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Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,731,571 in 2016, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration of 9,245,438 people (as of 2016) surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario, while the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) proper had a 2016 population of 6,417,516. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.
People have travelled through and inhabited the Toronto area, located on a broad sloping plateau interspersed with rivers, deep ravines, and urban forest, for more than 10,000 years. After the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase, when the Mississauga surrendered the area to the British Crown, the British established the town of York in 1793 and later designated it as the capital of Upper Canada. During the War of 1812, the town was the site of the Battle of York and suffered heavy damage by American troops. York was renamed and incorporated in 1834 as the city of Toronto. It was designated as the capital of the province of Ontario in 1867 during Canadian Confederation. The city proper has since expanded past its original borders through both annexation and amalgamation to its current area of 630.2 km2 (243.3 sq mi).
The diverse population of Toronto reflects its current and historical role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada. More than 50 percent of residents belong to a visible minority population group, and over 200 distinct ethnic origins are represented among its inhabitants. While the majority of Torontonians speak English as their primary language, over 160 languages are spoken in the city.
Toronto is a prominent centre for music, theatre, motion picture production, and television production, and is home to the headquarters of Canada's major national broadcast networks and media outlets. Its varied cultural institutions, which include numerous museums and galleries, festivals and public events, entertainment districts, national historic sites, and sports activities, attract over 43 million tourists each year. Toronto is known for its many skyscrapers and high-rise buildings, in particular the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, the CN Tower.
The city is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange, the headquarters of Canada's five largest banks, and the headquarters of many large Canadian and multinational corporations. Its economy is highly diversified with strengths in technology, design, financial services, life sciences, education, arts, fashion, aerospace, environmental innovation, food services, and tourism.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Station_(Toronto)
Union Station is a major railway station and intermodal transportation hub in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Front Street West, on the south side of the block bounded by Bay Street and York Street in downtown Toronto. The municipal government of Toronto owns the station building while the provincial transit agency Metrolinx owns the train shed and trackage. Union Station has been a National Historic Site of Canada since 1975, and a Heritage Railway Station since 1989. It is operated by the Toronto Terminals Railway, a joint venture of the Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway that directs and controls train movement along the Union Station Rail Corridor, the largest and busiest rail corridor in Canada.
Its central position in Canada's busiest inter-city rail service area, "The Corridor", as well as being the central hub of GO Transit's commuter rail service, makes Union Station Canada's busiest transportation facility and the second-busiest railway station in North America, serving over 72 million passengers each year. More than half of all Canadian inter-city passengers and 91% of Toronto commuter train passengers travel through Union Station.
Via Rail and Amtrak provide inter-city train services while GO Transit operates regional rail services. The station is also connected to the subway and streetcar system of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) at its adjacent namesake subway station. GO Transit's Union Station Bus Terminal, across Bay Street from the station building, is connected by the trainshed. The Union Pearson Express, the train service to Toronto Pearson International Airport, platform is a short walk west of the main station building, accessible by the SkyWalk.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CN_Tower
The CN Tower (French: Tour CN) is a 553.3 m-high (1,815.3 ft) concrete communications and observation tower located in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976. Its name "CN" originally referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets prior to the company's privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development.
The CN Tower held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years until 2007 when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa, and was the world's tallest tower until 2009 when it was surpassed by the Canton Tower. It is now the ninth tallest free-standing structure in the world and remains the tallest free-standing structure on land in the Western Hemisphere. In 1995, the CN Tower was declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. It also belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers.
It is a signature icon of Toronto's skyline and attracts more than two million international visitors annually.
www.recyclart.org/2016/11/win-felvarrom-recycled-innertub...
Felvarrom collects worn out bicycle parts from local shops in Budapest and upcycle them into eco-products. In their website, you can find a broad range of accessories made from recycled bike parts such as belts, bracelets, wallets and toiletry or tools bags made from upcycled tires and innertubes. They also made some cool key holders from recycled bike chains, robots and trophies from various bike parts that are real pieces of Art. And many more products for the rider inside you :)
Today, we have a great offer for you from Felvarrom! Subscribe to Felvarrom & Recyclart newsletter and try to WIN a set of:
Custom length inner tube belt made of extra soft, upcycled bike tubes! Value 59,9€
Upcycled inner tube wallet, has four card slots, a zip pocket! Fits for jeans back pocket. Value 49,9€
Toiletry or tool bag, handsewn from a durable inner tube! Value 29,9€
A total price value of 139,7€!
Bicycle inner tubes are a sustainable alternative to leather; it will be lovely smooth and shiny over time. Besides their durability, these bike inner tube wallets are very soft. All of the tubes we collected are cleaned, this wallet won’t stain your pants.
Handmade in Budapest. Please note that pictures below shows one of the wallets, not exactly that one you will get. Since the wallet is made of recycled materials, the inner tube’s patch location can be different.
Want to win a recycled, hand sewed bicycle inner tube wallet AND a belt AND a toiletry bag with WORLDWIDE DELIVERY for FREE? Visit Felvarrom Contest Page! Draw on 2016/12/05!
An account of Indian serpents, collected on the coast of Coromandel
London :Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. Shakespeare-Press; for G. Nicol,1796-1801 [i.e. 1796-1809?]
I'm amazed that the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado has shaped it's loop into a venue that can, in places, look authentic. This shot looks for all intents and purposes, that the Christmas Special is stoking the anthracite in the firebox, starting to make a run at Clear Creek Canyon and eventually, Georgetown Loop and Silver Plume in the Rockies. As nearly as I can tell, there are a lot of cameras in the crowd. Some folks crowd in for the best shots. The rest shoot snap shots. Too bad that there is no impressive sky today; that's about all that's missing. I figured on so much less when we hit the Christmas steam up over at the Colorado Rail Road Museum in Golden,Colorado. Even the dirt road down the hill, seems like a blast from the past. Eddie said they would be running #346 because RGS #20 is not yet back from it's total rebuild out east. It has gone into extra innings. I fingered Eddie will be a pest after he sees the museum for the first time ever. Everyone at the place got three loops per trip. Only those with sharp elbows got rides in #346's cab or the cupola in the caboose. They also model railroads here but they prefer modeling at a 12 inches to the foot scale. Area and other fans ought to make the trek; take your camera, empty and ready to go! Remember extra clean cards and batteries.
The last steam up was on the 17th and any new runs are not yet posted on the web site, above. Keep checking. They run the Galloping Goose on Saturdays now. The Galloping Geese hold a place in the hearts of Coloradans for a very special era on the RGS, Rio Grand Southern. How many remember RGS hauled ores past Vanadium to a smelter in Durango and on to Los ALamos for the A-bomb project. That's partly responsible for the long run to 1952 of the improbable narrow gauge that had to build all the way around when they discovered no way to get to Ridgeway and Ouray. Many of us hoped to keep the right of way viable for a tourist route.
It isn't pulling hard here but is rather showing off for the run by. Is that Eddie up the line with foam around his mouth? Some guests arrive with pencils, sketchbooks and tape measures. Some are here shooting pictures and movies. Eddie and I ae here for as godd of pictures that we can capture. Today, the fans get shots of #346 running and the red and green Christmas-colored cars. Fences keep guests away from rails so that they can operate safely. I am standing at the cordon at the second junction so I can capture a realistic shot. Nice light here and the evergreen is a nice touch.
Someone had started the engine hours before to get it to this state of steam. Perhaps they left the fire banked for the overnight duration. Steam up should be slow enough to not shock the old geezer. Hopefully, they have someone keeping an eye on the water level in the boiler. Rides started at 10:00. The 1881 BLW sported some Christmas finery but avoided silliness. It must be happy to be back at work with the original engine green and straight stack. I thought I remember a bear trap exhaust on display down there. I always liked the old timey ornamentation on the domes. Eddie wanted a diamond stack which was only for wood burners. This was a C-19 built in an era of a raft of C-16 deliveries.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and most populous urban area of Sweden. 972,647 people live in the municipality, approximately 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropolitan area. The city stretches across fourteen islands where Lake Mälaren flows into the Baltic Sea. Outside the city to the east, and along the coast, is the island chain of the Stockholm archipelago. The area has been settled since the Stone Age, in the 6th millennium BC, and was founded as a city in 1252 by Swedish statesman Birger Jarl. It is also the county seat of Stockholm County.
Stockholm is the cultural, media, political, and economic centre of Sweden. The Stockholm region alone accounts for over a third of the country's GDP, and is among the top 10 regions in Europe by GDP per capita. It is an important global city, the largest in Scandinavia and the main centre for corporate headquarters in the Nordic region. The city is home to some of Europe's top ranking universities, such as the Stockholm School of Economics, Karolinska Institute and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. It hosts the annual Nobel Prize ceremonies and banquet at the Stockholm Concert Hall and Stockholm City Hall. One of the city's most prized museums, the Vasa Museum, is the most visited non-art museum in Scandinavia. The Stockholm metro, opened in 1950, is well known for the decor of its stations; it has been called the longest art gallery in the world. Sweden's national football arena is located north of the city centre, in Solna. Ericsson Globe, the national indoor arena, is in the southern part of the city. The city was the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics, and hosted the equestrian portion of the 1956 Summer Olympics otherwise held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Stockholm is the seat of the Swedish government and most of its agencies, including the highest courts in the judiciary, and the official residencies of the Swedish monarch and the Prime Minister. The government has its seat in the Rosenbad building, the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) is seated in the Parliament House, and the Prime Minister's residence is adjacent at Sager House. Stockholm Palace is the official residence and principal workplace of the Swedish monarch, while Drottningholm Palace, a World Heritage Site on the outskirts of Stockholm, serves as the Royal Family's private residence.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamla_stan
Gamla stan ("The Old Town"), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna ("The Town between the Bridges"), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla stan consists primarily of the island Stadsholmen. Officially, but not colloquially, Gamla stan includes the surrounding islets Riddarholmen, Helgeandsholmen and Strömsborg.
The town dates back to the 13th century, and consists of medieval alleyways, cobbled streets, and archaic architecture. North German architecture has had a strong influence in the Old Town's construction.
Stortorget is the name of the scenic large square in the centre of Gamla Stan, which is surrounded by old merchants' houses including the Stockholm Stock Exchange Building. The square was the site of the Stockholm Bloodbath, where Swedish noblemen were massacred by the Danish King Christian II in November, 1520. The following revolt and civil war led to the dissolution of the Kalmar Union and the subsequent election of King Gustav I.
As well as being home to the Stockholm Cathedral, the Nobel Museum, and the Riddarholm church, Gamla stan also boasts Kungliga slottet, Sweden's baroque Royal Palace, built in the 18th century after the previous palace Tre Kronor burned down. The House of Nobility (Riddarhuset) is on the north-western corner of Gamla stan.
The restaurant Den gyldene freden is located on Österlånggatan. It has been in business, continuously, since 1722 and according to the Guinness Book of Records is the longest operated restaurant with an unchanged environment and is one of the oldest restaurants in the world. It is now owned by the Swedish Nobel Academy that have their "Thursday luncheons" there every week. A statue of St. George and the Dragon (sculpted by Bernt Notke) can be found in the Stockholm Cathedral, while Riddarholmskyrkan is the royal burial church. Bollhustäppan, a small courtyard at Slottsbacken behind the Finnish Church, just south of the main approach to the Royal Palace, is home to one of the smallest statues in Sweden, a little boy in wrought iron. The plaque just below the statue says its name "Järnpojken" ("The Iron Boy"). It was created by Liss Eriksson in 1967.
From the mid-19th century to the early-mid 20th century Gamla stan was considered a slum, many of its historical buildings left in disrepair, and just after World War II, several blocks together five alleys were demolished for the enlargement of the Riksdag (see Brantingtorget). From the 1970s and 80s, however, it has become a tourist attraction as the charm of its medieval, Renaissance architecture and later additions have been valued by later generations.
While the archaeology of the 370 properties in Gamla stan remains poorly documented, recent inventories done by volunteers have shown many buildings previously dated to the 17th and 18th centuries, can be up to 300 years older.
Source: www.visitstockholm.com/see--do/attractions/gamla-stan/
Gamla Stan, the Old Town, is one of the largest and best preserved medieval city centers in Europe, and one of the foremost attractions in Stockholm. This is where Stockholm was founded in 1252.
All of Gamla Stan and the adjacent island of Riddarholmen are like a living pedestrian-friendly museum full of sights, attractions, restaurants, cafés, bars, and places to shop. Gamla Stan is also popular with aficionados of handicrafts, curious, and souvenirs. The narrow winding cobblestone streets, with their buildings in so many different shades of gold, give Gamla Stan its unique character. Even now cellar vaults and frescoes from the Middle Ages can be found behind the visible facades, and on snowy winter days, the district feels like something from a storybook.
There are several beautiful churches and museums in Gamla Stan, including Sweden’s national cathedral Stockholm Cathedral and the Nobel Prize Museum. The largest of the attractions in the district is the Royal Palace, one of the largest palaces in the world with over 600 rooms. In addition to the reception rooms, there are several interesting museums in the Palace, including the Royal Armory, with royal costumes and armor. Don't miss the parade of soldiers and the daily changing of the guard.
Västerlånggatan and Österlånggatan are the district’s main streets. The city wall that once surrounded the city ran inside these streets along what is now Prästgatan. In the middle of Gamla Stan is Stortorget, the oldest square in Stockholm. Stortorget is the central point from which runs Köpmangatan, the oldest street in Stockholm, which was mentioned as early as the fourteenth century. Mårten Trotzigs gränd (Mårten Trotzigs alley) is hard to find. It’s the narrowest alley in Gamla Stan, only 90 centimeters wide at its narrowest point. Make sure not to miss Riddarholmen and the Riddarholmen Church. The church is a royal burial church and was built as a Franciscan monastery for the so-called Grey Brother monks in the thirteenth century.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norstedts_f%C3%B6rlag
Norstedts Förlag is a book publishing company in Sweden. Norstedt's is Sweden's oldest publishing house and one of the largest in the country. It was founded in 1823 by Per Adolf Norstedt, under the name P. A. Norstedt & Söner ("P. A. Norstedt & Sons").
copyright: 2015 © R. Peter 1764.org All rights reserved. Please do not use this image, or any images from my flickr photostream, fb account or g+, without my permission.
sourced from wikipedia
simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_people
The Tamil people are an ethnic group from South Asia. They have a written history of more than 2,000 years. Traditionally, they have been living in the southern parts of India, and the northeastern parts of Sri Lanka.
The Tamil people number around 74 million in the world. Of that, there are about 63,000,000 in India; about 3,600,000 live in Sri Lanka; about 1,500,000 live in Malaysia; and about 250,000 live in Singapore. The remaining Tamil people live in many other places. Other peoples are related to the Tamil people by language, culture, and ancestry. Some of them are Brahui people, Kannadigas, Malayalis , Telugu people, Tuluvas, and Gonds.
Tamil people identify themselves with their language, Tamil. In recent times, they have broadened the definition of Tamil people. They now also include descendants of Tamil speaking people even when they no longer speak Tamil language.
The history of Tamil people has three broad time periods as described below.
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The pre-classical period
No one is sure about the exact origins of the Tamil people. Some historians believe that they migrated to India around 6000 BC. Some connect them with the Elamite people of ancient Iran. Some historians believe that people of the Indus Valley Civilization were either Tamil or a similar Dravidian race. However, nothing is sure about the origins of the Tamil people.
In Tamilnadu, the earliest presence of Tamil people dates back to around 1000 BC on wards. Archeologists have found many burial places of megalithic era. The style of burials is same as described in classical Tamil literature. Recent excavations at these sites have also provided samples of early Tamil writing, dating back to at least 500 BC (The Hindu, 2005). [1]
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The classical period
About 2,300 years before, at around 3rd century BC onwards, three royal families emerged in the lands of the Tamil people: the dynasties of the Cholas, the Cheras, and the Pandyas. Each one of them controlled a separate part of the Tamil-speaking nation. The classical Tamil literature and many inscriptions discovered also describe many smaller local rulers of that period. These kings and rulers frequently fought among themselves, and also with rulers of Sri Lanka. However, they had one common thing: they all supported arts and literature. The classical Tamil literature of that period record many practices peculiar to Tamil people. These practices still continue.
At that time, agriculture and trading were two main economic activities of Tamil people. They even traded with many other countries, including places in Europe. In Karur (Tamilnadu), archeologists found a large number of coins of Ancient Rome. The Pandyas sent at least two ambassadors to the Roman Emperor Augustus. Archeologists have also found Tamil writings in broken pieces of pottery in the Red Sea.
An unnamed traveler from ancient Greece had described in Greek language ports of the Pandya and Chera kings. He had detailed the items exported by the Tamil people. These items included black pepper, pearls, ivory, silk, diamonds, sapphires, and tortoiseshell.
The classical period ended at around 4th century. People from northern parts of India invaded the lands of the Tamil people. For Tamil people, this was a dark period of their history. This dark phase ended with the rise of the Pallava dynasty.
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The imperial and post-imperial periods
Historical records tell about Pallavas from the 3rd century. But, only after 300 years, during the 6th century, they became powerful. Pallava dynasty did not have Tamil origin, but they adopted the language and the Tamil ways. They modeled their kingdom on the lines of empires of north India like the Mauryan Empire and Gupta Empire. The Pallavas also encouraged the worship of Shiva and Vishnu; and built large temples. During their reign, caste system became rigid.
In the 9th century, the Cholas and the Pandyas defeated Pallavas. By the 10th century, the Cholas had established a big empire, covering most of south India and Sri Lanka. They had a strong navy. Their navy reached Thailand, Burma and Sumatra. They also had a strong trading links with China. By the 12th – 13th centuries, the power of the Cholas had declined. For some time, Pandyas became powerful. However, by that time Muslim rulers invaded Tamil lands. The Pandya dynasty came to an end by the 16th century.
Over a period of time, western parts of Tamil lands were developing in a separate manner. By the 13th century, the Cholas and the Pandyas had lost control over these areas. The people living there developed their own language and culture. By the 15th century they had a separate language, Malayalam language, now the language of the Indian state of Kerala.
After 16th century no major rulers emerged to rule Tamil lands. But, there were many smaller local rulers. For some time, rulers from the present day Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh also ruled over the Tamil lands. By the 17th century, Europeans from the United Kingdom, France and Denmark started to establish their settlements in Tamil lands. They fought many battles. Finally, the British won, and by the end of the 18th century, most of the Tamil lands came under the British rule.
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Tamils in Sri Lanka
Historians of Sri Lanka say that Tamil people reached Sri Lanka only after 7th century during the invasions of the Chola dynasty. The Tamil people ruled parts of Sri Lanka from time to time, and played important role in the ruling of Sri Lanka. In the 10th century, the Chola kings made Sri Lanka a part of their kingdom. This continued until late 11th century.
After decline of the Chola power in Sri Lanka, different rulers ruled Sri Lanka, the Arya Chakaravarthi dynasty from 1215. The Arya Chakaravarthi dynasty ruled over large parts of northeast Sri Lanka until 1619. By this time the Portuguese and the Dutch won many areas of Sri Lanka. However, in 1796, the British won entire Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka became part of the British Empire.
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The modern period
During the British Raj, the British combined all Tamil lands and gave them a new name, the Madras Presidency. The Madras Presidency became a part of the British Raj. Similarly, the British combined Tamil lands of Sri Lanka and other regions of Sri Lanka in 1802. This became the Ceylon colony, also a part of the British Empire. When India became independent in 1947, Madras Presidency became a part of India. Ceylon became independent in 1948, and the Tamil lands remained a part of independent Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka.
After India’s independence in 1947, Madras Presidency became Madras State. It covered the areas of present day Tamilnadu, coastal parts of Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, northern Kerala, and the southwest of Karnataka. The Government of India rearranged (1956) the boundaries of many states of India based on language. Thus, the present day state of Tamilnadu came into existence.
At the beginning, there was a demand for an independent country for the Tamil people. However, the constitution of India gave major rights to the states, and protected the speakers of regional languages from compulsory speaking and use of Hindi. This satisfied most of the Tamil people, and presently there is no demand for a separate country for Tamil people outside the federal system of India.
However, in Sri Lanka, the government did not give sufficient rights to people who spoke Tamil language. During 1970s, this led to a demand for independence of Tamil people from Sri Lanka. In early 1980s, the situation became very bad. A civil war broke out. Currently, peace negotiations are under way.
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Geographic distribution
Tamil people live in many geographical regions. Sections below describe them.
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In India
Most of the Tamil people of India live in the Indian state of Tamilnadu. Most of the people living in Pondicherry of India are also Tamil people.
Tamil people have been traditionally living in some other parts of India - for examples, Hebbar and Mandyam Tamils of southern Karnataka, the Tamils of Palakkad in Kerala, and the Tamils of Pune, Maharashtra. For last one hundred years or so, Tamil people went to many other parts of India for jobs or business. Some of them settled in these places.
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In Sri Lanka
Presently, there are two groups of Tamils in Sri Lanka. The first group is Sri Lankan Tamils. They are descendants of the Tamil people who lived in the old Jaffna kingdom or who migrated to the East coast. The second group is Hill Country Tamils. They descended from the Tamil people who went to Sri Lanka from India as laborers in the 19th century-early 20th century. The first group mostly lives in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. The second group mostly live in the central highlands.
In 1949, some political developments in Sri Lanka were adverse for Tamil people of Sri Lanka. Many Tamils people lost their citizenship of being citizens of Sri Lanka. Under an agreement between the governments of India and Sri Lanka, about 40 % of these Tamils could get back their citizenship. Many others had to shift to India. These developments brought the two groups of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka closer. By 1990s, most of the Tamil people had got back their citizenship.
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In other places
Beginning from the 18th century, many poor Tamil people went as laborers to many countries of the British Empire. Some of these countries were Malaya, South Africa, Fiji, Mauritius and the Caribbean. At the same time, many Tamil businessmen also went to places in Burma and East Africa. Many Tamils still live in these countries.
Special mention may be made of Singapore. The government has made Tamil language as one of the national languages although only 4.2 % of the people speak Tamil language in Singapore.
By 1980s many Tamil people of Sri Lanka were facing ethnic conflicts. Many of them fled to Australia, Europe, North America and Southeast Asia. Today, the largest concentration of Tamils outside southern Asia is in Toronto, Canada.
In recent years, many young Tamil professionals from India (particularly computer programmers) have gone to Europe and the United States.
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Culture
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Language and literature
Tamil people call their language as "the Tamil mother." They identify themselves based on their language.
Tamil language, like other languages of south India, is one of the Dravidian languages. It is not related to the Indo-European languages of the north India. Although modern speakers of Tamil language use a number of words of Sanskrit and English, Tamil language has maintained its original classical character. The Government of India has recently recognized Tamil language as one of the classical languages of India.
Classical Tamil literature is varied. For example, they cover poetry and lyrics; works of ethics and philosophy; and many other types of literary works. Notable works in classical Tamil literature include the Tirukkural by Tiruvalluvar, The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature and the works of Auvaiyar. Over many centuries, the written Tamil has changed very little. Thus, even modern Tamil people are able to read and enjoy these classical literary works.
Modern Tamil literature is also varied. It has many aspects: for example, Indian nationalism, historical romanticism, and social realism. In recent years, many works of Tamil language in Sri Lanka describe the tragedy of ethnic conflict and civil war. Tamil people living in many other places have also produced literary works.
Some of the note-worthy poets are Bharathiyar, Barathidasen, etc... of end of 19th century who depicts the originality of Tamil culture and India, penned several notarary poems on Tamil and National interest.
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Visual arts
Tamil visual arts have three main forms: architecture, sculpture and painting. The theme is generally religious, showing aspects of Hinduism.
Tanjore painting is the most important form of painting of Tamil people. The painting originated in a place named Tanjore (modern name: Thanjavur]]. This style of painting originated in the 9th century. In this style of painting, the painter paints on a piece of cloth. Sometimes, the painter also decorates the painting with threads of gold and silver, and precious gems. There is one other type of important painting style. Painters make paintings on the walls of temples. Tamil paintings use rich colors and show minute details.
In their sculpture, artists use bronze. Several pieces of sculptures are found throughout Tamilnadu, particularly in temples. Most of them are very old, dating from the 7th century onwards. The sculptures show very minute details, including details of ornaments and dress. Many sculptures also show movement with fine details. Two important examples of such sculptures are: the cave sculptures at Mamallapuram and Nataraja statue at Chidambaram.
There are many temples in the lands of Tamil people. The gates of these temples, called Gopuram, are higher then other parts. Earlier Gopurams were simple in construction. From 13th century onwards, they became bigger and have engravings and paintings. The engravings and paintings show scenes and characters from Hindu mythology. Temples at Thanjavur. Chidambaram and Srirangam are very big and fine examples of temples of Tamil people.
Tamil art is an important tradition of Indian art.
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Performing arts
The Tamil people have many performing arts. The classical Tamil literature has many details of these performing arts.
Classical music of Tamil people is carnatic music. The classical Tamil literature records details about the carnatic music. This is a vocal music with use of musical instruments. Carnatic music is completely religious.
Tamil folk music is very different from the carnatic music. The folk music shows a lot of excitement. The songs may convey folklore and other popular tales.
Bharatanatyam is the main dance of the Tamil people. Generally one dancer performs this dance. The dance tells a story through movements of parts of body, particularly hands. Until 1930s, girls known as devadasis performed this dance in temples. Now, it has become common, and there are many famous dancers who perform this dance. Tamil people also have many types of folk dances performed in villages. Sometimes they perform such a dance before the village goddess called Mariamma.
Tamil people also have a long tradition of theatrical performance. In villages, performers perform in the open. They dance and sing, and some times tell stories. These stories may be religious stories or on any other topic.
Tamilnadu has a well-developed tradition of stage theatre tradition. Presently, both classical and folk performing arts survive in modern Tamil society.
Tamil people like to watch movies. Tamil movies are famous for technical details, artistic presentation, and entertainment. Most of the Tamil movies will have some songs and dances. Kollywood is the popular term for the Tamil film industry
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Religion
Most of the Tamil people are Hindus. However, many are Muslims and Christians. At one time, Jainism was one of the major religions of Tamil people. However, presently there are only few thousand Tamil Jains.
In Tamil Hinduism, the most popular deity is god named Murugan. He is a form of Karthikeya, the son of Shiva. The Tamil people also worship mother goddess Amman or Mariamman. Many Tamil people also worship Kannagi, a folk heroine. Through out Tamil lands, there are many temples of Shiva, Vishnu, and Ganesha (Ganpathi). In rural areas of Tamil Nadu, people worship many local gods and goddesses. They call them aiyyanar.
There were many saints known as Alvars and Nayanars. In the 10th century, Ramanuja propagated his philosophy about worship and also accepted lower caste-Hindus as his disciples. There were many other notable Tamil saints. The Ramayana has many parts based in Tamil regions and according to legends, many of Rama's soldiers were Tamil people. The only temple dedicated to Parashurama is in Tamil Nadu.
The most important Tamil festivals are Pongal and the Tamil New Year. Pongal is a harvest festival and people celebrate this in mid-January. Tamil people also celebrate Diwali. Two other important Hindu festivals of Tamil people are Thaipusam, and Adipperukku.
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Martial arts
A Tamil legend states that the Cholas, Chera and Pandyan kings fought many wars in the 1st century. The war lasted for about one hundred years. During this period, the Tamil people perfected many martial arts. All these styles of martial arts still exist. They also developed many weapons.
There are many types of martial arts. For example, in a special type of martial art, a person would use a stick of about 1.6 meters long. By moving the stick he would try to defend against attack by several persons. In another type of martial art, persons get training to defend themselves without using any weapons, by using their hands and legs.
In some parts of Tamilnadu, notably Alanganallur (near Madurai), some Tamil people hold annual event around Pongal festival: an unarmed bullfighting.
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Movements
Periyar Ramasami, a social leader of Tamil people started a movement named Self-respect Movement. It was to promote self-respect and remove social evils like casteism. Many people call this movement as the Dravidian movement. All political parties of Tamilnadu draw their principles from this movement.
Scholars of India and Sri Lanka have developed a vocabulary in Tamil language for words of science and technology.
In the 1960s, the government of Tamil Nadu held a World Tamil Conference. The Conference has been meeting regularly.
In 1999, many Tamil people organized a World Tamil Confederation. Its purpose is to protect and promote Tamil culture and bring a sense of togetherness amongst Tamils in different countries. The Confederation has since adopted a Tamil flag and Tamil song [2] to act as symbols for the Tamil people living in different countries. The words on the flag quote the opening line of a poem by the classical poet Kanian Poongundranaar. These words mean: “All lands are our home; all people are our kin.”
In Sri Lanka, the Federal Party (later the Tamil United Liberation Front) took the lead in Tamil politics. However, by 1980s, political movements took a back seat in Tamil politics of Sri Lanka. Many military groups had started conflicts, and a civil war broke out. The Tamil Tigers emerged as the most important force amongst these military groups. The Tamil Tigers are fighting to establish its own government in areas where Tamil people are in majority. Presently they control many areas, and are negotiating for peace.
4me4you visits “ANTICLONE GALLERY” which featured “The Response”.
The works fall within the palette of red and black, focusing on paintings, prints and mixed mediums on canvases. With red and black embodying the varying states of alarm, danger and love.
Artists include:
Alejandra Jaimes, Conrad Armstrong, Melanie Christine, Othello De'Suza-Hartley, Elika Bo, George Kanis, Jo Cope, Parma Ham, Robert Mateusz Marciniak, Sade English, Thom Rees and Tia Yoon.
Each artist dissects these universal emotions uniquely.
Driver: ?
Please visit AlexKamsteeg.nl for more pictures and/or like my page on Facebook to stay up-to-date.
Kid Komics / Heft-Reihe
- Happy Daize / Introducing Happy Daize
script: ?
art: ?
Editor: Vince Fago
Marvel (U.S.A. Comic Magazine Corp.) / USA 1943
Reprint: Comic-Club NK 2010
ex libris MTP
To be properly appreciated, the "iwitness" Armenian Genocide installation must be witnessed in person.
Sean Mallon's extremely heartfelt build and the organization the 4uDrew Foundation's charity work is covered in this latest Canibeat.com Feature!
It was an honor to hear the story and shoot the car.
Definitely showcases the beneficial and giving power of the car community! Thank you Sean for sharing the car and story!
Read it here! www.canibeat.com/2014/09/a-community-united-the-4udrew-fo...
27 November -- As part of the 350 EARTH planetary art show, nearly 2,000
people gathered in Brighton-Hove, UK and formed an image of King Canute, who
futilely attempted to control the oceans according to legend. The image was
designed by Radiohead's Thom Yorke who generously donated his time, energy,
and art to make the event a success.
Photo: Malcolm Land / Sealand Aerial Photography Ltd.
www.1001gardens.org/2017/01/how-choose-right-lawn-grasses/
An Overview of the Major Types of Lawn Grasses
While selecting lawn grasses, you should go for those that thrive in the local climate and area conditions like sun or shade. Choose the most appropriate one keeping in mind the needs of the entire family, including pets, adults and children. There are a number of varieties and here is a look at the major ones.
Bermuda
Bermuda shows aggressive growth and hence is wonderfully resistant to weeds. But this trait can often make it a dangerous invader of flower beds. This turfgrass is extremely resistant to drought and wear-and-tear. For a green lawn in the winter season, go for overseeding with rye.
[aawp box="B002BWUW8A"]
Bahia
This tough variety is great for a hot and humid climate. The rough texture enables it to bear with heavy foot traffic conveniently.
[aawp box="B002JGT4RS"]
Centipede
This one is a low-growing, tough variety which requires a little amount of maintenance, and is apt for acidic soil. Compared to most turfgrasses, it has a rougher texture but offers great resistance to pest and weeds.
[aawp box="B00ARYORQC"]
Bluegrass
It grows in comparatively cooler areas and can create a beautiful lawn with good soil, sunlight, and regular water supply.
[aawp box="B001Q1QZWY"]
Perennial Ryegrass
It germinates rapidly and can control an optimum amount of foot traffic. It is a common supplement for grass mixes of the cooler seasons, and for warm-season lawns, it is the “wintergreen” overseeding option.
[aawp box="B003AYYCZ2"]
Fescue
This again has several subcategories such as creeping red fescue, chewings fescue, fine fescue, tall fescue and hard fescue. Cold winters are great for all varieties, while the tolerance for shade, drought, wear and heat varies. They grow wonderfully with regular aeration and fertilization.
[aawp box="B00AUO5Y7A"]
Zoysia
Warm and sunny weather conditions along with a properly drained area are perfect for zoysia. Good amount of care is required, but it does pay you back with a luxurious lawn.
[aawp box="B00ARYRY1W"]
St. Augustine
This grows well in sandy soil and warm climates. Contrary to other warm-season varieties, the blue-green color reveals itself even in fall.
[aawp box="B0002FZAV2"]
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Flyer
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire_Air_Museum#Collection
The Wright Flyer (also known as the Kitty Hawk, Flyer I or the 1903 Flyer) made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft—an airplane—on December 17, 1903. Invented and flown by brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright, it marked the beginning of the pioneer era of aviation.
The aircraft is a single-place biplane design with anhedral (drooping) wings, front double elevator (a canard) and rear double rudder. It used a 12 horsepower (9 kilowatts) gasoline engine powering two pusher propellers. Employing 'wing warping' it was relatively unstable and very difficult to fly.
The Wright brothers flew it four times in a location now part of the town of Kill Devil Hills, about 4 miles (6 kilometers) south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The airplane flew 852 ft (260 m) on its fourth and final flight, but was damaged on landing, and minutes later powerful gusts blew it over, wrecking it.
The aircraft never flew again but was shipped home and subsequently restored by Orville. The aircraft was initially displayed in a place of honor at the London Science Museum until 1948 when the resolution of an acrimonious priority dispute finally allowed it to be displayed in the Smithsonian. It is now exhibited in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Design and construction
The Flyer was based on the Wrights' experience testing gliders at Kitty Hawk between 1900 and 1902. Their last glider, the 1902 Glider, led directly to the design of the Wright Flyer.
The Wrights built the aircraft in 1903 using spruce for straight members of the airframe (such as wing spars) and ash wood for curved components (wing ribs). The wings were designed with a 1-in-20 camber. Since they could not find a suitable automobile engine for the task, they commissioned their employee Charlie Taylor to build a new design from scratch, a lightweight 12-horsepower (9-kilowatt) gasoline engine, weighing 180 pounds (82 kg), with a 1-US-gallon (3.8 L; 0.83 imp gal) fuel tank. A sprocket chain drive, borrowing from bicycle technology, powered the twin propellers, which were also made by hand. In order to avoid the risk of torque effects from affecting the aircraft handling, one drive chain was crossed over so that the propellers rotated in opposite directions. According to Taylor:
They figured on four cylinders and estimated the bore and stroke at four inches. It took me six weeks to make that engine. The completed engine weighed 180 pounds and developed 12 horsepower at 1025 revolutions per minute...The body of the first engine was of cast aluminum, and was bored out on the lathe for independent cylinders. The pistons were cast iron, and these were turned down and grooved for piston rings. The rings were cast iron, too. A one-gallon fuel tank was suspended from a wing strut, and the gasoline fed by gravity down a tube to the engine. The fuel valve was an ordinary gaslight petcock. There was no carburetor as we know it today. The fuel was fed into a shallow chamber in the manifold. No spark plug. The spark was made by opening and closing of two contact points inside the combustion chamber. Dry batteries were used for starting the engine and then we switched onto a magneto bought from the Dayton Electric Company. There was no battery on the plane. Several lengths of speaking tube...were used in the radiator. We blocked-tested the motor before crating it for shipment to Kitty Hawk."
The 8.5 foot (2.6 m) long propellers were based on airfoil number 9 from their wind tunnel data, which provided the best "gliding angle" for different angles of attack. The propellers were connected to the engine by chains from the Indianapolis Chain Company, with a sprocket gear reduction of 23-to-8. Wilbur had calculated that slower turning blades generated greater thrust, and two of them were better than a single blade turning faster. Made from three laminations of spruce, the tips were covered with duck canvas, and the entire propeller painted with aluminum paint.
On November 5, 1903, the brothers tested their engine on the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, but before they could tune the engine, the propeller hubs came loose. The drive shafts were sent back to Dayton for repair, and returned on 20 November. A hairline crack was discovered in one of the propeller shafts. Orville returned to Dayton on 30 November to make new spring steel shafts. On December 12, the brothers installed the new shafts on the Wright Flyer and tested it on their 60-foot (18 m) launching rail system that included a wheeled launching dolly. According to Orville:
We had designed our propellers to give 90 pounds (41 kg) thrust at a speed of 330 rev. per minute (about 950 of engine), which we had figured would be the required amount for the machine weighing 630 pounds (290 kg).
In practice tests, they were able to achieve a propeller rpm of 351, with a thrust of 132 pounds (60 kg), more than enough for their 700-pound (320 kg) flyer.
The Wright Flyer was a canard biplane configuration, with a wingspan of 40 feet 4 inches (12.29 m), a camber of 1-20, a wing area of 510 square feet (47 m2), and a length of 21 feet 1 inch (6.43 m). The right wing was 4 inches (10 cm) longer because the engine was 30 to 40 pounds (14 to 18 kg) heavier than Orville or Wilbur. Unoccupied, the machine weighed 605 pounds (274 kg). As with the gliders, the pilot flew lying on his stomach on the lower wing with his head toward the front of the craft in an effort to reduce drag. The pilot was left of center while the engine was right of center. He steered by moving a hip cradle in the direction he wished to fly. The cradle pulled wires to warp the wings, and simultaneously turn the rudder, for coordinated flight. The pilot operated the elevator lever with his left hand, while holding a strut with his right. The Wright Flyer's "runway" was a 60-foot (18 m) track of 2x4s, which the brothers nicknamed the "Junction Railroad". The Wright Flyer skids rested on a launching dolly, consisting of a 6-foot (1.8 m) plank, with a wheeled wooden section. The two tandem ball bearing wheels were made from bicycle hubs. A restraining wire held the plane back, while the engine was running and the propellers turning, until the pilot was ready to be released.
The Wright Flyer had three instruments onboard. A Veeder engine revolution recorder measured the number of propeller turns. A stopwatch recorded the flight time, and a Richard hand anemometer, attached to the front center strut, recorded the distance covered in meters.
The Yorkshire Air Museum & Allied Air Forces Memorial is an aviation museum in Elvington, York on the site of the former RAF Elvington airfield, a Second World War RAF Bomber Command station. The museum was founded, and first opened to the public, in the mid 1980s.
The museum is one of the largest independent air museums in Britain. It is also the only Allied Air Forces Memorial in Europe. The museum is an accredited museum under Arts Council accreditation scheme. It is a Member of Friends of the Few (Battle of Britain Memorial), the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Museums Association and the Association of Independent Museums.
The Museum is a registered charity (No. 516766) dedicated to the history of aviation and was also set up as a Memorial to all allied air forces personnel, particularly those who served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
Site
Further information: RAF Elvington
The 20-acre (81,000 m2) parkland site includes buildings and hangars, some of which are listed. It incorporates a 7-acre (28,000 m2) managed environment area and a DEFRA and Environment Agency supported self sustainability project called "Nature of Flight". The museum is situated next to a 10,000 ft runway, which is privately owned.
History
Whilst the Royal Air Force carried on using the runway for aircraft landing and take off training until 1992, the buildings and hangars had long been abandoned. In 1980 Rachel Semlyen approached the owners of "what was then an abandoned and derelict wartime site, with the idea of restoring the buildings and creating a museum". In 1983, a group started clearing the undergrowth and the site was ready to be unveiled as the Yorkshire Air Museum in 1986.
Events
The Museum undertakes several annual events each year within the general attraction / entertainment area as well as educational / academic events for specific audiences, plus several corporate events in association with companies such as Bentley, Porsche, banking, government agencies etc. The unique annual Allied Air Forces Memorial Day takes place in September.
Exhibits
The Museum has over 50 aircraft spanning the development of aviation from 1853 up to the latest GR4 Tornado. Several aircraft including Victor, Nimrod, Buccaneer, Sea Devon, SE5a, Eastchurch Kitten, DC3 Dakota are kept live and operated on special "Thunder Days" during the year. Over 20 historic vehicles and a Registered Archive containing over 500,000 historic artefacts and documents are also preserved at the Museum, which is also the Official Archive for the National Aircrew Association and National Air Gunners Association. It is nationally registered and accredited through DCMS/Arts Council England and is a registered charity.
A permanent exhibition on RAF Bomber Command was opened at the museum by life member, Sir David Jason. In 2010 a new exhibition called "Pioneers of Aviation", and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, was opened featuring the lives and achievements of Sir George Cayley, Sir Barnes Wallis, Robert Blackburn, Nevil Shute and Amy Johnson.
Principal on-site businesses include: Restaurant, Retail Shop, Events, Aircraft Operation Engineering Workshops, Archives and Corporate Business Suite. The museum is also a location for TV and film companies.
Building 1 – Airborne Forces Display & No. 609 Squadron RAF Room
Building 2 – Uniform Display
Building 3 – Air Gunners' Exhibition
Building 4 – Archives & Reference Library
Building 5 – Museum Shop
Building 7 – Memorial Garden
Building 8 – Museum HQ, Main Entrance
Building 9 – Against the Odds
Building 10 – Elvington Corporate Room
Building 11 – Museum NAAFI Restaurant
Building 12 – Control Tower
Building 13 – French Officers' Mess
Building 14 – Airmens Billet and Station MT Display
Building 15 – Royal Observer Corp
Building 16 – Signal Square
Building 17 – Hangar T2 Main Aircraft exhibition
Building 18 – Archive & Collections Building
Building 19 – Handley Page Aircraft Workshop
Building 20 – Pioneer of Aviation Exhibition
Collection
Aircraft on display
Pre-World War II
Avro 504K – Replica
Blackburn Mercury – Replica
Cayley Glider – Replica
Mignet HM.14 Pou-du-Ciel
Port Victoria P.V.8 Eastchurch Kitten Replica
Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2c – Replica
Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a – Replica
Wright Flyer – Replica
World War II
Avro Anson T.21 VV901
Douglas Dakota IV KN353
Fairchild Argus II FK338
Gloster Meteor F.8 WL168
Gloster Meteor NF.14 WS788
Handley Page Halifax III LV907
Hawker Hurricane I – Replica
Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 – Replica
Slingsby T.7 Kirby Cadet RA854
Supermarine Spitfire I – Replica
Waco Hadrian 237123
Post World War II
Air Command Commander Elite
Beagle Terrier 2 TJ704
Canadair CT-133 Silver Star 133417
de Havilland Devon C.2 VP967
de Havilland Vampire T.11 XH278
Europa Prototype 001
Mainair Demon
Saunders-Roe Skeeter AOP.12 XM553
Westland Dragonfly HR.5 WH991
Cold War
BAC Jet Provost T.4 XP640
Blackburn Buccaneer S.2 XN974
Blackburn Buccaneer S.2B XX901
British Aerospace Harrier GR.3 XV748
British Aerospace Nimrod MR.2 XV250
Dassault Mirage IIIE 538
Dassault Mirage IVA 45/BR
English Electric Canberra T.4 WH846
English Electric Lightning F.6 XS903 which arrived during June 1988.
Fairey Gannet AEW.3 XL502
Gloster Javelin FAW.9 XH767
Handley Page Victor K.2 XL231
Hawker Hunter FGA.78 QA10
Hawker Hunter T.7 XL572
Panavia Tornado GR.1 ZA354
Panavia Tornado GR.4 XZ631
Ground vehicles
Second World War
Thompson Brothers Aircraft Refueller
1938 Ford Model E
1940 "Tilly" Standard 12 hp Mkl RAF Utility Vehicle
1941 Chevrolet 4x4 CMP
1942 Austin K2 NAAFI Wagon
1942 Thornycroft ‘Amazon’ Coles Crane
Cold War
1947 Commer one and a half deck airport coach
1949 Citroen 11BL
1948 David Brown VIG.2 Aircraft Tractor
1949 David Brown VIG.3 Aircraft Tractor
1951 David Brown GP Airfield Tractor
1953 Alvis Saracen 12ton APC
1953 Austin Champ Cargo 4x4 General Purpose Vehicle
1956 Green Goddess Self Propelled Pump
1958 Commer Q4 Bikini Fire Pump Unit
1958 Lansing Aircraft Carrier Type Tug
1959 Daimler Ferret ASC MK.2/3/7
1966 Chieftain Main Battle Tank
1970 Douglas P3 nuclear aircraft 25 tonne tug
1971 Pathfinder Fire Engine 35ton (ex. Manchester Airport)
1972 TACR2 Range Rover - 6 wheeled fast response fire unit
1974 GMC 6 wheeled fast response airfield fire truck
1976 Dennis Mercury 17.5 tonne aircraft tug
Pathfinder Fire Engine
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,093 feet or 1,857 meters).
The canyon and adjacent rim are contained within Grand Canyon National Park, the Kaibab National Forest, Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument, the Hualapai Indian Reservation, the Havasupai Indian Reservation and the Navajo Nation. The surrounding area is contained within the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of the preservation of the Grand Canyon area and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.
Nearly two billion years of Earth's geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While some aspects about the history of incision of the canyon are debated by geologists, several recent studies support the hypothesis that the Colorado River established its course through the area about 5 to 6 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River has driven the down-cutting of the tributaries and retreat of the cliffs, simultaneously deepening and widening the canyon.
For thousands of years, the area has been continuously inhabited by Native Americans, who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon a holy site, and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_National_Park
Grand Canyon National Park is a national park of the United States located in northwestern Arizona, the 15th site to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered one of the Wonders of the World. The park, which covers 1,217,262 acres (1,901.972 sq mi; 4,926.08 km2) of unincorporated area in Coconino and Mohave counties, received more than 4.7 million recreational visitors in 2023. The Grand Canyon was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. The park celebrated its 100th anniversary on February 26, 2019.
Source: www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm
Entirely within the state of Arizona, the park encompasses 278 miles (447 km) of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. Located on the ancestral homelands of 11 present day Tribal Communities, Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world—a mile deep canyon unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers visitors from both north and south rims.
Additional Foreign Language Tags:
(United States) "الولايات المتحدة" "Vereinigte Staaten" "アメリカ" "米国" "美国" "미국" "Estados Unidos" "États-Unis" "ארצות הברית" "संयुक्त राज्य" "США"
(Arizona) "أريزونا" "亚利桑那州" "אריזונה" "एरिजोना" "アリゾナ州" "애리조나" "Аризона"
(Grand Canyon) "جراند كانيون" "大峡谷" "גרנד קניון" "ग्रांड कैन्यन" "グランドキャニオン" "그랜드 캐니언" "Гранд-Каньон" "Gran Cañón"
Fonte dell'immagine: Il Lampo da Levante
Condizioni d'Uso: Avviso legale e condizioni per l’uso
Lo Spirito Santo opera secondo dei principi
Qin Shuting Città di Linyi, Provincia di Shandong
Per un certo tempo, anche se non avevo smesso di nutrirmi e dissetarmi della parola di Dio, non avevo mai percepito la luce. Avevo pregato Dio per questo ma, ciononostante, non ero stata ancora illuminata. Così ho pensato: “Dio illumina ogni persona a Suo tempo, perciò è inutile cercare di affrettare le cose”. Poi ho continuato a seguire le regole e a nutrirmi e dissetarmi della parola di Dio senza ansia, attendendo “pazientemente” che Egli mi illuminasse.
Finché un giorno ho letto questo brano della parola di Dio: “Solo se il tuo cuore è in pace al cospetto di Dio, la tua ricerca della verità e della trasformazione della tua indole porterà frutto. Infatti, ti presenti a Dio gravato di fardelli e ti senti sempre fortemente manchevole, senti che ci sono molte verità che dovresti conoscere, molta realtà che avresti bisogno di sperimentare, e che dovresti prestare la massima attenzione alla volontà di Dio. Queste cose sono costantemente nella tua mente ed è come se ti opprimessero fino quasi a non lasciarti respirare: per questo avverti un gran peso nel cuore (ma non ti senti in una condizione negativa). Solo persone di questo genere sono qualificate ad accogliere l’illuminazione delle parole di Dio e a essere mosse dal Suo Spirito. È a motivo del loro fardello, del fatto che hanno il cuore pesante e, si può dire, a causa del prezzo che hanno pagato e dei tormenti che hanno patito dinanzi a Dio, che Ne hanno ricevuto intuizione e illuminazione, poiché Dio non riserva a nessuno un trattamento speciale. Nel Suo modo di trattare la gente Egli è sempre giusto, ma per contro non provvede a caso alle persone e non dà loro incondizionatamente. È uno dei tratti della Sua indole giusta” (“È molto importante stabilire un rapporto adeguato con Dio” in La Parola appare nella carne). Riflettendo su queste parole di Dio, ho capito: Dio è un Dio giusto. Non provvede mai all’uomo in maniera arbitraria né gli dona alcunché in maniera incondizionata. Per ricevere la Sua illuminazione e il Suo splendore, bisogna acquietare il proprio animo davanti a Lui e avere un cuore che brama e ricerca la Sua parola. Bisogna portare il fardello della propria vita e ricercare nella parola di Dio le proprie manchevolezze. Portando il proprio fardello, bisogna intenzionalmente nutrirsi e dissetarsi della parola di Dio per tenere nella massima considerazione la Sua volontà ed entrare sempre più in profondità nella verità. Solo pagando in concreto un simile prezzo per lavorare con Dio si può ottenere la Sua illuminazione. In retrospettiva, io non portavo alcun fardello né avevo un cuore bramoso di nutrirsi e dissetarsi della parola di Dio. Ogni volta che prendevo in mano il libro della parola di Dio lo sfogliavo e vedevo che avevo letto questo e quel brano, pensando di avere un’idea di massima di ciascun passo. Poi ne cercavo uno qualsiasi, lo leggevo frettolosamente, e la cosa finiva lì. Quando mi nutrivo e mi dissetavo della parola di Dio, riuscivo solo a capire il significato letterale delle parole e mi concentravo unicamente sul rispetto di alcune regole e pratiche. Di certo non capivo granché della verità a cui dovevo accedere, né soddisfacevo il cuore di Dio. Non portavo affatto alcun fardello nella vita, né mi preoccupavo per non essermi dotata di una verità sufficiente; mi limitavo a gestire con indifferenza il mio nutrirmi e dissetarmi della parola di Dio. Con un atteggiamento così sprezzante verso la parola di Dio, come avrei potuto ottenere la Sua illuminazione e il Suo splendore? Non stavo davvero lavorando con Dio e utilizzavo l’espressione “Dio illumina ogni persona a Suo tempo” come scusa per attendere ciecamente la Sua illuminazione. Ero davvero tanto ignorante! Solo adesso riconosco che, anche se Dio illumina ogni persona a Suo tempo, questo è vero, ma c’è un principio alla base dell’opera dello Spirito Santo sull’uomo: l’uomo stesso deve avere un cuore bramoso e dedito alla ricerca per poter lavorare in maniera positiva e attiva con Dio e solo allora lo Spirito Santo potrà operare su di lui e illuminare e fare risplendere la sua conoscenza della volontà di Dio, facendogli capire la verità della parola di Dio.
Oh Dio! Io rendo grazie per la Tua tempestiva illuminazione che mi ha permesso di riconoscere la deviazione insita nella mia esperienza. Adesso io desidero tornare indietro per lavorare in maniera positiva e attiva con Te, per mantenere un cuore bramoso e dedito alla ricerca, per portare il mio fardello e nutrirmi e dissetarmi della Tua parola, per perseguire un’ulteriore illuminazione ottenuta mediante la Tua parola e far sì che io possa approfondire la mia conoscenza della verità, e che la mia vita diventi sempre migliore.
it.easternlightning.org/Holy-Spirit-works-in-principled-w...
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis
St. Louis is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers, on the western bank of the latter. As of 2020, the city proper had a population of around 301,500, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which extends into Illinois, had an estimated population of over 2.8 million, making it the largest metropolitan area in Missouri, the second-largest in Illinois, the seventh-largest in the Great Lakes Megalopolis, and the 20th-largest in the United States.
Before European settlement, the area was a regional center of Native American Mississippian culture. St. Louis was founded on February 14, 1764, by French fur traders Gilbert Antoine de St. Maxent, Pierre Laclède and Auguste Chouteau, who named it for Louis IX of France. In 1764, following France's defeat in the Seven Years' War, the area was ceded to Spain. In 1800, it was retroceded to France, which sold it three years later to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase; the city was then the point of embarkation for the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In the 19th century, St. Louis became a major port on the Mississippi River; from 1870 until the 1920 census, it was the fourth-largest city in the country. It separated from St. Louis County in 1877, becoming an independent city and limiting its own political boundaries. St. Louis had a brief run as a world-class city in the early 20th century. In 1904, it hosted the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Summer Olympics.
A "Gamma" global city with a metropolitan GDP of more than $160 billion in 2017, metropolitan St. Louis has a diverse economy with strengths in the service, manufacturing, trade, transportation, and tourism industries. It is home to nine of the ten Fortune 500 companies based in Missouri. Major companies headquartered or with significant operations in the city include Ameren Corporation, Peabody Energy, Nestlé Purina PetCare, Anheuser-Busch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Stifel Financial, Spire, Inc., MilliporeSigma, FleishmanHillard, Square, Inc., U.S. Bank, Anthem BlueCross and Blue Shield, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Centene Corporation, and Express Scripts.
Major research universities include Saint Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis. The Washington University Medical Center in the Central West End neighborhood hosts an agglomeration of medical and pharmaceutical institutions, including Barnes-Jewish Hospital.
St. Louis has three professional sports teams: the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball, the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, and the St. Louis BattleHawks of the newly formed XFL. In 2019, the city was awarded a Major League Soccer franchise, St. Louis City SC, which is expected to begin play upon the completion of a 22,500-seat stadium in the city's Downtown West neighborhood in 2023. Among the city's notable sights is the 630-foot (192 m) Gateway Arch in the downtown area. St. Louis is also home to the St. Louis Zoo and the Missouri Botanical Garden, which has the second-largest herbarium in North America.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Louis_Science_Center
The Saint Louis Science Center, founded as a planetarium in 1963, is a collection of buildings including a science museum and planetarium in St. Louis, Missouri, on the southeastern corner of Forest Park. With over 750 exhibits in a complex of over 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2), it is among the largest of its type in the United States.
In 1989 I left apartheid South Africa and spent much of the next year travelling Europe. In October I found myself in the outback of Turkey, and the word on the street was that the Berlin Wall was about to fall. With it's fascinating history, cold war angst and strong David Bowie connection, Berlin had always been on my "must visit" list and I accelerated my plans to get there. Unfortunately the wall began crumbling on the evening of November 9, 1989 and continued over the following days and weeks. Nevertheless, I skipped through the Greek islands and caught the ferry from the port of Piraeus in Athens to Brindisi in Italy. I decided to bypass Naples and caught a fast train north to Rome. I think it was either on the ferry or on the train that I met fellow traveller, Serge Bowers from Pennsylvania in the USA. He and I made good companions and has a Chianti-fuelled blast through Rome, Florence, Pisa and Venice (but that's another story).
On November 25, Serge and I went our own ways - he headed for Amsterdam, while I spent a couple of days in Milan, visiting the magnificent Il Museo Storico dell’Alfa Romeo in Arese. I then skipped through Switzerland (Lausanne, Bern, Luzern and Lurich) beofre finally making it to Stuttgart in Germany, taking in the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the Porsche Museum. By this time (December 4) I was running low on cash and so resorted to hitch-hiking from Stuttgart to Mannheim, heading for Bonn where I was going to be staying with Prof. Dr. Marcella Rietschel (a Research Fellow at the Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn) who I had met in Istanbul in October. It was freezing cold and snowing out on the road, and by the time I reached Mannheim, I had had enough and headed to the Hauptbahnhof. After a cup of steaming coffee, I bought a ticket to Bonn, boarded the milk-train and continued the journey north. As fate would have it, I ended up in Zeppelinheim, close to Frankfurt, and that extraordinary interlude is detailed here.
Being on the bones of my financial arse, and with a severe cold snap making hitch-hiking a really bad idea, I now resorted to using the Mitfahrzentrale - an organised hitch-hiking (or "cap pooling") service where a driver can register how many spare seats they have in their car and where they are travelling from, to, and on what date. Potential passengers are provided with contact details and descriptions of the journey including any proposed stops along the way. As all travellers share costs, the savings can be extensive and it also serves as a good way to meet interesting people and to practice your German!
Our route to the east The so-called "inner German border" (a.k.a. "Zonengrenze") was the frontier between the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, West Germany) from 1949 to 1990. The border was a physical manifestation of Winston Churchill's metaphorical Iron Curtain that separated the Soviet and Western blocs during the Cold War. The border could be crossed legally only through a limited number of routes and foreigners were able to traverse East German territory to or from West Berlin via a limited number of road corridors, the most used of which was at Helmstedt-Marienborn on the Hanover–Berlin A2 autobahn. Codenamed Checkpoint Alpha, this was the first of three Allied checkpoints on the road to Berlin. The others were Checkpoint Bravo, where the autobahn crossed from East Germany into West Berlin, and most famous of all, Checkpoint Charlie, the only place where non-Germans could cross from West to East Berlin. Lengthy inspections caused long delays to traffic at the crossing points, and for some the whole experience was very disturbing: "Travelling from west to east through [the inner German border] was like entering a drab and disturbing dream, peopled by all the ogres of totalitarianism, a half-lit world of shabby resentments, where anything could be done to you, I used to feel, without anybody ever hearing of it, and your every step was dogged by watchful eyes and mechanisms." (Jan Morris) Personally, having spent almost three decades of my life under the oppression of the apartheid regime, it felt all too familiar.
So, after an uncomfortable 6-8 hour road trip, I was finally there - Berlin! One of my German friends from South Africa (P.A.) had been a regular visitor to Berlin during our high school and university years, before relocating to the city in the mid-80's. In those days it made a lot of sense - getting out of South Africa after studying meant escaping two years military service with the south African Defence Force and moving to Berlin meant avoiding conscription into the German military as well. That is, in order to encourage young people to move to West Berlin, they were lured in with exemptions from national service and good study benefits. It was December 8, 1989 and P.A. was unfortunately not in town. But a mutual friend was - L.M. had left Africa at about the same time as Pierre and was an aspirant artist in Berlin. He offered me a place to stay and we spent a brilliant week together, partying, clubbing and taking in all the delights that this city in change had to offer! I don't remember too much, but have some photos that I am sharing for the first time, a quarter of a century later, to the day.
45654-28-ew - the caption on the back of the photo reads:
"The Siegessäule on the Straße des 17. Juni, Berlin, West Germany. The monument is badly pock-marked - 2nd World War damage. In the background is the Fernsehturm in East Berlin. Saturday, December 9, 1989."
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia
Philadelphia, commonly referred to as Philly, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the second-most populous city in the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Philadelphia is known for its extensive contributions to United States history, especially the American Revolution, and served as the nation's capital until 1800. It maintains contemporary influence in business and industry, culture, sports, and music. Philadelphia is the nation's sixth-most populous city with a population of 1,603,797 as of the 2020 census and is the urban core of the larger Delaware Valley (or Philadelphia metropolitan area), the nation's seventh-largest and one of the world's largest metropolitan regions consisting of 6.245 million residents in the metropolitan statistical area and 7.366 million residents in its combined statistical area.
Philadelphia was founded in 1682 by William Penn, an English Quaker and advocate of religious freedom. The city served as the capital of the Pennsylvania Colony during the British colonial era and went on to play a historic and vital role as the central meeting place for the nation's founding fathers whose plans and actions in Philadelphia ultimately inspired the American Revolution and the nation's independence following the Revolutionary War. Philadelphia hosted the First Continental Congress in 1774, preserved the Liberty Bell, and hosted the Second Continental Congress during which the founders signed the Declaration of Independence, which historian Joseph Ellis has described as "the most potent and consequential words in American history". Once the Revolutionary War commenced, the Battle of Germantown and the siege of Fort Mifflin were fought within Philadelphia's city limits. The U.S. Constitution was later ratified in Philadelphia at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. Philadelphia remained the nation's largest city until 1790, when it was surpassed by New York City, and it served as the nation's first capital from May 10, 1775, until December 12, 1776, and on four subsequent occasions during and following the American Revolution, including from 1790 to 1800 during the construction of the new national capital of Washington, D.C.
With 18 four-year universities and colleges, Philadelphia is one of the nation's leading centers for higher education and academic research. As of 2018, the Philadelphia metropolitan area was the state's largest and nation's ninth-largest metropolitan economy with a gross metropolitan product of US$444.1 billion. The city is home to five Fortune 500 corporate headquarters as of 2022. As of 2023, metropolitan Philadelphia ranks among the top five U.S. venture capital centers, facilitated by its proximity to New York City's entrepreneurial and financial ecosystems. The Philadelphia Stock Exchange, owned by Nasdaq since 2008, is the nation's oldest stock exchange and a global leader in options trading. 30th Street Station, the city's primary rail station, is the third-busiest Amtrak hub in the nation, and the city's multimodal transport and logistics infrastructure, includes Philadelphia International Airport, and the rapidly-growing PhilaPort seaport. A migration pattern has been established from New York City to Philadelphia by residents opting for a large city with relative proximity and a lower cost of living.
Philadelphia is a national cultural center, hosting more outdoor sculptures and murals than any other city in the nation. Fairmount Park, when combined with adjacent Wissahickon Valley Park in the same watershed, is 2,052 acres (830 ha), representing one of the nation's largest and the world's 45th-largest urban park. The city is known for its arts, culture, cuisine, and colonial and Revolution-era history; in 2016, it attracted 42 million domestic tourists who spent $6.8 billion, representing $11 billion in economic impact to the city and its surrounding Pennsylvania counties.
With five professional sports teams and one of the nation's most loyal fan bases, Philadelphia is often ranked as the nation's best city for professional sports fans. The city has a culturally and philanthropically active LGBTQ+ community. Philadelphia also has played an immensely influential historic and ongoing role in the development and evolution of American music, especially R&B, soul, and rock.
Philadelphia is a city of many firsts, including the nation's first library (1731), hospital (1751), medical school (1765), national capital (1774), university (by some accounts) (1779), stock exchange (1790), zoo (1874), and business school (1881). Philadelphia contains 67 National Historic Landmarks, including Independence Hall. From the city's 17th century founding through the present, Philadelphia has been the birthplace or home to an extensive number of prominent and influential Americans. In 2021, Time magazine named Philadelphia one of the world's greatest 100 places.
Additional Foreign Language Tags:
(United States) "الولايات المتحدة" "Vereinigte Staaten" "アメリカ" "美国" "미국" "Estados Unidos" "États-Unis"
(Pennsylvania) "بنسلفانيا" "宾夕法尼亚州" "Pennsylvanie" "पेंसिल्वेनिया" "ペンシルベニア" "펜실베니아" "Пенсильвания" "Pensilvania"
(Philadelphia) "فيلادلفيا" "费城" "Philadelphie" "फिलाडेल्फिया" "フィラデルフィア" "필라델피아" "Филадельфия" "Filadelfia"
Here's another look at the software loom system I'm building, again rendering a segment of an endless pattern.
Here you can see that the textile being generated is 3D - you can get into any section of it to examine the details.
Also worth noting is that it's a 'live' system, so you can watch the loom weaving thread by thread. Will post a video shortly.
Built with Processing 2.0
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadwood,_South_Dakota
Deadwood (Lakota: Owáyasuta; "To approve or confirm things") is a city that serves as county seat of Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. It was named by early settlers after the dead trees found in its gulch. The city had its heyday from 1876 to 1879, after gold deposits had been discovered there, leading to the Black Hills Gold Rush. At its height, the city had a population of 25,000, attracting Old West figures such as Wyatt Earp, Calamity Jane, and Wild Bill Hickok (who was killed there).
The population was 1,156 at the 2020 census. The entire town has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District, for its well-preserved Gold Rush-era architecture. Deadwood's proximity to Lead often prompts the two towns being collectively named "Lead-Deadwood".
Source: www.cityofdeadwood.com/historic-preservation/page/nationa...
With each footstep on its brick-paved streets, across the tombstones of Western legends long dead and through its thick forests of dark ponderosa, Deadwood Gulch echoes with sounds of days past - the sounds of history.
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, the entire community of Deadwood is alive and vibrant with historic character over 125 years in the making. Since its founding in 1876, Deadwood has been synonymous with the Wild West. From its early days as a lawless gold camp to its transformation into a model Victorian community and a modern center for commerce and entertainment, the town has always had a legendary reputation unparalleled in the American West.Deadwood's birth was sudden. Thousands of faceless miners, muleskinners, lawmen, gunslingers and gamblers descended upon this narrow and rocky canyon in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory in 1876. They prospected, opened shops, built houses, drank, bet it all, lost fortunes and gained riches beyond their wildest dreams. It was America's last great gold rush.Legends were made almost overnight with a lucky shovelful of earth or turn of a card, but they were just as easily lost with a well-placed bullet. Wild Bill Hickok, frontier gunfighter, came to Deadwood with the other '76ers to seek his fortune. Thanks to a pistol shot to the back of his head, he never left. He sleeps on a hill overlooking the gulch to this day, next to the graves of Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, Potato Creek Johnny, Preacher Smith and hundreds of Deadwood's other legendary denizens.
But as the legends passed on, so did the gold. The ancient mansions, grand stone balconies and elegant brick façades began to decay. Deadwood seemed destined to turn into a ghost town, fading slowly into history like so many of its famous residents had done long ago...But it was not to be. In 1989, Deadwood became the third place in the United States (after Atlantic City and Nevada) to legalize gambling. Once again the brick-paved streets of Deadwood heard the thunder of pistol shots, the songs of slot machines and the click of chips against card tables. Once again people rushed to the sweet ponderosa-touched alpine air of Deadwood Gulch to seek their fortunes. And once again the beautiful Victorian buildings of Main Street, restored to their former glory, were filled with an air of elegance and grace.
Growth and change since 1989 has been regulated and limited by Deadwood's Historic Preservation Commission, Planning Commission and City Commission. The town continues to too plan for each future while protecting its past. This is evident in the Comprehensive Plans and Master Plans it has developed over the years. For its part, the Historic Preservation Commission adopted standardized Design Guidelines for the Downtown Commercial District, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Historic Rehabilitation and a comprehensive sign ordinance.
Source: www.britannica.com/place/Deadwood-South-Dakota
Deadwood, city, seat (1877) of Lawrence county, western South Dakota, U.S. Located just northeast of Lead and about 40 miles (65 km) northwest of Rapid City, Deadwood lies in a canyon formed by Whitewood Creek in the northern Black Hills, more than 4,530 feet (1,380 metres) above sea level. Built at the base of the steep wooded inclines of Deadwood Gulch and extending up the hillsides, it was named for the dead trees found in the canyon.
The city was founded during the 1876 gold rush, when about 25,000 miners swarmed the surrounding hills. Its turbulent reputation as a lawless outpost of frontier violence was magnified by the Deadwood Dick series of dime novels. Wild Bill Hickok, soldier, scout, and marshal, was killed in a Deadwood saloon on August 2, 1876, by Jack McCall. Hickok is buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery, near Calamity Jane, Preacher Smith, Seth Bullock, and other celebrated frontier characters who died in the vicinity; the reenactment of Hickok’s killing and the capture and trial of McCall is a popular tourist spectacle. A railroad link was completed in 1891, and Deadwood became a regional trading centre. Gambling was central to Deadwood’s history, but it was prohibited in 1905; gaming in Deadwood was again legalized, through a state referendum, in 1989.
The economy is driven largely by tourism, based primarily on dozens of gaming halls (many with Old West themes). Some ranching and lumbering also take place in the area. Deadwood is surrounded by Black Hills National Forest and has many outdoor recreational opportunities, including snowmobiling and skiing. The city itself is a national historic landmark. The Adams Museum has exhibits on local history, and the Broken Boot Gold Mine allows visitors to pan for gold and tour a historic underground mine. Inc. 1876. Pop. (2000) 1,380; (2010) 1,270.
Additional Foreign Language Tags:
(United States) "الولايات المتحدة" "Vereinigte Staaten" "アメリカ" "美国" "미국" "Estados Unidos" "États-Unis"
(South Dakota) "داكوتا الجنوبية" "南达科他州" "Dakota du Sud" "दक्षिण डकोटा" "サウスダコタ" "사우스다코타" "Южная Дакота" "Dakota del Sur"
(Deadwood) "ديدوود" "朽木" "bois mort" "डेडवुड" "枯れ木" "데드우드" "дейдвуд"
En Biodiversidad virtual y también en Twiter
Hoy Eudorina casi se ha parado después de toda una vida intensa de rodar en giro y giro vagando bajo el agua y bajo el sol. Rodar viviendo. Baile hermoso en giros suaves que dejó trazos curvos de armonía en cualquier gota. Pintando siempre lunares de luna en verde de treinta y dos motas, y en cada una, una peca diminuta,intensamente roja de rubí que mira al cielo.
Todo este navegar libre de Eudorina, casi con alas de amor, fue tan bello, que quizá por eso se paró. Pausa para recordar, y al hacerlo, reviviendo cada instante, cada una de sus treinta y dos esferas mágicas formará otra de otras treinta y dos que volarán libres por el tiempo, haciendo que la magia de la vida siga rodando como un baile hermoso de giros suaves hacia lo infinito.
Eudorina es un alga colonial que casi siempre está constituida por 32 individuos y aunque no tan grande como la de Volvox forma esferas como ella. Los individuos de Eudorina se disponen en cinco pisos el superior y el inferior formados por cuatro células mientras que los tres centrales tienen ocho. Cada una de ellas está provista de dos largos flagelos, sus cloroplastos y núcleo y una pequeña mancha ocular de intenso color rojo.
Todas las células que forman la colonia de Eudorina son hermanas y hermanas gemelas, permanecen unidas y envueltas y protegidas por una cubierta transparente y gelatinosa. Eudorina constituye un paso intermedio entre las colonias planas de Gonium y las grandes esferas rodantes de Volvox, un paso intermedio entre los organismos unicelulares y los pluricelulares.
Eudorina elegans al igual que Volvox se mueve en el agua y se desplaza girando guiada por la luz del sol. Es una especie cosmopolita que con frecuencia vive en medios acuáticos enriquecidos con nutrientes. Citada por Margalef en 1956 en el NW de la Península en diferentes ecosistemas y hallada desde hace meses en el Lago de Sanabria,como indicadora de su eutrofización, la de hoy, procedente de una pequeña charca situada en las inmediaciones de Mahíde (en pleno corazón de la Sierra de la Culebra de Zamora), se ha fotografíado a 400 aumentos utilizando la técnica de contraste de fase.
En Biodiversidad virtual y también en Instagram como @proyectoagua.
Sin que nadie amase su cuerpo de barro extraño, Urceolus se hace a sí mismo de su costilla, odre, cántaro, tinaja, ánfora, siempre cambiante, dando forma en cada momento a su cuerpo en el álfar mágico de las gotas de agua. Vasija con alma que la vida moldea segundo a segundo y que ningún aguador lleva, solo su propia vida que navega por el tiempo en esa atmósfera líquida de la que Urceolus bebe sorbos a cada paso.
Urceolus es alga sin verde y animal incierto en ese terreno de la frontera en el que la vida es un continuo. Se trata de un flagelado heterótrofo que se alimenta de bacterias y de la materia orgánica que se acumula sobre los fondos en zonas donde se produce sedimentación. Su cuerpo de aspecto de orza de barro, parece haberse torneado con arcilla fresca, y esta plasticidad se pone de manifiesto cuando Urceolus se desplaza lentamente por los fondos, tirado por su grueso flagelo, mientras cambia su perfil redondo por el alargado de cualquier ánfora sumergida .
A pesar de su cuerpo cambiante marcado de estrías por esa camisa elástica que lo contiene, siempre está presente en él un cuello ancho que se despliega y abre como una gola, modelado como el resto de su cuerpo en olla de alfarero por el que asoma su flagelo, que serpentea y trepa ondulado por el agua.
Aunque incluido en ocasiones con las algas, porque es un euglénido pariente muy cercano a los verdes Phacus y las plásticas Euglenas, no realiza la fotosíntesis.
Estos protistas heterótrofos de agua dulce o marinos como Urceolus, son depredadores de bacterias y pequeño fitoplancton, pero también presa fácil de de un zooplancton más grande. Facilitan la remineralización y el reciclado de elementos esenciales para el fitoplancton y el crecimiento microbiano y son esenciales en los ecosistemas acuáticos.
De los veinte taxones descritos y reconocidos como especies o subespecies en este género, algunos, pocos más de media docena son marinos y sobrepasan ampliamente las veinte micras de longitud.
El que mostramos hoy aquí, es de mediano tamaño, de cerca de veinte micras y de largo flagelo y recuerda mucho a Urceolus cyclostomus, pero la taxonomía de este grupo todavía es imprecisa y requiere de estudios más detallados tanto morfológicos como genéticos.
Hoy Urceolus ha sido fotografiado y grabado a 400 y 1000 aumentos empleando la técnica de contraste de interferencia, y procede de una muestra de agua recogida el 11 de marzo de 2020 bajo esfagnos encharcados entre el valle de Soba y el de Asón, al pie del puerto de la Sía en Cantabria.
y también Twiter
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Reina el silencio en los fondos de bruma verde, el público de los minúsculos seres que eran constelación en la gota de agua, ha huido, temen el genio del genio y olvidados del juego de magia se esconden bajo el manto de grumos temiendo que esta culebrilla que fue isla los engulla y que todo el espectáculo de magia haya sido una trampa.
El otro grumo, cordero y azul, en esta tercera secuencia parece que quedó petrificado del susto para siempre. Por eso, el genio ahora, recogerá de nuevo su cuerpo, se convertirá en isla, en nube, en carro, en sol, en asno o en cordero... en mil formas, para comenzar una vez más su juego de magia.
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Peranema se camufla en forma de isla, de masa de pan, de bolo estrujado de arcilla entre los grumos del fondo del Lago a los que ha copiado su color ocre.
Luego, quizá para impresionar, haciéndose a sí misma su cuerpo fluirá modelándose y estirándose en giros y atravesando su propio cuerpo que vuelve a refundirse. Una marejada intensa recorre su interior una y otra vez en una metamorfosis continua que es su propia vida y que la hará inocua serpiente de agua en una transformación sin límites.
No se desmadejará, porque su cuerpo está contenido en una gruesa camisa transparente y elástica, peinada por marcados surcos en espiral que lo retienen y lo hacen volver a su forma como un resorte del que pareciera querer desprenderse.
Peranema es como una Euglena madura, que hubiese cambiado el color verde de primavera, por los de un fruto ya pasado en otoño, no realiza la fotosíntesis y a pesar de incluirse dentro de este grupo de algas tan especiales, se alimenta de la materia orgánica que encuentra a su alrededor y que, poco a poco, va asimilando y convirtiendo en granos gruesos y brillantes de paramilo.
El género Peranema está representado en las aguas dulces del Planeta por cerca de una treintena de especies de las que sólo se han citado dos para la Península Peranema acus y Peranema trichophorum, la segunda de ellas muy común en aguas cargadas de materia orgánica, ríos, estanques, charcos, etc. siempre cuando se dan procesos de descomposición de materia orgánica.
La que mostramos hoy aquí parece corresponder a la de mayor tamaño encontrada hasta ahora, Peranema kupffervi descrita por Skuja en 1931 y que llega a alcanzar hasta las 200 μm de longitud. Peranema kupffervi se caracteriza, aparte de por su gran tamaño, por la presencia de una película externa muy gruesa de surcos claramente visibles y por tener una amplia cámara bucal, ligeramente desplazada hacia un lado y numerosos y pequeños gránulos ovales de paramilo en su interior.
Se trata de una especie rara, muy pocas veces encontrada en Europa y no citada en territorio Ibérico. Se conoce poco de ella y se ha hallado ocasionalmente en pequeños estanques y zanjas enriquecidos con materia orgánica. En el Lago, es otro más de esos hilillos de plastilina con los que habla el agua.
El desplazamiento de las especies de este género en el agua es muy característico, su grueso flagelo -poseen otro apenas visible- se extiende recto hacia adelante, en el sentido del desplazamiento y sólo se agita la parte final del mismo. Este movimiento se acompaña de intensas contracciones, casi convulsiones, cuando Peranema cambia de dirección.
Es muy probable que el ejemplar que mostramos hoy aquí haya perdido parte de ese largo flagelo. Las contracciones de su cuerpo le ayudan así a desplazarse y a encontrar el alimento que necesita.
La imagen, tomada a 400 aumentos con la técnica de contraste de interferencia, procede de una muestra recogida por Laura y Tomás en una zona próxima a la Isla de Moras, en el Lago de Sanabria (Zamora) a 4 m de profundidad el día 7 de julio de 2015. La muestra se ha recogido en la inmersión realizada desde el catamarán Helios Sanabria el primer catamarán del mundo propulsado por energía eólica y solar.
presentación ponencia congreso internacional de Limnología
informes de contaminación en el Lago de Sanabria
informe de evolución de la contaminación en el Lago de Sanabria
License: Public Domain
Source: NASA Ames Research Center
Learn more about Space Colonization on Wikipedia.
www.weshowthemoney.com/ is down... now available here: maborg.to.it/weshowthemoney/
A map of some of the donations to US governors elected in 2006 (in this case some democrats )
data from: www.followthemoney.org/
info: marco.borgna@gmail.com