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A winter storm is an event in which wind coincides with varieties of precipitation that only occur at freezing temperatures, such as snow, mixed snow and rain, or freezing rain. In temperate continental climates, these storms are not necessarily restricted to the winter season, but may occur in the late autumn and early spring as well. A snowstorm with strong winds and other conditions meeting certain criteria is called a blizzard.
Winter storms are formed when moist air rises up into the atmosphere, creating low pressure near the ground and clouds up in the air. The air can also be pushed upwards by hills or large mountains. The upward motion is called lift. The moisture is collected by the wind from large bodies of water, such as a big lake or the ocean. If temperature is below freezing, 0 °C (32 °F), near the ground and up in the clouds, precipitation will fall as snow, ice, rain and snow mixed (sleet), ice pellets or even graupel (soft hail). Since cold air can not hold as much moisture as warm air, the total precipitation will be less than at higher temperature.
St Mary's Abbey, Cirencester in Gloucestershire was founded as an Augustinian monastery in 1117 on the site of an earlier church, the oldest-known Saxon church in England, which had itself been built on the site of a Roman structure.
The church was greatly enlarged in the 14th century with addition of an ambulatory to the east end.
This is one of the largest parish churches in England.
The 25 de Abril Bridge is a suspension bridge connecting the city of Lisbon, capital of Portugal, to the municipality of Almada on the left (south) bank of the Tagus river. It has a total length of 2,277 metres, making it the 46th longest suspension bridge in the world.
From its inauguration in 6 August 1966 up to 1974, the bridge was named Salazar Bridge (Ponte Salazar), after Portuguese Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar, who ordered its construction. After the Carnation Revolution, which overthrew the remnants of Salazar's regime, the bridge was renamed for April 25, the date of the revolution. It is also commonly called the Tagus River Bridge.
Later changes had to be made due to the rapid increase in population. In the 1990s, a fifth car lane was added, and in 1999, a lower deck, used as a railway track, which was planned since the beginning, was finally built. Today, the upper deck carries six car lanes while the lower deck carries a double track railway, electrified at 25 kV AC.
From the late 19th century, there had been proposals to build a bridge across the Tagus. In 1929, the idea advanced when the Portuguese engineer and entrepreneur, António Bello, requested a government concession for a railway crossing between Lisbon and Montijo (where the Vasco da Gama Bridge, the second bridge serving Lisbon, was later built in 1998). As a result, the Minister of Public Works, Duarte Pacheco, created a commission in 1933 to analyse the request. The commission reported in 1934, and proposed building a road and rail bridge. Bids were obtained, but the proposal was subsequently put aside in favor of a bridge crossing the river at Vila Franca de Xira, 35 kilometres north of Lisbon.
In 1953, a new government commission started work and, in 1958, recommended building the bridge, choosing the southern anchor point adjacent to the recently built monument to Christ the King (Cristo-Rei). In 1959, the international invitation to tender for the project received four bids. In 1960, the winner was announced as a consortium headed by the United States Steel Export Company, which had also submitted a bid in 1935. The American School of Lisbon was founded largely to educate the children of the American engineers brought to Portugal to work on the construction of the bridge.
Construction began on 5 November 1962. Forty-five months later, six months ahead of schedule, the bridge was inaugurated on 6 August 1966. Presiding at the ceremony was the President of Portugal, Admiral Américo Thomaz. Also present were the Prime-Minister, António de Oliveira Salazar, and the Patriarch of Lisbon, Cardinal Manuel Gonçalves Cerejeira. The bridge was named Salazar Bridge (Ponte Salazar), after Prime Minister Salazar.
United States Steel International Inc., based in New York, was prime contractor for the bridge. Morrison-Knudsen of Portugal Ltd., an American firm based in Boise, Idaho, was U.S. Steel's principal associate. Morrison-Knudsen had previously worked on the San Francisco Bay Bridge. The bridge was designed by Steinman, Boynton, Gronquist and London of New York, and Tudor Engineering Company of San Francisco. The steel was imported from the US. Four workers lost their lives, out of a total of 3,000 who worked on the site. Construction took a total of 2,185,000 man-hours of work. The total cost of the bridge came to 2.2 billion Portuguese escudos, or US$32 million (US$225 million in 2011 adjusted for inflation).
Soon after the Carnation Revolution in 1974, the bridge was renamed the 25 de Abril Bridge, the day the revolution had occurred. A symbol of those times was captured on film, with citizens removing the large brass letters spelling "Salazar" from one of the main pillars of the bridge and painting a provisional "25 de Abril" in its place.
The upper platform, running 70 m above water, had four car lanes, two in each direction, with a dividing guardrail. On 23 July 1990, the guardrail was removed and a fifth, reversible lane was created. On 6 November 1998, the side walls were extended and reinforced to make space for the present six lanes. Cars crossing the bridge make a peculiar hum because the two inner lanes are made of metallic grating rather than asphalt to minimize aerodynamic forces by means of pressure equalization.
Since 30 June 1999, the lower platform has carried a double track railway. To accommodate that, the bridge underwent extensive structural reinforcements, including a second set of main cables, placed above the original set, and the main towers were increased in height. The railway had been part of the initial design, but was eliminated for economy, so the initial structure was lightened. The original builder American Bridge Company was called again for the job, performing the first aerial spinning of additional main cables on a loaded, fully operational suspension bridge.
Traffic soon increased well beyond predictions, and has remained at maximum capacity despite the enlargement from four to six lanes, the addition of the railway, and the building of a second bridge serving Lisbon, the Vasco da Gama Bridge. A third bridge has been on and off government plans for some time, but the idea has been dropped presently, due to Portugal's budget constraints.
After a much needed break with all the temple images, I'm back with more. This is another very famous temple called Ta Phrom and what is interesting about this temple is that it is bang in the midst of thick forest, so much so that some of the trees actually grow along the temple structures and have their roots creeping all across.
Once again, a vertorama to capture the entire tree + the structure in one image. The treatment is a little bit different. I really wish I had someone (my wife) posing there in front of it but that area was barricaded and nobody could go close.
Thanks once again for your visit and comments. Have a beautiful day my friends!
The Columbia Center, formerly named the Bank of America Tower and Columbia Seafirst Center, is a skyscraper in downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The 76-story structure is the tallest building in Seattle and the state of Washington, reaching a height of 933 ft (284 m). At the time of its completion, the Columbia Center was the tallest structure on the West Coast; as of 2017 it is the fourth-tallest, behind buildings in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The Columbia Center, developed by Martin Selig and designed by Chester L. Lindsey Architects, began construction in 1982 and was completed in 1985. The building is primarily leased for class-A office spaces by various companies, with the lower floors including retail space and the upper floors featuring a public observatory and private club lounge. The tower has the highest public viewing area west of the Mississippi River. It occupies most of the block bounded by Fourth and Fifth Avenues and Cherry and Columbia Streets.
Columbia Center was designed by Washington architect Chester L. Lindsey. The base of the building is clad in Rosa Purino Carnelian granite. The building's structure is composed of three geometric concave facades with two setbacks, causing the building to appear like three towers standing side by side.
Ground level elevation on the Fifth Avenue side of the building is higher than on the Fourth Avenue side; the part of Cherry Street it faces was identified as one of the steepest streets in the Central Business District with a slope of 17.1%. The tower was originally designed to be about 306.5 m (1,006 ft), but federal regulations by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would not allow it to be that tall so close to the nearby Sea-Tac Airport. Although city land use regulations at the time were intended to limit skyscrapers to about 50 stories, the developer, Martin Selig, obtained the necessary permits for a 76-story skyscraper due to a part of the law that allowed bonus height for providing retail space with street access. Because three separate stories could access the street on the sloped site, the developers were allowed a bonus for each of the three stories they set aside for retail, which was reportedly an unintended loophole in the law. There is an observation deck on the 73rd floor which offers views of Seattle and environs. The top two floors of the building (75th and 76th) are occupied by the private Columbia Tower Club, which houses a restaurant, bar, library, and meeting rooms. The 40th floor is accessible to the public and features a Starbucks cafe. An underground concourse connects the building to the nearby Seattle Municipal Tower and Bank of America Fifth Avenue Plaza.
The tower, originally proposed as Columbia Center, opened under the name Columbia Seafirst Center after its largest tenant and financier, Seafirst Bank, and then changed to the Bank of America Tower, when Seafirst, which had been owned by Bank of America since 1983, was fully integrated into Bank of America. That name gave it the nickname "BOAT" (Bank of America Tower). In November 2005, the building's name was changed back to Columbia Center after the bank reduced its presence in the building. Bank of America still maintains office space within the building, but has since closed the bank branch at the base of the tower.
Development and construction
Martin Selig, a local real estate developer who had recently opened the Fourth and Blanchard Building, announced plans for a 75-story office building at 4th Avenue and Columbia Street in October 1980. The $120 million project, named the "Columbia Center", would be funded by the Seafirst Mortgage Company and constructed by Howard S. Wright. Selig borrowed $205 million in 1981 to develop the property. The Columbia Seafirst Center, as it came to be known, was constructed by Howard S. Wright starting in 1982 with a 120-foot (37 m) deep excavation hole that required 225,000-cubic-yards of dirt and soil to be removed. This was one of the largest foundations for a building in Seattle along with concrete footings extending 134 feet (41 m) below street level. While the structural steel of the building was built at a rate of 2 floors per week, the building itself was completed on January 12, 1985,[10] and opened on March 2 of that same year. U.S. Steel Corporation was contracted to provide 16,000 short tons (15,000 t) of steel for construction. It was approximately 50% taller than the previous tallest skyscraper in Seattle, the 630-foot (190 m) Seattle First National Bank Building (now Safeco Plaza) that opened in 1969.
Financial issues and height controversy
Selig continued to own and manage the building until 1989, when financial problems forced him to sell it to Seafirst Corporation for $354 million. Management was taken over by the Tishman West Company of Los Angeles.
Controversy regarding the skyscraper's size contributed to the passage of a 1989 law called the Citizen's Alternative Plan (CAP) that enforced more stringent restrictions on the size of buildings in Downtown Seattle. In 1990, after rejecting earlier plans for 300-foot (91 m) antennas, Seattle and the FAA granted permission to erect two 192-foot (59 m) antennas on top of Columbia Center, which were expected to be used for broadcasting radio and television throughout the region. Though the FAA was originally worried about the tower's height encroaching the airspace, they deemed the addition of the antennas not problematic. The antennas were not built before the permits expired in 1994, however.
Ownership changes
EQ Office bought Columbia Center from Seafirst in 1998 for $404 million. The New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a 49.9% stake in the building and then several years later sold its share back to EQ Office. In 2007, Columbia Center was sold by EQ Office to Boston-based Beacon Capital Partners for $621 million; Beacon later defaulted on a loan in 2010, the height of the Great Recession, at a time when vacancies reached 40%. On August 7, 2015, Hong Kong-based Gaw Capital Partners purchased the building for $711 million.
Renovations
On July 1, 2013, the Columbia Center's observation deck, known as the Sky View, was remodeled from 270 degrees to a 360 degree viewing area. The observation deck underwent further renovations in 2018, adding two express elevators and a new lounge. The 4th Avenue entrance was also renovated.
(Wikipedia)
Das Columbia Center ist das höchste Gebäude in Seattle und im US-Bundesstaat Washington. Mit einer Gesamthöhe von 285 Metern war es bei der Fertigstellung 1985 der höchste Wolkenkratzer westlich des Mississippi, wurde allerdings 1989 durch den U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles mit 310 Metern übertroffen. Die Höhe des Columbia Centers beträgt einschließlich einer Antennenkonstruktion auf dem Dach 295 Meter. Diese wird jedoch nicht als Teil des Gebäudearchitektur angesehen, und somit nicht zur formalen Höhe gewertet.
76 oberirdische Etagen dienen als Büroraum, die sieben Kellergeschosse werden vielseitig genutzt. Der Wolkenkratzer sollte ursprünglich etwa 306,5 Meter hoch werden. Die FAA erlaubte die Höhe nicht, da sich das Gebäude dafür zu nah am Flughafen Seattle/Tacoma befände, wodurch ein höheres Sicherheitsrisiko entstünde. Es wurde in das Projekt Raum für die Öffentlichkeit und Einzelhandel einbezogen, damit die zulässige Höhe nicht zu sehr eingeschränkt werden kann. Das 73. Stockwerk dient nun teilweise als Aussichtspunkt, von dem sich Seattle und seine Umgebung überblicken lässt. Der Columbia Tower Club verteilt sich auf die beiden obersten Stockwerke (75 und 76) und besteht aus einem Restaurant, einer Bar, einer Bibliothek und einigen Tagungsräumen. Ein unterirdischer Gang verbindet das Columbia Center mit dem nahegelegenen Seattle Municipal Tower und dem Bank of America Fifth Avenue Plaza.
Mehrere größere Unternehmen mieten Büros im Columbia Center. Dazu zählen vor allem die Bank of America, Heller Ehrman LLP und Amazon.com.
Ursprünglich trug der Wolkenkratzer seinen heutigen Namen. Später wurde er nach der dort ansässigen Seafirst Bank als Columbia Seafirst Center bezeichnet. Diese gehörte seit 1983 zur Bank of America, wurde im Laufe der 1980er Jahre jedoch vollständig integriert. Daher bekam das Gebäude den Namen Bank of America Tower mit dem Spitznamen BOAT. Im November 2005 wurde es wieder in The Columbia Center (TCC) umbenannt.
Am 16. Juni 2004, noch vor Herausgabe ihres 9/11 Commission Report, machte die Untersuchungskommission zum 11. September 2001 nicht in die Tat umgesetzte Pläne der Terroristen bekannt, die vorsahen mit zehn entführten Passagierflugzeugen die höchsten Gebäude in Kalifornien und im Staate Washington zu beschädigen bzw. zu zerstören. Neben dem Columbia Center in Seattle habe auch der U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angeles zu den Zielen gehört.
(Wikipedia)
After our overnight on the island of Niadub, we explored the nearby island of Chicheme, a smaller island with fewer residents, beautiful beaches and nice snorkeling. This picture was taken during our short stay on Chicheme.
The San Blas islands are a group of islands in the archipelago de San Blas, located in the Northwest of Panama facing the Caribbean Sea. San Blas is an autonomous territory in Panama formally called Kuna Yala. sanblas-islands.com
Inspired by Stephen Shore's gorgeous photo; U.S.10 Post Falls, Idaho and it's lyrical beauty and acceptance of the world around us I went this morning searching for just such a scene.
I looked for a location with minimal expression and inherent beauty, yet without drama. Found it 16 miles away.
Some photos are created in a snap or two. this one took me 10 minutes to compose and click.
Full of elements, yet those puddles are the most important ones.
They give your eyes a runway to take off and escape this place.
Rocks in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada exhibit varied and interesting structure, patterns and textures. I have tried to capture those features in many of my photographs in this desert area. I made a series of photographs in the vicinity of this image, to showcase the rock fabric from various viewpoints.
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London Eye Reflection in a Panorama view of London
The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. Also known as the Millennium Wheel, its official name was originally the British Airways London Eye, then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye, and since January 2011, the EDF Energy London Eye.
The entire structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). It is currently Europe's tallest Ferris wheel,[6] the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.5 million visitors annually,[7] and has made many appearances in popular culture.
When erected in 1999 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel, until surpassed first by the 160 m (520 ft) Star of Nanchang in 2006 and then the 165 m (541 ft) Singapore Flyer in 2008. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the taller Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel".[8] It offered the highest public viewing point in the city[citation needed] until it was superseded by the 245-metre (804 ft)[9] observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard, which opened to the public on 1 February 2013.[10]
The London Eye adjoins the western end of Jubilee Gardens (previously the site of the former Dome of Discovery), on the South Bank of the River Thames between Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth.
Construction of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist began in 1873 and was completed with the addition of the spires in 1896. The structure was nearly destroyed by fire in 1898 but through diligent effort was rebuilt by 1899. The Stained glass windows were installed around 1904. - Wiki
Oostende as seen from the old wooden pier.
The art of structuring a photographic image lies in the thoughtful arrangement of elements within the frame to create a harmonious and engaging picture.
July 17, 2022
Severe/Tornado Warned Storm between Liberty - Tuxford SK Canada
Insane storm structure as I stood near North Grove looking West
This day’s forecasting was a challenge! I was seeing a couple different options. One being Weyburn and South (which ended up having a nice storm and dropped a Tornado) and another setup around Raymore. I chose Raymore region and away I went.
Sat in crazy muggy 30+ Degree heat while waiting, and waiting and waiting.
Boundaries forming all over, including my spot! Line of clouds would form and then die off. Form and then die off, over and over again.
Nothing was happening.
The Storms South of Weyburn began to fire up. My side .... still nothing.
Finally, around 5 pm North of Lucky Lake (to my West) a storm began to form on Radar. I waiting to see what direction it was taking and also was cautious of “jumping the gun” aka heading to the storm and missing a storm at my spot.
I let it run a few radar scans and then away I went!
Around 6:30 pm it was looking insane on radar as I was right around Liberty trying to get more South as it was moving straight East at me, and it sucks trying to get storm photos when you are cored in hail and rain and can’t see anything haha.
7 pm, I was heading towards Craik as photos on twitter began to pop up of the beautiful storm structure happening between Grainland, Central Butte &Tugaske (also showing rotation on radar).
7:15 pm I was still working my way South while also trying NOT to get cored in this system as I made my way towards Chamberlain.
7:37 pm I was near North Grove looking West at some INSANE storm structure !!!!
After enjoying that for some time, blasted further South to not get stuck within the core.
I headed towards Tuxford where around 8 pm I found myself in front on an angry lowering with my anemometer clocking wind speeds from 110 - 121 km !!!!
From there, I was too far back to ever catch up to the storm that now is just moving, so sat back and watched the beautiful system from the back end as it made it’s way East towards Manitoba.
What a hell of a beautiful chase day!!!
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