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The Cathedral of St. Martina
St. Martina - National Historic Landmark
1221-1452
St. Martina is one of the landmarks of the city. For centuries it was the center of cultural, religious and social life. The place where the Cathedral stands today was ambiguous center of the emerging urban settlements. They met here a trip arose market, located here thus the core of the then town, where we can assume the chapel. However, the townspeople used to go to church on the castle, where it established a prepoštstvo chapter. Only when it visits have become unbearable and endangered the safety of the castle headquarters, asked the king Imrich by Pope Innocent III. Permit the transfer prepoštstva to the castle. This permit was also issued in 1204. After prepoštstve to place the issuing and procuring documentary material to the approval of Pope Honorius III. In 1221 moved the church. Construction has not yet begun in the Romanesque style and dedication most Holy Saviour was in continuity with the church of the castle. December 2, 1291 King Andrew III. Podhradie granted town privileges, and the city began to develop in the open easterly direction. The historic town but has remained at the foot of the castle hill. Sacred Temple Saviour in their size was not sufficient and therefore less Romanesque building, which since 1302 has served as the city temple, started in 1311-1314 attaches the current Gothic cathedral. This was solemnly consecrated by bishop of Esztergom Gregory in 1452 in honor of the Sacred Saviour and St . Martin. At that time there was also the sanctuary of what we know today. It was probably just a little more than 1/3 of today, that the sanctuary built by Matthias Corvinus in the years 1467-1487. These years also today we can read on his ceiling plate fixed to the terminal bars ribs. Here also we find the provincial and noble coats of that period Today's Cathedral - Cathedral of Saint Martin - passed since its dedication in 1452 many variables and minor alterations, or extensions. Today there are more in state redevelopment of the years 1863-1878 led canon Charles Heiller - Dómská priest, held in collaboration with the architect Joseph Lippert (1826-1902).
Overall internal dimensions of St. Martina are:
length including the sacristy - 69.37 m
width - 22.85 m
Nave wall thickness - 1.5 m
Thickness of the walls of the sanctuary - 926 mm
Ships height - 16.02 m
Height sanctuary - 18.5 m
Interior
Support
Support (three-legged) consists of two floors. Upon arrival to the interior of a large northern portal, we find ourselves directly beneath the choir organ. On the soffit we can see the exposed fragment baroque layers. The only color, but also historically linked with decorative baroque clock above the entrance to the sacristy. Doors are decorated with relief carving ornamentation except Hungary and municipal coat of arms. These doors lead into the three-legged sacristy formed on the north side of the chapel Canons (Chapel of Our Lady) and the first floor treasure in southern podveží chapel. Joseph and floor chapel Czech Queen Sophia, the widow of Wenceslas IV., and staircase accessible from the choir. Here is exposure of Dómská treasure. Is it possible to go from here to the space tower. Sometimes there is also a capitular archive that even in 1950 contained 3285 medieval documents, and more than 23,000 documents dated after the battle of Mohacs. Also, they contain rare, hand painted decorated liturgical books. Among them the famous Bratislava quoted Missal. To the south chapel of St. Joseph leads a separate entrance with decorative decorative grille from the turn of the century, 16 and 17 at the top. Over medium sakristiovým (space of sacristy) on the ground floor, the floor is placed organ machine.
South vessel (right)
Just opposite the main entrance to the temple is isosceles missionary cross planted 25 February 1990 which was drawn up following a visit to Vienna by Pope John Paul II. in 1988. Going along the south wall one comes to the South portal, which is the last, even medieval extension to the house. It was built around 1510. In each field divided bowed ribs separately placed signs four evangelists. Right next to the southern entrance is the original box and the stone stoup in the form of shells. In southern ship is still Sorrows Altar P. Mary, created as opposite northern altar of Calvary Tyrolean workshop F. Prinoth in St.Ulrich.
Shrine of the Virgin Mary on the south side of the central seated statue of the Pieta that their origin prior to 1642 is due to the ghost 's story. It's already the fourth altar created for this work. On the altar in addition to the aforementioned statues are even statues of other saints. From left are in the bottom row sv. Apolonia, Vol. Genovéva? , Vol. Rozalia Palermo and light. Cecilia, in the top shroud by even two, vol. left St. Lucia and Filomena right. Statues of saints supplement relief scenes from the life of Christ juxtaposed threes. At left are the scenes of childhood as: Escape to Egypt, twelve Christ in the temple and sacrifice in the temple. On the right side of the end scenes of Christ's life: Carrying the Cross, storing the grave and crucifixion. In mid nike attachment is a statue of an angel holding a veraikon.
In the corner of the south aisle is a jewel of Baroque art admired and coveted by thousands of visitors - equestrian statue of St . Martin, dividing his cloak with a beggar created by Juraj Rafael Donner of the 1735th. Build sv . Martina bears portrait features of donor - Archbishop Imre Esterházy.
Juraj Rafael Donner
(* 24.05.1693 - † 02.15.1741)
Crafts George Raphael Donner is a decade firmly tied to Bratislava, the then Prešburg, which creates a number of wonderful works of art. To a large extent its creation was heading for the needs of the church, which is a donor it works. Perhaps the greatest of the reservation was archbishop of Esztergom Imrich Esterházy, for whom creating here in the house in the years 1719-1731 chapel of St. . John the Merciful, and whose order is the leading work on the Baroque reconstruction of the house. In 1735 creates the St. Martina main-Baroque altar with a statue of St. Martin, as well as a pair of worshiping angels, who are part of the collections of the National Museum in Budapest. In his workshop on Firšnáli (now Freedom Square) created in 1736 for the abbey church altar in Marianka, became canonical and altars Piety and light. For Michael 's Cathedral St. Martin Donner ten year stay in Bratislava meant the emergence of the so-called Donner school, which is associated with an expired late Baroque Epoch Times Cinquecento, while anticipating future development of classicism. From its rich formation in the St. Martina has been preserved except the chapel of St. Martin decoration, Statue of St. John the Merciful. Its original position was at the end of the presbytery, which was part of the main Baroque altar.
Once near the triumphal arch in the southern ship is one of kovolejárskych Gothic monuments, which is the baptismal font in 1409 92 cm high. The cover consists of neo helm of 1878.
Sanctuary
The sanctuary is only three steps of red marble separated from the nave and aisles. After the two sides are still neo-Gothic. The main altar in the shape of a Gothic shrine and altar of St. Andrew podveží in northern naves are made by J. Lippert. It is on the main altar, found its place six saints - patron of the city. These are light. Juraj, Vol. Elizabeth Hungarian, Vol. Vojtech the left of the tabernacle with the emblems of the four Evangelists with Christ in the middle, and light. Nicholas, Vol. Catherine of Alexandria, St . Florian on the right side. Extension creates richly towering architecture trúbiacimi by angels. On the south wall is placed neo-Gothic pastophorium closed door of a Gothic tower-like shape pastofória originally located on the opposite, that the north side of the sanctuary. There is now a wall mural with a list of heads are crowned king, supplemented AD coronation, created in the 19th century. Below the list is a little north portal. Pillars on either side of the sanctuary windows are placed neo-Gothic sculpture of St. Peter and Paul. For northern stall are two epitaphs. The year 1601 is the epitaph Nicholas Palffy in this niche and clothed in armor. To his right is the epitaph Peter Pázmány - Cardinal, Archbishop of Esztergom, scholar, founder of the Pázmáneum in Vienna, the founder of the University of Trnava and Bratislava Jesuit college. The epitaph is the work of sculptor of Bratislava A. Riegele. Among them is the inscription forming tombstone Archbishops Lippaya, Szécsényi, and Pázmaňa. Northern part of the stall is a small positive organ workshop Karla Kölner created in 1867 From inside the triumphal arch is equipped with a secondary epitaph Bishop of Eger, a Hungarian viceroy Francis Ujlakyho made of red marble around 1555 and also from red marble epitaph created Martina Peth, displayed with Episcopal insignia.
North Ship (left)
North ship has a so-called dominant Altar or Altar of the Cross of Calvary Tyrolean workshop F. Prinoth in St. Ulrich. In the center is a statue of Calvary, so cross with the Corpus of Christ, under which it is Mary 's mother left and right Apostle John. It is shown here moments when Jesus Christ in John passed under the protection of Mary's motherhood mankind and us through John gives Mary the mother. About four- relief scenes creating the impression sash opening Gothic altar, showing four trpiteľskej painful moments of Jesus' journey to Calvary. The lower left corner is Jesus' encounter with the Mother of the crowning with thorns. On the right side is down prayer on the Mount of Olives, where Christ receives the chalice of suffering at the hands of an angel. The last scene is flogging Christ. The bulkhead under the cross is embossed painting the Last Supper. It is created by the famous fresco of Leonardo Da Vinci. Towers soaring above the altar are equipped with four statues. Amid cross over the Sacred Heart of Jesus, of whom the angel with folded hands. On the sides are statues of Jesus statues of two deacons. On the right is the first deacon of St. Stephen and on the opposite side of St . Lawrence, who was consecrated to the one now defunct church in Bratislava.
On the altar of St . Andrew made by J. Lippert, instead of the central statue of that saint ever stood a statue of the Pieta, now standing at a larger (already mentioned), splendid altar in the south of the ship. Sv. Andrew crossed with typical crossbar behind obstupujú niches in the side altar of St. Alojz and St. Imrich.
On the northern front of the ships is still a chapel. John the Merciful.
Right next to the altar of St . Andrew is the entrance to the chapel of St . Anny.
Chapel. John the Merciful
Chapel. John the Merciful, the only comprehensive monument of the baroque period. The chapel stands on the site of the former Gothic sacristy. Build it gave the archbishop Imrich Esterházy, as his funeral chapel and also the place where the remains of St. John the Merciful. Its decoration is the work of J. R. Donner. Ceiling fresco attributed to D. Grant, shows the personification of divine virtues: faith, hope and love over the entrance, accompanied justice. On the predella of the altar of the Refectory are seven scenes from the Passion, which also includes door tabernákula. These relief sculptures are like eternal light, and two large candlesticks of foundry workshop J. R. Donner. His, however, stoneware sculpture workshop come putitov a large angels. A gem of stonework is carved in white marble statue forever adoring donor. Archbishop Imrich Esterházy is carved from white marble in a sumptuous robe kneeling on kľakadle of red marble. The silver coffin remarkable, under a canopy consisting of a crown and drapery of it merging into stored relics of St. John the Merciful. Entrance to the chapel is formed by a large arch lined with rich drapery, again, kept little angel. The hole closes heavy baroque metal gate.
The remains of St. Martin and of St. John the Merciful were by tradition gift Turkish sultan King Matthias Corvinus and from 15 century have been deposited in the royal chapel in Buda. In 1526 they were moved to Bratislava, Buda was because after the defeat of the Hungarian army at Mohács threatened by the Turks. The Bratislava castle remains were deposited up to 5 June 1530, when they were at the command of Ferdinand I. moved to St. Martin.
Anny Chapel
Anne Chapel is the in the the northern site of the former so-called small portal , whose precious stone mason gothic decor is still preserved, despite various modifications to the temple. Under the floor there are two entrances to Dómská crypts and also the foundations of the former Romanesque Karner. At present, in addition epitaph J. I. Bajza established academic sculptor J. Pospíšilom rare Gothic epitaph provost J. Schoenberg from 1470 probably made by Nicolaus Gerhaereta of Leyden, provost Michael Marovitza epitaph and epitaph George Nagy. The front wall is a statue of St . Anne with P. Mary, who was part of the now defunct neo-Gothic altar.
Preserved Gothic tympanum above the transition into the aisle, showing God the Father seated on his seat in the hands of the tree of the cross - holding of the new fruit of eternal life - Christ, for it outstretched. Adore that two angels. In vrchnejšej section contains two more so prefigurácie Christ, namely: lioness revitalizing their stillborn baby on the left side of the pelican and her young vourus own flesh and blood on the right side. God the Father above floats depicting a dove - third divine person of the Holy Spirit.
Vaulted Hall
Three nave is divided in two rows ranking - all eight columns, resembling the eight Beatitudes which is built cross vault, which is almost without bolts. Its author is most likely Hans Puchsbaum, who also worked on the construction of Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral, where he built a similar vault. The focus is on cross-nave circular opening covered with a shield with a dove St. Spirit hovering on clouds surrounded by a circle of stars. The central ship is richly carved pulpit obtáčajúca one of the main pillars. From the ceiling hangs mnohoramenný metal chandelier from the turn of the 16th and 17th century.
Organ chorus
Organ chorus is created according to F. Liszt so on it could be placed great interpretive apparatus symphony orchestra and choir. For this reason, the big 34 registering body - most of the workshops Vincent possible from the years 1880-82, as it were closed and placed in the tower. Cannot fail to mention that the musical events in Bratislava was closely connected with the house just Saint Martin. With music Mass in the cathedral all developments related to church music in Bratislava. Already a document from 1491 mentions the mass supported by the city council. Model for the local musical events are also elements coming from the coronation ceremony near Vienna. In 1833 was established at the house - church music association called. Kirchenmusikverain (in German language - Kirchenmusikverein). Under the guidance of outstanding conductors Joseph Kumlika, Thiarda-Laforesta and Eugene Kossovo gained European recognition of the association. And In the house conducted his coronation Mass itself Ferenz Liszt. This body several times successfully explained Beethoven's IX Symphony and Missa Solemn. Even in 1950 it was in the archives of over 2,700 songs in custody conductor Alexander Albrecht.
Gothic windows
The temple is illuminated with several Gothic windows, filled with stained glass from years of neo-Gothic reconstruction (1874).
Crypts
Crypts are mysterious underground church built on a former cemetery. So far we know three crypts at a depth of nearly six meters. Is input to the two already mentioned chapel of St. Anne, third - Palffy family crypt located in front of the main altar has entry from the exterior. This is the north wall of the house covered with white marble top with Palffy family coat of arms (which was the Diet of Bratislava in 1599 elected hereditary lords of the castle), above which there is a funerary statue of John Draškovcha from 1613 depicting the knight located in nike completed the top of shells. The chapel of St. Anny is entered into so-called Jesuit crypt, which is situated below the road between the house and the catholic seminary. There is also only accessible entrance to the underground section so-called Archbishop crypt branched into four corridors. There are more than 90 graves. The last three are buried here: Provost Joseph Dankó († 1895), canon Geza Navratil († 1984) and Joseph parish administrator Beitl († 1991). The graves are in rows of three. There are also temporarily stored the remains of Bishop Buzalka. Under the chapel of Saint John the Merciful in bulk coffin Archbishops Imre Esterházy († 1745), Nicholas Csaky († 1757), Francis Barkóczy († 1765) and Cardinal Jozef Batthyány († 1799). Restoration work 12 September 1859 found under the pavement of the sanctuary graves of archbishops Pázmáňa, Lippayho and Szécsényi. In the sixties have been found the graves of archbishops Fejerköviho († 1596) and Christian Augustine († 1721). At the tomb of Bratislava canon J. I. Bajza (1754-1836) was located in the summer of 2003 and the empty coffin glazed Catholic priest, nationalist Andrej Hlinka.
Tower
Tower towering over the house of St . Martina is 87 meters high. In the distant past had fortification-defensive character. As part of the walls were present in it guns and other protective and defensive equipment. Injury suffered mainly fires. A fire in 1760 caused by lightning, was repeated in 1833, and subsequently damaged the tower whirlwind. The current state of the tower is from the years 1835-1849, when the builder Ignatius St. Feigler edited by Neo-Gothic tower to form the completed pyramid. Brand new top of the form, instead of the cross when it is equiped with gilded decorative pillow Hungarian crown weighing 300 kg. Below the clock face is the bell tower. The oldest bell tower is located at 2513 kg weighing Wedderin, cast Baltazar Herold in 1675th. On the occasion of the Great Jubilee of 2000 the tower was planted another 5 new bells, gifts neighboring countries. They are also a symbol of a united Europe and jointly bear the motto:
We are born with you - I'm dying with you
I rejoice with you - I am crying with you
I'm calling you together with your heart.
Listen to my voice their hearts,
Are all people of good will, Listen!
These bells are the work from the workshop of Maria Tomášková-Dytrichovej in Brodek u Company.
Coronation
Coronations were certainly the most famous period in the history of St. Martin. It is bordered ago period 1563-1830, which was the coronation church of Hungarian Kingdom. It took place there nineteen coronation. From here, the eleven kings were crowned, including Maria Theresa and eight royal wives.
JEWELS OF THE CATHEDRAL
Jewellery house, which is in the treasury collected for 550 years existence of the temple, are hidden in the bowels of the rough walls. In addition to the artistic, historic and cultural value of the building itself forms a considerable number of objects characterized by high craftsmanship and artistic quality. Perhaps the greatest gem is 109 cm tall Gothic monstrance, accompanied by a variety of liturgical objects, including chalices and Episcopal Berio, pacifikálov, cibórií, or reliquary. Also there are different painting gems. For all let us at least Gothic panel paintings originating from the altar in the Vienna New Town, whose authorship is attributed to "master Winkler epitaph" from around the 1480th Special kind of jewelry is the amount of liturgical vestments decorated with rich hand embroidery technique so-called paintings needle. These valuables can be seen at special ceremonial worship, which again become part of the celebration of the liturgy.
__________
[ 1 ] Pope in the years 1198-1216
[ 2 ] Pope in the years 1216-1227
[ 3 ] Hungarian king in the years 1290-1301
[ 4 ] Joseph Lippert (* 21 January 1826v Arad in Romania, + August 15, 1902 in Gutensteine in Austria) architect and restorer. He studied in Hamburg and Vienna.
[ 5 ] She died on 12.25.1428 and was buried in the Cathedral of St. . Martin.
[ 6 ] Bohemian king from 1378 to 1400 and in 1378 a German Roman emperor of the dynasty of Luxemburg.
[ 7 ] 1526 AD
[ 8 ] See File: Thomas Bielavý , rather marvelous Loans, which became one soul in Prešpurk, 1643
[ 9 ] Shape church. Lawrence can be found marked in the pavement of the square in front of the Old Market .
Editor - Tue, 2006a - 08-29 11:15
Printable version
( c ) The parish of St . Martina in Bratislava
Sydney Trains Tangara T38 overtakes a stalled 2958 loaded Aurizon grain train at Jannali Station using bi-directional running.
2958 was a regular fixture on the Illawarra line in Sydney during the brief time that QRNational (later, Aurizon) operated their grain rake between Southern NSW and Port Kembla Inner Harbour.
Originally the train was forced to run via Sydney due to the type of wagons used initially (ex-WAGR AGWF type), this was later rectified with ex South Australian AHGX hoppers permitting QRNational/Aurizon to run via Robertson. On the day this photograph was taken, 2958 had once again operated via Sydney due to trackwork between Moss Vale and Unanderra, and as had happened many times previously, they came to a stand on the steep grade between Como and Sutherland. Unable to get started again, 2958 was stranded in the section, blowing the down Illawarra mainline until bi-directional running was implemented by control.
With passenger trains now able to pass the stricken freighter (albeit running with huge delays), a rescue operation was organised using the locomotives from the following freight train NW70 (loaded export coal from Newstan to Inner Harbour). The Pacific National crew secured their train at Allawah (another steep grade facing southbound trains) and set off south to assist.
Finally underway, the consist slowly (but loudly) moved through Jannali at 1924, running as DC2206, LZ3104, LZ3101 leading their grain train, with 8233, 8211, 8253 and 8256 pushing on the rear. This unusual consist ran to Waterfall Yard (the end of the uphill grades) at which point the 82 Class were detached, allowing the grain train to roll down the hill towards Port Kembla. The 82 Class then returned to Allawah to collect their own train.
Weather permitting, as early as the weekend of Oct. 20, a new 28th Street on-ramp to northbound I-5 will open to traffic. Drivers who use this on-ramp will cross the new Puyallup River Bridge prior to merging with mainline I-5 traffic.
In addition, drivers on northbound I-5 heading to the Port of Tacoma Road (exit 136B) and East 20th Street (exit 136A) will exit the mainline before the river and cross the new Puyallup River Bridge to reach the interchange. The new off-ramp is approximately a half mile south of the current exit. Crews will implement this change during the same weekend.
Once the ramp traffic is on the new bridge, crews will begin building lanes to match the new alignment of northbound I-5 leading up to the new bridge. If weather cooperates, all northbound I-5 traffic could be using the new bridge as soon as spring 2018.
Project information is available here:
(more details later, as time permits)
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Virtually everyone in America, as well as millions of other people around the world, know that Thanksgiving is one of the main occasions for organizing a huge parade.
It’s especially true in New York City, where I live — hundreds of parade workers converge on a one-block stretch between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West on 77th Street on the night before Thanksgiving to assemble the floats, and pump the huge balloons full of helium, so they’ll be ready to go the next morning. The parade itself lasts for hours, and stretches all the way down Central Park West and Broadway, and ultimately through Herald Square and past the main entrance to Macy’s on 34th Street. The whole thing is televised for the benefit of viewers all around the world, with TV commentators and an endless procession of marching bands, baton-twirlers, singers, dancers, jugglers, magicians, Broadway actors, and other forms of entertainment…
While New York City may be the only example of a Thanksgiving-Day parade that people around the world actually see on their TV screen, it’s definitely not the only such parade that takes place in this country. I’m sure that every big city has its own version of the turkey-day parade, as do most of the medium-size cities, and quite a few smaller towns and villages, too. They may not be visible on television, but a lot of local citizens and visitors turn out to watch such parades, if only because their sons and daughters are typically marching in the high-school bands that form a big part of the event.
On this particular occasion — in November of 2013 — I happened to be in one such medium-size city, where the parade took place on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It was in Portland, Oregon where we were spending the holiday period with one of our sons and his family; the parade took place in the “Pearl District” of downtown Portland … and, to our amazement, we were able to park our car about a block from the parade route, and walk right up to the corner (at Davis St and NW Park, if you want to track it down on Google Maps) where all of the bands and floats and costumed marchers walked by. In fact, I was able to take the “parade experience” even one step further: the people were friendly enough, and the security was light enough, that I was able to walk right out into the middle of the street with my camera, to photograph the floats and bands and marchers as they approached me … scampering out of the way only at the last moment.
Admittedly, Portland is a much bigger city than a tiny village of a thousand people somewhere in the midwest … but it still felt like “small town America” to me, and it was a great spectacle to watch. I got the impression that many of the visitors and observers standing along the street actually knew the people marching past them … and in any case, the marchers laughed and smiled and walked right up to us, handing out little pieces of candy to all of the children. Maybe next year I’ll go looking for a really small Thanksgiving parade in one of those tiny midwest-America villages, before retreating back to the Big Apple to watch the spectacle of thousands of marchers parading past millions of observers, and a TV audience of tens of millions …
I wish that I had taken some video clips of the parade, because the sounds and the music and the motion were a big part of what we experienced. But for better or worse, all I took was a bunch of traditional still photos. Actually, I took a LOT of still photos — nearly a thousand, altogether — but I’ve winnowed the collection down to 50 “keepers” that I hope will give you a sense of what Thanksgiving is all about…
Actually, if you live anywhere besides New York City here in the U S of A, you already know what Thanksgiving is all about, at least to the extent that it’s symbolized by the parade. But for those of us who spend most our time in New York City, it was a very pleasant experience indeed. After an hour, it was all over; we walked back to our car a block away, and drove back to our son’s house … and a day later, we were back in New York City. And thus ended another Thanksgiving holiday, at least until 2014.
(more details later, as time permits)
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About a year ago, I created Flickr album for photos that I had started taking with my iPhone5s; and now I’m creating a new Flickr album for photos that I’ve begun taking with myiPhone6, which just arrived from T-Mobile this morning.
In last year’s album, I wrote, "Whether you’re an amateur or professional photographer, it’s hard to walk around with a modern smartphone in your pocket, and not be tempted to use the built-in camera from time-to-time. Veteran photographers typically sneer at such behavior, and most will tell you that they can instantly recognize an iPhone photo, which they mentally reject as being unworthy of any serious attention.
"After using many earlier models of smartphones over the past several years, I was inclined to agree; after all, I always (well, almost always) had a “real” camera in my pocket (or backpack or camera-bag), and it was always capable of taking a much better photographic image than the mediocre, grainy images shot with a camera-phone.
"But still … there were a few occasions when I desperately wanted to capture some photo-worthy event taking place right in front of me, and inevitably it turned out to be the times when I did not have the “real” camera with me. Or I did have it, but it was buried somewhere in a bag, and I knew that the “event” would have disappeared by the time I found the “real" camera and turned it on. By contrast, the smart-phone was always in my pocket (along with my keys and my wallet, it’s one of the three things I consciously grab every time I walk out the door). And I often found that I could turn it on, point it at the photographic scene, and take the picture much faster than I could do the same thing with a “traditional” camera.
"Meanwhile, smartphone cameras have gotten substantially better in the past few years, from a mechanical/hardware perspective; and the software “intelligence” controlling the camera has become amazingly sophisticated. It’s still not on the same level as a “professional” DSLR camera, but for a large majority of the “average” photographic situations we’re likely to encounter in the unplanned moments of our lives, it’s more and more likely to be “good enough.” The old adage of “the best camera is the one you have with you” is more and more relevant these days. For me, 90% of the success in taking a good photo is simply being in the right place at the right time, being aware that the “photo opportunity” is there, and having a camera — any camera — to take advantage of that opportunity. Only 10% of the time does it matter which camera I’m using, or what technical features I’ve managed to use.
"And now, with the recent advent of the iPhone5s, there is one more improvement — which, as far as I can tell, simply does not exist in any of the “professional” cameras. You can take an unlimited number of “burst-mode” shots with the new iPhone, simply by keeping your finger on the shutter button; instead of being limited to just six (as a few of the DSLR cameras currently offer), you can take 10, 20, or even a hundred shots. And then — almost magically — the iPhone will show you which one or two of the large burst of photos was optimally sharp and clear. With a couple of clicks, you can then delete everything else, and retain only the very best one or two from the entire burst.
"With that in mind, I’ve begun using my iPhone5s for more and more “everyday” photo situations out on the street. Since I’m typically photographing ordinary, mundane events, even the one or two “optimal” shots that the camera-phone retains might not be worth showing anyone else … so there is still a lot of pruning and editing to be done, and I’m lucky if 10% of those “optimal” shots are good enough to justify uploading to Flickr and sharing with the rest of the world. Still, it’s an enormous benefit to know that my editing work can begin with photos that are more-or-less “technically” adequate, and that I don’t have to waste even a second reviewing dozens of technically-mediocre shots that are fuzzy, or blurred.
"Oh, yeah, one other minor benefit of the iPhone5s (and presumably most other current brands of smartphone): it automatically geotags every photo and video, without any special effort on the photographer’s part. Only one of my other big, fat cameras (the Sony Alpha SLT A65) has that feature, and I’ve noticed that almost none of the “new” mirrorless cameras have got a built-in GPS thingy that will perform the geotagging...
"I’ve had my iPhone5s for a couple of months now, but I’ve only been using the “burst-mode” photography feature aggressively for the past couple of weeks. As a result, the initial batch of photos that I’m uploading are all taken in the greater-NYC area. But as time goes on, and as my normal travel routine takes me to other parts of the world, I hope to add more and more “everyday” scenes in cities that I might not have the opportunity to photograph in a “serious” way.
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Okay, so now it’s September of 2014, and I’ve got the iPhone 6. They say that the camera is better, and that the internal camera-related hardware/firmware/software is better, too. Obviously, I’ve got the newer iOS, too, and even on the “old” phones, it now supports time-lapse videos along with everything else.
I’ve still got my pocket camera (an amazing little Sony ERX-100 Mark III), and two larger cameras (Sony RX-10, and Sony A7), but I have a feeling that I won’t even be taking them out of the camera bag when I’m out on the street for ordinary day-to-day walking around.
That will depend, obviously, on what kind of photos and videos the iPhone6 is actually capable of taking … so I’m going to try to use it every day, and see what the results look like …
Like I said last year, “stay tuned…"
By Catedrales e Iglesias
Con mis agradecimientos a mi amigo Tacho por la ayuda en esta visita al Templo de Santa Barbara Almoloya asi como a los Fiscales del Templo que permitieron la realización de este reportaje
© Álbum 2747
By Catedrales e Iglesias
Arquidiócesis de Puebla
IGLESIA DE SANTA BARBARA ALMOLOYA
CALLE LIBERTAD SN,
CHOLULA DE RIVADAVIA,
SAN PEDRO CHOLULA PUEBLA,
MÉXICO
CP 72750
TEL: 01-222-289-0239
El territorio en el que se encuentran ubicadas las poblaciones del antiguo señorío de Cholula, puede decirse que es sumamente prolífico. Posee abundantes corrientes de agua, tanto a flor de tierra, como subterráneas lo que permite que la flora y la fauna sean sumamente ricas.
Santa Bárbara Almoloya, junta auxiliar del municipio de San Pedro Cholula, no podía ser la excepción. Su belleza natural, desde hace muchos años, está conformada en parte por el río Prieto y por un hermoso manantial del que brotan torrentes cristalinos de agua.
Una costumbre muy arraigada de este lugar consistía en que cada 24 de junio día de San Juan, por las noches, guapas jóvenes se bañaban en este hermoso estanque, situado en la parte oriente del templo católico.
Existía la creencia entre ellas que al hacerlo ese día y a esa hora, su pelo crecía y su belleza aumentaba.
En realidad, su secreto a voces consistía en la esperanza de que en punto de las doce de la noche, en alguna ocasión de tantas, tendrían oportunidad de ver a una sirena, ser fabuloso con busto de mujer y cuerpo de pez, que según su creencia y relatos de los ancianos emitía un canto muy hermoso.
Cada año, al acercarse la fecha, la mayoría de las jóvenes de Santa Bárbara preparaban los jabones más caros con esencias perdurables, además de los listones más finos y coloridos con los que sujetaban y adornaban su bien cuidado cabello.
El día señalado en punto de las siete de la noche se veía caminar a decenas de jovencitas que se dirigían presurosas al manantial, en el que se zambullirían y juguetearían. Solamente las mujeres jóvenes tenían el privilegio. A los jóvenes varones, se les tenía prohibido acercarse a ese lugar precisamente en ese día.
Ruperto Petlachi, era un joven de 21 años de edad, siempre se había distinguido por ser muy inteligente y observador ya que a lo largo de varios años había percibido que algunos de sus conocidos, un poco mayores que él habían desaparecido sin dejar rastro precisamente un día después del 24 de junio de casa año.
Esa ocasión estuvo muy atento al desarrollo de los acontecimientos por lo que por la tarde se reunió con su amigo Crisóforo, tal como lo hacía todos los días después de terminar su jornada de trabajo. Éste lo notó preocupado y pensativo, así que le pregunto:
-¿Te pasa algo Ruperto?
A lo que respondió: -Toda la noche soñé cosas extrañas. Te vas a burlar de mí, pero soñé con la sirena del manantial.
Crisóforo quería reírse, pero se contuvo al ver la seriedad con la que hablaba su amigo. Hubo un corto silencio y continuó el dialogo: No sé. ¡Como que siento ganas de ir al manantial!
Crisóforo le dijo alarmado: ¡ni lo pienses! Te van a apedrear las mujeres.
Ruperto dijo más tranquilo: mira te ruego me acompañes al manantial después de las doce de la noche ya que se hayan retirado las mujeres. Con esa idea se retiraron cada uno a su casa.
En punto de las doce de la noche, Crisóforo salió de su casa, se dirigió al lugar donde había quedado de ver a su amigo. Cuando llegó, vio que éste ya se encaminaba rumbo al manantial, trató de alcanzarlo pero no pudo. Por la gran distancia que los separaba sólo encontró en el camino a muchas mujeres que regresaban, las saludó y prosiguió.
Al llegar al manantial vio a su amigo Ruperto dentro del agua con la vista fija en los veneros situados en una roca casi a nivel del estanque natural. De pronto, estos orificios acuáticos se agrandaban y salía de ellos una hermosa criatura con cuerpo de mujer de la cintura hacía arriba y en lugar de piernas poseía una asombrosa cola de pez.
Sorprendido, Crisóforo corrió a esconderse en unos arbustos, mientras el extraño ser empezó a cantar con una dulce voz tierna, casi angelical, interpretando una linda melodía. El ambiente se llenó de un resplandor cálido como una esfera de ensueño, pero impenetrable.
Sin poder articular palabra, Crisóforo vio que Ruperto avanzó lentamente hacia la sirena. El trató de detener a su amigo gritándole:
-¡Ruperto!, ¡detente! ¡por favor hermano!, ¡recuerda a tu familia!, ¡no seas imprudente, por el amor de Dios!.
La sirena, amorosamente, susurró:
-¡Veeen!... te estaba esperaaando… acércate… veeen a mi…así…eres míooo…, míooo…
En ese momento, Ruperto estaba como poseído por el rostro iluminado por la emoción y una inmensa alegría, siguió caminando muy cerca de la sirena extendió los brazos rodeó con ellos el cuerpo de este atractivo ser, y se fundió en un solo ser con ella.
De inmediato desaparecieron en los veneros donde brotaba el agua, todo sucedió en un momento muy breve. El asombro fue tal que Crisóforo se retiró como pudo. Ruperto jamás volvió a aparecer.
La gente inventó muchas versiones, pero Crisóforo sabía la verdad de que en los primeros minutos del día 25 de junio de cada año, al escuchar el canto de la sirena, un varón de Santa Bárbara Almoloya desaparecería para siempre.
Leyendas de Puebla
Salvador Momox Pérez y Roberto Vélez de la Torre
Recopilación: Myrna Rojas Flores
(More details later, as time permits)
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After photographing some of the people and scenes on Camden High Street and Piccadilly Circus (which you can see in this Flickr set and this Flickr set), I decided that my next stop should be Trafalgar Square, which you can learn more about here on Wikipedia. Located in the center of London, the square is a public space and tourist attraction, and is also used for political demonstrations and community gatherings, such as the celebration of New Year's Eve.
The name commemorates the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, a major British naval victory during the Napoleonic Wars. The original name was to have been "King William the Fourth's Square," but George Ledwell Taylor suggested the name "Trafalgar Square." In the 1820s the Prince Regent hired the architect John Nash to redevelop the area, and Nash cleared the square as part of his Charing Cross Improvement Scheme. The current architecture of the square is due to Sir Charles Barry and was completed in 1845.
Nelson's Column is in the center of the square, flanked by fountains designed in 1937 as replacements for two earlier fountains, and guarded by four monumental bronze lions. The column is topped by a statue of Horatio Nelson, the vice admiral who commanded the British Fleet at Trafalgar. The square has become a social and political focus for visitors and Londoners alike; its symbolic importance was demonstrated in 1940 when the Nazi SS developed secret plans to transfer Nelson's Column to Berlin following an expected German invasion
Since its construction, Trafalgar Square has been a popular spot for political demonstrations, though the authorities have often attempted to ban them. The same that year Nelson's column opened, for example, the authorities started banning Chartist meetings in the square. A general ban on political rallies remained in effect until the 1880s, when the emerging Labour movement, particularly the Social Democratic Federation, began holding protests there.
One of the first significant demonstrations of the modern era was held in the square in September 1961 by the Committee of 100, which included the philosopher Bertrand Russell. The protesters rallied for peace and against war and nuclear weapons. The square was also scene to a large vigil held shortly after the terrorist bombings in London on July 7, 2005. On March 27, 2011, the square was occupied by protesters using the square to rally against the UK Budget and its proposed budget cuts. During the night, the situation turned violent as the escalation by riot police and protesters damaged major portions of the square.
With all of this historical background, I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I got to Trafalgar Square. But it turned out to be mostly students and tourists from various countries, wandering around peacefully, as well as various "locals" who were enjoying a sunny afternoon in the square. I took some 200 photos, and decided that 40 of them were sufficiently interesting to warrant uploading to Flickr...
So that's it for Trafalgar Square. Maybe I'll come back someday, maybe I won't. Meanwhile, there are still other places to see here in London -- but they'll have to wait for my next trip. For now, it's time to head back to New York City.
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In response to the Congressional budget debacle which proved that DC is but a colony -- prone to being singled out unlike any other city in the country -- a number of activists, elected officials, and general citizens came out in force upon the grounds of Capitol Hill.
The crowd first formed on the sidewalk, but after some opening remarks by elected officials and activists: they quickly spilled into the street. The Capitol Police had been on hand & I'd thought it amusing that a couple were taking photos & videos... it wasn't until I saw the wristbands come out when I realised these weren't officers enjoying the moment; they were recording evidence.
With many minutes of warning, large portions of the group shifted over the sidewalk; whilst a core of dedicated supporters -- including our Mayor, a number of councilmembers, and members of DC Vote -- remained behind to block the roadway. The officers began to surround the group & repeated their warnings to get back on the sidewalk or face arrest.
Now in all fairness to the Capitol Police: they were doing their job. They were quite courteous about it & the protest was similarly jubilant right back. One woman was first to be bound, soon followed by several other activists. Then came Muriel Bowser: first councilmember to be arrested.
In general, I tend to dislike political grandstanding... but this was different. If our council was being arrested by our own police, I'd think it a cheesy photo op... but now our locally-elected officials were being arrested by the very forces we were out to protest: the Feds. This wasn't a mere photo op arrest; this was actually a legitimate arrest... the kind of thing that goes on your record; the kind of thing you spent a night in jail for.
Now granted, I don't expect anyone will be in jail longer than tomorrow; I'd be surprised if any were still locked up by midnight tonight. But it was Councilmember Bowser's arrest which really hit a moment... you could see the look on her face was of some worried concern: someone who had never been arrested before & didn't show up here today expecting to be arrested. As she was placed into the police van: her look of concern changed to a bit more worry. I mean this as no knock against Councilmember Bowser's committment; rather I felt it really help to humanise the entire event. It made me respect her all the more.
Yvette Alexander stood right beside us for quite some time, complicated in that she didn't have her ID on her. While it was entertaining to see our top officials being frisked, it was also quite entertaining that our easily-recognisable councilmember needed her ID... prompting a standerby to call one of her staffers with the best introduction I've ever heard over a phone: "Hi, your councilmember has been arrested." Also, kudos to Councilmember Alexander for going to jail in high heels!
There is a lot I can complain about with the council in general; and certainly with individual councilmembers & even the mayor. Heck, that's what politicians are for: you're not supposed to always like them. But this was an opportunity to set aside some of those issues (frankly, I'd say DC was glad to have a unifying moment after the past couple weeks) and cheer on our own brothers & sisters as they stood up in support of our rights.
It was certainly a proud moment to be a DC resident and a fine boost to our collective esteem after several weeks of turmoil within our local & federal levels of government. It's aggravating that my support for small & local government is inhibited by those in Congress whom advocate small & local government. If I wanted to live in a colony, I'd have moved to Williamsburg.
(more details later, as time permits)
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About a year ago, I created Flickr album for photos that I had started taking with my iPhone5s; and now I’m creating a new Flickr album for photos that I’ve begun taking with myiPhone6, which just arrived from T-Mobile this morning.
In last year’s album, I wrote, "Whether you’re an amateur or professional photographer, it’s hard to walk around with a modern smartphone in your pocket, and not be tempted to use the built-in camera from time-to-time. Veteran photographers typically sneer at such behavior, and most will tell you that they can instantly recognize an iPhone photo, which they mentally reject as being unworthy of any serious attention.
"After using many earlier models of smartphones over the past several years, I was inclined to agree; after all, I always (well, almost always) had a “real” camera in my pocket (or backpack or camera-bag), and it was always capable of taking a much better photographic image than the mediocre, grainy images shot with a camera-phone.
"But still … there were a few occasions when I desperately wanted to capture some photo-worthy event taking place right in front of me, and inevitably it turned out to be the times when I did not have the “real” camera with me. Or I did have it, but it was buried somewhere in a bag, and I knew that the “event” would have disappeared by the time I found the “real" camera and turned it on. By contrast, the smart-phone was always in my pocket (along with my keys and my wallet, it’s one of the three things I consciously grab every time I walk out the door). And I often found that I could turn it on, point it at the photographic scene, and take the picture much faster than I could do the same thing with a “traditional” camera.
"Meanwhile, smartphone cameras have gotten substantially better in the past few years, from a mechanical/hardware perspective; and the software “intelligence” controlling the camera has become amazingly sophisticated. It’s still not on the same level as a “professional” DSLR camera, but for a large majority of the “average” photographic situations we’re likely to encounter in the unplanned moments of our lives, it’s more and more likely to be “good enough.” The old adage of “the best camera is the one you have with you” is more and more relevant these days. For me, 90% of the success in taking a good photo is simply being in the right place at the right time, being aware that the “photo opportunity” is there, and having a camera — any camera — to take advantage of that opportunity. Only 10% of the time does it matter which camera I’m using, or what technical features I’ve managed to use.
"And now, with the recent advent of the iPhone5s, there is one more improvement — which, as far as I can tell, simply does not exist in any of the “professional” cameras. You can take an unlimited number of “burst-mode” shots with the new iPhone, simply by keeping your finger on the shutter button; instead of being limited to just six (as a few of the DSLR cameras currently offer), you can take 10, 20, or even a hundred shots. And then — almost magically — the iPhone will show you which one or two of the large burst of photos was optimally sharp and clear. With a couple of clicks, you can then delete everything else, and retain only the very best one or two from the entire burst.
"With that in mind, I’ve begun using my iPhone5s for more and more “everyday” photo situations out on the street. Since I’m typically photographing ordinary, mundane events, even the one or two “optimal” shots that the camera-phone retains might not be worth showing anyone else … so there is still a lot of pruning and editing to be done, and I’m lucky if 10% of those “optimal” shots are good enough to justify uploading to Flickr and sharing with the rest of the world. Still, it’s an enormous benefit to know that my editing work can begin with photos that are more-or-less “technically” adequate, and that I don’t have to waste even a second reviewing dozens of technically-mediocre shots that are fuzzy, or blurred.
"Oh, yeah, one other minor benefit of the iPhone5s (and presumably most other current brands of smartphone): it automatically geotags every photo and video, without any special effort on the photographer’s part. Only one of my other big, fat cameras (the Sony Alpha SLT A65) has that feature, and I’ve noticed that almost none of the “new” mirrorless cameras have got a built-in GPS thingy that will perform the geotagging...
"I’ve had my iPhone5s for a couple of months now, but I’ve only been using the “burst-mode” photography feature aggressively for the past couple of weeks. As a result, the initial batch of photos that I’m uploading are all taken in the greater-NYC area. But as time goes on, and as my normal travel routine takes me to other parts of the world, I hope to add more and more “everyday” scenes in cities that I might not have the opportunity to photograph in a “serious” way.
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Okay, so now it’s September of 2014, and I’ve got the iPhone 6. They say that the camera is better, and that the internal camera-related hardware/firmware/software is better, too. Obviously, I’ve got the newer iOS, too, and even on the “old” phones, it now supports time-lapse videos along with everything else.
I’ve still got my pocket camera (an amazing little Sony ERX-100 Mark III), and two larger cameras (Sony RX-10, and Sony A7), but I have a feeling that I won’t even be taking them out of the camera bag when I’m out on the street for ordinary day-to-day walking around.
That will depend, obviously, on what kind of photos and videos the iPhone6 is actually capable of taking … so I’m going to try to use it every day, and see what the results look like …
Like I said last year, “stay tuned…"
A full page ad in the Quicksilver Times was the only expense J. Brinton “Brint” Dillingham recorded during his September 15, 1970 Democratic primary quest for Sheriff of Montgomery County, Md.
Dillingham was a well-known advocate for youth and an antiwar and civil rights activist when he filed for the election.
Dillingham campaigned on freeing all political prisoners, including those incarcerated because of their economic status, and disarming sheriffs’ deputies.
Early in the campaign in November 1969, Dillingham blasted incumbent Sheriff Ralph W. Offutt charging that sheriff’s deputies used undue force in shooting a convicted cattle rustler in the rump when he tried to escape from jail.”
Offutt responded, “if that long-haired s.o.b. wants to make an issue, let him.”
At the time Dillingham had been sentenced to six months in jail for distributing a copy of the Washington Free Press that contained a cartoon of Montgomery County Judge James Pugh sitting at the dais naked while masturbating and playing with instruments of torture.
He was also facing four misdemeanor charges for confrontations with police outside the youth shelter he was running in Bethesda, Md.
Later in the campaign he sought writs of habeus corpus for a dozen people charged with crimes but held in jail because they couldn’t make bail.
Dillingham said he wanted to run for judge, but you had to be a lawyer so he chose sheriff.
When the election was held, Dillingham drew a surprising 10,000 votes to Offutt’s 40,000.
The obscenity charges against Dillingham were ultimately overturned on appeal and he received no jail time for the misdemeanor charges.
A few weeks after the election, Dillingham was arrested again for cursing at a County Council meeting when he was not permitted to speak about the arrest and beatings of Paul and George Pumphrey, two Black Panther sympathizers, in Rockville.
Dillingham continued his activism until his death at age 46 in 1990.
For a PDF of the poster, see washingtonspark.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/1970-dillingh...
For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHskN5NgCF
Donated by Robert “Bob” Simpson
(more details later, as time permits)
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Ironically, Strawberry Fields was the farthest thing from my mind when I decided to head over to Central Park last weekend to take some photographs. It had occurred to me that the intersection of the north-south "loop road" inside the park, with the 72nd Street east-west transverse road was likely to be a good spot where I could find an unobtrusive place to watch the usual weekend activities moving past me. On a mild, pleasant Saturday afternoon, there were bound to be a nearly infinite number of people jogging, biking, skating, and walking west towards the park exit on 72nd Street -- or east towards Fifth Avenue, or south toward the Sheep Meadow, or north towards the Great Lawn and ultimately around the north end of the park at 110th Street.
I, too, entered the park at 72nd Street, and strolled a couple blocks to the east to find my convenient spot at the intersection -- and paid no attention to the fact that I had entered the park just across the street from the massive Dakota apartment building where John Lennon once lived, or that my path led me past the Strawberry Fields memorial a little above me. I didn't see the sign marking the eastern boundary of the field, even though it was plainly visible, and even though I began taking photos almost immediately of the bikers and joggers and skaters as they moved past me with the sign just behind them. And as you'll see from the photos in this set, it's pretty clear that most of them didn't see the sign either; they were too busy concentrating on the roadway in front of them, or on the conversation they were having with the people next to them.
Along with the bikers, joggers, and skaters, there were also a large number of "pedicabs," with energetic young men (and a few young women) pedaling their way across the east-west transverse, while simultaneously keeping up a non-stop monologue about whatever noteworthy things they thought their passengers (who were mostly tourists) would be interested in. After a while, I began to notice a pattern; actually, I began to hear a pattern, when I realized that I had heard snatches of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever" over and over again ... and then I listened a little more closely to the pedicab-drivers' chatter, which almost always involved their pointing to the hilly area straight ahead of them and saying, "Strawberry Fields - it's right there!"
I didn't really notice the pattern from a photographic perspective until I got home, and uploaded the nearly 2,000 photos I had taken during the course of my two-hour visit (yes, I really can take a thousand photos an hour). As usual, I kept less than 10% of the photos that I shot ... and as it turns out, nearly half of what I kept involved cyclists, joggers, or skaters moving past the small "Strawberry Fields" sign in the background.
When I was finished photographing, I walked back towards Central Park West along a small sidewalk -- instead of the more "obvious" path of following the wide east-west roadway transverse to the 72nd Street exit. As a result, I came directly into the center of the Strawberry Fields memorial area, where a few people were picnicking, and a much larger number of people were standing around the huge "Imagine" plaque that had been laid into the paved stones. All in all, it seemed like a nice way to wrap up the set of photos ...
. . . the ancient Pu Koh Tong Pagoda is outside Ayuttaya
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The Ayutthaya Historical Park (Thai: อุทยานประวัติศาสตร์พระนครศรีอยุธยา (Pronunciation)) covers the ruins of the old city of Ayutthaya, Thailand. The city of Ayutthaya was founded by King Ramathibodi I in 1350:222 The city was captured by the Burmese in 1569; though not pillaged, it lost "many valuable and artistic objects.":42–43 It was the capital of the country until its destruction by the Burmese army in 1767.
In 1969 the Fine Arts Department began with renovations of the ruins, which became more serious after it was declared a historical park in 1976. A part of the park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. Thirty-five kings ruled the Ayutthaya kingdom during its existence. King Narai (1656-1688) held court not only in Ayutthaya but also from his palace in the nearby city of Lopburi, from where he ruled 8–9 months in the year.
PARK SITES
Wat Chaiwatthanaram
Wat Kasatrathiraj
Wat Kudi Dao
Wat Lokayasutharam
Wat Mahathat
Wat Phanan Choeng
Wiharn Phra Mongkhon Bopit
Wat Phra Ram
Wat Phra Sri Sanphet
Wat Ratchaburana, Ayutthaya
Wat Chai Mongkhon
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
Phra Chedi Suriyothai
Ayutthaya historical Study Centre
Japanese Settlement
Wat Phu Khao Thong
Elephant Camp
UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
In 1991, a part of Ayutthaya Historical Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under criteria III as an excellent witness to the period of development of a true national Thai art. The inscribed area covered only 289 ha on central and southwest part of Ayutthaya island; as a result, only certain groups of historical sites are under UNESCO protection. The sites including Wat Ratchaburana, Wat Mahathat, Wat Phra Sri Sanphet, Wat Phra Ram and Wiharn Phra Mongkhon Bopit. The sites that are not part of World Heritage Sites are the sites outside Ayutthaya Island; for example, Wat Yai Chai Mongkon, Wat Phanan Choeng, Wat Chaiwatthanaram and Wat Phu Khao Thong.
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AYUTTHAYA
(/ɑːˈjuːtəjə/; Thai: อยุธยา, Thai pronunciation: [ʔajúttʰajaː]; also spelled Ayudhya) was a Siamese kingdom that existed from 1351 to 1767. Ayutthaya was friendly towards foreign traders, including the Chinese, Vietnamese, Indians, Japanese and Persians, and later the Portuguese, Spaniards, Dutch and French, permitting them to set up villages outside the walls of the capital, also called Ayutthaya.
In the sixteenth century, it was described by foreign traders as one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the East. The court of King Narai (1656–88) had strong links with that of King Louis XIV of France, whose ambassadors compared the city in size and wealth to Paris.
By 1550, the kingdom's vassals included some city-states in the Malay Peninsula, Sukhothai, and parts of Cambodia.
In foreign accounts, Ayutthaya was called Siam, but many sources say the people of Ayutthaya called themselves Tai, and their kingdom Krung Tai "The Tai country" (กรุงไท).
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
ORIGINS
According to the most widely accepted version of its origin, the Thai state based at Ayutthaya in the valley of the Chao Phraya River rose from the earlier, nearby Lavo Kingdom (at that time, still under the control of the Khmer Empire) and Suvarnabhumi. One source says that in the mid-fourteenth century, due to the threat of an epidemic, King Uthong moved his court south into the rich floodplain of the Chao Phraya River onto an island surrounded by rivers. The name of the city indicates the influence of Hinduism in the region as it is the Thai pronunciation of the famous Indian city of Ayodhya. It is believed that this city is associated with the Thai national epic, the Ramakien, which is the Thai version of the Ramayana.
CONQUESTS AND EXPANSION
Ayutthaya began its hegemony by conquering northern kingdoms and city-states like Sukhothai,:222 Kamphaeng Phet and Phitsanulok. Before the end of the fifteenth century, Ayutthaya launched attacks on Angkor, the classical great power of the region. Angkor's influence eventually faded from the Chao Phraya River Plain while Ayutthaya became a new great power.
The emerging Kingdom of Ayutthaya was also growing powerful. Relations between the Ayutthaya and Lan Na had worsened since the Ayutthayan support of Thau Choi's rebellion In 1451, Yuttitthira, a noble of the Kingdom of Sukhothai who had conflicts with Borommatrailokkanat of Ayutthaya, gave himself to Tilokaraj. Yuttitthira urged Borommatrailokkanat to invade Phitsanulok, igniting the Ayutthaya-Lan Na War over the Upper Chao Phraya valley (the Kingdom of Sukhothai). In 1460, the governor of Chaliang surrendered to Tilokaraj. Borommatrailokkanat then used a new strategy and concentrated on the wars with Lanna by moving the capital to Phitsanulok. Lan Na suffered setbacks and Tilokaraj eventually sued for peace in 1475.
However, the kingdom of Ayutthaya was not a unified state but rather a patchwork of self-governing principalities and tributary provinces owing allegiance to the king of Ayutthaya under The Circle of Power, or the mandala system, as some scholars suggested. These principalities might be ruled by members of the royal family of Ayutthaya, or by local rulers who had their own independent armies, having a duty to assist the capital when war or invasion occurred. However, it was evident that from time to time local revolts, led by local princes or kings, took place. Ayutthaya had to suppress them.
Due to the lack of succession law and a strong concept of meritocracy, whenever the succession was in dispute, princely governors or powerful dignitaries claiming their merit gathered their forces and moved on the capital to press their claims, culminating in several bloody coups.
Beginning in the fifteenth century, Ayutthaya showed an interest in the Malay Peninsula, but the great trading ports of the Malacca Sultanate contested its claims to sovereignty. Ayutthaya launched several abortive conquests against Malacca which was diplomatically and economically fortified by the military support of Ming China. In the early fifteenth century the Ming admiral Zheng He had established a base of operation in the port city, making it a strategic position the Chinese could not afford to lose to the Siamese. Under this protection, Malacca flourished, becoming one of Ayutthaya's great foes until the capture of Malacca by the Portuguese.
FIRST BURMESE WARS
Starting in the middle of 16th century, the kingdom came under repeated attacks by the Taungoo Dynasty of Burma. The Burmese–Siamese War (1547–49) began with Burmese an invasion and a failed siege of Ayutthaya. A second siege (1563–64) led by King Bayinnaung forced King Maha Chakkraphat to surrender in 1564. The royal family was taken to Bago, Burma, with the king's second son Mahinthrathirat installed as the vassal king. In 1568, Mahinthrathirat revolted when his father managed to return from Bago as a Buddhist monk. The ensuing third siege captured Ayutthaya in 1569 and Bayinnaung made Mahathammarachathirat his vassal king.
After Bayinnaung's death in 1581, uparaja Naresuan proclaimed Ayutthaya's independence in 1584. The Thai fought off repeated Burmese invasions (1584–1593), capped by an elephant duel between King Naresuan and Burmese heir-apparent Mingyi Swa in 1593 during the fourth siege of Ayutthaya in which Naresuan famously slew Mingyi Swa (observed 18 January as Royal Thai Armed Forces day). The Burmese–Siamese War (1594–1605) was a Thai attack on Burma, resulting in the capture of the Tanintharyi Region as far as Mottama in 1595 and Lan Na in 1602. Naresuan even invaded mainland Burma as far as Taungoo in 1600, but was driven back.
After Naresuan's death in 1605, northern Tanintharyi and Lan Na returned to Burmese control in 1614.
The Ayutthaya Kingdom's attempt to take over Lan Na and northern Tanintharyi in 1662–1664 failed.
Foreign trade brought Ayutthaya not only luxury items but also new arms and weapons. In the mid-seventeenth century, during King Narai's reign, Ayutthaya became very prosperous. In the eighteenth century, Ayutthaya gradually lost control over its provinces. Provincial governors exerted their power independently, and rebellions against the capital began.
SECOND BURMESE WARS
In the mid-eighteenth century, Ayutthaya again became ensnared in wars with the Burmese. The Burmese–Siamese War (1759–60) begun by the Konbaung Dynasty of Burma failed. The Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67) resulted in the sack of the city of Ayutthaya and the end of the kingdom by debellatio in April 1767.
KINGSHIP OF AYUTTHAYA KINGDOM
The kings of Ayutthaya were absolute monarchs with semi-religious status. Their authority derived from the ideologies of Hinduism and Buddhism as well as from natural leadership. The king of Sukhothai was the inspiration of Inscription 1 found in Sukhothai, which stated that King Ramkhamhaeng would hear the petition of any subject who rang the bell at the palace gate. The king was thus considered as a father by his people.
At Ayutthaya, however, the paternal aspects of kingship disappeared. The king was considered the chakkraphat (Sanskrit chakravartin) who through his adherence to the law made all the world revolve around him. According to Hindu tradition, the king is the avatar of Vishnu, destroyer of demons, who was born to be the defender of the people. The Buddhist belief in the king is as righteous ruler (Sanskrit: dharmaraja), aiming at the well-being of the people and who strictly follows the teaching of Gautama Buddha.
The kings' official names were reflections of those religions: Hinduism and Buddhism. They were considered as the incarnation of various Hindu gods: Indra, Shiva or Vishnu (Rama). The coronation ceremony was directed by brahmins as the Hindu god Shiva was "lord of the universe". However, according to the codes, the king had the ultimate duty as protector of the people and the annihilator of evil.
According to Buddhism, the king was also believed to be a bodhisattva. One of the most important duties of the king was to build a temple or a Buddha statue as a symbol of prosperity and peace.
For locals, another aspect of the kingship was also the analogy of "The Lord of the Land" or "He who Rules the Earth" (Phra Chao Phaendin). According to the court etiquette, a special language, Rachasap (Sanskrit: Rājāśabda, "Royal Language"), was used to communicate with or about royalty. In Ayutthaya, the king was said to grant control over land to his subjects, from nobles to commoners, according to the Sakna or Sakdina system codified by King Borommatrailokkanat (1448–88). The Sakdina system was similar to, but not the same as feudalism, under which the monarch does not own the land. While there is no concrete evidence that this land management system constituted a formal palace economy, the French François-Timoléon de Choisy, who came to Ayutthaya in 1685, wrote, "the king has absolute power. He is truly the god of the Siamese: no-one dares to utter his name." Another 17th-century writer, the Dutchman Jan van Vliet, remarked that the King of Siam was "honoured and worshipped by his subjects second to god." Laws and orders were issued by the king. For sometimes the king himself was also the highest judge who judged and punished important criminals such as traitors or rebels.[
In addition to the Sakdina system, another of the numerous institutional innovations of Borommatrailokkanat was to adopt the position of uparaja, translated as "viceroy" or "prince", usually held by the king's senior son or full brother, in an attempt to regularise the succession to the throne - a particularly difficult feat for a polygamous dynasty. In practice, there was inherent conflict between king and uparaja and frequent disputed successions. However, it is evident that the power of the Throne of Ayutthaya had its limit. The hegemony of the Ayutthaya king was always based on his charisma in terms of his age and supporters. Without supporters, bloody coups took place from time to time. The most powerful figures of the capital were always generals, or the Minister of Military Department, Kalahom. During the last century of Ayutthaya, the bloody fighting among princes and generals, aiming at the throne, plagued the court.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT
THE REFORMS OF KING
Borommatrailokkanat (r.1448–1488) placed the king of Ayutthaya at the centre of a highly stratified social and political hierarchy that extended throughout the realm. Despite a lack of evidence, it is believed that in the Ayutthaya Kingdom, the basic unit of social organisation was the village community composed of extended family households. Title to land resided with the headman, who held it in the name of the community, although peasant proprietors enjoyed the use of land as long as they cultivated it. The lords gradually became courtiers (อำมาตย์) and tributary rulers of minor cities. The king ultimately came to be recognised as the earthly incarnation of Shiva or Vishnu and became the sacred object of politico-religious cult practices officiated over by royal court brahmans, part of the Buddhist court retinue. In the Buddhist context, the devaraja (divine king) was a bodhisattva. The belief in divine kingship prevailed into the eighteenth century, although by that time its religious implications had limited impact.With ample reserves of land available for cultivation, the realm depended on the acquisition and control of adequate manpower for farm labour and defence. The dramatic rise of Ayutthaya had entailed constant warfare and, as none of the parties in the region possessed a technological advantage, the outcome of battles was usually determined by the size of the armies. After each victorious campaign, Ayutthaya carried away a number of conquered people to its own territory, where they were assimilated and added to the labour force. Ramathibodi II (r.1491–1529) established a corvée system under which every freeman had to be registered as a phrai (servant) with the local lords, Chao Nai (เจ้านาย). When war broke out, male phrai were subject to impressment. Above the phrai was a nai (นาย), who was responsible for military service, corvée labour on public works, and on the land of the official to whom he was assigned. Phrai Suay (ไพร่ส่วย) met labour obligations by paying a tax. If he found the forced labour under his nai repugnant, he could sell himself as a that (ทาส, slave) to a more attractive nai or lord, who then paid a fee in compensation for the loss of corvée labour. As much as one-third of the manpower supply into the nineteenth century was composed of phrai. Wealth, status, and political influence were interrelated. The king allotted rice fields to court officials, provincial governors, military commanders, in payment for their services to the crown, according to the sakdi na system. The size of each official's allotment was determined by the number of commoners or phrai he could command to work it. The amount of manpower a particular headman, or official, could command determined his status relative to others in the hierarchy and his wealth. At the apex of the hierarchy, the king, who was symbolically the realm's largest landholder, theoretically commanded the services of the largest number of phrai, called phrai luang (royal servants), who paid taxes, served in the royal army, and worked on the crown lands.
However, the recruitment of the armed forces depended on nai, or mun nai, literally meaning 'lord', officials who commanded their own phrai som, or subjects. These officials had to submit to the king's command when war broke out. Officials thus became the key figures to the kingdom's politics. At least two officials staged coups, taking the throne themselves while bloody struggles between the king and his officials, followed by purges of court officials, were always seen.
King Trailok, in the early sixteenth century, established definite allotments of land and phrai for the royal officials at each rung in the hierarchy, thus determining the country's social structure until the introduction of salaries for government officials in the nineteenth century.
Outside this system to some extent were the sangha (Buddhist monastic community), which all classes of men could join, and the Overseas Chinese. Wats became centres of Thai education and culture, while during this period the Chinese first began to settle in Thailand and soon began to establish control over the country's economic life.
The Chinese were not obliged to register for corvée duty, so they were free to move about the kingdom at will and engage in commerce. By the sixteenth century, the Chinese controlled Ayutthaya's internal trade and had found important places in the civil and military service. Most of these men took Thai wives because few women left China to accompany the men.
Uthong was responsible for the compilation of a Dharmaśāstra, a legal code based on Hindu sources and traditional Thai custom. The Dharmaśāstra remained a tool of Thai law until late in the 19th century. A bureaucracy based on a hierarchy of ranked and titled officials was introduced, and society was organised in a related manner. However, the caste system was not adopted.
The sixteenth century witnessed the rise of Burma, which had overrun Chiang Mai and Laos and made war on the Thai. In 1569, Burmese forces, joined by Thai rebels, mostly royal family members of Thailand, captured the city of Ayutthaya and carried off the whole royal family to Burma. Dhammaraja (1569–90), a Thai governor who had aided the Burmese, was installed as vassal king at Ayutthaya. Thai independence was restored by his son, King Naresuan (1590–1605), who turned on the Burmese and by 1600 had driven them from the country.
Determined to prevent another treason like his father's, Naresuan set about unifying the country's administration directly under the royal court at Ayutthaya. He ended the practice of nominating royal princes to govern Ayutthaya's provinces, assigning instead court officials who were expected to execute policies handed down by the king. Thereafter royal princes were confined to the capital. Their power struggles continued, but at court under the king's watchful eye.
To ensure his control over the new class of governors, Naresuan decreed that all freemen subject to phrai service had become phrai luang, bound directly to the king, who distributed the use of their services to his officials. This measure gave the king a theoretical monopoly on all manpower, and the idea developed that since the king owned the services of all the people, he also possessed all the land. Ministerial offices and governorships - and the sakdina that went with them - were usually inherited positions dominated by a few families often connected to the king by marriage. Indeed, marriage was frequently used by Thai kings to cement alliances between themselves and powerful families, a custom prevailing through the nineteenth century. As a result of this policy, the king's wives usually numbered in the dozens.
Even with Naresuan's reforms, the effectiveness of the royal government over the next 150 years was unstable. Royal power outside the crown lands - although in theory absolute - was in practice limited by the looseness of the civil administration. The influence of central government and the king was not extensive beyond the capital. When war with the Burmese broke out in late eighteenth century, provinces easily abandoned the capital. As the enforcing troops were not easily rallied to defend the capital, the city of Ayutthaya could not stand against the Burmese aggressors.
RELIGION
Ayutthaya's main religion was Theravada Buddhism. However, many of the elements of the political and social system were incorporated from Hindu scriptures and were conducted by Brahmin priests. Many areas of the kingdom also practised Mahayana Buddhism, Islam and, influenced by French Missionaries who arrived through China in the 17th century, some small areas converted to Roman Catholicism. The influence of Mahayana and Tantric prractices also entered Theravada Buddhism, producing a tradition called Tantric Theravada.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Thais never lacked a rich food supply. Peasants planted rice for their own consumption and to pay taxes. Whatever remained was used to support religious institutions. From the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, however, a remarkable transformation took place in Thai rice cultivation. In the highlands, where rainfall had to be supplemented by a system of irrigation that controlled the water level in flooded paddies, the Thais sowed the glutinous rice that is still the staple in the geographical regions of the North and Northeast. But in the floodplain of the Chao Phraya, farmers turned to a different variety of rice - the so-called floating rice, a slender, non-glutinous grain introduced from Bengal - that would grow fast enough to keep pace with the rise of the water level in the lowland fields.
The new strain grew easily and abundantly, producing a surplus that could be sold cheaply abroad. Ayutthaya, situated at the southern extremity of the floodplain, thus became the hub of economic activity. Under royal patronage, corvée labour dug canals on which rice was brought from the fields to the king's ships for export to China. In the process, the Chao Phraya - mud flats between the sea and firm land hitherto considered unsuitable for habitation - was reclaimed and placed under cultivation. Traditionally the king had a duty to perform a religious ceremony blessing the rice plantation.
Although rice was abundant in Ayutthaya, rice export was banned from time to time when famine occurred because of natural calamity or war. Rice was usually bartered for luxury goods and armaments from westerners, but rice cultivation was mainly for the domestic market and rice export was evidently unreliable. Trade with Europeans was lively in the seventeenth century. In fact European merchants traded their goods, mainly modern arms such as rifles and cannons, with local products from the inland jungle such as sapan (lit. bridge) woods, deerskin and rice. Tomé Pires, a Portuguese voyager, mentioned in the sixteenth century that Ayutthaya, or Odia, was rich in good merchandise. Most of the foreign merchants coming to Ayutthaya were European and Chinese, and were taxed by the authorities. The kingdom had an abundance of rice, salt, dried fish, arrack and vegetables.
Trade with foreigners, mainly the Dutch, reached its peak in the seventeenth century. Ayutthaya became a main destination for merchants from China and Japan. It was apparent that foreigners began taking part in the kingdom's politics. Ayutthayan kings employed foreign mercenaries who sometimes entered the wars with the kingdom's enemies. However, after the purge of the French in late seventeenth century, the major traders with Ayutthaya were the Chinese. The Dutch from the Dutch East Indies Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC), were still active. Ayutthaya's economy declined rapidly in the eighteenth century, until the Burmese invasion caused the total collapse of Ayutthaya's economy in 1788.
CONTACTS WITH THE WEST
In 1511, immediately after having conquered Malacca, the Portuguese sent a diplomatic mission headed by Duarte Fernandes to the court of King Ramathibodi II of Ayutthaya. Having established amicable relations between the kingdom of Portugal and the Kingdom of Siam, they returned with a Siamese envoy with gifts and letters to the King of Portugal. They were the first Europeans to visit the country. Five years after that initial contact, Ayutthaya and Portugal concluded a treaty granting the Portuguese permission to trade in the kingdom. A similar treaty in 1592 gave the Dutch a privileged position in the rice trade.
Foreigners were cordially welcomed at the court of Narai (1657–1688), a ruler with a cosmopolitan outlook who was nonetheless wary of outside influence. Important commercial ties were forged with Japan. Dutch and English trading companies were allowed to establish factories, and Thai diplomatic missions were sent to Paris and The Hague. By maintaining all these ties, the Thai court skilfully played off the Dutch against the English and the French, avoiding the excessive influence of a single power.
In 1664, however, the Dutch used force to exact a treaty granting them extraterritorial rights as well as freer access to trade. At the urging of his foreign minister, the Greek adventurer Constantine Phaulkon, Narai turned to France for assistance. French engineers constructed fortifications for the Thais and built a new palace at Lopburi for Narai. In addition, French missionaries engaged in education and medicine and brought the first printing press into the country. Louis XIV's personal interest was aroused by reports from missionaries suggesting that Narai might be converted to Christianity.
The French presence encouraged by Phaulkon, however, stirred the resentment and suspicions of the Thai nobles and Buddhist clergy. When word spread that Narai was dying, a general, Phetracha, killed the designated heir, a Christian, and had Phaulkon put to death along with a number of missionaries. The arrival of English warships provoked a massacre of more Europeans. Phetracha (reigned 1688–93) seized the throne and expelled the remaining foreigners. Some studies said that Ayutthaya began a period of alienation from western traders, while welcoming more Chinese merchants. But other recent studies argue that, due to wars and conflicts in Europe in the mid-eighteenth century, European merchants reduced their activities in the East. However, it was apparent that the Dutch East Indies Company or VOC was still doing business in Ayutthaya despite political difficulties.
THE FINAL PHASE
After a bloody period of dynastic struggle, Ayutthaya entered into what has been called the golden age, a relatively peaceful episode in the second quarter of the eighteenth century when art, literature, and learning flourished. There were foreign wars. Ayutthaya fought with the Nguyễn Lords (Vietnamese rulers of South Vietnam) for control of Cambodia starting around 1715. But a greater threat came from Burma, where the new Alaungpaya dynasty had subdued the Shan states.
The last fifty years of the kingdom witnessed a bloody struggle among the princes. The throne was their prime target. Purges of court officials and able generals followed. The last monarch, Ekathat, originally known as Prince Anurakmontree, forced the king, who was his younger brother, to step down and took the throne himself.
According to a French source, Ayutthaya in the eighteenth century comprised these principal cities: Martaban, Ligor or Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Tenasserim, Jungceylon or Phuket Island, Singora or Songkhla. Her tributaries were Patani, Pahang, Perak, Kedah and Malacca.
In 1765, a combined 40,000-strong force of Burmese armies invaded the territories of Ayutthaya from the north and west. Major outlying towns quickly capitulated. The only notable example of successful resistance to these forces was found at the village of Bang Rajan. After a 14 months' siege, the city of Ayutthaya capitulated and was burned in April 1767. Ayutthaya's art treasures, the libraries containing its literature, and the archives housing its historic records were almost totally destroyed, and the Burmese brought the Ayutthaya Kingdom to ruin.
The Burmese rule lasted a mere few months. The Burmese, who had also been fighting a simultaneous war with the Chinese since 1765, were forced to withdraw in early 1768 when the Chinese forces threatened their own capital.
With most Burmese forces having withdrawn, the country was reduced to chaos. All that remained of the old capital were some ruins of the royal palace. Provinces proclaimed independence under generals, rogue monks, and members of the royal family.
One general, Phraya Taksin, former governor of Taak, began the reunification effort. He gathered forces and began striking back at the Burmese. He finally established a capital at Thonburi, across the Chao Phraya from the present capital, Bangkok. Taak-Sin ascended the throne, becoming known as King Taak-Sin or Taksin.
The ruins of the historic city of Ayutthaya and "associated historic towns" in the Ayutthaya historical park have been listed by the UNESCO as World Heritage Site. The city of Ayutthaya was refounded near the old city, and is now capital of the Ayutthaya province.
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Cubs owners swing for the fences with proposed giant sign
Cubs plan to put Toyota ad above left-field bleachers
By Ameet Sachdev and Blair Kamin, Tribune reporters
9:12 PM CDT, March 17, 2010
Some die-hard Cubs fans see it this way: A large, illuminated advertisement positioned above the left-field bleachers at Wrigley Field wouldn't be so bad. Besides, as the new owners suggest, maybe the additional revenue will help the team buy some more pitching.
Others decry the idea of new signage as another violation of Wrigley's sanctity.
"I have a feeling this is going to generate some comment," said Jim Peters, president of Landmarks Illinois, a preservation advocacy group. "There are some things that are very sacred in the city, and Wrigley Field is one of them."
The Cubs were finalizing a multiyear sponsorship agreement Wednesday with Toyota and its Chicago-area dealers, said Wally Hayward, the team's chief sales and marketing officer. The centerpiece of the deal would place the Japanese automaker's logo atop the bleachers, a location that would receive maximum television exposure and be seen from outside the historic ballpark. The team expects it to be in place for Opening Day next month, though the city will have a say in the matter.
The proposed 360-square-foot, illuminated sign would become one of the most visible symbols of new ownership of the franchise. It also would be one of the first hometown political tests for the Ricketts family, which paid about $800 million in October to buy the team from Tribune Co., parent of the Chicago Tribune.
Wrigley Field is the only Major League Baseball stadium with landmark status. The designation cements the ballpark's place in the city's history, but also means that almost every change to Wrigley receives extra government scrutiny, in addition to an outpouring of opinions from fans.
The Ricketts family maintains it wants to preserve Wrigley Field's appearance but also make changes that will improve the fan experience and grow revenue, money the family says is needed to end the team's 101-year championship drought.
Advertising has been creeping into Wrigley in recent years. Tribune Co. added signage to the outfield walls, behind home plate and along the third-base line. While some preservationists didn't like those changes, they were accepted because Wrigley's character was generally maintained.
The Toyota ad, though, would break with the past because it would add a significant structural element to the stadium, said Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, who oversees the ward in which Wrigley is located.
The red signage, about 16 feet high by 22.5 feet wide, would consist of Toyota's familiar swirl logo and the automaker's name in block letters, according to a rendering provided by the Cubs. It would be supported by rectangular tubing to be attached to the back of the bleachers.
The top of the ad would be 38 feet above the back of the bleachers, Hayward said. Tunney said the height of the sign will be a concern because he wants to make sure it will not block views of the surrounding neighborhood from inside the stadium.
Peters said the sign is not necessarily bad, but it isn't compatible with the stadium's appearance.
"It's a vertical sign on a design that's horizontal," Peters said. "It's very obtrusive."
Jonathan Fine, executive director of Preservation Chicago, compared the proposed Toyota sign to a highway billboard looming over a park.
"It pops up from the bleachers like a sore thumb," Fine said.
Hayward said the sign does not detract from Wrigley.
"We tried to design a look and feel that would fit with the aesthetic of Wrigley Field," he said. "It's not a big, black billboard that you would typically see at other ballparks."
Fans had mixed reactions.
"I think it's a prime spot to place an advertisement," said Marcela Saldana, 25, a downtown resident. "I don't see what the problem is. It's fair game."
Wrigleyville resident Jennifer Moran, 22, said, "This is beyond revolting to me. This goes against everything Wrigley Field stands for. It's offensive to the fans."
The Cubs have been considering adding signage behind the bleachers for some time. The first hint came after the 2009 season ended when the team erected blank green signs in left-center field.
Hayward said left-center field is the only place in the bleachers the team can place a sign without blocking the views of rooftops from which fans watch games. The Cubs have long-term revenue-sharing agreements with rooftop owners.
"Because of the historic ballpark and the surrounding rooftops, we were limited in what we could do," Hayward said.
Those limitations also means there are no plans to add signs to the bleachers beyond the Toyota proposal, Hayward said.
The Cubs have shown their plans to rooftop owners. The proposed sign partially blocks a Horseshoe Casino ad on the roof of a building across the street, which is visible to fans in Wrigley Field and also during television broadcasts. The Cubs do not receive any revenue from the Horseshoe ad.
Tom Gramatis, the owner of the building with the Horseshoe ad, could not be reached for comment.
The city's preservation staff has yet to see the permit, which was filed on Monday, because it is first being reviewed by the city's Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning, said Peter Strazzabosco, spokesman for the department.
City Council approval also may be needed if it is determined that the sign extends into the public way.
Considering the number of regulatory reviews necessary, it will be difficult for the Cubs' permit to be approved by Opening Day, Tunney said.
Tribune reporters Paul Sullivan and Daarel Burnette II contributed to this report.
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Shieldfield is a small district in the east of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. It is bordered by the City Centre, Heaton, Byker and Sandyford.
History
The name of the district is considered to be a reference to a shelter in the forest clearing, derived from Anglo-Saxon sources.
During the English Civil War, King Charles I was permitted to play golf at Shieldfield whilst he was held prisoner at Newcastle by Parliamentarian forces. The building where he would rest, King Charles House, was demolished in 1960 to make way for the new council estate. This is commemorated by a plaque within Shieldfield Green, and reflected in the naming of King Charles Tower adjacent to the site.
The area was increasingly urbanised during the 19th Century and by 1881 contained many houses for the employees of nearby factories. The population at this time was 12,826, living in 2,253 units of accommodation (mostly flats). There were also 16 pubs and 19 'beer shops' which permitted patrons to drink on the premises. By the 1930s there were more than 90 shops in the area.
The district largely consists of a council estate, with a few streets of Victorian terraced houses. The former Methodist Church for Shieldfield remains consecrated but is a gallery called Shieldfield Art Works.
Over the last decade, developments have seen a number of Halls of Residence constructed to accommodate students from the nearby Northumbria University, and in 2007 Northumbria University opened its new state of the art 'City Campus East' on the site of the former Warner Brothers cinema. An inscribed granite tablet on nearby Falconar Street marks the birthplace of William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong.
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is located on the River Tyne's northern bank, opposite Gateshead to the south. It is the most populous settlement in the Tyneside conurbation and North East England.
Newcastle developed around a Roman settlement called Pons Aelius, the settlement became known as Monkchester before taking on the name of a castle built in 1080 by William the Conqueror's eldest son, Robert Curthose. It was one of the world's largest ship building and repair centres during the industrial revolution. Newcastle was part of the county of Northumberland until 1400, when it separated and formed a county of itself. In 1974, Newcastle became part of Tyne and Wear. Since 2018, the city council has been part of the North of Tyne Combined Authority.
The history of Newcastle upon Tyne dates back almost 2,000 years, during which it has been controlled by the Romans, the Angles and the Norsemen amongst others. Newcastle upon Tyne was originally known by its Roman name Pons Aelius. The name "Newcastle" has been used since the Norman conquest of England. Due to its prime location on the River Tyne, the town developed greatly during the Middle Ages and it was to play a major role in the Industrial Revolution, being granted city status in 1882. Today, the city is a major retail, commercial and cultural centre.
Roman settlement
The history of Newcastle dates from AD 122, when the Romans built the first bridge to cross the River Tyne at that point. The bridge was called Pons Aelius or 'Bridge of Aelius', Aelius being the family name of Roman Emperor Hadrian, who was responsible for the Roman wall built across northern England along the Tyne–Solway gap. Hadrian's Wall ran through present-day Newcastle, with stretches of wall and turrets visible along the West Road, and at a temple in Benwell. Traces of a milecastle were found on Westgate Road, midway between Clayton Street and Grainger Street, and it is likely that the course of the wall corresponded to present-day Westgate Road. The course of the wall can be traced eastwards to the Segedunum Roman fort at Wallsend, with the fort of Arbeia down-river at the mouth of the Tyne, on the south bank in what is now South Shields. The Tyne was then a wider, shallower river at this point and it is thought that the bridge was probably about 700 feet (210 m) long, made of wood and supported on stone piers. It is probable that it was sited near the current Swing Bridge, due to the fact that Roman artefacts were found there during the building of the latter bridge. Hadrian himself probably visited the site in 122. A shrine was set up on the completed bridge in 123 by the 6th Legion, with two altars to Neptune and Oceanus respectively. The two altars were subsequently found in the river and are on display in the Great North Museum in Newcastle.
The Romans built a stone-walled fort in 150 to protect the river crossing which was at the foot of the Tyne Gorge, and this took the name of the bridge so that the whole settlement was known as Pons Aelius. The fort was situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the new bridge, on the site of the present Castle Keep. Pons Aelius is last mentioned in 400, in a Roman document listing all of the Roman military outposts. It is likely that nestling in the shadow of the fort would have been a small vicus, or village. Unfortunately, no buildings have been detected; only a few pieces of flagging. It is clear that there was a Roman cemetery near Clavering Place, behind the Central station, as a number of Roman coffins and sarcophagi have been unearthed there.
Despite the presence of the bridge, the settlement of Pons Aelius was not particularly important among the northern Roman settlements. The most important stations were those on the highway of Dere Street running from Eboracum (York) through Corstopitum (Corbridge) and to the lands north of the Wall. Corstopitum, being a major arsenal and supply centre, was much larger and more populous than Pons Aelius.
Anglo-Saxon development
The Angles arrived in the North-East of England in about 500 and may have landed on the Tyne. There is no evidence of an Anglo-Saxon settlement on or near the site of Pons Aelius during the Anglo-Saxon age. The bridge probably survived and there may well have been a small village at the northern end, but no evidence survives. At that time the region was dominated by two kingdoms, Bernicia, north of the Tees and ruled from Bamburgh, and Deira, south of the Tees and ruled from York. Bernicia and Deira combined to form the kingdom of Northanhymbra (Northumbria) early in the 7th century. There were three local kings who held the title of Bretwalda – 'Lord of Britain', Edwin of Deira (627–632), Oswald of Bernicia (633–641) and Oswy of Northumbria (641–658). The 7th century became known as the 'Golden Age of Northumbria', when the area was a beacon of culture and learning in Europe. The greatness of this period was based on its generally Christian culture and resulted in the Lindisfarne Gospels amongst other treasures. The Tyne valley was dotted with monasteries, with those at Monkwearmouth, Hexham and Jarrow being the most famous. Bede, who was based at Jarrow, wrote of a royal estate, known as Ad Murum, 'at the Wall', 12 miles (19 km) from the sea. It is thought that this estate may have been in what is now Newcastle. At some unknown time, the site of Newcastle came to be known as Monkchester. The reason for this title is unknown, as we are unaware of any specific monasteries at the site, and Bede made no reference to it. In 875 Halfdan Ragnarsson, the Danish Viking conqueror of York, led an army that attacked and pillaged various monasteries in the area, and it is thought that Monkchester was also pillaged at this time. Little more was heard of it until the coming of the Normans.
Norman period
After the arrival of William the Conqueror in England in 1066, the whole of England was quickly subjected to Norman rule. However, in Northumbria there was great resistance to the Normans, and in 1069 the newly appointed Norman Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Comines and 700 of his men were killed by the local population at Durham. The Northumbrians then marched on York, but William was able to suppress the uprising. That same year, a second uprising occurred when a Danish fleet landed in the Humber. The Northumbrians again attacked York and destroyed the garrison there. William was again able to suppress the uprising, but this time he took revenge. He laid waste to the whole of the Midlands and the land from York to the Tees. In 1080, William Walcher, the Norman bishop of Durham and his followers were brutally murdered at Gateshead. This time Odo, bishop of Bayeux, William's half brother, devastated the land between the Tees and the Tweed. This was known as the 'Harrying of the North'. This devastation is reflected in the Domesday Book. The destruction had such an effect that the North remained poor and backward at least until Tudor times and perhaps until the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle suffered in this respect with the rest of the North.
In 1080 William sent his eldest son, Robert Curthose, north to defend the kingdom against the Scots. After his campaign, he moved to Monkchester and began the building of a 'New Castle'. This was of the "motte-and-bailey" type of construction, a wooden tower on top of an earthen mound (motte), surrounded by a moat and wooden stockade (bailey). It was this castle that gave Newcastle its name. In 1095 the Earl of Northumbria, Robert de Mowbray, rose up against the king, William Rufus, and Rufus sent an army north to recapture the castle. From then on the castle became crown property and was an important base from which the king could control the northern barons. The Northumbrian earldom was abolished and a Sheriff of Northumberland was appointed to administer the region. In 1091 the parish church of St Nicholas was consecrated on the site of the present Anglican cathedral, close by the bailey of the new castle. The church is believed to have been a wooden building on stone footings.
Not a trace of the tower or mound of the motte and bailey castle remains now. Henry II replaced it with a rectangular stone keep, which was built between 1172 and 1177 at a cost of £1,444. A stone bailey, in the form of a triangle, replaced the previous wooden one. The great outer gateway to the castle, called 'the Black Gate', was built later, between 1247 and 1250, in the reign of Henry III. There were at that time no town walls and when attacked by the Scots, the townspeople had to crowd into the bailey for safety. It is probable that the new castle acted as a magnet for local merchants because of the safety it provided. This in turn would help to expand trade in the town. At this time wool, skins and lead were being exported, whilst alum, pepper and ginger were being imported from France and Flanders.
Middle Ages
Throughout the Middle Ages, Newcastle was England's northern fortress, the centre for assembled armies. The Border war against Scotland lasted intermittently for several centuries – possibly the longest border war ever waged. During the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, David 1st of Scotland and his son were granted Cumbria and Northumberland respectively, so that for a period from 1139 to 1157, Newcastle was effectively in Scottish hands. It is believed that during this period, King David may have built the church of St Andrew and the Benedictine nunnery in Newcastle. However, King Stephen's successor, Henry II was strong enough to take back the Earldom of Northumbria from Malcolm IV.
The Scots king William the Lion was imprisoned in Newcastle, in 1174, after being captured at the Battle of Alnwick. Edward I brought the Stone of Scone and William Wallace south through the town and Newcastle was successfully defended against the Scots three times during the 14th century.
Around 1200, stone-faced, clay-filled jetties were starting to project into the river, an indication that trade was increasing in Newcastle. As the Roman roads continued to deteriorate, sea travel was gaining in importance. By 1275 Newcastle was the sixth largest wool exporting port in England. The principal exports at this time were wool, timber, coal, millstones, dairy produce, fish, salt and hides. Much of the developing trade was with the Baltic countries and Germany. Most of the Newcastle merchants were situated near the river, below the Castle. The earliest known charter was dated 1175 in the reign of Henry II, giving the townspeople some control over their town. In 1216 King John granted Newcastle a mayor[8] and also allowed the formation of guilds (known as Mysteries). These were cartels formed within different trades, which restricted trade to guild members. There were initially twelve guilds. Coal was being exported from Newcastle by 1250, and by 1350 the burgesses received a royal licence to export coal. This licence to export coal was jealously guarded by the Newcastle burgesses, and they tried to prevent any one else on the Tyne from exporting coal except through Newcastle. The burgesses similarly tried to prevent fish from being sold anywhere else on the Tyne except Newcastle. This led to conflicts with Gateshead and South Shields.
In 1265, the town was granted permission to impose a 'Wall Tax' or Murage, to pay for the construction of a fortified wall to enclose the town and protect it from Scottish invaders. The town walls were not completed until early in the 14th century. They were two miles (3 km) long, 9 feet (2.7 m) thick and 25 feet (7.6 m) high. They had six main gates, as well as some smaller gates, and had 17 towers. The land within the walls was divided almost equally by the Lort Burn, which flowed southwards and joined the Tyne to the east of the Castle. The town began to expand north of the Castle and west of the Lort Burn with various markets being set up within the walls.
In 1400 Henry IV granted a new charter, creating a County corporate which separated the town, but not the Castle, from the county of Northumberland and recognised it as a "county of itself" with a right to have a sheriff of its own. The burgesses were now allowed to choose six aldermen who, with the mayor would be justices of the peace. The mayor and sheriff were allowed to hold borough courts in the Guildhall.
Religious houses
During the Middle Ages a number of religious houses were established within the walls: the first of these was the Benedictine nunnery of St Bartholomew founded in 1086 near the present-day Nun Street. Both David I of Scotland and Henry I of England were benefactors of the religious house. Nothing of the nunnery remains now.
The friary of Blackfriars, Newcastle (Dominican) was established in 1239. These were also known as the Preaching Friars or Shod Friars, because they wore sandals, as opposed to other orders. The friary was situated in the present-day Friars Street. In 1280 the order was granted royal permission to make a postern in the town walls to communicate with their gardens outside the walls. On 19 June 1334, Edward Balliol, claimant to be King of Scotland, did homage to King Edward III, on behalf of the kingdom of Scotland, in the church of the friary. Much of the original buildings of the friary still exist, mainly because, after the Dissolution of the Monasteries the friary of Blackfriars was rented out by the corporation to nine of the local trade guilds.
The friary of Whitefriars (Carmelite) was established in 1262. The order was originally housed on the Wall Knoll in Pandon, but in 1307 it took over the buildings of another order, which went out of existence, the Friars of the Sac. The land, which had originally been given by Robert the Bruce, was situated in the present-day Hanover Square, behind the Central station. Nothing of the friary remains now.
The friary of Austinfriars (Augustinian) was established in 1290. The friary was on the site where the Holy Jesus Hospital was built in 1682. The friary was traditionally the lodging place of English kings whenever they visited or passed through Newcastle. In 1503 Princess Margaret, eldest daughter of Henry VII of England, stayed two days at the friary on her way to join her new husband James IV of Scotland.
The friary of Greyfriars (Franciscans) was established in 1274. The friary was in the present-day area between Pilgrim Street, Grey Street, Market Street and High Chare. Nothing of the original buildings remains.
The friary of the Order of the Holy Trinity, also known as the Trinitarians, was established in 1360. The order devoted a third of its income to buying back captives of the Saracens, during the Crusades. Their house was on the Wall Knoll, in Pandon, to the east of the city, but within the walls. Wall Knoll had previously been occupied by the White Friars until they moved to new premises in 1307.
All of the above religious houses were closed in about 1540, when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries.
An important street running through Newcastle at the time was Pilgrim Street, running northwards inside the walls and leading to the Pilgrim Gate on the north wall. The street still exists today as arguably Newcastle's main shopping street.
Tudor period
The Scottish border wars continued for much of the 16th century, so that during that time, Newcastle was often threatened with invasion by the Scots, but also remained important as a border stronghold against them.
During the Reformation begun by Henry VIII in 1536, the five Newcastle friaries and the single nunnery were dissolved and the land was sold to the Corporation and to rich merchants. At this time there were fewer than 60 inmates of the religious houses in Newcastle. The convent of Blackfriars was leased to nine craft guilds to be used as their headquarters. This probably explains why it is the only one of the religious houses whose building survives to the present day. The priories at Tynemouth and Durham were also dissolved, thus ending the long-running rivalry between Newcastle and the church for control of trade on the Tyne. A little later, the property of the nunnery of St Bartholomew and of Grey Friars were bought by Robert Anderson, who had the buildings demolished to build his grand Newe House (also known as Anderson Place).
With the gradual decline of the Scottish border wars the town walls were allowed to decline as well as the castle. By 1547, about 10,000 people were living in Newcastle. At the beginning of the 16th century exports of wool from Newcastle were more than twice the value of exports of coal, but during the century coal exports continued to increase.
Under Edward VI, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, sponsored an act allowing Newcastle to annexe Gateshead as its suburb. The main reason for this was to allow the Newcastle Hostmen, who controlled the export of Tyne coal, to get their hands on the Gateshead coal mines, previously controlled by the Bishop of Durham. However, when Mary I came to power, Dudley met his downfall and the decision was reversed. The Reformation allowed private access to coal mines previously owned by Tynemouth and Durham priories and as a result coal exports increase dramatically, from 15,000 tons in 1500 to 35,000 tons in 1565, and to 400,000 tons in 1625.
The plague visited Newcastle four times during the 16th century, in 1579 when 2,000 people died, in 1589 when 1700 died, in 1595 and finally in 1597.
In 1600 Elizabeth I granted Newcastle a charter for an exclusive body of electors, the right to elect the mayor and burgesses. The charter also gave the Hostmen exclusive rights to load coal at any point on the Tyne. The Hostmen developed as an exclusive group within the Merchant Adventurers who had been incorporated by a charter in 1547.
Stuart period
In 1636 there was a serious outbreak of bubonic plague in Newcastle. There had been several previous outbreaks of the disease over the years, but this was the most serious. It is thought to have arrived from the Netherlands via ships that were trading between the Tyne and that country. It first appeared in the lower part of the town near the docks but gradually spread to all parts of the town. As the disease gained hold the authorities took measures to control it by boarding up any properties that contained infected persons, meaning that whole families were locked up together with the infected family members. Other infected persons were put in huts outside the town walls and left to die. Plague pits were dug next to the town's four churches and outside the town walls to receive the bodies in mass burials. Over the course of the outbreak 5,631 deaths were recorded out of an estimated population of 12,000, a death rate of 47%.
In 1637 Charles I tried to raise money by doubling the 'voluntary' tax on coal in return for allowing the Newcastle Hostmen to regulate production and fix prices. This caused outrage amongst the London importers and the East Anglian shippers. Both groups decided to boycott Tyne coal and as a result forced Charles to reverse his decision in 1638.
In 1640 during the Second Bishops' War, the Scots successfully invaded Newcastle. The occupying army demanded £850 per day from the Corporation to billet the Scottish troops. Trade from the Tyne ground to a halt during the occupation. The Scots left in 1641 after receiving a Parliamentary pardon and a £4,000,000 loan from the town.
In 1642 the English Civil War began. King Charles realised the value of the Tyne coal trade and therefore garrisoned Newcastle. A Royalist was appointed as governor. At that time, Newcastle and King's Lynn were the only important seaports to support the crown. In 1644 Parliament blockaded the Tyne to prevent the king from receiving revenue from the Tyne coal trade. Coal exports fell from 450,000 to 3,000 tons and London suffered a hard winter without fuel. Parliament encouraged the coal trade from the Wear to try to replace that lost from Newcastle but that was not enough to make up for the lost Tyneside tonnage.
In 1644 the Scots crossed the border. Newcastle strengthened its defences in preparation. The Scottish army, with 40,000 troops, besieged Newcastle for three months until the garrison of 1,500 surrendered. During the siege, the Scots bombarded the walls with their artillery, situated in Gateshead and Castle Leazes. The Scottish commander threatened to destroy the steeple of St Nicholas's Church by gunfire if the mayor, Sir John Marley, did not surrender the town. The mayor responded by placing Scottish prisoners that they had captured in the steeple, so saving it from destruction. The town walls were finally breached by a combination of artillery and sapping. In gratitude for this defence, Charles gave Newcastle the motto 'Fortiter Defendit Triumphans' to be added to its coat of arms. The Scottish army occupied Northumberland and Durham for two years. The coal taxes had to pay for the Scottish occupation. In 1645 Charles surrendered to the Scots and was imprisoned in Newcastle for nine months. After the Civil War the coal trade on the Tyne soon picked up and exceeded its pre-war levels.
A new Guildhall was completed on the Sandhill next to the river in 1655, replacing an earlier facility damaged by fire in 1639, and became the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council. In 1681 the Hospital of the Holy Jesus was built partly on the site of the Austin Friars. The Guildhall and Holy Jesus Hospital still exist.
Charles II tried to impose a charter on Newcastle to give the king the right to appoint the mayor, sheriff, recorder and town clerk. Charles died before the charter came into effect. In 1685, James II tried to replace Corporation members with named Catholics. However, James' mandate was suspended in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution welcoming William of Orange. In 1689, after the fall of James II, the people of Newcastle tore down his bronze equestrian statue in Sandhill and tossed it into the Tyne. The bronze was later used to make bells for All Saints Church.
In 1689 the Lort Burn was covered over. At this time it was an open sewer. The channel followed by the Lort Burn became the present day Dean Street. At that time, the centre of Newcastle was still the Sandhill area, with many merchants living along the Close or on the Side. The path of the main road through Newcastle ran from the single Tyne bridge, through Sandhill to the Side, a narrow street which climbed steeply on the north-east side of the castle hill until it reached the higher ground alongside St Nicholas' Church. As Newcastle developed, the Side became lined with buildings with projecting upper stories, so that the main street through Newcastle was a narrow, congested, steep thoroughfare.
In 1701 the Keelmen's Hospital was built in the Sandgate area of the city, using funds provided by the keelmen. The building still stands today.
Eighteenth century
In the 18th century, Newcastle was the country's largest print centre after London, Oxford and Cambridge, and the Literary and Philosophical Society of 1793, with its erudite debates and large stock of books in several languages predated the London Library by half a century.
In 1715, during the Jacobite rising in favour of the Old Pretender, an army of Jacobite supporters marched on Newcastle. Many of the Northumbrian gentry joined the rebels. The citizens prepared for its arrival by arresting Jacobite supporters and accepting 700 extra recruits into the local militia. The gates of the city were closed against the rebels. This proved enough to delay an attack until reinforcements arrived forcing the rebel army to move across to the west coast. The rebels finally surrendered at Preston.
In 1745, during a second Jacobite rising in favour of the Young Pretender, a Scottish army crossed the border led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. Once again Newcastle prepared by arresting Jacobite supporters and inducting 800 volunteers into the local militia. The town walls were strengthened, most of the gates were blocked up and some 200 cannon were deployed. 20,000 regulars were billeted on the Town Moor. These preparations were enough to force the rebel army to travel south via the west coast. They were eventually defeated at Culloden in 1746.
Newcastle's actions during the 1715 rising in resisting the rebels and declaring for George I, in contrast to the rest of the region, is the most likely source of the nickname 'Geordie', applied to people from Tyneside, or more accurately Newcastle. Another theory, however, is that the name 'Geordie' came from the inventor of the Geordie lamp, George Stephenson. It was a type of safety lamp used in mining, but was not invented until 1815. Apparently the term 'German Geordie' was in common use during the 18th century.
The city's first hospital, Newcastle Infirmary opened in 1753; it was funded by public subscription. A lying-in hospital was established in Newcastle in 1760. The city's first public hospital for mentally ill patients, Wardens Close Lunatic Hospital was opened in October 1767.
In 1771 a flood swept away much of the bridge at Newcastle. The bridge had been built in 1250 and repaired after a flood in 1339. The bridge supported various houses and three towers and an old chapel. A blue stone was placed in the middle of the bridge to mark the boundary between Newcastle and the Palatinate of Durham. A temporary wooden bridge had to be built, and this remained in use until 1781, when a new stone bridge was completed. The new bridge consisted of nine arches. In 1801, because of the pressure of traffic, the bridge had to be widened.
A permanent military presence was established in the city with the completion of Fenham Barracks in 1806. The facilities at the Castle for holding assizes, which had been condemned for their inconvenience and unhealthiness, were replaced when the Moot Hall opened in August 1812.
Victorian period
Present-day Newcastle owes much of its architecture to the work of the builder Richard Grainger, aided by architects John Dobson, Thomas Oliver, John and Benjamin Green and others. In 1834 Grainger won a competition to produce a new plan for central Newcastle. He put this plan into effect using the above architects as well as architects employed in his own office. Grainger and Oliver had already built Leazes Terrace, Leazes Crescent and Leazes Place between 1829 and 1834. Grainger and Dobson had also built the Royal Arcade at the foot of Pilgrim Street between 1830 and 1832. The most ambitious project covered 12 acres 12 acres (49,000 m2) in central Newcastle, on the site of Newe House (also called Anderson Place). Grainger built three new thoroughfares, Grey Street, Grainger Street and Clayton Street with many connecting streets, as well as the Central Exchange and the Grainger Market. John Wardle and George Walker, working in Grainger's office, designed Clayton Street, Grainger Street and most of Grey Street. Dobson designed the Grainger Market and much of the east side of Grey Street. John and Benjamin Green designed the Theatre Royal at the top of Grey Street, where Grainger placed the column of Grey's Monument as a focus for the whole scheme. Grey Street is considered to be one of the finest streets in the country, with its elegant curve. Unfortunately most of old Eldon Square was demolished in the 1960s in the name of progress. The Royal Arcade met a similar fate.
In 1849 a new bridge was built across the river at Newcastle. This was the High Level Bridge, designed by Robert Stephenson, and slightly up river from the existing bridge. The bridge was designed to carry road and rail traffic across the Tyne Gorge on two decks with rail traffic on the upper deck and road traffic on the lower. The new bridge meant that traffic could pass through Newcastle without having to negotiate the steep, narrow Side, as had been necessary for centuries. The bridge was opened by Queen Victoria, who one year later opened the new Central Station, designed by John Dobson. Trains were now able to cross the river, directly into the centre of Newcastle and carry on up to Scotland. The Army Riding School was also completed in 1849.
In 1854 a large fire started on the Gateshead quayside and an explosion caused it to spread across the river to the Newcastle quayside. A huge conflagration amongst the narrow alleys, or 'chares', destroyed the homes of 800 families as well as many business premises. The narrow alleys that had been destroyed were replaced by streets containing blocks of modern offices.
In 1863 the Town Hall in St Nicholas Square replaced the Guildhall as the meeting place of Newcastle Town Council.
In 1876 the low level bridge was replaced by a new bridge known as the Swing Bridge, so called because the bridge was able to swing horizontally on a central axis and allow ships to pass on either side. This meant that for the first time sizeable ships could pass up-river beyond Newcastle. The bridge was built and paid for by William Armstrong, a local arms manufacturer, who needed to have warships access his Elswick arms factory to fit armaments to them. The Swing Bridge's rotating mechanism is adapted from the cannon mounts developed in Armstrong's arms works. In 1882 the Elswick works began to build ships as well as to arm them. The Barrack Road drill hall was completed in 1890.
Industrialisation
In the 19th century, shipbuilding and heavy engineering were central to the city's prosperity; and the city was a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle's development as a major city owed most to its central role in the production and export of coal. The phrase "taking coals to Newcastle" was first recorded in 1538; it proverbially denotes bringing a particular commodity to a place that has more than enough of it already.
Innovation in Newcastle and surrounding areas included the following:
George Stephenson developed a miner's safety lamp at the same time that Humphry Davy developed a rival design. The lamp made possible the opening up of ever deeper mines to provide the coal that powered the industrial revolution.
George and his son Robert Stephenson were hugely influential figures in the development of the early railways. George developed Blücher, a locomotive working at Killingworth colliery in 1814, whilst Robert was instrumental in the design of Rocket, a revolutionary design that was the forerunner of modern locomotives. Both men were involved in planning and building railway lines, all over this country and abroad.
Joseph Swan demonstrated a working electric light bulb about a year before Thomas Edison did the same in the USA. This led to a dispute as to who had actually invented the light bulb. Eventually the two rivals agreed to form a mutual company between them, the Edison and Swan Electric Light Company, known as Ediswan.
Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine, for marine use and for power generation. He used Turbinia, a small, turbine-powered ship, to demonstrate the speed that a steam turbine could generate. Turbinia literally ran rings around the British Fleet at a review at Spithead in 1897.
William Armstrong invented a hydraulic crane that was installed in dockyards up and down the country. He then began to design light, accurate field guns for the British army. These were a vast improvement on the existing guns that were then in use.
The following major industries developed in Newcastle or its surrounding area:
Glassmaking
A small glass industry existed in Newcastle from the mid-15th century. In 1615 restrictions were put on the use of wood for manufacturing glass. It was found that glass could be manufactured using the local coal, and so a glassmaking industry grew up on Tyneside. Huguenot glassmakers came over from France as refugees from persecution and set up glasshouses in the Skinnerburn area of Newcastle. Eventually, glass production moved to the Ouseburn area of Newcastle. In 1684 the Dagnia family, Sephardic Jewish emigrants from Altare, arrived in Newcastle from Stourbridge and established glasshouses along the Close, to manufacture high quality flint glass. The glass manufacturers used sand ballast from the boats arriving in the river as the main raw material. The glassware was then exported in collier brigs. The period from 1730 to 1785 was the highpoint of Newcastle glass manufacture, when the local glassmakers produced the 'Newcastle Light Baluster'. The glassmaking industry still exists in the west end of the city with local Artist and Glassmaker Jane Charles carrying on over four hundred years of hot glass blowing in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Locomotive manufacture
In 1823 George Stephenson and his son Robert established the world's first locomotive factory near Forth Street in Newcastle. Here they built locomotives for the Stockton and Darlington Railway and the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, as well as many others. It was here that the famous locomotive Rocket was designed and manufactured in preparation for the Rainhill Trials. Apart from building locomotives for the British market, the Newcastle works also produced locomotives for Europe and America. The Forth Street works continued to build locomotives until 1960.
Shipbuilding
In 1296 a wooden, 135 ft (41 m) long galley was constructed at the mouth of the Lort Burn in Newcastle, as part of a twenty-ship order from the king. The ship cost £205, and is the earliest record of shipbuilding in Newcastle. However the rise of the Tyne as a shipbuilding area was due to the need for collier brigs for the coal export trade. These wooden sailing ships were usually built locally, establishing local expertise in building ships. As ships changed from wood to steel, and from sail to steam, the local shipbuilding industry changed to build the new ships. Although shipbuilding was carried out up and down both sides of the river, the two main areas for building ships in Newcastle were Elswick, to the west, and Walker, to the east. By 1800 Tyneside was the third largest producer of ships in Britain. Unfortunately, after the Second World War, lack of modernisation and competition from abroad gradually caused the local industry to decline and die.
Armaments
In 1847 William Armstrong established a huge factory in Elswick, west of Newcastle. This was initially used to produce hydraulic cranes but subsequently began also to produce guns for both the army and the navy. After the Swing Bridge was built in 1876 allowing ships to pass up river, warships could have their armaments fitted alongside the Elswick works. Armstrong's company took over its industrial rival, Joseph Whitworth of Manchester in 1897.
Steam turbines
Charles Algernon Parsons invented the steam turbine and, in 1889, founded his own company C. A. Parsons and Company in Heaton, Newcastle to make steam turbines. Shortly after this, he realised that steam turbines could be used to propel ships and, in 1897, he founded a second company, Parsons Marine Steam Turbine Company in Wallsend. It is there that he designed and manufactured Turbinia. Parsons turbines were initially used in warships but soon came to be used in merchant and passenger vessels, including the liner Mauretania which held the blue riband for the Atlantic crossing until 1929. Parsons' company in Heaton began to make turbo-generators for power stations and supplied power stations all over the world. The Heaton works, reduced in size, remains as part of the Siemens AG industrial giant.
Pottery
In 1762 the Maling pottery was founded in Sunderland by French Huguenots, but transferred to Newcastle in 1817. A factory was built in the Ouseburn area of the city. The factory was rebuilt twice, finally occupying a 14-acre (57,000 m2) site that was claimed to be the biggest pottery in the world and which had its own railway station. The pottery pioneered use of machines in making potteries as opposed to hand production. In the 1890s the company went up-market and employed in-house designers. The period up to the Second World War was the most profitable with a constant stream of new designs being introduced. However, after the war, production gradually declined and the company closed in 1963.
Expansion of the city
Newcastle was one of the boroughs reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835: the reformed municipal borough included the parishes of Byker, Elswick, Heaton, Jesmond, Newcastle All Saints, Newcastle St Andrew, Newcastle St John, Newcastle St Nicholas, and Westgate. The urban districts of Benwell and Fenham and Walker were added in 1904. In 1935, Newcastle gained Kenton and parts of the parishes of West Brunton, East Denton, Fawdon, Longbenton. The most recent expansion in Newcastle's boundaries took place under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974, when Newcastle became a metropolitan borough, also including the urban districts of Gosforth and Newburn, and the parishes of Brunswick, Dinnington, Hazlerigg, North Gosforth and Woolsington from the Castle Ward Rural District, and the village of Westerhope.
Meanwhile Northumberland County Council was formed under the Local Government Act 1888 and benefited from a dedicated meeting place when County Hall was completed in the Castle Garth area of Newcastle in 1910. Following the Local Government Act 1972 County Hall relocated to Morpeth in April 1981.
Twentieth century
In 1925 work began on a new high-level road bridge to span the Tyne Gorge between Newcastle and Gateshead. The capacity of the existing High-Level Bridge and Swing Bridge were being strained to the limit, and an additional bridge had been discussed for a long time. The contract was awarded to the Dorman Long Company and the bridge was finally opened by King George V in 1928. The road deck was 84 feet (26 m) above the river and was supported by a 531 feet (162 m) steel arch. The new Tyne Bridge quickly became a symbol for Newcastle and Tyneside, and remains so today.
During the Second World War, Newcastle was largely spared the horrors inflicted upon other British cities bombed during the Blitz. Although the armaments factories and shipyards along the River Tyne were targeted by the Luftwaffe, they largely escaped unscathed. Manors goods yard and railway terminal, to the east of the city centre, and the suburbs of Jesmond and Heaton suffered bombing during 1941. There were 141 deaths and 587 injuries, a relatively small figure compared to the casualties in other industrial centres of Britain.
In 1963 the city gained its own university, the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, by act of parliament. A School of Medicine and Surgery had been established in Newcastle in 1834. This eventually developed into a college of medicine attached to Durham University. A college of physical science was also founded and became Armstrong College in 1904. In 1934 the two colleges merged to become King's College, Durham. This remained as part of Durham University until the new university was created in 1963. In 1992 the city gained its second university when Newcastle Polytechnic was granted university status as Northumbria University.
Newcastle City Council moved to the new Newcastle Civic Centre in 1968.
As heavy industries declined in the second half of the 20th century, large sections of the city centre were demolished along with many areas of slum housing. The leading political figure in the city during the 1960s was T. Dan Smith who oversaw a massive building programme of highrise housing estates and authorised the demolition of a quarter of the Georgian Grainger Town to make way for Eldon Square Shopping Centre. Smith's control in Newcastle collapsed when it was exposed that he had used public contracts to advantage himself and his business associates and for a time Newcastle became a byword for civic corruption as depicted in the films Get Carter and Stormy Monday and in the television series Our Friends in the North. However, much of the historic Grainger Town area survived and was, for the most part, fully restored in the late 1990s. Northumberland Street, initially the A1, was gradually closed to traffic from the 1970s and completely pedestrianised by 1998.
In 1978 a new rapid transport system, the Metro, was built, linking the Tyneside area. The system opened in August 1980. A new bridge was built to carry the Metro across the river between Gateshead and Newcastle. This was the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, commonly known as the Metro Bridge. Eventually the Metro system was extended to reach Newcastle Airport in 1991, and in 2002 the Metro system was extended to the nearby city of Sunderland.
As the 20th century progressed, trade on the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides gradually declined, until by the 1980s both sides of the river were looking rather derelict. Shipping company offices had closed along with offices of firms related to shipping. There were also derelict warehouses lining the riverbank. Local government produced a master plan to re-develop the Newcastle quayside and this was begun in the 1990s. New offices, restaurants, bars and residential accommodation were built and the area has changed in the space of a few years into a vibrant area, partially returning the focus of Newcastle to the riverside, where it was in medieval times.
The Gateshead Millennium Bridge, a foot and cycle bridge, 26 feet (7.9 m) wide and 413 feet (126 m) long, was completed in 2001. The road deck is in the form of a curve and is supported by a steel arch. To allow ships to pass, the whole structure, both arch and road-deck, rotates on huge bearings at either end so that the road deck is lifted. The bridge can be said to open and shut like a human eye. It is an important addition to the re-developed quayside area, providing a vital link between the Newcastle and Gateshead quaysides.
Recent developments
Today the city is a vibrant centre for office and retail employment, but just a short distance away there are impoverished inner-city housing estates, in areas originally built to provide affordable housing for employees of the shipyards and other heavy industries that lined the River Tyne. In the 2010s Newcastle City Council began implementing plans to regenerate these depressed areas, such as those along the Ouseburn Valley.
Its coming up to lunchtime and a handful of regulars turn up whilst waiting for the now 220 minute late-running, and hence permitting photographs at a reasonable hour, class 37 move from the Derby RTC. Five minutes later still and coming along very slowly, another Freightliner, this time 66507 with the 11:31 passage of one of two possible moves north, to either Carlisle or Tyne, from the Mountsorrel Sidings in Leicestershire; this one being the 6E88 to Tyne Yard S.S. This two-part panorama over to the south-east and past the location of the old Midland's Masbrough Station South signalbox in the lower right corner, shows the still extant and looked after Millmoor football ground and beyond that the ground rises to the prominent hill within 'Kankelawe', Canklow Woods, the ground then dropping towards the south along the valley of the River Rother to the Midland's other location of note, the site of the Canklow Engine Shed, coded 19C, its space now taken up by extensive housing along both the Midland lines and the Rover Rother. The extent of this summer's greenery growth in the triangle of land between the freight and passenger lines is easy to see and this too is yet again becoming a pain in the ar**!
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In response to the Congressional budget debacle which proved that DC is but a colony -- prone to being singled out unlike any other city in the country -- a number of activists, elected officials, and general citizens came out in force upon the grounds of Capitol Hill.
The crowd first formed on the sidewalk, but after some opening remarks by elected officials and activists: they quickly spilled into the street. The Capitol Police had been on hand & I'd thought it amusing that a couple were taking photos & videos... it wasn't until I saw the wristbands come out when I realised these weren't officers enjoying the moment; they were recording evidence.
With many minutes of warning, large portions of the group shifted over the sidewalk; whilst a core of dedicated supporters -- including our Mayor, a number of councilmembers, and members of DC Vote -- remained behind to block the roadway. The officers began to surround the group & repeated their warnings to get back on the sidewalk or face arrest.
Now in all fairness to the Capitol Police: they were doing their job. They were quite courteous about it & the protest was similarly jubilant right back. One woman was first to be bound, soon followed by several other activists. Then came Muriel Bowser: first councilmember to be arrested.
In general, I tend to dislike political grandstanding... but this was different. If our council was being arrested by our own police, I'd think it a cheesy photo op... but now our locally-elected officials were being arrested by the very forces we were out to protest: the Feds. This wasn't a mere photo op arrest; this was actually a legitimate arrest... the kind of thing that goes on your record; the kind of thing you spent a night in jail for.
Now granted, I don't expect anyone will be in jail longer than tomorrow; I'd be surprised if any were still locked up by midnight tonight. But it was Councilmember Bowser's arrest which really hit a moment... you could see the look on her face was of some worried concern: someone who had never been arrested before & didn't show up here today expecting to be arrested. As she was placed into the police van: her look of concern changed to a bit more worry. I mean this as no knock against Councilmember Bowser's committment; rather I felt it really help to humanise the entire event. It made me respect her all the more.
Yvette Alexander stood right beside us for quite some time, complicated in that she didn't have her ID on her. While it was entertaining to see our top officials being frisked, it was also quite entertaining that our easily-recognisable councilmember needed her ID... prompting a standerby to call one of her staffers with the best introduction I've ever heard over a phone: "Hi, your councilmember has been arrested." Also, kudos to Councilmember Alexander for going to jail in high heels!
There is a lot I can complain about with the council in general; and certainly with individual councilmembers & even the mayor. Heck, that's what politicians are for: you're not supposed to always like them. But this was an opportunity to set aside some of those issues (frankly, I'd say DC was glad to have a unifying moment after the past couple weeks) and cheer on our own brothers & sisters as they stood up in support of our rights.
It was certainly a proud moment to be a DC resident and a fine boost to our collective esteem after several weeks of turmoil within our local & federal levels of government. It's aggravating that my support for small & local government is inhibited by those in Congress whom advocate small & local government. If I wanted to live in a colony, I'd have moved to Williamsburg.
Ahora, con la nueva aplicación de Huayra, podés mirar la televisión desde tu computadora.
Desde este año, las netbooks del programa Conectar Igualdad tienen incorporadas un dispositivo interior de decodificación que permite el acceso directo y gratuito al sistema de Televisión Digital Abierta (TDA).
Entre las aplicaciones multimediales, que incluye Huayra, se encuentra Wari, un sintonizador para la TDA, servicio que ofrece el Gobierno Nacional y consiste en garantizar el acceso universal a la televisión de aire de modo gratuito (www.tda.gob.ar/contenidos/home.html).
Mediante una pequeña antena interior que acompaña a las máquinas del Programa, los ciudadanos pueden disfrutar ahora de los contenidos artísticos, educativos, deportivos y de entretenimiento que ofrecen las 16 señales nacionales más los respectivos canales locales de cada distrito.
Por ejemplo, en la región metropolitana de Buenos Aires, la oferta alcanza a 26 señales.
Solo los usuarios que estén a más de 20 kilómetros de las plantas transmisoras, distribuidas en las 24 provincias de la Argentina, necesitarán de una antena UHF externa. En este mapa están todas las localidades que cuentan con planta transmisora: tda.tvdigitalargentina.gob.ar/contenidos/mapa.html
PASOS PARA ACCEDER AL SERVICIO
1-Conectá la antena que viene con tu netbook a la entrada correspondiente.
2-Abrí Wari desde el Menú Huayra, en la opción Sonido y Video, o desde el ícono que está en el escritorio.
3-Para ver el centro de control de Wari que te permitirá escanear canales, es decir, sintonizar los canales disponibles, regular el volumen o agrandar la pantalla, tenés que tocar la letra C del teclado. Con esta tecla aparecerá y desaparecerá el centro de control.
4-Si es la primera vez que lo abrís, hacé clic en el primer botón de las opciones de la sección “canales” y esto permitirá realizar un escaneo para que detecte los de tu región.
5-Navegá entre todos los canales que la TDA tiene para ofrecerte y disfrutá de todos sus contenidos.
02/07/2013 El Argentino - Nota - Informe Especial - Pag. 2
(more details later, as time permits)
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Virtually everyone in America, as well as millions of other people around the world, know that Thanksgiving is one of the main occasions for organizing a huge parade.
It’s especially true in New York City, where I live — hundreds of parade workers converge on a one-block stretch between Columbus Avenue and Central Park West on 77th Street on the night before Thanksgiving to assemble the floats, and pump the huge balloons full of helium, so they’ll be ready to go the next morning. The parade itself lasts for hours, and stretches all the way down Central Park West and Broadway, and ultimately through Herald Square and past the main entrance to Macy’s on 34th Street. The whole thing is televised for the benefit of viewers all around the world, with TV commentators and an endless procession of marching bands, baton-twirlers, singers, dancers, jugglers, magicians, Broadway actors, and other forms of entertainment…
While New York City may be the only example of a Thanksgiving-Day parade that people around the world actually see on their TV screen, it’s definitely not the only such parade that takes place in this country. I’m sure that every big city has its own version of the turkey-day parade, as do most of the medium-size cities, and quite a few smaller towns and villages, too. They may not be visible on television, but a lot of local citizens and visitors turn out to watch such parades, if only because their sons and daughters are typically marching in the high-school bands that form a big part of the event.
On this particular occasion — in November of 2013 — I happened to be in one such medium-size city, where the parade took place on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It was in Portland, Oregon where we were spending the holiday period with one of our sons and his family; the parade took place in the “Pearl District” of downtown Portland … and, to our amazement, we were able to park our car about a block from the parade route, and walk right up to the corner (at Davis St and NW Park, if you want to track it down on Google Maps) where all of the bands and floats and costumed marchers walked by. In fact, I was able to take the “parade experience” even one step further: the people were friendly enough, and the security was light enough, that I was able to walk right out into the middle of the street with my camera, to photograph the floats and bands and marchers as they approached me … scampering out of the way only at the last moment.
Admittedly, Portland is a much bigger city than a tiny village of a thousand people somewhere in the midwest … but it still felt like “small town America” to me, and it was a great spectacle to watch. I got the impression that many of the visitors and observers standing along the street actually knew the people marching past them … and in any case, the marchers laughed and smiled and walked right up to us, handing out little pieces of candy to all of the children. Maybe next year I’ll go looking for a really small Thanksgiving parade in one of those tiny midwest-America villages, before retreating back to the Big Apple to watch the spectacle of thousands of marchers parading past millions of observers, and a TV audience of tens of millions …
I wish that I had taken some video clips of the parade, because the sounds and the music and the motion were a big part of what we experienced. But for better or worse, all I took was a bunch of traditional still photos. Actually, I took a LOT of still photos — nearly a thousand, altogether — but I’ve winnowed the collection down to 50 “keepers” that I hope will give you a sense of what Thanksgiving is all about…
Actually, if you live anywhere besides New York City here in the U S of A, you already know what Thanksgiving is all about, at least to the extent that it’s symbolized by the parade. But for those of us who spend most our time in New York City, it was a very pleasant experience indeed. After an hour, it was all over; we walked back to our car a block away, and drove back to our son’s house … and a day later, we were back in New York City. And thus ended another Thanksgiving holiday, at least until 2014.
05 – Amelia Schaper and William Dexter & Mary L Rose Curtis Residence. 1933 S Oxford Ave. 1906. Frank M Tyler.
Often in early Los Angeles it was common for the wives of businessmen to be listed as owner on property permits, in order to protect their investments (since women at the time couldn’t be sued). It would have been unusual (but not impossible) for women to speculate on their own – as appears to be the case here. Amelia Schaper is listed as the owner of this house on the original 1906 property permit, but a quick search of the internet shows her as the owner of many properties up to the late teens. In any case, she quickly sold this house to Wm D Curtis. One half of Curtis-Newhall Advertising Agency, he was a respected Los Angeles ad man. He first established the advertising agency in 1895. His first known national advertisement was in an issue of the 1896 Ladies Home Journal. His father, Joseph Curtis, was from Worcester, Massachusetts, and was primarily responsible for the development of Palms, CA, through the Title, Insurance & Trust Company. William Curtis made his fortune by handling the affairs of Edwin Cawston, owner of the Cawston Ostrich Farm, who he convinced he could make a profit by selling ostrich feathers for women’s hats. He was a large proponent of the La Fiesta celebration (a predecessor to the Tournament of Roses Parade) and handled the promotion for it. He studied and pioneered ad techniques, and his “Human Element” folders were used by many corporations. The house is classic Tyler – a combination of Victorian and Craftsman elements.
West Adams Heights
“Nowadays we scarcely notice the high stone gates which mark the entrances on Hobart, Harvard, and Oxford streets, south of Washington Boulevard. For one thing, the traffic is too heavy, too swift; and then, again, the gates have been obscured by intrusions of shops and stores. At the base of the stone pillars appears the inscription “West Adams Heights.” There was a time when these entranceways were formidable and haughty, for they marked the ways to one of the first elite residential areas in Los Angeles. . . In the unplanned early-day chaos of Los Angeles, West Adams Heights was obviously something very special, an island in an ocean of bungalows—approachable, but withdrawn and reclusive—one of the few surviving examples of planned urban elegance of the turn of the century.”
- Carey McWilliams, “The Evolution of Sugar Hill,” Script, March, 1949: 30.
Today West Adams Heights is still obviously something special. The past sixty years, however, have not been kind. In 1963 the Santa Monica Freeway cut through the heart of West Adams Heights, dividing the neighborhood, obscuring its continuity. In the 1970’s the city paved over the red brick streets and removed the ornate street lighting. After the neighborhood’s zoning was changed to a higher density, overzealous developers claimed several mansions for apartment buildings. Despite these challenges, however, “The Heights,” as the area was once known, has managed to regain some of its former elegance.
The West Adams Heights tract was laid out in 1902, in what was then a wheat field on the western edge of town. Although the freeway now creates an artificial barrier, the original neighborhood boundaries were Adams Boulevard, La Salle Ave, Washington Boulevard, and Western Avenue. Costly improvements were integrated into the development, such as 75-food wide boulevards (which were some of the first contoured streets not to follow the city grid), lots elevated from the sidewalk, ornate street lighting, and large granite monuments with red-brass electroliers at the entrance to every street. These upgrades increased the lot values, which helped ensure the tract would be an enclave for the elite.
One early real estate ad characterized the neighborhood stating: “West Adams Heights needs no introduction to the public: it is already recognized as being far superior to any other tract. Its high and slightly location, its beautiful view of the city and mountains make t a property unequaled by any other in the city.”
The early residents’ were required to sign a detailed restrictive covenant. This hand-written document required property owners to build a “first-class residence,” of at least two stories, costing no less than two-thousand dollars (at a time when a respectable home could be built for a quarter of that amount, including the land), and built no less than thirty-five feet from the property’s primary boundary. Common in early twentieth century, another clause excluded residents from selling or leasing their properties to non-Caucasians.
By the mid 1930’s, however, most of the restrictions had expired. Between 1938 and 1945 many prominent African-Americans began to make “The Heights” their home. According to Carey McWilliams, West Adams Heights became known “Far and wide as the famous Sugar Hill section of Los Angeles,” and enjoyed a clear preeminence over Washington’s smart Le Droit Park, St. Louis’s Enright Street, West Philadelphia, Chicago’s Westchester, and Harlem’s fabulous Sugar Hill.
West Adams Heights, now also known as Sugar Hill, played a major role in the Civil Rights movement in Los Angeles. In 1938 Norman Houston, president of the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company, and an African-American, purchased a home at 2211 South Hobart Boulevard. Legal Action from eight homeowners quickly ensued. During that period, other prominent African-Americans began to make Sugar Hill their home – including actress Hattie McDaniels, dentists John and Vada Summerville, actress Louise Beavers, band leader Johnny Otis, and performers Pearl Baily and Ethel Waters, and many more. On December 6, 1945, the “Sugar Hill Cases” were heard before Judge Thurmond Clark, in LA Superior Court. He made history by become the first judge in America to use the 14th Amendment to disallow the enforcement of covenant race restrictions. The Los Angeles Sentinel quoted Judge Clark: “This court is of the opinion that it is time that [African-Americans] are accorded, without reservations and evasions, the full rights guaranteed them under the 14th Amendment.” Gradually, over the last century people of nearly ever background have made historic West Adams their home.
The northern end of West Adams Heights is now protected as part of the Harvard Heights Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (HPOZ). The Historic West Adams area of Los Angeles (which includes West Adams Heights) boasts the highest concentration of turn-of-the-century homes west of the Mississippi, as well as the highest concentration of National Historic Landmarks, National Register of Historic Places, National Historic Districts, State Historic Landmarks, Los Angeles Cultural-Historic Monuments, and Historic Preservation Overlay Zones in the city. The entirety of West Adams Heights should be nominated as a National Register Historic District, for the quality of homes, the prominence of the architects, notoriety of the people who lived in the neighborhood, and the role it played in civil rights.
Perhaps a quote adapted from a fireplace mantle in the Frederick Rindge mansion best symbolizes the optimism which exists in West Adams: “California Shall be Ours as Long as the Stars Remain.”
Demolition permits have been issued for two General Iron Industries properties: 1909 N. Clifton Ave. (actually located on N. Kingsbury Street) and 1910 N. Clifton Ave. (on the other side of fenced-in property). Demolition permits were also issued for General Metals properties at 1806 and 1836 N. Kingsbury St. The controversial General Iron facilities had been closed since January 2021 and had sought to move to E. 116th Street on the city’s far Southeast Side. The city has since rescinded that permit. The North Side property was the scene of a massive explosion in 2020, which hastened calls for the city to shut down the scrap operations.
The four-story 1909 building is 76,000 square feet. The 1910 property, although listed as a one-story building, is being marketed as three land parcels totaling 20.3 acres.
Despite my involvement, this movie is a tender, comic gem. An amazing cast to work alongside in Martin Landau, Bill Murray, et al., but, of course, with Tim, there exists an almost brotherly sensibility, which made the whole experience a joy. Ultimately, I feel, with the artistic freedom we had, TB produced an American classic. A love letter to a filmmaker that didn't receive many.-- Johnny Depp
After his death in 1978, Ed Wood became best known as the world's worst film director and a cult following was born. Among his biggest fans were Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.
"This is Edward D. Wood, Jr."
Ed Wood's most famous features are the autobiographical Glen or Glenda, which explores a transvestite's struggle for a normal life, and Plan 9 from Outer Space, a science fiction/horror movie that was funded by local Baptist churches and completed in 5 days. Unlike your typical director, who may take all day to shoot one scene and finish a film in months, Ed Wood might have shot 30 scenes in a single day. Usually without permits, he had to steal shots whenever and as quickly as possible. His films weren't your typical Hollywood blockbusters; they were Ed Wood opuses. As scriptwriter Larry Karaszewski explained, "There's a personality to Ed Wood films that you don't necessarily get in a lot of other people's films. A lot of bad films are simply bad movies or incompetently put together. With Ed, you get a real sense of the filmmaker behind the camera. You see an Ed Wood movie, and you know it's an Ed Wood movie because of the obsessions and the fetishes. The stuff he's throwing up on the screen is clearly his way of working something out inside of him."
In Ed Wood's eyes, every film he made would be the one to make it big. Scriptwriter Scott Alexander noted, "Where Ed's movies are distinctive is that there's such passion there. The passion is oftentimes misguided, but it's there." That's where Tim Burton's film takes flight.
Ed Wood focuses on the director's friendship with aging Bela Lugosi, who had fallen from stardom after portraying Dracula during the Silent Era and was now battling drug addiction and poverty. After a chance meeting, Ed wanted to help Bela--one of his childhood heroes--by giving him parts in his films. The friendship lasted until Bela's death 5 years later.
"Let's Shoot This F#*%@r!"
When Tim Burton received this bio-pic's script, co-written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, he dropped his other projects and got to work, hardly changing anything on the page. He remembered, "It's probably the first time ever that I got a script and said, 'Yeah, let's shoot this.'"
Studying Ed Wood's original letters, Tim and Johnny got a sense of an unwavering upbeat optimism about his work. Because of that, Johnny's performance is hilariously over-enthusiastic and joyful. His other ingredients for the character of Ed Wood included the heart of The Wizard of Oz's Tin Man, the blind optimism of Ronald Reagan, and the distinctive voice of Casey Kasem. Working with Tim again on a project that became a labor of love for all involved was just what Johnny needed to break out of the, let's say, dark place he was stuck in while filming What's Eating Gilbert Grape? "Ed was the rocket ship that took me away from that horrible, black, bleak time," he said. "This guy needed to be the ultimate optimist, dreamer, idealist. It was like being in a completely different suit or skin. It felt very good." His friend, Director Jim Jarmusch can attest: "I was staying at his house for a while when he was shooting Ed Wood, and sometimes I would pick him up from the set and we'd get dinner. It would take him three hours to stop being Ed Wood. I just wanted to slap him to get that stupid smile off his face. We'd be in this Thai restaurant and Johnny is going, 'Hey, this Pad Thai is fabulous!'"
Johnny's performance fits perfectly into Tim Burton's version of an Ed Wood film--beautifully stylized in black-and-white with all the perceived normalcy of the 1950s. "You're mixing different elements," Tim explained. "You want to get the flavor of an Ed Wood movie without being an Ed Wood exactly."
"This is perfect!"
Tim Burton's Ed Wood is one of his best. It's one of Johnny's best. It's one of the world's best! They made a movie that struck a bittersweet balance between Ed Wood's rosy vision and reality. It is at once hilarious, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and joyful.
This movie is about the love of filmmaking. In his review, Roger Ebert proclaimed that every film school in the country should show this film to their students to instill the devotion to and joy of the work. No matter what happens, everything is perfect in Ed's eyes. His love of producing and directing--getting the film in the can--was all that mattered.
The writers noted that there were several more scenes reflecting Ed's insecurities and self-doubt, but they didn't make it into the film. Larry Karaszewski explained, "Johnny and Tim grew to love Ed so much that it made them uncomfortable to give Ed those moments."
At the heart of this movie is friendship and acceptance. No one in Ed Wood's circle is "normal," yet by the end of the film you are cheering for all of them. Aside from Bela Lugosi and himself, Ed Wood's cast often included Swedish wrestler Tor Johnson (George "The Animal" Steele), ghoulish TV hostess Vampira (Lisa Marie), self-proclaimed psychic Criswell (Jeffrey Jones), and drag queen Bunny Breckenridge (Bill Murray). The "bad guys" in this movie were those embarrassed by Ed's love for cross-dressing or confused by his films' lack of continuity or retakes. But this troupe of misfits stuck together like family. And that was no clearer than in the relationship between Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi.
Brilliantly played by Martin Landau, becoming Bela Lugosi was a challenge: "What you've got here is a 74-year-old Hungarian morphine addict/alcoholic who has mood swings," Martin explained. "That would be hard enough, but it had to be Bela Lugosi, who everyone knows!" Paying homage to the actor, Martin considered this film a male love story, one between two guys who really needed and depended on each other. "You could tell that between Martin and Johnny there was a real respect and a kind of bonding that went on with them because they were both good at a certain level," Tim said. "It was exciting to see that."
"We have to go see Ed Wood!"
I had no idea who Ed Wood was at the time I saw this movie, and I don't remember how or where my family and I went to see the film. But I do remember two things: 1) There was no question that we were going to see it this time--no convincing, plotting, or pleading necessary, and 2) While watching the movie for the first time, I was worried about what my parents thought while Johnny strutted around in drag doing a strip tease among his friends in a meat packing plant. On the other hand, I was thrilled by Johnny's fearlessness to do whatever--and for Johnny, "whatever" usually guarantees the unexpected. It's a trait that remains in full force today, and one of the reasons I will always see his movies. Tim agrees, as he discussed being able to work with Johnny again on this project: "Edward Scissorhands was a character who didn't speak, and now we're dealing with a character that won't shut up. It's great to see an actor go from one thing to something completely different. There's a great energy to seeing something like that. He's just so willing to do anything that way. In fact, he usually wants to go farther than you want him to go. It's nice for other actors to see." The reviews everywhere for Tim Burton's little film were positive, even those from my own family.
Ed Wood was nominated for too many awards to list here. Among them were Johnny's third Golden Globe nomination and his win for Actor of the Year from the London Film Critics. Ed Wood earned two Oscars--one for Martin Landau's amazing performance and one for the makeup team who transformed him into Bela Lugosi.
Because of this movie, I sought out Ed Wood's own films, which I so much wanted to love as much as Tim, Johnny, and company did. But I just couldn't do it. They actually made me sad. I felt better once I found out that the writers are aware of this phenomenon: "What's interesting is that when you watch our movie, and then watch Ed Wood's films, our movie affects the Ed Wood films themselves," writer Larry Karaszewski said. "It's much harder to laugh at Ed Wood films, particularly Glen or Glenda. It feels like a piece of personal filmmaking where you feel like this guy is putting his soul onto film." It's true: Watching the real Ed Wood movies, I was excited to see all the real people who were portrayed in Tim's Ed Wood, and I was still rooting for them to do well. I probably always will.
Check it out: Once you see Ed Wood--and you should all see it--it'll happen to you too. This labor of love is contagious.
The Kitties will do anything to get this one made!
The Kitties were all for the Ed Wood homage in black and white. We had to choose a filming scene because that's what Ed loved best. Here is one of his great moments: He's dragged the crew (including Norman, Simon, and Comet) out at 3 a.m. to steal an octopus prop from a nearby studio. Now, he's plopping Bela (B.J.) in the middle of it all to stage a big fight. This will match up perfectly with the big underwater finish Ed has planned for his latest movie. Who cares that they forgot to get the octopus motor, or that Bela isn't quite underwater? This is perfect! (And only 25 more scenes to go tonight....)
What's next?
Johnny trades in his angora sweater for a mask. Next month, we'll meet the world's greatest lover, Don Juan DeMarco.
For more images from Ed Wood and Johnny Kitties, visit Melissa's Kitties' blog: melissaconnolly.blogspot.com.
Even though Wales is currently in the midst of one of the most rigorous lockdowns in Western Europe daily exercise is allowed. When the sun shone this morning I was out like a shot to take a walk along the Montgomery Canal between Welshpool and Pool Quay. Perfect conditions.
NY Jets vs. Buffalo, Oct 2009 - 26
(more details later, as time permits)
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In mid-October, I attended my second professional football game, with a photographer's press pass that let me get down on the field to photograph players, referees, cheerleaders, other photographers, fans in the stand, and anyone else who looked interesting. (My first such game was a pre-season contest between the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles, which you can see by clicking here.)
I learned some lessons from photographing the Jets-Eagles game, and I showed up this time better prepared, and with some new equipment. It was great having the Nikon D700 with the capability of shooting at ISO 6400; but the 2X extender that turned my 70-300mm FX lens into a 140-600 lens seemed incapable of focusing automatically; I finally gave up and removed it. Overall, probably the best improvement came from the monopod that I dragged along on the trip; it greatly improved the stability of long shots with a telephoto. Ironically, it may also have created the illusion that I was a professional photographer, for the "real" professional photographers (who had studiously ignored me during the previous game) actually chatted with me a couple of times. I didn't have any of the bazooka-sized monster-telephoto lenses they had, but maybe they thought I wasn't a completely unprepared hobbyist...
Anyway, I shot the first half of the game with the D700 and the 70-300mm zoom lens by itself; and I shot the second half of the game with my older D300, whose half-frame body turned the 70-300mm zoom into a 105-450mm zoom. The stadium was sufficiently well lit that I could shoot at a reasonably high speed (typically 1/640 second) without having to go above ISO 3200 most of the time.
But technical details aside, this game was very much like the last one: I was down on the field, surrounded by 76,000 roaring fans who made conversation virtually impossible. I'm accustomed to watching most sports on television these days, with magical close-up shots provided by TV cameras like the very ones I saw strategically placed around tonight's football game; and when I'm befuddled by something complex or unexpected in whatever I'm watching, I know I can always depend on multiple instant replays (from various angles) and the incisive commentary from a TV sports anchor who knows far more about the players, the rules, and the details than I ever will.
Down on the field, all I could do was try my best to follow the action, and shoot anything that looked interesting. It usually (though not always) started with a snap to the quarterback -- but it was sometimes on the other side of the field, or down at the other end of the field. Like the other photographers, I scurried back and forth from one end of the field to the other to be as close to the action as possible ... but in many cases, all I ended up with was a picture of a tangle of bodies, and no clear idea of what had just happened.
After watching the Flickr statistics associated with my previous Jets-Eagles set, I was amused to see that the most popular photos were those of the cheerleaders ... so I included about 5 photos of the cheerleaders in this set. (And for whatever it's worth, I certainly did not envy them in their skimpy uniforms, while they did their best to cope with the 45-degree weather, and the chilly wind that whipped across the field.) I also found the fans interesting and occasionally picturesque, so you'll find about 10 fan-related pictures in this set.
Since I was on the field through the generosity and permission of the New York Jets, I naturally rooted for them to win. But they played pretty sloppily, and their rookie quarterback (Mark Sanchez, whose #6 jersey appears prominently in some of the photos) was intercepted five times. The regulation game finished in a 13-13 tie, so the game went into overtime ... and I'm such a dummy about football that I didn't even realize that it was a sudden death overtime. But when the Buffalo Bills kicked a three point field goal with 2:44 remaining in the overtime period, and all of the players immediately walked off the field, I quickly figured out what was happening...
Anyway, I took a little over 1,200 images and whittled it down to 60 "keepers" that I think you'll enjoy looking at. Another 200 had to be deleted immediately because they were out of focus, or because a referee decided to run in front of my camera just as I was pushing the shutter button ... but I've still got roughly 940 images of jumbled piles of football players that will probably continue to sit on my computer until I run out of space on my hard disk. C'est la vie...
Plug de cristal, que te permite disfrutar de sensaciones frías o calientes. Edición Oficial 50 Sombras de Grey.
Sensaciones Loveshop, una tienda erótica con un gran surtido en juguetería para adultos, aceites de masaje, juegos de pareja, etc. #lenceríaerótica, #bondage #tiendaerotica #tenerife #islascanarias #sensacionesloveshop #sexshop #vibrador #vibradores #dildos
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La nueva herramienta tecnológica permite conocer desde los alcances de la Ley 1801 de 2016 y verificar si se tiene algún tipo de comparendo pendiente y consultar antecedentes judiciales, hasta denunciar delitos y ubicar el CAI más cercano. Puede descargarse de forma gratuita en las tiendas App Store y Play Store.
El Código Nacional de Policía y Convivencia viene generando un cambio histórico en esos comportamientos que tanto afectan la tranquilidad en las calles y vecindarios de Colombia, que muchas veces degeneran en graves delitos. Los ciudadanos no solo conocen los alcances de la Ley 1801 de 2016, sino que reclaman su aplicación.
Por eso, la Policía Nacional de todos los colombianos, en coordinación con el Ministerio de Defensa, desarrolló una aplicación móvil que le permitirá a cualquier persona consultar la totalidad del articulado del Código, incluidos los tipos de comparendos y costos de cada uno, al igual que verificar si tiene algún tipo de multa pendiente y qué debe hacer para ponerse al día.
Además, a través de esta app, descargable de manera gratuita en las tiendas App Store y Play Store, el ciudadano también tiene acceso directo a páginas como ‘ADenunciar’, donde puede reportar varios delitos, incluido el robo de celulares.
También le permite consultar desde antecedentes judiciales y el banco de documentos extraviados hasta ubicar la Inspección de Policía, CAI, Estación o Subestación más cercanos, mostrándole en un mapa la ruta y el tiempo de llegada a cualquiera de estas unidades.
“Es una gran herramienta tecnológica, que nos permitirá avanzar en la consolidación de una nueva cultura ciudadana a partir del espíritu preventivo que inspira el Código Nacional de Policía y Convivencia”, sostuvo el director general de la Policía, general Jorge Hernando Nieto Rojas, durante el lanzamiento de la aplicación, la cual tuvo lugar esta mañana en la Sala Estratégica de la Dirección General.
La aplicación está conformada por un menú de fácil navegación y contiene más de 15.000 palabras claves para realizar búsquedas más exactas por voz o texto.
Este desarrollo fue realizado con el fin de que la comunidad pueda tener una interacción amigable y así lograr una mayor apropiación del Código Nacional de Policía y Convivencia y entregarle más herramientas que le permitan agilizar los trámites en cuanto a denuncias y comportamientos contrarios a la convivencia.
En su primer año de implementación, el Código permitió reducir en un 8 por ciento el homicidio por riñas; en un 18 por ciento, las riñas, y en igual cifra las lesiones personales con arma corto punzante. Entre las conductas más sancionadas están el colarse en los sistemas masivos de transporte, consumir licor o sustancias psicoactivas en vía pública, porte ilegal de armas y alteración de la tranquilidad del vecindario con equipos de sonido.
(more details later, as time permits)
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Sometimes the most amazing things happen when you’re walking around the Center of the Universe with your camera. If you’re lucky, you realize that a miracle is happening in front of you, and you point your camera in the right direction, and hopefully capture a few scenes for posterity.
In my case, I didn’t realize what was going on at first. I had decided to cover part of 14th Street during my “streets of New York” project that has been underway since the spring of 2013 (if you haven’t seen what I’m up to in this area, take a look at this Flickr album: www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/sets/72157634242250833/ ). I was walking back to my starting point, on the south side of 14th Street between Avenue B and Avenue A, when I happened to notice an intriguing bit of … well, I hesitate to call it “graffiti” … apparently written in large chalk letters on a green-painted sheet of plywood “wall” that stood between the sidewalk and a construction site. It’s the first photo that you’ll see in this set. I was particularly amused by the Facebook-style “Like Share Comment” appendix at the end; but I just chuckled, took a quick photo, and kept walking.
A couple blocks later, I had returned to my starting point, at the south end of Union Square. To my enormous surprise, the same chalked version of the First Amendment had been written on a large section of sidewalk … and then I saw the artist hard at work inscribing the Fourth Amendment right next to it. A moment later, someone congratulated him on the eloquence of his words, and he responded, “It’s not mine. It was written by Thomas Jefferson.”
The artist who did this work is S. C. Shryock, and you can reach him by email at acs@scshryock.com or on Facebook at fb/sc.shryock. He’s also got a website at www.scshryock.com
I spoke briefly to Mr. Shryock and asked him if he sprayed any kind of sealant on the chalk after he finished, so that the words would remain intact after a rainstorm (or, as I witnessed later, after people had obliviously walked right over the writing). He shook his head, and said that he expected the writing would only last for a few days before it washed away, or faded. Sometimes he comes back to the same spot and writes the words again; he has apparently done several more of these messages up in Washington Square Park — as well as the occasional plywood wall, as I had noticed earlier.
After he finished and faded into the crowd, I spent nearly an hour sitting on the steps leading into the Union Square Park, and simply watched the reaction of passers-by as the walked past the two inscriptions. Most instinctively avoided walking over the words, but a few simply didn’t see what they were walking over. The large majority of people simply ignored the message; only a few stopped to read … and one guy smiled when he finished the First Amendment, and tapped his foot on the “Like” at the bottom. “I like, I like,” he said.
Keep in mind that Mr. Shryock only wrote the words of the First and Fourth Amendments; these were just two of the ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that are generally referred to as the “Bill of Rights.” At this point, you want to have your memory of the other amendments refreshed, and you also want to know how all of this came about back in the early days of the United States. You might have forgotten, for example, that Congress actually proposed *twelve* amendments, and only Articles 3-12 initially received enough state votes to ratify. Article 2 was not ratified until May 7, 1992 — 202 years and 225 days after it was approved by Congress.
The first amendment has *still* not been ratified; it reads “That there be prefixed to the constitution a declaration that all power is originally vested in, and consequently derived from the people. That government is instituted, and ought to be exercised for the benefit of the people; which consists in the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the right of acquiring and using property, and generally of pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. That the people have an indubitable, unalienable, and indefeasible right to reform or change their government, whenever it be found adverse or inadequate to the purposes of its institution.”
You can find all of these details in this Wikipedia article:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights
Meanwhile, take a close look at the reaction of ordinary New York citizens to two of the most important amendments. It seems that some don’t care at all, and some don’t even notice…. it’s a sad commentary.
Occupy Colorado Springs on Sunday, November 20, 2011. Their permit to occupy the park expired at midnight.
Good Magazine: The (Un)Official Occupy Wall Street Photographer's 15 Favorite Frames
The Occupy Wall Street Creative Commons Project
Day 1 September 17 Photos - Preoccupation and Occupation Begins
Day 2 September 18 Photos - People settle in; cardboard sign menage begins
Day 3 September 19 Photos - Community forms; protest signs
Day 7 September 23 Photos - First rain, protest signs, life
Day 8 September 24 Photos - Pepper spray day, Zuni Tikka, people
Day 21 October 6 Photos - Naomi Klein
Day 23 October 8 - Faces of OWS
Day 28 October 13 - Tom Morello of RATM
Day 31 - protesting Chihuahua and The Daily Show
Day 36 - Parents and Kids Day and quite a crowd
Day 40 - protesting hotties, Reverend Billy and tents
Day 43 Photos - Snow storm at OWS of the first NYC winter snowfall
Day 47 - Solidarity with Occupy Oakland
Day 52 November 7 - Jonathan Lethem, Lynn Nottage and Jennifer Egan
Day 53 November 8 - David Crosby and Graham Nash play OWS
Day 57 November 12 - Former NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey
Day 60 November 15 - Police evict protesters from Zuccotti
Occupy Colorado Springs Colorado on November 20
Do you want to see the Occupy Wall Street series laid out thematically? Click here
The BLM is responsible for administering nearly 14 million acres of rangeland in Oregon and Washington. Much of it is grazed by livestock under a system of permits and leases in which ranchers pay grazing fees for the use of public land.
The BLM administers 1,596 ten-year permits and leases held by ranchers who graze their livestock (mostly cattle and sheep) in Oregon and Washington on 2,003 designated areas called allotments. It is a BLM priority to renew expiring grazing permits/leases, as they help promote job creation and support working landscapes.
Fifty percent of the collected grazing fees deposited into the U.S. Treasury are returned to the Range Betterment Fund for on-the-ground range improvement projects.
Depending on whether the collected fees are from permits or leases, portions are also returned to the states or counties where the fees were generated. For leases, 50% of collected fees goes to the Range Betterment Fund and the other 50% goes back to the county where the fees were generated. For permits, 50% of fees goes to the Range Betterment Fund, 12.5% goes to the state or counties where the fees were generated, and 37.5% goes to the U.S. Treasury.
Range improvements are authorized modifications or treatments designed to improve production of forage, change vegetation composition, control patterns of use, provide water, stabilize soil and water conditions, or restore, protect, and improve the condition of rangeland ecosystems to benefit livestock, wild horses and burros, and fish and wildlife.
To achieve desired conditions on the public lands, the BLM uses monitoring data to evaluate the rangeland health standards and guidelines. There are many different treatments used to assist in maintaining rangeland health, including prescribed burns, rehabilitation of burned lands, fencing, water developments, weed control, and juniper management.
Rangeland Health Assessments on these lands are used to determine watershed functions, ecological processes, water quality and habitat for all species -- including native, threatened and endangered species.
The goal of the BLM’s rangeland management program is to ensure the health and productivity of public rangelands for the use and enjoyment of current and future generations.
The BLM is committed to strong relationships with the ranching communities in Oregon and Washington, and works closely with permittees to ensure public rangelands remain healthy, productive working landscapes.
For more information head on over to:
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Agradeceremos que a modo de epígrafe de las mismas, se mencione: Gentileza Fundación arteba.
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arteba Foundation allows the reproduction of the photos uploaded in Flickr.
We appreciate if you credit them as Courtesy of arteba Foundation.
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In response to the Congressional budget debacle which proved that DC is but a colony -- prone to being singled out unlike any other city in the country -- a number of activists, elected officials, and general citizens came out in force upon the grounds of Capitol Hill.
The crowd first formed on the sidewalk, but after some opening remarks by elected officials and activists: they quickly spilled into the street. The Capitol Police had been on hand & I'd thought it amusing that a couple were taking photos & videos... it wasn't until I saw the wristbands come out when I realised these weren't officers enjoying the moment; they were recording evidence.
With many minutes of warning, large portions of the group shifted over the sidewalk; whilst a core of dedicated supporters -- including our Mayor, a number of councilmembers, and members of DC Vote -- remained behind to block the roadway. The officers began to surround the group & repeated their warnings to get back on the sidewalk or face arrest.
Now in all fairness to the Capitol Police: they were doing their job. They were quite courteous about it & the protest was similarly jubilant right back. One woman was first to be bound, soon followed by several other activists. Then came Muriel Bowser: first councilmember to be arrested.
In general, I tend to dislike political grandstanding... but this was different. If our council was being arrested by our own police, I'd think it a cheesy photo op... but now our locally-elected officials were being arrested by the very forces we were out to protest: the Feds. This wasn't a mere photo op arrest; this was actually a legitimate arrest... the kind of thing that goes on your record; the kind of thing you spent a night in jail for.
Now granted, I don't expect anyone will be in jail longer than tomorrow; I'd be surprised if any were still locked up by midnight tonight. But it was Councilmember Bowser's arrest which really hit a moment... you could see the look on her face was of some worried concern: someone who had never been arrested before & didn't show up here today expecting to be arrested. As she was placed into the police van: her look of concern changed to a bit more worry. I mean this as no knock against Councilmember Bowser's committment; rather I felt it really help to humanise the entire event. It made me respect her all the more.
Yvette Alexander stood right beside us for quite some time, complicated in that she didn't have her ID on her. While it was entertaining to see our top officials being frisked, it was also quite entertaining that our easily-recognisable councilmember needed her ID... prompting a standerby to call one of her staffers with the best introduction I've ever heard over a phone: "Hi, your councilmember has been arrested." Also, kudos to Councilmember Alexander for going to jail in high heels!
There is a lot I can complain about with the council in general; and certainly with individual councilmembers & even the mayor. Heck, that's what politicians are for: you're not supposed to always like them. But this was an opportunity to set aside some of those issues (frankly, I'd say DC was glad to have a unifying moment after the past couple weeks) and cheer on our own brothers & sisters as they stood up in support of our rights.
It was certainly a proud moment to be a DC resident and a fine boost to our collective esteem after several weeks of turmoil within our local & federal levels of government. It's aggravating that my support for small & local government is inhibited by those in Congress whom advocate small & local government. If I wanted to live in a colony, I'd have moved to Williamsburg.
A demolition permit was issued two days ago for the rundown 1876 house. It lists the owner as a former Chicago Bears defensive back who starred on the 1985 NFL champions (name is in the public domain), although I haven't seen a notice of sale. The buyer lives next door to the east; it's an odd-shaped lot as the alley behind runs parallel to N. Lincoln Avenue to the north.
Que sistema tan PERVERSO que se permite esta pagina en el libro de texto de los inocentes ninios ... y los padres indefensos no tienen alternativas.
NOTA1: Para quien NO es cubano de nacimiento: El Batallon Fronterizo son los militares que custodian la frontera que separa Cuba de la Base Naval de Guantanamo. Imaginan transmitirle a un ninio que "su deber es estar alli, ante la muerte ?"
NOTA2: mientras mas miro mas encuentro ... como el "detalle" de la Bandera de quienes están del otro lado (los yanquis) ... una bandera pirata.
Declaración de EAJ-PNV con motivo del Día Internacional de las Mujeres.
La igualdad es un Derecho Humano que toda sociedad que se denomine o considere democrática debe respetar, ejercer e impulsar. La igualdad permite que tanto mujeres como hombres puedan desarrollar todas sus capacidades y tomar sus decisiones sin limitaciones impuestas por estereotipos de género. En consecuencia, la desigualdad de género representa una de las principales amenazas que, como sociedad avanzada, debemos afrontar y erradicar.
Avanzada ya la segunda década del siglo XXI, debemos volcar todos los esfuerzos, recursos e instrumentos a nuestra mano en la urgentísima tarea de poner fin a la violencia machista. Debemos, para ello, redoblar e intensificar la labor de concienciación social con el rechazo a la violencia contra las mujeres, especialmente entre las generaciones más jóvenes y entre el colectivo de los hombres, haciendo un especial hincapié en el origen de esta barbarie: la desigualdad entre hombres y mujeres.
La participación equilibrada de mujeres y hombres en la toma de decisiones es un requisito previo en cualquier sociedad democrática avanzada. Así se afirma en la Carta Europea para la Igualdad de mujeres y hombres en la vida local. En ella se insta a que los Gobiernos tomen las medidas y adopten las estrategias necesarias para promover una representación y una participación equilibradas de mujeres y hombres en todos los ámbitos de decisión.
En EAJ-PNV creemos que el desarrollo de Euskadi solo se puede construir sobre la igualdad de oportunidades, y de un modo especial desde la equiparación de oportunidades y condiciones laborales entre hombres y mujeres. Por ello, todos nuestros esfuerzos han de encaminarse a garantizar la igualdad de oportunidades reales entre todas las personas. El compromiso de EAJ-PNV es impulsar la igualdad y la identidad como principales elementos sobre los que edificar un proyecto sólido de convivencia. Nuestra apuesta es decidida en favor de la igualdad de oportunidades, del empoderamiento de las mujeres y del respeto a la diversidad como motor del equilibrio social y de solidaridad.
En EAJ-PNV sabemos muy bien de qué hablamos cuando reivindicamos la labor que las mujeres pueden y deben desempeñar en la construcción de un futuro más humano, más justo, más habitable. No en vano, las mujeres han tenido un papel fundamental en la historia de este pueblo, Euskadi, y en la trayectoria de este partido, fundado en 1895. Antes, durante y después de la Guerra Civil, en la clandestinidad y en la democracia, las afiliadas y las simpatizantes de EAJ-PNV han hecho un trabajo ingente, impagable, casi siempre a la sombra y pocas veces reconocido en su justa medida. Hoy afirmamos con convicción y solemnidad que nuestro partido no se entendería hoy sin el esfuerzo y el trabajo de las mujeres que lo han integrado en el pasado y de las que lo integran en el presente. Por ello, el pasado sábado rendimos en Sabin Etxea un emotivo homenaje y un merecido reconocimiento a todas estas mujeres, a las que ayer fueron, a los que hoy son y a las que, gracias a todas ellas, mañana serán.
Por todo ello, las mujeres y los hombres que integramos EAJ-PNV queremos hoy, 8 de marzo de 2017, renovar estos nuestros compromisos:
Seguir dando pasos firmes hacia la consecución de una igualdad real y efectiva entre mujeres y hombres, fomentando el cambio de valores que nos permita avanzar en este sentido.
Concienciar a la ciudadanía del valor social de la igualdad y sus implicaciones de cara a conseguir una sociedad avanzada.
Formar en materia de Igualdad a las personas de EAJ-PNV que desempeñen tanto cargos públicos como internos.
Declarar la guerra a la violencia machista, cualquiera que sea su naturaleza, física o psicológica, presencial o virtual.
Para hacer visibles estos compromisos y para reivindicar una sociedad basada en la igualdad de derechos, las mujeres y los hombres que trabajamos en Sabin Etxea protagonizaremos esta mañana, a partir de las 11:30 horas, un parón diez minutos frente a la sede del Euzkadi Buru Batzar.
*La plataforma SITRA potenciará la Red de Participación Cívica en beneficio del sector transporte*
*Bogotá. D.C*. Dando alcance a los principios de Legalidad y Emprendimiento del señor presidente de la República, Iván Duque Márquez, el Ministerio de Transporte y la Policía Nacional de todos los colombianos implementaron un desarrollo tecnológico que permite potenciar la Red de Participación Cívica y mejorar las condiciones de seguridad del sector del transporte público de pasajeros, carga y logística.
Este Sistema Integral de Tránsito y Transporte -SITRA-, presentado por el propio Presidente en las instalaciones de la Dirección General de la Policía Nacional, integrará de manera paulatina las plataformas de monitoreo de las empresas legalmente constituidas que contribuyen con el crecimiento y desarrollo económico del país.
Además, se articularán estas capacidades tecnológicas con los sistemas de control y monitoreo de la Policía Nacional, lo que garantizará la atención ágil, y en el menor tiempo posible, de las emergencias viales o de seguridad que sean reportadas en tiempo real por los conductores vinculados a la estrategia.
La primera fase del SITRA se desarrolló con más de 2.200 vehículos, pertenecientes a las empresas Expreso Brasilia, Rápido Ochoa, TDM y TCC, automotores que ya cuentan con el acompañamiento de la Dirección de Tránsito y Transporte de la Policía Nacional ante cualquier imprevisto sobre la vía.
Potencialmente el sistema permitirá vincular a más de 600 mil transportadores a la Red de Participación Cívica.
*¿Cómo funciona?*
El SITRA permite que un conductor o los centros de monitoreo de las empresas reporten un evento de emergencia en las vías nacionales. De inmediato, la alarma es atendida en el centro de comando y control de la Dirección de Tránsito de la Policía, donde se georreferencia en tiempo real y con precisión el lugar en el que se está generando el evento y se visualiza, a través de un panel, la ubicación exacta de los cuadrantes viales más cercanos al incidente.
Bajo los parámetros de integración de la plataforma SITRA, de manera gradual se vincularán los Centros Automáticos de Despacho de la Policía Nacional y las cámaras de las concesiones viales y del sector transporte, hasta alcanzar una red de monitoreo cercana a las 14.500 cámaras en todo el territorio nacional.
El SITRA permitirá, igualmente, la atención de las alertas emitidas a través de botones de pánico o de precintos electrónicos alterados, desvíos de rutas no autorizadas, actos delictivos y demás eventos reportados por los conductores y centros de monitoreo de las empresas de transporte. La fase inicial ya integra 261 cuadrantes viales a través de 2.000 dispositivos móviles de comunicación, georreferenciación y control de eventos.
Adicionalmente, esta innovación tecnológica permitirá a la Policía Nacional realizar el monitoreo de los vehículos que se desplazan en las vías nacionales, obteniendo información cualificada de los tiempos de recorrido, velocidad de desplazamiento, incidentes, alarmas, siniestros viales y condiciones meteorológicas adversas sobre la vía, información que, una vez procesada, hará posible una planeación efectiva del servicio de policía.
La herramienta también tiene la capacidad de realizar una microgerencia detallada al servicio de policía en carreteras, determinando tiempos de respuesta de los cuadrantes y análisis de los controles en carretera (comparendos, consulta de antecedentes, consultas a sistemas de información del sector como el RUNT, entre otras plataformas).
En Colombia están matriculados en el sistema RUNT 14’404.288 vehículos, de los cuales 391.133 son vehículos de carga y 193.363 de transporte público de pasajeros.
*Vigilancia desde el aire*
Con el propósito de optimizar las labores de vigilancia y control sobre las distintas vías del país durante este Plan Éxodo y el Plan Retorno del Puente de Reyes, La Policía Nacional de todos los colombianos contará con Sistemas Aéreos Remotamente Tripulados -SIART-.
Serán 17 los dispositivos utilizados durante estas fiestas de fin y comienzo de año en las principales vías de salida y acceso de la capital del país: calle 13, Autopista Sur, Autopista Norte, vía a La Calera, calle 80, vía a Villavicencio, vía a Zipaquirá y Choachí.
Así mismo, la Dirección de Tránsito y Transporte empleará los SIART en vías nacionales de los departamentos de Casanare, Arauca, Norte de Santander y Putumayo y las ciudades de Barranquilla, Cúcuta, Villavicencio, Cali y Cartagena con el principal objetivo de efectuar monitoreos que permitan agilizar la movilidad.
Todas las anteriores innovaciones tecnológicas hacen parte del Plan Estratégico Institucional 2019-2022 ‘Colombia Bicentenaria – Seguridad con Legalidad’, Más cerca del ciudadano.
OCEAN PARK
On a gray May day, Greg and I took the new Exposition Line (transferring to the 733) to Venice, and walked up to Ocean Park. We didn’t have a goal in mind, except to enjoy the day. While we were in Ocean Park we thought we’d check on a house that we know well – the home of James M Hale, proprietor of the Los Angeles dry good’s store, Hale’s. Almost directly behind Hale’s house is Horatio West Court, by Irving J Gill.
01. James M Hale House, 1907
149 Wadsworth Ave
Ocean Park, CA
Wadsworth & Hollister Tract, Santa Monica
Architect Unknown
James M Hale was the proprietor of the J M Hale Co, a chain of seven dry goods stores. The store first began at 7 & 9 Spring Street in the early 1890's. Later the address was changed to 107, 109 & 111 N. Spring St. Sometime around 1905/6 he sold the Spring Street location and moved the store to 341-345 S Broadway, near the new Romanesque City Hall. Additional stores were opened in Ocean Park, Santa Monica, and other locations around Southern California and (apparently) elsewhere.
Until 1907 Hale lived in the 800 block of Grand Avenue. As the Red Car expanded in Los Angeles, options to live out of the city began to open up for the burgeoning population. Hale took advantage of this new opportunity. In 1907 Hale contracted “for the erection of a handsome home in the Wadsworth & Hollister Tract. It is to cost $7,434, and is to be completed in seventy working days.” The result is this beautiful, very-late Queen Anne/Shingle Style Victorian house.
Thanks to the gracious owners, we were able to tour the inside. It is spectacular, if not unusual. The interior is a mixture of styles common in Los Angeles at the time. The layout and most of the detail, like baseboards and crown molding, are pure Victorian. The pressed-brick fireplace mantles are Craftsman. The large built-in buffet is Art Nouveau. An oddly-placed foyer sits behind the first parlor, which may have been a reception room of some kind. The formal front door to the foyer is on the West-facing side of the house. The rails of the grand staircase are transitional in style (almost Mission Revival) and the chandelier is high Victorian. One of the globes is monogrammed with Hale’s initials – JMH.
The architect is as yet unknown. Who ever it was, they seemed to have been playing to the tastes of an older client. or the architect himself was older and designed a house in the style he was accustomed. The situation of the house with the front door on the side rather than in front, gives the impression that this wasn’t a new building – that it was moved to the site, turned on it’s side, and then remodeled. But the permit implies new construction. And, if it were an older house remodeled, most of the Victorian features should have been stripped away. Likely it would be fully Craftsman, or Mission Revival like the Joseph Cather Newsom across the street at 140 Wadsworth.
The James M Hale house in Ocean Park is not yet a Santa Monica Historic Landmark, but it is fully deserving of both local and national historic status. I encourage the owners to pursue historic designation to protect the house, and possibly take advantage of the Mills Act tax advantages.
Many people may fondly (or not) remember Hale’s Brothers, Inc, the San Francisco-based nation-wide department store which failed in the late 1960's and was absorbed into the Los Angeles-based Broadway Stores. J M Hale appears to be related to the Hale Brothers of the San Francisco department store, although the relationship hasn’t been not solidly confirmed yet. The icon failed because of several bad business decisions – acquiring Sacramento-based Weinstock-Lubin & Co. and a real estate gamble gone awry.
The relationship clues are there, however: J M Hale Co, Inc used the same swooping logo as Hale Bros Inc, with the same tag line “Good Goods,” and they were in essentially the same kind of market. It appears each branch of Hale’s was run independently, with slight variations on the name. From what I can derive on the internet, Hale’s was founded in San Jose, CA, by O A Hale, as a simple dry goods store. He quickly expanded the store with his sons, first to Sacramento and San Francisco, then Los Angeles and beyond. James M may have been O A’s brother, or the oldest son. Under the “Hale’s California” umbrella were: Hale Bros Incorporated (San Francisco); Hale Bros & Co (Sacramento); O A Hale & Co (San Jose); Hale & Co (Stockton); Hale Bros & Co (Petaluma); and J M Hale Co, Inc (Los Angeles).
Other locations of Hale Bros and J M Hale Co can be found throughout the country. There’s a story on The State Historical Society of Missouri website, which chronicles the life of James Cash Penney (yes, that Penney – J C Penney’s). According to the site, Penney’s first job was as a store clerk at J M Hale and Bros in Hamilton, Mo. It’s somewhat ironic then that it was a shady real estate deal where J C Penney’s acquired the coveted Hale Bros Inc building in San Francisco’s Market St, and Hale’s had to settle for the old J C Penny’s building, further down the street, competing with the more popular Emporium. This swap lead to the decline of Hales, and eventual merger with The Broadway Stores. The Broadway was eventually swallowed by The Federated Group (Macy’s) or sold off when it too failed.
Additional tidbits about James M Hale.
– The State Historical Society of Missouri (J C Penney): shs.umsystem.edu/historicmissourians/name/p/penney/
– A great synopses of Hale’s Bros. (San Francisco) can be found at Plummer & Associates Blog on Wordpress at; www.plummersearch.com/blog/?p=1019
– An interesting relationship to J M Hale can be found at the Stoltz family webpage at: www.stoltzfamily.us/?p=373
– J M Hale, along with his secretary, Charles C Gibbons, invested in other endeavors, such as Wood’s Dry Condenser – an ore crushing machine to extract gold in mines: www.randdesertmuseum.com/mills_of_the_rand_district/ore_m...
– James M Hale is buried with his wife, Della Hale, at Rosedale Cemetery, I the Historic West Adams district of Los Angeles, Find-A-Grave Monument No. 7505602. James M Hale: 1846 - 1936; Della Hale: died 1930.
www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7505602
02. Horatio West Court, 1919-1921
National Register of Historic Places No. 77000302, 1977
Santa Monica Historic Landmark No. 10
140 Hollister Ave
Ocean Park, CA
Wadsworth & Hollister Tract, Santa Monica
Irving J Gill, Architect
On the same block as the J M Hale house sits the magnificent Horatio West Court, designed by Irving J Gill. The composition is an arrangement of six modernist cubes, in Gill’s trademark Mission Revival style. Connecting the cluster of semi-attached homes is a central courtyard, with shared sidewalks and a central driveway. The homes sit on a 60ft-wide lot, and predate the Modernist Movement as we traditionally know it, by 10 to 15 years. Today we’d think of it as a “Small Lot Ordinance,” which was pioneered by the masters of Modernism – Rudolph Schindler, Richard Neutra, Gregory Ain, A E Morris, and others. In fact, Neutra admired the complex so much he photographed it extensively in the 1930's.
Permit me the indulgence of a few holiday snaps. Periyali harbour looking out to the mountains of mainland Greece.
THE HAZZARD RANGE HERALD
Residents along Old Mill between Lopez rd and NM state rd 168 have notice ,that truck traffic has been higher than normal from Hazzard Range sand and gravel pit B .Since ICR ( Inter county Railway ) stop servicing that Pit by rail this last Monday ( 9/29/2014 ) .Hazzard Range sand and gravel owner Russell Hays and ICR General Manager Pauline Bailey in joint interview Told the Herald that with the tracks needing repair the railroad was force to shut down the spur line ,but county Miss Bailey said " won't give us the building permit we need to build a new bridge " ICR has all the state and federal permits needed ,just not the county ones . Mr Hays said until the tracks are made safe and that bridge is replaced . His company is force to move gravel and sand from that pit by truck . That is about 100 trucks a day he added .
Local residents like Chet Smon told the Herald that from sun up to sun down truck after truck rumble by and the dust is out of hand . . He add he is not anger with drivers , the company or Railroad ,just the county government,
Nobody from the county would give a comment before the Herald's press deadline .
Picture here Hazzard Range Herald Reporter Tony lujan takes a photo of gravel truck ,as Chet Smon looks on .