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Howard County Library System's Evening in the Stacks held on February 22, 2014 at the Miller Branch. Washington Post Book Critic Ron Charles.
Howard County Library System's Evening in the Stacks held on February 22, 2014 at the Miller Branch.
Sunderland 16 was built in 1900 by Dick, Kerr & Co. in Preston for Sunderland Corporation Tramways, part of a batch of five open top double-decker trams, numbered 13 to 18. It is the sole-surviving original Sunderland tram, Sunderland having been the second-largest tramway undertaking in the North East. This batch had to wait until after World War One to have its open top rebuilt as a closed deck, something which had been done to most of the rest of the fleet by 1916. Subsequent modifications in the 1920s and 1930s saw changes to the interior (seating and staircases), running gear (trucks) and current collector (a bow set up replacing trolley pole). Following the Sunderland system's closure in 1954, it was one of a few trams to escape destruction, instead finding use as changing rooms for football teams, before being broken up in the late 1950s - its lower saloon being moved to Westwood Farm in Low Warden near Hexham, for use as a tool shed and apple store.[20]
The museum then rescued the body as a potential restoration project, moving it to the museum in 1989. Returning it to 1920s closed top condition, the reconstructed lower deck was mounted on a refurbished second hand Peckham P35 truck, with a new upper deck built from scratch. The restored tram entered service in July 2003.[20] Following another overhaul, it returned to service in December 2014. Re-tyred in 2018.
Howard County Library System's Evening in the Stacks held on February 22, 2014 at the Miller Branch.
On December 7, the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System's Women's Health Care Committee hosted their second annual baby shower for expectant Veteran Moms and Veteran Moms who had given birth in the past year.
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System's award winning Acute Inpatient Mental Health (AIMH) Unit was dedicated in May of 2011.
My recent posting about the former Sydney tramway system's use of rosettes to help affix the wires to the side of buildings gained a little interest.
So, whilst I was out and about today, I kept my eyes peeled! To my surprise they're everywhere!
To think I've been walking around this city for fifty years since the trams were replaced by buses and these silent reminders of the system are still in place!
Faculty and staff at the UW System’s third-largest institution got together to celebrate the launch of the new general education program.
4/25/25 - Howard County Library System’s 2025 Battle of the Books held at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia.
Howard County Library System's Evening in the Stacks held on February 22, 2014 at the Miller Branch.
Faculty and staff at the UW System’s third-largest institution got together to celebrate the launch of the new general education program.
Howard County Library System's Evening in the Stacks held on February 22, 2014 at the Miller Branch.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Bell AH-1 SuperCobra is a twin-engined attack helicopter that was developed on behalf of, and primarily operated by, the United States Marine Corps (USMC). The twin Cobra family, itself part of the larger Huey family, includes the AH-1J SeaCobra, the AH-1T Improved SeaCobra, and the AH-1W SuperCobra. The Super Cobra was derived from the single-engine AH-1 Cobra, which had been developed during the mid-1960s as an interim gunship for the U.S. Army. The USMC had quickly taken an interest in the type but sought a twin-engine arrangement for greater operational safety at sea, along with more capable armaments. While initially opposed by the Department of Defense, who were keen to promote commonality across the services, in May 1968, an order for an initial 49 twin-engine AH-1J SeaCobras was issued to Bell. The type entered service during the final months of the US's involvement in the Vietnam War, seeing limited action in the theatre as a result.
The USMC promptly sought greater payload capacity than that provided by the original Sea Cobra; thus the AH-1T, equipped with the dynamic systems of the Model 309 and a lengthened fuselage, was produced by Bell during the 1970s. In the following decade, in response to the denial of funding to procure the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, the USMC opted to procure a more capable variant of the AH-1T; equipped with revised fire control systems compatible with new munitions, such as the AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missile, the new model, designated AH-1W, commenced delivery in 1986.
In the early 1980s, the Marine Corps sought a new navalized helicopter. Accordingly, it evaluated the Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopter as first choice over a two-week period in September 1981, which included shipboard operation tests. Furthermore, various concepts were studied at this time. However, the service's request for funding to purchase the AH-64 was denied by Congress that same year. As an alternative option, the Marines procured a more powerful version of the AH-1T. Other changes included modified fire control systems to carry and fire AIM-9 Sidewinder and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. The new version, which was funded by Congress, received the AH-1W designation. During March 1986, deliveries of the AH-1W SuperCobra commenced, eventually totaling 179 new-built helicopters along with the upgrading of 43 existing AH-1Ts.
This development also fell into the period when Great Britain was looking for a potential attack helicopter for the British Army, and Western Germany was - together with France - about to mutually develop a new attack helicopter that would in Germany replace the PAH-1, the light Bo 105 helicopter armed with six HOT anti-tank missiles. In 1984, the French and West German governments had issued a requirement for an advanced antitank helicopter, with one variant desired by the French dedicated to the escort and antihelicopter role. As originally planned, both countries would procure a total of 427 helicopters called “Tiger”. The West Germans planned on acquiring 212 models of the anti-tank variant named PAH-2 (Panzerabwehrhubschrauber or "Anti-tank helicopter"), with deliveries starting at the end of 1992. The French wanted 75 HAPs (Hélicoptère d'Appui Protection or "Support and Escort Helicopter") and 140 HACs (Hélicoptère Anti Char or "Anti-Tank Helicopter"), with deliveries starting at the end of 1991 and 1995, respectively. In the meantime, the USA also offered both the AH-1 as well as the more modern AH-64 as alternatives.
Development of the Tiger started during the Cold War, and it was initially intended as a pure anti-tank helicopter platform to be used against a Soviet ground invasion of Western Europe. A joint venture, consisting of Aérospatiale and MBB, was subsequently chosen as the preferred supplier, but in 1986 the development program was already canceled again due to spiraling costs: it had been officially calculated that supplying the German forces with an equivalent number of US-produced McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache attack helicopters would have been a considerably cheaper alternative to proceeding with the Tiger’s development, which became a more and more complex project because the helicopter would have to be able to fulfill more roles, and the duty profiles of Germany and France became significantly different. According to statements by the French Defence Minister André Giraud in April 1986, the collaborative effort had become more expensive than an individual national program and was also forecast to take longer to complete.
This opened the door for American proposals even wider, and beyond the state-of-the-art AH-64 Bell proposed a further upgraded two-engine AH-1W. Bell had been working as a private initiative with both the AH-1T+ demonstrator and the AH-1W prototype, and developed a new experimental hingeless rotor system with four composite blades, designed to withstand up to 23 mm rounds and thus greatly improving battlefield survivability. This new main rotor was manually foldable, reduced vibrations and allowed the engine power to be increased, thus greatly improving the SuperCobra’s performance and load capabilities. The twin engine’s power had until then been restricted, but in the AH-1-4BW the power was liberated to full 1,800 shp (1,342 kW), with a reinforced gearbox that could even cope with 2.400 shp. Top speed climbed by 23 mph/37 km/h, rate of climb improved, and the load capability was raised by 1.000 lb (450 kg). The AH-1-4BW was now able to fly a full looping, something the AH-1 had not been able to do before. However, empty weight of this demonstrator helicopter climbed to 12,189 lb (5,534 kg) and the maximum TOW to 18,492 lb (8.391 kg).
Other changes included a different position for the stabilizers further aft, closer to the tail rotor, which furthermore received small end plates to improve directional stability. The modified AH-1W prototype was aptly re-designated “AH-1-4BW” (4BW standing for “4-blade whiskey”), and there were plans to upgrade the type even further with a fully digitalized cockpit to meet contemporary requirements, e.g. for the British Army.
The West-German Bundesluftwaffe’s interest in the “outdated” AH-1 was initially only lukewarm, but when Bell offered to lend the AH-1-4BW prototype for evaluations and as a development mule for the eventual integration of the European HOT missile and indigenous sensors and avionics, a mutual agreement was signed in late 1987 to have the AH-1-4BW tested by the Luftwaffe in the environment where the type would be operated.
The AH-1-4BW prototype (s/n 166 022) was delivered to Manching in Southern Germany in summer 1988 on board of a C-5 Galaxy. It was operated by the Luftwaffe’s Wehrtechnische Dienststelle (WTD, Technical and Airworthiness Center for Aircraft) 61 for two years and successfully made several tests. This program was divided into three “Phases”. “Phase I” included focused on flight characteristics, tactical operations, and mock air-to-air combat against Luftwaffe CH-53s which acted as Mi-24 aggressors. Upon program start the AH-1-4BW received German markings, the registration 98+11, and a new, subdued paint scheme in Luftwaffe colors instead of the original USMC scheme in an overall medium green.
In “Phase I” the AH-1-4BW retained its American weapon systems, as the flight testing did not involve weapon deployment or integration. Instead, dummies or target designators were carried. After these initial tests that lasted almost a year Bell agreed to let the WTD 61 modify the AH-1-4BW further with European avionics to deploy the HOT 3 anti-tank missile, which would be the helicopter’s primal weapon in the German Heeresflieger’s service, since Germany did at that time neither use the similar American TOW nor the more sophisticated AGM-114 Hellfire, even though the German PARS 3 LR missile (also known as TRIGAT-LR: Third Generation AntiTank, Long Range) was already under development since 1988. This upgrade and test program section received the designation “Phase II”. Outwardly, the newly modified AH-1 was recognizable through a different sensor turret in the nose and a modified HOT missile sight for the gunner in the front seat.
In late 1989 the helicopter underwent another modification by WTD 61, which was to test equipment already intended for the PAH-2. Under the trials’ final “Phase III” the AH-1-4BW received a globular fairing on a mast on top of the main rotor, to test the tactical value of observing, identifying, and selecting targets while the helicopter would remain in cover. This sensor mast combined a panoramic IR camera with a targeting sight for anti-tank missiles and the gun turret, and it functionally replaced the standard chin sensor turret (which was brought back to AH-1W standard). Another novel feature was a streamlined, sugar scope-shaped exhaust diffusor with two chambers which guided hot gases upwards into the main rotor’s downwash, as an alternative to the original diffusors which only mixed cold ambient air with the hot efflux. It turned out to be very effective and was subsequently adapted for the Tiger. Other changes included a new hingeless three-blade tail rotor that was supposed to reduce operational noise and frequency issues with the new 4-blade main rotor, and the endplate stabilizers were enlarged to compensate for the huge “eyeball” on top of the main rotor which significantly changed the AH-1’s flight characteristics, especially at high speed.
Further tests of the Phase III SuperCobra lasted until summer 1990 and provided both Bell as well as the Luftwaffe with valuable benchmark data for further weapon system developments. When the lease contract ended in 1991, the AH-1-4BW was sent back to the United States. In the meantime, though, the political situation had changed dramatically. The USSR had ceased to exist, so that the Cold War threat especially in Europe had ended almost overnight after the Aérospatiale/MBB joint venture, now officially called Eurocopter, had signed an agreement in 1989 which financially secured the majority of the Tiger’s pending development through to serial production, including arrangements for two assembly lines to be built at Aerospatiale's Marignane plant and MBB's Donauwörth facility. This eventually saved the Tiger and in 1991 it had become clear that no American attack helicopter would be bought by either Germany or France. Great Britain as another potential European customer also declined the AH-1 and eventually procured the more modern AH-64 in the form of the license-built AgustaWestland Apache.
In 1992, the Eurocopter Group was officially established, and the Tiger moved closer to the hardware stage; this led to considerable consolidation of the aerospace industry and the Tiger project itself. A major agreement was struck in December 1996 between France and Germany that cemented the Tiger's prospects and committed the development of supporting elements, such as a series of new generation missile designs for use by the new helicopter. National political issues continued to affect the prospects of the Tiger, however. A proposed sale of up to 145 Tigers to Turkey proved a source of controversy; Turkey selected the Tiger as the preferred option, but conflicting attitudes between Eurocopter, France and Germany regarding military exports led to Turkey withdrawing its interest. Eventually, Turkey procured AH-1s and started an indigenous attack helicopter program.
However, the AH-1-4BW’s development and its vigorous testing in Germany were not in vain: Lacking a USMC contract, Bell developed this new design into the AH-1Z with its own funds during the 1990s and 2000s. By 1996, the Marines were again prevented from ordering the AH-64: developing a marine version of the Apache would have been expensive and it was likely that the Marine Corps would be its only customer. Instead, the service signed a contract for the upgrading of AH-1Ws into AH-1Zs, which incorporated many elements from the AH-1-4BW.
General characteristics:
Crew: Two (pilot, co-pilot/gunner)
Length: 58 ft 0 in (17.68 m) overall
45 ft 7 in (14 m) for fuselage only
Width: 10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) for stub wings only
Height: 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m)
13 ft 9 in (4.19 m) incl. Phase III sensor mast
Main rotor diameter: 42 ft 8 in (13.00 m)
Airfoil: blade root: DFVLR DM-H3; blade tip: DFVLR DM-H4
Main rotor area: 1,428.9 sq ft (132.75 m2)
Empty weight: 12,189 lb (5,534 kg)
Max. take-off weight: 18,492 lb (8.391 kg)
Powerplant:
2× General Electric T700-401 turboshaft engine, with 1,800 shp (1,342 kW)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 190 kn (220 mph, 350 km/h)
Never exceed speed: 190 kn (220 mph, 350 km/h)
Range: 317 nmi (365 mi, 587 km)
Service ceiling: 12,200 ft (3,700 m)
Rate of climb: 1,620 ft/min (8.2 m/s)
Armament:
1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M197 3-barreled Gatling cannon
in the A/A49E-7 chin turret (750 rounds ammo capacity)
4× hardpoints under the stub wings for a wide range of weapons, including…
- 20 mm (0.787 in) autocannon pods
- Twenty-two round pods with 68 mm (2.68 in) SNEB unguided rockets,
- Nineteen or seven round pods with 2.75” (70 mm) Hydra 70 or APKWS II rockets,
- 5” (127 mm) Zuni rockets – 8 rockets in two 4-round LAU-10D/A launchers
- Up to 8 TOW missiles in two 4-round XM65 missile launchers, on outboard hardpoints, or
up to 8 HOT3
up to 8 AGM-114 Hellfire missiles in 4-round M272 missile launchers, on outboard hardpoint,
- Up to 2 AIM-9 Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles, launch rails above each outboard hardpoint or
up to 2 Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) air-to-air missiles in single launch tubes
The kit and its assembly:
This what-if model was inspired by the real attempts of Bell to sell a twin-engine Cobra variant to Germany as a replacement for the light PAH-1/Bo 105 helicopter, while plans were made to build an indigenous successor together with France which eventually became the PAH-2/Tiger. These proposals fell well into the time frame of the (also) real AH-14BW project, and I imagined that this specific helicopter had been lent to the Luftwaffe for evaluation?
The basis is the Italeri 1:72 AH-1W kit, a solid basis which requires some work, though. And because I had the remains of a French Tigre at hand (which gave its cockpit for my recent JASDF A-2 build) I decided to use some of the leftover parts for something that borders a kitbashing. This includes the 4-blade main and 3-blade tail rotor, and I integrated the Tiger’s scoop-shaped exhaust diffusor behind the main rotor – a tricky task that require a lot of PSR, but the result looks very natural, if not elegant? The Tiger’s end plate stabilizers were used, too, mounted to the AH-1’s trim stabilizers that were mounted further back, as on the real AH-1-4BW.
To change the look even further I decided to add a sensor pod on top of the main rotor, and this required a totally new mechanical solution to hold the latter. Eventually I integrated a sleeve for a fixed metal axis which also holds the sensor ball (from a MisterCraft Westland Lynx – a bit oversized, but suitable for a prototype), and the PAH-2 rotor received an arrangement of levers that hold it in place and still allow it to spin.
The ordnance was also taken from the Italeri Tigre, with HOT quadruple launchers for the outer weapon stations, the inner hardpoints were left empty and I also did not mount the American chaff/flare dispensers on top of the stub wings.
Painting and markings:
The Luftwaffe did a LOT of interesting camouflage experiments in the early Eighties, adopting several standardized schemes for aircraft, but the Heeresflieger were less enthusiastic and retained the overall Gelboliv (RAL 6014) scheme before a three-color camouflage, consisting of two green tones and a dirty black was gradually introduced – even though apparently not in a uniform fashion, because there were variations for the darker shade of green (retaining RAL 6014 or using FS 34079, as on the Luftwaffe Norm ’83 scheme that was applied to Tornado IDSs, RF-4Es, some Starfighters and to the Transall fleet).
My fictional AH-1-4BW would fall into that transitional phase and I decided to give the helicopter an experimental scheme, which was used/tested on early Tornado IDS, consisting of RAL 7021 (Teerschwarz), RAL 7012 (Basaltgrau) and RAL 6014 (Gelboliv) – on aircraft with undersides in RAL 7000 (Silbergrau), but on a helicopter rather as a wraparound scheme. However, inspired by Luftwaffe F-4Fs with a modified Norm ‘72 splinter scheme that added a simple light grey fin to break up the aircrafts’ profile in a side view, I used RAL 7030 (Steingrau) on the tail tip to achieve the same effect, and the light grey was also used, together with Basaltgrau und Gelboliv mottles on the sensor ball – looks a bit like WWII Luftwaffe style, but appeared plausible for the system’s tactical use from behind some ground cover. The cockpit interior became very dark grey, just like the rotor blades, which were adorned with orange warning markings at the tips – seen on some Luftwaffe helicopters instead of classic yellow or red-white-red bands.
The decals were puzzled together from various sources. National markings came from generic Luftwaffe sheets from TL Modellbau, the light blue WTD 61 emblems behind the cockpit were taken from a Peddinghaus decal sheet with early Luftwaffe unit markings. The dayglo panels were created with generic decal material (TL Modellbau, too) and stencils came mostly from a Fujimi AH-1 sheet, procuring German or even multi-language material appeared too tedious and costly.
The photo calibration markings on nose and fins were improvised from black and white decal sheet material, punched out, cut into quarters, and then applied as circles. Adds an experimental touch to the Cobra!
The kit received a light black ink washing and some post-panel-shading, esp. to brighten up the grey and increase the contrast between the camouflage tones, which appeared even more murky after the dayglow stripes had been added. Finally, the Cobra received an overall coat wit matt acrylic varnish, position lights were added/painted, and the sensor ball received sights made from yellow chrome PET foil, simply punched out and fixed into place with some Humbrol Clearfix.
This one took a while to materialize and was more work than one might expect at first glance. But it looks quite cool, esp. the PAH-2/Tiger’s exhaust fairing fits very well into the Cobra’s lines and adds an elegant touch to the helicopter. The “Eye ball” is a bit large, yes, but IMHO acceptable for a prototype or test vehicle. And the livery certainly conveys a German touch.
Calming sunset after the storm... Gotta love the sunlight reflecting off of the wet street! Thunderstorms had occurred in the region during the morning hours this day. It was finally feeling a lot like fall! They were still predicting a strong El Niño this upcoming winter... Pic taken from around San Jose, CA. (Monday around sunset, November 9, 2015; 4:40 p.m.)
Weather update:
A cold storm system was to bring periods of rain to the Bay Area from late Saturday night thru Monday. This system which had dropped down from the Gulf of Alaska was to bring rain to across much of northern and central California, along with mountain snow. Rain had began in the North Bay late Saturday night as the system's cold front pushed in. The front then pushed southward into our region by Sunday. Widespread shower activity was to follow the front from Sunday night through Monday. T-storms were likely on Monday due to an unstable airmass behind the front. Showers were forecast to taper off by Monday evening. Drier weather was forecast to return by Tuesday...
Janet L. Yellen took office as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System on February 3, 2014, for a four-year term ending February 3, 2018. Dr. Yellen also serves as Chairman of the Federal Open Market Committee, the System's principal monetary policymaking body. Prior to her appointment as Chair, Dr. Yellen served as Vice Chair of the Board of Governors, taking office in October 2010, when she simultaneously began a 14-year term as a member of the Board that will expire January 31, 2024.
Dr. Yellen is Professor Emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley where she was the Eugene E. and Catherine M. Trefethen Professor of Business and Professor of Economics and has been a faculty member since 1980.
Dr. Yellen took leave from Berkeley for five years starting August 1994. She served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System through February 1997, and then left the Federal Reserve to become chair of the Council of Economic Advisers through August 1999. She also chaired the Economic Policy Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development from 1997 to 1999. She also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco from 2004 to 2010.
Dr. Yellen is a member of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has served as President of the Western Economic Association, Vice President of the American Economic Association and a Fellow of the Yale Corporation.
Dr. Yellen graduated summa cum laude from Brown University with a degree in economics in 1967, and received her Ph.D. in Economics from Yale University in 1971. She received the Wilbur Cross Medal from Yale in 1997, an honorary doctor of laws degree from Brown in 1998, and an honorary doctor of humane letters from Bard College in 2000.
An Assistant Professor at Harvard University from 1971 to 1976, Dr. Yellen served as an Economist with the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors in 1977 and 1978, and on the faculty of the London School of Economics and Political Science from 1978 to 1980.
Dr. Yellen has written on a wide variety of macroeconomic issues, while specializing in the causes, mechanisms, and implications of unemployment.
Generations
Left: Mid 2010 MacBook
Center: Late 2020 MacBook Air (M1)
Right: Mid 2011 MacBook Air
Not an Apple fanboy nor bragging post. Systems on the left and right were bought used in no better than grade B shape when I bought them.
No, the purpose here is the webcams have changed very little in so much time: 720P webcam (though, not much information on the left system's webcam I found for full confirmation of 720P). A brand new system and CPU in my new MacBook Air yet same ol' 720P webcam. Crazy to me.
New MacBook I bought brand new (a first for a personal purchase) to experience the M1 CPU. Yes, even this Dell dude was intrigued by the M1 in a desktop/laptop.
Indirectly, I hope to do more with my DSLR cameras from its purchase. I'll work with a new photo editor after using Picasa for well past it's time.
It's not every day that someone turns 105, but then again George Leighton isn't just someone. Often called "the Judge," a name that fittingly has stuck due to his long standing career as a judge, Leighton has reached another milestone in his already illustrious life. Leighton celebrated 105 years-of-life today, surrounded by friends and family at VA Boston Healthcare System's Brockton Campus.
"Each year is a milestone and each milestone a blessing," said Leighton's cousin Ervin "Tootsie" Russell. "His cognizance is remarkable and I know because he keeps asking me for that ten dollars I borrowed from him 30 years ago!"
Along with serving as a judge from 1964 to 1987, Leighton served during World War II. While in the Army Leighton served in the Pacific Theaters for almost three years as a logistics officer. In July of 1945 he was awarded the Asiatic Pacific Service Medal, Bronze Star, for assisting in the transfer of 7,500 soldiers in the East Indies and he was appointed commander of a prisoner of war camp. Leighton then returned to the United States and was discharged in October 1945 with the rank of captain.
Read the full story at www.boston.va.gov/BOSTON/features/WWII_Veteran_Turns_105_... or contact Public Affairs: 857-203-5879
Howard County Library System's Evening in the Stacks held on February 22, 2014 at the Miller Branch.
Queens Road tram stop in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, Greater Manchester.
Queens Road is a tram stop on the Bury Line of Greater Manchester's light rail Metrolink system. It originally opened as a staff halt stop only serving the Metrolink system's original Queens Road depot at Metrolink House. The station opened on 16 December 2013. Queens Road is the closest station to the Manchester Museum of Transport on Boyle Street and is adjacent to the Irish World Heritage Centre. The station replaced Woodlands Road tram stop, which closed on the opening day of the stop.
The network has 99 stops along 65 miles (105 km) of standard-gauge track,[9] making it the most extensive light rail system in the United Kingdom. In 2019/20, 44.3 million passenger journeys were made on the system.
It is made up of eight lines which radiate from Manchester city centre to termini at Altrincham, Ashton-under-Lyne, Bury, East Didsbury, Eccles, Manchester Airport, Rochdale, and Trafford Centre. It consists of a mixture of on-street track shared with other traffic; reserved track sections, segregated from other traffic, and converted former railway lines.
A light rail system for Greater Manchester emerged from the failure of the 1970s Picc-Vic tunnel scheme to obtain central government funding. A light-rail scheme was proposed in 1982 as the least expensive rail-based transport solution for Manchester city centre and the surrounding Greater Manchester metropolitan area. Government approval was granted in 1988 and the network began operating services between Bury Interchange and Victoria on 6 April 1992, becoming the United Kingdom's first modern street-running rail system; the 1885-built Blackpool tramway being the only heritage tram system in the UK that had survived up to Metrolink's creation.
Expansion of Metrolink has been a key strategy of transport planners have overseen its development in successive projects, known as Phases 1, 2, 3a and 3b with the most recent phase, 2CC becoming operational in February 2017. The Trafford Park Line extension from Pomona to the Trafford Centre opened in 2020, TfGM have also endorsed more speculative expansion proposals for new lines to Stockport, a loop around Wythenshawe, and the addition of tram-train technology.
Information Source:
The audience shortly before Jah Shaka Sound System's set. At All Tomorrow's Parties curated by Portishead, December 2007, Minehead, Somerset, south-west England.
Faculty and staff at the UW System’s third-largest institution got together to celebrate the launch of the new general education program.
My wife and I took a tour last weekend of Honolulu's rail system's maintenance facility and train. This is the view looking through the passage between two cars at the coupling point.
I'm not a fan of the system and feel it should never have been started. It is bleeding money and the costs are escalating. I am, however, satisfied with the build of the cars and facilities. My main issue with the system is the original concept and the management of this project.
Gotta love driving in the rain. Very strong & gusty southerly winds & rain were observed as this strongly awaited atmospheric river/storm system’s main cold front made ‘landfall’ in the Bay Area. This was indeed the strongest storm so far this season for the region. Conditions outside looked like a tropical storm! Certainly, this was a stormy night for the region. The Sierras were also looking at feet of snowfall before all this is said & done. This evening was just the 1st part of the storm. More heavy rain & wind was in store for the state over the next day or two as this atmospheric river was forecast to inch back north towards the South Bay the very next day... Things would finally die down by Friday. Stay safe out there, everyone! (Video taken Wednesday just after midnight, January 27, 2021)
*Weather forecast/update: A strong Pacific storm, or atmospheric river, was expected to bring periods of moderate to heavy rain to the region. This system was forecast to arrive by Tuesday (Jan 26) & was to bring periods of heavy rain & high winds. This will likely result in an increased risk of mudslides over steep terrain, debris flow over wildfire burned areas, as well as localized ponding of water in low-lying areas. Up to 3 inches of rain was expected in urban areas & 3-7 inches possible over higher terrain. The entire area from Napa south thru Monterey & San Benito Counties would get a good soaking from this atmospheric river. Latest model guidance suggests the coastal slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains & Big Sur look to be the primary target of the heaviest rain. On top of this, a high wind watch was also in effect during the period. South winds 20-30 mph with gusts up to 50-60 mph are possible. North Bay, San Francisco Bay Shoreline, East Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, and the South Bay will all be affected. Timing of the strongest winds are forecast to happen Tuesday evening thru Wednesday morning as this strong system’s cold front sweeps thru. Damaging winds can blow down trees & power lines which may result in power outages… Stay tuned to the latest forecast for the most up-to-date weather info online…
Howard County Library System's Evening in the Stacks held on February 22, 2014 at the Miller Branch.
Renee Blalock, Birmingham Public Library and Matt Layne, Emmet O'Neal Library
When the Birmingham Public Library set out to change its logo in 2011, Big Communications responded indicating they wanted to help. It would be mid-2012 before they would be given the opportunity and under the leadership of President & CEO John Montgomery, they came through in a "big" way.
With very limited resources available to support an awareness campaign and rebranding initiative for the Birmingham Public Library System, Big Communications organized the system's "Champions for Learning" awareness campaign. Company President John Montgomery states on his web site, “As an agency, we seek opportunities that allow us to give back to Birmingham using the creative abilities of our team.” And give back they did. John connected with Birmingham native Vonetta Flowers who earned her gold medal in bobsledding to serve as the "celebrity" face for a PSA which would run on NBC13 with the start of the Summer Olympics in London. Additionally, John engaged Six Foot Five Productions and other local media to donate their time and talent to help the campaign to life. Further, John and his team at Big Communications encouraged the library's leadership team to go out and make new connections which helped to solidify the success of the campaign. Additionally, John and his team assisted in bringing attention to a young firm which actually designed the new logo for the library. We could not have paid for the amenities Big Communications provided or the leadership they gave us in securing sponsors.
bigcom.com/2012/12/john-montgomery-recognized-as-communit...
In 1979 GMC produced a series of zero emission, mid-size vans for At&T in 1979. Several hundred of these battery powered vans were evaluated in the Bell System's service fleet.
In 1979, service trucks used by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in the city of Los Angeles could have been augmented by at least 20 extra battery operated utility vans. AT&T planned on using specially built 110-inch wheelbase GMC vans as part of a three-year federal program to test the feasibility of the $20,000 per copy trucks. Special vehicles need special attention you know, so the program’s facilities, including special tools, would increase the cost of the fledgling program to $534 grand. Even though AT&T would cover all operating costs, the taxpayers were to contribute, through the Department of Energy, some $227,000.
The vans were to be capable of hauling 1500 pound loads, reach a top speed of 50 mph and non-pollute up to 40 miles in any direction before returning to the big wall socket back at headquarters. Limited cruising range would be of little consequence says AT&T, because the average number of miles accrued by an average telephone truck amounted to something like 15 a day, a squad of 36 lead/acid batteries could handle this in complete silence.
Several hundred of these battery powered vans were evaluated in the Bell System's service fleet.
On Saturday, October 7, more than 1,700 of Rochester Regional Health’s friends and employees gathered at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center for the system’s signature celebration.
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MVV München Class A units date from the system's opening and were built between 1967 and 1983.
6343 is seen here at Marienplatz
Col. Melissa Hoffman, deputy chief of the Army Nurse Corps, Maj. Gen. Dorothy Hogg, deputy surgeon general of the Air Force and chief of the Air Force Nurse Corps, Capt. Deborah Roy, deputy director of the Navy Nurse Corps, and U.S. Army Spc. Jonah Roggensack salute after the placement of the wreath at the Military Health System's 2018 National Nurses Week wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Nurses Memorial, Section 21 on Monday, May 7, 2018. (Defense Health Agency Communications Division Photo)
The annual TECO Line Steetcar Open Day offered free rides and other attractions, also giving a chance to ride the system's toast-rack car, a Breezer in American parlance. The former Florida Brewing building in Ybor City provides the backdrop.
Howard County Library System's Evening in the Stacks held on February 22, 2014 at the Miller Branch. Bestselling author Chris Bohjalian.
Faculty and staff at the UW System’s third-largest institution got together to celebrate the launch of the new general education program.
Solar panels latest energy saving project in health system’s ongoing effort to promote an environmentally friendly and green workplace.
On Sunday 1 December 2024, BepiColombo will fly past planet Mercury for the fifth time, readying itself for entering orbit around the Solar System’s mysterious innermost planet in 2026.
The spacecraft will fly between Mercury and the Sun, getting to within 37 630 km from the small planet’s surface at 15:23 CET. This is much farther than its first four flybys of the planet, when BepiColombo flew as close as 165–240 km from the surface.
What makes this flyby special is that it will be the first time that BepiColombo’s MERTIS instrument is able to observe Mercury. This radiometer and thermal infrared spectrometer will measure how much the planet radiates in infrared light, something which depends on both the temperature and composition of the surface.
This will be the first time that any spacecraft measures what Mercury looks like in mid-infrared wavelengths of light (7–14 micrometres). The data that MERTIS will collect throughout the mission will reveal what types of minerals the planet’s surface is made of, one of the key Mercury mysteries that BepiColombo is designed to tackle.
BepiColombo’s other science instruments will monitor the environment outside Mercury's magnetic field. Among other things, they will measure the continuous (but changeable) stream of particles coming from the Sun known as the solar wind.
The other instruments switched on during this flyby are the magnetometers MPO-MAG and MMO-MGF, the MGNS gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, the SIXS X-ray and particle spectrometer, the MDM dust monitor and the PWI instrument which detects electric fields, plasma waves and radio waves.
BepiColombo, a joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will be the second and most complex mission ever to orbit Mercury. It comprises two science orbiters: ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter. While on their way to Mercury, the two orbiters are both attached to the Mercury Transfer Module.
[Image description: Infographic explaining BepiColombo’s fifth flyby of Mercury. In the centre of the graphic we see the spacecraft flying past the planet. On the left we see the inner Solar System in perspective, with the positions of Mercury, Venus and Earth indicated. On the right we see which of BepiColombo’s instruments will be activated during the flyby.]
Credits: ESA
Acknowledgements: Work performed by ATG under contract to ESA
On Saturday, October 7, more than 1,700 of Rochester Regional Health’s friends and employees gathered at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center for the system’s signature celebration.
Gloomy, cloudy skies above. Isolated rain showers popped up along the Santa Cruz mountains due to some instability in the atmosphere from a low pressure system (the same storm that dumped lots of rain on our area just the previous day). The winds were caused by the same system that brought drenching rains to our region Friday, just the day before. The low pressure system's center was swirling just off coast at this time. Pic taken from around San Jose, CA. (Saturday afternoon, March 1, 2014; 2:16 p.m.)
***Blustery and windy conditions was felt throughout the day this day...after a few days of wet and stormy weather for our region. Winds were coming in from the south southeast. A pair of storms had brought lots of beneficial rain to the parched state this week, a welcome news since we have just endured our driest year in recorded history. The 1st one hit Wednesday while the 2nd hit Friday. It was this 2nd system that was swirling just off the coast, giving us these southerly winds. Even after a wet February, the Bay Area would still need five to 10 more significant storms by the end of April for rain totals to hit seasonal averages...
Another photograph from my website: www.tanknutdave.com
My site is dedicated to tanks of all generations, The site not only has photographs of tanks, APC's & IFV's, but provides you with all their information including: development history, status, variants and specifications, with heaps of videos of tanks and other tracked military vehicles.
The site is also about the model tanks I have built and other military model vehicles. It includes some videos of the construction of these models, as well as photographs of the completed models and a small review of them.