapore Island heavily outnumber any Japanese who have crossed the Straits. We must destroy them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out in the
Bataan Peninsula against a far heavier odds, the Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans. The Chinese with an almost lack of modern equipment have held the Japanese for four and a half years. It will be disgraceful if we
yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces.
By 11 February, the Jurong-Kranji Defence Line was left undefended which allowed the Japanese forces to sweep through the Line to attack Bukit Timah. On the same day, Percival finally moved his Combined Operations Headquarters in Sime
Road to the underground bunker, The Battle Box at Fort Canning.
Despite their fighting spirit, the Dalforce fighters suffered from poor training and the lack of equipment. A further blow was delivered when the 27th Australian Brigade withdrew southwards. As a result, the Japanese established a stronghold in the
northern Woodlands area and secured a relatively easy passage into the island. General Wavell left Singapore for Java early on 11 February and sent a cable to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London on his assessment of the war front
in Singapore:
Battle for Singapore is not going well... I ordered Percival to stage counter-attack with all troops possible... Morale of some troops is not good and none is as high as I should like to see... The chief troubles are lack of sufficient training in some
reinforcing troops and an inferior complex which bold Japanese tactics and their command of the air have caused. Everything possible is being done to produce more offensive spirit and optimistic outlook. But I cannot pretend that these efforts
have been entirely successful up to date. I have given the most categorical orders that there is to be no thought of surrender and that all troops are to continue fighting to the end...
By 12 February, the Imperial Guards had captured the reservoirs and Nee Soon village. The defending troops, by this time, were badly shaken. Thousands of exhausted and frightened stragglers left the fighting to seek shelter in large buildings. On
the same night, British forces in the east of the island had begun to withdraw towards the city.
On 13 February, the Japanese 5th Division continued its advance and reached Adam and Farrer Roads to capture the Sime Road Camp. Yamashita moved his HQ forward to the bomb-damaged Ford Factory in Bukit Timah. Heading southwards,
the Japanese 18th Division advanced into Pasir Panjang, where the last major battle of Singapore would be fought with the Malay Regiments at Bukit Chandu.
In 1995, the former battle sites of Kranji and the defence line were gazetted by the National Heritage Board as two of the eleven World War II sites of Singapore.
2005
Knoica Minolta
PICT0046
More at Slow Reads
I enjoy looking in old books that have markings! The Bible is a great book to mark! I will always remember visiting a church will on vacation. The lady beside me passed her Bible and asked me to be her guest. "Mark the Bible, as the preacher reads and discusses the scripture." My kids were amused!
So, how do we mark eBooks? It is interesting to check out an eBook from the public library and see the social markings. There is a running tally on highlighted markings!
Pima Air & Space Museum - Tucson, Arizona - 29 DEC 2014
US Navy 1961 Douglas A-4C Skyhawk 148571 displayed at the museum entrance in the markings of Flight Systems, Inc., Mojave, California, N401FS, 1974-1981.
The A-4C version of the Skyhawk entered production in 1959 as the A4D-2N. This is the first version of the Skyhawk to be capable of all weather and night operations. It was equipped with a terrain avoidance radar, autopilot, angle of attack indication system, Low Altitude Bombing System and improved low-level ejector seat. In 1962, the A4D-2N was redesignated as the A-4C and it became the first version of the Skyhawk to be produced under the A-4 designation. Six hundred and thirty-eight A-4Cs were produced between 1959 and the end of 1962.
History
Manufactured by Douglas Aircraft, El Segundo, California as an A4D-2 (A-4C) and accepted by the US Navy on October 3, 1961.
Sep 1961: VA-172 Cecil Field, Florida. Depolyed on USS Enterprise.
Jul 1962: VA-44 Jacksonville, Florida.
Mar 1963: Unit moved to Cecil Field, Florida.
Nov 1963: VA-36 Cecil Field, Florida. Deployed on USS Saratoga.
Jul 1965: To NAS Rota, Rota Spain.
Sep 1965: VA-106 Cecil Field, Florida. Deployed on USS Saratoga, USS Forrestal, and USS America.
Feb 1967: VA-66 Cecil Field, Florida. Deployed on USS Intrepid.
Jan 1968: VA-15 Cecil Field, Florida.
May 1969: VA-66 Cecil Field, Florida. Deployed on USS Forrestal and USS Independence.
Sep 1970: MARTD South Weymouth, Maine.
Aug 1973: MARTD Alameda, California.
Nov 1974: Leased for flight-testing to Flight Systems, Inc, Mojave, California and ultimately registered as N401FS. Among other projects, the aircraft was used for a Tomahawk munitions dispenser and Pershing missile guidance tests. This is the first combat aircraft leased to a civilian company by the US Government.
Oct 1981: To Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona for storage.
Nov 1981: Loaned to Pima Air & Space Museum by the National Museum of Naval Aviation.
Technical Specifications
Wingspan: 27 ft 6 iin
Length: 40 ft 2 in
Height: 15 ft
Weight: 20,000 lbs (loaded)
Max Speed: 664 mph
Service Ceiling: 20,100 ft
Range: 1,160 miles
Engine: (1) Wright J65-W-20 turbojet, 8,400 lbs thrust
Crew: 1
via Playground Markings UK bit.ly/1W8sbfJ
"Cochlear implants improve outcomes in infants with profound hearing loss"
Tennis Courts MUGA Line Marking in light green and dark green and tennis equipment.
This image is released under creative commons. Feel free to use and please credit www.softsurfaces.co.uk
Between 2014 and 2018 Australia will commemorate the Anzac Centenary, marking 100 years since our nation's involvement in the First World War.
These photos are almost 10 years old to the day (7 days away) as it will soon be Anzac day 2015.
I have attended quite a few dawn services but none quite as sobering as being a foreigner, walking fields where Australian soldiers died during wartime, and were burried.
I thought it was time to post my photos from Kranji.
I got up at 4 am along with many other of my Australian Microsoft and MVP friends. Bleary eyed, fighting the fog, we found our way to the bus.
We were in a daze as we were bumped about making our way to the killing fields of Kranji.
Kranji is a suburb in northwestern Singapore, located about 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the city centre.
The Kranji War Memorial in Singapore honours the men and women from the Commonwealth who died in the line of duty during World War II.
A very appropropriate and solem place for Anzac Day 2005.
Back then I was not interested in Photography and my cameras were not that great. Still, that is not the reason for the photos. I did want to try for a perfect shot. I just wanted memories.
It was humid, dark and very quiet as the service started. Bagpipes from overhead and marching in front.
Deep within this quiet neighbourhood, lies the Kranji War Memorial, a hillside cemetery that is quite beautiful in its serenity once you get there.
Every year, a memorial service is held to pay tribute to those who gave their lives.
The memorial honours the men and women from Britain, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, India, Malaya, the Netherlands and New Zealand who died in the line of duty during World War II.
Here, we see more than 4,400 white gravestones lined up in rows on the cemetery’s gentle slope. Many graves hold unknown soldiers.
The Chinese Memorial in plot 44 marks a mass grave for 69 Chinese servicemen who were killed by the Japanese when Singapore fell in February 1942.
Next to the Kranji War Memorial are the Kranji Military Cemetery and the Singapore State Cemetery, where Singapore’s first and second presidents are buried.
As we walked the short flight of steps to the hilltop terrace, we saw four memorials.
The largest is the Singapore Memorial, with its huge star-topped central pylon that rises to a height of 24 metres.
This memorial bears the names of more than 24,346 Allied soldiers and airmen killed in Southeast Asia who have no known grave. You can find the register, kept by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, at the entrance.
Every year, on the Sunday closest to Remembrance Day on 11 November, a memorial service is held to pay tribute to those who gave their lives.
Next to the Kranji War Memorial is the Kranji Military Cemetery, a non-world war site of more than 1,400 burials, as well as the Singapore State Cemetery, where the country’s first and second presidents, Encik Yusof Ishak and Dr Benjamin Henry
Sheares, are buried.
The Battle of Kranji was the second stage of the Empire of Japan's plan for the invasion of Singapore during the Second World War. On 9 February 1942 the Imperial Japanese Army assaulted the north-western front of the British colony of
Singapore. Their primary objective was to secure a second beachhead after their successful assault at Sarimbun Beach on 8 February, in order to breach the Jurong-Kranji defence line as part of their southward thrust towards the heart of
Singapore City. Defending the shoreline between the Kranji River and the Johor–Singapore Causeway was the Australian 27th Brigade, led by Brigadier Duncan Maxwell, and one irregular company.
On 10 February the Japanese forces suffered their heaviest losses while moving up the Kranji River, which caused them to panic and nearly aborted the operation. However, a series of miscommunications and withdrawals by Allied forces in the
ensuing battles allowed the Japanese to swiftly gain strategic footholds, which eventually led to the fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942.
The terrain around Kranji was primarily mangrove swamps and tropical forest intersected by streams and inlets. The shoreline between the Kranji River and the Johor–Singapore Causeway, nearly four kilometers long, was defended by the
Australian 27th Brigade, led by Australian Brigadier Duncan Maxwell. The 27th Infantry Brigade consisted of three battalions—the 2/30th, 2/29th, and 2/26th and was supported by the 2/10th Field Artillery Regiment, as well as one platoon from the
2/4th Machine Gun Battalion.
They were supported by one company from Dalforce (named after its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel John Dalley of the Malayan Police Special Branch), a local Chinese militia consisting of Communists, Nationalist supporters, and other
volunteers. As the war intensified, the Dalforce volunteers were given only three to four days of training and sent to the war front with elementary weapons. Lacking uniforms, the volunteers improvised by wearing a red triangle on their blue shirts to
avoid being mistaken for Japanese by the Australians.
The Allied forces at Kranji were to be assaulted by the Imperial Guards Division led by Major General Takuma Nishimura. 400 Imperial Guards had landed and taken Pulau Ubin, an island in the north-east of Singapore, in a feint attack on 7
February, where they encountered minimal resistance.
On 9 February, two divisions of the Japanese Twenty Fifth Army, led by Lieutenant General Tomoyuki Yamashita, landed on the northwestern coast of Singapore, in the Sarimbun area. Yamashita's headquarters (HQ) was in the Sultan of Johor's
palace on Istana Bukit Serene, which offered him and his officers a bird's eye view of virtually every key target in the northern sector of Singapore Island, only 1.6 kilometres (one mile) across the Straits of Johor. Sultan Ibrahim's palace was not fired
upon by the British because any damage caused would have extensive repercussions for British-Johor ties.
The primary objective of the Japanese at Kranji was to capture Kranji village; this would let them repair the demolished Causeway in order to facilitate easy flow of reinforcements and supplies down the roads of Woodlands and Mandai, and to the
rest of the island for their vanguard force. Once the leading wave of Japanese was safely ashore, the massed Japanese artillery switched their fire to the defensive positions at Kranji. Telegraph and telephone communications were destroyed in the
bombardment and communications between the front line and command HQ were broken. At 8:30pm that night, the men of the Imperial Guards Division began the crossing from Johor in special armoured landing-crafts, collapsible boats and by
swimming.
In the early hours of 10 February, Japanese forces suffered their heaviest losses during the Battle of Singapore. While moving up the Kranji River, advance landing parties from the 4th Regiment of the Imperial Guard Division found themselves
under heavy fire from Australian machine gunners and mortar teams. They also found themselves surrounded by oil slicks, which had been created by Allied personnel emptying the nearby Woodlands oil depot, to prevent its capture. A scenario
feared by Yamashita came to pass by accident; the oil was set alight by Allied small arms fire, causing many Japanese soldiers to be burnt alive. Sustaining heavy losses, Nishimura requested permission to abandon the operation. However,
Yamashita denied the request.
Maxwell, who had limited communications with his division headquarters, was concerned that his force would be cut off by fierce and chaotic fighting at Sarimbun and Jurong to the south west, involving the Australian 22nd Brigade. Maxwell's
force consequently withdrew from the seafront. This allowed the Japanese to land in increasing strength and take control of Kranji village. They also captured Woodlands, and began repairing the causeway, without encountering any Allied attacks.
Japanese light tanks, which had good buoyancy, were towed across the straits to Lim Chu Kang Road where they joined the battle at dusk. With reinforced troops and tanks advancing down Choa Chua Kang Road, the Australian troops were no
match for the tanks and fled to the hills of Bukit Panjang. The 5th Division (Imperial Japanese Army) captured Bukit Timah village by the evening of 11 February.
Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival, General Officer Commanding of HQ Malaya Command, drew a defence perimeter covering Kallang aerodrome, MacRitchie and Peirce reservoirs and the Bukit Timah supply depot area to ensure the integrity
of the city's defence. One line of the north-western defence perimeter was the Jurong-Kranji defence line, a narrow ridge connecting the sources of the Jurong and the Kranji Rivers, forming a natural defence line protecting the north-west
approach to the Singapore City. (Its counterpart was the Serangoon Line, which was sited between Kallang Airfield and Paya Lebar village on the eastern part of Singapore). The troops were to defend this Line strongly against the invading
Japanese force. The Line was defended by the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade which covered milestone 12 on Jurong Road, the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade and the reinforced 22nd Australian Brigade which guarded the northern part of the Line and
maintained contact with the 44th Indian Brigade. The 15th Indian Infantry Brigade was re-positioned near Bukit Timah Road to guard the island's vital food and petrol supplies. A secret instruction to protect this area was issued to Percival's
generals.
Percival's secret orders to withdraw to the last defence line around the city only if necessary were misunderstood by Maxwell, who took this to be an order for an immediate withdrawal to the Line. As a result, the 44th Indian Infantry Brigade, the 12th
Indian Infantry Brigade and the 22nd Australian Brigade, reinforced after their withdrawal from Sarimbun beach in the north-west, abandoned the Line on 10 February. Fearing that the large supplies depot would fall into Japanese hands should
they make a rush for Bukit Timah too soon, General Archibald Wavell, Allied commander-in-chief of the Far East sent an urgent message to Percival:
It is certain that our troops in Singapore Island heavily outnumber any Japanese who have crossed the Straits. We must destroy them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out in the
Bataan Peninsula against a far heavier odds, the Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans. The Chinese with an almost lack of modern equipment have held the Japanese for four and a half years. It will be disgraceful if we
yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces.
By 11 February, the Jurong-Kranji Defence Line was left undefended which allowed the Japanese forces to sweep through the Line to attack Bukit Timah. On the same day, Percival finally moved his Combined Operations Headquarters in Sime
Road to the underground bunker, The Battle Box at Fort Canning.
Despite their fighting spirit, the Dalforce fighters suffered from poor training and the lack of equipment. A further blow was delivered when the 27th Australian Brigade withdrew southwards. As a result, the Japanese established a stronghold in the
northern Woodlands area and secured a relatively easy passage into the island. General Wavell left Singapore for Java early on 11 February and sent a cable to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in London on his assessment of the war front
in Singapore:
Battle for Singapore is not going well... I ordered Percival to stage counter-attack with all troops possible... Morale of some troops is not good and none is as high as I should like to see... The chief troubles are lack of sufficient training in some
reinforcing troops and an inferior complex which bold Japanese tactics and their command of the air have caused. Everything possible is being done to produce more offensive spirit and optimistic outlook. But I cannot pretend that these efforts
have been entirely successful up to date. I have given the most categorical orders that there is to be no thought of surrender and that all troops are to continue fighting to the end...
By 12 February, the Imperial Guards had captured the reservoirs and Nee Soon village. The defending troops, by this time, were badly shaken. Thousands of exhausted and frightened stragglers left the fighting to seek shelter in large buildings. On
the same night, British forces in the east of the island had begun to withdraw towards the city.
On 13 February, the Japanese 5th Division continued its advance and reached Adam and Farrer Roads to capture the Sime Road Camp. Yamashita moved his HQ forward to the bomb-damaged Ford Factory in Bukit Timah. Heading southwards,
the Japanese 18th Division advanced into Pasir Panjang, where the last major battle of Singapore would be fought with the Malay Regiments at Bukit Chandu.
In 1995, the former battle sites of Kranji and the defence line were gazetted by the National Heritage Board as two of the eleven World War II sites of Singapore.
2005
Panasonic
IMGA0031
via Playground Markings UK bit.ly/1Wn3CXb
"New computer-based modeling may help improve outcomes for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome"
Ian's on the road again, wearing different shoes again.
Or something.
Yes, have audit will travel is taking me back to the north west and head office (UK) in Warrington.
I wasn't keen to go, as I would be one of those being audited, rather than being the auditor.
So it goes.
Up even earlier than usual, Jools went swimming first thing, while I woke up and packed.
It was to be a bright if cold day, and the promise of actual snow once I reached Manchester, so that was something to look forward to. No?
Jools dropped me off on the prom so I could have a walk, take some snaps before picking up the car.
It was cold.
Not Canada cold, clearly.
Minus three. And too cold to linger to watch the actual sunrise, so made do with snapping the reflected light of the hotels and a ferry coming into the harbour. I walked over Townwall Street, now cold to the bone, hoping the car hire place would be open on time.
It wasn't, but a couple of minutes later, a guy came to open up and let me inside where it was slightly warmer.
My old ruse of getting an automatic thus getting a larger car was ruined this time was I was given a Toyota Yaris. It struggled to get up Jubilee Way without the engine screaming. You'd better behave yourself for the next three days I told it.
Back home for breakfast, load the car and say goodbye to the cats. One last look, and I was off. The car had no sat nav, so had to use the phone.
Before going to the hotel, I was going to visit a former colleague who lives in Warrington, or nearly St Helens as I found out later, so programmed her address in, and off I went, along our street and towards the A2 and the long slog up to Dartford.
I connected my phone to charge, and straight away tunes from my Apple music store started playing. So, apart from the free U2 album it forced on all users, the rest was good if a little Skids and Velvet Underground heavy.
The miles were eaten up, even if I had to turn the music way up to drown the sound of the screaming engine.
Like all trips, I had something extra to sweeten the time away, and in this case it was a church. But not just any church, as you will see.
I watched a short documentary on Monday about Mary Queen of Scots, and remembered that she had been imprisoned and executed at Fotheringhay Castle in what is now Northamptonshire, and if I went over the Dartford Crossing, up the M11 to Cambridge, then were the A14 crossed the Great North Road, ten miles north was Fotheringhay.
So, I pressed on, under the river and into Essex, then along to the bottom of the M11, and north past Stanstead to Cambridge. Traffic wasn't bad, so I made good time, my phone telling me I would reach Fotheringhay at midday.
Turning off the A1, down narrow lanes, then the view to the church opens up, in what is possibly one of the finest vistas in all of England. St Mary and All Saints, 15th century and in its Perpendicular finest, it looks too good to be that old, but is.
Not only is the church mostly as it was, if plain inside, this was the parish church of the House of York, of several Kings including the final, Richard III.
This is real history.
I crossed over the narrow hump-back bridge that spanned the fast flowing, and nearly flooding, River Neane, into the village and parked outside the church. A set of grand gates lead off the main road to the northern porch, lined with fine trees, naked it being winter.
The tower seems over-large for the Nave and Chancel, it stands 116 feet tall, and is a chonker, the rest of the church seems small beside it, but the interior of the church is a large space, high to its vaulted roof.
I take shots, not as many as perhaps I should, but the church doesn't have centuries of memorials, but does have two House of York tombs, or mausoleums.
I had some time, so I thought I would visit any interesting church I might see before getting back on the A14.
That was the plan.
The road took me round Oundle, which had at least two interesting looking churches, but them being what you might call "urban", I passed both and carried on over the rolling hills of Northamptonshire, much hillier than you might have thought.
Just before the A14, I see a large tower, and a lane lead to the village of Titchmarsh.
Titchmarsh is the name of a very famous TV gardener over here in Britain, not sure if this is where he hails from.
The village itself is set along a long high street, lined with half-timbered houses, most thatched, which was very picturesque.
I parked up, screams from the primary school, out for lunch, filled the air. But I had eyes on the church.
Oddly, on the north side, the churchyard is marked by a haha, or half of one.
A ha?
Certainly not a ditch, but there was a grille in the wall to allow water to get out.
Access to the church was over a small bridge, the grand porch in front.
The door opened easily, and I saw first, lots of wall paintings. Not old, perhaps Victorian.
I set to work taking shots, using the compact to snap close ups of the windows.
In truth, not much of great interest, and I was aware from the radio there being talk of snow.
Better get going and head north.
Back outside, my phone tells me I should be in Warrington by four, my friend, Teresa, wouldn't be home until half past, so I could have another break on the way.
The sat nav took me back to the A14, and from there it is just a 60 mile drive to the bottom of the M6 and then the hike two hours north.
At least it was a sunny day, though clouds were building, and was it my imagination, or did it look like snow falling already?
No, it was snow. big, fat, wet flakes at first, not much to worry about, but I pressed on past Coventry to the toll road, I sopped for half an hour there, enough time to have a drink and some crisps, then back outside where darkness was falling, as well as more snow.
The M6 might have had its upgrade complete, but a trip on it is rarely without delays. And for me, an hour delayed just before Warrington due to a crash, so we inched along in near darkness.
Teresa lived the other side of Warrington, so I had to press on further north, then along other main roads, round a bonkers roundabout before entering the town. Roads were lined with two up/two downs, doors leading straight onto the pavement. Cozy and northern.
They have two dog-mountains, I'm not sure of the breed, but think of something like a St Bernard and go bigger. They had just been for a walk, were damp and happy to be inside, laying on the kitchen floor. Taking up all the kitchen floor.
We talked for an hour, then I received a call from a guy I was supposed to be meeting up with: heavy snow was falling, I should get there sooner than later. So, I said my goodbyes and programmed the route to the hotel. Sorry, resort. Golf resort.
16 miles.
Snow was falling heavy, not too bad on main roads back to the motorway, though traffic on that was only going 40, it was fast enough. But the final six miles was long a main road, but it was covered in snow, with more falling.
The the fuel warning light went on.
Ignore that, I just wanted to get to the hotel safe and have dinner. Not end up in a hedge.
The final mile was very scary, snow only an inch deep, but slippery. There was a gatehouse marking the entrance to the golf club, I turned in and parked in the first space I came to.
Phew.
I checked in, and the place is huge, swish, but full of golfers.
But it does a sideline in conferences, training centre and a hotel. It was full.
I checked in, walked to the room, which is huge, and very comfortable, dropped my bags and went to the bar for dinner of beer and burgers. The place was almost empty, I watched cricket live from South Africa while I ate and drank.
Would I be tempted by the cheeseboard?
I would, dear reader, I would.
To my room to watch the football and relax while snow fell outside.
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Another bike ride into the wilds and wolds of Northamptonshire. I set off from Huntingdon railway station, and after a sixteen mile slog into the wind I crossed the county boundary at Clopton, a church I visited three weeks ago. Now, the real bike ride could now begin. Resisting a revisit to the church, I turned off on a very lonely, narrow lane through the woodlands. The Cambs/Northants borderlands are often like this, remote and lonely, wooded and rolling, devoid of houses outside the villages and with only the rare car, horse or other cyclist. It reminds me of parts of France.
After a couple of miles I came to Titchmarsh, and its splendid church, a big church in a pretty stone village. The tower is enormous ('The finest church tower in England outside of Somerset' - FJ Allen) and there is no spire. The churchyard is surrounded by a haha, with a little bridge across the moat. The church was being prepared for a rock concert, with a stage built up under the tower and tables and chairs in the nave. Not a huge amount to see in any case, although I liked the memorial to a servant who saved his master's life by getting in the way of an assassin's knife, only to later drown in the Nene. As you'd expect in this part of the world, good stone capitals in the arcades, with stiffleaves you could cut yourself on as well as dripping fruit.
And then it was on past the IKEA warehouse ('the largest building in the British Isles') into the town of Thrapston.
Simon Knott, July 2017.
www.flickr.com/photos/norfolkodyssey/35483761652/in/photo...
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The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, standing in a prominent position on the higher ground to the North of the village, has been the centre of the Christian community in Titchmarsh for some 800 years.
The name of Tichmarsh (or the modern version Titchmarsh) seems to date from Anglo-Saxon times when a piece of land was granted to one Ticcea and became known as Ticcea’s marsh (Ticceanmersce, Tychemerche, etc).
The earliest records of the church date from 1240. It was from Tichmarsh that Viscount Lovell left his manor to fight with Richard III at Bosworth. Before that he had employed his Somerset mason to build what Pevsner described as “the noblest village tower outside Somerset”, on top of which in 1588 an Armada beacon was lit.
The church is remarkable for its magnificent tower, its long and lofty clerestory, its spacious chancel, and for its light and uncluttered interior. It also houses a collection of unique and interesting wall monuments, fine stained glass windows and a recently restored 1870 TC Lewis organ. (see separate links)
The building that you see today is not the first church to have existed on this site. The remains of a 12th century doorway in the chancel is the only relic of the Norman building, and the subsequent centuries have each made their distinctive architectural contribution. The building assumed its present appearance when, late in the 15th century, the tower, clerestory and porch were added, and the present perpendicular style windows were inserted. In the late 17th and early 18th century the Pickering family contributed a number of important memorials, including one to John Dryden the poet- laureate, who spent his childhood in Titchmarsh. In the 19th century a number of the windows had stained glass inserted, a vestry was added in the northwest corner, and much of the internal woodwork was replaced (including the pews, recently adapted to provide more mobile seating).
The focus of the church, both architecturally and spiritually, is the Altar. This is God’s table, at which the faithful share in the power of Christ’s Risen Life, by feeding on the Sacrament of his Body and Blood under the forms of bread and wine. The reredos of Caen stone and Derby alabaster (1866) depicts the Old Testament scenes of Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine, and Abraham’s offering of his only son Isaac, illustrating different aspects of the eucharistic theme.
The semi-circular Norman arch to the south side is a visible reminder that Christian worship has been offered on this site for at least some eight centuries.
The two-level sedilia and the piscine are of the 13th century, as is also the arcading which opens into the north chapel (now occupied by the organ). The opening known as a hagioscope or squint, gave additional visual access from the north chapel to the High Altar. The low, pointed 13th century doorway to the north of the Altar probably led to a tomb or chantry adjoining the Chancel on the north side. Much of this work can be attributed to the patronage of the Lovel family, who were Lords of the Manor from about 1268 until 1485.
Piercing the north-west corner of the Chancel wall are the remains of the stairway which originally led to the Rood-loft.
Dimly discernible in the apex of the Chancel arch is a crowned head. Experts suggest that it most closely resembles Edward IV who died in 1483 when Francis 1st (and only) Viscount Lovel was Lord of the Manor. The last years of the reign of Edward IV covered a peaceful period, favourable to the rebuilding of a church. In 1486 Henry VII granted the Manor of Tichmarsh to Sir Charles Somerset when Francis Lord Lovel who had supported Richard III was deprived of his estates at the end of the War of the Roses. This is the Lovell, who as Richard III’s Chamberlain and friend, was lampooned in the contemporary rhyme:
‘The Cat, the Rat, and Lovell our dog
Rule all England under the Hog’.
The walls and windows of the chancel were much embellished in Victorian times. The stained glass in the chancel windows is all by Messrs. Hardman of Birmingham. The east window depicts Christ’s Nativity, Baptism, Crucifixion and Ascension, and several episodes from the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom the church is dedicated. The windows on the south side of the chancel depict various incidents from the New Testament, giving particular prominence to St Mary Magdalene and St Peter.
The reredos of Caen stone and Derby alabaster were completed.
The organ, a good example of the work of TC Lewis was installed and first used in 1870. (fully restored in 2016). We learn from the Parish Magazine that prior to the installation of the instrument, music for Devine service had been supplied by a barrel organ, the introduction of which in 1837 replaced the services of the eight singers who had occupied a musicians gallery under the tower, and sang very loud. Singing was also led by string and woodwind instruments until 1861.
According to the parish magazines, the paintings on the chancel walls were by Miss Agnes Saunders, who was sister-in-law to the Rev. F M Stopford, (rector 1861-1912). The fine limed oak chancel screen was the gift of Canon A M Luckock, (rector 1912-1962).
The North Chapel and Transept
This was largely rebuilt in the 14th century, and now houses many mural memorials to the Pickering family
Gilbert Pickering bought the manor of Tichmarsh from Charles Somerset’s grandson in 1553, and for more than two hundred years it remained in the possession of his descendants. When the direct line came to an end, the estates were acquired in 1778 by Thomas Powys, later the first Lord Lilford.
John Pickering married Susannah Dryden of Canons Ashby in 1609, and twenty-one years later, Susannah’s brother Erasmus married John’s cousin Mary Pickering. Of these unions were born two men well known in the highest circles of their day, the notorious Sir Gilbert Pickering (1613-1668) and the famous John Dryden the poet (1631-1700).
Sir Gilbert was a convinced Parliamentarian, and became Lord Chamberlain to Oliver Cromwell. John Dryden’s upbringing in Tichmarsh is mentioned in one of the memorials. This and another were painted by Sir Gilbert’s daughter, Elizabeth, who became the wife of John Creed.
A woman of talent with needle, pen and brush, Elizabeth Creed was responsible also for the wording of the altar tomb and wall angle memorials of the south aisle as well as the Dryden monument which has been moved to the north transept.
The South Aisle
Here we find Mrs Creed lamenting the death of her husband, a boon companion of Samuel Pepys, of their son Christ’s family. By ancient custom the Font stands near the main (west) door of the physical building, as a reminder that it is through Baptism that we enter Christ’s Church.
The West Window
The tracery of the tower window is 15th century, (extensively restored in 2016). In 1904 the west window was filled with stained glass, the gift of Rev’d F M Stopford to mark his 50th year in Holy Orders. It is a powerful representation of Christ’s Second Coming and the Day of Judgement, and approximately balances the episodes of Christ’s first Advent depicted in the east window. The same firm of artists, Messrs Hardman of Birmingham, was employed for the work, and it is interesting to notice how the passage of some forty years makes a considerable difference in style and taste between the tower window and their earlier work.
The Bells
The tower houses a fine ring of eight bells. All were recast and re-hung in 1913 as a memorial to Rev’d F M Stopford who died in office in 1912 having been rector for 51 years, and a chaplain to Queen Victoria, Edward VII and George V. Before recasting, the oldest bells dated from 1688, with additions in 1708 and 1781. The ring was completed in1885 by the gift of two bells in memory of Florence Augusta Stopford, the rector’s first wife. At the same time the present church clock, which strikes the hours and quarters, replaced the previous one made by George Eayre in 1745.
At the base of the tower are some interesting photographs of the re-hanging of the bells.
The South Porch
The original porch was a single storey structure, with window openings to east and west. The upper storey was added in1583 and housed the Pickering family pew, complete with fire place! After the death of the last Tichmarsh Pickerings the wall opening was blocked up. It was reopened in 1931, when Canon Luckock (rector 1912-1962) and his wife put in the present glass panel and hung the massive oak south door as a thanksgiving for their silver wedding. The seating around the walls of the porch is a reminder of its earlier function as a place of meeting.
The Exterior
The large and splendid tower is built in four stages, richly decorated with triple bands of quatrefoils in circles on the ground storey and similar bands on the second and third stages. The niches on the west face contain modern stone figures representing Moses and Aaron, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Peter, and the archangels Michael and Gabriel. The parish magazine for 1901 records that the rector’s wife paid for the replacements by breeding and selling black fantail pigeons.
The ‘crown’, ie. parapet and pinnacles above the fourth stage is considered by experts to date from about 1500. The will of one Thomas Gryndall, dated 1474, bequeaths money towards the building of the tower, probably completed except for the ‘crown’ in about 1480.
The prominence and size of the tower made it a significant landmark. In 1585 when the country prepared to resist the threatened invasion from Spain, the Lord Lieutenant, Sir Christopher Hatton of Kirby Hall, gave order for Beacons to be made in places accustomed and that ‘Tychemershe Beacon’ be sett upon Tychemershe church steeple
On the south wall of the tower is a painted sundial, dated 1798, and below it a disused clock face made in 1745. There are three scratch dials on the south side of the church – on the porch and on two of the buttresses.
The churchyard, which contains many good examples of local stonemasons’ work of the 18th and 19th centuries, is remarkable and perhaps unique in being bounded almost entirely by a ha-ha.
Acknowlegements: The Victoria County History of Northamptonshire; Northamptonshire by Niklaus Pevsner; and to various numbers of the Titchmarsh Parish Magazine; Titchmarsh Past and Present by Helen Belgion, published 1979
titchmarsh.info/church-of-st-mary-the-virgin/church-history/
157. But most did not even walk on this steep path, except the one patient and the one who felt compassion, even if it was with a sweet word alone
فَلَا ٱقْتَحَمَ ٱلْعَقَبَةَ
وَمَآ أَدْرَىٰكَ مَا ٱلْعَقَبَةُ
فَكُّ رَقَبَةٍ
أَوْ إِطْعَمٌۭ فِى يَوْمٍۢ ذِى مَسْغَبَةٍۢ
يَتِيمًۭا ذَا مَقْرَبَةٍ
أَوْ مِسْكِينًۭا ذَا مَتْرَبَةٍۢ
ثُمَّ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْمَرْحَمَةِ
أُو۟لَٓئِكَ أَصْحَبُ ٱلْمَيْمَنَةِ
But he has not attempted the steep path.
And what can make you know what the steep path is?
It is freeing a neck,
or feeding in a day of severe hunger,
on orphan of near relationship,
or a needy person in misery.
Then he is of those who believe and enjoin (each other) to patience, and enjoin (each other) to compassion.
Those are the Companions of the Right Hand.
Surah Al Balad, Verse 11-19
Tafseer e Jilani
And after We bestowed upon him and guided him…
Falaqtahma: he, the human being, did not take up by storm and he did not enter…
Al aqaba: the steep path i.e. reaching the peak, which was fatiguing and toiling for his nafs until he fulfilled the gratitude for that which We bestowed him.
Then Allah Subhanahu placed the steep path in ambiguity, honouring it and exalting it so He said:
Wa ma adraaka: And what have you understood, O Maghroor, the one who is arrogant about life, which (itself) is borrowed as are its necessities…
Mal aqaba: what the steep path is on the way for the people of imaan, faith and irfaan, Divine Recognition.
Then He explained His Words:
Fakku raqaba: That steep path is freeing a neck from the enslavement of desires and hopes…
Aou: or that steep path is…
It’aam: feeding the needy of Allah and those who of His Servants who do ask…
Fi youmin di masghaba: on the day of extreme need and intense hunger…
Yateeman da maqraba-tin: (or that steep path is feeding) the orphan relative of the one feeding…
Aou miskeenan da matraba: or (or that steep path is feeding) the needful one lying in dust, his poverty making him live in misery and throwing him in the dust of humiliation and lowliness.
Summa: Then after he takes the step, without thinking, of entering this steep path…
Kana minalladina aamano: then he becomes of the ones who attained to faith in Allah and becomes certain that whatever is in their possession is for Allah and they are the Munfiqoona, the one who spend, by the Decree of Allah in the Ways of Allah.
Wa: With their faith in Him, they become marked by their salih, good, deeds which strengthen their faith…
Tawasau: and they enjoin each other…
Bis sabr: towards patience upon the practice of the Commands of Allah and towards patience upon the pains of obedience to the Orders for them.
Wa: And in this way…
Tawasau: they enjoin each other…
Bil marhamate: towards kindness and compassion towards the Servants of Allah and respecting them and being tender with them and doing extra in goodness for them, even if it is in a sweet word alone.
Ulaika: They are the ones As Suada, the fortunate, Al Mausufoona, the ones who are characterized by the taste of honour and majesty…
Ashab ul Maimana: as the People of the Right Hand before Allah and the people of honour and those upon whom different favours are bestowed and those who are of the highest ranks and stations.
Subhan Allah!
156. And remember the Name of your Lord with devotion
وَٱذْكُرِ ٱسْمَ رَبِّكَ وَتَبَتَّلْ إِلَيْهِ تَبْتِيلًۭا
And remember the Name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him with devotion.
Surah Al Muzzammil, Verse 8
Tafseer e Jilani
Wa: And overall…
Udkur isma Rabbika: remember the name of your Lord and keep on praising Him and His Sacredness forever in all your timings and your states and do not become occupied from remembering Him because of your work. Instead…
Wa tabattal: devote yourself i.e. dedicate yourself and detach yourself from your daily tasks…
Ilayhi: towards Allah Subhanahu…
Tabteelan: with complete devotion and and dedication so much so there is not even a thought in your heart of focus upon your own state. So how will you think about anyone else (when you don’t even think about yourself)?
153. Be steadfast upon what I, Allah, order
فَٱسْتَقِمْ كَمَآ أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلَا تَطْغَوْا۟ ۚ
So stand firm as you are commanded
and those who turn in repentance with you, O Beloved (peace be upon you), and (those who) do not transgress.
Surah Hud, Verse 116
Tafseer e Jilani
And when you are gentle (in behaviour), O Messenger who completes Messenger-hood (peace be upon you), by Allah making you aware and by His Presence and you are made fully alert emotionally, feeling present and you unveiled with that awareness, unveiling, watching and witnessing…
Fastaqim: so be steadfast i.e. ae’tadil, be morally correct in your attributes and your deeds and your words…
Kama umirta: as you have been commanded by your Lord by His Revelation upon you and His Inspiration upon you and He has also commanded you towards being just and being steadfast.
Wa man taba ma’aka: And also the one who repents before you (in your presence) and brought faith upon you and made your path the roadmap towards Allah (is ordered to be steadfast).
Wa: And overall…
La tatghau: do not move from and do not exit, O you all who are steadfast in your commitment to the Path of the Reality of Tauheed being Al Muttahaqqiqoona, and do not turn away from the Sabeel As Salama, the Way of Peace, which is undoubtedly the way of the Sharia’ and the way of Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him).
And due to the difficulty of following this blessed verse, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
شَيَّبَتْنِي سُورَةُ هُودٍ
“Surah Hud made me age.”
ھذہ الآیۃ قصمت ظھور انبیاء اللہ و اولیائہ
“This verse broke the backs of Allah’s Prophets and His Auliya, the Friends.”
155. Those who say Allah is their Lord and then becomes Mustaqeem, steadfast upon it, Angels will descend and give them glad tidings of no fear and no grief
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَقَمُوا۟ تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَلَٓئِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا۟ وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا۟
Indeed, those who say, "Our Lord is Allah," then stand firm - will descend on them the Angels saying, "Do not fear, and do not grieve but receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you were promised.
Surah Al Fussilat, Verse 30
Tafseer e Jilani
Then said Allah Subhanahu on the according to His Sunnah, Ways, in His Book:
Inna: Indeed, the Al Mowwahideen, the believers of One-ness…
Alladina qalu: they say, in happiness and in suffering and in secret and openly…
Rabbun Allahu: Allah is our Lord, Al Wahid, The One and Only, Al Ahad, The Only One, Al Farad, The Singular, As Samad, The One who is Independent, who is lam yalid wa lam yulad wa lam ya kullahu ufuwan ahad- He has no offspring nor is He born from anyone and there is no one equal to Him...
Summ astaqamu: then they become steadfast and are unwaivering upon that which they have declared and acknowledged by their deeds and by their states and those intentions of theirs which result in their day to day actions…
Tatanazzalu: descend for their help and to open their hearts and to discipline their manners…
Alaihim al malaikatu: upon them angels, Al Mutarassidoona, who are the ones keeping careful watch following the Commands of Allah, standing ready for His Orders, saying to those believers, giving them glad tidings…
Allaa takhafu: do not fear because of your excesses which happened from you before were unveiled for you the secrets of Tauheed and Certainty.
Wa la tahzanu: And do not grieve for what happened to you because of the demands of your being a human…
Wa abshiru bil jannati allati kuntum tu’adoon: And receive the good news of the Paradise you have been promised from the tongues of the Prophets and your Messengers, who are the guides and the guided ones.
154. O Man you are labouring towards your Lord
يَٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْإِنسَنُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدْحًۭا فَمُلَقِيهِ
O Mankind! Indeed, you are laboring to your Lord with exertion and you will meet Him.
Surah Il Inshaqaaq, Verse 6
Tafseer e Jilani
Then called out Allah Subhanahu to the human being, a call of warning and a call that must be followed and a call of stimulating the stubbornness in the nature of Mankind and shaking the chain of his original nature, so He said:
Ya ayyuhal insaan: O Mankind, formed upon the Appearance of Ar Rahman, chosen from between all that was made to appear for the wisdom of Khilafat, Vice-Regency, and being the successor and the advantages of Ma’rifa, the Recognition of Allah, in Tauheed, His One-ness, recognize your importance and do not be forgetful of your reality.
Innaka kaadihun: No doubt you are the one bearing hardships, striving hard for gaining closeness to Allah and for His One-ness…
Ila Rabbika kadhan: towards your Lord, toiling and endeavoring, until you dissolve your being in your desire for His Desires. And overall…
Famulaqui-he: you are going to meet your Lord according to your struggle and your exertion so you should not leave those things that make you reach Him and dissolve you in Him after being pulled over from Allah Al Haq and ability from His End so that you become from the Arbaab al Yameen, the People of the Right Hand and of honour, who have been named Ashaab al Yameen, the People of the Right Hand, who are given the records of their deeds from their right side which is the sign of their imaan, faith and their irfaan, recognition (of Allah).
Subhan Allah!
158. The one who wishes can take a path towards Allah
إِنَّ هَذِهِۦ تَذْكِرَةٌۭ ۖ
فَمَن شَآءَ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِۦ سَبِيلًا
Indeed, this (is) a Reminder, then whoever wills let him take to his Lord a way.
Surah Al Muzzammil, Verse 19
Tafseer e Jilani
Inna hadihi: Indeed these words which are proving the fulfillment of Allah’s Promises…
Tadkira: are a reminder and an admonition for those who gain from advice and remember and they are from the people of blessings and ability.
Faman sha’a: So who so ever wants that he gains advice through this…
Ittakhada: must take…
Ila Rabbihi sabeela: a way to his Lord after Allah Al Haqq gave him ability and aided him in exiting the requirements of this world and guided him to elevation towards True Existence, rising from one rank to another and from one station to another until he reaches the beginning of the Way of Fana’, Dissolving.
Then he elevates from that also from state to state until he becomes an fana’ia anil fana, loses all of his identity in complete extinction of his existence. And after all this he becomes what he becomes and except for Allah there is no purpose and there is no finality.
159. The one saved from the fire is the one who is Al Atqa, the one who is the most mindful.
وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا ٱلْأَتْقَى
ٱلَّذِى يُؤْتِى مَالَهُۥ يَتَزَكَّىٰ
But distant from (the fire) will be the one who is mindful.
The one who gives his wealth to purify himself.
Surah Al Layl, Verse 17-18
Tafseer e Jilani
Wa: And in this way we made clear to the Al Mukallifoon, the ones who obey Allah’s Orders as obligatory…
Sayujannabuha: that the one who is kept away from the fire which is blazing in sections of Hell…
Al Atqa: is the one who is the most mindul…
Alladi yu’ti: the one who gives and makes alms…
Maalahu: from his possessions in the Way of Allah, seeking His Pleasure, spending upon the needy of His Creation. (We made clear) how…
Yattazakka: he became pure and cleansed from the filth of the world. And there is nothing left in his heart except Al Maula, Allah, until he reached Sidrat ul Muntaha, the Lote Tree.
And despite verses like this, they did not take heed and they did not understand.
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"Patients with treatment-resistant autoimmune blood conditions may benefit from sirolimus"
the "X" patterns show areas where there are 2 layers of fiberglass cloth, making sure I don't miss anything
Normanby Hall
Normanby Hall Museum and Country Park, near Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire
300 acres of parkland including the Farming Museum, Deer Park, where Red and Fallow Deer can be seen, the Victorian Walled Garden and the Regency-era Hall, former home to the Sheffield family.
Marking the 100th anniversary of John Cage’s birth and 20th anniversary of his death, this evening focused on slowness and duration, across six distinctive performances. Cage’s Postcard from Heaven performed by Rhodri Davies (harp) includes continuously sustained sounds. Ryoanji performed by Susan Stenger (flute), Robert Poss (percussion) and Dominic Lash (double bass), is Cage’s long, meditative work inspired by a Zen garden. World premieres include A Cage of Stars composed by Phill Niblock for Rhodri Davies, and The Lament of John Cage by Yoshi Wada for Susan Stenger and Robert Poss (electric guitar), Tashi Wada (reed organ), and the City of Newcastle Pipeband. Poets Kenneth Goldsmith and Alec Finlay will read Cage’s texts and poetry inspired by him.
Biography
Rhodri Davies was born in 1971 in Aberystwyth, Wales and now lives in Gateshead. He plays harp, electric harp, live-electronics and builds wind, water and fire harp installations. His regular groups include: a duo with John Butcher, The Sealed Knot, a trio with David Toop and Lee Patterson, Common Objects, Cranc, a trio with John Tilbury and Michael Duch, SLW and Apartment House. In 2008 he collaborated with the visual artist Gustav Metzger on Self-cancellation, a large-scale event in London and Glasgow. New pieces for harp have been composed for him by: Eliane Radigue, Christian Wolff, Ben Patterson, Alison Knowles, Michael Pisaro, Carole Finer, Mieko Shiomi, Radu Malfatti and Yasunao Tone.
Phill Niblock is a New York-based minimalist composer, musician, filmmaker, and since 1985 director of Experimental Intermedia. His first musical compositions date from 1968, influenced by the New York music scene in the 1960s. His early works were all done with tape, overdubbing unprocessed recordings of precisely tuned long tones played on traditional instruments in four, eight, or sixteen tracks. Since the late 1990s his music has been created with computer technology, notably with Pro Tools, involving as many as forty tracks. His compositional process often begins with recordings of single tones played by a specific musician. The range of musicians he has collaborated with include Susan Stenger, Petr Kotik, Robert Poss, Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore, Ulrich Krieger, Carol Robinson and many others.
Susan Stenger was born in Buffalo, New York. After intensive classical flute studies in Prague and New York, she joined Petr Kotik's Brooklyn-based SEM Ensemble and devoted herself to performing music of twentieth century composers, including John Cage, Christian Wolff and Phill Niblock. She soon began making her own work for flute and electronics, as well as touring with Rhys Chatham's all-electric-guitar band. In 1986 she joined Robert Poss in founding seminal guitar group Band of Susans, who went on to release nine critically acclaimed CDs. After moving to London in 1996, Stenger formed performance group The Brood and all-bass-band Big Bottom. In 2006 she created a 96-day sound installation as part of Soundtrack For An Exhibition, presented at Musée d'Art Contemporain de Lyon.
Yoshi Wada is a sound artist and musician born in Kyoto, Japan. He studied sculpture at the Kyoto City University, and then moved to New York in the late 1960s. There he joined the Fluxus movement after meeting its founder George Maciunas, spent time studying composition and electronic music with La Monte Young and singing with the North Indian vocalist Pandit Pran Nath. From the 1970s onwards he constructed a series of large, handmade bagpipe instruments and adapted pipe organs; and composed work for portable bagpipes, pipe chanter and percussion. His work has been presented at The Kitchen, New York; Akademie der Kunste, Berlin; Sydney Biennial, Australia; Kraak Festival, Belgium, Emily Harvey Gallery, New York; Whitney Museum of Art, New York; PSI, New York; and Venice Biennial.
Robert Poss is a musician based in New York. In 1986 he joined Susan Stenger in founding seminal guitar group Band of Susans, who went on to release nine critically acclaimed CDs, all produced by Poss. In 2002 he released two solo CDs on Trace Elements Records, and was described by Tape Op Magazine as a “guitar genius, drone meister… the master of treated and manipulated guitars”. Since then he has composed and performed music for various choreographers and continued to collaborate and perform with artists including Phill Niblock, Susan Stenger and Rhys Chatham.
Bassist Dominic Lash was born in Cambridge, and currently lives in Bristol. He was based for many years in Oxford, where he helped to resurrect the Oxford Improvisers Cooperative. He has performed with Tony Conrad (in duo and quartet formations), Joe Morris (trio and quartet), Evan Parker (duo, quartet and large ensemble) and the late Steve Reid. Current projects include The Dominic Lash Quartet; The Set Ensemble (an experimental music group mainly focusing on the work of the Wandelweiser composers collective); The Convergence Quartet with Taylor Ho Bynum, Harris Eisenstadt and Alexander Hawkins; a trio with John Butcher and John Russell; Alex Ward's quartet Predicate, and a duo with Patrick Farmer.
Tashi Wada is a San Francisco-based composer and performer, he studied at CalArts in California. Wada’s recent work focuses on sound perception as a basis for direct modes of listening. His work has been performed throughout the US and Europe and released on record labels such as Subpop. For several years he has performed alongside his father Yoshi Wada.
Kenneth Goldsmith is an American poet, based in New York City. He is the founding editor of UbuWeb, teaches Poetics and Poetic Practice at the University of Pennsylvania and is Senior Editor of PennSound. He hosted a weekly radio show at WFMU from 1995 until June 2010. Goldsmith has published ten books of poetry, notably Fidget (2000), Soliloquy (2001) and Day (2003) and the American trilogy, The Weather (2005), Traffic, (2007) and Sports, (2008). He is the author of a book of essays, Uncreative Writing: Managing Language in a Digital Age (2011). As editor he published I’ll be Your Mirror: The Selected Andy Warhol Interviews (2004) and is the co-editor of Against Expression: An Anthology of Conceptual Writing (2011).
Alec Finlay is an artist and poet based in Edinburgh. His recent books include Mesostic Remedy (morning star, 2009), Mesostic Interleaved (morning star & The University of Edinburgh, 2009) and Be My Reader (Shearsman Books, 2012). He founded the small press morning star in 1990, including the award-winning pocketbooks series. His work has been exhibited at the 18th Biennial of Sydney; Bluecoat, Liverpool; BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead; Leeds Art Gallery; Tate Britain, London; ICA, London; and Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Credit
Curated by AV Festival and Susan Stenger. A Cage of Stars by Phill Niblock was commissioned by AV Festival.
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I liked a @YouTube video from @sports_surfaces bit.ly/1PhZO9B Impact Padding Football Posts Safety Protectors
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"UNITAID report examines new technologies, key market challenges to improved access to better TB..."
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It is an offence under law if you remove my copyright marking, or post this image anywhere else without my express written permission.
Line marking yellow line, west of Lynn Creek Bridge looking east from Mountain Highway Overpass, Aug 26, 2021.
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Here we have a SIO2 Bailu in originally normal skin, color matched to LoongSoul normal pink skin.
The forehead marking shimmers and shines even through couple layers of sealant!
Painting and markings:
The paint scheme for the fictional VPAF La-11 was inspired by the North Vietnamese MiG-17 “3020 red”, which carried a rather shaggy two-tone camouflage consisting of a yellowish green base tone with bluish green mottles chaotically applied over it, plus probably NMF underwing surfaces.
I wanted to adapt this livery to an overpainted former grey PLAAF aircraft, so that the model received an initial primer coat of medium grey (Revell 47) and aluminum (Revell 99) on the leading edges and areas like the cowling and the cockpit.
Once dry, a more or less opaque layer with thinned Humbrol 150 (Forest Green) was added, so that some of the grey and the metal would shine through, supported by a hard flat brush drenched with thinner. After another drying period the decals were applied: the pre-1965 VPAF yellow stars came from an Cutting Edge Productions limited edition MiG-15 sheet (CED72019) which primarily focusses on North Korean aircraft, the tactical code was created from single digits from a HAD Models Mi-24 sheet, from a Hungarian Hind.
Then the dark green mottles were added around the markings, with thinned Humbrol 195 (Chromium Oxide Green, RAL 6020). The undersides were painted in blue-grey, and for a good contrast with the yellow stars I used Tamiya XF-23. The kit received a light black ink washing and some post-shading, even though not much on the upper surfaces, due to the disruptive paint scheme.
All interior surfaces were painted in medium grey (again Revell 47), with a dark grey middle section of the dashboard. The louvres in front of the engine became a darker grey (Humbrol 27). As a visual contrast I painted the wheel hubs in bright green (Humbrol 101), and the spinner was painted in red (a mix of Humbrol 19 and 60). After consulting pictures of museum PLAAF La-11s and old pictures in trustworthy literature, the propeller blades became simply painted black with yellow tips.
Finally, the kit was sealed with matt actrylic varnish, and as a final step the position lights were added and he wire antennae were created with heated black sprue material. And instead of the clear vacu bits for the landing light and the star navigation system window beind the cockpit I rather used Clearfix.
Painting and markings:
I used the opportunity to apply another typical Royal Navy paint scheme, a so-called “Alexandria-style” pattern. This was a high-contrast scheme, sometimes described as consisting of black and white, but it was typically made up from 507a (Dark Grey) and 507c (Light Grey). It had been christened after the dockyard where it had been initially applied, and it was actually not a defined pattern (like the Admiralty schemes, which had been designed at offices by people who frequently had no practical naval experience!), but rather a common but individual application of standard paints that had been in ample supply at most dockyards! The ships had to be painted with what was at hand, and so the disruptive scheme caught on and was applied, like Mountbatten Pink, to a considerable number of British ships operating in the MTO. This two-tone scheme was not intended to conceal the ships, but rather to confuse the observer concerning speed, direction and what the ship actually was.
The pattern I applied to the model was loosely based on what the cruiser H.M.S. Devonshire carried in 1941, a kind of zebra pattern with wide, well-defined block stripes. As a visual gimmick these stripes were kind of “mirrored” along a line on the hull, as if reflected by the water and therefore making assessing size or distance even more difficult.
The paints are Humbrol 147 (Light Grey, FS 36495) and 27 (Sea Grey). The deck was painted as if the wooden areas had not been overpainted yet and allowed to weather, so that the once-holystoned, yellow-ish light wood had become dull and rather grey-ish. I used Humbrol 168 (RAF Hemp) and Revell 87 (Beige) as basis, and some light shading with thinned sepia ink was done to enhance the wooden look – and it’s nice contrast to the rather cold, grey camouflage. Metal decks, turret tops and the bow area were painted with Revell 47, simulating 507b (Medium Grey). Areas around the bridge were painted with Humbrol 62 (Leather) to simulate Corticene coating.
I originally wanted to paint the model in separate elements before final assembly, but this was not possible due to the many adjustments. The model was slightly weathered with a highly thinned black ink wash. Some Sienna Brown water paint was used for rust stains here and there. Portholes along the hull and on the superstructures were created with a thin black felt tip pen. The same tool was used to paint the muzzles of the guns. The crisp black boot topping was easy to create through the kit’s separate waterline bottom – OOB it comes in red, and it just had to be re-painted.
The kit’s segments were sealed with a coat of acrylic matt varnish before final assembly. Finally, rigging with heated and extended dark grey sprue material was done and paper flags were added.
As it has happened for decades, the engineer off of Q501 dismounts from his locomotive at Robb Avenue Yard in Lima. A new crew is ready to take the train on to Cincinnati.
Police have marked more than 500 bikes in a major clampdown on cycle theft.
Over the past few months, police in Salford have held free bike marking events at MediaCity and the University.
During these events, cyclists had their bikes marked using Selectamark, which is a permanent marking system that cannot be removed by thieves.
Cycles were also registered on immobolise.com, which helps police return bikes to their rightful owners in the event that they are stolen and recovered.
Fiona James, Crime Reduction Advisor (CRA) said: “Bikes are a cheap and healthy way of getting around but unfortunately they are just as attractive to thieves who can use them to travel from crime to crime or sell them on.
“During the last few months we have protected more than 500 bikes and we will continue this work into the New Year.
“Cyclists can also reduce the risk of bike theft by securing their bike in a safe place to something immovable using a sturdy D-Lock and secure chain.
“If you see anything suspicious, please contact the police on the new non-emergency number, 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Residents that receive new bikes for Christmas can attend events planned for the New Year at Pendleton College.
For information more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website.
The bottom side of the blade is now marked in the rear portion of the blade. The bottom spine is also marked
Supernova 2: Galactic Boogaloo
In 2016, Hubble saw a supernova named Requiem in a distant galaxy. Now Webb has found a second supernova named Encore — marking the first time two gravitationally lensed supernovae have been found in the same galaxy.
Let’s back up a bit. Gravitational lensing occurs when an object, such as a galaxy cluster, has such intense gravity that it warps surrounding time and space. Light follows that bend instead of traveling in a straight line, distorting and brightening what’s behind the object.
Not only does gravitational lensing warp and magnify distant galaxies, but it can also display multiple instances of the same object. Hubble’s 2016 image had three separate instances of supernova Requiem, while Webb’s new image has two instances of Encore.
This is because light from the supernovae ends up reaching Earth through several paths — like trains leaving the same station but taking different routes. While we saw three instances of Requiem in Hubble’s image, a fourth copy is expected to “reach its destination” and appear in 2035. By measuring differences in the times that the supernova images appear, astronomers can actually measure how fast the universe itself is expanding. Get the deep dive here: blogs.nasa.gov/webb/2023/12/21/supernova-encore-nasas-web...
This image: Webb spotted a multiply-imaged supernova in a distant galaxy designated MRG-M0138. Two images of the supernova (circled) are seen in the Webb NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) image above, but an additional supernova image is expected to become visible around 2035. In this image blue represents light at 1.15 and 1.5 microns (F115W+F150), green is 2.0 and 2.77 microns (F200W+277W), and red is 3.56 and 4.44 microns (F356W + F444W). Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Justin Pierel (STScI) and Andrew Newman (Carnegie Institution for Science).
Image description: A two-panel image. At left, dozens of small galaxies are scattered on the black background of space. A curved and distorted orange galaxy on the right side is highlighted with a white box. It appears far larger than the majority of the galaxies around it, and looks like the left half of an incomplete semi-circle. Lines extend from the box that outlines the galaxy to the right side, which shows an enlarged view of the curved galaxy image. Two faint points of light are circled. The first appears near the center of the swooping orange line that makes up the galaxy, and the second is toward the bottom right.