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One of the most eagerly anticipated visits of our trip was that to Lake Ballard. The salt lake is about 185km from Kalgoorlie, the last 51 of which are on an unsealed road, which of course is forbidden to hire vehicles. So finding a means of getting there required some research.
We could not have found a better guide in the end, and our visit was a real highlight of the holiday.
Lake Ballard is the site of Antony Gormley's (2002) mesmeric installation "Inside Australia". The work was comissioned to mark the 50th Anniversary Celebrations of the Perth International Arts Festival in 2003. It consists of 51 sculptures, derived from laser scans of the inhabitants of Menzies. The scans, used to map the body in three dimensions produce cross sections which were reduced by two thirds, to create an "insider". The figures are cast in an alloy containing molybdenum, vanadium and titanium, which metals are all found in the Archaean rock of Western Australia. The sculptures are placed on an area of about 10 square km on the lake.
It is the most ethereally beautiful and calming landscape into which you are drawn inexorably by the distant figures.
Thanks to Antony Gormley for creating it, and thanks to Greg for taking us there.
If you too want to get there contact Greg at www.morapoi.com.au
For more see my travel diary. Kalgoorlie WA - Lake Ballard Travel Diary. Day Ten
Can you spot the random car in this photo?? ;)
Here is another shot of most of the crew on top of the Bellevue parking garage! Being the photographer I had to direct everyone in position. It took a while because everyone was trying each other's cars like it was "musical cars". LOL. Anyway the shoot went well. I forgot my tripod. :( But luckily Jonathan OK had his tripod and was nice to enough to lend it to me! :D Thanks! It was a great day & a lot of fun! #lovinthecrew Glad to have met everyone! They're all great people & non of them are douches! :) Well enjoy this photo!
Check out my photography page & give it a like if you like what you see!
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Camera/Lens Info:
Canon 5D Mark II
17-40mm F4L
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Editing Info:
Burning
Saturation Boost
Contrasting
Curves
Crop
French postcard by Erpé, no. 30. Photo: Paramount.
Blue-eyed American actor Henry Fonda (1905-1982) exemplified not only integrity and strength, but an ideal of the common man fighting against social injustice and oppression. He is most remembered for his roles as Abe Lincoln in Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath (1940), for which he received an Academy Award Nomination, and more recently, Norman Thayer in On Golden Pond (1981), for which he received an Oscar for Best Actor in 1982. Notably he also played against character as the villain 'Frank' in Sergio Leone's classic Spaghetti Western Once upon a time in the West (1968). Fonda is considered one of Hollywood's old-time legends and his lifelong career spanned almost 50 years.
Henry Jaynes Fonda was born in Grand Island, Nebraska in 1905. His parents were Elma Herberta (Jaynes) and William Brace Fonda, who worked in advertising and printing and was the owner of the W. B. Fonda Printing Company in Omaha, Nebraska. His distant ancestors were Italians who had fled their country around 1400 and moved to Holland, presumably because of political or religious persecution. In the early1600's, they crossed the Atlantic and were among the early Dutch settlers in America. They established a still-thriving small town in upstate New York named Fonda, named after patriarch Douw Fonda, who was later killed by Indians. In 1919, young Henry was a first-hand witness to the Omaha race riots and the brutal lynching of Will Brown. This enraged the 14 years old Fonda and he kept a keen awareness of prejudice for the rest of his life. Following graduation from high school in 1923, Henry got a part-time job in Minneapolis with the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company which allowed him at first to pursue journalistic studies at the University of Minnesota. In 1925, having returned to Omaha, Henry reevaluated his options and came to the conclusion that journalism was not his forte, after all. For a while, he tried his hand at several temporary jobs, including as a mechanic and a window dresser. At age 20, Fonda started his acting career at the Omaha Community Playhouse, when his mother's friend Dodie Brando (mother of Marlon Brando) recommended that he try out for a juvenile part in You and I, in which he was cast as Ricky. Then he received the lead in Merton of the Movies and realized the beauty of acting as a profession. It allowed him to deflect attention from his own tongue-tied personality and create stage characters relying on someone else's scripted words. The play and its star received fairly good notices in the local press. It ran for a week, and for the rest of the repertory season, Henry advanced to assistant director which enabled him to design and paint sets as well as act. A casual trip to New York, however, had already made him set his sights on Broadway. In 1926, he moved to the Cape Cod University Players, where he met his future wife Margaret Sullavan. His first professional role was in The Jest, by Sem Benelli. James Stewart joined the Players a few months after Fonda left, but he would become his closest lifelong friend. In 1928, Fonda went east to New York to be with Margaret Sullavan, and to expand his theatrical career on Broadway. His first Broadway role was a small one in A Game of Love and Death with Alice Brady and Claude Rains. Henry played leads opposite Margaret Sullavan, who became the first of his five wives in 1931. They broke up in 1933. In 1934, he got a break of sorts, when he was given the chance to present a comedy sketch with Imogene Coca in the Broadway revue New Faces. That year, he also hired Leland Hayward as his personal management agent and this was to pay off handsomely. Major Broadway roles followed, including New Faces of America and The Farmer Takes a Wife. The following year he married Frances Seymour Brokaw with whom he had two children: Jane Fonda and Peter Fonda, also to become screen stars.
The 29-year old Henry Fonda was persuaded by Leland Hayward to become a Hollywood actor, despite initial misgivings and reluctance on Henry's part. Independent producer Walter Wanger, whose growing stock company was birthed at United Artists, needed a star for The Farmer Takes a Wife (Victor Fleming, 1935) opposite Janet Gaynor. I.S. Mowis at IMDb: “With both first choice actors Gary Cooper and Joel McCrea otherwise engaged, Henry was the next available option. After all, he had just completed a successful run on Broadway in the stage version. The cheesy publicity tag line for the picture was "you'll be fonder of Fonda", but the film was an undeniable hit.” Wanger, realizing he had a good thing going, next cast Henry in a succession of A-grade pictures which capitalized on his image as the sincere, unaffected country boy. Pick of the bunch were the Technicolor outdoor Western The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (Henry Hathaway, 1936) with Sylvia Sidney, and the gritty Depression-era drama You Only Live Once (Fritz Lang, 1937) with Henry as a back-to-the-wall good guy forced into becoming a fugitive from the law by circumstance). Then followed the screwball comedy The Moon's Our Home (William A. Seiter, 1936) with ex-wife Margaret Sullavan, the excellent pre-civil war-era romantic drama Jezebel (William Wyler, 1938) featuring Bette Davis, and the Western Jesse James ( Henry King, 1939) starring Tyrone Power. Fonda rarely featured in comedy, except for a couple of good turns opposite Barbara Stanwyck and Gene Tierney - with both he shared an excellent on-screen chemistry - in The Mad Miss Manton (Leigh Jason, 1938), The Lady Eve (Preston Sturges, 1941) and the successful Rings on Her Fingers (Rouben Mamoulian, 1942). Henry gave his best screen performance to date in Young Mr. Lincoln (John Ford, 1939), a fictionalized account of the early life of the American president as a young lawyer facing his greatest court case. Henry made two more films with director John Ford: the pioneering drama Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) with Claudette Colbert, and The Grapes of Wrath (1940), an adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel about an Oklahoma family who moved west during the Dust Bowl. In his career-defining role as Tom Joad, Fonda played the archetypal grassroots American trying to stand up against oppression. His relationship with Ford would end on the set of Mister Roberts (John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy, 1955) when he objected to Ford's direction of the film. Ford punched Fonda and had to be replaced.
The Grapes of Wrath (John Ford, 1940) set the tone for Henry Fonda’s subsequent career. In this vein, he gave a totally convincing, though historically inaccurate, portrayal in the titular role of The Return of Frank James (Fritz Lang, 1940), a rare example of a sequel improving upon the original. He projected integrity and quiet authority whether he played lawman Wyatt Earp in My Darling Clementine (John Ford, 1946) or a reluctant posse member in The Ox-Bow Incident (William A. Wellman, 1943). In between these two films, Fonda enlisted in the Navy to fight in World War II, saying, and served in the Navy for three years. He then starred in The Fugitive (John Ford, 1947), and Fort Apache (John Ford, 1948), as a rigid Army colonel, along with John Wayne and Shirley Temple in her first adult role. The following years, he did not appear in many films. Fonda was one of the most active, and most vocal, liberal Democrats in Hollywood. During the 1930s, he had been a founding member of the Hollywood Democratic Committee, formed in support of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal agenda. In 1947, in the middle of the McCarthy witch hunt, he moved to New York, not returning to Hollywood until 1955. His son Peter Fonda writes in his autobiography Don't Tell Dad: A Memoir (1999) that he believes that Henry's liberalism caused him to be gray-listed during the early 1950s. Fonda returned to Broadway to play the title role in Mister Roberts for which he won the Tony Award as best dramatic actor. In 1979, he won a second special Tony, and was nominated for a Tony Award Clarence Darrow (1975). Later he played a juror committed to the ideal of total justice in 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957) which he also produced, and a nightclub musician wrongly accused of murder in The Wrong Man (Alfred Hitchcock, 1956). During the next decade, he played in The Longest Day (Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton a.o., 1962), How the West Was Won (John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall, 1962) and as a poker-playing grifter in the Western comedy A Big Hand for the Little Lady (Fielder Cook, 1966) with Joanne Woodward. A big hit was the family comedy Yours, Mine and Ours (Melvillle Shavelson, 1968), in which he co-starred with Lucille Ball. The same year, just to confound those who would typecast him, he gave a chilling performance as one of the coldest, meanest stone killers ever to roam the West, in Sergio Leone's Western epic C'era una volta il West/Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) opposite Charles Bronson and Claudia Cardinale. With James Stewart, he teamed up in Firecreek (Vincent McEveety, 1968), where Fonda again played the heavy, and the Western omedy The Cheyenne Social Club (Gene Kelly, 1970). Despite his old feud with John Ford, Fonda spoke glowingly of the director in Peter Bogdanovich's documentary Directed by John Ford (1971). Fonda had refused to participate until he learned that Ford had insisted on casting Fonda as the lead in the film version of Mr. Roberts (1955), reviving Fonda's film career after concentrating on the stage for years. Illness curtailed Fonda’s work in the 1970s. In 1976, Fonda returned in the World War II blockbuster Midway (Jack Smight, 1976) with Charlton Heston. Fonda finished the 1970s in a number of disaster films wilth all-star casts: the Italian killer octopus thriller Tentacoli/Tentacles (Ovidio G. Assonitis, 1977), Rollercoaster (James Goldstone, 1977) with Richard Widmark, the killer bee action film The Swarm (Irwin Allen, 1978), the global disaster film Meteor (Ronald Neame, 1979), with Sean Connery, and the Canadian production City on Fire (Alvin Rakoff, 1979), which also featured Shelley Winters and Ava Gardner. His final screen role was as an octogenarian in On Golden Pond (Mark Rydell, 1981), in which he was joined by Katharine Hepburn and his daughter Jane. It finally won him an Oscar on the heels of an earlier Honorary Academy Award. Too ill to attend the ceremony, Henry Fonda died soon after at the age of 77, having left a lasting legacy matched by few of his peers. His later wives were Susan Blanchard (1950-1956), Leonarda Franchetti (1957-1961) and Shirlee Fonda (1965- till his death in 1982). With Blanchard he had a daughter, Amy Fishman (1953). His grandchildren are the actors Bridget Fonda, Justin Fonda, Vanessa Vadim and Troy Garity.
Sources: Laurence Dang (IMDb), I.S. Mowis (IMDb), Wikipedia, and IMDb.
1. Lotus in the Morning, 2. Zhuang Minority Costume, 3. Fanny Florist Ltd, 4. Locomotion, 5. Fisherman, 6. Samsung, 7. Changi International Airport - Terminal 3 - Departure Hall II, 8. Washing,
9. Fu - Blessing & Happiness, 10. Flower, 11. Smoking and Gambling, 12. Ripples, 13. North Vietnam, 14. Departure Hall, 15. Human Spiders spinning their web, 16. Any which way,
17. Riding the Three Wheel Motorbike Taxi, 18. Steamed Corn Bread, 19. Chinese Dentist, 20. Concentration, 21. Lotus Blossum, 22. Broken Down, 23. 阳朔早上好 Good Morning Yangshuo, 24. Muslim BBQ Meat,
25. Wedding Photos, 26. Singapore Nights, 27. Fountain Light, 28. Green Dates, 29. Changi International Airport - Terminal 3 - Arrival Hall, 30. Being Followed II, 31. Riding in the Rain 06, 32. 5 Hours at Bangkok Airport IV,
33. TeMPER TeMPER, 34. Halo Effect, 35. Baisha (White Sand) Bridge, 36. Children, 37. Dead Ducks and a Truck, 38. Progression of a Sunset - 6:29 pm, 39. Solo, 40. Government Buildings,
41. Orange Flower, 42. Indian Photographer, 43. Afternoon Sleep, 44. Mother & Child, 45. Taking the dog for a ride, 46. Pipes, 47. War Memorial, 48. Riding in the Rain 14,
49. Yangshuo Rafting, 50. Train to Changi Airport, 51. Take my Hand, 52. Waterlilies, 53. Hey you ... leave my rubbish alone!, 54. Mother and Child, 55. Camelia, 56. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - Chinatown,
57. Chinese Apartments, 58. Asleep, 59. Man's Best Friend, 60. Give us a push, 61. Changi International Airport - Terminal 3 - Departure Hall, 62. Watering, 63. Riding in the Rain 09, 64. Hanoi Airport,
65. Morning has broken, 66. Coal Delivery, 67. Nice Hand, 68. Standing Still, 69. Bricks, 70. Color Coordinated, 71. Drum Dance, 72. Passing Bus III
Created with fd's Flickr Toys.
Most of the aerial personnel and overhead on the 1952 Blowdown and Bark Beetle Survey. Oregon. For the list of names on the back of the photo see the next image.
Photo by: Unknown
Date: 1952
Credit: USDA Forest Service, Region 6, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection.
Collection: Region 6, Forest Health Protection, Aerial Survey Program slide collection.
For additional information see:
Greeley, A.W., Wright, K.H. and Pope, R.B. 1953. Final report on the 1952 blowdown bark beetle survey in the Douglas-fir region of Oregon and Washington. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station. Portland Forest Insect Lab.
For geospatial data collected during annual aerial forest insect and disease detection surveys see: www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/forest-grasslandhealth/insects-...
For related historic program documentation see:
archive.org/details/AerialForestInsectAndDiseaseDetection...
Johnson, J. 2016. Aerial forest insect and disease detection surveys in Oregon and Washington 1947-2016: The survey. Gen. Tech. Rep. R6-FHP-GTR-0302. Portland, OR: USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection. 280 p.
For additional historic forest entomology photos, stories, and resources see the Western Forest Insect Work Conference site: wfiwc.org/content/history-and-resources
Image provided by USDA Forest Service, Region 6, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection: www.fs.usda.gov/main/r6/forest-grasslandhealth
Cattle (Bos taurus) are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus Bos. Mature female cattle are referred to as cows and mature male cattle are referred to as bulls. Colloquially, young female cattle (heifers), young male cattle (bullocks), and castrated male cattle (steers) are also referred to as "cows".
Cattle are commonly raised as livestock for meat (beef or veal, see beef cattle), for milk and dairy products (see dairy cattle), and for hides, which are used to make leather. They are used as riding animals and draft animals (oxen or bullocks, which pull carts, plows and other implements). Another product of cattle is their dung, which can be used to create manure or fuel. In some regions, such as parts of India, cattle is considered as a sacred animal. Cattle, mostly small breeds such as the Miniature Zebu, are also kept as pets.
Different types of cattle are common to different geographic areas. Taurine cattle are found primarily in Europe and temperate areas of Asia, the Americas, and Australia. Zebus (also called indicine cattle) are found primarily in India and tropical areas of Asia, America, and Australia. Sanga cattle are found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. These types (which are sometimes classified as separate species or subspecies) are further divided into over 1,000 recognized breeds.
Around 10,500 years ago, taurine cattle were domesticated from as few as 80 wild aurochs progenitors in central Anatolia, the Levant and Western Iran. A separate domestication event occurred in the Indian subcontinent, which gave rise to zebu. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there are approximately 1.5 billion cattle in the world as of 2018. Cattle are the main source of greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, and are responsible for around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009, cattle became one of the first livestock animals to have a fully mapped genome.
Taxonomy
See also: Bos and Bovinae
Cattle were originally identified as three separate species: Bos taurus, the European or "taurine" cattle (including similar types from Africa and Asia); Bos indicus, the Indicine or "zebu"; and the extinct Bos primigenius, the aurochs. The aurochs is ancestral to both zebu and taurine cattle. They were later reclassified as one species, Bos taurus, with the aurochs (B. t. primigenius), zebu (B. t. indicus), and taurine (B. t. taurus) cattle as subspecies. However, this taxonomy is contentious and some sources prefer the separate species classification, such as the American Society of Mammalogists' Mammal Diversity Database.
Complicating the matter is the ability of cattle to interbreed with other closely related species. Hybrid individuals and even breeds exist, not only between taurine cattle and zebu (such as the sanga cattle (Bos taurus africanus x Bos indicus), but also between one or both of these and some other members of the genus Bos – yaks (the dzo or yattle[10]), banteng, and gaur. Hybrids such as the beefalo breed can even occur between taurine cattle and either species of bison, leading some authors to consider them part of the genus Bos, as well. The hybrid origin of some types may not be obvious – for example, genetic testing of the Dwarf Lulu breed, the only taurine-type cattle in Nepal, found them to be a mix of taurine cattle, zebu, and yak. However, cattle cannot be successfully hybridized with more distantly related bovines such as water buffalo or African buffalo.
The aurochs originally ranged throughout Europe, North Africa, and much of Asia. In historical times, its range became restricted to Europe, and the last known individual died in Mazovia, Poland, in about 1627. Breeders have attempted to recreate cattle of similar appearance to aurochs by crossing traditional types of domesticated cattle, creating the Heck cattle breed.
A group of taurine-type cattles exist in Africa. It is hotly debated whether they represent an independent domestication event or were the result of crossing taurines domesticated elsewhere with local aurochs, but it's clear that they are genetically quite distinct; some authors choose to name them as a separate subspecies, Bos taurus africanus. The only pure African taurine breeds remaining are the N'Dama, Kuri and some varieties of the West African Shorthorn.
Etymology
Cattle did not originate as the term for bovine animals. It was borrowed from Anglo-Norman catel, itself from medieval Latin capitale 'principal sum of money, capital', itself derived in turn from Latin caput 'head'. Cattle originally meant movable personal property, especially livestock of any kind, as opposed to real property (the land, which also included wild or small free-roaming animals such as chickens—they were sold as part of the land). The word is a variant of chattel (a unit of personal property) and closely related to capital in the economic sense. The term replaced earlier Old English feoh 'cattle, property', which survives today as fee (cf. German: Vieh, Dutch: vee, Gothic: faihu).
The word cow came via Anglo-Saxon cū (plural cȳ), from Common Indo-European gʷōus (genitive gʷowés) 'a bovine animal', cf. Persian: gâv, Sanskrit: go-, Welsh: buwch. The plural cȳ became ki or kie in Middle English, and an additional plural ending was often added, giving kine, kien, but also kies, kuin and others. This is the origin of the now archaic English plural, kine. The Scots language singular is coo or cou, and the plural is kye.
In older English sources such as the King James Version of the Bible, cattle refers to livestock, as opposed to deer which refers to wildlife. Wild cattle may refer to feral cattle or to undomesticated species of the genus Bos. Today, when used without any other qualifier, the modern meaning of cattle is usually restricted to domesticated bovines.
Terminology
In general, the same words are used in different parts of the world, but with minor differences in the definitions. The terminology described here contrasts the differences in definition between the United Kingdom and other British-influenced parts of the world such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United States.
An "intact" (i.e., not castrated) adult male is called a bull.
A father bull is called a sire with reference to his offspring.
An adult female that has had a calf (or two, depending on regional usage) is a cow. Steers and heifers are also colloquially referred to as cows.
A mother cow is called a dam with reference to her offspring. Often, mentions of dams imply cows kept in the herd for repeated breeding (as opposed to heifers or cows sold off sooner).
A young female before she has had a calf of her own and who is under three years of age is called a heifer. A young female that has had only one calf is occasionally called a first-calf heifer. Heiferettes are either first-calf heifers or a subset thereof without potential to become lineage dams, depending on whose definition is operative.
Young cattle (regardless of sex) are called calves until they are weaned, then weaners until they are a year old in some areas; in other areas, particularly with male beef cattle, they may be known as feeder calves or feeders. After that, they are referred to as yearlings or stirks if between one and two years of age.
Feeder cattle or store cattle are young cattle soon to be either backgrounded or sent to fattening, most especially those intended to be sold to someone else for finishing. In some regions, a distinction between stockers and feeders (by those names) is the distinction of backgrounding versus immediate sale to a finisher.
A castrated male is called a steer in the United States; older steers are often called bullocks in other parts of the world, but in North America this term refers to a young bull. Piker bullocks are micky bulls (uncastrated young male bulls) that were caught, castrated and then later lost. In Australia, the term Japanese ox is used for grain-fed steers in the weight range of 500 to 650 kg that are destined for the Japanese meat trade. In North America, draft cattle under four years old are called working steers. Improper or late castration on a bull results in it becoming a coarse steer known as a stag in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. In some countries, an incompletely castrated male is known also as a rig.
A castrated male (occasionally a female or in some areas a bull) kept for draft or riding purposes is called an ox (plural oxen); ox may also be used to refer to some carcass products from any adult cattle, such as ox-hide, ox-blood, oxtail, or ox-liver.
A springer is a cow or heifer close to calving.
In all cattle species, a female twin of a bull usually becomes an infertile partial intersex, and is called a freemartin.
A wild, young, unmarked bull is known as a micky in Australia.
An unbranded bovine of either sex is called a maverick in the US and Canada.
Neat (horned oxen, from which neatsfoot oil is derived), beef (young ox) and beefing (young animal fit for slaughtering) are obsolete terms, although poll, pollard and polled cattle are still terms in use for naturally hornless animals, or in some areas also for those that have been disbudded or dehorned.
Cattle raised for human consumption are called beef cattle. Within the American beef cattle industry, the older term beef (plural beeves) is still used to refer to an animal of either sex. Some Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and British people use the term beast.
Cattle bred specifically for milk production are called milking or dairy cattle; a cow kept to provide milk for one family may be called a house cow or milker. A fresh cow is a dairy term for a cow or first-calf heifer who has recently given birth, or "freshened."
The adjective applying to cattle in general is usually bovine. The terms bull, cow and calf are also used by extension to denote the sex or age of other large animals, including whales, hippopotamuses, camels, elk and elephants.
Various other terms for cattle or types thereof are historical; these include nowt, nolt, mart, and others.
Singular terminology issue
"Cattle" can only be used in the plural and not in the singular: it is a plurale tantum. Thus one may refer to "three cattle" or "some cattle", but not "one cattle". "One head of cattle" is a valid though periphrastic way to refer to one animal of indeterminate or unknown age and sex; otherwise no universally used single-word singular form of cattle exists in modern English, other than the sex- and age-specific terms such as cow, bull, steer and heifer. Historically, "ox" was not a sex-specific term for adult cattle, but generally this is now used only for working cattle, especially adult castrated males. The term is also incorporated into the names of other species, such as the musk ox and "grunting ox" (yak), and is used in some areas to describe certain cattle products such as ox-hide and oxtail.
Cow is in general use as a singular for the collective cattle. The word cow is easy to use when a singular is needed and the sex is unknown or irrelevant—when "there is a cow in the road", for example. Further, any herd of fully mature cattle in or near a pasture is statistically likely to consist mostly of cows, so the term is probably accurate even in the restrictive sense. Other than the few bulls needed for breeding, the vast majority of male cattle are castrated as calves and are used as oxen or slaughtered for meat before the age of three years. Thus, in a pastured herd, any calves or herd bulls usually are clearly distinguishable from the cows due to distinctively different sizes and clear anatomical differences. Merriam-Webster and Oxford Living Dictionaries recognize the sex-nonspecific use of cow as an alternate definition, whereas Collins and the OED do not.
Colloquially, more general nonspecific terms may denote cattle when a singular form is needed. Head of cattle is usually used only after a numeral. Australian, New Zealand and British farmers use the term beast or cattle beast. Bovine is also used in Britain. The term critter is common in the western United States and Canada, particularly when referring to young cattle. In some areas of the American South (particularly the Appalachian region), where both dairy and beef cattle are present, an individual animal was once called a "beef critter", though that term is becoming archaic.
Other terminology
Cattle raised for human consumption are called beef cattle. Within the beef cattle industry in parts of the United States, the term beef (plural beeves) is still used in its archaic sense to refer to an animal of either sex. Cows of certain breeds that are kept for the milk they give are called dairy cows or milking cows (formerly milch cows). Most young male offspring of dairy cows are sold for veal, and may be referred to as veal calves.
The term dogies is used to describe orphaned calves in the context of ranch work in the American West, as in "Keep them dogies moving". In some places, a cow kept to provide milk for one family is called a "house cow". Other obsolete terms for cattle include "neat" (this use survives in "neatsfoot oil", extracted from the feet and legs of cattle), and "beefing" (young animal fit for slaughter).
An onomatopoeic term for one of the most common sounds made by cattle is moo (also called lowing). There are a number of other sounds made by cattle, including calves bawling, and bulls bellowing. Bawling is most common for cows after weaning of a calf. The bullroarer makes a sound similar to a bull's territorial call.
Characteristics
Anatomy
Cattle are large quadrupedal ungulate mammals with cloven hooves. Most breeds have horns, which can be as large as the Texas Longhorn or small like a scur. Careful genetic selection has allowed polled (hornless) cattle to become widespread.
Digestive system
Further information: Digestive system of ruminants
Cattle are ruminants, meaning their digestive system is highly specialized to allow the consumption of difficult to digest plants as food. Cattle have one stomach with four compartments, the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum, with the rumen being the largest compartment. The reticulum, the smallest compartment, is known as the "honeycomb". The omasum's main function is to absorb water and nutrients from the digestible feed. The omasum is known as the "many plies". The abomasum is like the human stomach; this is why it is known as the "true stomach".
Cattle are known for regurgitating and re-chewing their food, known as cud chewing, like most ruminants. While the animal is feeding, the food is swallowed without being chewed and goes into the rumen for storage until the animal can find a quiet place to continue the digestion process. The food is regurgitated, a mouthful at a time, back up to the mouth, where the food, now called the cud, is chewed by the molars, grinding down the coarse vegetation to small particles. The cud is then swallowed again and further digested by specialized microorganisms in the rumen. These microbes are primarily responsible for decomposing cellulose and other carbohydrates into volatile fatty acids cattle use as their primary metabolic fuel. The microbes inside the rumen also synthesize amino acids from non-protein nitrogenous sources, such as urea and ammonia. As these microbes reproduce in the rumen, older generations die and their cells continue on through the digestive tract. These cells are then partially digested in the small intestines, allowing cattle to gain a high-quality protein source. These features allow cattle to thrive on grasses and other tough vegetation.
Reproduction
Further information: Bull § Reproductive anatomy
On farms it is very common to use artificial insemination (AI), a medically assisted reproduction technique consisting of the artificial deposition of semen in the female's genital tract. It is used in cases where the spermatozoa can not reach the fallopian tubes or by choice of the owner of the animal. It consists of transferring, to the uterine cavity, spermatozoa previously collected and processed, with the selection of morphologically more normal and mobile spermatozoa. Synchronization of cattle ovulation to benefit dairy farming may be accomplished via induced ovulation techniques.
Bulls become fertile at about seven months of age. Their fertility is closely related to the size of their testicles, and one simple test of fertility is to measure the circumference of the scrotum: a young bull is likely to be fertile once this reaches 28 centimetres (11 in); that of a fully adult bull may be over 40 centimetres (16 in).
A bull has a fibro-elastic penis. Given the small amount of erectile tissue, there is little enlargement after erection. The penis is quite rigid when non-erect, and becomes even more rigid during erection. Protrusion is not affected much by erection, but more by relaxation of the retractor penis muscle and straightening of the sigmoid flexure.
The gestation period for a cow is about nine months long. The secondary sex ratio – the ratio of male to female offspring at birth – is approximately 52:48, although it may be influenced by environmental and other factors. A cow's udder contains two pairs of mammary glands, (commonly referred to as teats) creating four "quarters". The front ones are referred to as fore quarters and the rear ones rear quarters.
Weight and lifespan
The weight of adult cattle varies, depending on the breed. Smaller kinds, such as Dexter and Jersey adults, range between 300 and 500 kg (600 and 1,000 lb). Large Continental breeds, such as Charolais, Marchigiana, Belgian Blue and Chianina adults range from 640 to 1,100 kg (1,400 to 2,500 lb). British breeds, such as Hereford, Angus, and Shorthorn, mature at 500 to 900 kg (1,000 to 2,000 lb), occasionally higher, particularly with Angus and Hereford. Bulls are larger than cows of the same breed by up to a few hundred kilograms. British Hereford cows weigh 600–800 kg (1,300–1,800 lb); the bulls weigh 1,000–1,200 kg (2,200–2,600 lb). Chianina bulls can weigh up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb); British bulls, such as Angus and Hereford, can weigh as little as 900 kg (2,000 lb) and as much as 1,400 kg (3,000 lb).
The world record for the heaviest bull was 1,740 kg (3,840 lb), a Chianina named Donetto, when he was exhibited at the Arezzo show in 1955. The heaviest steer was eight-year-old 'Old Ben', a Shorthorn/Hereford cross weighing in at 2,140 kg (4,720 lb) in 1910.
In the United States, the average weight of beef cattle has steadily increased, especially since the 1970s, requiring the building of new slaughterhouses able to handle larger carcasses. New packing plants in the 1980s stimulated a large increase in cattle weights. Before 1790 beef cattle averaged only 160 kg (350 lb) net; and thereafter weights climbed steadily.
A newborn calf's size can vary among breeds, but a typical calf weighs 25 to 45 kg (55 to 99 lb). Adult size and weight vary significantly among breeds and sex. Steers are generally slaughtered before reaching 750 kg (1,650 lb). Breeding stock may be allowed a longer lifespan, occasionally living as long as 25 years. The oldest recorded cow, Big Bertha, died at the age of 48 in 1993.
Cognition
In laboratory studies, young cattle are able to memorize the locations of several food sources and retain this memory for at least 8 hours, although this declined after 12 hours. Fifteen-month-old heifers learn more quickly than adult cows which have had either one or two calvings, but their longer-term memory is less stable. Mature cattle perform well in spatial learning tasks and have a good long-term memory in these tests. Cattle tested in a radial arm maze are able to remember the locations of high-quality food for at least 30 days. Although they initially learn to avoid low-quality food, this memory diminishes over the same duration. Under less artificial testing conditions, young cattle showed they were able to remember the location of feed for at least 48 days. Cattle can make an association between a visual stimulus and food within 1 day—memory of this association can be retained for 1 year, despite a slight decay.
Calves are capable of discrimination learning and adult cattle compare favourably with small mammals in their learning ability in the closed-field test.
They are also able to discriminate between familiar individuals, and among humans. Cattle can tell the difference between familiar and unfamiliar animals of the same species (conspecifics). Studies show they behave less aggressively toward familiar individuals when they are forming a new group. Calves can also discriminate between humans based on previous experience, as shown by approaching those who handled them positively and avoiding those who handled them aversively. Although cattle can discriminate between humans by their faces alone, they also use other cues such as the color of clothes when these are available.
In audio play-back studies, calves prefer their own mother's vocalizations compared to the vocalizations of an unfamiliar mother.
In laboratory studies using images, cattle can discriminate between images of the heads of cattle and other animal species. They are also able to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics. Furthermore, they are able to categorize images as familiar and unfamiliar individuals.
When mixed with other individuals, cloned calves from the same donor form subgroups, indicating that kin discrimination occurs and may be a basis of grouping behaviour. It has also been shown using images of cattle that both artificially inseminated and cloned calves have similar cognitive capacities of kin and non-kin discrimination.
Cattle can recognize familiar individuals. Visual individual recognition is a more complex mental process than visual discrimination. It requires the recollection of the learned idiosyncratic identity of an individual that has been previously encountered and the formation of a mental representation. By using two-dimensional images of the heads of one cow (face, profiles, 3⁄4 views), all the tested heifers showed individual recognition of familiar and unfamiliar individuals from their own breed. Furthermore, almost all the heifers recognized unknown individuals from different breeds, although this was achieved with greater difficulty. Individual recognition was most difficult when the visual features of the breed being tested were quite different from the breed in the image, for example, the breed being tested had no spots whereas the image was of a spotted breed.
Cattle use visual/brain lateralisation in their visual scanning of novel and familiar stimuli. Domestic cattle prefer to view novel stimuli with the left eye, i.e. using the right brain hemisphere (similar to horses, Australian magpies, chicks, toads and fish) but use the right eye, i.e. using the left hemisphere, for viewing familiar stimuli.
Senses
Cattle use all of the five widely recognized sensory modalities. These can assist in some complex behavioural patterns, for example, in grazing behaviour. Cattle eat mixed diets, but when given the opportunity, show a partial preference of approximately 70% clover and 30% grass. This preference has a diurnal pattern, with a stronger preference for clover in the morning, and the proportion of grass increasing towards the evening.
Vision
Vision is the dominant sense in cattle and they obtain almost 50% of their information visually.
Cattle are a prey animal and to assist predator detection, their eyes are located on the sides of their head rather than the front. This gives them a wide field of view of 330° but limits binocular vision (and therefore stereopsis) to 30° to 50° compared to 140° in humans. This means they have a blind spot directly behind them. Cattle have good visual acuity, but compared to humans, their visual accommodation is poor.
Cattle have two kinds of color receptors in the cone cells of their retinas. This means that cattle are dichromatic, as are most other non-primate land mammals. There are two to three rods per cone in the fovea centralis but five to six near the optic papilla. Cattle can distinguish long wavelength colors (yellow, orange and red) much better than the shorter wavelengths (blue, grey and green). Calves are able to discriminate between long (red) and short (blue) or medium (green) wavelengths, but have limited ability to discriminate between the short and medium. They also approach handlers more quickly under red light. Whilst having good color sensitivity, it is not as good as humans or sheep.
A common misconception about cattle (particularly bulls) is that they are enraged by the color red (something provocative is often said to be "like a red flag to a bull"). This is a myth. In bullfighting, it is the movement of the red flag or cape that irritates the bull and incites it to charge.
Taste
Cattle have a well-developed sense of taste and can distinguish the four primary tastes (sweet, salty, bitter and sour). They possess around 20,000 taste buds. The strength of taste perception depends on the individual's current food requirements. They avoid bitter-tasting foods (potentially toxic) and have a marked preference for sweet (high calorific value) and salty foods (electrolyte balance). Their sensitivity to sour-tasting foods helps them to maintain optimal ruminal pH.
Plants have low levels of sodium and cattle have developed the capacity of seeking salt by taste and smell. If cattle become depleted of sodium salts, they show increased locomotion directed to searching for these. To assist in their search, the olfactory and gustatory receptors able to detect minute amounts of sodium salts increase their sensitivity as biochemical disruption develops with sodium salt depletion.
Hearing
Cattle hearing ranges from 23 Hz to 35 kHz. Their frequency of best sensitivity is 8 kHz and they have a lowest threshold of −21 db (re 20 μN/m−2), which means their hearing is more acute than horses (lowest threshold of 7 db). Sound localization acuity thresholds are an average of 30°. This means that cattle are less able to localise sounds compared to goats (18°), dogs (8°) and humans (0.8°). Because cattle have a broad foveal fields of view covering almost the entire horizon, they may not need very accurate locus information from their auditory systems to direct their gaze to a sound source.
Vocalizations are an important mode of communication amongst cattle and can provide information on the age, sex, dominance status and reproductive status of the caller. Calves can recognize their mothers using vocalizations; vocal behaviour may play a role by indicating estrus and competitive display by bulls.
Olfaction and gustation
Cattle have a range of odoriferous glands over their body including interdigital, infraorbital, inguinal and sebaceous glands, indicating that olfaction probably plays a large role in their social life. Both the primary olfactory system using the olfactory bulbs, and the secondary olfactory system using the vomeronasal organ are used. This latter olfactory system is used in the flehmen response. There is evidence that when cattle are stressed, this can be recognised by other cattle and this is communicated by alarm substances in the urine. The odour of dog faeces induces behavioural changes prior to cattle feeding, whereas the odours of urine from either stressed or non-stressed conspecifics and blood have no effect.
In the laboratory, cattle can be trained to recognise conspecific individuals using olfaction only.
In general, cattle use their sense of smell to "expand" on information detected by other sensory modalities. However, in the case of social and reproductive behaviours, olfaction is a key source of information.
Touch
Cattle have tactile sensations detected mainly by mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors and nociceptors in the skin and muscles. These are used most frequently when cattle explore their environment.
Magnetoreception
There is conflicting evidence for magnetoreception in cattle. One study reported that resting and grazing cattle tend to align their body axes in the geomagnetic north–south direction. In a follow-up study, cattle exposed to various magnetic fields directly beneath or in the vicinity of power lines trending in various magnetic directions exhibited distinct patterns of alignment. However, in 2011, a group of Czech researchers reported their failed attempt to replicate the finding using Google Earth images.
Behavior
Under natural conditions, calves stay with their mother until weaning at 8 to 11 months. Heifer and bull calves are equally attached to their mothers in the first few months of life. Cattle are considered to be "hider" type animals, utilizing secluded areas more in the hours before calving and continued to use it more for the hour after calving. Cows that gave birth for the first time show a higher incidence of abnormal maternal behavior.
In one study, beef-calves reared on the range were observed to suckle an average of 5.0 times every 24 hours with an average total time of 46 min spent suckling. There was a diurnal rhythm in suckling activity with peaks between 05:00–07:00, 10:00–13:00 and 17:00–21:00.
Reproductive behavior
Semi-wild Highland cattle heifers first give birth at 2 or 3 years of age, and the timing of birth is synchronized with increases in natural food quality. Average calving interval is 391 days, and calving mortality within the first year of life is 5%.
Dominance and leadership
One study showed that over a 4-year period, dominance relationships within a herd of semi-wild highland cattle were very firm. There were few overt aggressive conflicts and the majority of disputes were settled by agonistic (non-aggressive, competitive) behaviors that involved no physical contact between opponents (e.g. threatening and spontaneous withdrawing). Such agonistic behavior reduces the risk of injury. Dominance status depended on age and sex, with older animals generally being dominant to young ones and males dominant to females. Young bulls gained superior dominance status over adult cows when they reached about 2 years of age.
As with many animal dominance hierarchies, dominance-associated aggressiveness does not correlate with rank position, but is closely related to rank distance between individuals.
Dominance is maintained in several ways. Cattle often engage in mock fights where they test each other's strength in a non-aggressive way. Licking is primarily performed by subordinates and received by dominant animals. Mounting is a playful behavior shown by calves of both sexes and by bulls and sometimes by cows in estrus, however, this is not a dominance related behavior as has been found in other species.
The horns of cattle are "honest signals" used in mate selection. Furthermore, horned cattle attempt to keep greater distances between themselves and have fewer physical interactions than hornless cattle. This leads to more stable social relationships.
In calves, the frequency of agonistic behavior decreases as space allowance increases, but this does not occur for changes in group size. However, in adult cattle, the number of agonistic encounters increases as the group size increases.
Grazing behavior
When grazing, cattle vary several aspects of their bite, i.e. tongue and jaw movements, depending on characteristics of the plant they are eating. Bite area decreases with the density of the plants but increases with their height. Bite area is determined by the sweep of the tongue; in one study observing 750-kilogram (1,650 lb) steers, bite area reached a maximum of approximately 170 cm2 (30 sq in). Bite depth increases with the height of the plants. By adjusting their behavior, cattle obtain heavier bites in swards that are tall and sparse compared with short, dense swards of equal mass/area. Cattle adjust other aspects of their grazing behavior in relation to the available food; foraging velocity decreases and intake rate increases in areas of abundant palatable forage.
Cattle avoid grazing areas contaminated by the faeces of other cattle more strongly than they avoid areas contaminated by sheep, but they do not avoid pasture contaminated by rabbit faeces.
Temperament and emotions
In cattle, temperament can affect production traits such as carcass and meat quality or milk yield as well as affecting the animal's overall health and reproduction. Cattle temperament is defined as "the consistent behavioral and physiological difference observed between individuals in response to a stressor or environmental challenge and is used to describe the relatively stable difference in the behavioral predisposition of an animal, which can be related to psychobiological mechanisms". Generally, cattle temperament is assumed to be multidimensional. Five underlying categories of temperament traits have been proposed:
shyness–boldness
exploration–avoidance
activity
aggressiveness
sociability
In a study on Holstein–Friesian heifers learning to press a panel to open a gate for access to a food reward, the researchers also recorded the heart rate and behavior of the heifers when moving along the race towards the food. When the heifers made clear improvements in learning, they had higher heart rates and tended to move more vigorously along the race. The researchers concluded this was an indication that cattle may react emotionally to their own learning improvement.
Negative emotional states are associated with a bias toward negative responses towards ambiguous cues in judgement tasks. After separation from their mothers, Holstein calves showed such a cognitive bias indicative of low mood. A similar study showed that after hot-iron disbudding (dehorning), calves had a similar negative bias indicating that post-operative pain following this routine procedure results in a negative change in emotional state.
In studies of visual discrimination, the position of the ears has been used as an indicator of emotional state. When cattle are stressed other cattle can tell by the chemicals released in their urine.
Cattle are very gregarious and even short-term isolation is considered to cause severe psychological stress. When Aubrac and Friesian heifers are isolated, they increase their vocalizations and experience increased heart rate and plasma cortisol concentrations. These physiological changes are greater in Aubracs. When visual contact is re-instated, vocalizations rapidly decline, regardless of the familiarity of the returning cattle, however, heart rate decreases are greater if the returning cattle are familiar to the previously isolated individual. Mirrors have been used to reduce stress in isolated cattle.
Sleep
Further information: Sleep in non-human animals and Cow tipping
The average sleep time of a domestic cow is about 4 hours a day. Cattle do have a stay apparatus, but do not sleep standing up; they lie down to sleep deeply. In spite of the urban legend, cows cannot be tipped over by people pushing on them.
Genetics
Further information: Bovine genome
On 24 April 2009, edition of the journal Science, a team of researchers led by the National Institutes of Health and the US Department of Agriculture reported having mapped the bovine genome. The scientists found cattle have about 22,000 genes, and 80% of their genes are shared with humans, and they share about 1000 genes with dogs and rodents, but are not found in humans. Using this bovine "HapMap", researchers can track the differences between the breeds that affect the quality of meat and milk yields.
Behavioral traits of cattle can be as heritable as some production traits, and often, the two can be related. The heritability of fear varies markedly in cattle from low (0.1) to high (0.53); such high variation is also found in pigs and sheep, probably due to differences in the methods used. The heritability of temperament (response to isolation during handling) has been calculated as 0.36 and 0.46 for habituation to handling. Rangeland assessments show that the heritability of aggressiveness in cattle is around 0.36.
Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) have been found for a range of production and behavioral characteristics for both dairy and beef cattle.
Domestication and husbandry
Cattle occupy a unique role in human history, having been domesticated since at least the early neolithic age.
Archaeozoological and genetic data indicate that cattle were first domesticated from wild aurochs (Bos primigenius) approximately 10,500 years ago. There were two major areas of domestication: one in the Near East (specifically central Anatolia, the Levant and Western Iran), giving rise to the taurine line, and a second in the area that is now Pakistan, resulting in the indicine line. Modern mitochondrial DNA variation indicates the taurine line may have arisen from as few as 80 aurochs tamed in the upper reaches of Mesopotamia near the villages of Çayönü Tepesi in what is now southeastern Turkey and Dja'de el-Mughara in what is now northern Syria.
Although European cattle are largely descended from the taurine lineage, gene flow from African cattle (partially of indicine origin) contributed substantial genomic components to both southern European cattle breeds and their New World descendants. A study on 134 breeds showed that modern taurine cattle originated from Africa, Asia, North and South America, Australia, and Europe. Some researchers have suggested that African taurine cattle are derived from a third independent domestication from North African aurochsen.
Usage as money
As early as 9000 BC both grain and cattle were used as money or as barter (the first grain remains found, considered to be evidence of pre-agricultural practice date to 17,000 BC). Some evidence also exists to suggest that other animals, such as camels and goats, may have been used as currency in some parts of the world. One of the advantages of using cattle as currency is that it allows the seller to set a fixed price. It even created the standard pricing. For example, two chickens were traded for one cow as cows were deemed to be more valuable than chickens.
Modern husbandry
Further information: Animal husbandry
Cattle are often raised by allowing herds to graze on the grasses of large tracts of rangeland. Raising cattle in this manner allows the use of land that might be unsuitable for growing crops. The most common interactions with cattle involve daily feeding, cleaning and milking. Many routine husbandry practices involve ear tagging, dehorning, loading, medical operations, artificial insemination, vaccinations and hoof care, as well as training for agricultural shows and preparations. Also, some cultural differences occur in working with cattle; the cattle husbandry of Fulani men rests on behavioural techniques, whereas in Europe, cattle are controlled primarily by physical means, such as fences. Breeders use cattle husbandry to reduce M. bovis infection susceptibility by selective breeding and maintaining herd health to avoid concurrent disease.
Cattle are farmed for beef, veal, dairy, and leather. They are less commonly used for conservation grazing, or to maintain grassland for wildlife, such as in Epping Forest, England. They are often used in some of the most wild places for livestock. Depending on the breed, cattle can survive on hill grazing, heaths, marshes, moors and semidesert. Modern cattle are more commercial than older breeds and, having become more specialized, are less versatile. For this reason, many smaller farmers still favor old breeds, such as the Jersey dairy breed. In Portugal, Spain, southern France and some Latin American countries, bulls are used in the activity of bullfighting; In many other countries bullfighting is illegal. Other activities such as bull riding are seen as part of a rodeo, especially in North America. Bull-leaping, a central ritual in Bronze Age Minoan culture, still exists in southwestern France. In modern times, cattle are also entered into agricultural competitions. These competitions can involve live cattle or cattle carcases in hoof and hook events.
In terms of food intake by humans, consumption of cattle is less efficient than of grain or vegetables with regard to land use, and hence cattle grazing consumes more area than such other agricultural production when raised on grains. Nonetheless, cattle and other forms of domesticated animals can sometimes help to use plant resources in areas not easily amenable to other forms of agriculture.
Feral cattle
Feral cattle are defined as being 'cattle that are not domesticated or cultivated'. Populations of feral cattle are known to come from and exist in: Australia, United States of America, Colombia, Argentina, Spain, France and many islands, including New Guinea, Hawaii (see Hawaiian wild cattle), Galapagos, Juan Fernández Islands, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic and Haiti), Tristan da Cunha and Île Amsterdam (see Amsterdam Island cattle), two islands of Kuchinoshima and Kazura Island next to Naru Island in Japan. Chillingham cattle is sometimes regarded as a feral breed. Aleutian wild cattles can be found on the Aleutian Islands. The "Kinmen cattle" which are predominantly found on Kinmen Island, Taiwan is mostly domesticated while smaller portion of the population is believed to live in the wild due to accidental releases.
Other notable examples include cattle in the vicinity of Hong Kong (in the Shing Mun Country Park, among Sai Kung District and Lantau Island and on Grass Island), and semi-feral animals in Yangmingshan, Taiwan.
Economy
The meat of adult cattle is known as beef, and that of calves is veal. Other animal parts are also used as food products, including blood, liver, kidney, heart and oxtail. Cattle also produce milk, and dairy cattle are specifically bred to produce the large quantities of milk processed and sold for human consumption. Cattle today are the basis of a multibillion-dollar industry worldwide. The international trade in beef for 2000 was over $30 billion and represented only 23% of world beef production. Approximately 300 million cattle, including dairy cattle, are slaughtered each year for food. The production of milk, which is also made into cheese, butter, yogurt, and other dairy products, is comparable in economic size to beef production, and provides an important part of the food supply for many of the world's people. Cattle hides, used for leather to make shoes, couches and clothing, are another widespread product. Cattle remain broadly used as draft animals in many developing countries, such as India. Cattle are also used in some sporting games, including rodeo and bullfighting.
Meat production
Cattle meat production (kt)
Country2008200920102011
Argentina3132337826302497
Australia2132212426302420
Brazil9024939591159030
China5841606062446182
Germany1199119012051170
Japan520517515500
US12163118911204611988
Source: Helgi Library, World Bank, FAOSTAT
About a quarter of the world's meat comes from cattle.
Dairy
Main articles: Dairy cattle, Dairy farming, and Dairy
Certain breeds of cattle, such as the Holstein-Friesian, are used to produce milk, which can be processed into dairy products such as milk, cheese or yogurt. Dairy cattle are usually kept on specialized dairy farms designed for milk production. Most cows are milked twice per day, with milk processed at a dairy, which may be onsite at the farm or the milk may be shipped to a dairy plant for eventual sale of a dairy product. Lactation is induced in heifers and spayed cows by a combination of physical and psychological stimulation, by drugs, or by a combination of those methods. For mother cows to continue producing milk, they give birth to one calf per year. If the calf is male, it generally is slaughtered at a young age to produce veal. They will continue to produce milk until three weeks before birth. Over the last fifty years, dairy farming has become more intensive to increase the yield of milk produced by each cow. The Holstein-Friesian is the breed of dairy cow most common in the UK, Europe and the United States. It has been bred selectively to produce the highest yields of milk of any cow. Around 22 litres per day is average in the UK.
Hides
Most cattle are not kept solely for hides, which are usually a by-product of beef production. Hides are most commonly used for leather, which can be made into a variety of products, including shoes. In 2012 India was the world's largest producer of cattle hides.
Oxen
Main article: Ox
Oxen (singular ox) are cattle trained as draft animals. Often they are adult, castrated males of larger breeds, although females and bulls are also used in some areas. Usually, an ox is over four years old due to the need for training and to allow it to grow to full size. Oxen are used for plowing, transport, hauling cargo, grain-grinding by trampling or by powering machines, irrigation by powering pumps, and wagon drawing. Oxen were commonly used to skid logs in forests, and sometimes still are, in low-impact, select-cut logging. Oxen are most often used in teams of two, paired, for light work such as carting, with additional pairs added when more power is required, sometimes up to a total of 20 or more. Oxen can be trained to respond to a teamster's signals. These signals are given by verbal commands or by noise (whip cracks). Verbal commands vary according to dialect and local tradition. Oxen can pull harder and longer than horses. Though not as fast as horses, they are less prone to injury because they are more sure-footed.
Many oxen are used worldwide, especially in developing countries. About 11.3 million draft oxen are used in sub-Saharan Africa. In India, the number of draft cattle in 1998 was estimated at 65.7 million head. About half the world's crop production is thought to depend on land preparation (such as plowing) made possible by animal traction.
Climate change and economics of cattle rearing
See also: Economic impacts of climate change
Climate change increases heat stress, and even mild heat stress can reduce the yield of cow milk. Some researchers suggest that the already recorded stagnation of dairy production in both China and West Africa can attributed to persistent increases in heat stress.: 747 In China, daily milk production per cow is already lower than the average by between 0.7 and 4 kg in July (the hottest month of the year), and by 2070, it may decline by up to 50% (or 7.2 kg) due to climate change. In male cattle, severe heat can affect both spermatogenesis and the stored spermatozoa, and it may take up to eight weeks for sperm to become viable again. In females, heat stress negatively affects conception rates as it impairs corpus luteum and thus ovarian function and oocyte quality. Even after conception, a pregnancy is less likely to be carried to term due to reduced endometrial function and uterine blood flow, leading to increased embryonic mortality and early fetal loss. Calves born to heat-stressed cows typically have a below-average weight, and their weight and height remains below average even by the time they reach their first year, due to permanent changes in their metabolism. Heat stress can also be outright lethal, which is already seen during some heatwaves: in July 1995, over 4000 cattle perished in the mid-central United States heatwave, and in 1999, over 5000 cattle died during a heatwave in northeastern Nebraska.
By 2017, it was already reported that farmers in Nepal kept fewer cattle due to the losses imposed by a longer hot season.: 747 As of 2022, it has been suggested that every additional millimeter of annual precipitation increases beef production by 2.1% in the tropical countries and reduces it by 1.9% in temperate ones, yet the effects of warming are much larger. Under SSP3-7.0, a scenario of significant warming and very low adaptation, every additional 1 °C (1.8 °F) would decrease global beef production by 9.7%, mainly because of its impact on tropical and poor countries. In the countries which can afford adaptation measures, production would fall by around 4%, but by 27% in those which can't. Only a few exceptions have been identified to date: for instance, east and south of Argentina may become more suitable to cattle ranching due to climate-driven shifts in rainfall, but a shift to Zebu breeds would likely be needed to minimize the impact of warming. Other studies suggest that Brahman cattle and its cross-breeds are more resistant to heat stress than the regular bos taurus breeds, but on a global scale, it is considered unlikely that even more heat-resistant cattle can be bred at a sufficient rate to keep up with the expected warming.
Population
The cattle population of Britain rose from 9.8 million in 1878 to 11.7 million in 1908, but beef consumption rose much faster. Britain became the "stud farm of the world" exporting livestock to countries where there were no indigenous cattle. In 1929 80% of the meat trade of the world was products of what were originally English breeds. There were nearly 70 million cattle in the US by the early 1930s.
For 2013, the FAO estimated global cattle numbers at 1.47 billion. Regionally, the FAO estimate for 2013 includes: Asia 497 million; South America 350 million; Africa 307 million; Europe 122 million; North America 102 million; Central America 47 million; Oceania 40 million; and Caribbean 9 million.
As per FAS/USDA 2021 data, India had the largest cattle population in the world in 2021 followed by Brazil and China
India's cattle's population was reported at 305.5 million head in 2021, accounting for roughly 30% of the world's population. India, Brazil and China accounted for roughly 65% of the world's cattle population in 2021.
It has been estimated that out of all animal species on Earth, Bos taurus has the largest biomass at roughly 400 million tonnes, followed closely by Euphausia superba (Antarctic krill) at 379 million tonnes, and Homo sapiens (humans) at 373 million tonnes.
Cattle population
Environmental impact
See also: Environmental effects of meat production, Milk § Environmental impact, Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, Beef § Environmental impact, and Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture § Livestock
Meat from cattle has the highest emissions intensity of any agricultural commodity.
Gut flora in cattle include methanogens that produce methane as a byproduct of enteric fermentation, which cattle belch out. The same volume of atmospheric methane has a 72x higher (over 20 years) global warming potential than atmospheric carbon dioxide. Methane belching from cattle can be reduced with genetic selection, immunization against the many methanogens, rumen defaunation (killing the bacteria-killing protozoa), diet modification (e.g. seaweed fortification), decreased antibiotic use, and grazing management, among others.
A 2013 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) based on 2005 data states that the livestock sector is responsible for 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions, 65% of which is due to cattle. The IPCC estimates that cattle and other livestock emit about 80 to 93 Megatonnes of methane per year, accounting for an estimated 37% of anthropogenic methane emissions, and additional methane is produced by anaerobic fermentation of manure in manure lagoons and other manure storage structures. Another estimate is 12% of global GHG. While cattle fed forage actually produce more methane than grain-fed cattle, the increase may be offset by the increased carbon recapture of pastures, which recapture three times the CO2 of cropland used for grain.
Mean greenhouse gas emissions for different food types.
Food TypesGreenhouse Gas Emissions (g CO2-Ceq per gram protein)
Ruminant Meat
62
Recirculating Aquaculture
30
Trawling Fishery
26
Non-recirculating Aquaculture
12
Pork
10
Poultry
10
Dairy
9.1
Non-trawling Fishery
8.6
Eggs
6.8
Starchy Roots
1.7
Wheat
1.2
Maize
1.2
Legumes
0.25
Mean land use of different foods
Food TypesLand Use (m2·year per 100 g protein)
Lamb and Mutton
185
Beef
164
Cheese
41
Pork
11
Poultry
7.1
Eggs
5.7
Farmed Fish
3.7
Peanuts
3.5
Peas
3.4
Tofu
2.2
One of the cited changes suggested to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is intensification of the livestock industry, since intensification leads to less land for a given level of production. This assertion is supported by studies of the US beef production system, suggesting practices prevailing in 2007 involved 8.6% less fossil fuel use, 16.3% less greenhouse gas emissions, 12.1% less water use, and 33.0% less land use, per unit mass of beef produced, than those used in 1977. The analysis took into account not only practices in feedlots, but also feed production (with less feed needed in more intensive production systems), forage-based cow-calf operations and back-grounding before cattle enter a feedlot (with more beef produced per head of cattle from those sources, in more intensive systems), and beef from animals derived from the dairy industry. A more controversial suggestion, advocated by George Monbiot in the documentary "Apocalypse Cow", is to stop farming cattle completely, however farmers often have political power so might be able to resist such a big change.
Estimated virtual water requirements for various foods (m³ water/ton
Hoekstra & Hung
(2003)
Chapagain & Hoekstra (2003)Zimmer & Renault
(2003)
Oki et al. (2003)Average
Beef15,97713,50020,70016,730
Pork5,9064,6005,9005,470
Cheese5,2885,290
Poultry2,8284,1004,5003,810
Eggs4,6572,7003,2003,520
Rice2,6561,4003,6002,550
Soybeans2,3002,7502,5002,520
Wheat1,1501,1602,0001,440
Maize4507101,9001,020
Milk865790560740
Potatoes160105130
Significant numbers of dairy, as well as beef cattle, are confined in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), defined as "new and existing operations which stable or confine and feed or maintain for a total of 45 days or more in any 12-month period more than the number of animals specified" where "[c]rops, vegetation, forage growth, or post-harvest residues are not sustained in the normal growing season over any portion of the lot or facility." They may be designated as small, medium and large. Such designation of cattle CAFOs is according to cattle type (mature dairy cows, veal calves or other) and cattle numbers, but medium CAFOs are so designated only if they meet certain discharge criteria, and small CAFOs are designated only on a case-by-case basis.
Mean eutrophying emissions (water pollution) of different foods per 100 g of protein
Food TypesEutrophying Emissions (g PO43-eq per 100 g protein)
Beef
365.3
Farmed Fish
235.1
Farmed Crustaceans
227.2
Cheese
98.4
Lamb and Mutton
97.1
Pork
76.4
Poultry
48.7
Eggs
21.8
Peanuts
14.1
Peas
7.5
Tofu
6.2
Mean acidifying emissions (air pollution) of different foods per 100 g of protein
Food TypesAcidifying Emissions (g SO2eq per 100 g protein)
Beef
343.6
Cheese
165.5
Pork
142.7
Lamb and Mutton
139.0
Farmed Crustaceans
133.1
Poultry
102.4
Farmed Fish
65.9
Eggs
53.7
Peanuts
22.6
Peas
8.5
Tofu
6.7
A CAFO that discharges pollutants is required to obtain a permit, which requires a plan to manage nutrient runoff, manure, chemicals, contaminants, and other wastewater pursuant to the US Clean Water Act. The regulations involving CAFO permitting have been extensively litigated.
Commonly, CAFO wastewater and manure nutrients are applied to land at agronomic rates for use by forages or crops, and it is often assumed that various constituents of wastewater and manure, e.g. organic contaminants and pathogens, will be retained, inactivated or degraded on the land with application at such rates; however, additional evidence is needed to test reliability of such assumptions . Concerns raised by opponents of CAFOs have included risks of contaminated water due to feedlot runoff, soil erosion, human and animal exposure to toxic chemicals, development of antibiotic resistant bacteria and an increase in E. coli contamination. While research suggests some of these impacts can be mitigated by developing wastewater treatment systems and planting cover crops in larger setback zones, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report in 2008 concluding that CAFOs are generally unsustainable and externalize costs.
Another concern is manure, which if not well-managed, can lead to adverse environmental consequences. However, manure also is a valuable source of nutrients and organic matter when used as a fertilizer. Manure was used as a fertilizer on about 6,400,000 hectares (15.8 million acres) of US cropland in 2006, with manure from cattle accounting for nearly 70% of manure applications to soybeans and about 80% or more of manure applications to corn, wheat, barley, oats and sorghum. Substitution of manure for synthetic fertilizers in crop production can be environmentally significant, as between 43 and 88 megajoules of fossil fuel energy would be used per kg of nitrogen in manufacture of synthetic nitrogenous fertilizers.
Grazing by cattle at low intensities can create a favourable environment for native herbs and forbs by mimicking the native grazers who they displaced; in many world regions, though, cattle are reducing biodiversity due to overgrazing. A survey of refuge managers on 123 National Wildlife Refuges in the US tallied 86 species of wildlife considered positively affected and 82 considered negatively affected by refuge cattle grazing or haying. Proper management of pastures, notably managed intensive rotational grazing and grazing at low intensities can lead to less use of fossil fuel energy, increased recapture of carbon dioxide, fewer ammonia emissions into the atmosphere, reduced soil erosion, better air quality, and less water pollution.
Health
The veterinary discipline dealing with cattle and cattle diseases (bovine veterinary) is called buiatrics. Veterinarians and professionals working on cattle health issues are pooled in the World Association for Buiatrics, founded in 1960. National associations and affiliates also exist.
Digital dermatitis is caused by the bacteria from the genus Treponema. It differs from foot rot and can appear under unsanitary conditions such as poor hygiene or inadequate hoof trimming, among other causes. It primarily affects dairy cattle and has been known to lower the quantity of milk produced, however the milk quality remains unaffected. Cattle are also susceptible to ringworm caused by the fungus, Trichophyton verrucosum, a contagious skin disease which may be transferred to humans exposed to infected cows.
Public health
Cattle diseases were in the center of attention in the 1980s and 1990s when the Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, was of concern. Cattle might catch and develop various other diseases, like blackleg, bluetongue, foot rot too.
In most states, as cattle health is not only a veterinarian issue, but also a public health issue, public health and food safety standards and farming regulations directly affect the daily work of farmers who keep cattle. However, said rules change frequently and are often debated. For instance, in the UK, it was proposed in 2011 that milk from tuberculosis-infected cattle should be allowed to enter the food chain. Internal food safety regulations might affect a country's trade policy as well. For example, the United States has just reviewed its beef import rules according to the "mad cow standards"; while Mexico forbids the entry of cattle who are older than 30 months.
Medicinal uses
Cow urine is commonly used in India for internal medical purposes. It is distilled and then consumed by patients seeking treatment for a wide variety of illnesses. At present, no conclusive medical evidence shows this has any effect. However, an Indian medicine containing cow urine has already obtained U.S. patents.
Effect of high stocking density
Stocking density refers to the number of animals within a specified area. When stocking density reaches high levels, the behavioural needs of the animals may not be met. This can negatively influence health, welfare and production performance.
The effect of overstocking in cows can have a negative effect on milk production and reproduction rates which are two very important traits for dairy farmers. Overcrowding of cows in barns has been found to reduced feeding, resting and rumination. Although they consume the same amount of dry matter within the span of a day, they consume the food at a much more rapid rate, and this behaviour in cows can lead to further complications. The feeding behaviour of cows during their post-milking period is very important as it has been proven that the longer animals can eat after milking, the longer they will be standing up and therefore causing less contamination to the teat ends. This is necessary to reduce the risk of mastitis as infection has been shown to increase the chances of embryonic loss. Sufficient rest is important for dairy cows because it is during this period that their resting blood flow increases up to 50%, this is directly proportionate to milk production. Each additional hour of rest can be seen to translate to 2 to 3.5 more pounds of milk per cow daily. Stocking densities of anything over 120% have been shown to decrease the amount of time cows spend lying down.
Cortisol is an important stress hormone; its plasma concentrations increase greatly when subjected to high levels of stress. Increased concentration levels of cortisol have been associated with significant increases in gonadotrophin levels and lowered progestin levels. Reduction of stress is important in the reproductive state of cows as an increase in gonadotrophin and lowered progesterone levels may impinge on the ovulatory and lutenization process and to reduce the chances of successful implantation. A high cortisol level will also stimulate the degradation of fats and proteins which may make it difficult for the animal to sustain
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
CONVERSATION: THE CONFUSING, CONFOUNDING, EVER-CHANGING MEDIA WORLD
Media honchos talk about innovating and adapting to the transformations that technology delivers.
Speakers:
Bonnie Hammer, Chairman, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Universal Cable Studios, NBCUniversal Media
Laura Lang, CEO, Time Inc.
Gracia Martore, President and CEO, Gannett
Katie Jacobs Stanton, Vice President, International Sales and Development, Twitter
Moderator: Stephanie Mehta, Fortune
Photograph by Krista Kennell/Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit
Alexander Dennis's Enviro400 would on the face of it appear to have become something of a standard in London as there are hundreds upon hundreds of them in use with all the major operators. Here Go-Ahead London's E189 (SN61 BJJ) waits to turn into Parliament Street whilst on its way from Deptford Bridge to Marylebone on former 'bendybus' route 453.
Most of the time when I look at the sky I think of the infinite universes that hide among the stars and planets far away from our galaxy. Simply thinking about the vast spectrum and array of stars that we will never get to but only dream to touch. We as humans tend to look for gold in our lands to buy more of it sacrificing all that we have for a planet that’s as round as a basketball but can’t bounce only float in our milky way
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
ONE ON ONE
How to turn your customers into a community
Christine Day, CEO, lululemon athletica inc.
Interviewer: Jennifer Reingold, Fortune
Photograph by Krista Kennell/Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Fortune The Most Powerful Women
Washington, D.C., USA
12:50 PM One on One
Martina Navratilova
Interviewer: Pattie Sellers, Fortune
Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune Most Powerful Women
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Fortune The Most Powerful Women
Washington, D.C., USA
3:00 PM–4:00 PM Concurrent SESSIONS
Global Business: Navigating the New Geopolitical Realities
Presented by Barclays
Which countries will lead—and lag—in the economic recovery?
Baroness Shriti Vadera, Former U.K. Cabinet Office Minister and Member of Council of Economic Advisors, H.M. Treasury; Strategy and Finance Advisor, Shriti Vadera Ltd.
Interviewer: Nina Easton, Washington Columnist, Senior Editor, and Co-chair, MPW Summit, Fortune
Photograph by Danuta Otfinowski/Fortune Most Powerful Women
Our most heavy duty Hydraulic Barber Chair at the best price to you! Don't be fooled by cheap imitations. Lays back further than our standard barber chairs with an extra heavy duty base. This barber chair is the cutting edge in modern design for the barber industry. If you are looking for a chair that provides modern style with ultra functionality, then this chair is the perfect choice.
Most of England's surviving wattle & daub houses are in the County of Lincolnshire, this one dates from the 15th Century and is beautifully kept in the village of Haconby.
Harold Estes and Ena Ruth Finley. From the 1951 edition of The Reg-O-Ala, E. M. Holt High School's yearbook (p. 38).
View at DigitalNC: E. M. Holt High School 1951 Yearbook
Digital Collection: North Carolina High School Yearbooks
Contributing Institution: Alamance County Public Libraries
Standard Rights Statement: In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted
Most of the migrating Rufous Hummers have already passed through this mountainous area. These native guys will be headed lower and southward very soon... most of the adults are already gone. This guy has the beginnings on his chin of what will eventually be a solid red gorget of the males. He is also exhibiting what Sibley calls the "4-o'clock shadow."
IMG_4907; Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Most sheets of plywood, panelling, and particle board are donated in partial sheets (less than 4 feet by 8 feet). Full sheets tend to be collected quickly. Drop by often!
Measuring your stoma is one of the most crucial skills to know. Not only will it help you prevent leaks, but it will also allow you to extend the appliance wear time. It will ultimately help you save your #skin.
In this article, we will discuss how to measure your stoma.
Note that this guide is for people who have a round-shaped and adequately protruded #stoma. This guide will help people with colostomies, ileostomies, and urostomies. You may not get perfect results if your stoma is flush or overly protruded.
Similarly, if you have a loop ostomy, it will not be possible for you to benefit from a circular guide. You are going to have to be creative while measuring the stoma to create a perfect flange’s opening. One way to use a circular guide for a loop stoma is to use a half-circle. This way, you will be able to get the required shape of the opening.
Every skin wafer is different from the others. All wafers are made to swell when they come in contact with the stomal output, but the degree at which they swell may vary from brand to #brand. That said, you may want to create an opening slightly larger than your stoma. It will allow the flange to expand without strangling your stoma. It is crucial to get a flange that gives your stoma enough space to expand when waste contents pass out of it. You will, of course, need to make sure that the flange sticks well to your skin.
Change in the stoma size
The change in the size of the stoma is inevitable in the first few weeks after #surgery. There will be swelling in the stoma right after surgery. Over time, this swelling subsides, and the stoma settles to an almost permanent shape 6-8 weeks after surgery. It is the normal process to anticipate.
A stoma can also change its size due to certain changes in the body. For instance, there may be a change in the shape and size of the stoma when you gain or lose weight. Some conditions that may result in the change of the size of the stoma include a prolapsing and parastomal hernia. You can make an accurate opening to make the #flange fitting the shape and size of your stoma.
You may want to use the following supplies while measuring your stoma.
• A measuring guide. It will be particularly beneficial if you are using cut-to-fit #ostomy barriers.
• Ostomy barrier #scissors. These scissors help you create an opening that will not have sharp edges.
• A marker for tracing.
• Gauze to keep your stoma dry. You are going to need it when you are not wearing anything over your stoma. It is typically more beneficial if you have a #urostomy.
• Mirror. It will be helpful if your stoma is away from the scope of vision due to any reason.
Most cut-to-fit wafers come with markers that allow you to create an opening of the exact shape and size of your choice. You may want to learn about creating an opening from your ostomy care nurse.
Puente medioeval, simbólico para la región. Fue destruido en la guerra de Bosnia en 1993 y perfectamente restaurado con la intervención de las Naciones Unidas a través de Unesco.
Mostar: Ciudad medioeval a orillas del río Neretva, declarada Patrimonio de la Humanidad por Unesco
Mostar, Bosnia y Herzegovina
Die Drachenbrücke (Zmajski most) ist die wohl bekannteste der zahlreichen Brücken über die Ljubljanica im Zentrum von Ljubljana (Laibach). Ihr Name leitet sich von den vier geflügelten Drachen an den Enden der Brücke ab, die wiederum den Drachen im Wappen von Ljubljana verkörpern.
Die 1901 eröffnete Brücke gilt als Meisterwerk der Jugendstil-Architektur. Sie war eine der ersten in Melan-Bauweise errichteten Betonbrücken, die erste Brücke mit einer asphaltierten Fahrbahn in Slowenien und die erste Stahlbetonbrücke in Ljubljana.
Quelle: Wikipedia
0369_27
Most people don't know that famed Alien monster creator H.R. Giger got his start designing farm equipment.
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2012
CONVERSATION: LESSONS FROM THE STORM
Speakers:
Barbara Byrne, Vice Chairman, Investment Banking, Barclays
Sallie Krawcheck, Former President, Global Wealth and Investment Management, Bank of America
Moderator: Carol Loomis, Fortune
Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit
Belvedere Castle
Upper Belvedere, 2011
(further pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
Lower Belvedere, 2010
Vienna's most famous castles system, the Upper Belvedere and Lower Belvedere Palace, the city owes the former champion in the fight against the Ottomans, Prince Eugene of Savoy. This one had for himself the of two castles (Lower Belvedere, Upper Belvedere Palace ) consisting and with a park and other side attractions equipped estate as a summer residence in the style of Versailles built. Within ten years (1714-1723/24) Lukas von Hildebrandt built his biggest project, which is one of the most beautiful Baroque works in the world.
After the death of Prince Eugene, who remained unmarried, his whole estate passed to his sister Victoria, who sold it low priced to the imperial court in 1752. So the estate 1894-1914 served as a residential area for the heir to the throne, Franz Ferdinand, dying in the attack in Sarajevo with his wife in 1914. Even Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg lived from 1934-1938 in the Upper Belvedere Castle. 1955 the plant became the scene of a major political event, the foreign ministers of France, Britain, Soviet Union, United States and Austria signing the treaty for independence in the Marble Hall of the Upper Belvedere. Today, in the formerly as a residential complex and representation residences used palaces are especially exhibitions of Austrian artists located.
Lower Belvedere Palace
The 1716 finished Lower Belvedere Palace looks in comparison to its opposite counterpart quite modest, though the castle has a rich interior decoration in the Baroque style. So forms the center of the mainly single-storey building the two-story marble hall, which with golden ornaments and painted mock architecture (Gaetano Fanti) was decorated. The famous frescoes by Martino Altomonte (1914) in the Marble Hall show the original owner of the castle Prince Eugene as he receives his hat and stick - alike Apollo on clouds dormant. In addition, invites the Golden Room, with its mirrors, the golden paneling as well as paintings of personalized continents, elements and seasons to marvel. This space, especially the interior, was once part of the city palace of the Türkenbesiegers (vanquisher of the Turks) before anything was transferred in 1770 to the Lower Castle. In addition to the Marble Hall and the Golden Room convince the other rooms in their equipment and artistic design. In the former bedchamber visitors can admire the relief of Raphael Donner and in the Marble Gallery stucco decorations by Santino Bussi with life-size mythological niche figures by Domenico Parodi. The Hall of Grotesques also could be interesting for art lovers: On one hand, the grotesque paintings by Jonas Drentwett can be viewed, which are intended to represent the Prince in his functions as a warlord and patron of the Arts. On the other hand, attracts the ceiling fresco depicting the four seasons as well as the design of the corners of the room with the four elements everyone's attention.
Upper Belvedere Palace
The representation castle of the former Prinz- Eugen-estate served primarily of the joyful coming together for lavish celebrations or enjoyment of many art treasures. It was completed in 1724 and is, due to its richly decorated façade, considered as the more marvelous of the two castles. The mentioned enjoyment of art is already visible at the richly decorated facade and is continued in the design of the castle rooms. Four powerful atlases of Mattielli in the Sala terrene carry the vault of the room and the white stucco decorations by Santino Bussi are continued in the hallway under the theme of the prince virtues. The two-story marble hall is here - as well as in the Lower Belvedere Palace - the center of the building. The ceiling painting "Allegory of Glory " by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone symbolizes the eternal glory of the prince in the midst of princely virtues. The Apollo-Aura-Fresco ("victory of light over darkness") in the garden room, too, also by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone, heroises Prince Eugene as a bringer of light and Türkenbesieger (defeater of the Ottomans). The frescoes in two other Ostsälen (east halls) are continuing the topic, yet these have been created by Ciacomo del Pò. Other images of high quality, thematically but biblically oriented can be found in the chapel and in the south-east tower of the castle. Here is on one hand, the dome image "God the Father" (Carlo Carlone ) to mention, as well as the altarpiece "Resurrection of Christ" (Solimena). "In the Gold Room in the Northwest Tower arised Canelettos famous view of Vienna from 1760".
Garden
Between the Upper and Lower Belvedere Palace is the beautifully landscaped garden. This one was layed out by the Parisian garden architect Dominique Girard. The axially landscaped terrace garden with symmetrical staircases, however, goes back to a concept of Hildebrandt. This construction permits from the front terrace of the Upper Belvedere a beautiful view over the sloping gardens to the towers of Vienna and the mountain ranges of the Vienna Woods behind them. The upper lawn area designed Girard in accordance with French geometries with cascades, stairs and water features, as well as laterally limited hedges and avenues. Once adorned numerous sculptures the garden grounds, too. Those have been distributed thematically and according to the altitude. So were found on the lower garden level sculptures which should symbolize the four elements. In the central region was the Parnassus represented and on the higher garden level have been found sculptures to Olympus. However, hereof have been preserved only a few sculptures, including eight muses and the symbolic figures of the Prince of Hercules and Apollo in the lower ground floor. Furthermore, two sphinx figures are standing as stone guards in front of the garden side main entrance of the upper Belvedere.
The garden also includes a botanical garden and an Alpine garden. In the former, the personal physician of Maria Theresia Gerard van Swietjens grew various medicinal herbs. Today, the Botanic Garden is owned by the University of Vienna. In contrast, the Alpine Garden was founded in the Schönbrunn Palace in 1803 by the Archdukes Johann, Rainer and Anton and 1865 moved to the Belvedere gardens. In this oldest alpine garden in Europe today can be visited the historic Alpine Plants collection of federal gardens. The there cultivated 4,000 plant species encompass in addition to numerous rare alpine plants also a rhododendron and a bonsai collection.
On the way from one to the other castle you get not only to a number of commercial buildings in the palace complex but also to the Menagerie and the famous Orangery, which served during the lifetime of Prince Eugene as heated winter garden for the orange trees.
Exhibitions and collections
The palace complex for several decades already no longer serves as a residential area for rulers or politicians. Instead, most of the spaces, especially in the Upper Belvedere Palace, are being returned to their original functions. They serve today primarily for presentation and admiration of many valuable art treasures. So can be found in the individual buildings different, always changing exhibitions such as the current on the topic of "gold". This exhibition could be visited until 17th June 2012. In addition, the Austrian Gallery Belvedere has numerous collections of different art directions. So are included in the stock collections to the Middle Ages, Baroque, Classicism, Expressionism and Impressionism as well as works of Art Nouveau, postwar and contemporary art. Particularly noteworthy at this point are the collection of Messerschmidt with his character heads, of Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, of Gustav Klimt, of Egon Schiele and of Oskar Kokoschka.
www.belvedere.at/de/ausstellungen/aktuelle-ausstellungen
wienwiki.wienerzeitung.at/WIENWIKI/Schloss_Belvedere
America’s Most Liked Wrestling (AML) returned to Winston Salem on January 30, 2016 at a new venue, the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, for their Anniversary Spectacular. A standing room crowd was at hand when the best wrestlers from around the country convened. What felt like a coronation didn’t come to pass, thanks to a “Ring Wrecker” who left a disaster in his wake. Here are the official results:
In the first of two dark matches, Daisy Day defeated Savannah Evans after a hurricanrana.
In a three-on-two handicap match, T-Rex and JR Reynolds beat Randall Eaton and Gladiators I and II after T-Rex chokeslammed Gladiator II.
Main Show Results:
Team Axcellence (Axton Ray and Mr. Excellence Brandon Scott) beat The Dixon Line (Ken Dixon, Joey Keys) in a hard-fought seesaw tag match that ended when Brandon Scott pinned Joey Keys after a blockbuster.
In a return grudge match, Zane Dawson (with George South) again cheated to beat Damien Wayne, this time cradling the Mid Atlantic Badass with his feet on the middle rope.
The Washington Bullets (Jon and Trey Williams) beat the George South Guys (Baron Bullard and Dee Mack) when George South’s attempts to interfere backfired, as he accidentally struck Baron Bullard with the brass knuckles he intended to use on Jon Williams. Baron was subsequently pinned. After the match both Bullard and Mack apparently ended their affiliation with South, as his clear favoritism toward Zane Dawson seemed to convince both Bullard and Mack to strike out on their own, in spite of South’s fervent pleas that both men remain in the fold. Afterwards, Dawson asked George to team with him against Bullard and Dee Mack February 27 in High Point. Stay tuned for developments!
Shawn Schultz defeated Steve Anthony after 15 minutes of hard fought action. Schultz gained the pinfall after surprising Anthony with an inside cradle.
Tommy Thomas then came to the ring and announced an open challenge match for Cedric Alexander. The man who took the challenge was none other than former Paragon Heavyweight Champion Caleb Konley.
Cedric Alexander beat Caleb Konley after 20 minutes of brutal back and forth action. Tommy Thomas interfered long enough to distract Konley. When Konley was distracted, Cedric hit him with the lumbar check and pinned him. While his AML debut wasn’t victorious, fans supported Konley from bell to bell and gave him a nice hand after the match.
Caprice Coleman defeated “The Ring Wrecker” Vordell Walker by disqualification when referee Jeff Bunton reversed his decision that would have awarded a tainted victory to Walker. Walker gained a pinfall after hitting the former AML titleholder with a foreign object, but the official found the foreign object in Walker’s hand, prompting him to award the DQ victory to Coleman.
In the main event, King Shane Williams (with Queen Taylor) beat AML Wrestling Champion “Greek God” Papadon by disqualification when Vordell Walker interfered on Papadon’s behalf, attacking King Shane AND Queen Taylor, even tying the queen to the top rope while he proceeded to beat down the #1 contender. When officials flooded the ring, Walker attacked them all, including AML General Manager Brian Hawks. As the carnage settled, an emotional and angry AML Owner Tracy Myers took the house mic and announced that Vordell Walker was FIRED.
America’s Most Liked Wrestling returns to the South Side Recreation Center in High Point, NC on February 27. Former WCW, ECW, and WWE star Too Cold Scorpio is scheduled to appear. Follow all the happenings and match announcements on AMLwrestling.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @ AMLWrestling.
“King” Shane Williams will be on the AML Wrestling Insider Podcast this week to discuss his reaction to Vordell Walker’s interference and what to expect next. Follow us on Youtube @AMLWrestling to never miss a video.
Most desert areas in this region have colonies of ground-dwelling squirrels... there are several species here. This group really blends into their desert background... a good thing for their survival! This a family that entertained us by romping around between openings to their underworld dwelling. They're spooky... but quiet patience pays off. These two siblings stayed close to Mom while their more adventurous brother preferred to explore on his own.
IMG_6610; Round-tailed Ground Squirrels
Most Land-Rover vehicles are so well known due to their long lives and iconic status but the poor old Series IIA Forward Control has largely been forgotten or certainly sidelined. Only produced until the mid 1970's it was never a common sight on our roads so imagine my joy when I heard Matchbox were modelling one.
Debuting in the latest mix of Moving Parts they've given it a non standard camper van rear body and it looks absolutely superb. Detailing and casting crispness is exquisite despite a predictable amount of plastic used plus the side door opens to reveal a full camper interior.
Sourced from Jcar in the US at US prices which makes it much easier to forgive any shortcomings.
Mint and boxed.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Fortune The Most Powerful Women
Washington, D.C., USA
10:40 AM ONE ON ONE
Diana Nyad, Swimmer, Xtreme Dream, The Cuba Swim
Interviewer: Chelsea Handler, Best-selling Author, Talk Show Host, Comedian and Actress; Owner, Borderline Amazing Productions
Introduction: Martha Nelson, Editor-in-Chief, Time Inc.
Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune Most Powerful Women
Most late afternoons many models and photographers gather at San Giorgio Maggiore, the famous church across the lagoon from San Marco to shoot at sunset. This was a decent day for it so I headed there. Very nice collection of models and a decent sunset too. Life is good! I took these photos in mid-February 2020.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Fortune The Most Powerful Women
Washington, D.C., USA
8:05 AM WELCOME AND THE BIG GET-TO-KNOW-YOU
Pattie Sellers, Fortune
Stephanie Mehta, Fortune
Photograph by Stuart Isett/Fortune Most Powerful Women
Most sophisticated Poppy is modeling Miss Amour's gown, Miss Fairchild Poppy is wearing the Love is Blue gown.Earrings by me.
French postcard by Éditions Hazan in the Collection Magie Noire, no. 6302. Marilyn Monroe in River of No Return (Otto Preminger, 1954).
By 1953, Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars, with leading roles in three films: the Film Noir Niagara, which focused on her sex appeal, and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire, which established her star image as a "dumb blonde". Although she played a significant role in shaping her public image throughout her career, she was disappointed by being typecast and underpaid by the studio. She was briefly suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project, but returned to star in one of the biggest box office successes of her career, The Seven Year Itch (1955).
Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jeane Mortenson in 1926 in Lemmon, South Dakota. She was the third child of Gladys Pearl Baker, née Monroe, who suffered from mental illness and later worked as a film cutter at RKO. Her mother abandoned Marilyn, and she spent most of her childhood in foster homes and an orphanage. Just after her 16th birthday, she married 21-year-old aircraft plant worker James 'Jim' Dougherty. In 1943, Dougherty enlisted in the Merchant Marine. He was initially stationed on Catalina Island, where she lived with him until he was shipped out to the Pacific in April 1944; he would remain there for most of the next two years. While working in a factory as part of the war effort in 1944, Marilyn met photographer David Conover and began a successful modelling career. She began to occasionally use the name Jean Norman when working and had her curly brunette hair straightened and dyed blond to make her more employable. As her figure was deemed more suitable for pin-up than fashion modelling, she was employed mostly for advertisements and men's magazines. By early 1946, she had appeared on 33 magazine covers for publications such as Pageant, U.S. Camera, Laff, and Peek. She divorced Dougherty in 1946. The work led to a screen test by 20th Century Fox executive and former film star Ben Lyon. Head executive Darryl F. Zanuck was unenthusiastic about it, but he was persuaded to give her a standard six-month contract to avoid her being signed by rival studio RKO Pictures. Monroe began her contract in August 1946, and together with Lyon selected the screen name of Marilyn Monroe. Among her first film parts were nine lines of dialogue as a waitress in the drama Dangerous Years (Arthur Pierson, 1947) and a one-line appearance in the comedy Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (F. Hugh Herbert, 1948). After a series of other minor film roles, she moved to Columbia. While at Fox, her role had been that of a 'girl next door', at Columbia, she was modelled after Rita Hayworth. Monroe's hairline was raised by electrolysis, and her hair was bleached even lighter to platinum blond. She also began working with the studio's head drama coach, Natasha Lytess, who would remain her mentor until 1955. Her only film at the studio was the low-budget musical Ladies of the Chorus (Phil Karlson, 1948), in which she had her first starring role as a chorus girl who is courted by a wealthy man. After leaving Columbia in September 1948, Monroe became a protégée of Johnny Hyde, vice president of the William Morris Agency. Hyde began representing her, and their relationship soon became sexual, although she refused his proposals of marriage. To advance Monroe's career, he paid for a silicone prosthesis to be implanted in her jaw and arranged a bit part in the Marx Brothers' film Love Happy (David Miller, 1949). That year, she also made minor appearances in two critically acclaimed films: John Huston's crime film The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and Joseph Mankiewicz's drama All About Eve (1950). Following Monroe's success in these roles, Hyde negotiated a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox in December 1950. Over the next two years, she became a popular actress with roles in several comedies, including As Young as You Feel (Harmon Jones, 1951) and Monkey Business (Howard Hawks, 1952) with Cary Grant, and in the dramas Clash by Night (Fritz Lang, 1952) and Don't Bother to Knock (Roy Ward Baker, 1952) with Richard Widmark. Her popularity with audiences was growing: she received several thousand letters of fan mail a week. The second year of the Fox contract saw Monroe become a top-billed actress, with gossip columnist Florabel Muir naming her the year's 'it girl' and Hedda Hopper describing her as the 'cheesecake queen' turned 'box office smash'. She began a highly publicised romance with retired New York Yankee baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, one of the most famous sports personalities of the era. A month later, Monroe faced a scandal when it was revealed that she had posed for nude photos before becoming a star, but rather than damaging her career, the story increased interest in her films.
By 1953, Marilyn Monroe was one of the most marketable Hollywood stars with leading roles in three hits: the Film Noir Niagara, and the comedies Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire. In Niagara (Henry Hathaway, 1953), she played a femme fatale scheming to murder her husband, played by Joseph Cotten. While Niagara made Monroe a sex symbol, the satirical musical comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawks, 1953) established her screen persona as a 'dumb blonde'. Based on Anita Loos' bestselling novel and its Broadway version, the film focuses on two 'gold-digging' showgirls, Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw, played by Monroe and Jane Russell. It became one of the biggest box office successes of the year by grossing $5.3 million, more than double its production costs. Her next film, How to Marry a Millionaire (Jean Negulesco, 1953), co-starred Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall. It featured Monroe in the role of a naïve model who teams up with her friends to find rich husbands, repeating the successful formula of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Despite mixed reviews, the film was Monroe's biggest box office success so far, earning $8 million in worldwide rentals. Although she played a significant role in the creation and management of her public image throughout her career, she was disappointed at being typecast and underpaid by the studio. She was suspended in early 1954 for refusing a film project. The suspension was front-page news, and Monroe immediately began a publicity campaign to counter any negative press and to strengthen her position in the conflict. On 14 January, she and Joe DiMaggio were married at the San Francisco City Hall. They then travelled to Japan, combining a honeymoon with his business trip. From there, she travelled alone to Korea, where she performed songs from her films as part of a USO show for over 60,000 U.S. Marines over four days. She settled with Fox and returned to star in one of the biggest box office successes of her career, The Seven Year Itch (Billy Wilder, 1955). Then followed the release of Otto Preminger's Western River of No Return (1955), in which Monroe appeared opposite Robert Mitchum. When the studio was still reluctant to change her contract, Monroe and photographer Milton Greene founded a film production company in late 1954, Marilyn Monroe Productions (MMP). She dedicated 1955 to building her company and began studying method acting at the Actors Studio. She grew close to the studio's director, Lee Strasberg and to his wife Paula, receiving private lessons at their home due to her shyness, and she soon became like a family member. In late 1955, Fox awarded her a new contract, which gave her more control and a larger salary. Monroe did a critically acclaimed performance in Bus Stop (Joshua Logan, 1956). She played Chérie, a saloon singer whose dreams of stardom are complicated by a naïve cowboy who falls in love with her. She received a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her performance. Then she acted opposite Laurence Olivier in the first independent production of MMP, The Prince and the Showgirl (Laurence Olivier, 1957), made in Great Britain. It was released in June 1957 to mixed reviews and proved unpopular with American audiences. The film was better received in Europe, where it won Crystal Star awards and was nominated for a BAFTA.
Then Marilyn Monroe acted opposite Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in the classic comedy Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959). The film was an absolute smash hit, with Curtis and Lemmon pretending to be females in an all-girl band, so they could get work. This was to be Marilyn's only film for the year. She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role. Monroe took a hiatus until late 1959, when she returned to Hollywood to star in the musical comedy Let's Make Love (George Cukor, 1960), about an actress and a millionaire (Yves Montand) who fall in love when performing in a satirical play. Her affair with Montand was widely reported by the press and used in the film's publicity campaign. Her last completed film was the drama The Misfits (John Huston, 1961), which Arthur Miller had written to provide her with a dramatic role. She played a recently divorced woman who becomes friends with three ageing cowboys, played by Clark Gable, Eli Wallach, and Montgomery Clift. Monroe returned to the public eye in the spring of 1962: she received a 'World Film Favourite' Golden Globe award and began to shoot a new film for 20th Century-Fox, Something's Got to Give, a remake of My Favorite Wife (Garson Kanin, 1940). Days before filming began, Monroe caught sinusitis; despite medical advice to postpone the production, Fox began it as planned in late April. Monroe was too ill to work for the majority of the next six weeks, but despite confirmations by multiple doctors, the studio tried to put pressure on her by alleging publicly that she was faking it. On 19 May 1962, she took a break to sing 'Happy Birthday' on stage at President John F. Kennedy's birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York. She drew attention with her costume: a beige, skintight dress covered in rhinestones, which made her appear nude. Monroe next filmed a scene for Something's Got to Give in which she swam naked in a swimming pool. To generate advanced publicity, the press was invited to take photographs of the scene, which were later published in Life. It was the first time that a major star had posed nude while at the height of their career. When she was again on sick leave for several days, Fox decided that it could not afford to have another film running behind schedule when it was already struggling to cover the rising costs of Cleopatra (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1963). The studio blamed Monroe for the film's demise and began spreading negative publicity about her, even alleging that she was mentally disturbed. Fox soon regretted its decision and reopened negotiations with Monroe later in June; a settlement about a new contract, including re-commencing Something's Got to Give and a starring role in the black comedy What a Way to Go! (J. Lee Thompson, 1964), was reached later that summer. To repair her public image, Monroe engaged in several publicity ventures, including interviews for Life and Cosmopolitan and her first photoshoot for Vogue. For Vogue, she and photographer Bert Stern collaborated for two series of photographs, one a standard fashion editorial and another of her posing nude, which were both later published posthumously with the title 'The Last Sitting'. In the last weeks of her life, she was also planning on starring in a biopic of Jean Harlow. Only 36, Marilyn Monroe died on 5 August 1962 from an overdose of barbiturates. She was discovered dead at her home at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive in Brentwood. She had a phone in one of her hands, and her body was completely nude and face down on her bed. During her life and also after her death, her troubled private life received much attention. She struggled with addiction, depression, and anxiety. She had two highly publicised marriages, to baseball player Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller, which both ended in divorce. Although the death was ruled a probable suicide, several conspiracy theories have been proposed in the decades following her death. There are over 600 books written about her.
Sources: De Nieuwe Kerk, Marilyn Geek, IMDb and Wikipedia.
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Most definitely based on a Mercedes-Benz E-Class is this Chinese Police model by Aoli. These arn't your typical cheapo Chinese diecasts but are actually very well cast and detailed using decent gauge metal which probably explains its nice heavyweight feel. Part of a four vehicle Police themed set. Mint and boxed.