View allAll Photos Tagged Reputation
Yes, this is still a thing. Here is Part 32 of 50 in a sporadic series.
Well, it's been a quiet few centuries in Minnesota, out there on edge of the prairie.
Most people don't expect Minnesota to have had much effect on the course of U.S. history, and other than producing two or three prominent politicians, the state's lived up to those expectations. Minnesota has generally been a thing unto itself, an isolated batch of glacial potholes that even in this age of global warming still seems to forget the glacier went away for half the year. Its people are famous for their taciturn work ethic and an obsessive self-reliance that borders on isolationism, and yet everybody always says they're so nice. And they are. I've never had anybody be mean to me in Minnesota.
Minnesota was slow getting to statehood; it was the last piece of the original Northwest Territories to sign on the dotted line. It got its enabling act together just as the rest of the country was gearing up for a really big fight, and despite its reputation, Minnesota was as much a part of that fight as anybody else. It's just that there weren't so many Minnesotans to contribute anything just yet. Most of the people who would define the state's character were just then getting there.
But I get ahead of myself.
Early Days
The early bits of Minnesota's tale mimic a lot of what we saw in Wisconsin and Iowa, only it was a little farther north and spent a little more time beneath the glacier, so everything came just a bit later. The oldest known evidence of human habitation in Minnesota dates to about 9,000 years ago, well after cultures were already thriving in more southerly places. Which makes sense, because even after the glaciers left, Minnesota wasn't an easy place to live. The glaciers had gouged out a ton of kettle lakes -- as many as 10,000 of them, some might say -- and much of the land that wasn't lake was boggy. The Mississippi Valley mound-building cultures made it up here, but this was right at the edge their world, and they vanished here before anyplace else.
By the time the first Europeans (Frenchmen, of course) made it out this way around the middle of the 1600s, the land that would become Minnesota had spent at least a couple of centuries as the ancestral homeland of the Dakota Sioux people, with a few smaller groups of prairie people like the Ioway or the Sauk tucked away here and there. Oral histories talk of a lot of migration and jostling for land, but for the most part all these groups had lived together as peacefully as any collection of different groups of people ever lives. But those French settlers who spent the 17th century inching their way up the St. Lawrence Valley had hit Lake Superior to the east like a meteor, and the waves from that impact washed into Minnesota well before any Frenchmen showed up.
The issue was the Ojibwe, that branch of Anishinaabe people who'd migrated to Lake Superior a couple of hundred years ahead of the French. The oral histories suggest the Ojibwe hadn't received the warmest welcome from the Dakotas when they first stepped into the region, and they nursed a generational grudge as they built their sacred towns along Lake Superior's south shore. They always had a mind for expansion, tiptoeing south down the St. Croix River or west toward the St. Louis, where Duluth would someday rise. They fought a seemingly endless series of wars against the Dakotas, but it all was stuck in decades of stalemate until the French came along. The French were eager to trade with anyone local, and they met the Ojibwe first, so the Ojibwe got a jump on the market. This meant the Ojibwe had guns long before the Dakotas, so the Ojibwe were finally able to push west from Lake Superior and carve out a piece of Minnesota of their own.
Bonjour, les Blancs
You'd think those French trappers and traders and priests would have followed right behind the Ojibwe and pushed into Minnesota, but the mouth of the St. Louis River was kind of the western limit of most French wandering. Minnesota was included in the vast claim our old buddy René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, made for France in 1682, but La Salle made his claim from someplace down in Illinois, and he did it in this hand-wavy sort of way that defined the French boundaries as "Out there, somewhere." Minnesota was only included because it was, in fact, out there somewhere, but La Salle never actually saw it.
A French Jesuit named Claude Jean Allouez who'd been preaching to the Ojibwe at Madeline Island did take a few months off in 1671 to go map Lake Superior's north shore, and he was probably one of the first Europeans to touch Minnesota. In 1680, Father Louis Hennepin, one of the priests who'd tagged along with La Salle's party, split off from the group with a couple of other guys and wound up captured by Dakotas, who took them all to the Falls of St. Anthony, where someday somebody would build the Twin Cities. Some guy wandered through southern Minnesota around 1700 and thought he'd found copper, but he hadn't. A few guys came through in the 1720s looking for the fabled Northwest Passage, probably thinking that native talk of a "great western sea" meant the Pacific when in reality the natives were talking about Lake Winnepeg. Over time, a few Frenchmen established a few small trading posts out in the wilderness, but that was it. The French never committed any real resources to it.
And time was up for the French in Minnesota anyway, thanks to that big war that hit Europe in 1757 and bled over into the North American wilderness. In 1763, Minnesota got handed over to the Spanish without ever noticing it, because in all the 38 years Spain owned the thing, no Spanish person ever set foot in Minnesota even one time. The British up in Canada took this as a sign of neglect and snuck across the Pigeon River in the 1780s to set up an illegal trading post on Spanish territory at Grand Portage, along one of the more popular fur trapper paths. But nobody else from Europe did anything in Minnesota for decades.
It all changed in a whirlwind when Napoleon took the Louisiana Territory back from Spain in 1801 and sold it to Thomas Jefferson in 1803. And just like that, all of Minnesota was part of the United States.
Minnesota Territory
Like a lot of states that came before, Minnesota's territorial history involves a lot of vague borders based on random lines drawn across blank spots on a map, often meant to follow rivers that didn't go where people thought they went. And yeah, the American government could have asked the Ojibwe or the Dakotas or somebody to pin all that down, but you know that wasn't ever going to happen.
Part of the problem was baked into the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, the first attempt by Congress to organize all the extra territory the United States had been given in the Treaty of Paris of 1783 that ended the Revolutionary War. That treaty handed the Americans everything west of the Appalachian Mountains all the way out to the Mississippi River and north all the way to Canada. Nobody was sure where exactly Canada started, but wherever it was, the treaty refs were all sure that the Mississippi started someplace way north of there, so it shouldn't be a problem. But of course, the Mississippi starts from a little stream flowing from Lake Itasca, which is right around the center of modern Minnesota and well below Canada. So the line north of Lake Itasca dividing the U.S., Canada, and Spanish Louisiana was a vague kind of thing that somebody would need to pin down. And that only affects half of Minnesota, anyway. The western half was still Spanish.
Napoleon took care of part of the problem with Minnesota's western half when he signed over the deed in 1803, and the Anglo-American Convention of 1818 solved the issue with the northern border. (That's kind of an interesting story, but it makes more sense to tell that in the origin of the state after this one.) But Minnesota was still cut in two, with its west side part of the Louisiana Territory and its east side passed back and forth between a succession of territories carved from the old Northwest.
Seriously, nobody could make up their mind who should run Minnesota. When Ohio declared statehood in 1803, eastern Minnesota was assigned as part of the Illinois Territory. Illinois statehood in 1818 made eastern Minnesota part of the Michigan Territory. Michigan gained statehood in 1837 and passed eastern Minnesota over to Wisconsin. Wisconsin's statehood in 1848 left no place else for eastern Minnesota to go.
For a while, it looked like Minnesota might be divvied up between Wisconsin, Iowa, and some as-yet undefined territory out west, but an Illinois senator named Stephen Douglas (soon to be made famous debating Lincoln) didn't much like that idea. He felt like it gave the states on Illinois's border too much territory and too much wealth and power, and he had it in his head that the headwaters of the Mississippi should all be under a single authority, anyway. So he came up with the idea of making Minnesota its own thing, and in 1849, the Minnesota Territory was born.
Velkommen til den Nye Verdenen
Now all there was left to do was settle the place. Which at this point, people expected to happen quickly. As I mentioned in Iowa's tale, this was the era of Manifest Destiny, when Americans felt guided by a loving God to spill out into the West and transform savage lands into Christian civilization all the way to the Pacific Ocean. But Minnesota is damned cold, and civilization has its limits. Sure, all that glacial outwash had left a lot of fertile soil, but fertility doesn't do you much good when it's frozen half the year.
The earliest settlers, then, followed the last of the fur trappers into the woods until the beavers and minks ran out, and then they started cutting down trees. American logging camps had started springing up in Minnesota's North Woods as early as the 1820s. In 1825, the U.S. Army opened Fort Snelling at the Falls of St. Anthony, and a little squatter town full of bootleggers grew up in the fort's shadows. These squatters initially named their little town Pig's Eye, after a moonshiner named Pierre "Pig's Eye" Parrant. They eventually changed the name to St. Paul. The town would have to wait another 25 years for its twin city of Minneapolis to come along.
The true kick in the pants for Minnesota settlement didn't come until the 1850s, and it didn't come from Americans looking to fulfill their Manifest Destiny. It came from Europe. Specifically, from Norway. And, to a lesser extent, Sweden and Germany.
Norway's story had followed a kind of Malthusian arc over the previous century. Sometime around 1750, improved farming techniques and technology had allowed the Norwegian farmers to double and triple their production, and Norwegians were for a while happy and well fed. But this led to an overproduction of Norwegians, who soon caught up and then surpassed the farmers at the same time they ate the Atlantic fisheries to collapse. By 1850, there were a lot of hungry Norwegians looking for some option other than Scandinavia.
And wouldn't you know it, but at just this very moment the Americans had a patch of frozen prairie they were itching for somebody to come carve into farms. Norwegians weren't afraid of the Minnesota cold. For them, Minnesota was like a tropical paradise. So the Norwegians started piling onto the boats, and over time everybody in Minnesota wound up with names like Olaf Lundegaard or Carl Gustafson, and a century later they'd call their NFL expansion team the Vikings.
And Finally, Statehood
That flood of Norwegians only started in the 1850s and would keep flowing into Minnesota until the rise of nativist paranoia started cutting off immigration in the 1920s. But the initial surge was enough to combine with a trickle of farmers from New England for people to start talking about Minnesota statehood toward the end of the 1850s.
But then, people were talking about a lot of other things by the end of the 1850s, too. Because here we are, finally, with that festering boil of slavery about ready to erupt. In 1850, California had pushed the total number of states up to 31. Fifteen of those were slave-holding states; sixteen of them were free. Everybody knew Minnesota was destined to be a free state, and there were nothing but more free states on the horizon. The fragile peace among the states that had held since Henry Clay's Missouri Compromise had depended on a numerical balance. Now that balance seemed to be tipping irreversibly in the direction of freedom, and we couldn't have that.
You wouldn't think this would matter much to the Minnesotans, but the fight made it into the territorial legislatures tasked with writing up the state's constitution, and there were Minnesotans as concerned with the rights of a state to let people own other people as any plantation owner in South Carolina. Minnesota became a proxy war zone between Democrats wanting to protect slavery and a party of abolitionists still new enough to have principles called the Republicans. The Democrats and Republicans even refused to meet in the same legislative body, and each group held its own constitutional convention in 1857 and drafted its own constitution. Representatives from each of these conventions met that October to hammer out a compromise constitution, but the representatives from each side refused to have his name on the same copy of that compromise constitution as representatives from the other side. So they had to print up two copies. The Democrats signed one, and the Republicans signed the other. The two copies of the state constitution were then sent to the United States Congress for ratification, and after a little more than a year of pre-war political shenanigans designed for delay, Minnesota was admitted to the Union as the 32nd state on May 11, 1858.
But remember this the next time you hear somebody complaining about pettiness or a lack of civility in modern government: The nicest state of the Union had to make two copies of its founding document because one side of the political fence didn't want to put their names on the same piece of paper as the other. Political pettiness is nothing new in the United States of America, and not even the most civil of us are immune.
The Peugeot 404 is a large family car produced by French automobile manufacturer Peugeot from 1960 to 1975. A truck body style variant was marketed until 1988. The 404 was manufactured under licence in various African countries until 1991 (in Kenya) and was manufactured in Argentina by Safrar/Sevel in El Palomar, in Québec, Canada at the St-Bruno-de-Montarville SOMA Ltd. plant and in Chile by Automotores Franco Chilena S.A. in Los Andes.[3]
Styled by Pininfarina, the 404 was offered initially as a saloon, estate, and pickup. A convertible was added in 1962, and a coupé in 1963. The 404 was fitted with a 1.6 L petrol engine, with either a Solex carburetor or Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection or a 1.9 L diesel engine available as options. Introduced at the Paris Motor Show as an option was the inclusion of a 3-speed ZF automatic transmission, similar to the unit already offered on certain BMW models,[4] as an alternative to the standard column-mounted manual unit.
Popular as a taxicab, the 404 enjoyed a reputation for durability and value. Peugeot's French production run of 1,847,568 404s ended in 1975. A total of 2,885,374 units had been produced worldwide at the end of production. WIKIPEDIA
One of two Rolls Royce Phantom VI's in the service of the Royal Household, I'm not sure who it was transporting today, but either way it certainly made my afternoon!
The Rolls Royce Phantom VI, what can you really say about it?
It's a gigantic piece of British luxury car building that takes all the features of the production Rolls Royces such as the Silver Cloud and the Shadow, and ups them ten-fold so that you too can have your very own Palace on wheels that cuts a great swathe through the hustling, bustling traffic! Of course servants, chefs and handmaidens are optional extras!
The Rolls Royce Phantom VI is basically just a retread of the Phantom V, but incorporating a more modern design with the quad headlight clusters, the Rolls Royce V8 from the Silver Shadow, and a modified dashboard. The first Phantom VI's were launched in 1968, and became the top-class car of the illustrious company, being built on request rather than at a steady production rate like the lower level Shadow and Corniche models. Coachwork was mostly built by Mulliner Park Ward of London, usually in the form of limousines like the one seen here, and was the last Rolls Royce to continue to be produced with a separate chassis, leaving it up to the customer to decide on a specific design of body. There were also several curious Landaulette versions built, which were basically convertible versions of the standard limousines, as well as two cars designed by Frua of Italy, their design looking more like the angular Camargue.
In 1977, a car was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for her Silver Jubilee, this car featuring a higher roofline for the Queen to wave from at passing crowds. This car was the Royal Household's State Car from 1977 until the introduction of the Bentley State Limousine in 2002 at the Golden Jubilee. When used by the Queen, the conventional Spirit of Ecstasy is replaced by a silver model of St George slaying the Dragon. This car also had the distinction of carrying Prince William and Kate Middleton to Westminster Abbey during the Royal Wedding of 2011. In 1986 the Royal Household took possession of a 2nd Phantom VI, but this car was just the standard limousine. This car gained notoriety in 2010 when Student Protesters attacked the car with the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall inside, the car being spattered with paint and one of the windows being smashed, but resulted in no injury to either Royal.
Most of these cars however were owned by either state officials such as ambassadors, governors, ministers and prime ministers (usually in the Commonwealth but also in many other nations such as Switzerland), or they were owned by incredibly, incredibly rich people who had a desire for something absolutely massive and disproportionate in terms of what it would be used for!
Eventually the Phantom VI came to the end of its official production life in 1990, with 374 examples built, an average of 17 cars per year over 22 years. However, individual models continued to be built, including the illusive and very, very strange Rolls Royce Cloudesque, one of four Phantom VI's that were built Post-Production for the Sultan of Brunei, a man who has gained a reputation for having owned a fleet of 1,000 Rolls Royce Silver Spirits in his Royal Household! He must really burn through those cars!
Today, unless the Royal Family is out on a day trip, you'd be very, very lucky to find these in everyday use. I was once again incredibly lucky to catch one being washed at the Grosvenor House Hotel, where many exotic luxury cars usually find themselves while their insanely rich owners spend a few days in London. :)
Alvis TE 21 (1963-66) Engine 2993cc S6 OHV
Graber Production unknown
Swiss Registration Number BE 167523
ALVIS SET
www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623759790764...
The Swiss coachbuilding firm Hermann Graber was established in Wichtrach near Bern in the 1920s and established a fine reputation of producing bespoke bodies for prestige American and European cars.
In the late 1940's they began their long and fruitful association with Alvis of Coventry, when it aquired the Swiss distribuition rights. in 1955 they presented a Alvis TC21-100 with an elegant Graber two door body, to instant acclaim. Alvis decided to take the model into mainstream production with bodies from Willowbrook of Loughborough but the arrangement ended after only 16 cars were finished and in 1958 Park Ward took over body production on what was to be the TD21, which continued through the TE21 and TF21 updates.
Graber continued to offer limited numbers of individually styled bodies on the Alvia chassis such as this Super Graber Cabriolet. The cars typically had a lower waistline and a more rakish styling than the standard Park ward Alvis. Graber also introduced the vertically twin headlamps which later became incorporated in the standard TE and TF21s
Many thanks for a fantabulous
47,475,414 views
Shot at the NEC Classic Car Show 13:11:2015 Ref. 112-024
This turned out to be one of the most joyous, life affirming places that we've visited on our travels. The sparkling, late summer sunshine, the arresting modern architecture set amid so much history, the superb collection of early 20th century paintings on the 5th floor, and the throng of tourists and Parisians enjoying themselves on a Saturday combined to make this a most memorable afternoon.
"Centre Georges Pompidou commonly shortened to Centre Pompidou; also known as the Pompidou Centre in English) is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais. The Place Georges Pompidou in front of the museum is noted for the presence of street performers, such as mimes and jugglers. In the spring, miniature carnivals are installed temporarily into the place in front with a wide variety of attractions: bands, caricature and sketch artists, tables set up for evening dining, and even skateboarding competitions.
The nearby Stravinsky Fountain (also called the Fontaine des automates), on Place Stravinsky, features sixteen whimsical moving and water-spraying sculptures by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle, which represent themes and works by composer Igor Stravinsky. The black-painted mechanical sculptures are by Tinguely, the colored works by de Saint-Phalle. The fountain opened in 1983.
It houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information (Public Information Library), a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe, and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as Beaubourg. It is named after Georges Pompidou, the President of France from 1969 to 1974 who commissioned the building, and was officially opened on 31 January 1977 by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The sculpture, Horizontal by Alexander Calder, a free-standing mobile that is twenty-five feet high, was placed in 2012 in front of the Centre Pompidou.
The Centre was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano; British architect Richard Rogers; and Italian architect Gianfranco Franchini, assisted by Ove Arup & Partners.The project was awarded to this team in an architectural design competition, whose results were announced in 1971. It was the first time in France that international architects were allowed to participate. World-renowned architects Oscar Niemeyer, Jean Prouvé and Philip Johnson made up the jury which would select one design out of the 681 entries.
National Geographic described the reaction to the design as "love at second sight." An article in Le Figaro declared "Paris has its own monster, just like the one in Loch Ness." But two decades later, while reporting on Rogers' winning the Pritzker Prize in 2007, The New York Times noted that the design of the Centre "turned the architecture world upside down" and that "Mr. Rogers earned a reputation as a high-tech iconoclast with the completion of the 1977 Pompidou Centre, with its exposed skeleton of brightly coloured tubes for mechanical systems. The Pritzker jury said the Pompidou "revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city.".
Initially, all of the functional structural elements of the building were colour-coded: green pipes are plumbing, blue ducts are for climate control, electrical wires are encased in yellow, and circulation elements and devices for safety (e.g., fire extinguishers) are red."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Georges_Pompidou
...
Taylor Swift's Reputation Stadium Tour is her fifth concert tour. Reputation began on May 8, 2018 in Glendale and is set to conclude on November 21, 2018 in Tokyo, comprising 53 concerts.
Eric Gertler
Executive Chairman and CEO, U.S. News & World Report
Michael Dimock
President, Pew Research Center
John Gerzema
CEO, The Harris Poll
Photo Copyright 2012, dynamo.photography.
All rights reserved, no use without license
+++From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ++++
Lamma Island (Chinese: 南丫島), also known as Pok Liu Chau (博寮洲) or simply Pok Liu (博寮), is the third largest island in Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Islands District.[2]
Contents
1 Name
2 Geography
3 History
4 Demographics
5 Description
6 Yung Shue Wan
7 Sok Kwu Wan
8 Sham Wan
9 Traditional festivals
10 Transportation
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
Name
Lamma Island got named Lamma only because of a chart reading error by Alexander Dalrymple in the 1760s. He had acquired a Portuguese chart to the entrances to the Pearl River and, close to the west of the island, the Portuguese owner had written "Lama". Dalrymple misinterpreted that as the name of the island. However, it was a Portuguese notation as to the holding (consistency of the seabed from the point of view of anchoring there), which was (and is) mud – in Portuguese "lama". In all the early charts the name was spelled with only one "m". So the island acquired a British name by error and one that subsequently was Sinicized by its name being rendered phonetically in characters ("Lam a" can mean "south fork" in Cantonese), and everyone forgetting about the original muddle. At some point things became even more obscured by the addition of the second "m" in the English spelling.
In ancient times, Lamma used to be named as Pok Liu or Pok Liu Chau.[3]
Geography
Example of a naturally formed rock found near the summit of Mt. Stenhouse.
Walking the trail between Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan
Lamma Island is located to the southwest of Hong Kong Island. It is the third largest island of Hong Kong, with an area of 13.55 km2 (5.23 sq mi)[4] and a length of 7 kilometres (4.3 mi). The northern village is called Yung Shue Wan (Banyan Tree Bay) and the eastern village is called Sok Kwu Wan (Rainbow Bay). Few people live on the southern part of Lamma. Access for much of this part is by hiking or private boat. Sham Wan, an important breeding site for sea turtles, is located there.
Mount Stenhouse (山地塘, Shan Tei Tong) is the tallest mountain in Lamma 353 metres (1,158 feet) above sea level, situated between Sok Kwu Wan and Sham Wan. Unusually shaped rocks can be found all over this mountain, but a gruelling hike is necessary to access these.
History
According to archaeological findings, human settlement on the northern and eastern part of Lamma Island can be traced back to around 4000-3000 BC,[5] the Middle Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Yung Shue Ha, one of Lamma's earliest villages was settled in the early 19th century by a clan from China's Bao'an County.
Demographics
Yung Shue Wan.
Lamma has an estimated population of 5,900 people as of 2014. However, with future developments such as a planned beach community in Sok Kwu Wan the population capacity is expected to double to 11,000 residents.[1]
Actor Chow Yun-fat (周潤發) grew up on the island in the village of Wang Long near Yung Shue Wan. His relatives used to operate a seafood/pigeon restaurant called "Shau Kee" in the main village.[6]
Lamma has a significant Western and international population. The island has had a reputation for alternative lifestyles, hippies, and a relaxed attitude, but Lamma is being urbanized and property prices are on the increase, because of the attraction of this lifestyle.[7]
Description
In contrast to Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, Lamma is peaceful and tranquil with an abundance of natural scenery. Buildings higher than three storeys are prohibited and there are no automobiles but diminutive fire trucks and ambulances, as well as distinctive open-back vehicles to transport construction materials. The community's only means of transport is either by foot or bicycle.
Lamma provides an alternative to the hectic life in the city. Property and rents are cheap compared with those of central Hong Kong. These factors have attracted a significant expatriate community to Lamma Island. It is also popular with younger people and a haven for artists and musicians.
Yung Shue Wan
Main article: Yung Shue Wan
Hongkong Electric's Lamma Power Station
Yung Shue Wan (Banyan Bay) is the most populated area on Lamma Island. Several decades ago, it was the centre of the plastics industry. The factories have now been replaced by seafood restaurants, pubs, grocery stores and shops which sell oriental and Indian-style handicraft. Hung Shing Yeh Beach, Lamma Power Station and Lamma Winds are also located in the northern part of the island.
Sok Kwu Wan
Overlooking the fish farms and restaurants at Sok Kwu Wan
Main article: Sok Kwu Wan
The big street of Sok Kwu Wan consists mainly of seafood restaurants. Sok Kwu Wan has the largest fish farming site in Hong Kong. Tourists can barbecue and fish at Lo Shing Beach which is a ten-minute walk from the village. The trail between Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan is surrounded by grassland and offers a picturesque walk. From there one can see a nice portion of the coastline of the island. It takes roughly an hour to walk the trail.
Walkers may notice a few 'caves' on the trail near Sok Kwu Wan, labelled on tourist signs as 'kamikaze grottos'. These caves were dug out by the Japanese during the war, to store munitions alongside the suicide boats. When the British Navy reclaimed Hong Kong, they discovered rows of speedboats with explosive rigged to the bow in Sok Kwu Wan.[8]
In addition to the caves, the Japanese also dug tunnels into the island's peaks, including two known tunnels on Ling Kok Shan[9] and one on Mt. Stenhouse.[10]
Sham Wan
Sham Wan
Sham Wan is one of the five most important archaeological sites in Hong Kong. The bay is the site of an important Bronze Age settlement which was unearthed by archaeologists in the 1970s. It yielded evidence of people living on Lamma during the "Middle Neolithic" phase (approximately 3800-3000 BC).
It is also a place for green sea turtles to lay eggs. The endangered green turtles are a special group of marine organisms with distinctive navigation behaviour between their nesting, breeding, development and reproduction sites. As Sham Wan is the only existing nesting site for them in Hong Kong, every year there is a period of restricted access to it from June 1 to October 31 to allow the turtles to breed.[11] The breeding site is about 5,100 m2 (54,896 sq ft).
Yung Shue Wan
Traditional festivals
Tin Hau Temple in Yung Shue Wan.
Tin Hau temples are typical places of worship in Hong Kong's coastal communities because Tin Hau is believed to be the goddess of the sea and of fishermen, protecting them and ensuring full nets. There are three Tin Hau temples on Lamma, located in Yung Shue Wan,[12] Sok Kwu Wan,[13] and Luk Chau Village.[14]
The Tin Hau Festival (twenty-third of the third month of the Lunar Calendar) is widely celebrated by the fishermen's communities in Lamma. Cantonese opera and floral paper offerings known as Fa Pau at both Sok Kwu Wan and Yung Shue Wan are the highlights of the celebration.
Lamma Island is also one of the few remaining places in Hong Kong where traditional Chinese New Year celebrations still take place: at the stroke of midnight, fireworks will be set off by the main families of the villages to frighten away the evil spirits, sending off a deafening thunder that can last up to 30 minutes.
Transportation
An aerial view of South Lamma
There are regular ferry services to Yung Shue Wan and Sok Kwu Wan from Central on Hong Kong Island, as well as to Yung Shue Wan via Pak Kok, and to Sok Kwu Wan via Mo Tat Wan, from Aberdeen. It takes about 25 minutes by ferry between Yung Shue Wan and Central. There are no cars on Lamma Island.
Two ferries collided off Yung Shue Wan on 1 October 2012 at 8:20 pm HKT. With 39 killed and 92 injured, the incident was the deadliest maritime disaster in Hong Kong since 1971.[15]
Sok Kwu Wan, Lamma Island
See also
List of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong
Skyluck
Stone Circles (Hong Kong)
References
Wong, Olga. "Population of Lamma Island will double under new housing plan". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Retrieved March 13, 2014.
Lamma Island Romance Tour
Exploring Lamma - History and Geographical Conditions [1] Hong Kong and Kowloon Ferry
Survey and Mapping Office, Lands Department: Hong Kong geographic data sheet
Meacham, William (2008). The Archaeology of Hong Kong. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-9622099258.
Steinecke, Julia (May 24, 2008). "Peaceful origins of actor Chow Yun-Fat". Toronto Star. Hong Kong. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
Gotterson, Annie (9 November 2010). "Lamma Island will be a hippie haven no more". CNN Travel. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
Scenes in Hong Kong Following the Re-occupation of the Crown Colony after the Japanese Surrender. September 1945 [2] Imperial War Museums
Japanese Tunnel, Ling Kok Shan #2 [3] Gwulo
Japanese Tunnel, Stenhouse [4] Lamma Gwulo
Conservation of sea turtles in Hong Kong
Exploring Islands - Tin Hau Temple, Yung Shue Wan
Exploring Islands - Tin Hau Temple, Sok Kwu Wan Archived 2011-06-10 at the Wayback Machine.
Exploring Islands - Luk Chau Tin Hau Temple
"List of the 39 deceased in the Lamma ferry disaster". South China Morning Post. 11 January 2013.
The Amsterdam suburb Bijlmermeer has a rather controversial reputation. Designed by the Indonesian-born city planner Siegfried Nassuth in the 1960's, it was one of the most radical interpretations of Le Corbusier's functional city, with a strict segregation of housing, offices and recreational facilities and an equally strict segregation between roads, bicycle paths and footpaths. The Bijlmermeer was also an example of excessive egalitarianism. When one of the architects designed windows in the sidewalls, the Burma Railroad survivor Nassuth dismissed this as an extravagant privilege for those who rented the outermost flats.
Although the flats were considered an improvement upon the crammed housing of the 19th century and pre-war era, the uniformity of the Bijlmer never became popular. In 1971 the first Dutch erotic film Blue Movie juxtaposed the standardised concrete blocks of the Bijlmer with the lusts a released prisoner satisfied with lonely single women in the suburb. Nassuth had hoped that the people would liked the park-like surroundings and walk barefeet in the grass like he had done in the Javanese city of Pekalongan, but Amsterdammers opted for houses with private gardens outside the city. Consequently, the area became a haven for many immigrants in the mid 1970's. Eventually, this would be the death knell for parts of the plan. The anonymity caused by the scale of the Bijlmer and the segregation of traffic streams reinforced the lack of social cohesion. Drug addicts and dealers roamed the concrete garages that the original inhabitants found so expensive. In the 1990's the city knew no better solution than to knock down a large part of the blocks.
Enough of the original plan remains to make it a potentially interesting subject for photography. In a way, the Bijlmer looks like the old-fashioned futurism in Jacques Tati's film Playtime. I have tried it a few times, but I find it very difficult to find interesting angles and get beyond purely documentary pictures. During the day, the area has become quite successful in offering the "light, air and space" that the planners had hoped to offer. Sedateness is a difficult subject to photograph.
Dunalastair Water is an entirely man made reservoir in Scotland which lies between Loch Rannoch and Loch Tummel in Strath Tummel in Perth and Kinross council area. The loch provides water power for the Tummel hydroelectricity power station and has the reputation as one of the best wild trout fishing locations in the United Kingdom.
Dunalastair Water lies at the approximate grid reference of NN697584 it has an area of 165 hectares, being 2.5 km long and 800 metres wide at its broadest point. It was formed by the damming of the River Tummel by the Grampian Electric Supply Company in 1933 as part of the Tummel hydro-electric power scheme. The reservoir is narrow at its head, taking the form of a slender wooded glen with the Dunalastair estate situated on the northern bank. The reservoir has roads running on both its northern and southern shores, the B846, which is the road between Pitlochry and Rannoch railway station runs on the northern shore while a minor road from Kinloch Rannoch runs on its southern side. The Water is hemmed in by high ground to the north and south, with Beinn a' Chuallaich to the north and Schiehallion to the south.
The dam itself is 65 metres wide and has two floodgates and several spillways due to the quantity of water which sometimes needs to be released Into the River Tummel. The main purpose of the dam is to act as an intake which supplies water to an open 15 metre wide concrete aqueduct that runs to the south of the River Tummel. The aqueduct flows for five km losing very little height, keeping to the 200 metre contour before feeding the Tummel hydroelectricity power station at the head of Loch Tummel through two large pipes.
Dunalastair Water is a shallow reservoir, having an average depth of only 1.5 metres and this provides unique biological conditions for birds with the site around the Water being declared a SSSI over an area of 241.6 hectares. Among the birds which can be seen on the site are Old World warbler, willow warbler, bittern, grey heron, egret, kinglet and goldcrest. Gives list of birds on loch. Dunalastair Water is a first-rate venue for fishing with the shallow waters warming quickly and generating good feeding for the fish and providing a huge variety of insect life. There are some very large brown trout which inhabit the water and feed mainly at night. Fishing is strictly from boats and outboard motors are banned. The dam incorporates a fish ladder this is of the pool and weir design and consists of 18 pools.
Perth and Kinross is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Dundee, and Fife to the east, Clackmannanshire to the south, and Stirling and Argyll and Bute to the west. Perth is the administrative centre.
The council area corresponds to the historic shire of Kinross-shire and the north-eastern part of Perthshire; the remainder of Perthshire is now part of Stirling. Perthshire and Kinross-shire shared a county council from 1929 until 1975, and from 1975 to 1996 Perth and Kinross was a local government district within the Tayside region. In 1996 the district was reconstituted as a unitary authority area, with a minor boundary adjustment.
Geographically the area is split by the Highland Boundary Fault into a more mountainous northern part and a flatter southern part. The northern area is a popular tourist spot, while agriculture makes an important contribution to the southern part of the area.
The area is run by Perth and Kinross Council, and is represented by members of the Scottish National Party within both the Scottish Parliament and the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The historical counties of Perthshire and Kinross-shire were separate entities prior to 1975. Under the terms of the 1973 Local Government (Scotland) Act Kinross-shire became part of the Tayside region, while Perthshire was split between the Tayside and Central regions. Under the terms of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 these regions were dissolved in 1996 and the unitary authority of Perth and Kinross was created from the areas of Perthshire and Kinross-shire which were previously part of the Tayside region.
The Highland Boundary Fault runs across the region from the northeast to the southwest. This roughly divides the area between highland Perthshire, including part of the Grampian Mountains, to the north, and lowland Perthshire and Kinross to the south. The highland area is intersected with glacial valleys, often containing ribbon lakes, including Loch Tay and Loch Earn. The lowland area is a fertile region lying within the Central Lowlands.
In the southern part of Perth and Kinross agriculture plays an important part of the local economy. This includes the cultivation of fruits, fodder, wheat and seed potatoes.
The scenic nature of the northern part of Perth and Kinross makes tourism an important part of the economy. The Forestry Commission controls large parts of the area, which is also home to a number of hydroelectric dams.
The Highlands is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands. The term is also used for the area north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east. The Great Glen divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands. The Scottish Gaelic name of A' Ghàidhealtachd literally means "the place of the Gaels" and traditionally, from a Gaelic-speaking point of view, includes both the Western Isles and the Highlands.
The area is very sparsely populated, with many mountain ranges dominating the region, and includes the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. During the 18th and early 19th centuries the population of the Highlands rose to around 300,000, but from c. 1841 and for the next 160 years, the natural increase in population was exceeded by emigration (mostly to Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and migration to the industrial cities of Scotland and England.) and passim The area is now one of the most sparsely populated in Europe. At 9.1/km2 (24/sq mi) in 2012, the population density in the Highlands and Islands is less than one seventh of Scotland's as a whole.
The Highland Council is the administrative body for much of the Highlands, with its administrative centre at Inverness. However, the Highlands also includes parts of the council areas of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Moray, North Ayrshire, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.
The Scottish Highlands is the only area in the British Isles to have the taiga biome as it features concentrated populations of Scots pine forest: see Caledonian Forest. It is the most mountainous part of the United Kingdom.
Between the 15th century and the mid-20th century, the area differed from most of the Lowlands in terms of language. In Scottish Gaelic, the region is known as the Gàidhealtachd, because it was traditionally the Gaelic-speaking part of Scotland, although the language is now largely confined to The Hebrides. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably but have different meanings in their respective languages. Scottish English (in its Highland form) is the predominant language of the area today, though Highland English has been influenced by Gaelic speech to a significant extent. Historically, the "Highland line" distinguished the two Scottish cultures. While the Highland line broadly followed the geography of the Grampians in the south, it continued in the north, cutting off the north-eastern areas, that is Eastern Caithness, Orkney and Shetland, from the more Gaelic Highlands and Hebrides.
Historically, the major social unit of the Highlands was the clan. Scottish kings, particularly James VI, saw clans as a challenge to their authority; the Highlands was seen by many as a lawless region. The Scots of the Lowlands viewed the Highlanders as backward and more "Irish". The Highlands were seen as the overspill of Gaelic Ireland. They made this distinction by separating Germanic "Scots" English and the Gaelic by renaming it "Erse" a play on Eire. Following the Union of the Crowns, James VI had the military strength to back up any attempts to impose some control. The result was, in 1609, the Statutes of Iona which started the process of integrating clan leaders into Scottish society. The gradual changes continued into the 19th century, as clan chiefs thought of themselves less as patriarchal leaders of their people and more as commercial landlords. The first effect on the clansmen who were their tenants was the change to rents being payable in money rather than in kind. Later, rents were increased as Highland landowners sought to increase their income. This was followed, mostly in the period 1760–1850, by agricultural improvement that often (particularly in the Western Highlands) involved clearance of the population to make way for large scale sheep farms. Displaced tenants were set up in crofting communities in the process. The crofts were intended not to provide all the needs of their occupiers; they were expected to work in other industries such as kelping and fishing. Crofters came to rely substantially on seasonal migrant work, particularly in the Lowlands. This gave impetus to the learning of English, which was seen by many rural Gaelic speakers to be the essential "language of work".
Older historiography attributes the collapse of the clan system to the aftermath of the Jacobite risings. This is now thought less influential by historians. Following the Jacobite rising of 1745 the British government enacted a series of laws to try to suppress the clan system, including bans on the bearing of arms and the wearing of tartan, and limitations on the activities of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Most of this legislation was repealed by the end of the 18th century as the Jacobite threat subsided. There was soon a rehabilitation of Highland culture. Tartan was adopted for Highland regiments in the British Army, which poor Highlanders joined in large numbers in the era of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1790–1815). Tartan had largely been abandoned by the ordinary people of the region, but in the 1820s, tartan and the kilt were adopted by members of the social elite, not just in Scotland, but across Europe. The international craze for tartan, and for idealising a romanticised Highlands, was set off by the Ossian cycle, and further popularised by the works of Walter Scott. His "staging" of the visit of King George IV to Scotland in 1822 and the king's wearing of tartan resulted in a massive upsurge in demand for kilts and tartans that could not be met by the Scottish woollen industry. Individual clan tartans were largely designated in this period and they became a major symbol of Scottish identity. This "Highlandism", by which all of Scotland was identified with the culture of the Highlands, was cemented by Queen Victoria's interest in the country, her adoption of Balmoral as a major royal retreat, and her interest in "tartenry".
Recurrent famine affected the Highlands for much of its history, with significant instances as late as 1817 in the Eastern Highlands and the early 1850s in the West. Over the 18th century, the region had developed a trade of black cattle into Lowland markets, and this was balanced by imports of meal into the area. There was a critical reliance on this trade to provide sufficient food, and it is seen as an essential prerequisite for the population growth that started in the 18th century. Most of the Highlands, particularly in the North and West was short of the arable land that was essential for the mixed, run rig based, communal farming that existed before agricultural improvement was introduced into the region.[a] Between the 1760s and the 1830s there was a substantial trade in unlicensed whisky that had been distilled in the Highlands. Lowland distillers (who were not able to avoid the heavy taxation of this product) complained that Highland whisky made up more than half the market. The development of the cattle trade is taken as evidence that the pre-improvement Highlands was not an immutable system, but did exploit the economic opportunities that came its way. The illicit whisky trade demonstrates the entrepreneurial ability of the peasant classes.
Agricultural improvement reached the Highlands mostly over the period 1760 to 1850. Agricultural advisors, factors, land surveyors and others educated in the thinking of Adam Smith were keen to put into practice the new ideas taught in Scottish universities. Highland landowners, many of whom were burdened with chronic debts, were generally receptive to the advice they offered and keen to increase the income from their land. In the East and South the resulting change was similar to that in the Lowlands, with the creation of larger farms with single tenants, enclosure of the old run rig fields, introduction of new crops (such as turnips), land drainage and, as a consequence of all this, eviction, as part of the Highland clearances, of many tenants and cottars. Some of those cleared found employment on the new, larger farms, others moved to the accessible towns of the Lowlands.
In the West and North, evicted tenants were usually given tenancies in newly created crofting communities, while their former holdings were converted into large sheep farms. Sheep farmers could pay substantially higher rents than the run rig farmers and were much less prone to falling into arrears. Each croft was limited in size so that the tenants would have to find work elsewhere. The major alternatives were fishing and the kelp industry. Landlords took control of the kelp shores, deducting the wages earned by their tenants from the rent due and retaining the large profits that could be earned at the high prices paid for the processed product during the Napoleonic wars.
When the Napoleonic wars finished in 1815, the Highland industries were affected by the return to a peacetime economy. The price of black cattle fell, nearly halving between 1810 and the 1830s. Kelp prices had peaked in 1810, but reduced from £9 a ton in 1823 to £3 13s 4d a ton in 1828. Wool prices were also badly affected. This worsened the financial problems of debt-encumbered landlords. Then, in 1846, potato blight arrived in the Highlands, wiping out the essential subsistence crop for the overcrowded crofting communities. As the famine struck, the government made clear to landlords that it was their responsibility to provide famine relief for their tenants. The result of the economic downturn had been that a large proportion of Highland estates were sold in the first half of the 19th century. T M Devine points out that in the region most affected by the potato famine, by 1846, 70 per cent of the landowners were new purchasers who had not owned Highland property before 1800. More landlords were obliged to sell due to the cost of famine relief. Those who were protected from the worst of the crisis were those with extensive rental income from sheep farms. Government loans were made available for drainage works, road building and other improvements and many crofters became temporary migrants – taking work in the Lowlands. When the potato famine ceased in 1856, this established a pattern of more extensive working away from the Highlands.
The unequal concentration of land ownership remained an emotional and controversial subject, of enormous importance to the Highland economy, and eventually became a cornerstone of liberal radicalism. The poor crofters were politically powerless, and many of them turned to religion. They embraced the popularly oriented, fervently evangelical Presbyterian revival after 1800. Most joined the breakaway "Free Church" after 1843. This evangelical movement was led by lay preachers who themselves came from the lower strata, and whose preaching was implicitly critical of the established order. The religious change energised the crofters and separated them from the landlords; it helped prepare them for their successful and violent challenge to the landlords in the 1880s through the Highland Land League. Violence erupted, starting on the Isle of Skye, when Highland landlords cleared their lands for sheep and deer parks. It was quietened when the government stepped in, passing the Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1886 to reduce rents, guarantee fixity of tenure, and break up large estates to provide crofts for the homeless. This contrasted with the Irish Land War underway at the same time, where the Irish were intensely politicised through roots in Irish nationalism, while political dimensions were limited. In 1885 three Independent Crofter candidates were elected to Parliament, which listened to their pleas. The results included explicit security for the Scottish smallholders in the "crofting counties"; the legal right to bequeath tenancies to descendants; and the creation of a Crofting Commission. The Crofters as a political movement faded away by 1892, and the Liberal Party gained their votes.
Today, the Highlands are the largest of Scotland's whisky producing regions; the relevant area runs from Orkney to the Isle of Arran in the south and includes the northern isles and much of Inner and Outer Hebrides, Argyll, Stirlingshire, Arran, as well as sections of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire. (Other sources treat The Islands, except Islay, as a separate whisky producing region.) This massive area has over 30 distilleries, or 47 when the Islands sub-region is included in the count. According to one source, the top five are The Macallan, Glenfiddich, Aberlour, Glenfarclas and Balvenie. While Speyside is geographically within the Highlands, that region is specified as distinct in terms of whisky productions. Speyside single malt whiskies are produced by about 50 distilleries.
According to Visit Scotland, Highlands whisky is "fruity, sweet, spicy, malty". Another review states that Northern Highlands single malt is "sweet and full-bodied", the Eastern Highlands and Southern Highlands whiskies tend to be "lighter in texture" while the distilleries in the Western Highlands produce single malts with a "much peatier influence".
The Scottish Reformation achieved partial success in the Highlands. Roman Catholicism remained strong in some areas, owing to remote locations and the efforts of Franciscan missionaries from Ireland, who regularly came to celebrate Mass. There remain significant Catholic strongholds within the Highlands and Islands such as Moidart and Morar on the mainland and South Uist and Barra in the southern Outer Hebrides. The remoteness of the region and the lack of a Gaelic-speaking clergy undermined the missionary efforts of the established church. The later 18th century saw somewhat greater success, owing to the efforts of the SSPCK missionaries and to the disruption of traditional society after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In the 19th century, the evangelical Free Churches, which were more accepting of Gaelic language and culture, grew rapidly, appealing much more strongly than did the established church.
For the most part, however, the Highlands are considered predominantly Protestant, belonging to the Church of Scotland. In contrast to the Catholic southern islands, the northern Outer Hebrides islands (Lewis, Harris and North Uist) have an exceptionally high proportion of their population belonging to the Protestant Free Church of Scotland or the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The Outer Hebrides have been described as the last bastion of Calvinism in Britain and the Sabbath remains widely observed. Inverness and the surrounding area has a majority Protestant population, with most locals belonging to either The Kirk or the Free Church of Scotland. The church maintains a noticeable presence within the area, with church attendance notably higher than in other parts of Scotland. Religion continues to play an important role in Highland culture, with Sabbath observance still widely practised, particularly in the Hebrides.
In traditional Scottish geography, the Highlands refers to that part of Scotland north-west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which crosses mainland Scotland in a near-straight line from Helensburgh to Stonehaven. However the flat coastal lands that occupy parts of the counties of Nairnshire, Morayshire, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire are often excluded as they do not share the distinctive geographical and cultural features of the rest of the Highlands. The north-east of Caithness, as well as Orkney and Shetland, are also often excluded from the Highlands, although the Hebrides are usually included. The Highland area, as so defined, differed from the Lowlands in language and tradition, having preserved Gaelic speech and customs centuries after the anglicisation of the latter; this led to a growing perception of a divide, with the cultural distinction between Highlander and Lowlander first noted towards the end of the 14th century. In Aberdeenshire, the boundary between the Highlands and the Lowlands is not well defined. There is a stone beside the A93 road near the village of Dinnet on Royal Deeside which states 'You are now in the Highlands', although there are areas of Highland character to the east of this point.
A much wider definition of the Highlands is that used by the Scotch whisky industry. Highland single malts are produced at distilleries north of an imaginary line between Dundee and Greenock, thus including all of Aberdeenshire and Angus.
Inverness is regarded as the Capital of the Highlands, although less so in the Highland parts of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perthshire and Stirlingshire which look more to Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, and Stirling as their commercial centres.
The Highland Council area, created as one of the local government regions of Scotland, has been a unitary council area since 1996. The council area excludes a large area of the southern and eastern Highlands, and the Western Isles, but includes Caithness. Highlands is sometimes used, however, as a name for the council area, as in the former Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service. Northern is also used to refer to the area, as in the former Northern Constabulary. These former bodies both covered the Highland council area and the island council areas of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.
Much of the Highlands area overlaps the Highlands and Islands area. An electoral region called Highlands and Islands is used in elections to the Scottish Parliament: this area includes Orkney and Shetland, as well as the Highland Council local government area, the Western Isles and most of the Argyll and Bute and Moray local government areas. Highlands and Islands has, however, different meanings in different contexts. It means Highland (the local government area), Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles in Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service. Northern, as in Northern Constabulary, refers to the same area as that covered by the fire and rescue service.
There have been trackways from the Lowlands to the Highlands since prehistoric times. Many traverse the Mounth, a spur of mountainous land that extends from the higher inland range to the North Sea slightly north of Stonehaven. The most well-known and historically important trackways are the Causey Mounth, Elsick Mounth, Cryne Corse Mounth and Cairnamounth.
Although most of the Highlands is geographically on the British mainland, it is somewhat less accessible than the rest of Britain; thus most UK couriers categorise it separately, alongside Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and other offshore islands. They thus charge additional fees for delivery to the Highlands, or exclude the area entirely. While the physical remoteness from the largest population centres inevitably leads to higher transit cost, there is confusion and consternation over the scale of the fees charged and the effectiveness of their communication, and the use of the word Mainland in their justification. Since the charges are often based on postcode areas, many far less remote areas, including some which are traditionally considered part of the lowlands, are also subject to these charges. Royal Mail is the only delivery network bound by a Universal Service Obligation to charge a uniform tariff across the UK. This, however, applies only to mail items and not larger packages which are dealt with by its Parcelforce division.
The Highlands lie to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which runs from Arran to Stonehaven. This part of Scotland is largely composed of ancient rocks from the Cambrian and Precambrian periods which were uplifted during the later Caledonian Orogeny. Smaller formations of Lewisian gneiss in the northwest are up to 3 billion years old. The overlying rocks of the Torridon Sandstone form mountains in the Torridon Hills such as Liathach and Beinn Eighe in Wester Ross.
These foundations are interspersed with many igneous intrusions of a more recent age, the remnants of which have formed mountain massifs such as the Cairngorms and the Cuillin of Skye. A significant exception to the above are the fossil-bearing beds of Old Red Sandstone found principally along the Moray Firth coast and partially down the Highland Boundary Fault. The Jurassic beds found in isolated locations on Skye and Applecross reflect the complex underlying geology. They are the original source of much North Sea oil. The Great Glen is formed along a transform fault which divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands.
The entire region was covered by ice sheets during the Pleistocene ice ages, save perhaps for a few nunataks. The complex geomorphology includes incised valleys and lochs carved by the action of mountain streams and ice, and a topography of irregularly distributed mountains whose summits have similar heights above sea-level, but whose bases depend upon the amount of denudation to which the plateau has been subjected in various places.
Climate
The region is much warmer than other areas at similar latitudes (such as Kamchatka in Russia, or Labrador in Canada) because of the Gulf Stream making it cool, damp and temperate. The Köppen climate classification is "Cfb" at low altitudes, then becoming "Cfc", "Dfc" and "ET" at higher altitudes.
Places of interest
An Teallach
Aonach Mòr (Nevis Range ski centre)
Arrochar Alps
Balmoral Castle
Balquhidder
Battlefield of Culloden
Beinn Alligin
Beinn Eighe
Ben Cruachan hydro-electric power station
Ben Lomond
Ben Macdui (second highest mountain in Scotland and UK)
Ben Nevis (highest mountain in Scotland and UK)
Cairngorms National Park
Cairngorm Ski centre near Aviemore
Cairngorm Mountains
Caledonian Canal
Cape Wrath
Carrick Castle
Castle Stalker
Castle Tioram
Chanonry Point
Conic Hill
Culloden Moor
Dunadd
Duart Castle
Durness
Eilean Donan
Fingal's Cave (Staffa)
Fort George
Glen Coe
Glen Etive
Glen Kinglas
Glen Lyon
Glen Orchy
Glenshee Ski Centre
Glen Shiel
Glen Spean
Glenfinnan (and its railway station and viaduct)
Grampian Mountains
Hebrides
Highland Folk Museum – The first open-air museum in the UK.
Highland Wildlife Park
Inveraray Castle
Inveraray Jail
Inverness Castle
Inverewe Garden
Iona Abbey
Isle of Staffa
Kilchurn Castle
Kilmartin Glen
Liathach
Lecht Ski Centre
Loch Alsh
Loch Ard
Loch Awe
Loch Assynt
Loch Earn
Loch Etive
Loch Fyne
Loch Goil
Loch Katrine
Loch Leven
Loch Linnhe
Loch Lochy
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Loch Lubnaig
Loch Maree
Loch Morar
Loch Morlich
Loch Ness
Loch Nevis
Loch Rannoch
Loch Tay
Lochranza
Luss
Meall a' Bhuiridh (Glencoe Ski Centre)
Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary at Loch Creran
Rannoch Moor
Red Cuillin
Rest and Be Thankful stretch of A83
River Carron, Wester Ross
River Spey
River Tay
Ross and Cromarty
Smoo Cave
Stob Coire a' Chàirn
Stac Polly
Strathspey Railway
Sutherland
Tor Castle
Torridon Hills
Urquhart Castle
West Highland Line (scenic railway)
West Highland Way (Long-distance footpath)
Wester Ross
1. I have not yet ordered from brickarms.
2. I have recently become obsessed with Avatar: the last airbender.
3. I personally believe the new movie is totally going to ruin ATLA's reputation.
4. I have also recently become obsessed with GOW. I do not own the game, but after playing it at a friend's house, I love it.
5. I have made at least 15 orders from bricklink. This is counting all the orders from January 2010 to now.
6. I hate the fact that lego is ending it's association with Lucas Films Corporation and that it is going to stop producing SW sets.
7. I made a mile run in 7 minutes, 15 seconds. I made fourth fastest in the whole sixth grade.
8. I am currently watching 'Terminator: Judgment day' on my TV right now.
9. My favorite foods are Mediterranean and Indian.
10. Ostrich-punk is currently my favorite theme.
11. I love having a high and fast metabolism. I can eat anything I want, and I will gain barely any weight. I also burn fat constantly, so I am often very energized.
12. California, Pennsylvania, New york, Massachusetts, and Michigan are my favorite states.
13. I have one cat and one dog. They both are some very hairy animals, so that is why you constantly see hairs in MOCs and minifigs.
14. My twin bro is obsessed with any and all mollusks.
15. Half way there.
16. Domos are my favorite current plastic toys. I am starting to collect them, Like geeks and there pokemon.
17. I own an Ipod touch.
18. Ostrichpunk is one of my favorite lego themes.
19. I hate cutting mah nails. I need them for pulling apart stubborn lego!
20. My favorite builders are Sir Nadroj, Roobyem, Primus, Titolian, Karf oolho, Z the lego man, Catsy CSF, Marth, Nnenn, _Matn, Bermudafreeze, legoloverman, Ochre jelly, pain parade, legohaulic, and legohound.
21. My favorite minifig makers/customizers are Pedro, Mike 3579, Annihilator, The Chef, Shi Shi Mo, *Nobody Cares*, Um Bop, Geoshift, billbobful, evilchef, bantha, Morgan 190, and Jasbrick.
22. My favorite season is summer, and that is for many reasons.
23. I have never gotten a severe body injury. No major breaks, sprains, or fractures.
24. I am very prone to dangerous Bacteria. Doctors are not sure how I get so many viruses, as I have an extremely strong and above average immunity system. For example, I have had the swine flu three times, salmonella twice, and the flu eight times.
25. I love lego Ostrichpunk. Wait, I've said that already, haven't I.
26. I have a small wire cutter that I named Snips. Yes, I really named a non-sentient and abiotic thing.
27.
Yes, we all knew this was coming, it's a car that defined my childhood dreams and is still something I pine for today, the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, a car that has been credited as the most revolutionary Rolls Royce ever made, but holds a reputation of mixed perceptions, either being considered the last of the great one's, or the first of the worst.
In 1965 it was apparent that the nearly 10 year old Silver Cloud was starting to look its age, and as time continued to crawl on the aristocratic look of the Rolls Royce was no longer its biggest selling point. Prior to the 1960's society was clearly defined, with what was known as the 'Glass Ceiling' through which none of the lower classes could rise up through the ranks. It was very easy for the Upper Class and Aristocracy to lose their titles and come down, but even if you were a Lower Class person who'd made it rich, you'd still be socially unacceptable due to your background. However, after World War I the emergence of the new Middle Class was starting to bend the rules, and as time went on the ways in which money could be obtained started to become easier thanks to stage and screen. After World War II the influence of the new generation distorted the lines of society even more with the appearance of the Beatles and Elvis Presley, people from low backgrounds who had managed to get a free ticket to the top due to their fame in the music industry. Of course when someone gets money, the first thing they want to do is spend it on luxury items, and nothing back then was more luxury than owning a Rolls Royce.
However, when the Cloud was designed society was still very much in the same Victorian ideal as before, and so its aristocratic look was about as hip and with-it as a China Cabinet in a Discotheque. In order to survive, Rolls Royce was going to have to adapt, so in 1965 they launched the Silver Shadow, a car that was designed for the new money, and the first Roller to be brought to the masses. What made it so appealing was a case of many things.
For starters, it was the first Rolls Royce to be a 'Driver's' car. Previous models had always been built with chauffeur driven passengers in mind, but the Shadow with upgraded suspension, an updated Rolls Royce V8 engine and the same general driving feel of a regular car (if not better with innovative power steering), made it ideal for the 'posers' of the upmarket realm. Secondly, the car was the first to be built with a monocoque, where the body and chassis are part of the same structure. Previously, Rolls Royce would provide the owner with a chassis, and then it was up to the owner what body would be put on it, with a variety of coachbuilders available to do the job including H.J Muliner Park Ward, Hoopers of London and James Young. The advent of the monocoque meant that potential buyers didn't have to go through the rigmarole of buying a chassis and then having a body constructed for it at extra cost.
As mentioned though, reception was something of a mixed bag, whilst motoring press and many people gave it critical acclaim for its revolutionary design, the usual Rolls Royce customer base saw it as something of a mongrel, appealing to the lowest common denominator rather than holding up the traditional standard that the Double R was famed for. But just because it was built for the masses didn't make it any less a car, each individual Shadow cost £7,000 new, weighed 2.2 tonnes and took 3 months to build. The interior was compiled of 12 square feet of wood, and three cows had to sacrifice themselves to create the leather hides that line the seats. Soft and springy Wilton Carpets made up the floor and power from Rolls Royce's astounding V8 engine could whisk the car to about 100mph, but why would you want a sporty Rolls Royce anyway? *Cough* Rolls Royce Wraith *Cough*
After launch the Silver Shadow was whipped up by pretty much anyone and everyone who wanted to show off their wealth, with a total of 25,000 examples being built during its 15 year production life, making it the most numerous Rolls Royce ever built. The Silver Shadow also formed the basis of several other designs, including the convertible Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 2-Door Saloon which later became the Corniche in 1971, the Bentley T-Series which was exactly the same only with Bentley badge and grille, and the controversial Rolls Royce Camargue of 1975 which was designed by Pininfarina.
For a time the Shadow was on top of the world, but things started to crumble fast in the 1970's. New American legislation meant that the car had to conform at the cost of its class, with the chrome bumpers being replaced by composite or rubber, and the ditch lights being slumped underneath on a rather unsightly chin-spoiler. In 1977 this revised car was launched as the Silver Shadow II, which I consider to be but a shadow of its former self due to the fact that this was when Rolls Royce started to become downplayed and underwhelming. Indeed the best intentions were in mind with safety, but without the chrome to adorn its lovely body, the Shadow was merely a husk.
This was added to by the fuel crisis of the mid-1970's, which made motoring a very expensive practice, especially if you ran a Shadow. Shadow's are incredible gas guzzlers at less than 20MPG, and refilling one will set you back in today's money about £80. At the same time it was considered socially unacceptable to be seen driving around in one of these after such a blow, almost as if you were driving a giant middle-finger down the street to everyone else who couldn't afford to drive. Because of this, owners turned to more subtle cars such as Mercedes so as not to fall victim to vindictive passers by. With sales starting to drop, Rolls Royce had to see off the Silver Shadow as soon as possible. After nearly 10 years of development, 1980 saw the launch of the much more angular and somewhat mundane Silver Spirit/Spur range, and with that now on the go the shadows grew long for the Silver Shadow, which was killed off the same year. Spiritually however, the design of the 60's lived on in the Corniche, which was to be built for another 15 years before that too was ended in 1995.
In some ways the Shadow became a failure of its own success, with Rolls Royce building far too many cars for the market that intended to buy them, with the result that the 2nd hand market became saturated with nearly new cars that fell into some disreputable company. Throughout the 1980's the Shadow was noted for being the ride of sleazy salesmen, gang lords and Members of Parliament (pure evil!). Additionally, many Shadows were bought cheap simply for the way they made the owner look.
If you were intending to use your cheapy Shadow to plunder yourself some girls and didn't have the attraction of money to back you up, you'd be out of luck and soon out of cash, because the bills required to run a hand-built luxury car would very quickly be walking through the door, both in terms of fuel and maintenance. Critical failures are rare and these cars are very reliable (although Jeremy Clarkson would have you think otherwise), but when they do happen, it would probably be cheaper to buy yourself another car. The worst problem you could face is a failure of the hydraulics that controlled the rear suspension, the steering and the brakes, which would render the car inoperable if something were to go awry.
Frequent maintenance of a Shadow however (every 4 to 6 months) will probably even out at about £100, which when you consider the £10,000 or more you'd be paying to replace the hydraulic system, is a small sacrifice. Rust is another problem, especially for early Shadows. The Chrome sills and guttering on the roof are especially prone, although the most critical problem is rust on the chassis, which if left can compromise the whole car and essentially write it off. A bit of a buying tip, if the car's body looks good, be sure to check underneath because you may see some costly rust gremlins down there that could ruin your investment.
Another place the Shadow has found itself is in the world of movies. Of course any film that has an upper-crust theme or feel to it would have to include a Rolls, but since 2nd hand Shadows could be picked up for a song you could easily put them in your movie. Sadly, most movies that feature Shadows are ones which feature them being destroyed.
So why do I love Shadows so much? Basically because it's a mixture of all things you'd want in a car. It has a spacious, luxury interior, it has a world beating design dripping with chrome and adorned with the finest hood ornament, and because it's dimensions aren't that far off a normal car, it can easily be used as an everyday machine unlike the Silver Cloud which is simply too big for everyday use. The Shadow is also a very personable sort of machine, if I was to own one I would treat it like a pet, and probably name it Sally (old girlfriend of mine).
Today, Shadows are by no means rare and the ones you'll find on the road are probably the best. Most of the poorer 2nd Hand ones rusted away and died back in the 1980's and 90's (or were blown up in movies, or put in swimming pools), which means that the survivors are largely under the ownership of avid enthusiasts who cherish their cars. You can find Shadows for next to nothing, with some examples going for as little as £4,000, but you'd have to be very desperate to get one of those as they'd probably be in very bad condition. Minters however can go for about £15,000 to £20,000, which when compared to some of the other cars of comparative size and quality such as the BMW's and Mercs of this world, is not a bad deal. :)
Yes, we all knew this was coming, it's a car that defined my childhood dreams and is still something I pine for today, the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, a car that has been credited as the most revolutionary Rolls Royce ever made, but holds a reputation of mixed perceptions, either being considered the last of the great one's, or the first of the worst.
In 1965 it was apparent that the nearly 10 year old Silver Cloud was starting to look its age, and as time continued to crawl on the aristocratic look of the Rolls Royce was no longer its biggest selling point. Prior to the 1960's society was clearly defined, with what was known as the 'Glass Ceiling' through which none of the lower classes could rise up through the ranks. It was very easy for the Upper Class and Aristocracy to lose their titles and come down, but even if you were a Lower Class person who'd made it rich, you'd still be socially unacceptable due to your background. However, after World War I the emergence of the new Middle Class was starting to bend the rules, and as time went on the ways in which money could be obtained started to become easier thanks to stage and screen. After World War II the influence of the new generation distorted the lines of society even more with the appearance of the Beatles and Elvis Presley, people from low backgrounds who had managed to get a free ticket to the top due to their fame in the music industry. Of course when someone gets money, the first thing they want to do is spend it on luxury items, and nothing back then was more luxury than owning a Rolls Royce.
However, when the Cloud was designed society was still very much in the same Victorian ideal as before, and so its aristocratic look was about as hip and with-it as a China Cabinet in a Discotheque. In order to survive, Rolls Royce was going to have to adapt, so in 1965 they launched the Silver Shadow, a car that was designed for the new money, and the first Roller to be brought to the masses. What made it so appealing was a case of many things.
For starters, it was the first Rolls Royce to be a 'Driver's' car. Previous models had always been built with chauffeur driven passengers in mind, but the Shadow with upgraded suspension, an updated Rolls Royce V8 engine and the same general driving feel of a regular car (if not better with innovative power steering), made it ideal for the 'posers' of the upmarket realm. Secondly, the car was the first to be built with a monocoque, where the body and chassis are part of the same structure. Previously, Rolls Royce would provide the owner with a chassis, and then it was up to the owner what body would be put on it, with a variety of coachbuilders available to do the job including H.J Muliner Park Ward, Hoopers of London and James Young. The advent of the monocoque meant that potential buyers didn't have to go through the rigmarole of buying a chassis and then having a body constructed for it at extra cost.
As mentioned though, reception was something of a mixed bag, whilst motoring press and many people gave it critical acclaim for its revolutionary design, the usual Rolls Royce customer base saw it as something of a mongrel, appealing to the lowest common denominator rather than holding up the traditional standard that the Double R was famed for. But just because it was built for the masses didn't make it any less a car, each individual Shadow cost £7,000 new, weighed 2.2 tonnes and took 3 months to build. The interior was compiled of 12 square feet of wood, and three cows had to sacrifice themselves to create the leather hides that line the seats. Soft and springy Wilton Carpets made up the floor and power from Rolls Royce's astounding V8 engine could whisk the car to about 100mph, but why would you want a sporty Rolls Royce anyway? *Cough* Rolls Royce Wraith *Cough*
After launch the Silver Shadow was whipped up by pretty much anyone and everyone who wanted to show off their wealth, with a total of 25,000 examples being built during its 15 year production life, making it the most numerous Rolls Royce ever built. The Silver Shadow also formed the basis of several other designs, including the convertible Rolls Royce Silver Shadow 2-Door Saloon which later became the Corniche in 1971, the Bentley T-Series which was exactly the same only with Bentley badge and grille, and the controversial Rolls Royce Camargue of 1975 which was designed by Pininfarina.
For a time the Shadow was on top of the world, but things started to crumble fast in the 1970's. New American legislation meant that the car had to conform at the cost of its class, with the chrome bumpers being replaced by composite or rubber, and the ditch lights being slumped underneath on a rather unsightly chin-spoiler. In 1977 this revised car was launched as the Silver Shadow II, which I consider to be but a shadow of its former self due to the fact that this was when Rolls Royce started to become downplayed and underwhelming. Indeed the best intentions were in mind with safety, but without the chrome to adorn its lovely body, the Shadow was merely a husk.
This was added to by the fuel crisis of the mid-1970's, which made motoring a very expensive practice, especially if you ran a Shadow. Shadow's are incredible gas guzzlers at less than 20MPG, and refilling one will set you back in today's money about £80. At the same time it was considered socially unacceptable to be seen driving around in one of these after such a blow, almost as if you were driving a giant middle-finger down the street to everyone else who couldn't afford to drive. Because of this, owners turned to more subtle cars such as Mercedes so as not to fall victim to vindictive passers by. With sales starting to drop, Rolls Royce had to see off the Silver Shadow as soon as possible. After nearly 10 years of development, 1980 saw the launch of the much more angular and somewhat mundane Silver Spirit/Spur range, and with that now on the go the shadows grew long for the Silver Shadow, which was killed off the same year. Spiritually however, the design of the 60's lived on in the Corniche, which was to be built for another 15 years before that too was ended in 1995.
In some ways the Shadow became a failure of its own success, with Rolls Royce building far too many cars for the market that intended to buy them, with the result that the 2nd hand market became saturated with nearly new cars that fell into some disreputable company. Throughout the 1980's the Shadow was noted for being the ride of sleazy salesmen, gang lords and Members of Parliament (pure evil!). Additionally, many Shadows were bought cheap simply for the way they made the owner look.
If you were intending to use your cheapy Shadow to plunder yourself some girls and didn't have the attraction of money to back you up, you'd be out of luck and soon out of cash, because the bills required to run a hand-built luxury car would very quickly be walking through the door, both in terms of fuel and maintenance. Critical failures are rare and these cars are very reliable (although Jeremy Clarkson would have you think otherwise), but when they do happen, it would probably be cheaper to buy yourself another car. The worst problem you could face is a failure of the hydraulics that controlled the rear suspension, the steering and the brakes, which would render the car inoperable if something were to go awry.
Frequent maintenance of a Shadow however (every 4 to 6 months) will probably even out at about £100, which when you consider the £10,000 or more you'd be paying to replace the hydraulic system, is a small sacrifice. Rust is another problem, especially for early Shadows. The Chrome sills and guttering on the roof are especially prone, although the most critical problem is rust on the chassis, which if left can compromise the whole car and essentially write it off. A bit of a buying tip, if the car's body looks good, be sure to check underneath because you may see some costly rust gremlins down there that could ruin your investment.
Another place the Shadow has found itself is in the world of movies. Of course any film that has an upper-crust theme or feel to it would have to include a Rolls, but since 2nd hand Shadows could be picked up for a song you could easily put them in your movie. Sadly, most movies that feature Shadows are ones which feature them being destroyed.
So why do I love Shadows so much? Basically because it's a mixture of all things you'd want in a car. It has a spacious, luxury interior, it has a world beating design dripping with chrome and adorned with the finest hood ornament, and because it's dimensions aren't that far off a normal car, it can easily be used as an everyday machine unlike the Silver Cloud which is simply too big for everyday use. The Shadow is also a very personable sort of machine, if I was to own one I would treat it like a pet, and probably name it Sally (old girlfriend of mine).
Today, Shadows are by no means rare and the ones you'll find on the road are probably the best. Most of the poorer 2nd Hand ones rusted away and died back in the 1980's and 90's (or were blown up in movies, or put in swimming pools), which means that the survivors are largely under the ownership of avid enthusiasts who cherish their cars. You can find Shadows for next to nothing, with some examples going for as little as £4,000, but you'd have to be very desperate to get one of those as they'd probably be in very bad condition. Minters however can go for about £15,000 to £20,000, which when compared to some of the other cars of comparative size and quality such as the BMW's and Mercs of this world, is not a bad deal. :)
Sorry if I've bored you with my life story, on a bit of a buzz today! :D
Miley Cyrus
The American pop queen everyone loves to hate, Miley Cyrus lived up to her reputation as she brought her Bangerz tour to London on the first stop of its rescheduled European leg in support of Cyrus’ fourth post-Hannah Montana studio album of the same name.
Cyrus burst onto the cross-shaped stage with a mouthful of expletives, starting the show as she meant to go on: to try and push the boundaries beyond where they should be in the name of entertainment. The music that accompanied the show was primarily from Bangerz with a couple of hits from previous records thrown in amongst a couple of covers, including a cover of Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys’ Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? for the home country crowd.
She laid it on thick from her opening gambit of entering the arena by tearing down a tongue-shaped slide protruding from an image of her own face to returning to the stage in an outfit made up of faux-American currency with a golden marijuana-leaf necklace on top of a gold car whilst simulating masturbation. Madonna did it more elegantly twenty years ago dear.
There were brief moments where we thought she might redeem herself, explaining the dangers of smoking cigarettes for instance. But she turned it around quite skilfully, resulting in the most bizarre anti-smoking campaign you’ll ever hear, proclaiming that cigarettes led to a crease on her 21-year-old face and, as delicious as cigarettes might be, to instead smoke weed: "Weed never killed anybody!".
Crowd participation was achieved by way of Cyrus requesting members of the audience, particularly same sex couples, to engage in over the top kissing in order to appear on the large screen behind her. In the words of her 2009 hit and set-closer Party in the U.S.A., this was definitely not a Nashville party. She later re-engaged the crowd by asking them if it was okay if she spit water all over them citing American audience approval of the same treatment during the U.S. leg of the tour.
Cyrus even managed to squeeze the c-word into Dolly Parton classic Jolene while visiting the back of the vast O2 Arena on a b-stage before returning to the main stage to close the main set riding around on a big weiner.
I know, I know, it’s my own fault. To be fair to Miley, I knew what I was letting myself in for. I was just secretly hoping she’d surprise me and make me revaluate my perception of her music. I really think this girl has a powerful voice and potential to be a great singer-songwriter and musician. But tonight demonstrates that controversy sells.
The highlight of the evening for me came before Miley Cyrus even graced the stage by way of support act Sky Ferreira whose mixture of strong, growling vocals over heavy guitars seemed to confuse the Cyrusites around me but who proved herself a strong talent.
A lot of you know this man as Aiden Lexenstar and he's built quite the reputation for himself in the SL porn world. But for the last year and a half I've known the real man, albeit under another name. About a year ago I found out about Aiden and confronted him, of course he denied it all and as many people do when confronted with information they don't want to believe is true, I chose to put my beliefs aside and move forward with our relationship. Deep in my heart I knew the truth but the avatar disappeared from search a few days later and I told myself the worst was over and my love for him was strong enough to overcome this small obstacle. Then in November thanks to a pic done by one of my contacts, Ehl Genesis, I discovered Aiden's flickr and my world crumbled. Aiden's avatar was like the fraternal twin of the avatar of the man I knew and loved with all my heart and the storyline descriptions in the pics were things he'd said to me often. He used the same AO, wore the same sort of accessories, dressed eerily similar and even hung out with a few avs that he had known when we first got together.. which in and of itself was not much but coupled with everything else I had discovered it was all just brick after brick in the wall of truth that was coming to light. I struggled with all this information and decided to confront him again and yet again he managed to make me feel as if it was all in my head and I cried myself to sleep night after night because in my heart i knew the truth.. the man I loved and had given my heart to had betrayed me and he had betrayed me at a time when I was most vulnerable. The reason he had ample time to 'be' Aiden was because I was late in my pregnancy (when I met him I was in an unhappy marriage and had just gotten pregnant though I didn't find that out until a few wks later) and then had a baby. I was exhausted and trying my hardest to juggle it all and make sure I was still giving him all the attention he deserved but it was hard and I had to sleep sometime. Well while I slept he was out building a name for himself in the sl porn industry. He was the worst kind of selfish at a time where I needed his understanding and loyalty the most and that part is hard to get past. For the longest time I struggled with how to unearth the truth once and for all. At first I decided to bring MY secret alt out of retirement, I mean come on most of us have alts and some that are complete secrets, and use her to get to Aiden. This is where Lyra came into play. The problem was I was too damn exhausted at the end of the day to stay up, log on as Lyra and be sneaky lol. I did get Aiden to friend Lyra and that gave me a modicum of satisfaction but in the end I realized it was gonna take me ages to get the truth this way so I had to change tactics (and knowing now that the av was shared by him AND his brother I'm damn glad I decided against my original plan. I mean how fucked up would it have been if I had pixel banged my bf's brother thinkin it was him in alt form LOL. Sheesh I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone). Finally I decided to use the old cop tactic of pretending to have more evidence than you really do and a few nights ago I got up the nerve to confront him for the last time. It didn't take much, he confessed rather easily and I know why. He knows what he did was wrong and he wanted me to catch him plain and simple. And I did. And now comes the hardest part of all.. healing. You may think I'm a fool or that I have very little self respect for myself but you would be wrong. I just love him. Unconditionally and with everything that I am and no matter what has happened and what anyone else thinks I KNOW that he loves me too. And since the confrontation he has done nothing but prove to me how much. He is my best friend and the bond between us is so strong. There is no excuse for what he did and I hate it but I don't hate him because I feel that real love, true undying love cannot be shattered so easily and all relationships have their ups and downs and require work and you can't just give up and run for the hills anytime things get rocky. Don't get me wrong, it will take years for him to earn back my trust and even then this will always be in the back of my mind. I will forgive but I will NEVER forget. Judge me if you will, you can think I'm a fool for giving him another chance, I really don't care. What he did was wrong but to me it was not unforgivable because I know with every fiber of my being the kind of man he really is and what it comes down to is I don't want a life without him. Period. He's at his heart a good man, a kind man and a loving man. He's young and he screwed up, we all make mistakes but what matters is what you take from it. What you learn and whether you grow as a person. I believe he deserves a second chance.. but I'm gonna make him crawl through fire to get me back and this pic is just step one in his atonement. I want EVERYONE to know what he's done and who Aiden really is.. he's Cameron Batista and I love him with all my heart.
This is the final Kent church of the year, and with these uploads I will have caught up on all my picture taking, I believe.
We only visited St Mildred last year, but I forgot, so we went again in November, on another wonderful late autumn morning.
After visiting, we sat in the churchyard eating sausage rolls, much to the disgust of a couple of other visitors to the church.
Oh well.
--------------------------------------------
A superb church, which despite a heavy-handed restoration by G.M. Hills (see also Newenden) in 1864 still has much of interest. The nave ceiling is exceptional fifteenth-century work, rather more domestic in feel than is normal in an ecclesiastical building. There are two blocked thirteenth-century windows above the chancel arch - an unusual position to find windows in Kent. The five bay aisles are extremely narrow. The glass in the south aisle windows by Hughes of 1865 are rather fun. In the north chapel is a fine alabaster standing monument to Herbert Whitfield (d. 1622) and his wife. This monument cuts off the base of the north-east window and displays many colourful coats of arms. The chancel screen and pulpit are late nineteenth century and fit in with the medieval architecture better than most works of that period.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Tenterden
-------------------------------------------
The history of Tenterden itself is lost in time, as is the origin of St. Mildred’s church. Perhaps all that can be said with any confidence is that the story of the town and the story of St. Mildred’s are bound together with each other, with the story of pre-conquest Kent, with the story of Christianity in Kent, and with the story of the ancient Kentish royal house.
Tenet-wara-den (the den of the Thanet folk) was the Wealden area used by the abbey of Minster-in-Thanet for Autumn pig-forage (acorns and beech mast to fatten the pigs for Winter). That abbey was founded by Domne Aefa (“the lady Aebba”?) of the Kentish royal family, and either she herself or her daughter, St. Mildred, was the first abbess. This is within the first century after the arrival in Canterbury of St. Augustine’s mission from Rome. Mildred’s holy reputation was an international one, and there can be no doubt that a church in her name was here from some point in the eighth to tenth centuries. The reign of Canute is the latest possible period and it was almost certainly much earlier. However, we have no record of any incumbent before 1180, and the oldest perceptible fabric of the church is of about that time too.
When you stand in the middle of St. Mildred’s, you see a large building reflecting the prosperity of the town in the later middle ages. The north arcade of the chancel is probably around 1200, but most of the chancel, nave, and aisles is work of the 13th to 15th centuries. The fine wagon-vault ceiling of the nave has been variously stated to be 14th or 15th century (with some Victorian additions). The tower of the church, a prominent Kentish landmark, was probably built by architect Thomas Stanley. This major building work was undertaken in the middle of the 15th century, at the height of Tenterden’s prosperity, it being no coincidence that the town gained a charter and Cinque Port status in support of Rye, at about the same time.
The town’s prosperity was reflected also in the presence of important shipbuilding yards at both Reading Street and Smallhythe, both on the tidal River Rother at that time. The settlement at Smallhythe was sufficiently large to gain its own chapel sometime in the middle ages, but we know nothing of that building, though it was probably dedicated to St. John the Baptist. Smallhythe itself was burnt in a huge fire in 1514, and we know that rebuilding of the chapel began virtually straight away. The current church of St. John the Baptist is a beautiful example of a brick-built Tudor church, box-like (so with an excellent acoustic). It has, during its history, had varying levels of dependence or independence from the town church of St. Mildred.
By the middle of the 19th century, the population was growing fast, and attitudes to worship were changing too. St. Mildred’s lost its box pews, and had the organ moved to its present position. A new church was planned for the hamlet of Boresisle at the northern end of Tenterden, the neat and small Gothic revival church being dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels. Two consequences were, firstly, the acquisition by Kent of another prominent landmark – the graceful spire, and secondly, the name Boresisle fell out of usage and the hamlet itself has ever since been known as “St. Michael’s”.
I do feel it important to append to this account of the Anglican church buildings a brief comment on the other churches of the town. There was always a Roman Catholic presence here, but after the Reformation, there was no church building until the Catholic priest in Tenterden, Canon Currie began, in the 1930s, a determined attempt to put that right, culminating in the building of St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic church in Ashford Road.
The history of “non-conformity” in Tenterden is a major and extensive one. Within a few decades of the development around the 1370s, by John Wyclife at Oxford, of the doctrines later known as “Lollardy”, there were significant numbers of people in Tenterden who ascribed to doctrines regarded as unorthodox. Moreover, following the Reformation of the 1540s to 1560s, there were many who rejected not only Roman ways, but were unhappy with the English church. We know that Tenterden families joined the 17th century exodus to the New World (notably to Massachusetts), and Tenterden acquired its first “non-conformist” chapel around 1700, that building now being the Unitarian church in Ashford Road, and one of Tenterden’s most interesting ancient relics. The nineteenth century saw the building of the Methodist church at West Cross, and two of the three Baptist churches – Zion in the High Street, and the Strict Baptist Jireh Chapel at St. Michael’s. Trinity Baptist in Ashford Road was built in 1928.
Those interested to pursue their enquiries further will find a guide in St. Mildred’s, and there is much information in standard texts of Kent history and architecture.
www.tenterdencofe.org/?page_ref=265
---------------------------------------------
THIS hundred contains within its bounds THE TOWN AND PARISH OF Tenterden, and part of the parish of Ebeney, containing the borough of Reading, the church of which is in another hundred.
This hundred was antiently accounted one of the Seven Hundreds, and was within the jurisdiction of the justices of the country, from which it was separated by Henry VI. who, on account of the impoverishment of the port and town of Rye, in Sussex, by his letters patent, in his 27th year, incorporated the town and hundred of Tenterden, by the name of the bailiff and commonaltie of the town and hundred of Tenterden, and granted that the same should be a member annexed and united to that town and port, and separated from the county of Kent, and that the bailiff and commonalty of this town and hundred should have for ever, on their contributing to the burthens and exigencies of that port and town from time to time, (fn. 1) many franchises, privileges, and freedoms, and all other liberties, freedoms, and free customs which the barons of the five ports had before that time enjoyed. In which state this town and hundred remained till the 42d year of queen Elizabeth's reign, when the name of their incorporation was changed to that of the mayor, jurats, and commonalty of the town and hundred of Tenterden, by which it continues to be governed at this time.
THE CORPORATION consists of a mayor, twelve jurats, and as many common-councilmen, a chamberlain, and town clerk; the jurisdiction of it being exclusive from the justices of the county. The mayor is chosen yearly on August 29. The election used to be in the town-hall; but that being burnt down by some prisoners in the prison-room over it, it was afterwards made under one of the great old oaks, which are not far from the place, on the other side of the street, where it stood. A neat and elegant hall was finished in 1792, adjoining the Woolpack Inn, in which the mayor has been elected as heretofore, and it is occasionally used as an assembly room by the inhabitants. The mayor is coroner of both the town and hundred; there is no sheriff; the commoners must be resciants, and are chosen by the mayor and two of the jurats; the jurats are all justices of the peace. They hold sessions of oyer and terminer, but cannot try treason. At the sessions holden at Tenterden, August 10, 1785, two men were convicted of burglary, and executed near Gallows-green the 27th following. Both the charters of this corporation being destroyed by the fire of the court-hall in 1660, an exemplification of them was procured anno 12 George III.
The liberty of the court of the bailiwic of the Seven Hundreds, claimed a paramount jurisdiction over this hundred, till the incorporation of the town of Tenterden, and the annexing this hundred to it in the reign of Henry VI. since which the mayor and jurats have been lords of the royalty of it, and continue so at this time.
The parish is divided into six boroughs, each having a borsholder chosen yearly, these are Town Borough, Castweasle, Boresile, Shrubcote, Dumborne, which includes all Smallhyth, and Reading, which is wholly in the parish of Ebene.
THE PARISH of Tenterden lies too near the marshes to be either healthy or pleasant, excepting that part where the town is situated near the northern boundaries of it, on what may be called for this country, high ground; it is about five miles across each way. The soil of it is various, the northern part being sand, towards the east it is a wet stiff clay, and towards the south and west towards the marshes a deep rich mould. The generality of the lands in it are pasture, but there are about one hundred acres of hop-ground dispersed in different parts of it; there is very little wood, and that mostly between the town and Smallhyth, a hamlet formerly of much more consequence, as will be further mentioned hereafter, situated at the southern boundary of it, on the road into the Isle of Oxney, close to the river Rother, which separates that part of this parish from the island. About a mile and a half eastward is the hamlet of Reading-street, built adjoining the high road to Apledore, close to the marshes below it, on the passage over the Rother into Ebeney, and the Isle of Oxney.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, 1755, between ten and eleven o'clock in the forenoon (being at the same time that the great bason at Portsmouth was disturbed) several ponds in this parish and neighbourhood, without any sensible motion of the earth, were greatly agitated, the water of them being forced up the banks with great violence, fretting and foaming with a noise similar to the coming in of the tide, so as to terrify many who were near them; some of these waters flowed up three times in this manner, others circled round into eddies, absorbing leaves, sticks, &c. and it was observed that only those ponds were affected, that had springs to supply the waters of them.
THE TOWN OF TENTERDEN is situated nearly in the centre of the parish and hundred. It stands on high ground, neither unpleasant nor unhealthy; the greatest part of it is built on each side of the high road leading from the western parts of Kent and Cranbrooke through this parish south-east to Apledore. A small part of it is paved, where there is a small antient market-place, built of timber; but the market, which is still held on a Friday, is but little frequented, only two millers, and seldom any butchers attending it. It is a well-built town, having many genteel houses, or rather seats, interspersed throughout it, among which are those of the Curteis's, a numerous and opulent family here, who bear for their arms, Argent, a chevron between three bulls heads, caboshed; (fn. 2) the Haffendens, who have been long resident here, and in Smarden and Halden, in this neighbourhood. Bugglesden, in the north part of Boresile borough, in this parish, was very antiently, and till within these few years, their property and residence. Richard Haffenden now resides in a new house, built by his father, called Homewood, at the west end of this town, and in the south part of Boresile borough. They bear for their arms, Chequy, sable and argent, on a bend, sable, three mullets, or; the Staces, who have been resident here from the beginning of the last century, as appears by their wills in the Prerogative-office, Canterbury, in several of which they are stiled gentlemen; the Blackmores, possessed of Westwell house, a handsome seat at the south east end of the town, built by James Blackmore, esq. in 1711, one of whose descendants afterwards becoming possessed by gift of the seat of Briggins, in Hertfordshire, removed thither, where they have continued ever since, and this of Westwell-house is now occupied by Mr. James Blackmore, the uncle of Thomas Blackmore, esq. of Briggins, who died possessed of it in 1789, having been thrice married. He left by his two first wives three sons and two daughters; his third. wife Anne, daughter of Mr. Tatnall, of Theobalds, now survives him. They bear for their arms, Argent, a fess between three balckmoors heads sideways, couped at the neck, sable; and several others, most of whose wealth, as well as that of the inhabitants of this town in general, has arisen from its near neighbourhood to Romneymarsh, where most of them have some occupation in the grazing business.
The church stands on the north side of the town, which, with the rest of the parish, consists of about three hundred houses, and two thousand inhabitants, of which about five hundred are diffenters, who have two meeting-houses here, one of Presbyterians, the other of Methodistical Baptists.
At the east end of the town is Craythorne-house, which formerly belonged to the Bargraves, and then to the Marshalls, who sold it to the late Mr. John Sawyer, who built a new house here, in which he afterwards resided, and his assigns now possess it. A branch of the family of Whitfield had once their residence in a large house at the east end likewise of this town. John Whitfield resided here, as did his son Herbert, who died in 1622; they were descended from an antient family in Northumberland, and bore for their arms, Argent, on a bend, plain, between two cotizes, ingrailed sable, a mullet, or. At length the heirs of Sir Herbert Whitfield, sold this seat to Wil liam Austen, esq. of Hernden, in this parish. Sir Robert Austen, bart. the last of that name, resided in it, and it now belongs to his heirs, and is made use of as a boarding school for young ladies.
There is a large fair held in this town on the first Monday in May yearly, for cattle, wool, merchandize, and shop goods of all sorts, to which there is a great resort from all the neighbouring country. Most of the road, leading from the town to Smallhyth, particularly the upper part of it, known by the name of Broad Tenterden, is said to have been lined with buildings on each side, and to have been the most populous part of the parish.
THERE ARE several places in this parish worthy notice, the first of them is HALES-PLACE, at the northwest end of this town, which was for many generations the residence of a branch of the family of Hales, who removed hither from their original seat, of the same name, in the adjoining parish of Halden. Henry Hales, who lived in the reign of Henry VI. was born here, and married Juhan, daughter and heir of Richard Capel, of Tenterden, by which he greatly increased his estate in this parish. He had by her two sons, of whom John Hales, the eldest, was of the Dungeon, in Canterbury, esq. and was one of the barons of the exchequer. He had four sons, Sir James Hales, one of the justices of the common pleas, who was of the Dungeon, where his descendants continued many generations afterwards; Thomas, who was seated at Thanington, whose descendant Robert was created a baronet in 1666, and was ancestor of the present Su Philip Hales, bart. Edward, the third son, inherited this seat and his father's possessions in this parish; and William, the fourth son, was of Recolver and Nackington, in this county. Edward Hales, esq. the third son, who inherited this seat and estate at Tenterden, resided at it, and left a son Sir Edward Hales, who was created a baronet on the 29th of June, 1611. He removed his residence from hence to the neighbouring parish of Woodchurch, in which parish he possessed the antient seat of the Herlackendens, in right of his wife Deborah, only daughter and heir of Martin Herlackenden, esq. of that place. His son Sir John Hales, having married Christian, one of the daughters and coheirs of Sir James Cromer, of Tunstal, became possessed of the antient seat of the Cromers in that parish, where he resided, and died in his father's life-time, in 1639, whose son Edward Hales succeeded to the title of baronet on his grandfather's death, in 1654 whose heir he was, and resided at Tunstal. His son Sir Edward Hales, bart. having purchased the mansion of St. Stephen's, near Canterbury, resided there, as his descendants have ever since; and from him this seat and estate at Tenterden at length descended down to his great-grandson Sir Edward Hales, bart. now of St. Stephen's, who about forty-eight years ago pulled down the greatest part of this antient seat, and fitted up a smaller dwelling or farm-house on the scite of it, which, together with the antient offices or out-buildings of the mansion still remaining, continues part of his possessions.
HERNDEN, formerly spelt Heronden, was once an estate of considerable size in this parish, though it has been long since split into different parcels. The whole of it once belonged to a family of the name of Heronden, whose arms, as appears by the antient ordinaries in the Heralds-office, were, Argent, a heron volant, azure. At length one part of this estate was alienated by one of this family to Sir John Baker, of Sissinghurst, whose descendant Sir John Baker, knight and baronet, died possessed of it in 1661; but the capital mansion and other principal parts of it remained some time longer in the name of Heronden, one of whom, in the reign of Charles I. alienated some part of it, now called Little Hernden, to Short, a family whose ancestors had resided at Tenterden for some time. In the Heraldic Visitation of this county, anno 1619, is a pedigree of this family, beginning with Peter Short, of Tenterden, who lived in the reign of Henry VIII. They bore for their arms, Azure, a griffin passant, between three estoiles, or. At length one of them sold this part of it to Curteis, whose grandson Mr. Samuel Curteis is now in the possession of it. But the remainder of Hernden, in which was included the principal mansion, situated about a quarter of a mile southward of the town, was at the same time conveyed by sale to Mr. John Austen, the second son of William Austen, esq. of this parish, and elder brother of Robert, created a baronet anno 1660. He afterwards resided here, and dying in 1655, s. p. gave it by will to his nephew Robert Austen, esq. the second son of Sir Robert above-mentioned, by his second wife. He afterwards resided here, and had two sons, Robert and Ralph; the eldest of whom, Robert Austen, esq. resided here, and left three sons, William, of whom hereafter, and Edward and Robert, both of whom afterwards succeeded to the title of baronet. William Austen, esq. the eldest son, inherited Hernden, and in 1729, suffered a recovery of this, as well as all other the Kentish estates comprised in his grandfather's settlement of them, to the use of him and his heirs. He died in 1742, and by will devised it to Mr. Richard Righton, who afterwards resided here, and died possessed of it in 1772, and was buried, as was his wife afterwards, under a tomb on the south side of the church-yard; upon which it came into the hands of his son Benjamin Righton, esq. of Knightsbridge, who in 1782 conveyed Hernden, a farm called Pixhill, and other lands in this parish and Rolvenden, to Mr. Jeremiah Curteis, gent. of Rye, in Sussex, who finding this antient mansion, which seems, by a date remaining on it, to have been built in the year 1585, being the 28th of queen Elizabeth's reign, in a ruinous condition, pulled it down; but the scite of it, together with the lands belonging to it, still remain in his possession.
PITLESDEN, or Pittelesden, as it was antiently spelt, is situated near the west end of this town. It was once a seat of some note, being the residence of a family of that name, who bore for their arms, Sable, a fess, between three pelicans, or, in whose possession it continued till Stephen Pitlesden, (fn. 3) about the reign of Henry VI. leaving an only daughter and heir Julian, she carried it in marriage to Edward Guldeford, esq. of Halden, whose descendant Sir Edward Guldeford, warden of the five ports, leaving an only daughter and heir Jane, she entitled her husband Sir John Dudley, afterwards created Duke of Northumberland, to the possession of this manor, and they, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. joined in the conveyance of it to Sir Thomas Cromwell, lord Cromwell, afterwards created Earl of Essex, who passed it away by sale to that king, and it remained in the hands of the crown till king Edward VI. in his 7th year, granted it, with the pend of water, wear and fishery, with the dove-house belonging to it, and all its appurtenances, to Sir John Baker, one of the privy council, to hold in capite by knight's service, in whose family it continued till Sir John Baker, bart. of Sissinghurst, in the reign of king Charles I. conveyed it by sale to Mr. Jasper Clayton, mercer, of London. At length, after some intermediate owners, it came into the possession of Mr. William Blackmore, gent. of this place, who at his death devised it to his daughter Sarah, who entitled her husband Mr. John Crumpe, of Frittenden, to the possession of it for her life, but the remainder, on her death, is vested in her brother Mr. Thomas Blackmore, gent. now of Tenterden.
LIGHTS, formerly called Lights Notinden, is a small manor here, which together with another called East Asherinden, the name of which is now almost forgotten, though there was a family of this name of Asherinden, or Ashenden, as it was afterwards spelt, who were resident in this parish, and were, as appears by their wills, possessed of lands here called Ashenden, so late as the year 1595. These manors belonged partly to a chantry founded in this parish, and partly to the manor of Brooke, near Wye, which was part of the possessions of the priory of Christ-church, in Canterbury; in which state they continued till the reign of Henry VIII. when, on the suppression both of that priory and of the chantry likewise, they were granted by that king to Sir John Baker, his attorneygeneral, whose descendant Sir John Baker, of Sissinghurst, knight and baronet, died possessed of them in 1661. How long they continued in his descendants, I do not find; but the former is now-become the property of Mr. William Mantell, and the latter belongs to Mr. William Children, who has lately built a house on it, in which he resides.
FINCHDEN is a seat here, situated on the denne of Leigh, at Leigh-green, which was formerly in the possession of a family, who were ancestors of the Finch's, whose posterity still continued till very lately in the possession of it. They were antiently called Finchden, from their seat here; one of them, William de Fyncheden, was chief justice of the king's bench in the 45th year of the reign of Edward III. (fn. 4) though his name in some old law books, which appear to be of that time, is written contractedly Finch, which probably was the original name, though I do not find any connection between this family and the descendants of Vincent Herbert, alias Finch, seated at Eastwell and elsewhere in this county; excepting that they hear the same coat of arms. In later times I find William Finch, gent. of this place, died possessed of it in 1637, and in his direct descendants this seat continued down to Mr. William Finch, gent. who resided in it, and died possessed of it in 1794, s. p. leaving his brother Mr. Richard Finch, of Tenterden, his next heir.
ELARDINDEN is an estate, which was formerly of some account here, and is parcel of the manor of Frid, or Frith, in Bethersden. It was antiently part of the possessions of the noble family of Mayney. Sir John de Mayney, of Biddenden, died possessed of it in the 50th year of Edward III. and in his descendants it continued till the reign of Henry VI. when it was alienated by one of them to William Darell, esq. whose descendant George Darell, esq. conveyed it by sale in the 17th year of king Henry VIII. to Sir John Hales, of the Dungeon, in Canterbury, one of the barons of the exchequer, who gave it to his third son Edward Hales, esq. of Tenterden, in whose descendants it has continued down to Sir Edward Hales of St. Stephens, near Canterbury, the present possessor of it.
THE MANORS OF GODDEN AND MORGIEU are situated in the south-west part of this parish. The former of them was once in the possession of a family of that name, one of whom, Roger de Godden, paid aid for it in the 20th year of king Edward III. as one knight's fee, which he held here of Stephen de la Hey. Soon after which it seems to have passed into the possession of the family of Aucher. How long it continued in this name I have not seen; but in the 36th year of Henry VI. the executors of Walter Shiryngton, clerk, chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, having founded a chantry in the chapel near the north door of St. Paul's cathedral, London, which, from the founder, bore the name of Shiryngton's chantry, they purchased both these manors towards the endow ment of it. (fn. 5) These manors remained part of this foundation till the suppression of it, in the 1st year of Edward VI.when coming into the hands of the crown, they were granted by the king, the year afterwards, to Sir Miles Partridge, to hold in capite by knight's service, and he sold them, in the 6th year of that reign, to Thomas Argal; and from his descendant they passed into the possession of Sir John Colepeper, afterwards created lord Colepeper, who died possessed of them in 1660; upon which they came to his second son John, who on his elder brother's death without male issue, succeeded to the title of Lord Colepeper, and dying in 1719 without issue, bequeathed these manors to his wife Frances, daughter of Sir Thomas Colepeper, of Hollingborne, who by will devised them to her nephew John Spencer Colepeper, esq. of the Charter-house, being the last of the vast possessions of the different branches of this family dispersed over this whole county. He, in 1781, alienated them to Mr. Richard Curteis, of Tenterden, the present possessor of them.
KENCHILL is a seat in this parish, which was formerly the property of the family of Guldeford, one of whom, Sir Richard Guldeford, knight-banneret, and of the garter, possessed it in the reign of Henry VIII. His son Sir Edward Guldeford, warden of the five ports, leaving an only daughter Jane, she carried it in marriage to Sir John Dudley, afterwards duke of Northumberland, and he, about the 30th year of king Henry VIII.'s reign, conveyed it to that king, who, in his 36th year, granted it to Thomas Argal, to hold in capite by knight's service, on whole decease his son Thomas Argal had possession granted of it, in the 6th year of queen Elizabeth. At length, after some intermediate owners, it came into the possession of Robert Clarkson, esq. of London, who sold it in 1687 to Mr. John Mantell, grazier, of Tenterden, who was one of the instances of the quick accumlation of riches from Romney-marsh; for in fourteen year she had acquired sufficient to become the purchaser of this and other estates, which rented at 800l. per annum. He devised Kenchill by will, together with the manor of East Asherinden, already mentioned before, Dumborne, and other lands in this parish, to his son Reginald, who died possessed of them in 1743, and lies buried in this church-yard. They bear for their arms, Argent, a cross between four martlets, sable, as borne by the family of Horton Monks, excepting, that the latter bore the cross engrailed; and leaving no issue, he gave them to his nephew Mr. Edward Mantell, of Mersham, who left several sons and daughters, who afterwards joined in the sale of their respective interests in them to Mr. William Mantell, the then elder brother; by which means he became entitled to the entire see of Kenchill, with the manor of East Asherinden, and resided at the former of them. He married Anne Marshall, of Mersham, and died in 1789, leaving issue several children. The Rev. Mr. Thomas Mantell, the younger brother, re-purchased Dumborne, of which he is now possessed, having married in 1788 Miss S. Horne, by whom he has one daughter.
THE HAMLET OF SMALLHYTH, commonly called Smallit, is situated somewhat more than three miles from the town of Tenterden, at the southern boundary of this parish, close to the old channel of the river Rother, over which there is a passage from it into the Isle of Oxney. The inhabitants were formerly, by report, very numerous, and this place of much more consequence than at present, from the expressions frequently made use of in old writings of those infra oppidum and intra oppidum de Smallhyth; the prevalent opinion being, that the buildings once extended towards Bullen westward; no proof of which, however, can be brought from the present state of it, as there remain only three or four straggling farm-houses on either side, and a few cottages in the street near the chapel. The sea came up to this place so lately as the year 1509, as is evident by the power then given of burying in this chapel-yard the bodies of those who were cast by shipwreck on the shore of the sea infra predictum oppidum de Smalhyth; which are the very words of the faculty granted for that purpose.
At this place A CHAPEL was built, and was soon afterwards licensed by faculty from archbishop Warham, anno 1509, on the petition of the inhabitants, on account of the distance from their parish church of Tenterden, the badness of the roads, and the dangers they underwent from the waters being out in their way thither; and was dedicated to St. John Baptist. The words of it are very remarkable: And we William, archbishop aforesaid, of the infinite mercy of Almighty God, and by the authority of St. Peter and St. Paul the apostles, and also of our patrons St. Alphage and St. Thomas, remit, &c.
Divine service still continues to be performed in this chapel, which is repaired and maintained, and the salary of the chaplain paid out of the rents of lands in this parish and Wittersham, which are vested in trustees; who pay him the annual produce of them, the rents of them being at this time 52l. 10s. per annum, though it is set down in Bacon's Liber Regis, as only of the clear yearly certified value of forty five pounds. The present curate is Thomas Morphett, appointed in 1773.
Charities.
JOHN WOOD, by will in 1560, gave an annuity of 40s. per annum, out of certain lands in Tenterden, now belonging to Sir Edward Hales, bart. payable to the churchwardens, towards the repair of the church; which gift is confirmed by a decree of the court of chancery; the lands being in the occupation of Richard Farby.
LADY JANE MAYNARD GAVE by will in 1660, thirty acres of land in Snave and Rucking, let at 24l. per annum, for putting out poor children apprentices, whose fathers are dead or otherwise disabled by sickness; the overplus to be given to poor, honest and aged widows of this parish, that have not been nor are likely to become chargeable to it.
MR. ANNE SHELTON, widow, by will in 1674, gave nine acres of land in Brookland and Brenset, now let at twelve guineas per annum, to the vicar and churchwardens to put out one or more children, born in Tenterden, apprentices to some honest handicrast trade.
DAME FRANCES NORTON, widow, sister of Judith, wife of Robert Austen the elder, of Heronden, esq. gave by deed in 1719, an estate, of 35l. per annum, in Hollingborne, for the joint benefit in equal moieties of this parish and Hollingborne. Since which, by a commission of charitable uses, in 1748 a farm of 15l. per annum, in Hucking, has been purchased and added to it; the division of the profits of which between them, and the application of them, has been already fully related under the description of the parish of Hollingborne, in the fifth volume of this history, p. 473.
AN ANCESTOR of the family of Heyman, of Somerfield, many years since founded the free school in this town, for teaching the Latin tongue gratis, to so many poor children of this parish as the mayor and jurats should think proper, who are trustees of it, and appoint the master; but at present there are no children on this foundation.
WILLAIM MARSHALL, clerk, about the year 1521, gave 10l. per ann. to be paid the master of this school, out of a messuage and twelve acres of land, in this parish, now belonging to Sir Edward Hales, bart. which was confirmed by a decree in the Exchequer, anno 4 queen Anne, and then in the occupation of Thomas Scoone.
JOHN MANTELL,gent in 1702, gave 200l. which was laid out in the purchasing of a piece of fresh marsh land, containing ten acres, in St. Maries, let at 10l. per annum, to be paid to the master of this school.
The south chancel of the church is appropriated to the use of this school.
TENTERDEN is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Charing.
The church, which is dedicated to St. Mildred, is a large handsome building, consisting of two isles and three chancels, having a lofty well-built tower at the west end, which standing on high ground is seen from the country for many miles around it. There are eight bells in it, and a set of musical chimes. The two isles and chancels are all ceiled; the north isle is curiously ceiled with oak and ornamented. There are three galleries in the church. On the front of the steeple are the arms of St. Augustine's monastery, and likewise on a beam over the altar. In the north window a coat, Two chevrons, gules, on a canton, gules, a lion passant, or. In the south window, at the bottom, Or, a saltier, between four mullets, sable; and another, Gules, a bend sinister azure, fretted argent. The monuments and gravestones in this church, as well as the tomb-stones in the church-yard, are so numerous as to be far beyond the limits of this volume. Among them are those belonging to the families of the Austens, Curteis's, Blackmores, Haffendens, and other families mentioned before, as the modern possessors of estates and manors in this parish.
Thomas Petlesden, esq. by will in 1462, appears to have been buried in the chancel of St. Catherine, and gave one hundred marcs to the steeple here, to be paid out of his land, &c. as long as it was a werking. (fn. 6)
Till within these few years there hung a beacon, (a very singular instance remaining of one) over on the top of this steeple. It was a sort of iren kettle, holding about a gallon, with a ring or hoop of the same metal round the upper part of it, to hold still more coals, rosin, &c. It was hung at the end of a piece of timber, about eight feet long. The vanes on the four pinnacles were placed there in 1682. There was formerly a noted dropping stone, in the arch of the door-way going into the bell-lost, which has ceased to drop for many years. By the dropping of it, part of a stone, or two stones rather, were carried off, leaving a considerable rist or hollow where the stones were joined. Upon the water drying in 1720, where it fell underneath, the stone hardened and grew slippery, being probably of the nature of the stelastical water in the Peak of Derbyshire, at Poolshole.
There is a noted saying, that Tenterden steeple was the cause of the Goodwin Sands—which is thus accounted for: Goodwin, earl of Kent, in the time of king Edward the Confessor, was owner of much flat land in the eastern part of it, near the isle of Thanet, which was desended from the sea by a great wall, which lands afterwards became part of the possessions of the abbot of St. Augustine's, near Canterbury still retaining the name of Goodwin, their former owner; and the abbot being at the same time owner of the rectory of Tenterden, the steeple of which church he had then began building, had employed during the course of it so much of his care and attention to the finishing of that work, that he neglected the care and preservation of that wall, insomuch, that on Nov. 3, 1099, the sea broke over and ruined it, drowning the lands within it, and overwhelming it with a light sand, still remaining on them, the place retaining to this time the name of the Goodwin Sands, and becoming dreadful and dangerous to navigators. Thus this steeple is said to be the cause of the Goodwin Sands. This is the common tradition; how far consistent with truth, so far as relates to these sands, will be taken notice of in its proper place. (fn. 7)
THE CHURCH of Tenterden was part of the antient possessions of the monastery of St. Augustine, to which it was appropriated in 1259, on condition of a proper portion being assigned for the maintenance of a perpetual vicar of it; and the official of the archbishop, on an inquisition concerning this vicarage, made his return that it then consisted in all tithes, obventions, and oblations belonging to the church; except the tithes of sheaves, corn, and hay, of which latter the vicar should receive yearly four loads from the abbot and convent, and that it was then valued at eighteen marcs and more per annum.
The abbot of St. Augustine took upon himself, about the year 1295, to constitute several new deanries, and apportioned the several churches belonging to his monastery to each of them, according to their vicinity; one of these was the deanry of Lenham, in which this church of Tenterden was included, but this raising great contests between the archbishops and them, it ended in stripping the abbot of these exemptions, and he was by the pope declared to be subject to the archbishop's jurisdiction in all matters whatsoever, which entirely dissolved these new deanries. (fn. 8)
This church had a manor antiently appendant to it, and on a quo warranto in the iter of H. de Stanton, and his sociates, justices itinerant, anno 7 Edward II. the abbot was allowed year and waste, and cattle called weif, in his manor of Tentwardenne among others; and those liberties, with all others belonging to the abbot and convent, were confirmed by letters of inspeximus by Edward III. in his 36th year, and likewise the additional privilege of the chattels of their own tenants condemned and sugitive, within their manor here.
¶In which state this church continued till the general suppression of religious houses, when it came with the rest of the possessions of the abbey of St. Augustine, anno 30 Henry VIII. into the hands of the crown, after which the king, by his dotation charter in his 33d year, settled both the church appropriate of Tenterden, with the manor appendant and all its rights and appurtenances, and the advowson of the vicarage, among other premises, on his new-founded dean and chapter of Canterbury, with whom the inheritance of the parsonage remains. After the death of Charles I. on the dissolution of deans and chapters, this parsonage was surveyed in order for sale; when it appears to have consisted of one great barn, newly erected, on a close of pasture of five acres; together with all the tithes of corn within the parish; and several rents, out of lands and tenements in Tenterden, amounting to 26s. 8d. taken in right of the parsonage, which had been let in 1640 to Sir Edward Hales, at the yearly rent of 20l. 6s. 8d. but that they were worth over and above that rent seventy-eight pounds. That the lessee was bound to repair the premises, and the chancel of the church, and provide for the dean and officers, or pay the sum of 33s. 4d. The present lessee of it is Sir Edward Hales, bart. of St. Stephens, but the advowson of the vicarage the dean and chapter retain in their own hands.
In 1259 this vicarage was valued at thirty marcs, and in 1342 at forty-five marcs. It is valued in the king's books at 33l. 12s. 11d.and the yearly tenths at 3l. 7s. 3½d. In 1588 there were communicants five hundred and eighty-six. In 1640 it was valued at 120l. per annum. Communicants six hundred. It is now double that value.
There is a modus claimed throughout the parish, in the room of small tithes.
"I did not sell my soul for the sake of popularity. "
~ George W. Bush
Not that anyone made you an offer . . . .
It isn't necessary to sell one's soul for popularity - or respect. Bush's deep denial prevents him from realizing how he could have achieved respect. It's probably too late, now - he'll just go on trying to justify his disasters.
He seems to think it's only "foreigners" or "the elite" or "opiners" who don't respect his record, methods and character . He's wrong once again - it's the majority of American citizens. And he has no right to disregard the people of the nation as he has, and is still doing.
www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm
pewresearch.org/pubs/1063/bush-and-public-opinion
www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/arti...
President Bush today passionately defended his turbulent eight years in office and lashed out at the "elites" and "opiners" who claim he has damaged America's moral standing in the world.
At a final and often gripping White House press conference, in which he veered from nostalgia to outright aggression, Mr Bush was largely unrepentant. He defended his economic and foreign policy record, including Iraq, the current financial crisis and Guantanamo Bay.
"I think it is a good, strong record," Mr Bush declared, nine days before he leaves office.
He departs with an approval rating of 27 per cent, the lowest since Richard Nixon resigned from office in 1974.
. . . Mr Bush became most heated when confronting those who claim he has damaged America's reputation in the world. "I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged."
www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28617979/
www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/12/raw-data-transcript-b...
www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-bush1...
In a nostalgic final news conference, President George W. Bush defended his record vigorously and at times sentimentally today.
. . . Bush showed anger at times when presented with some of the main criticisms of his time in office. He particularly became indignant when asked about America's bruised image overseas.
"I disagree with this assessment that, you know, that people view America in a dim light," he said.
Bush said he realizes that some issues such as the prison for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have created controversy at home and around the world. But he defended his actions after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, including approving tough interrogation methods for suspected terrorists and information-gathering efforts at home in the name of protecting the country. With the Iraq war in its sixth year, he most aggressively defended his decisions on that issue, which will define his presidency like no other.
He said that "not finding weapons of mass destruction was a significant disappointment." The accusation that Saddam had and was pursuing weapons of mass destruction was Bush's main initial justification for going to war. Bush admitted another miscalculation: Eager to report quick progress after U.S. troops ousted Saddam's government, he claimed less than two months after the war started that "in the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed," a claim made under a "Mission Accomplished" banner that turned out to be wildly optimistic. "Clearly, putting 'Mission Accomplished' on an aircraft carrier was a mistake," he said today.
. . . He has been granting a flurry of legacy-focused interviews as he seeks to shape the view of his presidency on his way out the door.
voices.washingtonpost.com/comic-riffs/2009/01/the_politic...
The Bush Administration's Most Despicable Act
www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1870319,00.html
By JOE KLEIN Thursday, Jan. 08, 2009
This is not the America I know," President George W. Bush said after the first, horrifying pictures of U.S. troops torturing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq surfaced in April 2004.
The President was not telling the truth. "This" was the America he had authorized on Feb. 7, 2002, when he signed a memorandum stating that the Third Geneva Convention — the one regarding the treatment of enemy prisoners taken in wartime — did not apply to members of al-Qaeda or the Taliban. That signature led directly to the abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantánamo Bay. It was his single most callous and despicable act.
It stands at the heart of the national embarrassment that was his presidency.
The details of the torture that Bush authorized have been dribbling out over the years in books like Jane Mayer's excellent The Dark Side. But the most definitive official account was released by the Senate Armed Services Committee just before Christmas. Much of the committee's report remains secret, but a 19-page executive summary was published, and it is infuriating. The story begins with an obscure military training program called Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE), in which various forms of torture are simulated to prepare U.S. special-ops personnel for the sorts of treatment they might receive if they're taken prisoner. Incredibly, the Bush Administration decided to have SERE trainers instruct its interrogation teams on how to torture prisoners.
It should be noted that there was, and is, no evidence that these techniques actually work. Experienced military and FBI interrogators believe that torture leads, more often than not, to fabricated confessions. Patient, persistent questioning using subtle psychological carrots and sticks is the surest way to get actionable information.
But prisoners held by the U.S. were tortured — first at Guantánamo Bay and later in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Armed Services Committee report details the techniques used on one prisoner: "Military working dogs had been used against [Mohammed al-] Khatani. He had also been deprived of adequate sleep for weeks on end, stripped naked, subjected to loud music, and made to wear a leash and perform dog tricks."
Since we live in an advanced Western civilization, there needs to be legal justification when we torture people, and the Bush Administration proudly produced it.
Memos authorizing the use of "enhanced" techniques were written in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Council. Vice President Dick Cheney and his nefarious aide, David Addington, had a hand in the process. The memos were approved by Bush's legal counsel, Alberto Gonzales. A memo listing specific interrogation techniques that could be used to torture prisoners like Mohammed al-Khatani was passed to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. He signed it on Dec. 2, 2002, although he seemed a bit disappointed by the lack of rigor when it came to stress positions: "I stand for 8-10 hours a day," he noted. "Why is standing limited to four hours?"
It would be interesting, just for the fun and justice of it, to subject Rumsfeld to four hours in a stress position — standing stock still with his arms extended, naked, in a cold room after maybe two hours' sleep.
But that's not going to happen. Indeed, it seems probable that nothing much is going to happen to the Bush Administration officials who perpetrated what many legal scholars consider to be war crimes. "I would say that there's some theoretical exposure here" to a war-crimes indictment in U.S. federal court, says Gene Fidell, who teaches military justice at Yale Law School. "But I don't think there's much public appetite for that sort of action." There is, I'm told, absolutely no interest on the part of the incoming Obama Administration to pursue indictments against its predecessors.
"We're focused on the future," said one of the President-elect's legal advisers. Fidell and others say it is possible, though highly unlikely, that Bush et al. could be arrested overseas — one imagines the Vice President pinched midstream on a fly-fishing trip to Norway — just as Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator, was indicted in Spain and arrested in London for his crimes.
If Barack Obama really wanted to be cagey, he could pardon Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld for the possible commission of war crimes. Then they'd have to live with official acknowledgment of their ignominy in perpetuity. More likely, Obama will simply make sure — through his excellent team of legal appointees — that no such behavior happens again. Still, there should be some official acknowledgment by the U.S. government that the Bush Administration's policies were reprehensible, and quite possibly illegal, and that the U.S. is no longer in the torture business.
If Obama doesn't want to make that statement, perhaps we could do it in the form of a Bush Memorial in Washington: a statue of the hooded Abu Ghraib prisoner in cruciform stress position — the real Bush legacy.
www.theatlantic.com/doc/200609/fallows_victory/5
Documents captured after 9/11 showed that bin Laden hoped to provoke the United States into an invasion and occupation that would entail all the complications that have arisen in Iraq. His only error was to think that the place where Americans would get stuck would be Afghanistan.
Bin Laden also hoped that such an entrapment would drain the United States financially. Many al-Qaeda documents refer to the importance of sapping American economic strength as a step toward reducing America’s ability to throw its weight around in the Middle East.
. . . Higher-priced oil has hurt America, but what has hurt more is the economic reaction bin Laden didn’t fully foresee. This is the systematic drag on public and private resources created by the undifferentiated need to be “secure.”
The effect is most obvious on the public level. “The economy as a whole took six months or so to recover from the effects of 9/11,” Richard Clarke told me. “The federal budget never recovered. The federal budget is in a permanent mess, to a large degree because of 9/11.” At the start of 2001, the federal budget was $125 billion in surplus. Now it is $300 billion in deficit.
. . . The final destructive response helping al-Qaeda has been America’s estrangement from its allies and diminution of its traditionally vast “soft power.” “America’s cause is doomed unless it regains the moral high ground,” Sir Richard Dearlove, the former director of Britain’s secret intelligence agency, MI-6, told me. He pointed out that by the end of the Cold War there was no dispute worldwide about which side held the moral high ground—and that this made his work as a spymaster far easier. “Potential recruits would come to us because they believed in the cause,” he said. A senior army officer from a country whose forces are fighting alongside America’s in Iraq similarly told me that America “simply has to recapture its moral authority.”
. . . America’s glory has been its openness and idealism, internally and externally. Each has been constrained from time to time, but not for as long or in as open-ended a way as now. . . .
Succeeding in Business
query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E5DD1E31F934A...
As Joshua Green says in The Washington Monthly, in a must-read article written just before the administration suddenly became such an exponent of corporate ethics: ''The 'new tone' that George W. Bush brought to Washington isn't one of integrity, but of permissiveness. . . . In this administration, enriching oneself while one's business goes bust isn't necessarily frowned upon.''
inspired by www.flickr.com/photos/scoobyfoo/sets/72057594083488682/ I tried to explane my image with lego
Sugar seems to have developed a reputation as the big bad wolf in relation to health. We have reported on numerous studies associating sugar intake with increased aging, cardiovascular disease, obesity and even cancer. Such research has led to many health experts around the globe calling for...
www.isteuygun.com/a-lot-of-lives-lost-after-common-heart-...
Reputations changeable
Situations tolerable
Baby, you're adorable
Handle me with care
I'm so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Won't you show me that you really care
Everybody's got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on
Greetings from Georgia video postcard to Brittany Lannigan - Mike Lannigan - Kevin Lannigan from Aunt Theresa Irene Wolowski
Georgia, United States of America
Georgia is known as the “Peach State” because of the growers' reputation for producing the highest quality fruit. The peach became the official state fruit in 1995.
State Bird: Brown Thrasher
State Flower: Cherokee Rose
State Nickname: Peach State
Musicians from Georgia. Included Ray Charles (whose many hits include "Georgia on My Mind", now the official state song), and Gladys Knight (known for her Georgia-themed song, "Midnight Train to Georgia")
Rock City This attraction on Lookout Mountain offers amazing views of the Southern countryside as well as botanical gardens and a 140-foot-tall manmade waterfall known as High Falls. Its highlight is the viewpoint known somewhat morbidly as "Lover's Leap."
The marker at the summit of Lookout Mountain claims you can see seven U.S. including: Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.
For more information on Rock City visit:
For more information on Lookout Mountain City,Georgia visit:
For more information on the state of Georgia visit:
4-Day Tennessee Bus Tour from New York/New JerseyTour Code: 955-2742
Take Tours bus trip
Visit nine states:
New York - drive through with tour guide
New Jersey - drive through with tour guide
Pennsylvania - Welcome Center visit
Delaware - drive through with tour guide
Maryland - drive through with tour guide
West Virginia - Welcome Center visit
Virginia - USA
Tennessee - USA
Georgia - USA
For more info on 4-Day Tennessee, Smoky Mountain Tour from New York/New Jersey trip visit:
www.taketours.com/new-york-ny/4-day-tennessee-bus-tour-fr...
For more information on Take Tours visit:
Hashtag metadata tag
#Georgia #GeorgiaUS #GeorgiaUSA #SateofGeorgia #GeorgiaState #WalkerCounty #LookoutMountain #GeorgiaPeach #Peach #Peaches #USA
HD Video
Lookout Mountain City, Walker County, State of Georgia, United States of America, North America
April 25th 2015
“Reputation is character minus what you've been caught doing.”
~ Michael Lapoce
The trick is in teaching them not to do it in the first place - a little thing called "impulse control"....
{he is not in any trouble or getting caught doing anything - just using him to make my point...}
Participants enjoy an intense arms/abs workout with instructor Holly at the Dowd YMCA's Taylor Swift: Reputation Party.
therainbowfashionista.blogspot.com/2013/01/bad-reputation...
Skin: cStar Limited - TAO Goth 3 - Marble
Hair: .Deviant Kitties. - Neopunk
Ears: [][]Trap[][] & [ni.Ju] - Short Gelf Ears - Pierced
Eyes: cStar Limited - TAO - Black Goth Eyes
Lashes: cStar Limited - TAO - Goth Lashes
Piercings: :Zombie Suicide: - Jewlbie Piercing - No Shadows
Posture Collar: ezura - Twisted Hunt Lady - Black Collar (Twisted Hunt Fall 2012 prize I think)
Dress: =Razorblade Jacket= - Punk Prom Dress - Black
Hands: SiniStyle - Taped Fist & Black Nails - Loose Hand - Forearm
Boots: :Zombie Suicide: - Tsusime Boots - Black
Pose: Apple Spice - Party 005
Southend Corporation had an excellent reputation, as it ALWAYS ran the timetabled service, never turning journeys short (extra buses were added, not existing ones curtailed), and that included fog, flood and snow.
The Traffic Superintendent knew well how deep the water was, as a lorry had been stuck there and had to be pulled out first.
The Fleetlines allocated to service 8 didn't have a hope of getting through this (floodwater not draining owing to it coinciding with a high tide) so PD3/6 training bus 316 was brought out, as this had the stronger engine of the two (315 was the other). The only other half cab double-deckers that could have gone through were open-toppers, but because of the depth of the water, the lower deck floor flooded and so it was felt only one of the closed-toppers should be used.
The bus had no difficulty getting through the water, foot hard down in 1st gear all the way. It made around 8 trips through the water before high tide passed and it quickly drained away.
The bus was back on training again 2 days later on the Monday as usual without harm.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has a reputation for offering very good value-for-money to its mostly 60-plus British clientele, which enjoys traditional cruises with a smart -- but not too "tiara and sequins" -- dress code. First impressions on a three-night Southampton roundtrip to northern France confirmed much of this, although there were far more 50-somethings and even younger couples on completely sold-out Braemar, which can accommodate 929 passengers. Braemar may not be the flashiest ship at sea, but it's definitely one of the friendliest. Wherever you sit -- out on deck, in the lounges or waiting for a drink at the bar -- you are guaranteed to be able to turn around and have someone to engage in a pleasant and warm conversation.
Braemar was originally built in 1993 as the 19,089-ton, 727-passenger vessel Crown Dynasty for the now-defunct Crown Cruise Lines. It joined the Fred. Olsen fleet in 2001.
In 2008, Braemar went into dry dock at Hamburg's Blohm Voss shipyard where it was given a massive overhaul and facelift. The ship emerged as a shiny, new, 23,000-ton, 929-passenger vessel with an extra 31.2 metres in length in the mid section. (Editor's note: When you are standing next to the ship in port, see if you can make out where the cut was. It's pretty easy to spot!) Along with this addition came 70 new cabins, a new lounge (The Observatory), a second restaurant (The Grampian) and an expanded sun deck with one new pool and plenty of room for bathers.
One of the biggest changes that past passengers will notice is the Braemar Room on Deck 5 -- it leads into the new Scottish-inspired Morning Light Pub (which debuted on sister ship Balmoral in early 2008). Prior to the refit, the area was more of a walkway, but now the extended Braemar Room has become more of a public room in its own right, with Aztec and nautical-themed decor. The area is also home to a library, card room and Internet room.
Braemar is clearly a ship that attracts repeat passengers, and much of this is due to the friendliness of the passengers and the camaraderie a small ship engenders. Many conversations on my cruise started with "Last time I was on Braemar..." or "We sailed on the ship before the extra space was added...." But, instead of acting cliquey, the repeat passengers were very welcoming, even offering cruising tips to Fred. Olsen newbies.
Braemar is a really lovely ship, light and airy with decor that's mostly cream and gold or shades of blue, with some truly elegant public rooms. Its 2012 refit has left it dazzlingly clean, although refurbishment takes place all the time: there are two upholsterers among the crew to deal with daily wear and tear.
It's the perfect ship for those who enjoy the simple things when it comes to cruises. There's a new gym with sea views, a small spa and salon, a new crafts room, two swimming pools, two whirlpools, golf nets and deck games. There is also a card room and Internet room near the library. In addition to the main Thistle Restaurant, there's the more intimate Grampian Restaurant and a self-serve buffet, plus a choice of bars and two evening entertainment venues.
The cabins are reasonably large and bright but a little old-fashioned, most without balconies or floor-to-ceiling windows, and the bathrooms are standard but underwhelming. Although better bathrooms should be a priority, we didn't think there were many other areas that needed serious improvements.
The upside of staying on this pleasingly classic cruise ship is that it doesn't feel like any other -- so there's no deja vu like you get on some modern vessels.
Braemar is a truly British ship -- with tea served in abundance, British guest speakers and a Daily Mail print-out paper available each day in reception. It's also quite traditional, with formal dining and plenty of enrichment classes. For this reason, the ship attracts the senior crowd, particularly in the winter. However, during the summer holidays you will find children onboard and the kids do have a daily programme. Because of this, die-hard Fred. Olsen fans should probably avoid the school holidays.
Braemar used to be based mostly in the Caribbean, but with Caribbean flights growing increasingly expensive, it will now spend winter in the Canaries and West Africa, early summer in the Baltic and Norway, and high summer in the Mediterranean.
Nathaniel Branden~ Self-esteem is the reputation we acquire with ourselves. #energysavers #solar t.co/wFcwdE5tmz (via Twitter twitter.com/EnergySaversCA/status/749256799027691520)
Participants enjoy some relaxing yoga with instructor Anna at the Dowd YMCA's Taylor Swift: Reputation Party.
The 2002 is one of BMW's most famous automobile models. Its popularity cemented the company's reputation for compact sporting sedans and served as both forerunner of the BMW 3 Series and inspiration for the new 1 Series Coupe.
With its 1990 cc engine, it produced 108 bhp (81 kW; 109 PS) in the 2002, and 130 bhp (97 kW; 132 PS) in the high-performance 2002tii, offering a top speed of 185 km/h (115 mph). The 2002tii was based on the 2002ti that was never sold in the United States. Although almost exactly the same in appearance as a regular 2002, the tii had slightly wider wheels, larger front brakes, and a number of other mechanical modifications that made the car more fun and more desirable as a collector car. One result is that many of the highly desirable "tii"s appearing on eBay and sold throughout the country are fake; it is not uncommon to see tii engines installed in standard 2002s because there is a significant price difference between the two cars. The 2002ti (touring Internationale) is very rare, even more so than the 2002 turbo, as very few of these cars still survive. The 2002ti had two solex phh 40 side-draft carburettors and higher compression pistons resulting in 120 bhp (89 kW; 122 PS) and was made 68-71. The 2002ti was also very successful in racing and Hans Stuck won the Nurburgring 24-hour race in 1970, but the car also won many hill-climbs and rallies. This made the 2002 the cult car it is today. The 2002 Turbo was launched at the 1973 Frankfurt Motor Show. BMW's, and Europe's first production turbo, it produced 170 hp (127 kW) at 5,800 rpm, with 240 N·m (180 lb·ft) of torque.
A three-door 2002, the Touring, was also available. The Touring was not a full station wagon, resembling a modern hatchback. BMW would not offer a Touring model again until the late 1980s, with the 3 Series. A cabriolet version was produced in small numbers by Baur of Germany, which to this day as IVM Automotive, continues to convert BMWs. This version was never sold in the United States although a number were brought in by diplomatic staff, and recently they can be imported so more have come over.
(Wikipedia)
- - -
Die ursprüngliche Baureihe 114, auch als BMW-02-Serie bezeichnet, umfasst Mittelklassefahrzeuge, die BMW in den Jahren 1966 bis 1977 baute. Die BMW-02-Serie stellte die Abrundung des BMW-Programms nach unten dar. Sie wurde aus dem BMW 1600 der „Neuen Klasse“ abgeleitet, die Modelle hatten jedoch nur zwei Türen.
Es gab nur Vierzylinder-Modelle (Motortyp M10) mit den Bezeichnungen 1502, BMW 1600-2, 1602, 1600 ti, 1802 und 2002, 2002 ti, 2002 tii und BMW 2002 turbo, wobei die ersten beiden Ziffern jeweils den Hubraum angeben (außer beim 1502, der auch 1,6 Liter Hubraum hat). Die Entwicklungscodes sind Typ 114 für die Modelle 1502–1802, E6 für die touring-Modelle, E10 für den BMW 2002 inkl. ti und tii sowie E20 für den BMW 2002 turbo.
(Wikipedia)
“Inspiring women to be financially independent”
Shaku Atre is an exceptional speaker, with the reputation of capturing the attention of audiences and maintaining their interest while guiding her listeners painlessly through sophisticated material. Ms. Atre is the President of Atre Group Inc. which is a leading consulting, training, and publishing company specializing in Business Intelligence (BI), Data Warehouses and Big Data.
Before heading her present company, Ms. Atre was a Partner with Price Waterhouse Coopers. She also has fourteen years of experience in various fields with IBM. Ms. Atre completed Masters of Science, Suma cum Laude, in Statistics, University of Poona, India; Scholarship to University of Heidelberg, Germany, Applied Mathematics, Thesis on Astronomy. She is an acknowledged expert in the Data Warehousing and database field.
She has extensive practical experience in database projects, has helped a number of clients in establishing successful Data Warehouses and client/server installations, and has taught at IBM’s prestigious Systems Research Institute.
She has lectured on the subject to professional organizations in the USA and Canada, as well as in more than 35 countries around the world. Ms. Atre is frequently quoted in reputable publications such as Computerworld and Information Week. She has written an award-winning outstanding book on database management systems that has become a classic on the subject: Database: Structured Techniques for Design, Performance and Management, published by John Wiley and Sons, New York. The book has sold over 250,000 copies (not including its Spanish and Russian translations) and has been selected by several book clubs and leading universities including Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, MIT, New York University, Stanford, and U.C. Berkeley as well as by the Moscow University. Her book Information Center: Strategies and Case Studies published by Atre International Consultants Inc., has also been very well received by the industry. Database Management Systems is another successful book authored by Ms. Atre. Her fourth book, Distributed Databases, Cooperative Processing & Networking was published by McGraw-Hill.
She has also authored a very well received book: Atre’s Roadmap for Data Warehouse/Data Mart Implementations published by Gartner Group, and is co-author of her latest BI book Business Intelligence Roadmap: The Complete Project Lifecycle for Decision-Support Applications published by Addison Wesley.
They have a reputation of being shy and wary and this bird lived up to that reputation. Enter a wood however and they will start screeching a warning to everything that draws breath!!!
We sat waiting in car windows open hoping jays would arrive to feed on the acorns and mast.
Two hours passed before this bird turned up but too far away from my lens.
Having waited that amount of time I just had to have a few clicks to try and give a sense of what he was doing and what we witnessed.
I hope to return of a brighter day and try for better results,
That's the challenge of wildlife photography where I am concerned.
Khârn's already impressive reputation became legendary when Angron promoted the man who had shaken him out of his despair to the position of Equerry (a rank combining the roles of squire, councilor and personal confidante). Yet there were many, both amongst the World Eaters and outside it, that, while they respected Angron's choice, doubted its wisdom: the Equerry's primary role was to serve as a counterpoint to the Primarch's personality and a foil for his decisions. For all his qualities as a warrior, Khârn was neither patient nor particularly subtle, nor a great orator, and, instead of guiding and tempering his Primarch's words and decisions with wisdom, he often was second into the thickest of the fray right behind Angron, slaying anything which had escaped Angron's twin Chainaxes. Any words of tempering he might have uttered were quickly forgotten in the rush of battle. In the shadow of Angron, Khârn began to change, becoming more aggressive and unstable, reckless traits he had long kept in check rising to the surface. Angron's use of the Butcher's Nails, skull implants designed to heighten aggression, only accelerated Khârn's descent into madness. Lost in his thirst for battle, Khârn and his brothers were easy prey for the Dark Gods, and were among the first to side withHorus in his war against the Emperor. Khârn fought with a renewed fury during the Heresy, finally finding a foe worthy of his skills in the Loyalist Space Marines. It seemed that Khorne had a plan for the World Eater's captain, every gore-drenched warzone bringing Khârn closer to complete servitude to the Blood God.
“Reputation is what others think of us; character is what God knows of us. When you have spent what feels like eternity trying to repair a few moments of time that destroyed the view others once had of you then you must ask yourself if you have the problem or is it really them? God doesn’t make us try so hard…..only enemies do.”
― Shannon L. Alder