Dry Dock #1, located at Beck Street at the foot of 3rd Street, is the oldest dry dock in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and the third oldest in the countryafter the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia and the Charlestown Naval Yard in Boston. The site was scouted as early as 1926, but construction didn't begin until 1840 and was completed in 1851, at a cost of over $2 million.

 

Dry docks are great chambers below water level used for the repair and construction of ships. A ship can be brought in from the adjoining body of water once the chamber has been filled with water. The chamber is then drained, allowing the ship to rest on wooden blocks so that work may proceed. After work is completed, the chamber is flooded to outside water level, the gate is opened, and the ship can depart.

 

The 344-foot long, 50-foot wide, 21-foot deep dock is fashioned entirely from massive, hand-cut and hand-sanded blocks of granite excavated from a quarries in Maine, Connecticut, Staten Island and upstate New York. Still served by its original pumps, though now powered by electricity, it is the smallest dry dock at the navy yard today, mainly used for tugboats.

 

The Brooklyn Navy Yard, also known as the New York Naval Shipyard (NYNSY), is located in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the East River. The waterfront site was used to build merchant vessels following the American Revolution. Federal authorities purchased the old docks and 40 acres of land in 1801, and it became an active US Navy shipyard in 1906. By the American Civil War, the yard had expanded to employ about 6000 men. In 1890, the ill-fated Maine was launched from the Yard's ways.

 

On the eve of World War II, the yard contained more than five miles of paved streets, four drydocks, two steel shipways, and six pontoons and cylindrical floats for salvage work, barracks for marines, a power plant, a large radio station, and a railroad spur, as well as the expected foundries, machine shops, and warehouses. In 1937 the battleship North Carolina was laid down. The battleship Iowa was completed in 1942 followed by the USS Missouri (BB-63) and then in 1952, Antietam. At its peak, during World War II, the yard employed 70,000 people, 24 hours a day.

 

The Navy decommissioned the yard in 1966 and sold it to the City of New York. A few decades later, it became an area of private manufacturing and commercial activity. It now has over 200 tenants with more than 3,500 employees, and is managed and operated by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation for the City of New York

 

Open House New York weekend, America's largest architect and design event, opens doors throughout New York City each October. The 8th Annual openhousenewyork Weekend will be held October 9 & 10, 2010. openhousenewyork (OHNY) is a non-profit cultural organization founded in 2001 in New York City, to promote awareness and appreciation of New York's architecture, design and cultural heritage through year-round, educational programs. Through direct experiences and dialogue with architects, designers, planners, and scholars, OHNY opens doors for the public to discover cutting-edge new work, restoration of city landmarks, construction of infrastructure and engineering works and neighborhood planning efforts.

 

Dry Dock 1 was designated landmark status by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1975.

promoting her new fleshlight

Disabled Rights Book Launch

Promoting the Vote in Times Square. Rise and Resist on Halloween.

Signs promoting the Burren Code in English, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish and German. Apparently visitors to the Burren tend to break pieces of the limestone pavement to make little cairns. I've no idea why. In the background you can see two of the Aran Islands in the distance.

 

Here's a link to the Burren Code online:

www.burrenconnect.ie/burren_code/burren_code.html

 

All Images © Yellabelly*

All Rights Reserved

 

Please do NOT use my photos without my permission

HHS Secretary Alex Azar joined top health officials and global health partners at a World Health Assembly side event to look at ways to boost public trust in vaccines as our most reliable front line defense against disease. WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus delivered closing remarks at the event entitled “Promoting Vaccine Confidence: Enhancing Global Immunization Efforts to Protect the Health of all Generations.”

 

“Vaccines are some of the most thoroughly tested medical products we have,” said Secretary Azar in opening remarks at the event. “Vaccines are safe, effective, and lifesaving. But around the world, complacency among the public, coupled with misunderstanding and misinformation, is causing vaccination rates to decline, with tragic results.”

 

Speakers at the event included EU Commissioner Dr. Vytenis Andriukaitis, Dr. Luiz Henrique Mandetta, Minister of Health, Brazi:, Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada; Prof. Dr. Alexandru Rafila, Romania, Member of WHO Executive Board, Dr. Seth Berkley CEO, GAVI Vaccine Alliance and Prof. Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the Baylor College of Medicine National School of Tropical Medicine. The event was moderated by Dr. Katherine O'Brien, Director, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, WHO.

 

Read HHS Secretary Azar’s opening remarks at the event: geneva.usmission.gov/2019/05/21/secretary-azar-remarks-on...

  

U.S. Mission Photo/Eric Bridiers

Promoting "Binari" from "MAC Theatre" and "AtoBiz Ltd"

The Los Angeles Fire Department is proud to honor the achievements of five LAFD uniformed members who have successfully completed the demanding process of promoting in rank within the Department.

 

Expressing her pride in their accomplishments, City of Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley oversaw a formal promotion ceremony at the LAFD Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Elysian Park on Friday, May 12, 2023.

 

Individually honored at the event (with their new rank) were:

 

Assistant Chief Luis Aldana

 

Assistant Chief Melford Beard

 

Assistant Chief Jason Hing

 

Assistant Chief Peter Hsiao

 

Inspector II Patrick Perez

  

LAFD Event: 051223

 

Photo Use Permitted via Creative Commons - Credit: LAFD Photo (John McCoy)

 

Connect with us: LAFD.ORG | News | Facebook | Instagram | Reddit | Twitter: @LAFD @LAFDtalk

Promoting "A Series of Unfortunate Breakups" from Some Riot Theatre

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Fire Department gathered on May 5, 2022 to honor the achievements of seventy LAFD uniformed and civilian members who successfully completed the demanding process of promoting in rank or status within the Department.

 

Expressing her pride in their accomplishments, City of Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley oversaw the formal promotion ceremony at the LAFD Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Elysian Park.

 

Individually honored at the event were:

 

PROMOTING TO BATTALION CHIEF:

 

Martin G. Mullen

Ricky D. Crawford

Brett R. Willis

Timothy G. Lambert

 

PROMOTING TO CAPTAIN II:

 

Abran Tapia III

Kyle M. Rausch

Timothy J. Toledo

Bryan R. Willis

Leroy R. Rogers

Santino B. Marcione

Daniel J. Will

 

PROMOTING TO CAPTAIN I:

 

Landon Rupright

Kuniyuki Kasahara

Austin M. Hajjar

Scott R. Benton

Jason E. Yim

Bryan A. Geiger

Senay I. Teklu

Dameon A. Cane

Osbaldo G. Garcia

Stephen M. Hiserman

 

PROMOTING TO APPARATUS OPERATOR:

 

Brian A. Farris

Aaron E. Brownell

Mark S. Perine

Cameron S. Sentance

 

PROMOTING TO ENGINEER:

 

Anh M. Nguyen

Garrett M. Roach

Jacob S. Gonzalez

Jake B. Lins

Paul D. Jeremica

Matthew R. Moon

Calos Zuniga

Chelsey C. Grigsby

Cody A. Morgan

Drew R. Denton

Jesus Padilla

Cody E. Eitner

Christopher R. Winn

William F. Isozaki

Presyller G. Gadia Jr.

 

PROMOTING TO INSPECTOR II:

 

Laveon Rider

Daryl S. Yoshihashi

Lance S. Kawakami

 

PROMOTING TO INSPECTOR I:

 

Mathew J. Kovar

Blake S. Robbins

Jason G. Bunn

Marteese Smith

Benjamin R. Guzman

Ildefonso Felix

Lonnie Lopez

John D. Heller

 

PROMOTING TO FIREFIGHTER III / PARAMEDIC:

 

Natalie N. Martin

A'Raymond S. Smith

Charles Flowers

Jacy W. Hernandez

Sergio Lara Jara

Edward J. Oh

Mitchell R. Wasserman

Darion M. Timmons

Zulema Chavez

Jonathan C. McNey

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ELECTRICIAN:

 

Frank Moreno

 

PROMOTING TO FIRE SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR:

 

Valerie J. Ross

 

PROMOTING TO SECRETARY:

 

Hana K. Ali

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE CLERK:

 

Gina Nelson

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR ACCOUNTANT II:

 

Marife Espenilla

 

PROMOTING TO EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III:

 

Isela Iniquez

 

PROMOTING TO FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER ASSOCIATE IV:

 

William D. Johns

Oscar Salgado

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR PERSONNEL ANALYST II:

 

Irma Romanelli

 

----------------------------

 

Photo Use Permitted via Creative Commons - Credit LAFD

 

LAFD Event 050522-Promotion Ceremony

 

Connect with us: LAFD.ORG | News | Facebook | Instagram | Reddit | Twitter: @LAFD @LAFDtalk

Caveat: Nokia is a client of mine. Therefore you could argue [to an extent] that I'm cross about this blatant tagging/promotion deviousness however, you'd be wrong.

This isn't about that. This is about shoddy work.

 

Let me explain:

 

1. Searching for 'Nokia Lumia' does not automatically put me into the 'I want a new PC/slate' mental model. THESE ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS AND TWO COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PURCHASES.

 

2. The copy. 'The weight is over' - really?

 

3. I've worked with promoted tweets, using them like this is just terrible. There's no relevance, there's no context and, fundamentally, there's no dynamism whatsoever.

 

Poor show.

The Famagusta Walled City Association (MASDER) is an initiative that aims to turn the Famagusta Walled City into an attractive and appealing spot for visitors, through various efforts and programs that will make such efforts sustainable.

 

MASDER is an initiative created to contribute to the cultural, tourism-related, socio-economic and social development of the Walled City.

 

MASDER believes that numerous historical artifacts found in the Walled City of Famagusta belonging to various civilizations are the most important assets of both Famagusta and the Turkish Cypriot Community, and aims at protecting and promoting such assets.

 

MASDER aims at turning the Walled City of Famagusta into a preferred destination for tourists as well as for local visitors by drawing their attention to the historical places in the Walled City.

 

MASDER, as a legal entity, shall not have any affiliation with any political party or undertake any political activity.

 

In order to fulfill its objectives, MASDER will plan cultural and art related, traditional, folkloric activities and implement them.

 

MASDER will work in collaboration with organizations and associations/institutions having similar aims in order to organize such activities.

 

MASDER will regularly organize events to this end and conduct lobbying activities to increase awareness on the Walled City of Famagusta vis-à-vis the public bodies and institutions regarding other aims.

 

MASDER will provide support for different projects that will directly or indirectly contribute to the Famagusta Walled City.

 

MASDER will develop projects for the activities that will take place in the Walled City and find funding for them.

 

MASDER is firmly attached to the environmental assets and will play an effective role in the introduction of measures to protect the environment as well as raise awareness in this regard. MASDER undertakes or has access to a wealth of scientific and historical research related to the basic principles mentioned above or implement them in order to improve Famagusta and achieve the basic aims stated above.

 

Another mission of MASDER is to develop projects in order to protect the historical assets of the Walled City, to draw the attention of the competent authorities, as well as international donors, to the Walled City.

 

MASDER has received technical assistance and support from the Economic Development and Growth for Enterprises (EDGE) project, which is implemented by Deloitte Consulting LLP and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Like all U.S. funded programs in Cyprus, EDGE’s activities are aimed at facilitating reunification, including through the responsible management of natural and cultural resources.

 

Famagusta is a city on the east coast of the de facto state Northern Cyprus. It is located east of Nicosia and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages (especially under the maritime republics of Genoa and Venice), Famagusta was the island's most important port city and a gateway to trade with the ports of the Levant, from where the Silk Road merchants carried their goods to Western Europe. The old walled city and parts of the modern city are de facto part of Northern Cyprus as the capital of the Gazimağusa District.

 

The city was known as Arsinoe or Arsinoë (Greek: Ἀρσινόη, Arsinóē) in antiquity, after Ptolemy II of Egypt's sister and wife Arsinoe II.

 

By the 3rd century, the city appears as Ammochostos (Greek: Ἀμμόχωστος or Αμμόχωστος, Ammókhōstos, "Hidden in Sand") in the Stadiasmus Maris Magni.[5] This name is still used in modern Greek with the pronunciation [aˈmːoxostos], while it developed into Latin Fama Augusta, French Famagouste, Italian Famagosta, and English Famagusta during the medieval period. Its informal modern Turkish name Mağusa (Turkish pronunciation: [maˈusa]) came from the same source. Since 1974, it has formally been known to Turkey and Northern Cyprus as Gazimağusa ([ɡaːzimaˈusa]), from the addition of the title gazi, meaning "veteran" or "one who has faught in a holy war".

 

In the early medieval period, the city was also known as New Justiniana (Greek: Νέα Ἰουστινιανία, Néa Ioustinianía) in appreciation for the patronage of the Byzantine emperor Justinian, whose wife Theodora was born there.

 

The old town of Famagusta has also been nicknamed "the City of 365 Churches" from the legend that, at its peak, it boasted a church for every day of the year.

 

The city was founded around 274 BC, after the serious damage to Salamis by an earthquake, by Ptolemy II Philadelphus and named "Arsinoe" after his sister.[6] Arsinoe was described as a "fishing town" by Strabo in his Geographica in the first century BC. In essence, Famagusta was the successor of the most famous and most important ancient city of Cyprus, Salamis. According to Greek mythology, Salamis was founded after the end of the Trojan War by Teucros, the son of Telamon and brother of Aedes, from the Greek island of Salamis.

 

The city experienced great prosperity much later, during the time of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. To honor the city, from which his wife Theodora came, Justinian enriched it with many buildings, while the inhabitants named it New Justiniania to express their gratitude. In AD 647, when the neighboring cities were destroyed by Arab raiding, the inhabitants of these cities moved to Famagusta, as a result of which the city's population increased significantly and the city experienced another boom.

 

Later, when Jerusalem was occupied by the Arabs, the Christian population fled to Famagusta, as a result of which the city became an important Christian center, but also one of the most important commercial centers in the eastern Mediterranean.

 

The turning point for Famagusta was 1192 with the onset of Lusignan rule. It was during this period that Famagusta developed as a fully-fledged town. It increased in importance to the Eastern Mediterranean due to its natural harbour and the walls that protected its inner town. Its population began to increase. This development accelerated in the 13th century as the town became a centre of commerce for both the East and West. An influx of Christian refugees fleeing the downfall of Acre (1291) in Palestine transformed it from a tiny village into one of the richest cities in Christendom.

 

In 1372 the port was seized by Genoa and in 1489 by Venice. This commercial activity turned Famagusta into a place where merchants and ship owners led lives of luxury. By the mid-14th century, Famagusta was said to have the richest citizens in the world. The belief that people's wealth could be measured by the churches they built inspired these merchants to have churches built in varying styles. These churches, which still exist, were the reason Famagusta came to be known as "the district of churches". The development of the town focused on the social lives of the wealthy people and was centred upon the Lusignan palace, the cathedral, the Square and the harbour.

 

In 1570–1571, Famagusta was the last stronghold in Venetian Cyprus to hold out against the Turks under Mustafa Pasha. It resisted a siege of thirteen months and a terrible bombardment, until at last the garrison surrendered. The Ottoman forces had lost 50,000 men, including Mustafa Pasha's son. Although the surrender terms had stipulated that the Venetian forces be allowed to return home, the Venetian commander, Marco Antonio Bragadin, was flayed alive, his lieutenant Tiepolo was hanged, and many other Christians were killed.

 

With the advent of the Ottoman rule, Latins lost their privileged status in Famagusta and were expelled from the city. Greek Cypriots natives were at first allowed to own and buy property in the city, but were banished from the walled city in 1573–74 and had to settle outside in the area that later developed into Varosha. Turkish families from Anatolia were resettled in the walled city but could not fill the buildings that previously hosted a population of 10,000. This caused a drastic decrease in the population of Famagusta. Merchants from Famagusta, who mostly consisted of Latins that had been expelled, resettled in Larnaca and as Larnaca flourished, Famagusta lost its importance as a trade centre. Over time, Varosha developed into a prosperous agricultural town thanks to its location away from the marshes, whilst the walled city remained dilapidated.

 

In the walled city, some buildings were repurposed to serve the interests of the Muslim population: the Cathedral of St. Nicholas was converted to a mosque (now known as Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque), a bazaar was developed, public baths, fountains and a theological school were built to accommodate the inhabitants' needs. Dead end streets, an Ottoman urban characteristic, was imported to the city and a communal spirit developed in which a small number of two-storey houses inhabited by the small upper class co-existed with the widespread one-storey houses.

 

With the British takeover, Famagusta regained its significance as a port and an economic centre and its development was specifically targeted in British plans. As soon as the British took over the island, a Famagusta Development Act was passed that aimed at the reconstruction and redevelopment of the city's streets and dilapidated buildings as well as better hygiene. The port was developed and expanded between 1903 and 1906 and Cyprus Government Railway, with its terminus in Famagusta, started construction in 1904. Whilst Larnaca continued to be used as the main port of the island for some time, after Famagusta's use as a military base in World War I trade significantly shifted to Famagusta. The city outside the walls grew at an accelerated rate, with development being centred around Varosha. Varosha became the administrative centre as the British moved their headquarters and residences there and tourism grew significantly in the last years of the British rule. Pottery and production of citrus and potatoes also significantly grew in the city outside the walls, whilst agriculture within the walled city declined to non-existence.

 

New residential areas were built to accommodate the increasing population towards the end of the British rule,[11] and by 1960, Famagusta was a modern port city extending far beyond Varosha and the walled city.

 

The British period saw a significant demographic shift in the city. In 1881, Christians constituted 60% of the city's population while Muslims were at 40%. By 1960, the Turkish Cypriot population had dropped to 17.5% of the overall population, while the Greek Cypriot population had risen to 70%. The city was also the site for one of the British internment camps for nearly 50,000 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust trying to emigrate to Palestine.

 

From independence in 1960 to the Turkish invasion of Cyprus of 1974, Famagusta developed toward the south west of Varosha as a well-known entertainment and tourist centre. The contribution of Famagusta to the country's economic activity by 1974 far exceeded its proportional dimensions within the country. Whilst its population was only about 7% of the total of the country, Famagusta by 1974 accounted for over 10% of the total industrial employment and production of Cyprus, concentrating mainly on light industry compatible with its activity as a tourist resort and turning out high-quality products ranging from food, beverages and tobacco to clothing, footwear, plastics, light machinery and transport equipment. It contributed 19.3% of the business units and employed 21.3% of the total number of persons engaged in commerce on the island. It acted as the main tourist destination of Cyprus, hosting 31.5% of the hotels and 45% of Cyprus' total bed capacity. Varosha acted as the main touristic and business quarters.

 

In this period, the urbanisation of Famagusta slowed down and the development of the rural areas accelerated. Therefore, economic growth was shared between the city of Famagusta and the district, which had a balanced agricultural economy, with citrus, potatoes, tobacco and wheat as main products. Famagusta maintained good communications with this hinterland. The city's port remained the island's main seaport and in 1961, it was expanded to double its capacity in order to accommodate the growing volume of exports and imports. The port handled 42.7% of Cypriot exports, 48.6% of imports and 49% of passenger traffic.

 

There has not been an official census since 1960 but the population of the town in 1974 was estimated to be around 39,000 not counting about 12,000–15,000 persons commuting daily from the surrounding villages and suburbs to work in Famagusta. The number of people staying in the city would swell to about 90,000–100,000 during the peak summer tourist period, with the influx of tourists from numerous European countries, mainly Britain, France, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. The majority of the city population were Greek Cypriots (26,500), with 8,500 Turkish Cypriots and 4,000 people from other ethnic groups.

 

During the second phase of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus on 14 August 1974 the Mesaoria plain was overrun by Turkish tanks and Famagusta was bombed by Turkish aircraft. It took two days for the Turkish Army to occupy the city, prior to which Famagusta's entire Greek Cypriot population had fled into surrounding fields. As a result of Turkish airstrikes dozens of civilians died, including tourists.

 

Unlike other parts of the Turkish-controlled areas of Cyprus, the Varosha suburb of Famagusta was fenced off by the Turkish army immediately after being captured and remained fenced off until October 2020, when the TRNC reopened some streets to visitors. Some Greek Cypriots who had fled Varosha have been allowed to view the town and journalists have been allowed in.

 

UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Famagusta by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. The UN's Security Council resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.

 

Famagusta's historic city centre is surrounded by the fortifications of Famagusta, which have a roughly rectangular shape, built mainly by the Venetians in the 15th and 16th centuries, though some sections of the walls have been dated earlier times, as far as 1211.

 

Some important landmarks and visitor attractions in the old city are:

The Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

The Othello Castle

Palazzo del Provveditore - the Venetian palace of the governor, built on the site of the former Lusignan royal palace

St. Francis' Church

Sinan Pasha Mosque

Church of St. George of the Greeks

Church of St. George of the Latins

Twin Churches

Nestorian Church (of St George the Exiler)

Namık Kemal Dungeon

Agios Ioannis Church

Venetian House

Akkule Masjid

Mustafa Pasha Mosque

Ganchvor monastery

 

In an October 2010 report titled Saving Our Vanishing Heritage, Global Heritage Fund listed Famagusta, a "maritime ancient city of crusader kings", among the 12 sites most "On the Verge" of irreparable loss and destruction, citing insufficient management and development pressures.

 

Famagusta is an important commercial hub of Northern Cyprus. The main economic activities in the city are tourism, education, construction and industrial production. It has a 115-acre free port, which is the most important seaport of Northern Cyprus for travel and commerce. The port is an important source of income and employment for the city, though its volume of trade is restricted by the embargo against Northern Cyprus. Its historical sites, including the walled city, Salamis, the Othello Castle and the St Barnabas Church, as well as the sandy beaches surrounding it make it a tourist attraction; efforts are also underway to make the city more attractive for international congresses. The Eastern Mediterranean University is also an important employer and supplies significant income and activity, as well as opportunities for the construction sector. The university also raises a qualified workforce that stimulates the city's industry and makes communications industry viable. The city has two industrial zones: the Large Industrial Zone and the Little Industrial Zone. The city is also home to a fishing port, but inadequate infrastructure of the port restricts the growth of this sector. The industry in the city has traditionally been concentrated on processing agricultural products.

 

Historically, the port was the primary source of income and employment for the city, especially right after 1974. However, it gradually lost some of its importance to the economy as the share of its employees in the population of Famagusta diminished due to various reasons. However, it still is the primary port for commerce in Northern Cyprus, with more than half of ships that came to Northern Cyprus in 2013 coming to Famagusta. It is the second most popular seaport for passengers, after Kyrenia, with around 20,000 passengers using the port in 2013.

 

The mayor-in-exile of Famagusta is Simos Ioannou. Süleyman Uluçay heads the Turkish Cypriot municipal administration of Famagusta, which remains legal as a communal-based body under the constitutional system of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

Since 1974, Greek Cypriots submitted a number of proposals within the context of bicommunal discussions for the return of Varosha to UN administration, allowing the return of its previous inhabitants, requesting also the opening of Famagusta harbour for use by both communities. Varosha would have been returned to Greek Cypriot control as part of the 2004 Annan Plan but the plan had been rejected by a majority(3/4) of Greek Cypriot voters.

 

The walled city of Famagusta contains many unique buildings. Famagusta has a walled city popular with tourists.

 

Every year, the International Famagusta Art and Culture Festival is organized in Famagusta. Concerts, dance shows and theater plays take place during the festival.

 

A growth in tourism and the city's university have fueled the development of Famagusta's vibrant nightlife. Nightlife in the city is especially active on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights and in the hotter months of the year, starting from April. Larger hotels in the city have casinos that cater to their customers. Salamis Road is an area of Famagusta with a heavy concentration of bars frequented by students and locals.

 

Famagusta's Othello Castle is the setting for Shakespeare's play Othello. The city was also the setting for Victoria Hislop's 2015 novel The Sunrise, and Michael Paraskos's 2016 novel In Search of Sixpence. The city is the birthplace of the eponymous hero of the Renaissance proto-novel Fortunatus.

 

Famagusta was home to many Greek Cypriot sport teams that left the city because of the Turkish invasion and still bear their original names. Most notable football clubs originally from the city are Anorthosis Famagusta FC and Nea Salamis Famagusta FC, both of the Cypriot First Division, which are now based in Larnaca. Usually Anorthosis Famagusta fans are politically right wing where Nea Salamis fans are left wing.

 

Famagusta is represented by Mağusa Türk Gücü in the Turkish Cypriot First Division. Dr. Fazıl Küçük Stadium is the largest football stadium in Famagusta. Many Turkish Cypriot sport teams that left Southern Cyprus because of the Cypriot intercommunal violence are based in Famagusta.

 

Famagusta is represented by DAÜ Sports Club and Magem Sports Club in North Cyprus First Volleyball Division. Gazimağusa Türk Maarif Koleji represents Famagusta in the North Cyprus High School Volleyball League.

 

Famagusta has a modern volleyball stadium called the Mağusa Arena.

 

The Eastern Mediterranean University was founded in the city in 1979. The Istanbul Technical University founded a campus in the city in 2010.

 

The Cyprus College of Art was founded in Famagusta by the Cypriot artist Stass Paraskos in 1969, before moving to Paphos in 1972 after protests from local hoteliers that the presence of art students in the city was putting off holidaymakers.

 

Famagusta has three general hospitals. Gazimağusa Devlet Hastahanesi, a state hospital, is the biggest hospital in city. Gazimağusa Tıp Merkezi and Gazimağusa Yaşam Hastahanesi are private hospitals.

 

Personalities

Saint Barnabas, born and died in Salamis, Famagusta

Chris Achilleos, illustrator of the book versions on the BBC children's series Doctor Who

Beran Bertuğ, former Governor of Famagusta, first Cypriot woman to hold this position

Marios Constantinou, former international Cypriot football midfielder and current manager.

Eleftheria Eleftheriou, Cypriot singer.

Derviş Eroğlu, former President of Northern Cyprus

Alexis Galanos, 7th President of the House of Representatives and Famagusta mayor-in-exile (2006-2019) (Republic of Cyprus)

Xanthos Hadjisoteriou, Cypriot painter

Oz Karahan, political activist, President of the Union of Cypriots

Oktay Kayalp, former Turkish Cypriot Famagusta mayor (Northern Cyprus)

Harry Luke British diplomat

Angelos Misos, former international footballer

Costas Montis was an influential and prolific Greek Cypriot poet, novelist, and playwright born in Famagusta.

Hal Ozsan, actor (Dawson's Creek, Kyle XY)

Dimitris Papadakis, a Greek Cypriot politician, who served as a Member of the European Parliament.

Ṣubḥ-i-Azal, Persian religious leader, lived and died in exile in Famagusta

Touker Suleyman (born Türker Süleyman), British Turkish Cypriot fashion retail entrepreneur, investor and reality television personality.

Alexia Vassiliou, singer, left here as a refugee when the town was invaded.

George Vasiliou, former President of Cyprus

Vamik Volkan, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry

Derviş Zaim, film director

 

Famagusta is twinned with:

İzmir, Turkey (since 1974)

Corfu, Greece (since 1994)

Patras, Greece (since 1994)

Antalya, Turkey (since 1997)

Salamina (city), Greece (since 1998)

Struga, North Macedonia

Athens, Greece (since 2005)

Mersin, Turkey

 

Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all other states to be part of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

Northern Cyprus extends from the tip of the Karpass Peninsula in the northeast to Morphou Bay, Cape Kormakitis and its westernmost point, the Kokkina exclave in the west. Its southernmost point is the village of Louroujina. A buffer zone under the control of the United Nations stretches between Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island and divides Nicosia, the island's largest city and capital of both sides.

 

A coup d'état in 1974, performed as part of an attempt to annex the island to Greece, prompted the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. This resulted in the eviction of much of the north's Greek Cypriot population, the flight of Turkish Cypriots from the south, and the partitioning of the island, leading to a unilateral declaration of independence by the north in 1983. Due to its lack of recognition, Northern Cyprus is heavily dependent on Turkey for economic, political and military support.

 

Attempts to reach a solution to the Cyprus dispute have been unsuccessful. The Turkish Army maintains a large force in Northern Cyprus with the support and approval of the TRNC government, while the Republic of Cyprus, the European Union as a whole, and the international community regard it as an occupation force. This military presence has been denounced in several United Nations Security Council resolutions.

 

Northern Cyprus is a semi-presidential, democratic republic with a cultural heritage incorporating various influences and an economy that is dominated by the services sector. The economy has seen growth through the 2000s and 2010s, with the GNP per capita more than tripling in the 2000s, but is held back by an international embargo due to the official closure of the ports in Northern Cyprus by the Republic of Cyprus. The official language is Turkish, with a distinct local dialect being spoken. The vast majority of the population consists of Sunni Muslims, while religious attitudes are mostly moderate and secular. Northern Cyprus is an observer state of ECO and OIC under the name "Turkish Cypriot State", PACE under the name "Turkish Cypriot Community", and Organization of Turkic States with its own name.

 

Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the post-independence Cyprus crisis of 1963–64, and the Cyprus crisis of 1967. Hostilities culminated in the 1974 de facto division of the island along the Green Line following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The region has been relatively peaceful since then, but the Cyprus dispute has continued, with various attempts to solve it diplomatically having been generally unsuccessful.

 

Cyprus, an island lying in the eastern Mediterranean, hosted a population of Greeks and Turks (four-fifths and one-fifth, respectively), who lived under British rule in the late nineteenth-century and the first half of the twentieth-century. Christian Orthodox Church of Cyprus played a prominent political role among the Greek Cypriot community, a privilege that it acquired during the Ottoman Empire with the employment of the millet system, which gave the archbishop an unofficial ethnarch status.

 

The repeated rejections by the British of Greek Cypriot demands for enosis, union with Greece, led to armed resistance, organised by the National Organization of Cypriot Struggle, or EOKA. EOKA, led by the Greek-Cypriot commander George Grivas, systematically targeted British colonial authorities. One of the effects of EOKA's campaign was to alter the Turkish position from demanding full reincorporation into Turkey to a demand for taksim (partition). EOKA's mission and activities caused a "Cretan syndrome" (see Turkish Resistance Organisation) within the Turkish Cypriot community, as its members feared that they would be forced to leave the island in such a case as had been the case with Cretan Turks. As such, they preferred the continuation of British colonial rule and then taksim, the division of the island. Due to the Turkish Cypriots' support for the British, EOKA's leader, Georgios Grivas, declared them to be enemies. The fact that the Turks were a minority was, according to Nihat Erim, to be addressed by the transfer of thousands of Turks from mainland Turkey so that Greek Cypriots would cease to be the majority. When Erim visited Cyprus as the Turkish representative, he was advised by Field Marshal Sir John Harding, the then Governor of Cyprus, that Turkey should send educated Turks to settle in Cyprus.

 

Turkey actively promoted the idea that on the island of Cyprus two distinctive communities existed, and sidestepped its former claim that "the people of Cyprus were all Turkish subjects". In doing so, Turkey's aim to have self-determination of two to-be equal communities in effect led to de jure partition of the island.[citation needed] This could be justified to the international community against the will of the majority Greek population of the island. Dr. Fazil Küçük in 1954 had already proposed Cyprus be divided in two at the 35° parallel.

 

Lindley Dan, from Notre Dame University, spotted the roots of intercommunal violence to different visions among the two communities of Cyprus (enosis for Greek Cypriots, taksim for Turkish Cypriots). Also, Lindlay wrote that "the merging of church, schools/education, and politics in divisive and nationalistic ways" had played a crucial role in creation of havoc in Cyprus' history. Attalides Michael also pointed to the opposing nationalisms as the cause of the Cyprus problem.

 

By the mid-1950's, the "Cyprus is Turkish" party, movement, and slogan gained force in both Cyprus and Turkey. In a 1954 editorial, Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Fazil Kuchuk expressed the sentiment that the Turkish youth had grown up with the idea that "as soon as Great Britain leaves the island, it will be taken over by the Turks", and that "Turkey cannot tolerate otherwise". This perspective contributed to the willingness of Turkish Cypriots to align themselves with the British, who started recruiting Turkish Cypriots into the police force that patrolled Cyprus to fight EOKA, a Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation that sought to rid the island of British rule.

 

EOKA targeted colonial authorities, including police, but Georgios Grivas, the leader of EOKA, did not initially wish to open up a new front by fighting Turkish Cypriots and reassured them that EOKA would not harm their people. In 1956, some Turkish Cypriot policemen were killed by EOKA members and this provoked some intercommunal violence in the spring and summer, but these attacks on policemen were not motivated by the fact that they were Turkish Cypriots.

 

However, in January 1957, Grivas changed his policy as his forces in the mountains became increasingly pressured by the British Crown forces. In order to divert the attention of the Crown forces, EOKA members started to target Turkish Cypriot policemen intentionally in the towns, so that Turkish Cypriots would riot against the Greek Cypriots and the security forces would have to be diverted to the towns to restore order. The killing of a Turkish Cypriot policeman on 19 January, when a power station was bombed, and the injury of three others, provoked three days of intercommunal violence in Nicosia. The two communities targeted each other in reprisals, at least one Greek Cypriot was killed and the British Army was deployed in the streets. Greek Cypriot stores were burned and their neighbourhoods attacked. Following the events, the Greek Cypriot leadership spread the propaganda that the riots had merely been an act of Turkish Cypriot aggression. Such events created chaos and drove the communities apart both in Cyprus and in Turkey.

 

On 22 October 1957 Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot replaced Sir John Harding as the British Governor of Cyprus. Foot suggested five to seven years of self-government before any final decision. His plan rejected both enosis and taksim. The Turkish Cypriot response to this plan was a series of anti-British demonstrations in Nicosia on 27 and 28 January 1958 rejecting the proposed plan because the plan did not include partition. The British then withdrew the plan.

 

In 1957, Black Gang, a Turkish Cypriot pro-taksim paramilitary organisation, was formed to patrol a Turkish Cypriot enclave, the Tahtakale district of Nicosia, against activities of EOKA. The organisation later attempted to grow into a national scale, but failed to gain public support.

 

By 1958, signs of dissatisfaction with the British increased on both sides, with a group of Turkish Cypriots forming Volkan (later renamed to the Turkish Resistance Organisation) paramilitary group to promote partition and the annexation of Cyprus to Turkey as dictated by the Menderes plan. Volkan initially consisted of roughly 100 members, with the stated aim of raising awareness in Turkey of the Cyprus issue and courting military training and support for Turkish Cypriot fighters from the Turkish government.

 

In June 1958, the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, was expected to propose a plan to resolve the Cyprus issue. In light of the new development, the Turks rioted in Nicosia to promote the idea that Greek and Turkish Cypriots could not live together and therefore any plan that did not include partition would not be viable. This violence was soon followed by bombing, Greek Cypriot deaths and looting of Greek Cypriot-owned shops and houses. Greek and Turkish Cypriots started to flee mixed population villages where they were a minority in search of safety. This was effectively the beginning of the segregation of the two communities. On 7 June 1958, a bomb exploded at the entrance of the Turkish Embassy in Cyprus. Following the bombing, Turkish Cypriots looted Greek Cypriot properties. On 26 June 1984, the Turkish Cypriot leader, Rauf Denktaş, admitted on British channel ITV that the bomb was placed by the Turks themselves in order to create tension. On 9 January 1995, Rauf Denktaş repeated his claim to the famous Turkish newspaper Milliyet in Turkey.

 

The crisis reached a climax on 12 June 1958, when eight Greeks, out of an armed group of thirty five arrested by soldiers of the Royal Horse Guards on suspicion of preparing an attack on the Turkish quarter of Skylloura, were killed in a suspected attack by Turkish Cypriot locals, near the village of Geunyeli, having been ordered to walk back to their village of Kondemenos.

 

After the EOKA campaign had begun, the British government successfully began to turn the Cyprus issue from a British colonial problem into a Greek-Turkish issue. British diplomacy exerted backstage influence on the Adnan Menderes government, with the aim of making Turkey active in Cyprus. For the British, the attempt had a twofold objective. The EOKA campaign would be silenced as quickly as possible, and Turkish Cypriots would not side with Greek Cypriots against the British colonial claims over the island, which would thus remain under the British. The Turkish Cypriot leadership visited Menderes to discuss the Cyprus issue. When asked how the Turkish Cypriots should respond to the Greek Cypriot claim of enosis, Menderes replied: "You should go to the British foreign minister and request the status quo be prolonged, Cyprus to remain as a British colony". When the Turkish Cypriots visited the British Foreign Secretary and requested for Cyprus to remain a colony, he replied: "You should not be asking for colonialism at this day and age, you should be asking for Cyprus be returned to Turkey, its former owner".

 

As Turkish Cypriots began to look to Turkey for protection, Greek Cypriots soon understood that enosis was extremely unlikely. The Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios III, now set independence for the island as his objective.

 

Britain resolved to solve the dispute by creating an independent Cyprus. In 1959, all involved parties signed the Zurich Agreements: Britain, Turkey, Greece, and the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, Makarios and Dr. Fazil Kucuk, respectively. The new constitution drew heavily on the ethnic composition of the island. The President would be a Greek Cypriot, and the Vice-President a Turkish Cypriot with an equal veto. The contribution to the public service would be set at a ratio of 70:30, and the Supreme Court would consist of an equal number of judges from both communities as well as an independent judge who was not Greek, Turkish or British. The Zurich Agreements were supplemented by a number of treaties. The Treaty of Guarantee stated that secession or union with any state was forbidden, and that Greece, Turkey and Britain would be given guarantor status to intervene if that was violated. The Treaty of Alliance allowed for two small Greek and Turkish military contingents to be stationed on the island, and the Treaty of Establishment gave Britain sovereignty over two bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

 

On 15 August 1960, the Colony of Cyprus became fully independent as the Republic of Cyprus. The new republic remained within the Commonwealth of Nations.

 

The new constitution brought dissatisfaction to Greek Cypriots, who felt it to be highly unjust for them for historical, demographic and contributional reasons. Although 80% of the island's population were Greek Cypriots and these indigenous people had lived on the island for thousands of years and paid 94% of taxes, the new constitution was giving the 17% of the population that was Turkish Cypriots, who paid 6% of taxes, around 30% of government jobs and 40% of national security jobs.

 

Within three years tensions between the two communities in administrative affairs began to show. In particular disputes over separate municipalities and taxation created a deadlock in government. A constitutional court ruled in 1963 Makarios had failed to uphold article 173 of the constitution which called for the establishment of separate municipalities for Turkish Cypriots. Makarios subsequently declared his intention to ignore the judgement, resulting in the West German judge resigning from his position. Makarios proposed thirteen amendments to the constitution, which would have had the effect of resolving most of the issues in the Greek Cypriot favour. Under the proposals, the President and Vice-President would lose their veto, the separate municipalities as sought after by the Turkish Cypriots would be abandoned, the need for separate majorities by both communities in passing legislation would be discarded and the civil service contribution would be set at actual population ratios (82:18) instead of the slightly higher figure for Turkish Cypriots.

 

The intention behind the amendments has long been called into question. The Akritas plan, written in the height of the constitutional dispute by the Greek Cypriot interior minister Polycarpos Georkadjis, called for the removal of undesirable elements of the constitution so as to allow power-sharing to work. The plan envisaged a swift retaliatory attack on Turkish Cypriot strongholds should Turkish Cypriots resort to violence to resist the measures, stating "In the event of a planned or staged Turkish attack, it is imperative to overcome it by force in the shortest possible time, because if we succeed in gaining command of the situation (in one or two days), no outside, intervention would be either justified or possible." Whether Makarios's proposals were part of the Akritas plan is unclear, however it remains that sentiment towards enosis had not completely disappeared with independence. Makarios described independence as "a step on the road to enosis".[31] Preparations for conflict were not entirely absent from Turkish Cypriots either, with right wing elements still believing taksim (partition) the best safeguard against enosis.

 

Greek Cypriots however believe the amendments were a necessity stemming from a perceived attempt by Turkish Cypriots to frustrate the working of government. Turkish Cypriots saw it as a means to reduce their status within the state from one of co-founder to that of minority, seeing it as a first step towards enosis. The security situation deteriorated rapidly.

 

Main articles: Bloody Christmas (1963) and Battle of Tillyria

An armed conflict was triggered after December 21, 1963, a period remembered by Turkish Cypriots as Bloody Christmas, when a Greek Cypriot policemen that had been called to help deal with a taxi driver refusing officers already on the scene access to check the identification documents of his customers, took out his gun upon arrival and shot and killed the taxi driver and his partner. Eric Solsten summarised the events as follows: "a Greek Cypriot police patrol, ostensibly checking identification documents, stopped a Turkish Cypriot couple on the edge of the Turkish quarter. A hostile crowd gathered, shots were fired, and two Turkish Cypriots were killed."

 

In the morning after the shooting, crowds gathered in protest in Northern Nicosia, likely encouraged by the TMT, without incident. On the evening of the 22nd, gunfire broke out, communication lines to the Turkish neighbourhoods were cut, and the Greek Cypriot police occupied the nearby airport. On the 23rd, a ceasefire was negotiated, but did not hold. Fighting, including automatic weapons fire, between Greek and Turkish Cypriots and militias increased in Nicosia and Larnaca. A force of Greek Cypriot irregulars led by Nikos Sampson entered the Nicosia suburb of Omorphita and engaged in heavy firing on armed, as well as by some accounts unarmed, Turkish Cypriots. The Omorphita clash has been described by Turkish Cypriots as a massacre, while this view has generally not been acknowledged by Greek Cypriots.

 

Further ceasefires were arranged between the two sides, but also failed. By Christmas Eve, the 24th, Britain, Greece, and Turkey had joined talks, with all sides calling for a truce. On Christmas day, Turkish fighter jets overflew Nicosia in a show of support. Finally it was agreed to allow a force of 2,700 British soldiers to help enforce a ceasefire. In the next days, a "buffer zone" was created in Nicosia, and a British officer marked a line on a map with green ink, separating the two sides of the city, which was the beginning of the "Green Line". Fighting continued across the island for the next several weeks.

 

In total 364 Turkish Cypriots and 174 Greek Cypriots were killed during the violence. 25,000 Turkish Cypriots from 103-109 villages fled and were displaced into enclaves and thousands of Turkish Cypriot houses were ransacked or completely destroyed.

 

Contemporary newspapers also reported on the forceful exodus of the Turkish Cypriots from their homes. According to The Times in 1964, threats, shootings and attempts of arson were committed against the Turkish Cypriots to force them out of their homes. The Daily Express wrote that "25,000 Turks have already been forced to leave their homes". The Guardian reported a massacre of Turks at Limassol on 16 February 1964.

 

Turkey had by now readied its fleet and its fighter jets appeared over Nicosia. Turkey was dissuaded from direct involvement by the creation of a United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in 1964. Despite the negotiated ceasefire in Nicosia, attacks on the Turkish Cypriot persisted, particularly in Limassol. Concerned about the possibility of a Turkish invasion, Makarios undertook the creation of a Greek Cypriot conscript-based army called the "National Guard". A general from Greece took charge of the army, whilst a further 20,000 well-equipped officers and men were smuggled from Greece into Cyprus. Turkey threatened to intervene once more, but was prevented by a strongly worded letter from the American President Lyndon B. Johnson, anxious to avoid a conflict between NATO allies Greece and Turkey at the height of the Cold War.

 

Turkish Cypriots had by now established an important bridgehead at Kokkina, provided with arms, volunteers and materials from Turkey and abroad. Seeing this incursion of foreign weapons and troops as a major threat, the Cypriot government invited George Grivas to return from Greece as commander of the Greek troops on the island and launch a major attack on the bridgehead. Turkey retaliated by dispatching its fighter jets to bomb Greek positions, causing Makarios to threaten an attack on every Turkish Cypriot village on the island if the bombings did not cease. The conflict had now drawn in Greece and Turkey, with both countries amassing troops on their Thracian borders. Efforts at mediation by Dean Acheson, a former U.S. Secretary of State, and UN-appointed mediator Galo Plaza had failed, all the while the division of the two communities becoming more apparent. Greek Cypriot forces were estimated at some 30,000, including the National Guard and the large contingent from Greece. Defending the Turkish Cypriot enclaves was a force of approximately 5,000 irregulars, led by a Turkish colonel, but lacking the equipment and organisation of the Greek forces.

 

The Secretary-General of the United Nations in 1964, U Thant, reported the damage during the conflicts:

 

UNFICYP carried out a detailed survey of all damage to properties throughout the island during the disturbances; it shows that in 109 villages, most of them Turkish-Cypriot or mixed villages, 527 houses have been destroyed while 2,000 others have suffered damage from looting.

 

The situation worsened in 1967, when a military junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Greece, and began applying pressure on Makarios to achieve enosis. Makarios, not wishing to become part of a military dictatorship or trigger a Turkish invasion, began to distance himself from the goal of enosis. This caused tensions with the junta in Greece as well as George Grivas in Cyprus. Grivas's control over the National Guard and Greek contingent was seen as a threat to Makarios's position, who now feared a possible coup.[citation needed] The National Guard and Cyprus Police began patrolling the Turkish Cypriot enclaves of Ayios Theodoros and Kophinou, and on November 15 engaged in heavy fighting with the Turkish Cypriots.

 

By the time of his withdrawal 26 Turkish Cypriots had been killed. Turkey replied with an ultimatum demanding that Grivas be removed from the island, that the troops smuggled from Greece in excess of the limits of the Treaty of Alliance be removed, and that the economic blockades on the Turkish Cypriot enclaves be lifted. Grivas was recalled by the Athens Junta and the 12,000 Greek troops were withdrawn. Makarios now attempted to consolidate his position by reducing the number of National Guard troops, and by creating a paramilitary force loyal to Cypriot independence. In 1968, acknowledging that enosis was now all but impossible, Makarios stated, "A solution by necessity must be sought within the limits of what is feasible which does not always coincide with the limits of what is desirable."

 

After 1967 tensions between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots subsided. Instead, the main source of tension on the island came from factions within the Greek Cypriot community. Although Makarios had effectively abandoned enosis in favour of an 'attainable solution', many others continued to believe that the only legitimate political aspiration for Greek Cypriots was union with Greece.

 

On his arrival, Grivas began by establishing a nationalist paramilitary group known as the National Organization of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston B or EOKA-B), drawing comparisons with the EOKA struggle for enosis under the British colonial administration of the 1950s.

 

The military junta in Athens saw Makarios as an obstacle. Makarios's failure to disband the National Guard, whose officer class was dominated by mainland Greeks, had meant the junta had practical control over the Cypriot military establishment, leaving Makarios isolated and a vulnerable target.

 

During the first Turkish invasion, Turkish troops invaded Cyprus territory on 20 July 1974, invoking its rights under the Treaty of Guarantee. This expansion of Turkish-occupied zone violated International Law as well as the Charter of the United Nations. Turkish troops managed to capture 3% of the island which was accompanied by the burning of the Turkish Cypriot quarter, as well as the raping and killing of women and children. A temporary cease-fire followed which was mitigated by the UN Security Council. Subsequently, the Greek military Junta collapsed on July 23, 1974, and peace talks commenced in which a democratic government was installed. The Resolution 353 was broken after Turkey attacked a second time and managed to get a hold of 37% of Cyprus territory. The Island of Cyprus was appointed a Buffer Zone by the United Nations, which divided the island into two zones through the 'Green Line' and put an end to the Turkish invasion. Although Turkey announced that the occupied areas of Cyprus to be called the Federated Turkish State in 1975, it is not legitimised on a worldwide political scale. The United Nations called for the international recognition of independence for the Republic of Cyprus in the Security Council Resolution 367.

 

In the years after the Turkish invasion of northern Cyprus one can observe a history of failed talks between the two parties. The 1983 declaration of the independent Turkish Republic of Cyprus resulted in a rise of inter-communal tensions and made it increasingly hard to find mutual understanding. With Cyprus' interest of a possible EU membership and a new UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1997 new hopes arose for a fresh start. International involvement from sides of the US and UK, wanting a solution to the Cyprus dispute prior to the EU accession led to political pressures for new talks. The believe that an accession without a solution would threaten Greek-Turkish relations and acknowledge the partition of the island would direct the coming negotiations.

 

Over the course of two years a concrete plan, the Annan plan was formulated. In 2004 the fifth version agreed upon from both sides and with the endorsement of Turkey, US, UK and EU then was presented to the public and was given a referendum in both Cypriot communities to assure the legitimisation of the resolution. The Turkish Cypriots voted with 65% for the plan, however the Greek Cypriots voted with a 76% majority against. The Annan plan contained multiple important topics. Firstly it established a confederation of two separate states called the United Cyprus Republic. Both communities would have autonomous states combined under one unified government. The members of parliament would be chosen according to the percentage in population numbers to ensure a just involvement from both communities. The paper proposed a demilitarisation of the island over the next years. Furthermore it agreed upon a number of 45000 Turkish settlers that could remain on the island. These settlers became a very important issue concerning peace talks. Originally the Turkish government encouraged Turks to settle in Cyprus providing transfer and property, to establish a counterpart to the Greek Cypriot population due to their 1 to 5 minority. With the economic situation many Turkish-Cypriot decided to leave the island, however their departure is made up by incoming Turkish settlers leaving the population ratio between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots stable. However all these points where criticised and as seen in the vote rejected mainly by the Greek Cypriots. These name the dissolution of the „Republic of Cyprus", economic consequences of a reunion and the remaining Turkish settlers as reason. Many claim that the plan was indeed drawing more from Turkish-Cypriot demands then Greek-Cypriot interests. Taking in consideration that the US wanted to keep Turkey as a strategic partner in future Middle Eastern conflicts.

 

A week after the failed referendum the Republic of Cyprus joined the EU. In multiple instances the EU tried to promote trade with Northern Cyprus but without internationally recognised ports this spiked a grand debate. Both side endure their intention of negotiations, however without the prospect of any new compromises or agreements the UN is unwilling to start the process again. Since 2004 negotiations took place in numbers but without any results, both sides are strongly holding on to their position without an agreeable solution in sight that would suit both parties.

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Scouts Camporee on Omaha Beach Honors Heroes and Promotes Peace.

 

By Robert Turtil

 

U.S. Scouts gathered April 24 to 27 for the 2014 Omaha Beach Camporee, in event held every three years in Normandy, France. This years Camporee was particularly special, because it was recognized as the opening event of the 70th anniversary of the D Day landings planned for June. Hundreds of Scouts from France, Britain, Poland, Switzerland, the BeNeLux and Scandinavian countries, Germany and other nations joined for a weekend of remembrance.

 

U.S. embassy personnel and active duty service members brought their families from facilities around Europe and North Africa. More than a few F-16 fighter jockeys directed AstroVans from the Autobahn to the AutoRoute to the D-514, while others followed the more historic route across, or below, the English Channel. Some Scouts flew from American cities over their spring break, and as usual, moms led the charge when dads couldn’t get away. All converged on a welcoming destination for Americans on the French coast.

 

Nearly 4,200 troops and their supporting families battled sometimes horizontal rain to re-live the history, and recognize the sacrifices of American and Allied soldiers, many close to their own age, who have fought and died fighting for freedom and peace. World War Two Veterans were honored, and sacrifices made during The Great War, Korea, Vietnam and The War on Terror were also recognized by scout leaders and other volunteers, many of whom are U.S. Veterans, the traditional backbone of scouting in America.

 

Campsites were pitched in the rain, the mud and the dark; pots of pasta were swamped by tent malfunctions. The elements provoked short-term tears and tantrums, and perhaps a sleepless night. But complaints were mitigated with stories of invasion boats packed with seasick assault troops, mud filled foxholes, and cold k-rations, as Scouts peered at the sogginess of this Norman spring. But, as EVERY Scout knows, only fun will be remembered of the mud and chill of this weekend.

 

Scout convoys raced around the invasion coast following ambitious schedules: Utah Beach, Point D’Hoc, Sainte Mere Eglise, Arromanches, the Pegasus Bridge and many museums. Scouts and Veterans were the special guests of honor at the historic and grand Notre Dame Cathedral of Bayeux where clergy, along with national and local leaders, christened a newly forged Bell of Peace and Freedom. The Cathedral was a packed and flowing sea of international scout uniforms, flags and neckerchiefs… all highlighted by sunbeams streaking through stained-glass windows.

 

90 year-old, World War ll Army Air Force Veteran Captain Samuel Wiley Hammersmith, B-25 pilot with 28 missions in the Pacific, mingled with Scouts throughout the weekend.

 

New Eagles and candidates for the Order of the Arrow were sworn in at an Omaha Beach campfire in the most meaningful of ceremonies for Scouts and their families. A French Air Force flyover, a military band and youth choir opened the Messengers of Peace multimedia presentation, bringing home the sacrifices made in the past and the promise of peace Scouting seeks to contribute worldwide. That evening, friendships were made, neckerchiefs swapped, and Paella shared at sunset on the beach, followed by a fusillade of fireworks.

 

Sunday’s closing ceremony was held in the drizzle at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Each Troop flew its colors and laid a wreath at the base of the huge bronze statue, The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves. Scouts and their families then joined hundreds of others walking the many acres of markers, looking for specific names, or just looking, at the beauty- with history, the sense of sacrifice and a touch of tears that the damp, perfect green grass of the cemetery envokes. Slowly the parking lot emptied as each American Troop and Patrol headed in every direction across Europe and the ocean… home.

 

If you would like to support the Scouts quest to preserve Omaha Beach as a UNESCO World Heritage site, follow this link and sign the petition:

www.change.org/petitions/unesco-save-the-d-day-beaches-ma...

 

Photos Courtesy Robert Turtil

 

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Society of Friends of Music in Vienna

The Society of Friends of Music in Vienna (briefly : Wiener Musikverein) is a traditional club in Vienna to promote musical culture. It was founded in 1812.

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of the site!)

Founded Concert 1812

Foundation

On 29 November and 3 December 1812 was performed in the Winter Riding School of the Hofburg the Handel oratorio Timothy. This concert can be considered as a trigger for the founding of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. As the founder of the association is Joseph Sonnleithner (1766-1835) then secretary of the imperial Viennese court theater (Burgtheater and Kärntnertortheater). The proceeds of the concert should benefit the newly founded institution. Emperor Franz I donated 1,000 guilders, the net profit amounted to 25,934 florins finally Viennese currency. First office of the company was the Lobkowitz Palace today Lobkowitzplatz.

Goals

According to its statutes, which originated in 1814, is the "Empor renewed progress on music in all its branches" primary purpose of the Company.

The Friends of Music Society reaches(d) this in three ways:

The establishment of a conservatory,

The systematic collection of musicological documents (archive)

Organizing their own concerts.

To date, private commitment of individual members shapes the functioning of the Company. Since January 2000, all editions of the monthly appearing club newspaper "music lovers" on the website of the company are available .

Concerts

On the initiative of Antonio Salieri's first choral activities at the Musikverein go back, for example, also in 1824 at the Vienna initial or first performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and 9th Symphony was involved. After there had been choral concerts of the Association for many years, then in 1858 was the official establishment of the Concert Choir held as a branch association of the Vienna Musikverein. The first principal conductor of the Vienna Singing Society was Johann von Herbeck, directs the choir since 1991, Johannes Prinz.

Musikverein (1831-1870) to the Tuchlauben (home to the Red Hedgehog), first building on the right, then No. 558, now No. 12

First concert hall of the society

1829 , the Company purchased a scoring for Kärnthnerviertl house on the Tuchlauben (home to the Red Hedgehog, rented from 1822, then House # 558, today Tuchlauben 12) with several business offices and apartments, it had the house demolished and gave at Franz Lossl (Site Manager: Carl Högl) by around 88,000 guilders (including equipment) the construction of a three storey new building with a concert hall on the 1st Floor in order. The site was approximately opposite the former Ofenlochgasse, since 1863 Kleeblattgasse. The Brandstätte that time not yet branched of from the Tuchlauben, but was a small place near the St. Stephen's Cathedral.

The festival opening concert of the hall took place on 4 November 1831 instead (then the cholera raged in Vienna). The Musikverein contributed among other things at this location (visitor concerts were still highly popular in the large ball room of the Hofburg ) essentially to the public concert life in Vienna.

The hall proved with 700 seats soon to be too small, but was still used for almost 40 years. 1846 gas lighting was installed. In the upper floors of the Conservatory and the archives of the Society, offices and rehearsal rooms were located.

The Society of Friends of Music in 1870 moved into their new house and sold its first house in the same year. In the subsequent use of it emerged inter alia the Strampfer-Theatre. The building was demolished in 1885.

Vienna Musikverein in 1898

Today's office of the Company

1863, Emperor Franz Joseph I donates the society from the state capital, the area on the bank of the river opposite the Vienna Karlskirche (church). It was on the former glacis of the 1858 demolished city walls around the old town. 1861-1869 emerged near the present-day Vienna State Opera, on the neighboring construction site on the riverbank 1865-1868 the Vienna Künstlerhaus, on the direction of ring road adjacent square 1862-1865 today's Imperial Hotel.

The of Theophil Hansen, who later built the Parliament, designed house, shortened to Vienna Musikverein, was on 6 January 1870 opened with a celebratory concert. That same year, the High Steward of the Emperor, Prince Constantine zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, was in gratitude for the favor of the imperial court for the new building project appointed as a honorary member of the society.

1869 Carl Heissler was the first conductor of the orchestra of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. 187, and 1872 was the Russian composer Anton Rubinstein artistic director of the company. After a short time he was replaced by Johannes Brahms.

Children and Youth Projects

In order to convey the joy of music and access to classical culture children and adolescents, the Friends of Music Society offers a pertinent program: In April 1989, it was the first "Celebration for Children" in all the rooms of the Musikverein building, since the offer has been steadily expanded and now includes more than 150 projects for all ages 3-19 years. The 20-year anniversary of the youth concerts was celebrated with a big party at the Vienna Musikverein in 2009. Symbol of child and youth concerts of the Society of Friends of Music is the concert clown Allegretto.

Artistic performances will be processed in accordance with the relevant age requirements paying particular attention to opportunities for active contribution. These include sing and dance along to the little ones, a gallery of children's drawings on the Internet and artist talks under the slogan "meet the artist" with internationally renowned conductors, soloists and composers for 15- to 19- year-old.

Conservatory of the Society of Music Lovers

The Conservatory was the first public music school in Vienna and was founded in 1819 by the violinist Joseph Böhm. As early as 1818, the Court Kapellmeister Antonio Salieri began to form a singing class. The general musical newspaper wrote here about 7 January 1818: "As the beginning of a newly established Conservatory imparts our worthy Hofkapellm. (chapel masteer) Salieri already to 12 girls and 12 boys gratuitous singing lessons."

On 19 April, the first 24 students of the Conservatory presented themselves in a collective concert of the Friends of Music to the public and sing an A cappella choral of Salieri. The dedication on the autograph reads: "Ringraziamento because farsi alli Benefattori del Conservatorio della musica nazionale inglese dalli primi Ventiquattro allieve dodici Ragazzi e dodici Ragazze, di detto luogo, nella quarta accademia dei dilettanti il giorno 19 Aprile 1818".

In the 19th Century, this facility has been significantly expanded, in the 1890s it had more than 1,000 students and found imitation in Vienna in other such facilities. In 1909, the private institute was to resolution of the emperor as "k.k. Academy of Music and Dramatic Art" nationalized. Thus, it is predecessor of today's University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

Archive

The archives of the Society of Friends of Music is one of the most important music collections in the world.

Personalities

Musikverein building of 1870 (2006)

Musikverein building at night

Founder

Joseph Sonnleithner (1766-1835)

Co-Founder

Fanny von Arnstein (1758-1818)

Prince Franz Joseph Maximilian von Lobkowitz (1772-1816) , Major General, art lover and patron

Famous members

Leopold of Sonnleithner (1797-1873), lawyer and music collector

January Václav Voříšek (1791-1825), composer, pianist and organist, as a member in 1818.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828), full member from 12 June 1827

Concert directors

Carl Heissler, lithography by Joseph Kriehuber, 1866

Carl Heissler (1823-1878), Artistic Director 1869-1871

Anton Rubinstein, Artistic Director 1871-1872

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), concert director 1872-1875

Eduard Schön (1825-1879), Ministerialrat and composer, director in 1870

Johann von Herbeck (1831-1877), conductor and composer

Hans Richter (1843-1916), conductor, director until 1900

Franz Schalk (1863-1931), concert director 1904-1921

Ferdinand Löwe (1865-1925), concert director

Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886-1954), concert director 1921-1927 (jointly with Leopold Reichwein)

Leopold Reichwein (1878-1945), concert director 1921-1927 (together with Wilhelm Furtwängler)

Robert Heger (1886-1978), concert director 1925-1933

Walter Legge (1906-1979), director from 1946

Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), last concert director 1948-1964

Vice Presidents

Raphael Georg Kiesewetter (1773-1850), privy councillor and musician, vice president 1821-1843

Nikolaus Dumba (1830-1900), industrialist, vice president in 1880

Gustav Ortner (born 1935) , diplomat, vice president since 2001

Directorate members

Heinrich Eduard Josef von Lannoy (1787-1853), conductor and composer, member

Martin Gustav Nottebohm (1817-1882), musicologist and composer, member from 1858

Anthony van Hoboken (1887-1983), musicologist and collector, member since 1957

Brothers Czartoryski, circa 1870

Secretaries

Leopold Alexander Zellner, general secretary in 1880

Botstiber Hugo (1875-1941), secretary and office director 1905-1912

Angyan Thomas (born 1953), general and artistic director since 1988

Archivist

Martin Gustav Nottebohm in 1864

Eusebius Mandyczewski (1857-1929), musicologist and composer, from 1887

Karl Geiringer (1899-1989), musicologist and librarian, 1930-1938

Otto Biba (born 1946), musicologist and director of the archive, since 1979

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_der_Musikfreunde_in_WienSociety of Friends of Music in Vienna

The Society of Friends of Music in Vienna (briefly : Wiener Musikverein) is a traditional club in Vienna to promote musical culture. It was founded in 1812.

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of the site!)

Founded Concert 1812

Foundation

On 29 November and 3 December 1812 was performed in the Winter Riding School of the Hofburg the Handel oratorio Timothy. This concert can be considered as a trigger for the founding of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. As the founder of the association is Joseph Sonnleithner (1766-1835) then secretary of the imperial Viennese court theater (Burgtheater and Kärntnertortheater). The proceeds of the concert should benefit the newly founded institution. Emperor Franz I donated 1,000 guilders, the net profit amounted to 25,934 florins finally Viennese currency. First office of the company was the Lobkowitz Palace today Lobkowitzplatz.

Goals

According to its statutes, which originated in 1814, is the "Empor renewed progress on music in all its branches" primary purpose of the Company.

The Friends of Music Society reaches(d) this in three ways:

The establishment of a conservatory,

The systematic collection of musicological documents (archive)

Organizing their own concerts.

To date, private commitment of individual members shapes the functioning of the Company. Since January 2000, all editions of the monthly appearing club newspaper "music lovers" on the website of the company are available .

Concerts

On the initiative of Antonio Salieri's first choral activities at the Musikverein go back, for example, also in 1824 at the Vienna initial or first performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and 9th Symphony was involved. After there had been choral concerts of the Association for many years, then in 1858 was the official establishment of the Concert Choir held as a branch association of the Vienna Musikverein. The first principal conductor of the Vienna Singing Society was Johann von Herbeck, directs the choir since 1991, Johannes Prinz.

Musikverein (1831-1870) to the Tuchlauben (home to the Red Hedgehog), first building on the right, then No. 558, now No. 12

First concert hall of the society

1829 , the Company purchased a scoring for Kärnthnerviertl house on the Tuchlauben (home to the Red Hedgehog, rented from 1822, then House # 558, today Tuchlauben 12) with several business offices and apartments, it had the house demolished and gave at Franz Lossl (Site Manager: Carl Högl) by around 88,000 guilders (including equipment) the construction of a three storey new building with a concert hall on the 1st Floor in order. The site was approximately opposite the former Ofenlochgasse, since 1863 Kleeblattgasse. The Brandstätte that time not yet branched of from the Tuchlauben, but was a small place near the St. Stephen's Cathedral.

The festival opening concert of the hall took place on 4 November 1831 instead (then the cholera raged in Vienna). The Musikverein contributed among other things at this location (visitor concerts were still highly popular in the large ball room of the Hofburg ) essentially to the public concert life in Vienna.

The hall proved with 700 seats soon to be too small, but was still used for almost 40 years. 1846 gas lighting was installed. In the upper floors of the Conservatory and the archives of the Society, offices and rehearsal rooms were located.

The Society of Friends of Music in 1870 moved into their new house and sold its first house in the same year. In the subsequent use of it emerged inter alia the Strampfer-Theatre. The building was demolished in 1885.

Vienna Musikverein in 1898

Today's office of the Company

1863, Emperor Franz Joseph I donates the society from the state capital, the area on the bank of the river opposite the Vienna Karlskirche (church). It was on the former glacis of the 1858 demolished city walls around the old town. 1861-1869 emerged near the present-day Vienna State Opera, on the neighboring construction site on the riverbank 1865-1868 the Vienna Künstlerhaus, on the direction of ring road adjacent square 1862-1865 today's Imperial Hotel.

The of Theophil Hansen, who later built the Parliament, designed house, shortened to Vienna Musikverein, was on 6 January 1870 opened with a celebratory concert. That same year, the High Steward of the Emperor, Prince Constantine zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, was in gratitude for the favor of the imperial court for the new building project appointed as a honorary member of the society.

1869 Carl Heissler was the first conductor of the orchestra of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. 187, and 1872 was the Russian composer Anton Rubinstein artistic director of the company. After a short time he was replaced by Johannes Brahms.

Children and Youth Projects

In order to convey the joy of music and access to classical culture children and adolescents, the Friends of Music Society offers a pertinent program: In April 1989, it was the first "Celebration for Children" in all the rooms of the Musikverein building, since the offer has been steadily expanded and now includes more than 150 projects for all ages 3-19 years. The 20-year anniversary of the youth concerts was celebrated with a big party at the Vienna Musikverein in 2009. Symbol of child and youth concerts of the Society of Friends of Music is the concert clown Allegretto.

Artistic performances will be processed in accordance with the relevant age requirements paying particular attention to opportunities for active contribution. These include sing and dance along to the little ones, a gallery of children's drawings on the Internet and artist talks under the slogan "meet the artist" with internationally renowned conductors, soloists and composers for 15- to 19- year-old.

Conservatory of the Society of Music Lovers

The Conservatory was the first public music school in Vienna and was founded in 1819 by the violinist Joseph Böhm. As early as 1818, the Court Kapellmeister Antonio Salieri began to form a singing class. The general musical newspaper wrote here about 7 January 1818: "As the beginning of a newly established Conservatory imparts our worthy Hofkapellm. (chapel masteer) Salieri already to 12 girls and 12 boys gratuitous singing lessons."

On 19 April, the first 24 students of the Conservatory presented themselves in a collective concert of the Friends of Music to the public and sing an A cappella choral of Salieri. The dedication on the autograph reads: "Ringraziamento because farsi alli Benefattori del Conservatorio della musica nazionale inglese dalli primi Ventiquattro allieve dodici Ragazzi e dodici Ragazze, di detto luogo, nella quarta accademia dei dilettanti il giorno 19 Aprile 1818".

In the 19th Century, this facility has been significantly expanded, in the 1890s it had more than 1,000 students and found imitation in Vienna in other such facilities. In 1909, the private institute was to resolution of the emperor as "k.k. Academy of Music and Dramatic Art" nationalized. Thus, it is predecessor of today's University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

Archive

The archives of the Society of Friends of Music is one of the most important music collections in the world.

Personalities

Musikverein building of 1870 (2006)

Musikverein building at night

Founder

Joseph Sonnleithner (1766-1835)

Co-Founder

Fanny von Arnstein (1758-1818)

Prince Franz Joseph Maximilian von Lobkowitz (1772-1816) , Major General, art lover and patron

Famous members

Leopold of Sonnleithner (1797-1873), lawyer and music collector

January Václav Voříšek (1791-1825), composer, pianist and organist, as a member in 1818.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828), full member from 12 June 1827

Concert directors

Carl Heissler, lithography by Joseph Kriehuber, 1866

Carl Heissler (1823-1878), Artistic Director 1869-1871

Anton Rubinstein, Artistic Director 1871-1872

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), concert director 1872-1875

Eduard Schön (1825-1879), Ministerialrat and composer, director in 1870

Johann von Herbeck (1831-1877), conductor and composer

Hans Richter (1843-1916), conductor, director until 1900

Franz Schalk (1863-1931), concert director 1904-1921

Ferdinand Löwe (1865-1925), concert director

Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886-1954), concert director 1921-1927 (jointly with Leopold Reichwein)

Leopold Reichwein (1878-1945), concert director 1921-1927 (together with Wilhelm Furtwängler)

Robert Heger (1886-1978), concert director 1925-1933

Walter Legge (1906-1979), director from 1946

Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), last concert director 1948-1964

Vice Presidents

Raphael Georg Kiesewetter (1773-1850), privy councillor and musician, vice president 1821-1843

Nikolaus Dumba (1830-1900), industrialist, vice president in 1880

Gustav Ortner (born 1935) , diplomat, vice president since 2001

Directorate members

Heinrich Eduard Josef von Lannoy (1787-1853), conductor and composer, member

Martin Gustav Nottebohm (1817-1882), musicologist and composer, member from 1858

Anthony van Hoboken (1887-1983), musicologist and collector, member since 1957

Brothers Czartoryski, circa 1870

Secretaries

Leopold Alexander Zellner, general secretary in 1880

Botstiber Hugo (1875-1941), secretary and office director 1905-1912

Angyan Thomas (born 1953), general and artistic director since 1988

Archivist

Martin Gustav Nottebohm in 1864

Eusebius Mandyczewski (1857-1929), musicologist and composer, from 1887

Karl Geiringer (1899-1989), musicologist and librarian, 1930-1938

Otto Biba (born 1946), musicologist and director of the archive, since 1979

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_der_Musikfreunde_in_Wien

About the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa

 

** Hacienda Pinilla

 

In the 1950s, Hoover Gordon “Pat” Pattillo was a power player in the development of Atlanta, when the city was coming into its own. Pattillo Construction Inc. began as a family-owned design/build general contractor serving Atlanta and the state of Georgia. The business built over 1,000 industrial buildings accounting for more than 80 million square feet. Pattillo was a

prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist in Georgia. He served as chairman (1975) of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and president of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

 

In 1974 H.G. Pattillo bought a cattle ranch in Costa Rica, locally known as Hacienda Pinilla. He would come down once a year and stay in the old farmhouse. He had no long range ideas

for what to do with the land. But following his retirement in the mid 1990's Pattillo begin developing the ranch land with a few home sites. Eventually the ranch, located just south of Tamarindo and Langosta and North of Playa Avellanas, became a 5,000 acre development featuring a JW Marriott hotel (opened in 2008), golf course, tennis courts, residential housing, condos, restaurants, beach club, equestrian center and a working cattle ranch and one of the ten best beaches in all of Central America.

 

After 40 years of directing and overseeing Hacienda Pinilla, Pat Pattillo, the majority shareholder of Agroganadera Pinilla, S.A, determined auctioning off the property (estimated proceeds were $2 billion) would allow for the acceleration of the vision for the project. Agroganadera Pinilla has invested more than $178 million in the ranch development, which includes the infrastructure for water, electricity and fiber optics. Also, proceeds form the auction would permanently fund the charitable work of Guanacaste Ventures U.S. Inc and its Costa Rican counterpart - Fundación Progreso Guanacast.

 

The foundations were established in 2005 by Mr. H.G. (“Pat”) Pattillo, the majority shareholder of Agroganadera Pinilla, S.A. The original idea was to use profits garnered from the Hacienda Pinilla Beach Resort and Residential Community to improve the lives and offer educational opportunities of the citizens of the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica.

 

After consideration of all offers and options, Agroganadera Pinilla, S.A,. determined that retention of ownership control and an aggressive reinvestment in the project, along with improvements to resort operations, would result in the optimal outcomes for current ownership, property owners, partners, the foundations and staff. Moving forward Bree McClure Pattillo, Pat Patilla's granddaughter was named as its new president in 2012. Bree Pattillo is a director and officer of Pattillo Construction Corp. and several real estate holding companies in the United States, and received her MBA from The Citadel.

 

** JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa

 

From the open-air plazas to the chunky stone walls to the red roof tiles, this JW Marriott resort sits on the edge of the 4,500-acre Hacienda Pinilla and exudes the charm of an old hacienda by the sea. Designed by Costa Rican architect Ronald Zurcher, the architect for the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, this 310-unit colonial compound was planned to preserve history and nature. The interiors were conceived by Dallas interior designer Paul Duesing. Duesing's résumé boasts 97 five-star hotels, including Capella Pedregal (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico) and Tucker’s Point Club (Bermuda) and most recently the Mukul Resort & Spa in Nicaragua.

 

The JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort is owned by Grupo Poma, a family-owned company headed by Ricardo Poma in El Salvador. The hotel opened in 2009 and is on land owned by

Agroganader Pinilla. Ricardo Poma, president of developer Grupo Poma, told the grand-opening crowd that the first time he came to Hacienda Pinilla Beach Resort and Residential

Community, he fell in love with its sprawling dry forest, temperate weather, gorgeous Pacific beaches and lovely people, and decided to build the five-star hotel at this location.

 

Ricardo Poma was an original investor in Mitt Romney's Bain Capital. Poma obtained an industrial engineering degree from Princeton University in 1967 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1970. Some of Grupo Poma’s business activities include automobile dealerships, real estate development and construction, industrial manufacturing and hotels.

 

Grupo Poma's Hotel division, Real Hotels and Resorts, whose CEO is Ricardo's son Fernando, owns twenty eight InterContinental, Marriott International and Choice Hotels in Central America, Colombia, the Caribbean and Miami, Florida.

 

Costa Rica’s president, Oscar Arias Sanchez, U.S.Ambassador Peter Cianchette and Mr. Pattillo, a founder of the Pattillo C onstruction Co. attended the Feb. 4, 2009 dedication of the

five-star J.W. Marriott Guanacaste Resort and Spa at Hacienda Pinilla, the 40th JW Marriott property worldwide.

 

Carlos Diago was the opening General Manager. He previously served as Rooms Director for the JW Marriott Mexico City. He currently is the GM at the Cali Marriott Hotel, a Real Hotel.

 

Jesus Gonzalez was named General Manager in March 2012 where he currently serves. Previously he was general manager at Hotel Real InterContinental San Pedro Sula for 4 years.

 

** The Golf Course at Hacienda Pinilla

 

Pat Pattillo conceived the course in the late 1990s as a centerpiece for Hacienda Pinilla and to lure resort development and homesite ownership. Created by Georgia golf architect Mike Young, the layout conforms gracefully to the natural flow of the land, weaving through the tropical forest along the shores of the Pacific to provide an unparalleled blue water backdrop.

 

Opened in 2000, the par 72 course, which can play up to 7,200 yards, was designed to enhance the natural landscape of Hacienda Pinilla. Young’s distinctive taste for details allowed him to design a course where each hole harmonizes with the slopes and the profile of the landscape. Tif Eagle bermuda grass greens, lush fairways and steep-faced bunkers are surrounded by trees and waste areas. An inventory for habitat purposes revealed 30 colonies of the howler monkeys - expect to see some climbing or howling through the trees on or near the course.

 

Compiled by Dick Johnson

October 2015

Last night the RCR team were on-hand as VIPs for the opening of the "Mermaid Museum" to promote the new mermaid drama “Siren,” on Freeform. The event is co-hosted by PopSugar and creates an immersive mermaid museum here in the heart of Hollywood. Best part... it is now open to the public from March 22nd to the 25th for fans to experience unique photo installations, illusions, and a live mermaid.

 

Screening the first three episodes, we can tell you that this is a really exciting new "original" series for lovers of "fanta-sea" and tales of mermaids. It's original, action packed and very engaging. There are twists, turns and lots of nailbiting scenes that will keep you wondering what will happen next...

 

Talking to the cast at the party was also a treat, they are very excited to see more fan reactions when the series premieres.

Freeform's Upcoming Drama 'Siren' Premieres on International Mermaid Day, March 29, with a Special Two-Hour Premiere

About the Mermaid Museum in Hollywood

Open to the public from March 22 to the 25, the free ticketed event will celebrate the mythological, mysterious, and beloved creatures with over five activations and celebrate the upcoming International Mermaid Day, which coincides with the series premiere on March 29. Featuring a live mermaid, a speakeasy-inspired fishing store, numerous photo structures and a 360° underwater immersive experience; the museum will celebrate and bring mermaid culture to life.

 

Giving Back

In celebration of sea creatures everywhere, Freeform will make a donation to Heal the Bay to help keep Los Angeles’ coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy and clean. Additionally, the live mermaid will be swimming in a custom-built tank filled with 4,800 gallons of water which, at the end of the exhibition, will be donated to TreePeople. The water will go into a cistern at their facility in Los Angeles and will be used to water the surrounding landscape enjoyed by tens of thousands of hikers every year.

 

For video interviews and other Red Carpet Report coverage, please visit www.redcarpetreporttv.com and follow us on Twitter and Facebook at:

twitter.com/TheRedCarpetTV

www.facebook.com/RedCarpetReport

www.youtube.com/MingleMediaTVNetwork

 

“Siren” premieres on International Mermaid Day, March 29 (8:00 - 10:00 p.m.), with a special two-hour event.

 

More About “Siren”

This series takes us inside Bristol Cove—a coastal town known for its legend of once being home to mermaids. When the arrival of a mysterious girl proves this folklore all too true, the battle between man and sea takes a very vicious turn as these predatory beings return to reclaim their right to the ocean. The series stars Alex Roe (“The 5th Wave”) as Ben, a bright marine biologist who finds himself drawn to Ryn, a mysterious new girl in town played by Eline Powell (“Game of Thrones”), who is a strange young woman with a deep dark secret. Fola Evans-Akingbola (“An American Exorcism”) stars as Maddie, also a marine biologist who works with Ben, and is highly suspicious of Ryn. Ian Verdun (“Life’s a Drag”) stars as Xander, a deep sea fisherman on a quest to uncover the truth; and Rena Owen (“Star Wars” Episodes II and III) as Helen, the town eccentric who seems to know more about the mermaids than she lets on.

 

Based on a story by Eric Wald and Dean White who both serve as executive producers. Emily Whitesell (“Finding Carter”) is on board as showrunner and executive producer. Brad Luff, Nate Hopper and RD Robb are also attached as executive producers.

 

Follow on IG www.instagram.com/Siren/

Like on FB www.facebook.com/Siren

Follow on Twitter twitter.com/SirenTV

More on freeform.go.com/shows/siren

Scouts Camporee on Omaha Beach Honors Heroes and Promotes Peace.

 

By Robert Turtil

 

U.S. Scouts gathered April 24 to 27 for the 2014 Omaha Beach Camporee, in event held every three years in Normandy, France. This years Camporee was particularly special, because it was recognized as the opening event of the 70th anniversary of the D Day landings planned for June. Hundreds of Scouts from France, Britain, Poland, Switzerland, the BeNeLux and Scandinavian countries, Germany and other nations joined for a weekend of remembrance.

 

U.S. embassy personnel and active duty service members brought their families from facilities around Europe and North Africa. More than a few F-16 fighter jockeys directed AstroVans from the Autobahn to the AutoRoute to the D-514, while others followed the more historic route across, or below, the English Channel. Some Scouts flew from American cities over their spring break, and as usual, moms led the charge when dads couldn’t get away. All converged on a welcoming destination for Americans on the French coast.

 

Nearly 4,200 troops and their supporting families battled sometimes horizontal rain to re-live the history, and recognize the sacrifices of American and Allied soldiers, many close to their own age, who have fought and died fighting for freedom and peace. World War Two Veterans were honored, and sacrifices made during The Great War, Korea, Vietnam and The War on Terror were also recognized by scout leaders and other volunteers, many of whom are U.S. Veterans, the traditional backbone of scouting in America.

 

Campsites were pitched in the rain, the mud and the dark; pots of pasta were swamped by tent malfunctions. The elements provoked short-term tears and tantrums, and perhaps a sleepless night. But complaints were mitigated with stories of invasion boats packed with seasick assault troops, mud filled foxholes, and cold k-rations, as Scouts peered at the sogginess of this Norman spring. But, as EVERY Scout knows, only fun will be remembered of the mud and chill of this weekend.

 

Scout convoys raced around the invasion coast following ambitious schedules: Utah Beach, Point D’Hoc, Sainte Mere Eglise, Arromanches, the Pegasus Bridge and many museums. Scouts and Veterans were the special guests of honor at the historic and grand Notre Dame Cathedral of Bayeux where clergy, along with national and local leaders, christened a newly forged Bell of Peace and Freedom. The Cathedral was a packed and flowing sea of international scout uniforms, flags and neckerchiefs… all highlighted by sunbeams streaking through stained-glass windows.

 

90 year-old, World War ll Army Air Force Veteran Captain Samuel Wiley Hammersmith, B-25 pilot with 28 missions in the Pacific, mingled with Scouts throughout the weekend.

 

New Eagles and candidates for the Order of the Arrow were sworn in at an Omaha Beach campfire in the most meaningful of ceremonies for Scouts and their families. A French Air Force flyover, a military band and youth choir opened the Messengers of Peace multimedia presentation, bringing home the sacrifices made in the past and the promise of peace Scouting seeks to contribute worldwide. That evening, friendships were made, neckerchiefs swapped, and Paella shared at sunset on the beach, followed by a fusillade of fireworks.

 

Sunday’s closing ceremony was held in the drizzle at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Each Troop flew its colors and laid a wreath at the base of the huge bronze statue, The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves. Scouts and their families then joined hundreds of others walking the many acres of markers, looking for specific names, or just looking, at the beauty- with history, the sense of sacrifice and a touch of tears that the damp, perfect green grass of the cemetery envokes. Slowly the parking lot emptied as each American Troop and Patrol headed in every direction across Europe and the ocean… home.

 

If you would like to support the Scouts quest to preserve Omaha Beach as a UNESCO World Heritage site, follow this link and sign the petition:

www.change.org/petitions/unesco-save-the-d-day-beaches-ma...

 

Photos Courtesy Robert Turtil

 

Scouts Camporee on Omaha Beach Honors Heroes and Promotes Peace.

 

By Robert Turtil

 

U.S. Scouts gathered April 24 to 27 for the 2014 Omaha Beach Camporee, in event held every three years in Normandy, France. This years Camporee was particularly special, because it was recognized as the opening event of the 70th anniversary of the D Day landings planned for June. Hundreds of Scouts from France, Britain, Poland, Switzerland, the BeNeLux and Scandinavian countries, Germany and other nations joined for a weekend of remembrance.

 

U.S. embassy personnel and active duty service members brought their families from facilities around Europe and North Africa. More than a few F-16 fighter jockeys directed AstroVans from the Autobahn to the AutoRoute to the D-514, while others followed the more historic route across, or below, the English Channel. Some Scouts flew from American cities over their spring break, and as usual, moms led the charge when dads couldn’t get away. All converged on a welcoming destination for Americans on the French coast.

 

Nearly 4,200 troops and their supporting families battled sometimes horizontal rain to re-live the history, and recognize the sacrifices of American and Allied soldiers, many close to their own age, who have fought and died fighting for freedom and peace. World War Two Veterans were honored, and sacrifices made during The Great War, Korea, Vietnam and The War on Terror were also recognized by scout leaders and other volunteers, many of whom are U.S. Veterans, the traditional backbone of scouting in America.

 

Campsites were pitched in the rain, the mud and the dark; pots of pasta were swamped by tent malfunctions. The elements provoked short-term tears and tantrums, and perhaps a sleepless night. But complaints were mitigated with stories of invasion boats packed with seasick assault troops, mud filled foxholes, and cold k-rations, as Scouts peered at the sogginess of this Norman spring. But, as EVERY Scout knows, only fun will be remembered of the mud and chill of this weekend.

 

Scout convoys raced around the invasion coast following ambitious schedules: Utah Beach, Point D’Hoc, Sainte Mere Eglise, Arromanches, the Pegasus Bridge and many museums. Scouts and Veterans were the special guests of honor at the historic and grand Notre Dame Cathedral of Bayeux where clergy, along with national and local leaders, christened a newly forged Bell of Peace and Freedom. The Cathedral was a packed and flowing sea of international scout uniforms, flags and neckerchiefs… all highlighted by sunbeams streaking through stained-glass windows.

 

90 year-old, World War ll Army Air Force Veteran Captain Samuel Wiley Hammersmith, B-25 pilot with 28 missions in the Pacific, mingled with Scouts throughout the weekend.

 

New Eagles and candidates for the Order of the Arrow were sworn in at an Omaha Beach campfire in the most meaningful of ceremonies for Scouts and their families. A French Air Force flyover, a military band and youth choir opened the Messengers of Peace multimedia presentation, bringing home the sacrifices made in the past and the promise of peace Scouting seeks to contribute worldwide. That evening, friendships were made, neckerchiefs swapped, and Paella shared at sunset on the beach, followed by a fusillade of fireworks.

 

Sunday’s closing ceremony was held in the drizzle at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Each Troop flew its colors and laid a wreath at the base of the huge bronze statue, The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves. Scouts and their families then joined hundreds of others walking the many acres of markers, looking for specific names, or just looking, at the beauty- with history, the sense of sacrifice and a touch of tears that the damp, perfect green grass of the cemetery envokes. Slowly the parking lot emptied as each American Troop and Patrol headed in every direction across Europe and the ocean… home.

 

If you would like to support the Scouts quest to preserve Omaha Beach as a UNESCO World Heritage site, follow this link and sign the petition:

www.change.org/petitions/unesco-save-the-d-day-beaches-ma...

 

Photos Courtesy Robert Turtil

 

Promoting my new books " A New Day" & "Un Dia Nuevo"

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland

promoting season 4 of AMC's The Walking Dead

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Fire Department gathered on May 5, 2022 to honor the achievements of seventy LAFD uniformed and civilian members who successfully completed the demanding process of promoting in rank or status within the Department.

 

Expressing her pride in their accomplishments, City of Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley oversaw the formal promotion ceremony at the LAFD Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Elysian Park.

 

Individually honored at the event were:

 

PROMOTING TO BATTALION CHIEF:

 

Martin G. Mullen

Ricky D. Crawford

Brett R. Willis

Timothy G. Lambert

 

PROMOTING TO CAPTAIN II:

 

Abran Tapia III

Kyle M. Rausch

Timothy J. Toledo

Bryan R. Willis

Leroy R. Rogers

Santino B. Marcione

Daniel J. Will

 

PROMOTING TO CAPTAIN I:

 

Landon Rupright

Kuniyuki Kasahara

Austin M. Hajjar

Scott R. Benton

Jason E. Yim

Bryan A. Geiger

Senay I. Teklu

Dameon A. Cane

Osbaldo G. Garcia

Stephen M. Hiserman

 

PROMOTING TO APPARATUS OPERATOR:

 

Brian A. Farris

Aaron E. Brownell

Mark S. Perine

Cameron S. Sentance

 

PROMOTING TO ENGINEER:

 

Anh M. Nguyen

Garrett M. Roach

Jacob S. Gonzalez

Jake B. Lins

Paul D. Jeremica

Matthew R. Moon

Calos Zuniga

Chelsey C. Grigsby

Cody A. Morgan

Drew R. Denton

Jesus Padilla

Cody E. Eitner

Christopher R. Winn

William F. Isozaki

Presyller G. Gadia Jr.

 

PROMOTING TO INSPECTOR II:

 

Laveon Rider

Daryl S. Yoshihashi

Lance S. Kawakami

 

PROMOTING TO INSPECTOR I:

 

Mathew J. Kovar

Blake S. Robbins

Jason G. Bunn

Marteese Smith

Benjamin R. Guzman

Ildefonso Felix

Lonnie Lopez

John D. Heller

 

PROMOTING TO FIREFIGHTER III / PARAMEDIC:

 

Natalie N. Martin

A'Raymond S. Smith

Charles Flowers

Jacy W. Hernandez

Sergio Lara Jara

Edward J. Oh

Mitchell R. Wasserman

Darion M. Timmons

Zulema Chavez

Jonathan C. McNey

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ELECTRICIAN:

 

Frank Moreno

 

PROMOTING TO FIRE SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR:

 

Valerie J. Ross

 

PROMOTING TO SECRETARY:

 

Hana K. Ali

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE CLERK:

 

Gina Nelson

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR ACCOUNTANT II:

 

Marife Espenilla

 

PROMOTING TO EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III:

 

Isela Iniquez

 

PROMOTING TO FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER ASSOCIATE IV:

 

William D. Johns

Oscar Salgado

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR PERSONNEL ANALYST II:

 

Irma Romanelli

 

----------------------------

 

Photo Use Permitted via Creative Commons - Credit LAFD

 

LAFD Event 050522-Promotion Ceremony

 

Connect with us: LAFD.ORG | News | Facebook | Instagram | Reddit | Twitter: @LAFD @LAFDtalk

The Treaty Event aims at promoting universal adherence to the most important multilateral treaties for which the Director General of the IAEA is depositary. In this respect, as was the case in previous years, the event provides an additional opportunity for Member States to deposit instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval, or accession. IAEA 66th General Conference. IAEA, Vienna, Austria, 26 September 2022.

 

Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA

 

HE Mr UNG Eang, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Mine and Energy of the Kingdom of Cambodia, is depositing, on behalf of Cambodia, an instrument of accession to the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency.

 

HE Mr Mahmoud Brahim Khlil, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is depositing, on behalf of Mauritania, an instrument of acceptance of the African Regional Co-operative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA).

 

Mr Alexandre Maphossa, Director General of the National Atomic Energy Agency of the Republic of Mozambique, is depositing, on behalf of Mozambique, an instrument of ratification of the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material.

 

Society of Friends of Music in Vienna

The Society of Friends of Music in Vienna (briefly : Wiener Musikverein) is a traditional club in Vienna to promote musical culture. It was founded in 1812.

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of the site!)

Founded Concert 1812

Foundation

On 29 November and 3 December 1812 was performed in the Winter Riding School of the Hofburg the Handel oratorio Timothy. This concert can be considered as a trigger for the founding of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. As the founder of the association is Joseph Sonnleithner (1766-1835) then secretary of the imperial Viennese court theater (Burgtheater and Kärntnertortheater). The proceeds of the concert should benefit the newly founded institution. Emperor Franz I donated 1,000 guilders, the net profit amounted to 25,934 florins finally Viennese currency. First office of the company was the Lobkowitz Palace today Lobkowitzplatz.

Goals

According to its statutes, which originated in 1814, is the "Empor renewed progress on music in all its branches" primary purpose of the Company.

The Friends of Music Society reaches(d) this in three ways:

The establishment of a conservatory,

The systematic collection of musicological documents (archive)

Organizing their own concerts.

To date, private commitment of individual members shapes the functioning of the Company. Since January 2000, all editions of the monthly appearing club newspaper "music lovers" on the website of the company are available .

Concerts

On the initiative of Antonio Salieri's first choral activities at the Musikverein go back, for example, also in 1824 at the Vienna initial or first performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and 9th Symphony was involved. After there had been choral concerts of the Association for many years, then in 1858 was the official establishment of the Concert Choir held as a branch association of the Vienna Musikverein. The first principal conductor of the Vienna Singing Society was Johann von Herbeck, directs the choir since 1991, Johannes Prinz.

Musikverein (1831-1870) to the Tuchlauben (home to the Red Hedgehog), first building on the right, then No. 558, now No. 12

First concert hall of the society

1829 , the Company purchased a scoring for Kärnthnerviertl house on the Tuchlauben (home to the Red Hedgehog, rented from 1822, then House # 558, today Tuchlauben 12) with several business offices and apartments, it had the house demolished and gave at Franz Lossl (Site Manager: Carl Högl) by around 88,000 guilders (including equipment) the construction of a three storey new building with a concert hall on the 1st Floor in order. The site was approximately opposite the former Ofenlochgasse, since 1863 Kleeblattgasse. The Brandstätte that time not yet branched of from the Tuchlauben, but was a small place near the St. Stephen's Cathedral.

The festival opening concert of the hall took place on 4 November 1831 instead (then the cholera raged in Vienna). The Musikverein contributed among other things at this location (visitor concerts were still highly popular in the large ball room of the Hofburg ) essentially to the public concert life in Vienna.

The hall proved with 700 seats soon to be too small, but was still used for almost 40 years. 1846 gas lighting was installed. In the upper floors of the Conservatory and the archives of the Society, offices and rehearsal rooms were located.

The Society of Friends of Music in 1870 moved into their new house and sold its first house in the same year. In the subsequent use of it emerged inter alia the Strampfer-Theatre. The building was demolished in 1885.

Vienna Musikverein in 1898

Today's office of the Company

1863, Emperor Franz Joseph I donates the society from the state capital, the area on the bank of the river opposite the Vienna Karlskirche (church). It was on the former glacis of the 1858 demolished city walls around the old town. 1861-1869 emerged near the present-day Vienna State Opera, on the neighboring construction site on the riverbank 1865-1868 the Vienna Künstlerhaus, on the direction of ring road adjacent square 1862-1865 today's Imperial Hotel.

The of Theophil Hansen, who later built the Parliament, designed house, shortened to Vienna Musikverein, was on 6 January 1870 opened with a celebratory concert. That same year, the High Steward of the Emperor, Prince Constantine zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, was in gratitude for the favor of the imperial court for the new building project appointed as a honorary member of the society.

1869 Carl Heissler was the first conductor of the orchestra of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. 187, and 1872 was the Russian composer Anton Rubinstein artistic director of the company. After a short time he was replaced by Johannes Brahms.

Children and Youth Projects

In order to convey the joy of music and access to classical culture children and adolescents, the Friends of Music Society offers a pertinent program: In April 1989, it was the first "Celebration for Children" in all the rooms of the Musikverein building, since the offer has been steadily expanded and now includes more than 150 projects for all ages 3-19 years. The 20-year anniversary of the youth concerts was celebrated with a big party at the Vienna Musikverein in 2009. Symbol of child and youth concerts of the Society of Friends of Music is the concert clown Allegretto.

Artistic performances will be processed in accordance with the relevant age requirements paying particular attention to opportunities for active contribution. These include sing and dance along to the little ones, a gallery of children's drawings on the Internet and artist talks under the slogan "meet the artist" with internationally renowned conductors, soloists and composers for 15- to 19- year-old.

Conservatory of the Society of Music Lovers

The Conservatory was the first public music school in Vienna and was founded in 1819 by the violinist Joseph Böhm. As early as 1818, the Court Kapellmeister Antonio Salieri began to form a singing class. The general musical newspaper wrote here about 7 January 1818: "As the beginning of a newly established Conservatory imparts our worthy Hofkapellm. (chapel masteer) Salieri already to 12 girls and 12 boys gratuitous singing lessons."

On 19 April, the first 24 students of the Conservatory presented themselves in a collective concert of the Friends of Music to the public and sing an A cappella choral of Salieri. The dedication on the autograph reads: "Ringraziamento because farsi alli Benefattori del Conservatorio della musica nazionale inglese dalli primi Ventiquattro allieve dodici Ragazzi e dodici Ragazze, di detto luogo, nella quarta accademia dei dilettanti il giorno 19 Aprile 1818".

In the 19th Century, this facility has been significantly expanded, in the 1890s it had more than 1,000 students and found imitation in Vienna in other such facilities. In 1909, the private institute was to resolution of the emperor as "k.k. Academy of Music and Dramatic Art" nationalized. Thus, it is predecessor of today's University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

Archive

The archives of the Society of Friends of Music is one of the most important music collections in the world.

Personalities

Musikverein building of 1870 (2006)

Musikverein building at night

Founder

Joseph Sonnleithner (1766-1835)

Co-Founder

Fanny von Arnstein (1758-1818)

Prince Franz Joseph Maximilian von Lobkowitz (1772-1816) , Major General, art lover and patron

Famous members

Leopold of Sonnleithner (1797-1873), lawyer and music collector

January Václav Voříšek (1791-1825), composer, pianist and organist, as a member in 1818.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828), full member from 12 June 1827

Concert directors

Carl Heissler, lithography by Joseph Kriehuber, 1866

Carl Heissler (1823-1878), Artistic Director 1869-1871

Anton Rubinstein, Artistic Director 1871-1872

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), concert director 1872-1875

Eduard Schön (1825-1879), Ministerialrat and composer, director in 1870

Johann von Herbeck (1831-1877), conductor and composer

Hans Richter (1843-1916), conductor, director until 1900

Franz Schalk (1863-1931), concert director 1904-1921

Ferdinand Löwe (1865-1925), concert director

Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886-1954), concert director 1921-1927 (jointly with Leopold Reichwein)

Leopold Reichwein (1878-1945), concert director 1921-1927 (together with Wilhelm Furtwängler)

Robert Heger (1886-1978), concert director 1925-1933

Walter Legge (1906-1979), director from 1946

Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), last concert director 1948-1964

Vice Presidents

Raphael Georg Kiesewetter (1773-1850), privy councillor and musician, vice president 1821-1843

Nikolaus Dumba (1830-1900), industrialist, vice president in 1880

Gustav Ortner (born 1935) , diplomat, vice president since 2001

Directorate members

Heinrich Eduard Josef von Lannoy (1787-1853), conductor and composer, member

Martin Gustav Nottebohm (1817-1882), musicologist and composer, member from 1858

Anthony van Hoboken (1887-1983), musicologist and collector, member since 1957

Brothers Czartoryski, circa 1870

Secretaries

Leopold Alexander Zellner, general secretary in 1880

Botstiber Hugo (1875-1941), secretary and office director 1905-1912

Angyan Thomas (born 1953), general and artistic director since 1988

Archivist

Martin Gustav Nottebohm in 1864

Eusebius Mandyczewski (1857-1929), musicologist and composer, from 1887

Karl Geiringer (1899-1989), musicologist and librarian, 1930-1938

Otto Biba (born 1946), musicologist and director of the archive, since 1979

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_der_Musikfreunde_in_Wien

Taken during the 2014 No Pants Subway Ride also known as No Pants Day in NYC.

Kids of all ages taking part of International Roma Day activities in Tirinia, Albania

 

Read more about Roma in Europe and Central Asia: europeandcis.undp.org/ourwork/roma

Scouts Camporee on Omaha Beach Honors Heroes and Promotes Peace.

 

By Robert Turtil

 

U.S. Scouts gathered April 24 to 27 for the 2014 Omaha Beach Camporee, in event held every three years in Normandy, France. This years Camporee was particularly special, because it was recognized as the opening event of the 70th anniversary of the D Day landings planned for June. Hundreds of Scouts from France, Britain, Poland, Switzerland, the BeNeLux and Scandinavian countries, Germany and other nations joined for a weekend of remembrance.

 

U.S. embassy personnel and active duty service members brought their families from facilities around Europe and North Africa. More than a few F-16 fighter jockeys directed AstroVans from the Autobahn to the AutoRoute to the D-514, while others followed the more historic route across, or below, the English Channel. Some Scouts flew from American cities over their spring break, and as usual, moms led the charge when dads couldn’t get away. All converged on a welcoming destination for Americans on the French coast.

 

Nearly 4,200 troops and their supporting families battled sometimes horizontal rain to re-live the history, and recognize the sacrifices of American and Allied soldiers, many close to their own age, who have fought and died fighting for freedom and peace. World War Two Veterans were honored, and sacrifices made during The Great War, Korea, Vietnam and The War on Terror were also recognized by scout leaders and other volunteers, many of whom are U.S. Veterans, the traditional backbone of scouting in America.

 

Campsites were pitched in the rain, the mud and the dark; pots of pasta were swamped by tent malfunctions. The elements provoked short-term tears and tantrums, and perhaps a sleepless night. But complaints were mitigated with stories of invasion boats packed with seasick assault troops, mud filled foxholes, and cold k-rations, as Scouts peered at the sogginess of this Norman spring. But, as EVERY Scout knows, only fun will be remembered of the mud and chill of this weekend.

 

Scout convoys raced around the invasion coast following ambitious schedules: Utah Beach, Point D’Hoc, Sainte Mere Eglise, Arromanches, the Pegasus Bridge and many museums. Scouts and Veterans were the special guests of honor at the historic and grand Notre Dame Cathedral of Bayeux where clergy, along with national and local leaders, christened a newly forged Bell of Peace and Freedom. The Cathedral was a packed and flowing sea of international scout uniforms, flags and neckerchiefs… all highlighted by sunbeams streaking through stained-glass windows.

 

90 year-old, World War ll Army Air Force Veteran Captain Samuel Wiley Hammersmith, B-25 pilot with 28 missions in the Pacific, mingled with Scouts throughout the weekend.

 

New Eagles and candidates for the Order of the Arrow were sworn in at an Omaha Beach campfire in the most meaningful of ceremonies for Scouts and their families. A French Air Force flyover, a military band and youth choir opened the Messengers of Peace multimedia presentation, bringing home the sacrifices made in the past and the promise of peace Scouting seeks to contribute worldwide. That evening, friendships were made, neckerchiefs swapped, and Paella shared at sunset on the beach, followed by a fusillade of fireworks.

 

Sunday’s closing ceremony was held in the drizzle at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Each Troop flew its colors and laid a wreath at the base of the huge bronze statue, The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves. Scouts and their families then joined hundreds of others walking the many acres of markers, looking for specific names, or just looking, at the beauty- with history, the sense of sacrifice and a touch of tears that the damp, perfect green grass of the cemetery envokes. Slowly the parking lot emptied as each American Troop and Patrol headed in every direction across Europe and the ocean… home.

 

If you would like to support the Scouts quest to preserve Omaha Beach as a UNESCO World Heritage site, follow this link and sign the petition:

www.change.org/petitions/unesco-save-the-d-day-beaches-ma...

 

Photos Courtesy Robert Turtil

 

promoting her new film Pitch Perfect

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Fire Department gathered on May 5, 2022 to honor the achievements of seventy LAFD uniformed and civilian members who successfully completed the demanding process of promoting in rank or status within the Department.

 

Expressing her pride in their accomplishments, City of Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley oversaw the formal promotion ceremony at the LAFD Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Elysian Park.

 

Individually honored at the event were:

 

PROMOTING TO BATTALION CHIEF:

 

Martin G. Mullen

Ricky D. Crawford

Brett R. Willis

Timothy G. Lambert

 

PROMOTING TO CAPTAIN II:

 

Abran Tapia III

Kyle M. Rausch

Timothy J. Toledo

Bryan R. Willis

Leroy R. Rogers

Santino B. Marcione

Daniel J. Will

 

PROMOTING TO CAPTAIN I:

 

Landon Rupright

Kuniyuki Kasahara

Austin M. Hajjar

Scott R. Benton

Jason E. Yim

Bryan A. Geiger

Senay I. Teklu

Dameon A. Cane

Osbaldo G. Garcia

Stephen M. Hiserman

 

PROMOTING TO APPARATUS OPERATOR:

 

Brian A. Farris

Aaron E. Brownell

Mark S. Perine

Cameron S. Sentance

 

PROMOTING TO ENGINEER:

 

Anh M. Nguyen

Garrett M. Roach

Jacob S. Gonzalez

Jake B. Lins

Paul D. Jeremica

Matthew R. Moon

Calos Zuniga

Chelsey C. Grigsby

Cody A. Morgan

Drew R. Denton

Jesus Padilla

Cody E. Eitner

Christopher R. Winn

William F. Isozaki

Presyller G. Gadia Jr.

 

PROMOTING TO INSPECTOR II:

 

Laveon Rider

Daryl S. Yoshihashi

Lance S. Kawakami

 

PROMOTING TO INSPECTOR I:

 

Mathew J. Kovar

Blake S. Robbins

Jason G. Bunn

Marteese Smith

Benjamin R. Guzman

Ildefonso Felix

Lonnie Lopez

John D. Heller

 

PROMOTING TO FIREFIGHTER III / PARAMEDIC:

 

Natalie N. Martin

A'Raymond S. Smith

Charles Flowers

Jacy W. Hernandez

Sergio Lara Jara

Edward J. Oh

Mitchell R. Wasserman

Darion M. Timmons

Zulema Chavez

Jonathan C. McNey

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ELECTRICIAN:

 

Frank Moreno

 

PROMOTING TO FIRE SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR:

 

Valerie J. Ross

 

PROMOTING TO SECRETARY:

 

Hana K. Ali

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE CLERK:

 

Gina Nelson

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR ACCOUNTANT II:

 

Marife Espenilla

 

PROMOTING TO EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III:

 

Isela Iniquez

 

PROMOTING TO FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER ASSOCIATE IV:

 

William D. Johns

Oscar Salgado

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR PERSONNEL ANALYST II:

 

Irma Romanelli

 

----------------------------

 

Photo Use Permitted via Creative Commons - Credit LAFD

 

LAFD Event 050522-Promotion Ceremony

 

Connect with us: LAFD.ORG | News | Facebook | Instagram | Reddit | Twitter: @LAFD @LAFDtalk

The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland

[21:15] Ghouly Savage (ghoulsavage): aye bitches

[21:15] Ghouly Savage (ghoulsavage): buy this hair

[21:15] Colorless: 123

[21:15] Colorless: go

Arriva London HV147 can be seen outside Bexleyheath town centre on route 301, heading westbound towards Woolwich. This vehicle at the time of when the picture was taken, had been wrapped in Elizabeth line livery, as a way to commemorate the opening of the line’s central section through London, four months beforehand.

VIDEO - www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT5pRzEd0xE

 

Life For Mile Facebook page - www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_195327163836612

 

On July 10, 2011, the iconic wood and steel bridge in Hope, BC that was featured in the 1982 movie Rambo: First Blood bid an emotional farewell to movie fans in an event dubbed Rambo Bridge Final Take.

 

Many movie fans dressed up like Sylvester Stallone in Rambo and offered themselves up for a voluntary arrest and have their pictures taken by friends and family just to capture a piece of Hollywood movie history that will soon be gone forever. Because starting from the next day, the structure that was known as Kawkawa Bridge by locals was scheduled to be taken down piece by piece by a demolition crew.

 

Not all will be forgotten though. At least one man will have memory of the bridge etched forever on canvas by artist Mary Haymes who finished the work in 2003. He was seen cradling the artwork in his arms anxious to share with anyone about the painting.

 

On its last glory day of existence, the bridge was surrounded by hundreds of Rambo fans, some of whom came from as far away as Australia and England. Hope Mayor Laurie French reenacted the sheriff role that Brian Dennehy portrayed to the delight of many who stood by and watched.

 

Almost the entire cast of Rambo: First Blood which consists of Sylvester Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna, David Caruso etc. were a no-show. The only star that showed up was BC actor Stephen Chang who played VC Commander in the Vietnam vet turned unstable civilian flick.

 

Stephen Chang used the opportunity to sell some autographed copies and promoted his new movie Life For Mile, a feature film about the Chinese and aboriginal involvement in the construction of the transcontinental railway that united Canada as a nation in the 1880s. Life For Mile is executive produced by Stephen Chang and he will act in it. Producer Ray Van Eng wrote the screenplay with Stephen who penned the treatment.

 

The Final Take event began at 11:00 AM with a Rambo look-a-like contest and later a helicopter fly-by over Coquihalla Canyon as demoed by Valley Helicopters. Props such as a 1980s police car, a jeep and an army vehicle were on display to beef up the presentation.

 

When the day’s activities were finished, a screening of Rambo: First Blood was shown at 3:00 PM at the Hope Cinema. Rambo fans paid $5.00 to catch the matinee show.

 

[Photos & Video by Ray Van Eng. www.vancouver21.com ]

 

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Fire Department gathered on May 5, 2022 to honor the achievements of seventy LAFD uniformed and civilian members who successfully completed the demanding process of promoting in rank or status within the Department.

 

Expressing her pride in their accomplishments, City of Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley oversaw the formal promotion ceremony at the LAFD Frank Hotchkin Memorial Training Center in Elysian Park.

 

Individually honored at the event were:

 

PROMOTING TO BATTALION CHIEF:

 

Martin G. Mullen

Ricky D. Crawford

Brett R. Willis

Timothy G. Lambert

 

PROMOTING TO CAPTAIN II:

 

Abran Tapia III

Kyle M. Rausch

Timothy J. Toledo

Bryan R. Willis

Leroy R. Rogers

Santino B. Marcione

Daniel J. Will

 

PROMOTING TO CAPTAIN I:

 

Landon Rupright

Kuniyuki Kasahara

Austin M. Hajjar

Scott R. Benton

Jason E. Yim

Bryan A. Geiger

Senay I. Teklu

Dameon A. Cane

Osbaldo G. Garcia

Stephen M. Hiserman

 

PROMOTING TO APPARATUS OPERATOR:

 

Brian A. Farris

Aaron E. Brownell

Mark S. Perine

Cameron S. Sentance

 

PROMOTING TO ENGINEER:

 

Anh M. Nguyen

Garrett M. Roach

Jacob S. Gonzalez

Jake B. Lins

Paul D. Jeremica

Matthew R. Moon

Calos Zuniga

Chelsey C. Grigsby

Cody A. Morgan

Drew R. Denton

Jesus Padilla

Cody E. Eitner

Christopher R. Winn

William F. Isozaki

Presyller G. Gadia Jr.

 

PROMOTING TO INSPECTOR II:

 

Laveon Rider

Daryl S. Yoshihashi

Lance S. Kawakami

 

PROMOTING TO INSPECTOR I:

 

Mathew J. Kovar

Blake S. Robbins

Jason G. Bunn

Marteese Smith

Benjamin R. Guzman

Ildefonso Felix

Lonnie Lopez

John D. Heller

 

PROMOTING TO FIREFIGHTER III / PARAMEDIC:

 

Natalie N. Martin

A'Raymond S. Smith

Charles Flowers

Jacy W. Hernandez

Sergio Lara Jara

Edward J. Oh

Mitchell R. Wasserman

Darion M. Timmons

Zulema Chavez

Jonathan C. McNey

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS ELECTRICIAN:

 

Frank Moreno

 

PROMOTING TO FIRE SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR:

 

Valerie J. Ross

 

PROMOTING TO SECRETARY:

 

Hana K. Ali

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE CLERK:

 

Gina Nelson

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR ACCOUNTANT II:

 

Marife Espenilla

 

PROMOTING TO EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III:

 

Isela Iniquez

 

PROMOTING TO FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER ASSOCIATE IV:

 

William D. Johns

Oscar Salgado

 

PROMOTING TO SENIOR PERSONNEL ANALYST II:

 

Irma Romanelli

 

----------------------------

 

Photo Use Permitted via Creative Commons - Credit LAFD

 

LAFD Event 050522-Promotion Ceremony

 

Connect with us: LAFD.ORG | News | Facebook | Instagram | Reddit | Twitter: @LAFD @LAFDtalk

promoting her new Sundance Channel series "Rectify" - premieres Monday, April 22nd at 10pm

Promoting Literacy. And it's free. A book exchange! In a pandemic? My Doctor says to Wash your hands well and Leave the book in a bag for 24 hours. It should be safe to read now.

 

My hobby is photography.

CTV Regional Contact gave me 3 minutes on the local CTV News here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C2U_01ajdw

 

Mikey G Ottawa's 100 most interesting images as per Flickriver HERE: www.flickriver.com/photos/mikeygottawa/popular-interesting/

 

See Mikey G Ottawa's most popular Flickr Photo Albums HERE:

www.flickr.com/photos/mikeygottawa/albums

 

CBC Radio 1 gave me almost eight minutes. Listen here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=253iqLH82oA

 

Rogers Cable TV gave me 10 minutes on Camera Talk HERE:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-s4ZpS_t1Y

  

promoting her new movie Annie

promoting her new Sundance Channel series "Rectify" - premieres Monday, April 22nd at 10pm

Scouts Camporee on Omaha Beach Honors Heroes and Promotes Peace.

 

By Robert Turtil

 

U.S. Scouts gathered April 24 to 27 for the 2014 Omaha Beach Camporee, in event held every three years in Normandy, France. This years Camporee was particularly special, because it was recognized as the opening event of the 70th anniversary of the D Day landings planned for June. Hundreds of Scouts from France, Britain, Poland, Switzerland, the BeNeLux and Scandinavian countries, Germany and other nations joined for a weekend of remembrance.

 

U.S. embassy personnel and active duty service members brought their families from facilities around Europe and North Africa. More than a few F-16 fighter jockeys directed AstroVans from the Autobahn to the AutoRoute to the D-514, while others followed the more historic route across, or below, the English Channel. Some Scouts flew from American cities over their spring break, and as usual, moms led the charge when dads couldn’t get away. All converged on a welcoming destination for Americans on the French coast.

 

Nearly 4,200 troops and their supporting families battled sometimes horizontal rain to re-live the history, and recognize the sacrifices of American and Allied soldiers, many close to their own age, who have fought and died fighting for freedom and peace. World War Two Veterans were honored, and sacrifices made during The Great War, Korea, Vietnam and The War on Terror were also recognized by scout leaders and other volunteers, many of whom are U.S. Veterans, the traditional backbone of scouting in America.

 

Campsites were pitched in the rain, the mud and the dark; pots of pasta were swamped by tent malfunctions. The elements provoked short-term tears and tantrums, and perhaps a sleepless night. But complaints were mitigated with stories of invasion boats packed with seasick assault troops, mud filled foxholes, and cold k-rations, as Scouts peered at the sogginess of this Norman spring. But, as EVERY Scout knows, only fun will be remembered of the mud and chill of this weekend.

 

Scout convoys raced around the invasion coast following ambitious schedules: Utah Beach, Point D’Hoc, Sainte Mere Eglise, Arromanches, the Pegasus Bridge and many museums. Scouts and Veterans were the special guests of honor at the historic and grand Notre Dame Cathedral of Bayeux where clergy, along with national and local leaders, christened a newly forged Bell of Peace and Freedom. The Cathedral was a packed and flowing sea of international scout uniforms, flags and neckerchiefs… all highlighted by sunbeams streaking through stained-glass windows.

 

90 year-old, World War ll Army Air Force Veteran Captain Samuel Wiley Hammersmith, B-25 pilot with 28 missions in the Pacific, mingled with Scouts throughout the weekend.

 

New Eagles and candidates for the Order of the Arrow were sworn in at an Omaha Beach campfire in the most meaningful of ceremonies for Scouts and their families. A French Air Force flyover, a military band and youth choir opened the Messengers of Peace multimedia presentation, bringing home the sacrifices made in the past and the promise of peace Scouting seeks to contribute worldwide. That evening, friendships were made, neckerchiefs swapped, and Paella shared at sunset on the beach, followed by a fusillade of fireworks.

 

Sunday’s closing ceremony was held in the drizzle at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Each Troop flew its colors and laid a wreath at the base of the huge bronze statue, The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves. Scouts and their families then joined hundreds of others walking the many acres of markers, looking for specific names, or just looking, at the beauty- with history, the sense of sacrifice and a touch of tears that the damp, perfect green grass of the cemetery envokes. Slowly the parking lot emptied as each American Troop and Patrol headed in every direction across Europe and the ocean… home.

 

If you would like to support the Scouts quest to preserve Omaha Beach as a UNESCO World Heritage site, follow this link and sign the petition:

www.change.org/petitions/unesco-save-the-d-day-beaches-ma...

 

Photos Courtesy Robert Turtil

 

Promoting registration of mobile phones to help tackle crime

Staff of the Vienna-based organisations helping to promote the Sustainable Development Goals at the Vienna International Centre. Vienna, Austria. 12 May 2017

 

Photo Credit: Dean Calma / IAEA

Prior to Kylemore becoming an Abbey, it was built as a Castle and the first stone was laid in 1867. One hundred men were employed a day to constuct the castle which took four years to complete with construction costs coming to a little over £29,000.

 

The Castle covered approximately 40,000 square feet with over 70 rooms and the principal wall was two to three feet thick. The facade measured 142 feet in length and is made of granite brought from Dalkey by sea to Letterfrack and limestone from Ballinasloe.

 

There were 33 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4 sitting rooms, ballroom, billard room, library, study, school room, smoking room, gun room and various offices and domestic staff residences for the butler, cook, housekeeper and other servants.

 

In 1920, Kylemore became an Abbey and is the oldest of the Irish Benedictine Abbeys. The Community of nuns, who have resided here for 189 years, have a long history stretching back almost three hundred and forty years. Founded in Ypres, Belgium, in 1665, the purpose of the Abbey at Ypres was to provide an education and religious community for Irish women during times of persecution here in Ireland. Down through the centuries, Ypres Abbey attracted the daughters of the Irish nobility, both as students and postulants, and enjoyed the patronage of many influential Irish families living in exile.

 

The Community were forced to leave their beautiful Abbey in Ypres, just as the first shells began to fall on it during World War I. After several years of searching, and with the assistance and blessings of the Archbishop of Tuam, the Community eventually settled on Kylemore Castle in December 1920. Content in the peace and tranquillity of Connemara, all rights and privileges of the Ypres Abbey were transferred to Kylemore by the Holy See, and so the Castle became an Abbey.

 

Here they nuns opened an international boarding school and established a day school for local girls, which came to a close in June 2010. Since the 70’s, the Benedictine Community have opened their Abbey and Estate to the public and now Kylemore has become known as a must see when visiting the West of Ireland.

 

Visitors are invited to enter the Abbey where four rooms have been sympathetically restored. Visitors can experience the character and atmosphere of the castle and enjoy the breathtaking views the large picture windows which capture and frame the majestic landscape.

  

Scouts Camporee on Omaha Beach Honors Heroes and Promotes Peace.

 

By Robert Turtil

 

U.S. Scouts gathered April 24 to 27 for the 2014 Omaha Beach Camporee, in event held every three years in Normandy, France. This years Camporee was particularly special, because it was recognized as the opening event of the 70th anniversary of the D Day landings planned for June. Hundreds of Scouts from France, Britain, Poland, Switzerland, the BeNeLux and Scandinavian countries, Germany and other nations joined for a weekend of remembrance.

 

U.S. embassy personnel and active duty service members brought their families from facilities around Europe and North Africa. More than a few F-16 fighter jockeys directed AstroVans from the Autobahn to the AutoRoute to the D-514, while others followed the more historic route across, or below, the English Channel. Some Scouts flew from American cities over their spring break, and as usual, moms led the charge when dads couldn’t get away. All converged on a welcoming destination for Americans on the French coast.

 

Nearly 4,200 troops and their supporting families battled sometimes horizontal rain to re-live the history, and recognize the sacrifices of American and Allied soldiers, many close to their own age, who have fought and died fighting for freedom and peace. World War Two Veterans were honored, and sacrifices made during The Great War, Korea, Vietnam and The War on Terror were also recognized by scout leaders and other volunteers, many of whom are U.S. Veterans, the traditional backbone of scouting in America.

 

Campsites were pitched in the rain, the mud and the dark; pots of pasta were swamped by tent malfunctions. The elements provoked short-term tears and tantrums, and perhaps a sleepless night. But complaints were mitigated with stories of invasion boats packed with seasick assault troops, mud filled foxholes, and cold k-rations, as Scouts peered at the sogginess of this Norman spring. But, as EVERY Scout knows, only fun will be remembered of the mud and chill of this weekend.

 

Scout convoys raced around the invasion coast following ambitious schedules: Utah Beach, Point D’Hoc, Sainte Mere Eglise, Arromanches, the Pegasus Bridge and many museums. Scouts and Veterans were the special guests of honor at the historic and grand Notre Dame Cathedral of Bayeux where clergy, along with national and local leaders, christened a newly forged Bell of Peace and Freedom. The Cathedral was a packed and flowing sea of international scout uniforms, flags and neckerchiefs… all highlighted by sunbeams streaking through stained-glass windows.

 

90 year-old, World War ll Army Air Force Veteran Captain Samuel Wiley Hammersmith, B-25 pilot with 28 missions in the Pacific, mingled with Scouts throughout the weekend.

 

New Eagles and candidates for the Order of the Arrow were sworn in at an Omaha Beach campfire in the most meaningful of ceremonies for Scouts and their families. A French Air Force flyover, a military band and youth choir opened the Messengers of Peace multimedia presentation, bringing home the sacrifices made in the past and the promise of peace Scouting seeks to contribute worldwide. That evening, friendships were made, neckerchiefs swapped, and Paella shared at sunset on the beach, followed by a fusillade of fireworks.

 

Sunday’s closing ceremony was held in the drizzle at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial. Each Troop flew its colors and laid a wreath at the base of the huge bronze statue, The Spirit of American Youth Rising from the Waves. Scouts and their families then joined hundreds of others walking the many acres of markers, looking for specific names, or just looking, at the beauty- with history, the sense of sacrifice and a touch of tears that the damp, perfect green grass of the cemetery envokes. Slowly the parking lot emptied as each American Troop and Patrol headed in every direction across Europe and the ocean… home.

 

If you would like to support the Scouts quest to preserve Omaha Beach as a UNESCO World Heritage site, follow this link and sign the petition:

www.change.org/petitions/unesco-save-the-d-day-beaches-ma...

 

Photos Courtesy Robert Turtil

 

Society of Friends of Music in Vienna

The Society of Friends of Music in Vienna (briefly : Wiener Musikverein) is a traditional club in Vienna to promote musical culture. It was founded in 1812.

(Pictures you can see by clicking on the link at the end of the site!)

Founded Concert 1812

Foundation

On 29 November and 3 December 1812 was performed in the Winter Riding School of the Hofburg the Handel oratorio Timothy. This concert can be considered as a trigger for the founding of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. As the founder of the association is Joseph Sonnleithner (1766-1835) then secretary of the imperial Viennese court theater (Burgtheater and Kärntnertortheater). The proceeds of the concert should benefit the newly founded institution. Emperor Franz I donated 1,000 guilders, the net profit amounted to 25,934 florins finally Viennese currency. First office of the company was the Lobkowitz Palace today Lobkowitzplatz.

Goals

According to its statutes, which originated in 1814, is the "Empor renewed progress on music in all its branches" primary purpose of the Company.

The Friends of Music Society reaches(d) this in three ways:

The establishment of a conservatory,

The systematic collection of musicological documents (archive)

Organizing their own concerts.

To date, private commitment of individual members shapes the functioning of the Company. Since January 2000, all editions of the monthly appearing club newspaper "music lovers" on the website of the company are available .

Concerts

On the initiative of Antonio Salieri's first choral activities at the Musikverein go back, for example, also in 1824 at the Vienna initial or first performances of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and 9th Symphony was involved. After there had been choral concerts of the Association for many years, then in 1858 was the official establishment of the Concert Choir held as a branch association of the Vienna Musikverein. The first principal conductor of the Vienna Singing Society was Johann von Herbeck, directs the choir since 1991, Johannes Prinz.

Musikverein (1831-1870) to the Tuchlauben (home to the Red Hedgehog), first building on the right, then No. 558, now No. 12

First concert hall of the society

1829 , the Company purchased a scoring for Kärnthnerviertl house on the Tuchlauben (home to the Red Hedgehog, rented from 1822, then House # 558, today Tuchlauben 12) with several business offices and apartments, it had the house demolished and gave at Franz Lossl (Site Manager: Carl Högl) by around 88,000 guilders (including equipment) the construction of a three storey new building with a concert hall on the 1st Floor in order. The site was approximately opposite the former Ofenlochgasse, since 1863 Kleeblattgasse. The Brandstätte that time not yet branched of from the Tuchlauben, but was a small place near the St. Stephen's Cathedral.

The festival opening concert of the hall took place on 4 November 1831 instead (then the cholera raged in Vienna). The Musikverein contributed among other things at this location (visitor concerts were still highly popular in the large ball room of the Hofburg ) essentially to the public concert life in Vienna.

The hall proved with 700 seats soon to be too small, but was still used for almost 40 years. 1846 gas lighting was installed. In the upper floors of the Conservatory and the archives of the Society, offices and rehearsal rooms were located.

The Society of Friends of Music in 1870 moved into their new house and sold its first house in the same year. In the subsequent use of it emerged inter alia the Strampfer-Theatre. The building was demolished in 1885.

Vienna Musikverein in 1898

Today's office of the Company

1863, Emperor Franz Joseph I donates the society from the state capital, the area on the bank of the river opposite the Vienna Karlskirche (church). It was on the former glacis of the 1858 demolished city walls around the old town. 1861-1869 emerged near the present-day Vienna State Opera, on the neighboring construction site on the riverbank 1865-1868 the Vienna Künstlerhaus, on the direction of ring road adjacent square 1862-1865 today's Imperial Hotel.

The of Theophil Hansen, who later built the Parliament, designed house, shortened to Vienna Musikverein, was on 6 January 1870 opened with a celebratory concert. That same year, the High Steward of the Emperor, Prince Constantine zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst, was in gratitude for the favor of the imperial court for the new building project appointed as a honorary member of the society.

1869 Carl Heissler was the first conductor of the orchestra of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna. 187, and 1872 was the Russian composer Anton Rubinstein artistic director of the company. After a short time he was replaced by Johannes Brahms.

Children and Youth Projects

In order to convey the joy of music and access to classical culture children and adolescents, the Friends of Music Society offers a pertinent program: In April 1989, it was the first "Celebration for Children" in all the rooms of the Musikverein building, since the offer has been steadily expanded and now includes more than 150 projects for all ages 3-19 years. The 20-year anniversary of the youth concerts was celebrated with a big party at the Vienna Musikverein in 2009. Symbol of child and youth concerts of the Society of Friends of Music is the concert clown Allegretto.

Artistic performances will be processed in accordance with the relevant age requirements paying particular attention to opportunities for active contribution. These include sing and dance along to the little ones, a gallery of children's drawings on the Internet and artist talks under the slogan "meet the artist" with internationally renowned conductors, soloists and composers for 15- to 19- year-old.

Conservatory of the Society of Music Lovers

The Conservatory was the first public music school in Vienna and was founded in 1819 by the violinist Joseph Böhm. As early as 1818, the Court Kapellmeister Antonio Salieri began to form a singing class. The general musical newspaper wrote here about 7 January 1818: "As the beginning of a newly established Conservatory imparts our worthy Hofkapellm. (chapel masteer) Salieri already to 12 girls and 12 boys gratuitous singing lessons."

On 19 April, the first 24 students of the Conservatory presented themselves in a collective concert of the Friends of Music to the public and sing an A cappella choral of Salieri. The dedication on the autograph reads: "Ringraziamento because farsi alli Benefattori del Conservatorio della musica nazionale inglese dalli primi Ventiquattro allieve dodici Ragazzi e dodici Ragazze, di detto luogo, nella quarta accademia dei dilettanti il giorno 19 Aprile 1818".

In the 19th Century, this facility has been significantly expanded, in the 1890s it had more than 1,000 students and found imitation in Vienna in other such facilities. In 1909, the private institute was to resolution of the emperor as "k.k. Academy of Music and Dramatic Art" nationalized. Thus, it is predecessor of today's University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

Archive

The archives of the Society of Friends of Music is one of the most important music collections in the world.

Personalities

Musikverein building of 1870 (2006)

Musikverein building at night

Founder

Joseph Sonnleithner (1766-1835)

Co-Founder

Fanny von Arnstein (1758-1818)

Prince Franz Joseph Maximilian von Lobkowitz (1772-1816) , Major General, art lover and patron

Famous members

Leopold of Sonnleithner (1797-1873), lawyer and music collector

January Václav Voříšek (1791-1825), composer, pianist and organist, as a member in 1818.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828), full member from 12 June 1827

Concert directors

Carl Heissler, lithography by Joseph Kriehuber, 1866

Carl Heissler (1823-1878), Artistic Director 1869-1871

Anton Rubinstein, Artistic Director 1871-1872

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), concert director 1872-1875

Eduard Schön (1825-1879), Ministerialrat and composer, director in 1870

Johann von Herbeck (1831-1877), conductor and composer

Hans Richter (1843-1916), conductor, director until 1900

Franz Schalk (1863-1931), concert director 1904-1921

Ferdinand Löwe (1865-1925), concert director

Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886-1954), concert director 1921-1927 (jointly with Leopold Reichwein)

Leopold Reichwein (1878-1945), concert director 1921-1927 (together with Wilhelm Furtwängler)

Robert Heger (1886-1978), concert director 1925-1933

Walter Legge (1906-1979), director from 1946

Herbert von Karajan (1908-1989), last concert director 1948-1964

Vice Presidents

Raphael Georg Kiesewetter (1773-1850), privy councillor and musician, vice president 1821-1843

Nikolaus Dumba (1830-1900), industrialist, vice president in 1880

Gustav Ortner (born 1935) , diplomat, vice president since 2001

Directorate members

Heinrich Eduard Josef von Lannoy (1787-1853), conductor and composer, member

Martin Gustav Nottebohm (1817-1882), musicologist and composer, member from 1858

Anthony van Hoboken (1887-1983), musicologist and collector, member since 1957

Brothers Czartoryski, circa 1870

Secretaries

Leopold Alexander Zellner, general secretary in 1880

Botstiber Hugo (1875-1941), secretary and office director 1905-1912

Angyan Thomas (born 1953), general and artistic director since 1988

Archivist

Martin Gustav Nottebohm in 1864

Eusebius Mandyczewski (1857-1929), musicologist and composer, from 1887

Karl Geiringer (1899-1989), musicologist and librarian, 1930-1938

Otto Biba (born 1946), musicologist and director of the archive, since 1979

de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesellschaft_der_Musikfreunde_in_Wien

The Philippines is paradise of tourists distinations both along its shorelines and inland locations with scenic landmarks in most of its 7,100 islands. We have underwater Gardens, Whale sanctuaries and mountain peaks for trekkers which draw visiting tourists coming over to our country.

 

We need to develop our aquaculture and aquafarming to provide highly sustenable income for our shoreline and urban poor and raise them up from the bondage of mere guides and

baggage carriers.

 

-wilfredosrb/butuancity

 

Mindanao Tourist Destinations Local/Travel Website and Angelique Ross Kaamiño/TravelEscapade TRAVEL/Leisure Cebu/CdO/Butuanon

 

FEATURED LINK-

Jeffrey Rilles @TRAVELING MORION PHOTOS

 

PHOTO INFO-STORY: -wilfredosrb

 

Mindanao Tourist Destinations created an event.

June 28, 2012 ·

Let us help promote Mindanao Tourism

July 31, 2012

PHOTO TRAVEL-STORY: - wilfredosrb