With the wind direction problematic on Valentines Day 2016, I chose a partially sheltered cutting on the approach to Cowburn Tunnel. 44871 and 45699 'Galetea' are in charge of the late running 1Z45 Preston - Sheffield' The Tin Bath' charter on 14.02.16.

Fortress Špilberk

The fortress Spielberg (Czech: Špilberk) is located in South Moravian Brno in the Czech Republic. It has a changing history as a medieval castle, fortress, barracks and prison behind it. Today are located in here exhibitions and a restaurant. The complex is a cultural and tourist destination of the Brno population. Its location on a hill offers a good view over the city.

Location

The former Spielberg fortress is situated on a hill (282 meters above sea level) above the old town of Brno.

History

Fortress

Spielberg Castle was built in the second half of the 13th century and has undergone some changes over the centuries. At first it was the Gothic castle of the Bohemian kings and seat of the Moravian margrave. In the middle of the 17th century, it was expanded into a powerful Baroque fortress. In the middle of the eighteenth century, with the then fortified city of Brno, it formed the most important bastion in Moravia.

The casemates, completed in 1742, were an important part of the fortress. They should provide protection for a 1200 man strong military corps. In the end, however, only military depots were placed here. In the year 1783, a prison was established for the most dangerous and worst criminals, in the course of the reform of the Austrian prison system by order of Emperor Joseph II. In 1785, the southern part of the casemates was also converted into a prison and called the Leopoldine tract. However, joint use as a military fortress and civilian prison was problematic.

After the destruction of important fortifications by the withdrawing Napoleonic army in 1809, the fortress lost its military importance. The whole fortress Spielberg became from 1820 a civilian prison. Under Franz Joseph I, the complex was again a military prison and barracks in 1855.

Fountain

The castle fountain is of medieval origin. In the years 1716 to 1717 its original depth was increased from 39 m to 112 m so that the ground was below the water level of the river Svratka in Old Brno. The upper part of the fountain is made of natural stone and bricks, while the lower part consists only of rocks. The average diameter is 3.5 m. The water level is 90 m, so that a water volume of more than 1,000 m³ is available. At the bottom of the well are two horizontal shafts with a length of 17 and 26 meters respectively.

By the Napoleonic troops, the well together with the destruction of the castle in 1809 was filled up but in the subsequent years it was exposed again. Above the well was a fountain house with a wooden wheel driven by convicts to bring up the water. This house was only abolished in the years 1939-1941 by the German Wehrmacht. The last cleaning work in the years 1990 and 1991 was connected with research, 308 m³ of material from the well were cleared. Interesting finds, which are exhibited in the Museum of the Castle, have been exposed. Among them is a skeleton of a soldier from the end of the 19th century. But his identity is unknown.

Near the well is a Baroque cistern, where the rain water of the surrounding roofs was caught.

Since 1990, on the rear wall of the castle courtyard, there is a clockwork consisting of 15 bells weighing between 16 kg and 220 kg.

Casemates

The casemates are laid out as a two-storey military dugout (for 1,200 men) with attached dungeon system below the castle buildings. From 1746 to 1749 Franz Freiherr von der Trenck was imprisoned here, his mortal remains are located in the crypt of the Capuchin monastery in Brno's old town. In 1783 Emperor Joseph II had the upper storey of the northern casemates rebuilt into a prison. In 1784 by imperial decree in the casemates of the lower story the sentenced for life have been quartered. In addition to this, 29 single-cells made of planks were built, in which the prisoners were forged to the wall. Spielberg became the most feared prison in the country. It was considered safe from outbreaks. Even the widely spread narrative of the only one escape from Spielberg prison castle of the very famous Czech robber Babinsky is just one of his numerous personal legends. This was spread by himself as a former Spielberg prisoner with the number 1042 after his release. In 1785, the upper storey of the southern casemates was also converted into a prison. From 1824 there was the Italian poet Silvio Pellico as a political prisoner. After his release in the autumn of 1830 he wrote his memoirs "Le mie prigioni", which made Spielberg's prison known throughout Europe.

In 1855, Emperor Franz Joseph I converted the former civil prison into a military prison. With the opening of the new penitentiary in Karthaus, 1857 the first felons were transferred there. In 1880 the casemates were made available to the public.

During the Second World War, the German army settled in in Spielberg. This led to considerable structural changes at the casemates in order to make them usable as a shelter. The Gestapo, in turn, also instituted here a notorious prison, where prisoners of resistance and opponents often died.

Today

During the years 1987 to 1992 comprehensive renovation work took place. The state of the eighteenth century was to be restored, so the time before the conversion of the fortress to the notorious dungeon of the Josephine period.

In addition to a tour of the dungeon and the casemates there are changing exhibitions and installations on the city and history with numerous documents in the castle's premises. A restaurant and a view tower in the inner part of the castle complex offer a nice panorama on parts of Brno. In the courtyard of the castle there are regularly concerts in the summer.

Festung Špilberk

Die Festung Spielberg (tschechisch: Špilberk) befindet sich im südmährischen Brünn in Tschechien. Sie hat eine wechselvolle Geschichte als mittelalterliche Burg, Festung, Kaserne und Gefängnis hinter sich. Heute befinden sich in ihr Ausstellungen und ein Restaurant. Die Anlage ist ein kultureller Ort und Ausflugsziel der Brünner Bevölkerung. Durch ihre Lage auf einer Anhöhe bietet sie einen guten Blick über die Stadt.

Lage

Grundriss der Festung Spielberg

Die ehemalige Festung Spielberg liegt auf einer Erhebung (282 m ü. NN) oberhalb der Altstadt von Brünn.

Geschichte

Festung

Die Burg Spielberg wurde in der zweiten Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts angelegt und machte im Laufe der Jahrhunderte einige Wandlungen durch. Anfangs war es die gotische Burg der böhmischen Könige und Sitz des mährischen Markgrafen. Mitte des 17. Jahrhunderts wurde sie zu einer mächtigen Barockfestung erweitert. Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts bildete sie mit der damals ebenfalls befestigten Stadt Brünn das bedeutendste Bollwerk in Mähren.

Die 1742 fertiggestellten Kasematten waren ein wichtiger Teil der Festung. Sie sollten Schutz für ein 1200 Mann starkes militärisches Corps bieten. Letztlich waren hier jedoch nur Depots für militärisches Material untergebracht. Im Jahr 1783 wurde dort auf Beschluss Kaiser Josephs II., im Zuge der Reform des österreichischen Gefängniswesens ein Gefängnis für die gefährlichsten und schlimmsten Verbrecher eingerichtet. 1785 wurde auch der südliche Teil der Kasematten in ein Gefängnis umgebaut und leopoldinischer Trakt genannt. Die gemeinsame Nutzung als militärische Festung und ziviles Gefängnis war allerdings problematisch.

Nach der Zerstörung wichtiger Festungsteile durch das abziehende napoleonische Heer im Jahre 1809 verlor die Festung ihre militärische Bedeutung. Die gesamte Festung Spielberg wurde ab 1820 zu einem zivilen Gefängnis. Unter Franz Joseph I. wurde die Anlage 1855 wiederum ein Militärgefängnis und Kaserne.

Brunnen

Der Burgbrunnen ist mittelalterlichen Ursprungs. In den Jahren 1716 bis 1717 wurde seine ursprüngliche Tiefe von 39 m auf 112 m erhöht, sodass der Grund unter dem Wasserspiegel des Flusses Svratka in Alt-Brünn lag. Der obere Teil des Brunnens ist aus Naturstein und Ziegeln gemauert, während der untere Teil nur aus Felsen besteht. Der durchschnittliche Durchmesser beträgt 3,5 m. Der Wasserstand beträgt 90 m, sodass ein Wasservolumen von über 1.000 m³ zur Verfügung steht. Am Grund des Brunnens befinden sich zwei horizontale Schächte mit einer Länge von 17 bzw. 26 Metern.

Durch die napoleonischen Truppen wurde mit der Zerstörung der Burg 1809 auch der Brunnen zugeschüttet, in den Folgejahren allerdings wieder freigelegt. Oberhalb des Brunnens befand sich ein Brunnenhaus mit einem Holzrad, das von Sträflingen angetrieben wurde, um das Wasser heraufzuholen. Dieses Haus wurde erst in den Jahren 1939–1941 durch die deutsche Wehrmacht abgetragen. Die letzten Reinigungsarbeiten in den Jahren 1990 und 1991 waren mit Forschungen verbunden, dabei wurden 308 m³ Material aus dem Brunnen geräumt. Dabei wurden interessante Funde freigelegt, die im Museum der Burg ausgestellt sind. Unter diesen findet sich auch ein Skelett eines Soldaten aus dem Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts. Seine Identität ist aber unbekannt.

Nahe dem Brunnen liegt noch eine barocke Zisterne, in der das Regenwasser der umliegenden Dächer aufgefangen wurde.

Seit 1990 befindet sich an der Rückwand des Burghofes ein Glockenspiel, das aus 15 Glocken mit einem Gewicht zwischen 16 kg und 220 kg besteht.

Kasematten

Die Kasematten sind als zweistöckiger militärischer Unterstand (für 1.200 Mann) mit angeschlossener Kerkeranlage unterhalb der Burggebäude angelegt. 1746 bis 1749 wurde hier Franz Freiherr von der Trenck inhaftiert, seine sterblichen Überreste befinden sich in der Gruft des Kapuzinerklosters in der Brünner Altstadt. 1783 ließ Kaiser Joseph II. das obere Geschoss der nördlichen Kasematten in ein Gefängnis umbauen. 1784 wurden per kaiserlichem Dekret in den Kasematten des unteren Stockwerks die lebenslang Verurteilten einquartiert. Dazu entstanden 29 aus Brettern gezimmerte Einzelzellen, in denen die Gefangenen angeschmiedet wurden. Spielberg wurde zum gefürchtetsten Gefängnis des Landes. Es galt als ausbruchsicher. Selbst die landesweit verbreitete Erzählung von einem einzigen, jemals von der Burg Spielberg gelungenen Gefängnisausbruch des damals sehr berühmten tschechischen Räuber Babinsky ist nur eine seiner zahlreichen persönlichen Legenden. Diese wurde von ihm selbst als ehemaligem Spielberg-Häftling mit der Nummer 1042 nach seiner Entlassung verbreitet. 1785 wurde auch das obere Geschoss der südlichen Kasematten zum Gefängnis umgebaut. Ab 1824 war dort der italienische Dichter Silvio Pellico als politischer Gefangener. Nach seiner Freilassung im Herbst 1830 verfasste er seine Erinnerungen „Le mie prigioni“, die das Gefängnis von Spielberg in ganz Europa bekannt machten.

1855 wandelte Kaiser Franz Joseph I. das bisherige Zivil-Gefängnis in ein Militärgefängnis um. Mit der Eröffnung des neuen Zuchthauses in Karthaus wurden 1857 die ersten Schwerverbrecher dorthin überführt. 1880 wurden die Kasematten der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht.

Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs richtete sich die deutsche Wehrmacht in Spielberg ein. Diese führte an den Kasematten erhebliche bauliche Änderungen durch, um sie als Schutzkeller nutzbar zu machen. Auch die Gestapo richtete hier ein – wiederum berüchtigtes – Gefängnis ein um dort Widerstandskämpfer und Gegner einzusperren, die dort oftmals verstarben.

Heute

Während der Jahre 1987 bis 1992 fanden umfangreiche Renovierungsarbeiten statt. Es sollte der Zustand des ausgehenden 18. Jahrhunderts wiederhergestellt werden, also die Zeit vor dem Umbau der Festung zum berüchtigten Kerker der josephinischen Zeit.

Neben einem Rundgang durch den Kerker und die Kasematten befinden sich wechselnde Ausstellungen und Installationen zur Stadt und Geschichte mit zahlreichen Dokumenten in den Räumlichkeiten der Burg. Ein Restaurant und ein Aussichtsturm im inneren Teil der Burganlagen bieten ein schönes Panorama auf Teile Brünns. Im Hof der Burg finden im Sommer regelmäßig Konzerte statt.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festung_%C5%A0pilberk

There was a big problem with drug use in public on the benches. After complaints they were removed

Sorting a count out is becoming problematic as juveniles reach adult plumage (some weeks to go) (geoff gradwell)

When I said on my uploads that getting into Tilmanstone was a bugbear, how then to describe my frustration about St Anthony, as this is a church I see each time we travel up or down the Alkham valley to Folkestone.

St Anthony sits on a bluff overlooking the village and the main road, and so seems impressively tall. But up close, one finds the tower to appear short and squat.

I had driven over from Tilmanstone, I had decided to give Eythorne a miss as I really wanted to make sure I got to Alkham and the next church on the list, Acrise, before the day faded and I would lose the chance for another year.

Parking in the village is problematic, so I leave the car opposite the village hall beside the cricket pitch, which now looks like it would be perfect for a few overs. How different from the late winter, when the Drellingore was in full flood and the pitch was under a good foot of water, and houses down the hill had water bubbling up between the plants in their gardens borders.

And looking at the Drellingore itself, reveals it to be the dried up bed it always was, with just the occasional pool of still wet mud showing where once the torrent flowed.

It is quite a steep climb back to the main road and then along to the old village pub, The Marquess of Granby, now sadly rebranded as a gastropub and called simply "The Marquess".

Up beside the pub, past a pretty row of cottages and into the churchyard. My, I was puffing well, but after stopping to take a shot of the outside of the church, I walk to the porch to find both the outer and inner doors open, and the interior glowing with sunlight refracted by Victorian stained glass.

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Picturesquely situated on a quiet bluff high above the main road, the simple flint exterior of Alkham church hides a remarkable surprise. From the south the building looks little different to many others in the region, but inside it immediately presents its trump card - a north aisle/chapel built in the thirteenth century which contains the finest blank wall arcading in any Kent church. This should be compared with the contemporary chancel arcading at Cooling and Woodchurch - in each designed to emphasise the importance of the (recently rebuilt) chancel. Here it served an altogether different purpose, competing with the nearby commandery of the Knights Hospitallers at Swingfield. At the west end of the nave, filling the tower arch, is a rather heavy but fine, wooden nineteenth century screen. The east window contains some fine nineteenth century glass. West tower, nave, chancel, north aisle, south porch

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Alkham

ALKHAM is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Dover.

The church, which is dedicated to St. Anthony the Martyr, is a handsome building, consisting of three isles and two chancels, having a tower steeple, with a low pointed turret on it, in which hang three bells. The north isle is shut out by boarding from the rest of the church, and made no use of at present, to which the school now kept in the chancel might be removed, and have no kind of communication with that part of the church appropriated for divine service, which would prevent that unseemly and indecent resort which it is at present subject to. In the chancel are several memorials for the Slaters, lessees of the parsonage; and on the south side, against the wall, is an antient tomb of Bethersden marble.

The church of Alkham, with the chapel of Mauregge, or Capell as it is now called, belonging to it, was given by Hamon de Crevequer to the abbot and convent of St. Radigund, together with the advowson of it, to hold in free, pure, and perpetual alms. It was appropriated to that abbey about the 43d year of king Henry III. anno 1258, and was afterwards, anno 8 Richard II. valued among the temporalities of the abbey at fourteen pounds. In which state this church and advowson remained till the dissolution of the abbey, which happened in the 27th year of king Henry VIII. when it was suppressed by the act of that year, as being under the clear yearly value of two hundred pounds, and their lands and possessions given to the king, who granted the scite of it, with the whole of its possessions, that year, to archbishop Cranmer, in exchange for other lands, who in the same year exchanged them back again with the king, being enabled so to do by an act then specially passed for that purpose; but in the deed of exchange, among other exceptions, was that of all churches and advowsons of vicarages; by virtue of which, the appropriation of the church of Alkham, together with the advowson of the vicarage, remained part of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, as they do at this time, his grace the archbishop of Canterbury being now entitled to them.

The vicarage of Alkham, with the chapel of Ferne, alias Capell, annexed to it, is valued in the king's books at eleven pounds, and the yearly tenths at Il.2s. per annum. (fn. 4) It is now of the clear yearly certified value of 53l. 9s. 6d. In 1588 here were communicants eighty; in 1640 it was valued at sixty pounds. The vicar of it is inducted into the vicarage of Alkham, with the chapel of Capell le Ferne, alias St.Mary le Merge, annexed to it. There are three acres of glebe land belonging to the vicarage.

The great tithes of Evering ward, in this parish and Swingfield ward, part of the parsonage of Alkham, are held of the archbishop for three lives, at the yearly rent of 1l. 6s. 8d. and the parsonage for twenty-one years, at the yearly rent of twelve pounds.

www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=63469

Conditions were problematical for photos. Force 7 and chilly.

Although most of the places I came across today were fine. This particular place has always been a bit problematic for years now, whenever there is continuous rain.

Weeds can be problematic in an interseeding system, because pre-emerge herbicides must be reduced or not used at all because they could kill the cover crop. Bryce and Brian Irlbeck farm in Carroll County, IA.

Please Credit: NRCS/SWCS photo by Lynn Betts

العليقMany of the species are problematic weeds, which can swamp other more valuable plants by climbing over them, but some are also cultivated for their attractive flowers. Some species are globally threatened.

Convolvulus is a genus of about 200to 250 species of flowering plants in the bindweed family Convolvulaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include bindweed and morning glory, both names shared with other closely related genera.

Pony Munchkin shenanigans!

Playing Munchkin with 6 players is problematic for 2 reasons. 1:Takes FOREVER. 2:It only comes with 6 pieces and you end up using the nearest small action figure you can find.

Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash.

playing Munchkin.

Fluttershy My Little Pony, Fluttershy action figure, Munchkin board game, Pinkie Pie My Little Pony, Pinkie Pie action figure, Rainbow Dash My Little Pony, Rainbow Dash action figure.

cartoon: My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic.

upstairs, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.

March 2, 2013.

... Read my blog at ClintJCL.wordpress.com

... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL.wordpress.com

BACKSTORY: After going to the 80's night at Empire/Jaxx, Jesse came over and we hung out for awhile and played a couple of games of Munchkin. Jesse won (of course).

The Grade II* Listed Clifton Cathedral, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the city in Clifton, Bristol.

Clifton cathedral was built to replace the previous diocesan seat of Pro-Cathedral of the Holy Apostles in Bristol (1850-1973). The pro-cathedral had a history of problematic construction work. It was built as a church on a challenging hillside site, making work there difficult. Building started in 1834, stopped a year later, started again in 1843, stopped shortly after and the building lay abandoned until 1848 when a roof was placed on the half-completed building so that it could be used as a church.

Two years later, in 1850, Clifton was made an episcopal see and the church became the Pro-Cathedral, intended to act in this capacity until a more fitting cathedral church could be constructed.

In 1965, architects were commissioned to undertake the design of a new cathedral on a different site in Clifton. The design was primarily by R.J. Weeks, working with F.S. Jennett and A. Poremba of the Percy Thomas Partnership.

Construction began in March 1970 and completed in May 1973 by John Laing & Son Ltd, also the main contractor at Coventry Cathedral. That same year, on 29 June, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the new cathedral was consecrated and opened and the pro-Cathedral was closed.

In 2011, it hosted the filming of 'Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol' an S4C television programme, that translates as 'Start Singing Start Praising'. The Cathedral hosted musicians, singers, cameramen and crew filming for the faith and music programme.

The interior design has been seen as unusual. Its internal shape is due to the architect's innovative response to the requirements set down by the Second Vatican Council. It was decreed in the Council that the congregation should all have a good view of the altar; accordingly, the sanctuary is Hexagonal to allow the 1,000 capacity congregation a close and clear view of the altar, and there are no windows within the congregation's line of sight of the altar. Daytime lighting is provided by natural roof lights, so that the light from outside comes from the ring beam walls. This ensures that the sanctuary area remains the focus of the cathedral. The baptistery is situated close to the entrance, whilst the seating is around the lectern and altar space, reflecting a person's sacramental journey within the Catholic Church.

The mathematical form of a triangle is important in the design of the building. The architect used this to determine the spacings of the furnishings within the cathedral. The votive candelabrum hanging in the Lady Chapel was designed by the architect and is constructed of twenty such triangles and was made by Brother Patrick of Prinknash Abbey.

About seven years ago Ryder’s Row, where Capel Street and Parnell Street merge, was upgraded by the addition of a small pop-up park featuring a number of new planters with seating and additional bike parking for the area. The park eventually became a magnet for a number of homeless people and unfortunately about a year ago it was reported that the body of a man in a sleeping bag, thought to be an Irish national in his 50s, was discovered by a member of the public early in the morning. Since then part of the park has been fenced-off and it had become somewhat unattractive.

A Tameside policing operation has cracked down on ASB with proactive patrols tackling everything from drug use to problematic street drinking.

A proactive policing operation was launched in June, with funding providing extra patrols across Ashton-under-Lyne and surrounding areas identified as having repeat offences, including local transport hubs and shopping spots.

Officers target these areas at peak times and further undertake disruption visits to pre-emptively stop incidents.

The operation has seen a crackdown and multiple actions and positive outcomes. July, August, and September saw a range of results in Ashton town centre, including 12 arrests, 28 stop-searches, 33 public space protection order warnings issued, and 30 logs responded to.

As an example of the reduction in quarter three of this year, August reported 30 incidents of ASB, while September recorded 10 – showing the positive effects of the ongoing work.

The operation has meant more patrols have been targeting the issues that the public care about and ensuring that criminals and anti-social behaviour are stopped in their tracks.

Tameside work.

As part of anti-social behaviour week, on Wednesday, neighbourhood officers in Ashton town centre secured two arrests on suspicion of possession of a Class B drug, which resulted in street cautions.

Further cautions were issued for someone smoking cannabis in public, while other people were provided with words of advice.

Sergeant Rob Froggatt, from GMP’s Tameside district, said: “People want to see officers out and about in the community, engaging with the public, and locking up those who disrupt their lives. Our operation is delivering exactly that.

“We know and appreciate just how much anti-social behaviour can disrupt people’s lives – whether it’s people taking drugs in public or intimidating people in town centres – and our work is designed to crack down on exactly those sort of offences.

“In addition to our own work, we liaise closely with partners in the community, including local charities and services, to ensure we stop ASB from progressing into more serious offences. Likewise, by conducting preventative engagement work, we can stop the offences from ever happening.

“If you are having issues with ASB, I would urge you to get in touch with your local team, who will be best-placed to offer advice and support on the issues you are having.”

You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.

Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.

You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.

You can access many of our services online at www.gmp.police.uk

View on Instagram instagr.am/p/CLVdT-unsjg/

We made our annual trip to London in November. We travel down by coach from Slaithwaite and stay at The Cumberland Hotel at Marble Arch. It’s actually a weekend ladies shopping trip that is run as a fundraiser for Slaithwaite Brass Band – I’m the only bloke that goes every year! We decided ( the two of us) to stay down in London until Thursday this time as we wanted to see weekday London and be able to explore a bit further afield on foot. We covered up to 16 miles a day, which is tough going on crowded pavements with hundreds of busy roads to cross. I photographed anything that looked interesting but I bent a contact in the CF card slot, fortunately I had quite a few SD cards with me and the 5D has dual slots so I was able to carry on using it. It’s currently at Lehmann’s getting fixed.

With it being close to Christmas the decorations are up everywhere so there was plenty of colour at night. In Hyde Park the Winter Wonderland was in full swing, we’ve never bothered going to it before but I went twice at night this time. It is massive this year, I couldn’t get over how big it is and the quality of some of the attractions. The cost and effort involved must be phenomenal – it was quite expensive though. It was very difficult to photograph, with extremes of light (LED’s) and darkness and fast moving rides into the bargain. I think I have some decent usable stuff but at the time of writing I am only part way through the editing process so I don’t know for sure.

We set off at around 8.15 am every day and stayed out for at least 12 hours. The weather was poor for a day and a half with drizzle and very dull grey conditions, fortunately we had some pleasant weather (and light) along the way as well. Being based at the end of Oxford Street – Europe’s busiest shopping street – meant that I did quite a bit of night shooting on there. Although I carried a tripod everywhere I only used it once and that was during the day! Because there is always a moving element in almost every shot it seemed pointless using a tripod. I would have got some shots free of movement – or I could have gone for ultra-long exposures to eliminate people and traffic but it would have been problematic I felt. In the end I wound the ISO up and hand held – fingers crossed.

We walked out to Camden Market and Locks but it had been raining and we were a bit early as many were only just setting up for the day. We tried to follow routes that we hadn’t used before and visit new places. We paid a fortune to get in St Pauls but you can’t use cameras. This something that I fail to see the point of, ban flash if you want but if you are going to encourage tourism why ban cameras when there is nothing in particular happening in there. It’s a rule that seems to be applied arbitrarily in cities around the world. Fortunately we could take photos from the outside of the dome, which was real reason for visiting, and we had some great light. Expensive compared with a couple of euros in some famous cathedrals. I’ve wanted to walk to Canary Wharf for a number of years and this year we did. We crisscrossed the Thames a few times and tried to follow the Thames path at other times. We covered around ten miles but it was an interesting day. It was also very quiet for the last four or five miles. We got there about 12.00 and managed to get a sandwich in a café in the shopping centre at the foot of the high rise office blocks before tens of thousands of office workers descended from above. It was mayhem, packed, with snaking queues for anywhere that sold food. We crossed to the other side of The Isle of Dogs and looked across to the O2 Arena and the cable car, unfortunately there isn’t a way across for pedestrians and it was around 3.00 pm. With darkness falling at around 4.30 we decide it was too late to bother. We made our way back to the Thames Clipper pier to check the sailing times. They sail every twenty minutes so we had a couple of glasses of wine and a rest before catching the Clipper. Sailing on the Thames was a first in 15 trips to London. The Clipper is fast and smooth, the lights had come on in the city and there was a fantastic moon rise. It was nigh on impossible to get good shots at the speed we were traveling though and there were times that I wished I could be suspended motionless above the boat. Again, hopefully I will have some usable shots.

We felt that the shopping streets were a little quieter, following the Paris massacre it was to be expected, I might be wrong as we were out and about at later times than previous trips. I think I have heard that footfall is down though. It was good to get into some of the quieter backstreets and conversely to be stuck in the city business district – The Square Mile- at home time. A mass exodus of people running and speed walking to bus stops and the rail and tube stations. It was difficult to move against or across the flow of bodies rushing home.

Whilst the Northern(manufacturing) economy is collapsing, London is a giant development site, it must be the tower crane capital of Europe at the moment. It was difficult to take a shot of any landmark free of cranes, it was easier to make the cranes a feature of the photo. It’s easy to see where the wealth is concentrated – not that there was ever any doubt about it. The morons with too much money are still driving their Lambo’s and Ferraris etc. like clowns in streets that are packed with cars , cyclists and pedestrians, accelerating viciously and noisily for 50 yards. They are just sad attention seekers. From Battersea to Canary Wharf we walked the Thames Embankment, the difference between high and low tide on the river is massive, but the water was the colour of mud – brown! Not very attractive in colour. We caught a Virgin Train from Kings Cross for £14.00 each – a bargain!. We had quite a bit of time to kill around midday at Kings Cross so I checked with security that I was OK to wander around taking photos, without fear of getting jumped by armed security, and set off to photograph the station and St Pancras International Station across the road. I haven’t even looked at the results as I type this but I’ll find out if they are any good shortly. Talking of security, following Paris, there was certainly plenty of private security at most attractions, I don’t know if it was terrorism related though, I can’t say I noticed an increased police presence on the streets. It took us three hours and five minutes from Kings Cross to being back home, not bad for a journey of 200 miles. I can’t imagine that spending countless billions on HS2 or HS3 is going to make a meaningful (cost effective) difference to our journey. Improving what we have, a little faster, would be good. There are some bumpy bits along the route for a mainline and Wakefield to Huddersfield is the equivalent of a cart track – and takes over 30 minutes – it’s only a stone’s throw.

I think both cameras have a lot to offer, and I like them both. However, I do find them both problematic and feel a bit frustrated that their strengths and flaws seem to be complimentary. If Panasonic do buy Olympus's camera division (as opposed to just the medical imaging part), I'd love to think that they could synthesize the best of these two cameras, or their newest equivalents.

Basically it seems that Panasonic have created a camera (and system) which is lovely to hold and nice to use but whose JPEG engine clearly loses more of the quality of its RAW output than we have the right to expect these days from a reasonably serious camera.

Olympus, on the other hand, have a camera (and system) which as everyone knows has a rather sweet JPEG engine, an EVF which is simply excellent (and clearly superior to the very good one built into the Panny) and an extremely tweakable interface where it is possible to set the camera up to get just the desired results. The downsides? Their cameras are seriously fiddly to use, even after you've spent months familiarising yourself with their intricacies, and come set up with a hideously strong tonal optimiser (auto gradation) defaulted to ON, which is guaranteed to have anyone experienced in shooting in low light believing they have a dud in this machine which wants black to be a noisy, speckled grey. Then after a period of reading and fiddling, it becomes apparent that not only can you turn this hideous feature off (OK, to be fair it doesn't ruin most outdoor daylight shots), but you can actually tweak the tone curve used manually and that there are 45 different possible settings for it. That's LOW, NORMAL and HIGH...and each has 15 different settings, accessed through a rather well-hidden trick of pressing the +/- button followed by the INFO button.

Anyway, that's all for now...

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Dogenhof shines in new splendor

After years of restoration works, the Dogenhof again shines in Venetian Palazzo splendour. Still unclear is the future of the during the works discovered old cafe premises.

Impressive facade after complicated restoration works restored.

Many difficulties

The works up to now proved extremely complicated. The Dogenhof is built like a coulisse: On the facade simple cement casts were hanged which lately appeared loose and brittle. Additionally, there were improper renovations in the 30s.

"This building has been problematic from the beginning to the end", said construction analyst Gerhard Seebach. Although the in 1902 by architect Karl Caufal built Dogenhof was one of the first concrete buildings of Vienna - given the technical execution of the construction but it was perhaps better that only three buildings were preserved in Vienna from Caufal.

During the restoration work half of the tracery now had to be re-cast. Apart from the technical difficulties the bankruptcy of the restorer delayed the work. At least outside but these are now largely completed and removed the scaffolding.

Result of the Italy-enthusiasm

With its facade the Dogenhof despite its name but not imitates the Venetian Doge's Palace, but the "Ca'd'Oro" at the Grand Canal. The idea to recreate a whole building comes from the Italy-enthusiasm of the late 19th century.

Discovered Cafe Dogenhof again

Not yet decided, however, was about dealing with the surprising discovery of the restorers that the today still existing little cafe Dogenhof originally was more than twice as large. In 1968 the classic Viennese coffee house was divided and rented the larger, almost 30 meters long half to shops.

During the restoration the lying under layers of paint gilded ornaments came again to light. Although funding has not yet been decided, a reunification of the two coffee houses is also conceivable, predicted Seebach.

In the existing Cafe Dogenhof they are not overly delighted about the merger plans. The era of classic large coffee houses was over, said the operator.

Nach jahrelangen Restaurierungsarbeiten erstrahlt der Dogenhof wieder in venezianischem Palazzo-Glanz. Unklar ist noch die Zukunft der bei den Arbeiten entdeckten alten Kaffeehaus-Räumlichkeiten.

Eindrucksvolle Fassade nach komplizierten Sanierungsarbeiten wieder hergestellt.

Viele Schwierigkeiten

Die Arbeiten gestalteten sich bisher äußerst kompliziert. Der Dogenhof ist wie eine Kulisse gebaut: An die Fassade wurden einfache Zementgüsse gehängt, die sich zuletzt locker und brüchig zeigten. Hinzu kamen unsachgemäße Renovierungen in den 30er Jahren.

"Dieser Bau ist von Anfang bis Ende problematisch gewesen", so Bauanalytiker Gerhard Seebach. Zwar sei der 1902 von Architekt Karl Caufal errichtete Dogenhof einer der ersten Betonbauten Wiens gewesen - angesichts der technischen Ausführung des Baus sei es aber vielleicht besser, dass von Caufal nur drei Bauten in Wien erhalten geblieben seien.

Bei den Restaurierungsarbeiten musste nun die Hälfte des Maßwerks neu gegossen werden. Neben den technischen Schwierigkeiten verzögerte auch der Konkurs des Restaurators die Arbeiten. Zumindest außen sind diese nun aber weitgehend fertig gestellt und die Gerüste abgebaut.

Ergebnis der Italien-Begeisterung

Mit seiner Fassade imitiert der Dogenhof trotz seines Namens übrigens nicht den venezianischen Dogenpalast, sondern die "Ca' d'Oro" am Canale Grande. Die Idee, ein ganzes Gebäude nachbauen zu lassen, rührt aus der Italien-Begeisterung des ausgehenden 19. Jahrhunderts.

Cafe Dogenhof wieder entdeckt

Noch nicht entschieden wurde hingegen über den Umgang mit der überraschenden Entdeckung der Restaurateure, dass das heute noch existierende kleine Cafe Dogenhof ursprünglich mehr als doppelt so groß war. 1968 wurde das klassische Wiener Kaffeehaus geteilt und die größere, beinahe 30 Meter lange Hälfte an Geschäfte vermietet.

Bei der Restaurierung kamen die unter Farbschichten liegenden, vergoldeten Verzierungen nun wieder zum Vorschein. Zwar stehe die Finanzierung noch aus, eine Wiedervereinigung der beiden Kaffeehaushälften sei aber denkbar, prognostizierte Seebach.

Im bestehenden Cafe Dogenhof zeigt man sich auf Anfrage allerdings wenig begeistert von den Fusionsplänen. Die Zeit der klassischen Groß-Kaffeehäuser sei vorbei, meinte die Betreiberin.

wiev1.orf.at/stories/196270

Fortress Špilberk

The fortress Spielberg (Czech: Špilberk) is located in South Moravian Brno in the Czech Republic. It has a changing history as a medieval castle, fortress, barracks and prison behind it. Today are located in here exhibitions and a restaurant. The complex is a cultural and tourist destination of the Brno population. Its location on a hill offers a good view over the city.

Location

The former Spielberg fortress is situated on a hill (282 meters above sea level) above the old town of Brno.

History

Fortress

Spielberg Castle was built in the second half of the 13th century and has undergone some changes over the centuries. At first it was the Gothic castle of the Bohemian kings and seat of the Moravian margrave. In the middle of the 17th century, it was expanded into a powerful Baroque fortress. In the middle of the eighteenth century, with the then fortified city of Brno, it formed the most important bastion in Moravia.

The casemates, completed in 1742, were an important part of the fortress. They should provide protection for a 1200 man strong military corps. In the end, however, only military depots were placed here. In the year 1783, a prison was established for the most dangerous and worst criminals, in the course of the reform of the Austrian prison system by order of Emperor Joseph II. In 1785, the southern part of the casemates was also converted into a prison and called the Leopoldine tract. However, joint use as a military fortress and civilian prison was problematic.

After the destruction of important fortifications by the withdrawing Napoleonic army in 1809, the fortress lost its military importance. The whole fortress Spielberg became from 1820 a civilian prison. Under Franz Joseph I, the complex was again a military prison and barracks in 1855.

Fountain

The castle fountain is of medieval origin. In the years 1716 to 1717 its original depth was increased from 39 m to 112 m so that the ground was below the water level of the river Svratka in Old Brno. The upper part of the fountain is made of natural stone and bricks, while the lower part consists only of rocks. The average diameter is 3.5 m. The water level is 90 m, so that a water volume of more than 1,000 m³ is available. At the bottom of the well are two horizontal shafts with a length of 17 and 26 meters respectively.

By the Napoleonic troops, the well together with the destruction of the castle in 1809 was filled up but in the subsequent years it was exposed again. Above the well was a fountain house with a wooden wheel driven by convicts to bring up the water. This house was only abolished in the years 1939-1941 by the German Wehrmacht. The last cleaning work in the years 1990 and 1991 was connected with research, 308 m³ of material from the well were cleared. Interesting finds, which are exhibited in the Museum of the Castle, have been exposed. Among them is a skeleton of a soldier from the end of the 19th century. But his identity is unknown.

Near the well is a Baroque cistern, where the rain water of the surrounding roofs was caught.

Since 1990, on the rear wall of the castle courtyard, there is a clockwork consisting of 15 bells weighing between 16 kg and 220 kg.

Casemates

The casemates are laid out as a two-storey military dugout (for 1,200 men) with attached dungeon system below the castle buildings. From 1746 to 1749 Franz Freiherr von der Trenck was imprisoned here, his mortal remains are located in the crypt of the Capuchin monastery in Brno's old town. In 1783 Emperor Joseph II had the upper storey of the northern casemates rebuilt into a prison. In 1784 by imperial decree in the casemates of the lower story the sentenced for life have been quartered. In addition to this, 29 single-cells made of planks were built, in which the prisoners were forged to the wall. Spielberg became the most feared prison in the country. It was considered safe from outbreaks. Even the widely spread narrative of the only one escape from Spielberg prison castle of the very famous Czech robber Babinsky is just one of his numerous personal legends. This was spread by himself as a former Spielberg prisoner with the number 1042 after his release. In 1785, the upper storey of the southern casemates was also converted into a prison. From 1824 there was the Italian poet Silvio Pellico as a political prisoner. After his release in the autumn of 1830 he wrote his memoirs "Le mie prigioni", which made Spielberg's prison known throughout Europe.

In 1855, Emperor Franz Joseph I converted the former civil prison into a military prison. With the opening of the new penitentiary in Karthaus, 1857 the first felons were transferred there. In 1880 the casemates were made available to the public.

During the Second World War, the German army settled in in Spielberg. This led to considerable structural changes at the casemates in order to make them usable as a shelter. The Gestapo, in turn, also instituted here a notorious prison, where prisoners of resistance and opponents often died.

Today

During the years 1987 to 1992 comprehensive renovation work took place. The state of the eighteenth century was to be restored, so the time before the conversion of the fortress to the notorious dungeon of the Josephine period.

In addition to a tour of the dungeon and the casemates there are changing exhibitions and installations on the city and history with numerous documents in the castle's premises. A restaurant and a view tower in the inner part of the castle complex offer a nice panorama on parts of Brno. In the courtyard of the castle there are regularly concerts in the summer.

Festung Špilberk

Die Festung Spielberg (tschechisch: Špilberk) befindet sich im südmährischen Brünn in Tschechien. Sie hat eine wechselvolle Geschichte als mittelalterliche Burg, Festung, Kaserne und Gefängnis hinter sich. Heute befinden sich in ihr Ausstellungen und ein Restaurant. Die Anlage ist ein kultureller Ort und Ausflugsziel der Brünner Bevölkerung. Durch ihre Lage auf einer Anhöhe bietet sie einen guten Blick über die Stadt.

Lage

Grundriss der Festung Spielberg

Die ehemalige Festung Spielberg liegt auf einer Erhebung (282 m ü. NN) oberhalb der Altstadt von Brünn.

Geschichte

Festung

Die Burg Spielberg wurde in der zweiten Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts angelegt und machte im Laufe der Jahrhunderte einige Wandlungen durch. Anfangs war es die gotische Burg der böhmischen Könige und Sitz des mährischen Markgrafen. Mitte des 17. Jahrhunderts wurde sie zu einer mächtigen Barockfestung erweitert. Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts bildete sie mit der damals ebenfalls befestigten Stadt Brünn das bedeutendste Bollwerk in Mähren.

Die 1742 fertiggestellten Kasematten waren ein wichtiger Teil der Festung. Sie sollten Schutz für ein 1200 Mann starkes militärisches Corps bieten. Letztlich waren hier jedoch nur Depots für militärisches Material untergebracht. Im Jahr 1783 wurde dort auf Beschluss Kaiser Josephs II., im Zuge der Reform des österreichischen Gefängniswesens ein Gefängnis für die gefährlichsten und schlimmsten Verbrecher eingerichtet. 1785 wurde auch der südliche Teil der Kasematten in ein Gefängnis umgebaut und leopoldinischer Trakt genannt. Die gemeinsame Nutzung als militärische Festung und ziviles Gefängnis war allerdings problematisch.

Nach der Zerstörung wichtiger Festungsteile durch das abziehende napoleonische Heer im Jahre 1809 verlor die Festung ihre militärische Bedeutung. Die gesamte Festung Spielberg wurde ab 1820 zu einem zivilen Gefängnis. Unter Franz Joseph I. wurde die Anlage 1855 wiederum ein Militärgefängnis und Kaserne.

Brunnen

Der Burgbrunnen ist mittelalterlichen Ursprungs. In den Jahren 1716 bis 1717 wurde seine ursprüngliche Tiefe von 39 m auf 112 m erhöht, sodass der Grund unter dem Wasserspiegel des Flusses Svratka in Alt-Brünn lag. Der obere Teil des Brunnens ist aus Naturstein und Ziegeln gemauert, während der untere Teil nur aus Felsen besteht. Der durchschnittliche Durchmesser beträgt 3,5 m. Der Wasserstand beträgt 90 m, sodass ein Wasservolumen von über 1.000 m³ zur Verfügung steht. Am Grund des Brunnens befinden sich zwei horizontale Schächte mit einer Länge von 17 bzw. 26 Metern.

Durch die napoleonischen Truppen wurde mit der Zerstörung der Burg 1809 auch der Brunnen zugeschüttet, in den Folgejahren allerdings wieder freigelegt. Oberhalb des Brunnens befand sich ein Brunnenhaus mit einem Holzrad, das von Sträflingen angetrieben wurde, um das Wasser heraufzuholen. Dieses Haus wurde erst in den Jahren 1939–1941 durch die deutsche Wehrmacht abgetragen. Die letzten Reinigungsarbeiten in den Jahren 1990 und 1991 waren mit Forschungen verbunden, dabei wurden 308 m³ Material aus dem Brunnen geräumt. Dabei wurden interessante Funde freigelegt, die im Museum der Burg ausgestellt sind. Unter diesen findet sich auch ein Skelett eines Soldaten aus dem Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts. Seine Identität ist aber unbekannt.

Nahe dem Brunnen liegt noch eine barocke Zisterne, in der das Regenwasser der umliegenden Dächer aufgefangen wurde.

Seit 1990 befindet sich an der Rückwand des Burghofes ein Glockenspiel, das aus 15 Glocken mit einem Gewicht zwischen 16 kg und 220 kg besteht.

Kasematten

Die Kasematten sind als zweistöckiger militärischer Unterstand (für 1.200 Mann) mit angeschlossener Kerkeranlage unterhalb der Burggebäude angelegt. 1746 bis 1749 wurde hier Franz Freiherr von der Trenck inhaftiert, seine sterblichen Überreste befinden sich in der Gruft des Kapuzinerklosters in der Brünner Altstadt. 1783 ließ Kaiser Joseph II. das obere Geschoss der nördlichen Kasematten in ein Gefängnis umbauen. 1784 wurden per kaiserlichem Dekret in den Kasematten des unteren Stockwerks die lebenslang Verurteilten einquartiert. Dazu entstanden 29 aus Brettern gezimmerte Einzelzellen, in denen die Gefangenen angeschmiedet wurden. Spielberg wurde zum gefürchtetsten Gefängnis des Landes. Es galt als ausbruchsicher. Selbst die landesweit verbreitete Erzählung von einem einzigen, jemals von der Burg Spielberg gelungenen Gefängnisausbruch des damals sehr berühmten tschechischen Räuber Babinsky ist nur eine seiner zahlreichen persönlichen Legenden. Diese wurde von ihm selbst als ehemaligem Spielberg-Häftling mit der Nummer 1042 nach seiner Entlassung verbreitet. 1785 wurde auch das obere Geschoss der südlichen Kasematten zum Gefängnis umgebaut. Ab 1824 war dort der italienische Dichter Silvio Pellico als politischer Gefangener. Nach seiner Freilassung im Herbst 1830 verfasste er seine Erinnerungen „Le mie prigioni“, die das Gefängnis von Spielberg in ganz Europa bekannt machten.

1855 wandelte Kaiser Franz Joseph I. das bisherige Zivil-Gefängnis in ein Militärgefängnis um. Mit der Eröffnung des neuen Zuchthauses in Karthaus wurden 1857 die ersten Schwerverbrecher dorthin überführt. 1880 wurden die Kasematten der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich gemacht.

Während des Zweiten Weltkriegs richtete sich die deutsche Wehrmacht in Spielberg ein. Diese führte an den Kasematten erhebliche bauliche Änderungen durch, um sie als Schutzkeller nutzbar zu machen. Auch die Gestapo richtete hier ein – wiederum berüchtigtes – Gefängnis ein um dort Widerstandskämpfer und Gegner einzusperren, die dort oftmals verstarben.

Heute

Während der Jahre 1987 bis 1992 fanden umfangreiche Renovierungsarbeiten statt. Es sollte der Zustand des ausgehenden 18. Jahrhunderts wiederhergestellt werden, also die Zeit vor dem Umbau der Festung zum berüchtigten Kerker der josephinischen Zeit.

Neben einem Rundgang durch den Kerker und die Kasematten befinden sich wechselnde Ausstellungen und Installationen zur Stadt und Geschichte mit zahlreichen Dokumenten in den Räumlichkeiten der Burg. Ein Restaurant und ein Aussichtsturm im inneren Teil der Burganlagen bieten ein schönes Panorama auf Teile Brünns. Im Hof der Burg finden im Sommer regelmäßig Konzerte statt.

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festung_%C5%A0pilberk

I only bring weird old problematic bikes to Cyclist Connection in Canal Winchester and they do a great job dealing with them.

This was a little more problematic picture to take, with the sun and the harsh shadows, I'm surprised the picture came out as good as it did. This is a much fancier Welcome to South Carolina sign, with a state image with a star you are entering at and the Governor's name.

Merging back into traffic, I hit one heck of a pothole, hopefully it didn't mess-up my alignment. >_<

With the problematic limbs removed, the big saw is brought out.

Pride and Prejudice: on Raphael Perez's Artwork

Pride and Prejudice: on Raphael Perez's Artwork

Raphael Perez, born in 1965, studied art at the College of Visual Arts in Beer Sheva, and from 1995 has been living and working in his studio in Tel Aviv. Today Perez plays an important role in actively promoting the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) art and culture in Tel Aviv, and the internet portal he set up helps artists from the community reach large audiences in Israel and abroad. Hundreds of his artworks are part of private collections in Israel and abroad, and his artworks were shown in several group exhibitions: in Tel Aviv Museum of Art, "Zman Le'Omanut" art gallery, Camera Obscura, The Open House in Jerusalem, Ophir Gallery, The Haifa Forum and other private businesses and galleries.

In 2003-4 his paintings and studio appeared in a full-length movie, three student films and two graduation films.

Raphael Perez is the first Israeli artist to express his lifestyle as a Gay. His life and the life of the LGBT community are connected and unfold over hundreds of artwork pieces. His art creation is rare and extraordinary by every Israeli and international artistic standard. His sources of inspiration are first and foremost life events intertwined in Jewish and Israeli locality as well as influences and quotes from art history (David Hockney, Matisse). This uniqueness has crossed international borders and has succeeded in moving the LGBT and art communities around the world.

This is the first time we meet an Israeli artist who expresses all of his emotions in a previously unknown strength. The subjects of the paintings are the everyday life of couples in everyday places and situations, along with the aspiration to a homosexual relationship and family, equality and public recognition. Perez's works bring forward to the cultural space and to the public discourse the truth about living as LGBT and about relationships, with all of their aspects – casual relationships and sex, the yearning for love, the everyday life and the mundane activities that exist in every romantic relationship – whether by describing two men in an intimate scene in the bathroom, the bedroom or the toilet, a male couple raising a baby or the homosexual version of the Garden of Eden, family dinners, relationship ups and downs, the complexity in sharing a life as well as mundane, everyday life competing with the aspiration to self realization – through Perez's life.

Perez's first artworks are personal diaries, which he creates at 14 years of age. He makes sure to hide these diaries, as in them he keeps a personal journal describing his life events in the most genuine way. In these journals he draws thousands of drawings and sketches, next to which he alternately writes and erases his so-called "problematic texts", texts describing his struggle with his sexual orientation. His diaries are filled with obsessive cataloging of details, daily actions, friends and work, as well as repeating themes, such as thoughts, exhibits he has seen, movies, television, books and review of his work.

When he is done writing, Perez draws on his diaries. Each layer is done from beginning to end all along the journal. In fact, the work on the diaries never ends.

This struggle never ends, and when the emotion is passed on to paper, and it ends its role and becomes meaningless in a way, the visual-graphic side becomes dominant, due to the need to hide the written text, according to Perez. In books and diaries this stands out even more – when he chooses to draw in a style influenced by children's drawings, the characters are cheerful, happy, naïve and do not portray any sexuality, and when he tries drawing as an adult the sketches became more depressed and somber. During these years Perez works with preschool children, teaching them drawing and movement games. Perez says that during this period he completely abandoned the search for a relationship, either with a woman or a man, and working with children has given him existential meaning. This creation continues over 10 years, and Perez creates about 60 books-personal journals in various sizes (notepads, old notebooks, atlases and even old art books).

In his early paintings (1998-1999) the transition from relationships with women to relationships with men can be seen, from restraint to emotional outburst in color, lines and composition. Some characters display strong emotional expression. The women are usually drawn in restraint and passiveness, while a happy and loving emotional outburst is expressed in the colors and style of the male paintings.

"I fantasized that in a relationship with a woman I could fly in the sky, love, fly. However, I felt I was hiding something; I was choked up, hidden behind a mask, as if there was an internal scream wanting to come out. I was frustrated, I felt threatened…"

His first romance with a man in 1999 has drawn out a series of naïve paintings dealing with love and the excitement of performing everyday actions together in the intimate domestic environment.

"The excitement from each everyday experience of doing things together and the togetherness was great, so I painted every possible thing I liked doing with him."

From the moment the self-oppression and repression stopped, Perez started the process of healing, which was expressed in a burst of artworks, enormous in their size, amount, content and vivid colors – red, pink and white.

In 2000 Perez starts painting the huge artworks describing the hangouts of the LGBT community (The Lake, The Pool) and the Tel Avivian balcony paintings describing the masculine world, which, according to him, becomes existent thanks to the painting. Perez has dedicated this year to many series of drawings and paintings of the experience of love, in which he describes his first love for his new partner, and during these months he paints from morning to night. These paintings are the fruit of a long dialogue with David Hockney, and the similarity can be seen both in subjects and in different gestures.

In 2001 Perez creates a series of artworks, "Portraits from The Community". Perez describes in large, photorealistic paintings over 20 portraits of active and well-known members of the LGBT community. The emphasis is on the achievements that reflect the community's strong standing in Tel Aviv.

As a Tel-Avivian painter, in the past two years Perez has been painting urban landscapes of central locations in his city. Perez wanders around the city and chooses familiar architectural and geographical landmarks, commerce and recreation, and historical sites, and paints them from a homosexual point of view, decorated with the rainbow flag, which provide a sense of belonging to the place. His artworks are characterized by a cheerful joie de vivre and colors, and they also describe encounters and meetings. The touristic nature of his paintings makes them a declaration of Tel Aviv's image as a place where cultural freedom prevails.

Perez's Tel Aviv is a city where young families and couples live and fill the streets, the parks, the beach, the houses and the balconies – all the city's spaces. The characters in his paintings are similar, which helps reinforcing the belonging to the LGBT community in Tel Aviv. The collective theme in Perez's artwork interacts with the work of the Israeli artist Yohanan Simon, who dealt with the social aspects of the Kibbutz. Simon, who lived and worked in a Kibbutz, expressed the human model of the Kibbutznik (member of a Kibbutz) and the uniqueness of the Kibbutz members as part of a group where all are equal. Simon's works, and now Perez's, have contributed to the Israeli society what is has been looking for endlessly, which is a sense of identity and belonging.

Perez maps his territory and marks his boundaries, and does not forget the historical sites. Unlike other Tel Avivian artists, Perez wishes to present the lives of the residents of the city and the great love in their hearts. By choosing the historical sites in Tel Aviv, he also pays tribute to the artist Nachum Gutman, who loved the city and lived in it his whole life. In his childhood Gutman experienced historical moments (lighting the first oil lamp, first concert, first pavement), and as an adult he recreated the uniqueness of those events while keeping the city's magic.

Like Gutman, Perez has also turned the city into an object of love, and it has started adorning itself in rich colors and supplying the energy of a city that wishes to be "the city that never sleeps", combining old and new. Perez meticulously describes the uniqueness and style of the Bauhaus houses and balconies along the modern glass and steel buildings, all from unusual angles in a rectangular format that wishes to imitate the panorama of a diverse city in its centennial celebrations.

Daniel Cahana-Levensohn, curator.

Interview with the painter Raphael Perez about his family artist book

An interview with the painter Raphael Perez about an artist's book he created about his family, the Peretz family from 6 Nissan St. Kiryat Yuval Jerusalem

Question: Raphael Perez, tell me about the family artist book you created

Answer: I created close to 40 artist books, notebooks, diaries, sketch books and huge books. I dedicated one of the books to my dear family, a book in which I took a childhood photograph of my family, my parents and brothers and sisters.. I pasted the photographs inside a book (the photograph is 10 percent of the total painting) and I drew with acrylic paints, markers and ink on the book and the photograph, so that the image of the photograph was an inspiration to me Build the story that includes page by page..

Question: Tell me when you were born, where, and a little about your family

Answer: I was born on March 4, 1965 in the Kiryat Yuval neighborhood in Jerusalem

I have a twin brother named Miki Peretz and we are seven brothers and sisters, five boys and two girls

Question: Tell us a little about your parents

Answer: My parents were new immigrants from Morocco, both immigrated young.

My mother's name before the wedding was Alice - Aliza ben Yair and my father's name was Shimon Peretz,

My mother was born in the Atlas Mountains and was orphaned at a young age and was later adopted by my father's family at the age of 10, so that my mother and father spent childhood and adolescence together....

They had a beautiful and happy relationship but sometimes when they argued my mother would say "even when she was a child she was like that..." This means that their acquaintance and relationship dates back to childhood..

Question: What did your parents Shimon and Aliza Peretz work for?

Answer: My father, Shimon Perez, born in 1928 - worked in a building in his youth and then for thirty years worked as a receptionist at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem... My father's great love was actually art, he loved to draw as a hobby, write, read, solve crossword puzzles and research Regarding the issue of medicinal plants, as a breadwinner he could not fulfill his dream of becoming an artist, in order to support and feed seven children. But we are the next generation, his children are engaged in the world of creativity and education, a field in which both of my parents were engaged during their lives. My father died at the age of 69

My mother, Alice Aliza Perez, born in 1934, worked as an assistant to a kindergarten teacher, and later took care of a baby at home. She is a woman of wholehearted giving and caring for children and people, a warm, generous and humble woman.. and took care of us in our childhood for every emotional and physical deficiency.. My mother is right For the year 2023, the 89-year-old is partly happy and happy despite the difficulties of age.. May you have a long life..

My mother really loved gardening and nature and both of them together created a magnificent garden, my parents have a relatively large garden so they could grow many types of special and rare medicinal plants and my father even wrote a catalog (unpublished) of medicinal plants and we even had botany students come to us who were interested in the field... today they They also grow ornamental plants, and fruit trees...

Question: A book about the brothers and sisters

Answer: My elder brother David Perez repented in his mid-twenties.. He was a very sharp, opinionated, curious and very charismatic guy who brought many people back to repentance, and also helped people with problems through the yeshiva and the synagogue to return to the normal path of life, he died young at the age of 56

Hana Peretz: My lovely sister, raised eight children, worked in the field of education, a kindergarten teacher, and child care.

She has a very large extended family of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren...

My brother Avi (Abraham) Peretz studied in Israel at the University of Philosophy and Judaism, he married a wonderful woman named Mira Drumi, a nurse by profession, and together they had three wonderful children, when they moved to the United States in their mid-twenties, where my brother Avi Peretz completed his master's degree in education, worked in the field Education and for the last twenty years is A conservative rabbi

The fourth brother is Asher Peretz - a great man of the world, very fond of traveling and has been to magical places all over the world, engaged in the creation of jewelry with two children.

I am Rafi Peretz english raphael perez the fifth and after fifteen minutes my twin brother was born

My mother still gets confused and can't remember who was born first :-)

My twin brother Miki micky - Michael Peretz, a beloved brother (everyone is beloved), a talented industrial designer, he has three children, his wife Revital Peretz Ben, who is a well-known art curator, active and responsible for the art field in Tel Aviv, they are a dynamic and talented couple, full of talents and action

The lovely little sister Shlomit Peretz - has been involved in the Bezeq telephone company for almost three decades, and is there in management positions, raising her lovely and beloved child.

The art book I dedicated to my family is colorful, rich in details, shows a very intense childhood, happy, cheerful, colorful, ... We were taught to be diligent and to be happy in our part and to see the glass half full in life, to have emotional intelligence and to put the relationship and love at the center with self-fulfillment in work that will interest you us and you will give us satisfaction.

Each of us is different in our life decisions and my family is actually a mosaic of the State of Israel that includes both religious and secular people from the entire political spectrum who understand that the secret to unity is mutual respect for each other... when my mother these days is also the family glue in everyone's gatherings on Shabbat and holidays..

The personification of the flower couple paintings by the Israeli painter Raphael Perez

Raphael Perez, also known as Rafi Peretz, is an Israeli painter who

explores his personal and sexual identity through his flower paintings. He created a series of flower paintings from 1995 to 1998, when he was in his early thirties and still in relationships with women, despite feeling gay. His flower paintings reflect his emotional turmoil and his struggle with his sexual orientation. He painted two flowers, one blooming and one wilting, to represent the contrast and conflict between his heterosexual relationships and his true self. He also painted single flowers or two flowers in their prime, to express his longing for a harmonious relationship that matches his nature. He chose sunflowers, white lilies, and red lilies as symbols of expression, purity, and joy, respectively. He painted from real flowers, using different styles and light to create drama and mood. Perez’s paintings of the flower couples are minimalist and focused on the theme of the complex relationship. He omitted any background or context, leaving only the canvas and the drawing of the flower couples. In some of the paintings, he added a very airy abstract surface with thin oil paints that give an atmosphere of watercolors. He also made drawings of flowers in ink, markers and gouache on paper. Later on, he created large acrylic paintings of flowers and still life. Perez’s flower paintings are not mere illustrations or decorations. They are autobiographical and psychological expressions of his inner state and his struggle with his sexuality. He wanted to reveal his loneliness, distress and concealment through these paintings, and to connect with people who are in a similar situation. He deliberately chose only two flowers and no more to intensify the engagement in the charged and complex relationship. Perez also painted and drew couples of men and women with charged psychological states, as well as states of desire for connection and realization of a heterosexual relationship that did not succeed. He used hyperrealism and expressive styles to convey his frozen and calculated state, as well as his mental stress. He used harsh lighting to create contrast and drama, with one side very bright and the other side darker. Perez was influenced by some of the famous artists who painted flowers, such as Van Gogh, who also used sunflowers as a symbol of expression. He also used white lilies and red lilies to convey freshness, cleanliness, purity, color, joy, movement, eruption, and splendor. Perez also painted some single flowers or two flowers in their prime, to show his aspiration for a future where he will have a harmonious relationship. Today, he is 58 years old and in a happy relationship for 10 years with his partner Assaf Henigsberg. He is surrounded by female friends and soulmates and not conflicted with heterosexual relationships as he used to be. He occasionally paints flowers in pots to symbolize home, stability, and peace. Sometimes I paint flowers in pots, which represent home, stability, and solid ground for me. I don’t paint just a couple of flowers, but pots full of flowers that overflow with life. This means that we also have a supportive network of family, friends, and peers around us. We live in a rich, supportive, and protective world. These paintings are a personification of my psychological state, when I had no words to express my feelings to myself. The painting began In 35 years of my creation (starting in 1998), you can read more about how my art and style evolved over time. Perez’s flower paintings are a unique and extraordinary artistic creation that reveals his personal journey and his sexual identity. His work is honest, expressive, and emotional, as well as beautiful and vibrant.

The characteristics of the naive painting of the painter Raphael Perez

A full interview with the Israeli painter Raphael Perez (Hebrew name: Rafi Peretz) about the ideas behind the naive painting, resume, personal biography and curriculum vitae Question: Raphael Perez Tell us about your work process as a naive painter? Answer: I choose the most iconic and famous buildings in every city and town that are architecturally interesting and have a special shape and place the iconic buildings on boulevards full of trees, bushes, vegetation, flowers. Question: How do you give depth in your naive paintings? Answer: To give depth to the painting, I build the painting with layers of vegetation, after those low famous buildings, followed by a tall avenue of trees, and behind them towers and skyscrapers, in the sky I sometimes put innocent signs of balloons, kites. A recurring motif in some of my paintings is the figure of the painter who is in the center of the boulevard and paints the entire scene unfolding in front of him, also there are two kindergarten teachers who are walking with the kindergarten children with the state flags that I paint, and loving couples hugging and kissing and family paintings of mother, father and child walking in harmony on the boulevard. Question: Raphael Perez, what characterizes your naive painting? Answer: Most naive paintings have the same characteristics (Definition as it appears in Wikipedia) • Tells a simple story to absorb from everyday life, usually with humans. • The representation of the painter's idealization to reality - the mapping of reality. • Failure to maintain perspective - especially details even in distant details. • Extensive use of repeating patterns - many details. • Warm and bright colors. • Sometimes the emphasis is on outlines. • Most of the characters are flat, lack volume • No interest in texture, expression, correct proportions • No interest in anatomy. • There is not much use of light and shade, the colors create a three-dimensional effect. I find these definitions to be valid for all my naive paintings Question: Raphael Perez, why do you choose the city of Tel Aviv? Answer: I was born in Jerusalem, the capital city which I love very much and also paint, I love the special Bauhaus buildings in Tel Aviv, the ornamental buildings that were built a century ago in the 1920s and 1930s, the beautiful boulevards, towers and modern skyscrapers give you the feeling of the hustle and bustle of a large metropolis and there are quite a few low and tall buildings that are architecturally fascinating in their form the special one Also, the move to Tel Aviv, which is the capital of culture, freedom, and secularism, allowed me to live my life as I chose, to live in a relationship with a man, Jerusalem, which is a traditional city, it is more complicated to live a homosexual life, also, the art world takes place mainly in the city of Tel Aviv, and it is possible that from a professional point of view, this allows I can support myself better in Tel Aviv than in any other city in Israel. Question: Raphael Perez, are the paintings of the city of Tel Aviv different from the paintings of the city of Jerusalem? Answer: Most of the paintings of Jerusalem have an emphasis on the color yellow, gold, the color of the old city walls, the subjects I painted in Jerusalem are mainly a type of idealization of a peaceful life between Jews and Arabs and paintings that deal with the Jewish religious world, a number of paintings depict all shades of the currents of Judaism today In contrast, the Tel Aviv paintings are more colorful, with skyscrapers, the sea, balloons and more secular motifs Question: Raphael Perez, tell me about which buildings and their architects you usually choose in your drawings of cities Answer: My favorite buildings are those that have a special shape that anyone can recognize and are the symbols of the city and you will give several examples: In the city of Tel Aviv, my favorite buildings are: the opera building with its unusual geometric shape, the Yisrotel tower with its special head, the Hail Bo Shalom tower that for years was the symbol of the tallest building in Tel Aviv, the Levin house that looks like a Japanese pagoda, the burgundy-colored Nordeau hotel with the special dome at the end of the building, A pair of Alon towers with the special structure of the sea, Bauhaus buildings typical of Tel Aviv with the special balconies and the special staircase, the Yaakov Agam fountain in Dizengoff square appears in a large part of the paintings, many towers that are in the stock exchange complex, the Aviv towers and other tall buildings on Ayalon, in some of the paintings I took plans An outline of future buildings that need to be built in the city and I drew them even before they were built in reality, In the paintings of Jerusalem, I mainly chose the area of the Old City and East Jerusalem, a painting of the walls of the Old City, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the El Akchea Mosque, the Tower of David, most of the famous churches in the city, the right hand of Moses, in most of the paintings the Jew is wearing a blue shirt with a red male cord I was in the youth movement and the Arab with a galabia, and in the paintings of the religious public then, Jews with black suits and white shirts, tallitas, kippahs, special hats, synagogues and more I also created three paintings of the city of Haifa and one painting of Safed In the Haifa paintings I drew the university, the Technion, the famous Egged Tower, the Sail Tower, well-known hotels, of course the Baha'i Gardens and the Baha'i Temple, Haifa Port and the boats and other famous buildings in the city Question: Raphael Perez, have you created series of other cities from around the world? Answer: I created series of New York City with all the iconic and famous buildings such as: the Guggenheim Museum, the famous skyscrapers - the Chrysler Building, the Empire State Building, Lincoln Center, the famous synagogue in the city, the Statue of Liberty, the flags of the United States and other famous buildings Two paintings of London and all its famous sites, Big Ben, famous monuments, the Ferris wheel, Queen Elizabeth and her family, the double bus, the famous public telephone, palaces, famous churches, well-known monuments I created 4 naive paintings of cities in China, a painting of Shanghai, two paintings of the city of Suzhou and a painting of the World Park in the city of Beijing... I chose the famous skyline of Shanghai with all the famous towers, the famous promenade, temples and old buildings, two Paintings of the city of Suzhou with the famous canals, bridges, special gardens, towers and skyscrapers of the city Question: Raphael Perez What is the general idea that accompanies your paintings Answer: To create a good, beautiful, naive, innocent world in which we will see the innovation of the modern city through the skyscrapers in front of small and low buildings that bring the history and past of each country, all with an abundance of vegetation, boulevards, trees Resume, biography, CV of the painter Rafi Peretz and his family Question: When was Raphael Perez born in hebrew his name rafi peretz? Answer: Raphael Perez in Hebrew his name Rafi Peretz was born on March 4, 1965 Question: Where was Raphael Perez born? Answer: Raphael Perez was born in Jerusalem, Israel Question: What is the full name of Raphael Perez? Answer: His full name is Raphael Perez Question: Which art institution did Raphael Perez graduate from? Answer: Raphael Perez graduated from the Visual Arts Center in Be'er Sheva Question: When did Raphael Perez start painting? Answer: Raphael Perez started painting in 1989 Question: When did you start making a living selling art? Answer: Raphael Perez started making a living selling art in 1999 Question: Where does Raphael Perez live and work? Answer: Since 1995, Raphael Perez has been living and working from his studio in Tel Aviv Question: In which military framework did Raphael Perez serve in the IDF? Answer: Raphael Perez served in the artillery corps Question: Raphael Perez, what jobs did he work after his military service? Answer: Raphael Perez worked for 15 years in education in therapeutic settings for children and taught arts and movement Question: How many brothers and sisters does Raphael Perez, the Israeli painter, have? Answer: There are seven children in total, with the painter 5 sons and two daughters, that means the painter Raphael Perez has 4 more brothers and two sisters Question: What do the brothers and sisters of the painter Raphael Perez do? Answer: The elder brother David Peretz Perez was involved in the field of religious studies, the sister Hana Peretz Perez is involved in the field of education, a kindergarten teacher and child care, the brother Avi Peretz Perez who is in the United States today is a conservative rabbi but in the past was involved in education and therapy, the brother Asher Peretz Perez is involved in the fields of creativity and jewelry The twin brother Mickey Peretz Perez is a well-known industrial designer and seller. The younger sister Shlomit Peretz Perez works in a managerial position at Bezeq. Question: Tell me about the parents of the painter Raphael PerezAnswer: The painter Raphael Perez's parents are Shimon Perez Peretz and Eliza Alice Ben Yair, they were married in 1950 in Jerusalem, both were born in Morocco and immigrated to Israel in 1949, Shimon Peretz worked in a building in his youth and later as a receptionist at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, Eliza Alice Peretz dealt in child care Kindergarten, working in kindergartens and of course taking care of and raising her seven children

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erotic gay art painting artist raphael perez pintura homossexual da arte de gomoseksual badiiy rasm гомосексуальний художній живопис pittura di arte omosessuale lukisan seni homoseksual listmálun samkynhneigðra péintéireacht ealaíne homaighnéasach pikturë arti homoseksual homoseksuaalne kunstimaal хомосексуална художествена живопис homoseksualno likovno slikarstvo жывапіс гомасэксуальнага мастацтва সমকামী আর্ট পেইন্টিং homoseksuel kunstmaleri homoszexuális művészeti festmény рассоми санъати гомосексуалӣ gomoseksual sungat suratkeşligi homoseksuālas mākslas glezniecība homoseksualaus meno tapyba homoseksuell kunstmaleri homoseksualno likovno slikarstvo

queer artworks paintings homoerotic painter lgbt artwork glbt artworks homo erotica man nude male naked men image images picture pictures homosexual homosexualiy artists painters artist body realism realistic famous

مثلي الجنس الفن الغريبة الأعمال الفنية معرض معرض رجل عارية لوحة رجال عراة صورة الجسم الإسرائيلي فنان رسام مثلى الفنانين الرسامين لوحات واقعية مثلي الجنس الشهير صورة كبيرة

arte homosexual queer obras de arte galería exposición hombre desnudo pintura hombres desnudos retrato cuerpo artista israelí pintor artistas gay pintores pinturas realistas homoerótico famoso imagen grande

гомосексуальное искусство квир произведения искусства галерея выставка мужчина ню живопись голые мужчины портрет тело израильский художник художник геи художники художники реалистичные картины гомоэротика знаменитый большое изображение

ομοφυλοφιλική τέχνη queer artworks γκαλερί έκθεση άντρας γυμνή ζωγραφική γυμνοί άντρες πορτραίτο ισραήλ καλλιτέχνης ζωγράφος γκέι καλλιτέχνες ζωγράφοι ρεαλιστικοί πίνακες ομοιορωτική διάσημη μεγάλη εικόνα

homosexuelle kunst queer kunstwerke galerie ausstellung mann nackt malerei nackte männer porträtkörper israelischer künstler maler schwule künstler maler realistische gemälde homoerotisch berühmtes großes bild

homoseksuele kunst queer kunstwerken galerie tentoonstelling man naakt schilderij naakte mannen portret lichaam Israëlische kunstenaar schilder homo kunstenaars schilders realistische schilderijen homo-erotisch beroemd groot beeld

art homosexuel queer oeuvres d'art galerie exposition homme peinture nue hommes nus portrait corps artiste israélien peintre artistes gais peintres peintures réalistes homoérotique célèbre grande image

homoseksualna sztuka queer dzieła galeria wystawa mężczyzna nago malarstwo nagi mężczyzna portret ciało izraelski artysta malarz homoseksualiści malarze realistyczni obrazy homoerotyk sławny duży obraz

Eşcinsel sanat queer sanat eseri galeri sergi adam çıplak boyama çıplak erkekler portre vücut İsrail sanatçı ressam eşcinsel sanatçılar ressamlar gerçekçi resim sergisi homoerotik ünlü büyük resim

समलैंगिक कला क्वीर कलाकृतियों गैलरी प्रदर्शनी आदमी नग्न पेंटिंग नग्न पुरुषों चित्र शरीर इजरायल कलाकार चित्रकार समलैंगिक कलाकारों चित्रकारों यथार्थवादी चित्रों समलैंगिक प्रसिद्ध बड़ी छवि

homoseksuell konst queer konstverk galleri utställning man nakenmålning nakna män porträtt kropp israelisk konstnär målare gay konstnärer målare realistiska målningar homoerotisk berömd stor bild

Although Dronpushpi is a problematic weed for farmers, it is a tasty potherb for many rural people and a valuable medicinal herb for herbalists and is cultivated for herbal drugs in some parts of India. In village markets. Dronpushpi can be seen easily in rainy season. (Oudhi 1999, 2000; Oudhia and Tripath 1998, 1999, 2000; Oudhia et al. 1999). In tribal regions of India, Dronpushpi is a valuable drug for snake bite. a property reported in ancient Indian literatures, and is used both externally and internally. In many parts of India, people plant this weed in front of their homes to repel snakes and other venomous animals. The juice extracted from leaves is used to cure skin problems. In rainy season, many Indian tribal communities take bath with water having Dronpushpi leaf extract. They also wash their cattle and other domestic animals with this water. According to Ayurveda, the plant is mild stimulant and diaphoretic and used in fevers and coughs. The flowers mixed in honey is used as domestic remedy for cough and colds (Caius 1986). The seed also yields medicinal oil. Labellenic acid (Octadeca – 5, 6-dienoic acid) has been reported in seed oil. Beta sitosterol have been isolated from the plant of Leucas cephalotes. Anti bacterial activity of Leucas aspera leaf extract against Micrococcus pyogenes and Escheria coli have also been reported (Rastogi and Mehrotra 1991). Dronpushpi is valuable homoeopathic drug and as such is used for the treatment of chronic malaria and asthama (Ghosh 1988). In many parts of India particularly in North India.Text copyright Pankaj Oudhia

School failure, problematic behaviour in school, and dropping out altogether are common patterns in the life of youngsters marginalized by school and society.

Made by members of the Canberra Quilters' modern quilting group for the Canberra Quilters Exhibition 2015.

edited-not part of my personal collection -[ The 18th production U.S. Navy North American A3J-3P (RA-5C) Vigilante (BuNo 150823) in flight with the landing gear lowered. ] varified by the following: U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.253.6732

A photo ID error rate exists which makes positive IDs somewhat problematic.

unedited-not part of my personal collection

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The North American A-5 Vigilante is an American carrier-based supersonic bomber designed and built by North American Aviation for the United States Navy. It set several world records including long distance speed and altitude records. Its service in the nuclear strike role to replace the Douglas A-3 Skywarrior was very short; however, as the RA-5C, it saw extensive service during the Vietnam War in the tactical strike reconnaissance role. Prior to the unification of the Navy designation sequence with the Air Force sequence in 1962, it was designated the A3J Vigilante.

Design and development

In 1953, North American Aviation began a private study for a carrier-based, long-range, all-weather strike bomber, capable of delivering nuclear weapons at supersonic speeds. This proposal, the North American General Purpose Attack Weapon (NAGPAW) concept, was accepted by the United States Navy, with some revisions, in 1955. A contract was awarded on 29 August 1956. Its first flight occurred two years later on 31 August 1958 in Columbus, Ohio.

At the time of its introduction, the Vigilante was one of the largest and by far the most complex aircraft to operate from a United States Navy aircraft carrier. It had a high-mounted swept wing with a boundary-layer control system (blown flaps) to improve low-speed lift. There were no ailerons. Roll control was provided by spoilers in conjunction with differential deflection of the all-moving tail surfaces. The use of aluminum-lithium alloy for wing skins and titanium for critical structures was also unusual. The A-5 had two widely spaced General Electric J79 turbojet engines (the same as used on the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter), fed by intake ramps and a single large all-moving vertical stabilizer. Preliminary design studies had employed twin vertical fin/rudders. The wings, vertical stabilizer and the nose radome folded for carrier stowage. The Vigilante had a crew of two seated in tandem, a pilot and a bombardier-navigator (BN) (reconnaissance/attack navigator (RAN) on later reconnaissance versions) seated on individual North American HS-1A ejection seats.

Despite being designated by the US Navy as a "heavy", the A-5 was surprisingly agile; without the drag of bombs or missiles, even escorting fighters found that the clean airframe and powerful engines made the Vigilante very fast at high and low altitudes. However, its high approach speed and high angle of attack in the landing configuration made returning to the aircraft carrier a challenge for inexperienced or unwary pilots.

The Vigilante had advanced and complex electronics when it first entered service. It had one of the first "fly-by-wire" systems on an operational aircraft (with mechanical/hydraulic backup) and a computerized AN/ASB-12 nav/attack system incorporating a head-up display ("Pilot's Projected Display Indicator" (PPDI), one of the first), multi-mode radar, radar-equipped inertial navigation system (REINS, based on technologies developed for North American's Navaho missile), closed-circuit television camera under the nose, and an early digital computer known as "Versatile Digital Analyzer" (VERDAN) to run it all.

Given its original design as a carrier-based, supersonic, nuclear heavy attack aircraft, the Vigilante's main armament was carried in a novel "linear bomb bay" between the engines in the rear fuselage, which provided for positive separation of the bomb from the aircraft at supersonic speeds. The single nuclear weapon, commonly the Mk 28 bomb, was attached to two disposable fuel tanks in the cylindrical bay in an assembly known as the "stores train". A set of extendable fins was attached to the aft end of the most rearward fuel tank. These fuel tanks were to be emptied during the flight to the target and then jettisoned with the bomb by an explosive drogue gun. The stores train was propelled rearward at about 50 feet per second (30 knots) relative to the aircraft. It thereafter followed a typical ballistic path.

In practice, the system was not reliable and no live weapons were ever carried in the linear bomb bay. In the RA-5C configuration, the bay was used solely for fuel. On three occasions, the shock of the catapult launch caused the fuel cans to eject onto the deck; this resulted in one aircraft loss.

The Vigilante originally had two wing pylons, intended primarily for drop tanks. The second Vigilante variant, the A3J-2 (A-5B), incorporated internal tanks for an additional 460 gallons of fuel (which added a pronounced dorsal "hump") along with two additional wing hardpoints, for a total of four. In practice the hardpoints were rarely used. Other improvements included blown flaps on the leading edge of the wing and sturdier landing gear.

The reconnaissance version of the Vigilante, the RA-5C, had slightly greater wing area and added a long canoe-shaped fairing under the fuselage for a multi-sensor reconnaissance pack. This added an APD-7 side-looking airborne radar (SLAR), AAS-21 infrared line scanner, and camera packs, as well as improved ECM. An AN/ALQ-61 electronic intelligence system could also be carried. The RA-5C retained the AN/ASB-12 bombing system, and could, in theory, carry weapons, although it never did in service. Later-build RA-5Cs had more powerful J79-10 engines with afterburning thrust of 17,900 lbf (80 kN). The reconnaissance Vigilante weighed almost five tons more than the strike version with almost the same thrust and an only modestly enlarged wing. These changes cost it acceleration and climb rate, though it remained fast in level flight.

The Royal Australian Air Force considered the RA-5C Vigilante as a replacement for its English Electric Canberra. The McDonnell F-4C/RF-4C, Dassault Mirage IVA, and the similar BAC TSR-2 was also considered. However, the TFX (later the F-111C Aardvark) was accepted.

Closest remaining thing in Leeds to the problematic Leek Street Flats of Hunslet that were bulldozed within 14 years (1968 to 1982) This shared an eerily coincidental timeline to the similar and infamous Divis Flats of Belfast.

Beautiful, masterful pieces depicting the mysterious, exotic East. Beautiful examples of some rather problematic discourses, with profound negative implications for understandings, beliefs, attitudes about the Middle East. Negative, and terribly unfortunate, but also really interesting. I think this is the only time I've seen Orientalist painting set aside at a museum - the only time this theme has been highlighted and talked about. Really, I think it's something that needs to be talked about more.

See where this picture was taken. [?]

Closest remaining thing in Leeds to the problematic Leek Street Flats of Hunslet that were bulldozed within 14 years (1968 to 1982) This shared an eerily coincidental timeline to the similar and infamous Divis Flats of Belfast.

Here are a couple of photos of what I've always found a problematic subject. It's the fountain in the Rose Garden in London's Hyde Park. It's problematic for a lot of reasons, these include

It's not running

The light is too bad

It's wet

There are tramps / drunks on the seats

A runner / cyclist crossed the field of vision.

The light here is always a problem, in the early morning the water (if it's running) reflects the light and makes a great photo, however the trees are in shadow and you don't get much light from a bronze statue!

To get the best view of the water you shoot very close to the Sun, so there are often lens flares. I've tried a lot of places to avoid them, and think I've finally got it right, even though this puts a constraint on the composition. The light today was good, although it rapidly declined, and there were no tramps, so I think I got quite a long way with this subject. The water, if photo'd with a slow shutter, makes a very attractive effect. I am still tripod - less after mine fell in a river, but I managed to get down to 1/10 of a second which really extended the water effect. WHEN I manage to get a new tripod and all the other conditions hold, I shall try slower exposures.

My apologies for not being around flickr much of late but I've been having a very annoying and frustrating on/off issue with my internet connection, I thought it was my Mac at first but no, it was O2, thankfully. A good bunch of friendly and very helpful O2 techs based in Scotland sorted it out, eventually. And talking of all things computery, does anyone have any recommendations or condemnations on Wordpress or Blogger? I want to set up a blog but I'm unsure as to which to go for, it will be a mix of my raves/rants/musings/dribblings and photographs. Any thoughts? I would greatly appreciate your advice!

The image above was taken last Sunday when I was out in my car with camera and map locating ponds for my series 'Ponds - Intrusions'. The weather was very iffy but the clouds made a dramatic exhibition of themselves, the huge towering cumulonimbus crashing across the sky like a herd of angry elephants, their booms startling birds into frantic flight and farm dogs into a frenzy of barking bravado. I hadn't noticed the storm above approaching as at the time I was trying some test shots of a pond, it was only when the light suddenly disappeared that I looked behind me and saw the storm and this lonely little, baby cloud following alongside its dark and moody mother. I think most of my regular contacts will know how much I love clouds and that I have no problem with taking silly amounts of photographs of them or posting them here. To me they are as valid a subject to capture as the sea, and like the sea they present many faces and moods, I could lose my mind to them when I gaze up at their awesome beauty...and let's not forget, they are the sun's own ND and Grad filters! :-) Have a great Autumn Equinox (or Spring Equinox for those of you in the Southern hemisphere!) and weekend, I've two different lots of friends over for the next two weekends so getting out to shoot and on to flickr will be problematic but I will visit when poss.

PS; thanks to everyone for the visits and comments, I read, laugh, think and brood about all of them...and feel lousy about not honouring them with a return visit...I will, I will!

The churches of Canterbury have proved to be problematic for me. Apart from the Cathedral, which although open charges to enter, most of the others I have found always locked.

That we do not travel into Canterbury very often, due to the dreadful traffic, means that I take the chance when around to check on a church as we pass, which will be locked.

So, it was a surprise after leaving the hifi store, and wandering down Church Street, to see a sandwich board outside St Paul's, was this my lucky day?

In more ways that one! As I met the head of Kent Mother's Union who were having a fair inside the church, and after some chatting, and me explaining how hard it can be to get into some churches, I was given the number of her PA and just pone when you want to get in a church!

With the fair, I did not get all the details of the church, but enough to see this is a fine church, some great tile work around the altar. One to return to, at some point when I can get in......

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Why ‘St. Paul’s without the Walls’? The word ‘without’ once meant ‘outside’. This Church was built ‘without’ (outside) the city walls now just across the ring road. We refer to it here also as just ‘St. Paul’s’.

The origins of St. Paul's Church and the reason for its existence lie in the proximity of the ruins of the Abbey (now called St. Augustine’s). It is believed that it was built as a chapel by the abbey for local people and overseen by them as a place of worship and instruction.

In 1300 however there was a controversy between the Abbey and the Archbishop in regard to the right to present a priest to the ‘living’ (install a priest paid to minister here).

The Archbishop seems to have won. Parishioners had the right to be buried in the Abbey cemetery and in 1591 a burial area was created in Longport (now closed and since 1951 an open space at the bottom of St. Martin’s Hill).

Sometime in the last quarter of the 13th century the Church was enlarged eastwards creating the space now occupied by our organ ( built in 1901).

In the organ space and sadly no longer visible there is another piscina and a three tiered seat or sedilia for the priest and deacons.

A further extension took place around 1320 southwards creating a second larger aisle and a great east window. The south wall was pulled down to be replaced by purbeck marble pillars and a further wall.

Dissolution of the Monasteries c1540 had a serious economic effect on the City of Canterbury. The destruction of Thomas Becket’s tomb meant no more pilgrims and a great loss of income. In 1570 a Visitation (inspection by senior clergy) recorded that there were 90 houses in this Parish and 243 communicants. In 1681 St. Paul's was united with the ancient church of St. Martin.

The worshippers at St. Martin’s were ordered to view St. Paul’s as ‘their proper church’ (fortunately they seem to have stayed at St. Martins!) (Both parishes continued side by side until the 1970s when the Parish of St.

Martin & St. Paul was formed with one Parochial Church Council). By the early 19th Century St. Paul’s was described as ‘a small, mean building’ and in poor repair. All that would change with the advent of William Chesshyre!

The print of St. Paul's in 1828 shows a rather shabby building in a busy street. In 1842 William John Chesshyre arrived as Parish Priest. He was a wealthy man who resided in his mother’s house at Barton Court (now Barton Court Grammar School on St. Martin’s Hill/Longport).

Chesshyre died in his fifties in 1859 but in his seventeen years in the Parish he oversaw a dramatic extension and refurbishment of St. Paul's under George Gilbert Scott as well as the founding of St. Paul's School (closed and demolished in the 1960s).

The tower was substantially rebuilt and a third aisle built southwards creating the space we enjoy today. An elaborate altarpiece was created in the sanctuary with the choir seated in the traditional chancel under a decorated ceiling. A new font replaced the ancient one now stored in the Church cellar in three pieces. Whatever nave seating existed was replaced by pews provided under a national church scheme to help clergy pew their churches.

n 1985 Canon Reg Humphriss oversaw a reordering (programme of interior changes) project that brought the altar forward, removed the altarpiece and moved the choir to the north aisle. The font was also moved from its traditional place at the back of the Church to its present position. This opening up of space reflected changes in worship patterns but it meant the loss of the chapel and the positioning of the choir rather close to the very powerful organ. In 2012-2013 a further reordering took place.

The key element of this was the replacement of the fixed pews with modern seating allowing creative use of space and the restoration of the chapel. New choir stalls enabled the choir to be positioned further from the organ. In line with current developments new technology has been installed including a screen that descends electronically from the tie beam over the chancel. The chancel itself was levelled and extended and recarpeted and new digital lighting installed. We are now able to offer traditional and innovative worship and welcome people to use the church for concerts and conferences using also the Parish Centre built in 2005.

www.martinpaul.org/historyofstpauls.htm

...

Untitled (Hunger 19), 1996, 7" x 7" x 4", tempera on ceramic bowl, private collection.

This painting is from a series of 21 paintings on the bottom surface of traditional Korean bowls - done for an exhibition I had in Seoul, Korea in 1997. Recently, as I was writing some thoughts on my work to a colleague, it occurred that I had not explained publicly my thinking about and reason for making this work. This seems pretty important given the problematic territory that this work wanders into. What follows is an excerpt from my correspondence:

Around 1995 the “special needs” school that our daughter Temma had been attending for 6 years – Lakeview Learning Center – was preparing to close. I was working at the school on a large painting (titled Big Picture) of the classroom for “severely and profoundly disabled” children that Temma was part of. While working on this large painting I was given a collection of miscellaneous photographs documenting the students in their daily life at the school. Also around this time I was offered an exhibition with a gallery in South Korea, the country where I grew up (my parents were medical missionaries). I decided to make work for this show based on the photographs that I had been given of students from Lakeview Learning Center as a way of making present a population that was largely invisible / marginalized in Korea at that time. My goal in making these paintings was to select photographs that (for me) most powerfully expressed the humanity of these children. In making the paintings my intent was to try to represent them as best as I could in accordance to how I perceived them via the photographs: that is, as completely and compellingly human. Despite my ambivalence about using other people’s photographs as sources for paintings, these photographs – apparently taken by the staff of the school - offered a kind of “objective” perspective on the children somewhat fitting for my relative distance from them personally. That said, to the extent that these children were part of a community of which my daughter was a part I felt it was appropriate to make paintings based representing them.

This latter point is important in relation to the fundamental intent of this project. While I was attempting to portray the children in all their individuality evident in the photographic sources, I was doing so with the primary goal of presenting them as a community: a community as evidently diverse and complex (in various respects) as any other.

There is a well-known (in Korea) poem by the Korean Catholic “Minjung” writer Kim Chi Ha that has an essentially Eucharistic refrain: “God is rice”. In allusion to that poem I decided to do a series of 21 paintings on Korean rice bowls (a very commonly used kind of bowl). More specifically, as an allusion to the marginalization of this population I made the paintings on the bottom / underside (typically unseen) surface of the bowls. In using the rice bowl I not only wanted to draw a connection to Kim Chi Ha’s poem, but further to the movement of Minjung Art that had grown in vitality at the ending period of Korea’s long dictatorship (the early ‘80s). The Minjung Art movement (which, especially in the person of the artist Im Ok Sang, had been very influential for me) made the empowerment of the poor and the marginalized their priority. My hope was to situate the subject of the work I was making – at that time still a largely marginalized community - in the context of the Minjung political imperative.

In this work I was attempting to represent these children as faithfully as I could. It might be helpful to unpack my thinking “representation” a bit: Painting, particularly realistic / representational painting is frequently thought of / received in relation to the convention of “mastery”. That is, when one makes a realistic painting it might be understood as an artists’ claim of mastery and, implicitly, as their claim to an authority over the subject represented. I do not have any interest in that way of approaching painting. I am interested in painting that is a kind of conversation with the material used to make it (as opposed to painting as about control or domination of the material). No less importantly, I’m interested in painting as a regarding of the subject in humility: an attempt to represent the subject as honestly, accurately and respectfully as possible. Put another way: painting for me is learning how to make this painting in relation to trying to understand and represent this subject.

Taking that word representation a bit further: it is of course a reasonable question to ask whether one has the right to represent (make or take a picture of) another person – particularly someone who is not able to give consent. And it is reasonable to question whether I – even as the parent of a member of that community and trusted by the staff of that community – have the right to represent the students. But no less important is the other side of this question: the right of each person to be represented (both literally, in the sense of being pictured, and - via metaphoric implication - politically). In the case of this particular population and the particular context in which these paintings were being shown my intention was to make and show these representational paintings of these children as a claim to their right (authority) to be represented: Particularly towards the goal of advocating the presence of members of this population as they existed in that country at that time.

Park Soo Jin's essay on this and other work included in an exhibition at Art Space Seoul in Seoul, South Korea in 1997.

Here are a couple of photos of what I've always found a problematic subject. It's the fountain in the Rose Garden in London's Hyde Park. It's problematic for a lot of reasons, these include

It's not running

The light is too bad

It's wet

There are tramps / drunks on the seats

A runner / cyclist crossed the field of vision.

The light here is always a problem, in the early morning the water (if it's running) reflects the light and makes a great photo, however the trees are in shadow and you don't get much light from a bronze statue!

To get the best view of the water you shoot very close to the Sun, so there are often lens flares. I've tried a lot of places to avoid them, and think I've finally got it right, even though this puts a constraint on the composition. The light today was good, although it rapidly declined, and there were no tramps, so I think I got quite a long way with this subject. The water, if photo'd with a slow shutter, makes a very attractive effect. I am still tripod - less after mine fell in a river, but I managed to get down to 1/10 of a second which really extended the water effect. WHEN I manage to get a new tripod and all the other conditions hold, I shall try slower exposures.

My research seeks to examine how different patterns of cannabis and alcohol (such as using it at the same time) can lead to poor consequences in university students. It has been shown that problematic use of substances, such as drinking multiple times a week, can lead to troubles such as keeping up with academic deadlines (as shown in the picture). Impulsivity, the tendency to act without thinking, is an especially important factor in poor outcomes in substance use for university students. I will examine if differences in substance use can predict differences in the severity of impulsivity. These poor outcomes are displayed in the picture, as themes of graduation and deadlines contrast that of the messy table full of alcohol, cups, and playing cards. Toni-Rose Asuncion (Psychology)

...also problematic.