Willow Flats Overlook is just south of Jackson Lake Lodge and offers a wonderful panoramic view of the northern Teton Range from the Cathedral Group up to Mount Moran.

 

In this 4-image panorama, the major named peaks from left to right are: Albright Peak, Static Peak, Buck Mountain, Shadow Peak, Nez Perce, Cloudveil Dome, Teewinot Mountain (original Shoshone name for the Grand Tetons), Grand Teton, Symmetry Spire, Mount St John, Rockchuck Peak, and Mount Moran.

 

Although comprised of some of the oldest rock on earth, the Teton Range is some of the youngest mountains, continuing to grow as the tectonic plates continue to grind together. Clearly, their grandeur was worthy of John D Rockefeller Jr's investment to protect the area from further development and underwrite the establishment of Grand Teton National Park.

 

When visiting in the late-Spring/Summer, get up early for sunrise at Moulton Barn, visit the other sights and hikes throughout the day, and find a way to experience sunset from a perspective close to this.

Lloyd's of London is a marketplace where brokers and underwriters come together to buy and sell insurance. It’s not an insurance company but a meeting place where brokers buy insurance on their clients’ behalf from underwriters. Much of the business is conducted in the world-famous Underwriting Room, which welcomes more than 5000 people, sees GBP 100m in premiums come into the market and GBP 82.1m paid out in claims every single day.

 

Lloyd’s is known for its innovation and willingness to insure unusual risks. The market has covered Arctic explorers, international aid organisations, satellite launches and taken on major global risks including cyber, terrorism and the consequences of climate change. And on a January morning in 1912, it insured the Titanic for GBP 1m.

True March Madness as the fourth Nor'easter to hit New York Metropolitan area in the last three weeks spoils the first day Spring 2018. This image was captured in the Essex County town of Montclair near Brookdale Park which is a park in three towns in Essex County, the aforementioned Montclair, Glen Ridge and Bloomfield. Montclair is a town with a population of just under 38K situated at the foot of the first Watchung Mountain. The name Watchung is from the Lenape language which means ‘high hills’ in that language as the Lenape Indians were the residents of this area before the Europeans came to this area. The start of this area as a settled community dates back to 1666 when Englishmen from Connecticut found the settlement of Newark which extended past the mountain. A group of Dutch settlers made a deal with the Lenape in 1679 to acquire land west of the Passaic River and north of Newark. In 1694 a gentlemen named Azariah Crane, his spouse Mary Treat Crane and their son Nathaniel constructed a home on the very western outskirts of Newark, which today is southern Montclair, followed by other to establish the Cranetown frontier settlement. Early in the 18th Century, Dutchman John Speer built a home that still stands in the Dutch territory today northern Montclair close to where this image was taken. He was also followed by other Dutchmen who settled in the area and the eventual establishment of Speertown. The Bloomfield ward of Newark which included both Cranetown and Speertown became the Bloomfield Township in 1812 which included what today is Montclair. All was relatively well until the big iron horses started running through west Bloomfield courtesy of the Newark and Bloomfield Railroad company inaugurated service on a regular route that stopped at west Bloomfield in 1856. Well the area became a commuter town with folks coming in from New York City, so much so the influential citizens persuaded the post office to refer to area as Montclair. It was many of those same influential folks who backed bringing a second railroad through the town as they were very unhappy with the service there were getting with their present line. Bloomfield nixed the bond issue to underwrite another railroad so that fired up the residents of west Bloomfield so that in 1868 they secured from the New Jersey State Legislature a charter for a separate township, the Township of Montclair. The second rail service the Greenwood Lake Line completed its line with five stations in Montclair.

Taken with Olympus E-5 using a an Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 SWD lens handheld, RAW image processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom.

 

Lloyd's of London

 

I was very happy about being offered access to this fascinating building by a very nice man, who was willing to show me proudly around his workplace and tell me all about it. :-)

 

Lloyd's of London is a marketplace where brokers and underwriters come together to buy and sell insurance. It’s not an insurance company but a meeting place where brokers buy insurance on their clients’ behalf from underwriters. Much of the business is conducted in the world-famous Underwriting Room, which welcomes more than 5000 people, sees GBP 100m in premiums come into the market and GBP 82.1m paid out in claims every single day.

 

Lloyd’s is known for its innovation and willingness to insure unusual risks. The market has covered Arctic explorers, international aid organisations, satellite launches and taken on major global risks including cyber, terrorism and the consequences of climate change. And on a January morning in 1912, it insured the Titanic for GBP 1m.

For most of us, this mostly is a slogan which we would underwrite when it comes to eating meat but few of us really do it. In Morocco, many more parts of meat can be found on the menu and raise appetite like for this man in the yellow jacket.

The Stata Center at MIT is a spectacular 'postmodern' building designed by the architect Frank Gehry. It houses the famous computer science department and linguistics. It replaced the building in which much of the science and technology that underwrites the 'digital era' was pioneered.

© all rights reserved by B℮n

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we went ice skating in Monnickendam.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of Dutch people and children on the Pierebaan in Monnickendam. A first time skating in 2017 is such a rare occurrence.

 

Terwijl schaatsbond KNSB voor de zekerheid nog een officiële waarschuwing afgaf om voorzichtig te zijn op meren, sloten en kanalen waagde een aantal mensen het erop en bond de schaatsen onder. Op 22 januari 2017 verzamelden meerdere mensen op de Pierebaan in Monnickendam zich ter hoogte van de halfpipe. Dat is de plek waar het ijs het sterkst was. Vaak wordt er aangehouden dat het ijs een centimeter of 10 dik moet zijn om veilig op te kunnen schaatsen, en het ijs op de Pierebaan is op het dikste gedeelte maar een centimeter of vijf dik, maar dat weerhield tientallen mensen er niet van om toch even het ijs op te gaan. Bij de Pierebaan was de meest gehoorde reactie: “het is dun, maar het kan wel…”. En dat leverde mooie plaatjes op. Mensen van alle leeftijden op schaatsen, kinderen die een buikschuiver willen maken, mensen die voorzichtig even willen voelen hoe het is om op het ijs te staan. De aantrekkingskracht van het ijs is enorm.

     

Better on B l a c k M a g i c

 

I saw this building from a few angles but didn't get any shots I really like that much, but decided to post these two as it is such a unique building.

 

Some info on it from Wikipedia

 

Llyods of London Building

 

It was designed by architect Richard Rogers and built between 1978 and 1986. Bovis was the management contractor for the scheme.[1] Like the Pompidou Centre (designed by Renzo Piano and Rogers), the building was innovative in having its services such as staircases, lifts, electrical power conduits and water pipes on the outside, leaving an uncluttered space inside. The twelve glass lifts were the first of their kind in the UK.

 

The building consists of three main towers and three service towers around a central, rectangular space. Its focal point is the large Underwriting Room on the ground floor, which houses the famous Lutine Bell. The Underwriting Room (often simply known as 'the Room') is overlooked by galleries, forming a 60 metres (197 ft) high atrium lit naturally through a huge barrel-vaulted glass roof. The first four galleries open onto the atrium space, and are connected by escalators through the middle of the structure. The higher floors are glassed-in, and can only be reached via the outside lifts.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd's_building

Unveiled in 2017, ‘Poised’ by artist Andy Scott, creator of the Kelpies sculpture in Falkirk, sits within Aberdeen’s Marsichal Square development. This leopard sculpture, poised to pounce, is constructed from steel, weighs more than two tonnes and stands 15 metres high, atop a plinth in the atrium in the heart of Marischal Square. The leopard is a symbol of Aberdeen, and two leopards appear on the city’s coat of arms. According to legend, the beasts were granted by James I as a gesture of thanks to the burgh for underwriting his expenses while he was held captive in England.

© all rights reserved by B℮n

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we went ice skating on the Ankeveense Plassen.

 

The Ankeveense Plassen is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of Dutch people on the lakes of Ankeveen. A first time skating in 2017 is such a rare occurrence.

 

Schaatsen op natuurijs is het leukste wat er is. Warm inpakken, muts op, handschoenen, schaatsen geslepen, slee mee en gaan. Helaas is het in Nederland niet zo vaak zo koud dat we echt kunnen schaatsen. Veel mensen grijpen vandaag nog even de kans om te schaatsen. Ondanks de waarschuwingen van schaatsbond KNSB om weg te blijven van meren, sloten en kanalen. Het ijs is op veel plekken niet dik genoeg. Daar lieten veel schaatsliefhebbers zich dus niet door weerhouden.. Op 26 januari 2017 verzamelden meerdere mensen op de Ankeveense plassen in de gemeente Wijdemeren. Dat is de plek waar het ijs het sterkst was. Vaak wordt er aangehouden dat het ijs een centimeter of 10 dik moet zijn om veilig op te kunnen schaatsen, en het ijs op de Ankeveense plassen is op het dikste gedeelte maar een centimeter of vijf dik, maar dat weerhield tientallen mensen er niet van om toch even het ijs op te gaan. In Ankeveen was de meest gehoorde reactie: “het is dun, maar het kan wel…”. En dat leverde mooie plaatjes op. Mensen van alle leeftijden op schaatsen, kinderen die een buikschuiver willen maken, mensen die voorzichtig even willen voelen hoe het is om op het ijs te staan. De aantrekkingskracht van het ijs is enorm. Opvallend veel Amsterdammers zoeken hun toevlucht in Ankeveen. ,,Hier kan het al, bij ons op de grachten nog lang niet”, grijnst een meneer. ,,Het is windstil, lekker zonnetje, het is ijs is goed. Wat wil je nog meer?” ,,Natuurlijk kan je door het ijs zakken, maar het leven is niet zonder risico's. Je kan ook onder een auto komen, of er kan een vliegtuig op je huis neerstorten.”

The Gateway Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a high-rise building complex with 1,500,000 square feet (140,000 m2) of office space in five buildings. The plans developed during World War II to redevelop the dense and "blighted" forks of the Ohio River into both Point State Park and a "Gateway" of offices. It was announced as fully financed on September 21, 1949 when the Equitable Insurance Co. of New York agreed to underwrite the project after securing lease agreements from Westinghouse, Mellon Financial and other major corporations. Although mainly a run down warehouse district the Center did require the demolition of the 1904 Beaux Arts 11 floor Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal. Gateway Center was purchased in 2004 by Hertz Investment Group, a Los Angeles, California, based real estate investment company, for US$55 million. Eggers & Higgins, architects on the Thomas Jefferson Memorial were the architects for the first three buildings, One, Two and Three Gateway Center. In May 2013, the National Park Service designated a historic district named the "Pittsburgh Renaissance Historic District" in downtown Pittsburgh, and the Gateway Center buildings were included in the district as some of its major contributing properties.

[Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway_Center_(Pittsburgh)]

 

Pittsburgh (/ˈpɪtsbɜːrɡ/ PITS-burg) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States, and is the county seat of Allegheny County. As of 2017, a total population of 305,704 lives within the city limits, making it the 63rd-largest city in the U.S. The metropolitan population of 2,353,045 is the largest in both the Ohio Valley and Appalachia, the second-largest in Pennsylvania (behind Philadelphia), and the 26th-largest in the U.S. Located at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers, Pittsburgh is known as both "the Steel City" for its more than 300 steel-related businesses, and as the "City of Bridges" for its 446 bridges. The city features 30 skyscrapers, two inclined railways, a pre-revolutionary fortification and the Point State Park at the confluence of the rivers. The city developed as a vital link of the Atlantic coast and Midwest, as the mineral-rich Allegheny Mountains made the area coveted by the French and British empires, Virginians, Whiskey Rebels, and Civil War raiders. Aside from steel, Pittsburgh has led in manufacturing of aluminum, glass, shipbuilding, petroleum, foods, sports, transportation, computing, autos, and electronics. For part of the 20th century, Pittsburgh was behind only New York and Chicago in corporate headquarters employment; it had the most U.S. stockholders per capita. America's 1980s deindustrialization laid off area blue-collar workers and thousands of downtown white-collar workers when the longtime Pittsburgh-based world headquarters moved out. This heritage left the area with renowned museums, medical centers, parks, research centers, libraries, a diverse cultural district and the most bars per capita in the U.S. Today, Google, Apple, Bosch, Facebook, Uber, Nokia, Autodesk, and IBM are among 1,600 technology firms generating $20.7 billion in annual Pittsburgh payrolls. The area has served as the long-time federal agency headquarters for cyber defense, software engineering, robotics, energy research and the nuclear navy. The area is home to 68 colleges and universities, including research and development leaders Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. The nation's fifth-largest bank, eight Fortune 500 companies, and six of the top 300 U.S. law firms make their global headquarters in the Pittsburgh area, while RAND, BNY Mellon, Nova, FedEx, Bayer and NIOSH have regional bases that helped Pittsburgh become the sixth-best area for U.S. job growth. In 2015, Pittsburgh was listed among the "eleven most livable cities in the world"; The Economist's Global Liveability Ranking placed Pittsburgh as the first- or second-most livable city in the United States in 2005, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014. The region is a hub for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, sustainable energy, and energy extraction.

[Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh]

© all rights reserved by B℮n

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we could ice skate in Monnickendam.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo of Samantha on the Pierebaan in Monnickendam. Our first time skating in 2017.

 

Terwijl schaatsbond KNSB voor de zekerheid nog een officiële waarschuwing afgaf om voorzichtig te zijn op meren, sloten en kanalen waagde een aantal mensen het erop en bond de schaatsen onder. Op 22 januari 2017 verzamelden meerdere mensen op de Pierebaan in Monnickendam zich ter hoogte van de halfpipe. Dat is de plek waar het ijs het sterkst was. Vaak wordt er aangehouden dat het ijs een centimeter of 10 dik moet zijn om veilig op te kunnen schaatsen, en het ijs op de Pierebaan is op het dikste gedeelte maar een centimeter of vijf dik, maar dat weerhield tientallen mensen er niet van om toch even het ijs op te gaan. Bij de Pierebaan was de meest gehoorde reactie: “het is dun, maar het kan wel…”. En dat leverde mooie plaatjes op. Mensen van alle leeftijden op schaatsen, kinderen die een buikschuiver willen maken, mensen die voorzichtig even willen voelen hoe het is om op het ijs te staan. De aantrekkingskracht van het ijs is enorm. Onze eerste op de schaats in 2017. De laatste keer op natuurijs was 4 jaar geleden. Foto van mijn dochter Samantha.

     

© all rights reserved by B℮n

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we went ice skating on the Ankeveense Plassen.

 

The Ankeveense Plassen is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of Dutch people on the lakes of Ankeveen. A first time skating in 2017 is such a rare occurrence.

 

Schaatsen op natuurijs is het leukste wat er is. Warm inpakken, muts op, handschoenen, schaatsen geslepen, slee mee en gaan. Helaas is het in Nederland niet zo vaak zo koud dat we echt kunnen schaatsen. Veel mensen grijpen vandaag nog even de kans om te schaatsen. Ondanks de waarschuwingen van schaatsbond KNSB om weg te blijven van meren, sloten en kanalen. Het ijs is op veel plekken niet dik genoeg. Daar lieten veel schaatsliefhebbers zich dus niet door weerhouden.. Op 26 januari 2017 verzamelden meerdere mensen op de Ankeveense plassen in de gemeente Wijdemeren. Dat is de plek waar het ijs het sterkst was. Vaak wordt er aangehouden dat het ijs een centimeter of 10 dik moet zijn om veilig op te kunnen schaatsen, en het ijs op de Ankeveense plassen is op het dikste gedeelte maar een centimeter of vijf dik, maar dat weerhield tientallen mensen er niet van om toch even het ijs op te gaan. In Ankeveen was de meest gehoorde reactie: “het is dun, maar het kan wel…”. En dat leverde mooie plaatjes op. Mensen van alle leeftijden op schaatsen, kinderen die een buikschuiver willen maken, mensen die voorzichtig even willen voelen hoe het is om op het ijs te staan. De aantrekkingskracht van het ijs is enorm. Opvallend veel Amsterdammers zoeken hun toevlucht in Ankeveen. ,,Hier kan het al, bij ons op de grachten nog lang niet”, grijnst een meneer. ,,Het is windstil, lekker zonnetje, het is ijs is goed. Wat wil je nog meer?” ,,Natuurlijk kan je door het ijs zakken, maar het leven is niet zonder risico's. Je kan ook onder een auto komen, of er kan een vliegtuig op je huis neerstorten.”

Outside look at Lloyd's of London, a decent phone snap I have somehow forgotten to share on Flickr - and was now reminded by an inside visit (see previous shot).

© all rights reserved by B℮n

 

Please take your time... to View it large on black

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today same as last year we could ice skating on the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken and from Marken back. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Besides ice skating Dutch also love Ice yachting. This is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats and is very popular in the Netherlands. Ice boats are racing at a speed of 100 km an hour over the ice of the Gouwsea.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of five Dutch speed skaters on the vast frozen Gouwsea. A historical moment since crossing the Gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. Today I skate from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Nes and back to Monnickendam a trip of 16km, such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy.

 

Op 26 januari 2013 een schaatstocht gemaakt met m'n dochter Samantha rond de Gouwzee van Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Monnickendam. Bij Volendam lag dit keer te veel sneeuw en onbegaanbaar. Eindelijk weer een dag waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al vier van de drie laatste winters gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2013. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde landschap. Het ijs is geweldig hier. Ik stop nog even voor het maken van foto. Vijf toerschaatser schaatsen hier richting Monnickendam met een flinke tegenwind.

     

One of the delights of Bologna is discovering the many 'hidden' courtyards and little secluded gardens. I chanced upon one of them on my visit to the utterly wonderful International Music Museum and Library. Friar Giambattista Martini (1706-1784), the founder of this great collection and one of the first theorists of counterpoint, was himself not a foremost composer, although he did write lots of music. His strength lies in his great knowledge of the history of music and his inspired collecting of everything pertaining to that great art. The museum contains a wonderful gallery of paintings of composers and musicians, of manuscripts, scores and printed musical books, and lots of instruments.

The palazzo now the home to that collection has a long and complicated history and its decorations are quite marvelous and fit well with music. The second courtyard - the main photo - is utterly handsome with its plantation of bananas against a great frescoed landscape - much in need of restoration - by Luigi Busatti (1763-1821). Note the cymbal striker in the background. That reminded me of Psalm 150, of course. And hence it seemed appropriate to include as an inset a photo of the frontispiece - in the museum - of Marin Mersenne's (1588-1648) Harmonie universelle, contentant la thèorie et la pratique de la musique (1636). Mersenne is often called the 'Father of Acoustics', and besides being a well-known mathematician he also wrote on the harmonics of vibrating strings. Think Guitars and Pianos and Violins and the likes. Mersenne, a Minim friar, knew the Bible well, and on that frontispiece referred to Psalm 70, 22, to underwrite his Universal Harmony. The secluded garden is surely and image of that ideal.

It is a fall night and I am riding Amtrak's great dome "Ocean View" as it closes in on its destination of Montreal. The car has been cleared for arrival, so its a last shot as I head back to my seat and prepare to disembark at Gare Centrale (Central Station). Amtrak used to run the car on its "Adirondack" between NYC and Montreal, although the dome was turned at Albany as it could not clear the tunnels into NY Penn Station.

 

It has since been sold to Paxrail, although there had been a rumor NY state was interested. They underwrite The Adirondack and noticed the train was always sold out during dome season. (It sells out summer weekends too, but that is another story...). This means that the country which invented the dome car no longer has any in regular -- or even periodic -- passenger service. Paxrail runs excursion trains -- trains as events, not transportation.

© all rights reserved by B℮n

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we we could ice skating on the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam - Nes - and back. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Besides ice skating Dutch also love Ice yachting. This is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats and is very popular in the Netherlands. Ice boats are racing at a speed of 100 km an hour over the ice of the Gouwsea but today day there was no wind.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of a Dutch skaters on the vast frozen Gouwsea. A historical moment since crossing the Gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. Today I skate in Monnickendam, such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy.

 

Op 22 januari 2017 een eerste schaatstocht gemaakt in Monnickendam. Het ijs is prachtig op de Gouwzee. Bij Volendam ligt het nog open. Eindelijk weer een dag waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee is voor een groot gedeelte dichtbevroren. Het is vier winters geleden dat dit voor het laatst gebeurde. Het blijft een bijzonder tafereel. De eerste schaatsers gaan het ijs op en schaatsen van Monnickendam naar de Nes. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken is nog niet overal betrouwbaar. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2017. Het was genieten. De Gouwzee ligt er prachtig bij en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de eindeloze ijsmassa. Het ijs is geweldig hier. Ik stop nog even voor het maken van foto. Het levert een prachtig plaatje op. Zwanen en de grijsbruine gans met forse oranje snavel en roze poten zijn hier heel veel te zien in Waterland.

     

Visting Dordrecht I saw on the banks of the Spui delightful small Shepherd's Purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris. Here and there - as ought to be in Spring - couples of Thick-thighed Singing Hoverflies, Syritta pipiens, being fruitful, one hopes.

In contemplation of this wonder of Nature, I immediately, of course, given this town, linked to another fruitful, major event here. In the Grote Kerk - see inset - in 1618 a Church Synod of international protestantism was convened. The theological issues caused great division in The Netherlands, but that's not my topic. Far more importantly, that Synod also commissoned a standard translation of the Bible into Dutch, the so-called Statenvertaling, comparable to the King James Version in English (1611). It wasn't until 1626 that the States-General agreed to the Synod's request and though the translation (from Hebrew and Greek) was ready in 1635 it took the government until 1637 to agree to (and to underwrite) its printing. Once printed that Statenvertaling not only served to standardise the Dutch language - almost everyone at some point used it or at least understood its phrasing - but much of its language provided catch-phrases still used today (often without the speaker realising it). Thus it became highly fruitful for Dutch literature, poetry, prose and any other kind alike.

And the name of our plant, Shepherd's Purse, brings to mind as well how the language of that Statenvertaling, stimulated and expounded by the protestant Shepherds of the Word, became known as the "Tale Kanaäns", the language of faith, often recognisable even if the speakers don't know it themselves.

But our Hoverflies merely sing without words! and are fruitfully multiplying.

Excerpt from Wikipedia:

 

Meridian Hall is a major performing arts venue in Toronto, Ontario, and it is the country's largest soft-seat theatre.[1] The facility was constructed for the City of Toronto municipal government and is currently managed by TO Live, an arms-length agency and registered charity created by the city. Located at 1 Front Street East, the venue opened as the O'Keefe Centre on October 1, 1960. From 1996 to 2007, the building was known as the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts. From 2007 to 2019, it was known as the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. On September 15, 2019, it was re-branded as Meridian Hall.

 

In 2008, the City of Toronto designated the theatre a heritage building. That year, it also underwent renovations to restore its iconic features such as the marquee canopy and York Wilson's lobby mural, The Seven Lively Arts. Restoration of the wood, brass and marble that were hallmarks of the original facility was undertaken, along with audience seating, flooring upgrades, new washrooms and reconfigured lobby spaces. Following two years of renovations and restoration work, the building reopened its doors on October 1, 2010, fifty years to the date of the first opening night performance.

 

The Centre was built on land formerly occupied by a series of commercial buildings, including the Canadian Consolidated Rubber Company, and previously it was the site of the Great Western Railway Terminal (later the Toronto Wholesale Fruit Market).

 

The idea for a performing arts centre that could serve the needs of an increasingly dynamic city predates the building's opening by almost 20 years. In the mid-1940s, Nathan Phillips issued a challenge to Toronto industrialists to underwrite the cost of a multipurpose centre for theatre, music and dance. Response to Phillips' challenge was not immediate. E.P. Taylor, the racehorse-loving head of Canadian Breweries, which owned O'Keefe Brewing, offered in early 1955 to build a performing arts centre that would not only serve the needs of local institutions but increase the diversity of entertainment options available in Toronto. Toronto City Council immediately accepted the proposal in principle, but not until 1958 was the project finally approved to be built. Among others, United Church spokesmen opposed the idea that money from the sale of beer would be used for community development. Taylor assigned one of his key executives, Hugh Walker, to oversee building what was to be known, during its first 36 years, as the O'Keefe Centre.

 

The O'Keefe Centre opened on October 1, 1960, with a red-carpet gala. The first production was Alexander H. Cohen's production of the pre-Broadway premiere of Lerner and Loewe's Camelot, starring Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet.

 

Like The National Ballet, The Canadian Opera Company made the Centre its home stage, from as early as 1961 to 2006.

 

In early February 1996, the facility was renamed the Hummingbird Centre in recognition of a major gift from a Canadian software company, Hummingbird Communications Ltd. The $5-million donation allowed the Centre to undertake a number of capital improvements and repairs, including the installation of an elevator and an acoustic reinforcement system for the auditorium. When the Ballet and Opera moved to the Four Seasons Centre in 2006, it left a hole in the theatre's schedule. At this point, programming shifted to a multicultural schedule by include more content appealing to Toronto's many ethnic diasporas.

 

On 21 January 2019, the City of Toronto announced a C$30.75 million 15-year partnership with Meridian Credit Union, re-branding the Sony Centre into Meridian Hall, and the Toronto Centre for the Arts into the Meridian Arts Centre. The arts venues formally adopted their new names on September 15, 2019.

 

Designed by Peter Dickinson, the performing arts venue is a distinctive building and an example of a mid-twentieth century modern performing arts venue. It is four storeys high and is broken up into three main forms: the entrance block, auditorium and fly tower. The central form of the building is highly symmetrical with an open floor plan. Structurally, the performing arts venue is not over complicated and uses steel trusses and concrete to hold the majority of the building together. In addition to the structure, the performing arts venue's auditorium houses a very sophisticated acoustic system, which gives the audience the sense that the sound is surrounding them.

 

When it comes to materiality, the majority of the original materials are still in the building today. Materials used include: Alabama limestone, glazing, granite, copper, bronze, Carrara marble, carpet, cherry plywood panels and Brazilian rosewood. The performing arts venue is very diverse in its range of materials and employs them in such a way that they are not overshadowed by the unique forms of the building.

 

The interior also features a grand double-height foyer with coffered ceilings, a 30 metres (98 ft) wide mural by the famous Toronto-born artist York Wilson, cantilevered stairs, polished bronze auditorium doors, and a fan-shaped auditorium with a curving balcony.

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The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today same as last year we could ice skating on the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken and from Marken back. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Besides ice skating Dutch also love Ice yachting. This is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats and is very popular in the Netherlands. Ice boats are racing at a speed of 100 km an hour over the ice of the Gouwsea.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of two speedskaters and an Infinite line of Dutch skaters on the vast frozen Gouwsea. A historical moment since crossing the Gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. Today I skate from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Nes and back to Monnickendam a trip of 16km, such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy.

 

Op 25 januari 2013 een schaatstocht gemaakt rond de Gouwzee van Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Monnickendam. Bij Volendam lag dit keer te veel sneeuw en onbegaanbaar. Eindelijk weer een dag waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al vier van de drie laatste winters gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2013. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde landschap. Het ijs is geweldig hier. Ik stop nog even voor het maken van foto. Deze two schaatsers schaatsen hier vanaf de dijk richting Marken met stevige tegenwind. Met minimale inspanning kan je hier wel 50km/uur schaatsen. Het levert een prachtig plaatje op.

    

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The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we we could ice skating on the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam - Nes - and back. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Besides ice skating Dutch also love Ice yachting. This is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats and is very popular in the Netherlands. Ice boats are racing at a speed of 100 km an hour over the ice of the Gouwsea but today day there was no wind.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of Mute Swans on the edge of the Gouwzee. Dutch skaters on the vast frozen Gouwsea. A historical moment since crossing the Gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. Today I skate in Monnickendam, such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy.

 

Op 22 januari 2017 een eerste schaatstocht gemaakt in Monnickendam. Het ijs is prachtig op de Gouwzee. Bij Volendam ligt het nog open. Eindelijk weer een dag waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee is voor een groot gedeelte dichtbevroren. Het is vier winters geleden dat dit voor het laatst gebeurde. Het blijft een bijzonder tafereel. De eerste schaatsers gaan het ijs op en schaatsen van Monnickendam naar de Nes. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken is nog niet overal betrouwbaar. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2017. Het was genieten. De Gouwzee ligt er prachtig bij en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de eindeloze ijsmassa. Het ijs is geweldig hier. Ik stop nog even voor het maken van foto. Het levert een prachtig plaatje op. Een knobbelzwanen paartje aan de rand van de Gouwzee. Als deze grote vogels overvliegen, klinkt een luid fluitend geluid van de vleugels. Niet-broedende zwanen zijn veelal op weilanden te zien, waar ze zich tegoed doen aan gras. Beide partners van een broedpaar zijn elkaar meestal een leven lang trouw. Sterft één van beide vogels, dan zoekt de ander soms pas na enkele jaren een nieuwe partner.

    

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The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we we could ice skating on the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam - Nes - and back. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Besides ice skating Dutch also love Ice yachting. This is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats and is very popular in the Netherlands. Ice boats are racing at a speed of 100 km an hour over the ice of the Gouwsea but today day there was no wind.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of a Dutch skaters on the vast frozen Gouwsea. A historical moment since crossing the Gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. Today I skate in Monnickendam, such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy.

 

Op 22 januari 2017 een eerste schaatstocht gemaakt in Monnickendam. Het ijs is prachtig op de Gouwzee. Bij Volendam ligt het nog open. Eindelijk weer een dag waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee is voor een groot gedeelte dichtbevroren. Het is vier winters geleden dat dit voor het laatst gebeurde. Het blijft een bijzonder tafereel. De eerste schaatsers gaan het ijs op en schaatsen van Monnickendam naar de Nes. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken is nog niet overal betrouwbaar. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2017. Het was genieten. De Gouwzee ligt er prachtig bij en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de eindeloze ijsmassa. Het ijs is geweldig hier. Ik stop nog even voor het maken van foto. Het levert een prachtig plaatje op. Zwanen en de grijsbruine gans met forse oranje snavel en roze poten zijn hier heel veel te zien in Waterland.

  

I checked on my sales thread at tib today - and it was locked! Welcome in the new era: tib launched it's new "buy.sell.contribute" site to take over from the old sales forums.

 

Part of me wants to stamp my feet and toss my hair: the old sales forums were free. But the tib community has grown so amazingly, it must cost Gina et al a bomb to run. So more power to them, and if it helps underwrite the tib forum, I'm for it. ^^

 

It's at www.tib-x.com. Looks like there's a bit of teething, but I like it already. Check it out. :D

The amazing building is now amazingly empty, not its usual beehive self. Small signs of life here and there, but even the iconic underwriting floor is locked down again, after a brief masked and sanitized reopening :( At least this time they will open it once a week but its far from the market it used to be...

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The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today same as last year we could ice skating on the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken and from Marken back. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Besides ice skating Dutch also love Ice yachting. This is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats and is very popular in the Netherlands. Ice boats are racing at a speed of 100 km an hour over the ice of the Gouwsea.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of speedskaters and an Infinite line of Dutch skaters on the vast frozen Gouwsea. A historical moment since crossing the Gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. Today I skate from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Nes and back to Monnickendam a trip of 16km, such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy.

 

Op 25 januari 2013 een schaatstocht gemaakt rond de Gouwzee van Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Monnickendam. Bij Volendam lag dit keer te veel sneeuw en onbegaanbaar. Eindelijk weer een dag waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al vier van de drie laatste winters gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2013. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde landschap. Het ijs is geweldig hier. Ik stop nog even voor het maken van foto. Vele schaatsers genieten hier van het mooie ijs. Met minimale inspanning kan je hier wel 50km/uur schaatsen. Het levert een prachtig plaatje op.

    

One of three bronze guys lovingly named by City brokers Dollar, Yen and Sterling.

 

(The building is the (in)famous Minster Court, immortalised in the '101 Dalmatians' movie as the HQ of Cruella de Vil

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The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we went ice skating on the Ankeveense Plassen.

 

The Ankeveense Plassen is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of Dutch people on the lakes of Ankeveen. A first time skating in 2017 is such a rare occurrence. Two speedskaters, father and daughter enjoying the good ice. Father carring a rope just in case of falling through the ice. Safety first.

 

Schaatsen op natuurijs is het leukste wat er is. Warm inpakken, muts op, handschoenen, schaatsen geslepen, slee mee en gaan. Helaas is het in Nederland niet zo vaak zo koud dat we echt kunnen schaatsen. Veel mensen grijpen vandaag nog even de kans om te schaatsen. Ondanks de waarschuwingen van schaatsbond KNSB om weg te blijven van meren, sloten en kanalen. Het ijs is op veel plekken niet dik genoeg. Daar lieten veel schaatsliefhebbers zich dus niet door weerhouden.. Op 26 januari 2017 verzamelden meerdere mensen op de Ankeveense plassen in de gemeente Wijdemeren. Dat is de plek waar het ijs het sterkst was. Vaak wordt er aangehouden dat het ijs een centimeter of 10 dik moet zijn om veilig op te kunnen schaatsen, en het ijs op de Ankeveense plassen is op het dikste gedeelte maar een centimeter of vijf dik, maar dat weerhield tientallen mensen er niet van om toch even het ijs op te gaan. In Ankeveen was de meest gehoorde reactie: “het is dun, maar het kan wel…”. En dat leverde mooie plaatjes op. Mensen van alle leeftijden op schaatsen, kinderen die een buikschuiver willen maken, mensen die voorzichtig even willen voelen hoe het is om op het ijs te staan. De aantrekkingskracht van het ijs is enorm. Opvallend veel Amsterdammers zoeken hun toevlucht in Ankeveen. ,,Hier kan het al, bij ons op de grachten nog lang niet”, grijnst een meneer. ,,Het is windstil, lekker zonnetje, het is ijs is goed. Wat wil je nog meer?” ,,Natuurlijk kan je door het ijs zakken, maar het leven is niet zonder risico's. Je kan ook onder een auto komen, of er kan een vliegtuig op je huis neerstorten.”

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Each winter I wait for the first glazing of ice across the canals and lakes. As the temperature drops my hopes rise. By the time the ice is a few centimetres thick, I keep my skates in the back of my car. Today I could use my skates. The Oostvaardersplassen is a nature reserve in the Netherlands, covering almost 6,000 hectares. In a moderate cold winter and not too much of snow these open areas will freeze. Nature is then at it's finest, I myself like the winterseason best especially when skating around. Sunrise, sunset or nature full in ripe, they all are breathtaking as observed from the ice! Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. Slashed by rivers and canals, pocked with polders, meers and lakes and meshed in a web of interconnecting drainage ditches, the Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Thousands of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape, unsuspected and inaccessable, except when frozen.

 

Photo of a lonely skating on the Infinite sea of ice at the Oostvaardersplassen. This lake in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. The Oostvaardersplassen is the latest and the largest of the wetland reserves in the Netherlands. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. unfortunately this weekend it stopped freezing. Many are hoping for frigid conditions again.

 

Eindelijk weer een week waarin Flevolanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. Wat is mooier dan schaatsen op natuurijs? Op de Oostvaardersplassen tussen Almere en Lelystad heb je een enorme vlakte voor je. Het natuurgebied is bijna 6.000 hectare groot. Eindeloos kun je er genieten van het ijs, de rust, de uitgestrektheid van dit grote natuurgebied van Europa. Het is heel bijzonder om in zo'n natuurlijke omgeving te schaatsen. Als men zich rustig gedraagt en het ijs van de plassen niet verlaat, is het toegestaan om hier te schaatsen. De boswachters houden goed in de gaten of de dieren in het gebied niet door de ijspret worden verstoord. Normaal nooit toegankelijk als er geen ijs ligt krijg je nu een uniek kijkje op een gaaf natuurgebied. Een moerasgebied, met uitgestrekte bevroren plassen, woeste graslanden en een ongekende vogelrijkdom, waar de natuur onbelemmerd haar gang mag gaan. Schaatsers kunnen over bevroren plassen en sloten op plekken komen, die normaal gesproken onbereikbaar zijn voor mensen. Zo hebben schaatsenrijders op 21 december 2010 moerasandijvie ontdekt, een plant die internationaal als zeer zeldzaam te boek staat.

    

The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, housing some 3.5 million books in its "vast and cavernous"  stacks, is the center-piece of the Harvard College Libraries (the libraries of Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences) and, more broadly, of the entire Harvard Library system. It honors 1907 Harvard College graduate and book collector Harry Elkins Widener, and was built by his mother Eleanor Elkins Widener after his death in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.

The library's holdings, which include works in more than one hundred languages, comprise "one of the world's most comprehen-sive research collec-tions in the humanities and social sciences."  Its 57 miles of shelves, along five miles of aisles on ten levels, comprise a "labyrinth" which one student "could not enter without feeling that she ought to carry a compass, a sandwich, and a whistle." 

At the building's heart are the Widener Memorial Rooms, displaying papers and mementos recalling the life and death of Harry Widener, as well as the Harry Elkins Widener Collec-tion, "the precious group of rare and wonder-fully interesting books brought together by Mr. Widener", to which was later added one of the few perfect Gutenberg Bibles‍—‌the object of a 1969 burglary attempt conjectured by Harvard's police chief to have been inspired by the heist film Topkapi.

Campus legends holding that Harry Widener's fate led to the institu-tion of an undergrad-uate swimming-proficiency requirement, and that an additional donation from his mother subsidizes ice cream at Harvard meals, are without foundation.

Legend holds that to spare future Harvard men her son's fate, Eleanor Widener insisted, as a condition of her gift, that learning to swim be made a requirement for graduation. (This requirement, the Harvard Crimson once elaborated erroneously, was "dropped in the late 1970s because it was deemed discriminatory against physically disabled students".) "Among the many myths relating to Harry Elkins Widener, this is the most prevalent", says Harvard's "Ask a Librarian" service. Though Harvard has had swimming requirements at various times (e.g. for rowers on the Charles River, or as a now-defunct test for entering freshmen) Bentinck-Smith writes that "There is absolutely no evidence in the President's papers, or the faculty's, to indicate that [Eleanor Widener] was, as a result of the Titanic disaster, in any way responsi-ble for [any] compulsory swimming test." 

Another story, holding that Eleanor Widener donated a further sum to underwrite perpetual availability of ice cream (purportedly Harry Widener's favorite dessert) in Harvard dining halls, is also without foundation. A Widener curator's compilation of "fanciful oral history" recited by student tour guides includes "Flowers mysteriously appear every morning outside the Widener Room" and "Harry used to have carnations dyed crimson to remind him of Harvard, and so his mother kept up the tradition" in the flowers displayed in the Memorial Rooms.

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The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today same as last year we could ice skating on the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken and from Marken back. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Besides ice skating Dutch also love Ice yachting. This is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats and is very popular in the Netherlands. Ice boats are racing at a speed of 100 km an hour over the ice of the Gouwsea.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of a lonely Dutch skater on the vast frozen Gouwsea. A historical moment since crossing the Gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. Today I skate from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Nes and back to Monnickendam a trip of 16km, such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy. Look at the many geese flying in the background. At this time of year they are easy to find in Waterland.

 

Op 25 januari 2013 een schaatstocht gemaakt rond de Gouwzee van Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Monnickendam. Bij Volendam lag dit keer te veel sneeuw en onbegaanbaar. Eindelijk weer een dag waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al vier van de drie laatste winters gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2013. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde landschap. Het ijs is geweldig hier. Ik stop nog even voor het maken van foto. De eenzame schaatser schaatst hier richting Marken met een heerlijke rugwind. Met minimale inspanning kan je hier wel 50km/uur schaatsen. Het levert een prachtig plaatje op. De Grauwe gans, grijsbruine gans met forse oranje snavel en roze poten is hier heel veel te zien in Waterland. Duizenden ganzen vliegen altijd in V-formatie waardoor de krachtsinspanningen over de groep worden verdeeld.

     

This is one cool building! When you come across it wedged in amongst all the other blocks in London's financial district it's immediately recognisable with all the externally mounted, staircases, lifts, and services.

 

Sitting at No 1 Lime Street it was completed 28 years ago at a cost of 75 million quid. it still looks the business. Sometimes known as the Inside-Out Building it's the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London.

 

The building is a leading example of radical Bowellism architecture in which the services are located on the exterior to maximise space in the interior. Twenty-five years after completion in 1986 it received a Grade I listing; it was the youngest structure ever to obtain this status. It is said by English Heritage to be "universally recognised as one of the key buildings of the modern epoch.

 

It was designed by architect Richard Rogers and built between 1978 and 1986. The building consists of three main towers and three service towers around a central, rectangular space. Its core is the large Underwriting Room on the ground floor, which houses the famous Lutine Bell within the Rostrum. The Underwriting Room (often simply called "the Room") is overlooked by galleries, forming a 60 metres (197 ft) high atrium lit naturally through a huge barrel-vaulted glass roof. The first four galleries open onto the atrium space, and are connected by escalators through the middle of the structure. The higher floors are glassed in and can only be reached via the exterior lifts.

 

6 exp tripod mounted hdr +3 to -2 long exposure hdr. Post processing in acr, photomatix, photoshop, topaz de-noise and topaz clarity. Fuji X-E2 with 14mm f2.8, f11, ISO 800, av exposure 7.5 secs.

 

© all rights reserved

 

Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

 

Each winter I wait for the first glazing of ice across the canals and lakes. As the temperature drops my hopes rise. By the time the ice is a few centimetres thick, I keep my skates in the back of my car. Today I could use my skates. My daughter Samantha joined me too this time. I bought new Viking skates for her. This time we enjoyed the natural ice at the Oostvaardersplassen. The Oostvaardersplassen is a nature reserve in the Netherlands, covering almost 6,000 hectares. In a moderate cold winter and not too much of snow these open areas will freeze. Nature is then at it's finest, I myself like the winterseason best especially when skating around. Sunrise, sunset or nature full in ripe, they all are breathtaking as observed from the ice! Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. Slashed by rivers and canals, pocked with polders, meers and lakes and meshed in a web of interconnecting drainage ditches, the Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Thousands of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape, unsuspected and inaccessable, except when frozen. But at the first scabbing of ice across the canals, the Dutch, normally so earnest and responsible, abandon jobs and universities, uttering the traditional schoolchildren's demand of We willen ijs vrij - we want ice time. In the Netherlands everybody skates. Speed teams, in tight lines, nose to nape of neck, legs pumping in a powerful unison, set the ice whining and vibrating like the rails under an approaching train. Children on double-bladed, tin skates push chairs ahead of themselves for balance. Unlikely looking people in town clothes shiver past. And veteran couples in sensible woollen jackets, arms entwined, sway along like ballroom dancers. The most famous of the winter in the Netherlands is the Friesan Elfstendtocht - the eleven towns race - run only in the coldest years when the ice is thick enough to support anything up to 17,000 competitors racing the 200 km's course.

 

Photo of my daughter Samantha skating on the Infinite sea of ice at the Oostvaardersplassen. This lake in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. We could skate around the lake - about 15km. The Oostvaardersplassen is the latest and the largest of the wetland reserves in the Netherlands. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. unfortunately this weekend it stopped freezing. Many are hoping for frigid conditions again.

 

Eindelijk weer een week waarin Flevolanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. Wat is mooier dan schaatsen op natuurijs? Op de Oostvaardersplassen tussen Almere en Lelystad heb je een enorme vlakte voor je. Het natuurgebied is bijna 6.000 hectare groot. Eindeloos kun je er genieten van het ijs, de rust, de uitgestrektheid van dit grote natuurgebied van Europa. Het is heel bijzonder om in zo'n natuurlijke omgeving te schaatsen. Als men zich rustig gedraagt en het ijs van de plassen niet verlaat, is het toegestaan om hier te schaatsen. De boswachters houden goed in de gaten of de dieren in het gebied niet door de ijspret worden verstoord. Normaal nooit toegankelijk als er geen ijs ligt krijg je nu een uniek kijkje op een gaaf natuurgebied. Een moerasgebied, met uitgestrekte bevroren plassen, woeste graslanden en een ongekende vogelrijkdom, waar de natuur onbelemmerd haar gang mag gaan. Schaatsers kunnen over bevroren plassen en sloten op plekken komen, die normaal gesproken onbereikbaar zijn voor mensen. Zo hebben schaatsenrijders op de vorige week op 21 december 2010 moerasandijvie ontdekt, een plant die internationaal als zeer zeldzaam te boek staat. Ik heb samen met m'n dochter heerlijk geschaatst op de grote plas. Een prachtige rondje van zo'n 15km met superglad ijs. Ik snapte niet waarom het zo stil was. We hadden hier het rijk alleen op deze grote ijsoppervlakte. Samantha schaatste lekker hard en gleed prima over het mooie zwarte ijs. De zon wilde helaas niet doorkomen maar dat mocht de pret niet drukken. We zijn blij dat we waren geweest waren, het was fantastisch. De volgende dag zou het gaan dooien.

    

Sitting at No 1 Lime Street is the hugely impressive Lloyd's building. Even though it was completed 28 years ago at a cost of 75 million quid it still looks the business with its externally mounted, staircases, lifts, and services. Sometimes known as the Inside-Out Building it's the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London.

 

The building is a leading example of radical Bowellism architecture in which the services are located on the exterior to maximise space in the interior. Twenty-five years after completion in 1986 it received a Grade I listing; it was the youngest structure ever to obtain this status. It is said by English Heritage to be "universally recognised as one of the key buildings of the modern epoch.

 

It was designed by architect Richard Rogers and built between 1978 and 1986. The building consists of three main towers and three service towers around a central, rectangular space. Its core is the large Underwriting Room on the ground floor, which houses the famous Lutine Bell within the Rostrum. The Underwriting Room (often simply called "the Room") is overlooked by galleries, forming a 60 metres (197 ft) high atrium lit naturally through a huge barrel-vaulted glass roof. The first four galleries open onto the atrium space, and are connected by escalators through the middle of the structure. The higher floors are glassed in and can only be reached via the exterior lifts.

 

I took this shot at dusk, just as the light was draining from the sky and the building/street lights were coming on.

 

7 exposure, tripod mounted hdr +3 to -3. Post via adobe camera raw, photomatix, and photoshop with various topaz plugins. Nikon D700 with 16-35 f4 @ 16mm, f8, av exposure 1/3 sec , ISO 400.

© all rights reserved by B℮n

 

Please take your time... to View it large on black

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today same as last year we could ice skating on the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken and from Marken back. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Besides ice skating Dutch also love Ice yachting. This is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats and is very popular in the Netherlands. Ice boats are racing at a speed of 100 km an hour over the ice of the Gouwsea.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of an Infinite line of Dutch skaters on the vast frozen Gouwsea. A historical moment since crossing the Gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. Today I skate from Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Nes and back to Monnickendam a trip of 16km, such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy.

 

Op 25 januari 2013 een schaatstocht gemaakt rond de Gouwzee van Monnickendam - Nes - Marken - Monnickendam. Bij Volendam lag dit keer te veel sneeuw en onbegaanbaar. Eindelijk weer een dag waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al vier van de drie laatste winters gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2013. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde landschap. Ik moet nog 3km door schaatsen tot de Nes. Ik stop nog even voor het maken van foto. Het is min vijf graden en 10 voor vijf , de zon gaat bijna onder en zie deze prachtige lijn met schaatsers die terug naar Monnickendam schaatsen. Het levert een prachtig plaatje op. Daarna door schaatsen voordat het te donker wordt.

     

© all rights reserved by B℮n

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we went ice skating on the Ankeveense Plassen.

 

The Ankeveense Plassen is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of Dutch people on the lakes of Ankeveen. A first time skating in 2017 is such a rare occurrence.

 

Schaatsen op natuurijs is het leukste wat er is. Warm inpakken, muts op, handschoenen, schaatsen geslepen, slee mee en gaan. Helaas is het in Nederland niet zo vaak zo koud dat we echt kunnen schaatsen. Veel mensen grijpen vandaag nog even de kans om te schaatsen. Ondanks de waarschuwingen van schaatsbond KNSB om weg te blijven van meren, sloten en kanalen. Het ijs is op veel plekken niet dik genoeg. Daar lieten veel schaatsliefhebbers zich dus niet door weerhouden.. Op 26 januari 2017 verzamelden meerdere mensen op de Ankeveense plassen in de gemeente Wijdemeren. Dat is de plek waar het ijs het sterkst was. Vaak wordt er aangehouden dat het ijs een centimeter of 10 dik moet zijn om veilig op te kunnen schaatsen, en het ijs op de Ankeveense plassen is op het dikste gedeelte maar een centimeter of vijf dik, maar dat weerhield tientallen mensen er niet van om toch even het ijs op te gaan. In Ankeveen was de meest gehoorde reactie: “het is dun, maar het kan wel…”. En dat leverde mooie plaatjes op. Mensen van alle leeftijden op schaatsen, kinderen die een buikschuiver willen maken, mensen die voorzichtig even willen voelen hoe het is om op het ijs te staan. De aantrekkingskracht van het ijs is enorm. Opvallend veel Amsterdammers zoeken hun toevlucht in Ankeveen. ,,Hier kan het al, bij ons op de grachten nog lang niet”, grijnst een meneer. ,,Het is windstil, lekker zonnetje, het is ijs is goed. Wat wil je nog meer?” ,,Natuurlijk kan je door het ijs zakken, maar het leven is niet zonder risico's. Je kan ook onder een auto komen, of er kan een vliegtuig op je huis neerstorten.”

- was the name of a ship that sank in the 18th century, loaded with gold and insured at Lloyds. The gold was never recovered but they found this bell and now it has a symbolic / ritual role at the centre of the main trading hall of the iconic London firm.

New Yorkers Protest the US$850 BILLION (US$3 TRILLION) Wall Street BAILOUT: Wall Street, NYC - September 25, 2008

 

Phototgrapher: a. golden, eyewash design - c. 2008.

 

I swear, Jeremy probably thinks I'm stalking him. As a matter of fact, it feels like every time I'm photographing, or attending a lecture, there pops up Jeremy Scahill. Admittedly, I do have a bit of a crush. OK, a BIG CRUSH. What's NOT to love? Intelligent, good-looking, well-spoken, hard-working, a HUSTLER, an injustice investigator, a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow at The Nation Institute, an accomplished writer. Perhaps I am stalking him, because every New York female knows a good man HERE is HARD to find. We simply take the hard portion of the latter when we can and consider ourselves fortunate. Hahaha! If anyone happens to be zero degrees of separation from Mr. Scahill, please let him know he has an blushing admirer!

 

For more information on Scahill:

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Scahill

blackwaterbook.com/

www.thenation.com/directory/bios/jeremy_scahill

 

Friends,

 

The richest 400 Americans -- that's right, just four-hundred people -- own MORE than the bottom 150 million Americans COMBINED! 400 of the wealthiest Americans have got more stashed away than half the entire country! Their combined net worth is $1.6 trillion. During the eight years of the Bush Administration, their wealth has increased by nearly $700 billion -- the same amount that they were demanding We give to them for the "bailout." Why don't they just spend the money they made under Bush to bail themselves out? They'd still have nearly a trillion dollars left over to spread amongst themselves!

 

Of course, they are not going to do that -- at least not voluntarily. George W. Bush was handed a $127 billion surplus when Bill Clinton left office. Because that money was OUR money and not HIS, he did what the rich prefer to do -- spend it and never look back. Now we have a $9.5 trillion debt that will take seven generations from which to recover. Why -- on --earth – did -- our -- "representatives" -- give -- these -- robber -- barons -- $US850 BILLION -- of – OUR -- money?

 

Last week, proposed my own bailout plan. My suggestions, listed below, were predicated on the singular and simple belief that the rich must pull themselves up by their own platinum bootstraps. Sorry, fellows, but you drilled it into our heads one too many times: THERE...IS...NO…FREE... LUNCH ~ PERIOD! And thank you for encouraging us to hate people on welfare! So, there should have been NO HANDOUTS FROM US TO YOU! Last Friday, after voting AGAINST this BAILOUT, in an unprecedented turn of events, the House FLIP-FLOPPED their "No" Vote & said "Yes", in a rush version of a "bailout" bill vote. IN SPITE OF THE PEOPLE'S OVERWHELMING DISAPPROVAL OF THIS BAILOUT BILL... IN SPITE OF MILLIONS OF CALLS FROM THE PEOPLE CRASHING WASHINGTON "representatives'" PHONE LINES...IN SPITE OF CRASHING OUR POLITICIAN'S WEBSITES...IN SPITE OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE PROTESTING AROUND THE COUNTRY... THEY VOTED FOR THIS BAILOUT! The People first succeeded on Monday with the House, but failed do it with the Senate and then THE HOUSE TURNED ON US TOO!

 

It is clear, though, we cannot simply continue protesting without proposing exactly what it is we think THESE IDIOTS should/'ve do/one. So, after consulting with a number of people smarter than Phil Gramm, here’s the proposal, now known as "Mike's Rescue Plan." (From Michael Moore's Bailout Plan) It has 10 simple, straightforward points. They are that you DIDN'T, BUT SHOULD'VE:

 

1. APPOINTED A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR TO CRIMINALLY INDICT ANYONE ON WALL STREET WHO KNOWINGLY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS COLLAPSE. Before any new money was expended, Congress should have committed, by resolution, to CRIMINALLY PROSECUTE ANYONE who had ANYTHING to do with the attempted SACKING OF OUR ECONOMY. This means that anyone who committed insider trading, securities fraud or any action that helped bring about this collapse should have and MUST GO TO JAIL! This Congress SHOULD HAVE called for a Special Prosecutor who would vigorously go after everyone who created the mess, and anyone else who attempts to scam the public in future. (I like Elliot Spitzer ~ so, he played a little hanky-panky...Wall Street hates him & this is a GOOD thing.)

 

2. THE RICH SHOULD HAVE PAID FOR THEIR OWN BAILOUT! They may have to live in 5 houses instead of 7. They may have to drive 9 cars instead of 13. The chef for their mini-terriers may have to be reassigned. But there is no way in hell, after forcing family incomes to go down more than $2,000 dollars during the Bush years, that working people and the middle class should have to fork over one dime to underwrite the next yacht purchase.

 

If they truly needed the $850 billion they say they needed, well, here is an easy way they could have raised it:

 

a) Every couple makeing over a million dollars a year and every single taxpayer who makes over $500,000 a year should pay a 10% surcharge tax for five years. (It's the Senator Sanders plan. He's like Colonel Sanders, only he's out to fry the right chickens.) That means the rich would have still been paying less income tax than when Carter was president. That would have raise a total of $300 billion.

 

b) Like nearly every other democracy, they should have charged a 0.25% tax on every stock transaction. This would have raised more than $200 billion in a year.

 

c) Because every stockholder is a patriotic American, stockholders should have forgone receiving a dividend check for ONE quarter and instead this money would have gone the treasury to help pay for the bullsh*t bailout.

 

d) 25% of major U.S. corporations currently pay NO federal income tax. Federal corporate tax revenues currently amount to 1.7% of the GDP compared to 5% in the 1950s. If we raised the corporate income tax BACK to the levels of the 1950s, this would give us an extra $500 billion.

 

All of this combined should have been enough to end the calamity. The rich would have gotten to keep their mansions and their servants and our United States government ("COUNTRY FIRST!") would've have a little leftover to repair some roads, bridges and schools...

 

3. YOU SHOULD HAVE BAIL OUT THE PEOPLE LOSING THEIR HOMES, NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BUILD AN EIGHTH HOME! There are 1.3 million homes in foreclosure right now. That is what is at the heart of this problem. So, instead of giving the money to the banks as a gift, they should have paid down each of these mortgages by $100,000. They should have forced the banks to renegotiate the mortgage so the homeowner could pay on its current value. To insure that this help wouldn't go to speculators and those who tried to making money by flipping houses, the bailout should have only been for people's primary residences. And, in return for the $100K pay-down on the existing mortgage, the government would have gotten to share in the holding of the mortgage so it could get some of its money back. Thus, the total initial cost of fixing the mortgage crisis at its roots (instead of with the greedy lenders) is $150 billion, not $850 BILLION.

 

And let's set the record straight. People who have defaulted on their mortgages are not "bad risks." They are our fellow Americans, and all they wanted was what we all want: a home to call their own. But, during the Bush years, millions of the People lost the decent paying jobs they had. SIX MILLION fell into poverty! SEVEN MILLION lost their health insurance! And, every one of them saw their real wages go DOWN by $2,000! Those who DARE look down on these Americans who got hit with one bad break after another should be ASHAMED.! We are a better, stronger, safer and happier society when all of our citizens can afford to live in a home they own.

 

4. THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A STIPULATION THAT IF YOUR BANK OR COMPANY GOT ANY OF OUR MONEY IN A "BAILOUT," THEN WE OWN YOU. Sorry, that's how it's done. If the bank gives me money so I can buy a house, the bank "owns" that house until I pay it all back -- with interest. Same deal for Wall Street. Whatever money you need to stay afloat, if our government considers you a safe risk -- and necessary for the good of the country -- then you can get a loan, but WE SHOULD OWN YOU. If you default, we will sell you. This is how the Swedish government did it and it worked.

 

5. ALL REGULATIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN BE RESTORED. THE REAGAN REVOLUTION IS DEAD! This catastrophe happened because we let the fox have the keys to the hen-house. In 1999, Phil Gramm authored a bill to remove all the regulations that governed Wall Street and our banking system. The bill passed and Clinton signed it. Here's what Sen.Phil Gramm, McCain's chief economic advisor, said at the bill signing:

 

"In the 1930s ... it was believed that government was the answer. It was believed that stability and growth came from government overriding the functioning of free markets.

 

"We are here today to repeal [that] because we have learned that government is not the answer. We have learned that freedom and competition are the answers. We have learned that we promote economic growth and we promote stability by having competition and freedom.

 

"I am proud to be here because this is an important bill; it is a deregulatory bill. I believe that that is the wave of the future, and I am awfully proud to have been a part of making it a reality."

 

FOR THIS NOT TO REOCCUR, This BILL SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPEALED! Bill Clinton could have helped by leading the effort for the repeal of the Gramm bill and the reinstating of even tougher regulations regarding our financial institutions. And when they were done with that, they should have restored the regulations for the airlines, the inspection of our food, the oil industry, OSHA, and every other entity that affects our daily lives. All oversight provisions for any "bailout" should have had enforcement monies attached to them and criminal penalties for all offenders.

 

6. IF IT'S TOO BIG TO FAIL, THEN THAT MEANS IT'S TOO BIG TO EXIST! Allowing the creation of these mega-mergers and not enforcing the monopoly and anti-trust laws has allowed a number of financial institutions and corporations to become so large, the very thought of their collapse means an even bigger collapse across the entire economy. No ONE or TWO companies should EVER have this kind of power! The so-called "economic Pearl Harbor" can't happen when you have hundreds -- thousands -- of institutions where people have their money. When we have a dozen auto companies, if one goes belly-up, we DON'T FACE A NATIONAL DISASTER! If we have three separately-owned daily newspapers in your town, then one media company can't call all the shots (I know... What am I thinking?! Who reads a paper anymore? Sure glad all those mergers and buyouts left us with a STRONG and "FREE" press!). Laws Should have been enacted to prevent companies from being so large and dominant that with one slingshot to the eye, the GIANT FALLS and DIES. And no institution should be allowed to set up money schemes that NO ONE understands. If you can't explain it in two sentences, you shouldn't be taking anyone's money!

 

7. NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD EVER BE PAID MORE THAN 40 TIMES THEIR AVERAGE EMPLOYEE, AND NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD RECEIVE ANY KIND OF "PARACHUTE" OTHER THAN THE VERY GENEROUS SALARY HE OR SHE MADE WHILE WORKING FOR THE COMPANY. In 1980, the average American CEO made 45 times what their employees made. By 2003, they were making 254 times what their workers made. After 8 years of Bush, they now make over 400 times what their average employee makes. How We have allowed this to happen at publicly held companies is beyond reason. In Britain, the average CEO makes 28 times what their average employee makes. In Japan, it's only 17 times! The last I heard, the CEO of Toyota was living the high life in Tokyo. How does he do it on so little money? Seriously, this is an OUTRAGE! We have created the mess we're in by letting the people at the top become bloated beyond belief with millions of dollars. THIS HAS TO STOP! Not only should no executive who receives help out of this mess profit from it, but any executive who was in charge of running his company into the ground should be FIRED before the company receives ANY help.

 

8. CONGRESS SHOULD HAVE STRENGTHENED THE FDIC AND MADE IT A MODEL FOR PROTECTING NOT ONLY PEOPLE'S SAVINGS, BUT ALSO THEIR PENSIONS AND THEIR HOMES. Obama was correct to propose expanding FDIC protection of people's savings in their banks to $250,000. But, this same sort of government insurance must be given to our NEVER have to worry about whether or not the money they've put away for their old age will be there. This should have meant strict government oversight of companies who manage their employees' funds -- or perhaps it means the companies should have been forced to turn over those funds and their management to the government? People's private retirement funds must also be protected, but perhaps it's time to consider not having one's retirement invested in the casino known as the stock market??? Our government should have a solemn duty to guarantee that no one who grows old in this country has to worry about becoming destitute.

 

9. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH, CALM DOWN, AND NOT LET FEAR RULE THE DAY. Turn off your TVs! We are NOT in the Second Great Depression. The sky is NOT falling, Chicken Little! Pundits and politicians have lied to us so FAST and FURIOUS it's hard not to be affected by all the fear mongering. Even I wrote to and repeated what I heard on the news last week, that the Dow had the biggest one day drop in its history. Well, that was true in terms of points, but its 7% drop came nowhere close to Black Monday in 1987 when the stock market in one day lost 23% of its value. In the '80s, 3,000 banks closed, but America didn't go out of business. These institutions have always had their ups and downs and eventually it works out. It has to, because the rich do not like their wealth being disrupted! They have a vested interest in calming things down and getting back into their Jacuzzis before they slip into their million thread-count sheets to drift off to a peaceful, Vodka tonic and Ambien-induced slumber.

 

As crazy as things are right now, tens of thousands of people got a car loan last week. Thousands went to the bank and got a mortgage to buy a home. Students just back to college found banks more than happy to put them into hock for the next 15 years with a student loan. I was even pre-approved for a US$5K personal loan. Yes, life has gone on with little-or-no-change (other than the whopping 6.1% unemployment rate, but that happened last month). Not a single person lost any of his/her monies in bank, or a treasury note, or in a CD. And, the perhaps the most amazing thing is that the American public FINALLY didn't buy the scare campaign. The citizens didn't blink, instead telling Congress to take that bailout and shove it. THAT was impressive. Why didn't the population succumb to the fright-filled warnings from their president and his cronies? Well, you can only say 'Saddam has the bomb' so many times before the people realize you're a lying sack of shit. After eight long years, the nation is worn out and simply can't take it any longer. The WORLD is fed up & I don't blame them.

 

10. THEY SHOULD HAVE CREATED A NATIONAL BANK, A "PEOPLE'S BANK." Since they're really itching to print up a trillion dollars, instead of giving it to a few rich people, why don't We give it to ourselves? Now that We own Freddie and Fannie, why not set up a People's bank? One that can provide low-interest loans for all sorts of people who want to own a home, start a small business, go to school, come up with the cure for cancer or create the next great invention. And, now that we own AIG - the country's largest insurance company - let's take the next step and PROVIDE HEALTH INSURANCE FOR EVERYONE. MEDICARE FOR ALL! It will SAVE us SO MUCH MONEY in the LONG RUN (not to mention bring peace of mind to all). And, America won't be 12th on the life expectancy list! We'll be able to have a longer lifespan, enjoying our government-protected pension and will live to see the day when the corporate criminals who caused this much misery are let out of prison so that We can help re-acclimate them to plain old ordinary, civilian life -- a life with ONE nice home and ONE gas-free car invented with help from the People's Bank.

 

P.S. Call your Senators NOW !!! ---> www.visi.com/juan/congress/

 

Since they voted against passing the extension of unemployment benefits and skipped out to "campaign" to us to be re-elected...call them and tell them you will vote for the other "guy" if they don't get their act together!

 

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

 

UPDATE: THE PEOPLE HAVE VOTED! A HISTORIC MOMENT: NOVEMBER 4th 2008!

 

------> THE Historic ELECTION <------

 

"A work in PROGRESS."

 

Nov. 4th, 2008.

 

A great American leader once said, "As individual fingers We can be easily broken. But TOGETHER We make a mighty fist." These words too were spoken by a minority leader. He was the venerable Chief Sitting Bull. No, Barack Obama's not the first American minority to speak eloquently and he most certainly won't be the last. Though, in the end, this election wasn't even close !!! The world watched as, "YES WE CAN!" turned into, "YES WE DID!" as it now ushers in, "YES WE MUST!" time is NOW!

 

What WE do with this moment shall define US, forthright. America has now elected a man with a background of partial African - American descent as President elect. A new leader with roots from Kenya to Kansas (with a step-father from Indonesia), will be working in conjunction with a vice-Presidential of Anglo-European roots. This is something in which citizens of ALL races - both here and the world 'round – have loudly REJOICED. Why talk about race? Is race important? You bet! Because - like it or not - race has dominated and governed Our daily lives for thousands of years. After all: "To know where We're going, We must first know where We've been".

 

We've come a LONG Way baby! What was once "acceptable" in 1965 is no longer in 2008 and THANKFULLY.

 

This is a changing of the guard. Especially since forty-percent of America's population is considered to be a "minority". Only four generations removed, the repression of African slaves by Anglo Saxons caused hundreds of thousands of brothers to kill brothers in a viscous and bloody battle that changed the fundamental principals of this Constitutional Republic from rhetoric to reality. This too was a significant changing of the guard.

 

For the first time in the history of the country, the ancestors of these very same people who so passionately fought for slavery have now OVERWHELMINGLY voted for a minority leader. This too ushers in a new chapter in the history of America. This is a tremendous nod to those great American leaders before Us who risked everything so that We find ourselves at this precise moment in time. We must give thanks to these men and women who both tirelessly and unselfishly gave their lives to cross and to help shatter the racial, sexual and social boundaries imbued in the history of the United States of America.

 

It has now taken place. There's a palpable renewed sense of HOPE for a better tomorrow – a HOPE that these same crippling boundaries shall finally once and for all be erased. Yet it is wise to also remember the adage, "Actions speak louder than words" and Our rhetoric must now be turned into action. The ability to truly rise above differences and to not just speak of doing so, tells much of Our long and continuous journey. If We remember the old North American Indian saying, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." We might just have a fighting chance.

 

The People have spoken! A record-setting 130 million Americans' turned out to vote in Tuesday's election, in which Barack Obama made history on a Democratic tidal wave of victory. Polling suggests voters came out in record numbers because of growing concerns over the economy, jobs, health care, energy, and the war in Iraq.

 

Clearly, the Obama administration and the new Democratic majority in Washington have a chance to make profound changes in Our lives - stretching ­from Wall Street to Main Street. Yes, this moment shows decency about human possibility and let's face it, We could use just a little decency RIGHT NOW.

 

Perhaps more importantly, this moment speaks volumes as it's an utter rejection of the right's politics of fear and greed? It will now be decades before there's another Republican majority in Congress. Never have the words, "Ask not what Your country can do for You, but what You can do for Your country," seemed more true for SO MANY. For, We-Are-Our-country. And We're at a MAJOR crossroads. Where, oh where to begin?

 

OBAMA / BIDEN Campaign.

 

Here in New York, Working Families voters, members, affiliates, supporters and chapter leaders poured everything they had into critical campaigns that proved successful. Many are now understandably exhausted - though more than a little proud of what was accomplished. And, the results were terrific ~ if not downright Historic. For the first time since the mid-1930, the State Senate will NO LONGER be controlled by Republicans. It's now in the hands of a Democratic Working Families majority! Just-take-one-moment-and-soak-this-in. MASSIVE Democratic majorities in BOTH the HOUSE and the SENATE!

 

Together, the W.F.P built a solid partnership with Senate Democrats, knocking on more than half a million doors for progressive CHANGE. And, in the end, "We the People" overwhelmingly responded. This is a MILESTONE. There's now a renewed sense of real HOPE resonating from Washington, indeed, around the world. This is powerful. Because, without HOPE, there's simply nothing to gain.

 

However, We must be careful not to fall prey to disillusionment. If illusions tear People asunder, then disillusion outright kills the human spirit. In other words, divided THEY conquer, united, WE stand. That this historic moment was ushered in during Native American Indian month is apropos. Because, We must not forget the very real foundations of this idealistic country and pay homage to the 500 plus year struggle of Our First Peoples' for the basic rights afforded them in Our own Constitution. Obama's victory is indeed a victory representing the multitudes. It is precisely because his success mirrors the masses, rather than a few wealthy, power-elite that this is so electrifying. A VERY palpable, "Finally!" was the expression heard 'round the world.

 

The world woke up WEDNESDAY with the real possibility of a very RARE OPPORTUNITY - the best in most Our lifetimes. This is a chance to truly transform America.

 

But, We mustn't forget the VERY hard realities existing in this country. Just ask any woman…any "person of color"…or, any First Peoples living in this "great" land. For, as long as Native American Indians in Our country still live in policies of containment on reservations without the very basics, such as running water, electricity, or heat… as long as more than 75% of the prison population includes African-Americans, First and Taino Peoples …as long as We continue to allow Our tax dollars spent to be three times more for each of these prisoners per head than on Our own school childrens' education…as long as American women continue to earn less than men for the SAME work…as long as We allow privately held corporations to exist without extreme MAJOR reform…as long as We continue to allow Our children to trample on foreign soil to kill and to be killed in "Our" names…as long as We sit idly by expecting or content to let others to "Do the right thing," for us… as long as We DON'T ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE TOGETHER in challenging and fighting for OUR OWN WELL-BEING for the betterment of future generations… as long as We choose to remain ignorant and in denial to Our faults…TRUE CHANGE can, and will NEVER HAPPEN.

 

Though, like anything rare and unique, We must first take proper time to Honor…to give thanks to those before us who, without their dedication and sacrifice, made this moment possible. We must come together. Immediate formulation and a real plan to guard and to protect this moment with fierce determination is required. New leaders are needed and will emerge so We ensure moments like this become the norm, rather than a mere token fluke. If We HOPE to transform Tuesday's results into a real break from the shipwreck of the most immediate last thirty years - We MUST start by realizing this election represents just that – a START. It's Round One of Our LONG and CONTINUOUS struggle.

 

And, Round Two will be just as tough, if not more so. Staying the course can easily be forgotten when People are dying from inadequate health care; when they've found themselves on the streets for lack of shelter and as they grow ever more desperate due to lack of job opportunities. Just ask people of Native or African American descent. Or, one of Our homeless veterans living on America's streets of plenty.

 

Yes, the house of cards has fallen HARD and FAST. And, President / V.P. elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden have inherited many seemingly insurmountable challenges. REAL CHANGE - not rhetoric - is what's needed. And to get it, We MUST demand it. We MUST march and be watchdogs for the sake of the coming generations. Communication with Our politicians is a MUST. MOST importantly, We MUST stand TOGETHER and be willing to fight to protect what is right and what is good for the MANY, NOT the FEW.

 

UNITED We STAND, DIVIDED, We FALL.

 

A President Obama will need to be simultaneously supported AND pushed. His training as a community organizer gives one confidence that he'll not only understand, but should also expect this dynamic. It's imperative for us to mind the trusty, "Follow the money" strategy. Don't forget, President elect Obama dually made history by raising the most unprecedented amount of campaign dollars in the HISTORY of U.S. Presidential elections. According to CNN, if annualized, the Obama campaign's ad spending on the post-primary Presidential campaign would come to US$750 million. This amount is only exceeded amongst large corporations such as Verizon and AT&T - both heavy sponsors of the Republican AND the Democratic national party conventions.

 

At the start of October, the Democratic National Committee announced it raised US$49.9 million with US$27.5 million sitting in the bank. The party raised money through joint fund-raising events with Obama and was able to use that money to assist his candidacy. These numbers were only possible because he opted out of the public financing system for the fall campaign. John McCain chose to participate in the system, which limited him to US$84 million for the September / October stretch prior to the election. After initially promising to accept public financing if McCain did, Obama changed his mind after setting primary fund-raising records. In fact, by the time the primaries hit, Obama was raising as much as US$5 million each and every day. The Obama / Biden campaign raised more than US$150 million in September alone - a stunning and unprecedented eruption of political giving. This extraordinary fund-raising is bound to set a new standard in politics that could doom the current taxpayer-paid system set up in the 1970's.

 

HOPEfully NOT.

 

The party presidential nominees – Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain – together spent more than US$1 BILLION, also an unprecedented figure. According to White House for Sale, a nonpartisan group that tracks political giving, Obama had 605 bundlers, or donors who collect money from friends and associates and bundle them together. Four years ago, Democrat John F. Kerry had 588 bundlers and, in 2000, Al Gore had none. McCain had 851 bundlers working for his campaign, compared to 557 who raised money for the Bush-Cheney re-election committee in 2004. George W. Bush is largely credited with institutionalizing the role of bundlers in 2000, when he recruited a then unprecedented 555 surrogate fundraisers.

 

Ask Yourselves: Who really benefits most from having donated to the Obama / Biden campaign?

 

President - elect Barack Obama & John McCain's U.S. Presidential campaign funds details:

 

OBAMA:

Total:US$750,767,963

Bundlers:605

LobbyistBundlers:17

 

MCCAIN:

Total: US$372,525,058

Bundlers: 851

Lobbyist Bundlers: 77

 

See the Center for Responsive Politics Presidential campaign monies for a better perspective:

 

2008: Obama AND McCain - US$5.3 BILLION

 

(Obama: US$750,767,963 million / McCain: US$372,525,058 million)

 

2004: Bush AND Kerry - US$4.2 BILLION

 

2000: Gore AND Bush - US$67.56 MILLION

 

1996: Dole AND Clinton - US$61.82 MILLION

 

1992: Clinton AND Bush - US$55.24 MILLION

 

* TO SEARCH FOR MEGA-DONERS, CLICK here: www.whitehouseforsale.org/searchDonor.cfm?CandidateSelect... McCain&StateSelect=&SortOrder=Last_Name, First_Name, Middle_Name, Suffix.*

 

Democrats in Washington and will be under enormous pressure to "play it safe", even as everyone knows We need bold action and some kind of new, New Deal. And, if We allow the "play-it-safe" crowd to dominate, then Obama (and We) will not succeed. Make NO mistake: the corporate big-wigs and free-market fundamentalists see this for exactly what it is: THE FIGHT OF A LIFETIME. They want nothing more than for the Democrats to disappoint, because then the HOPEfulness that Obama represents can be stuffed back in the bottle and cynicism can once again regain its place in Our national political culture.

 

WE Can't Let This Happen!

 

Whether it's revamping our health care system…implementing a new fair-based trade policy…creating a sound, realistic and well thought-out immigration plan…jobs programs…organizing rights in Washington, or campaign election reform, family leave or fair taxes, this election has set the stage for an ENTIRELY NEW social contract between the government and the People. This election opens up a real possibility – small, but real - that We could make genuine progress as a society, in terms of equality and freedom and true sustainability. In other words, the democracy We preach, but don't teach. What comes next is up to US. And, We need to seriously ready OURSELVES.

 

In short, the real meaning of this election hasn't yet been decided.

 

Overall, there's a lot of work to do. It's imperative that EVERYONE do his share - whether this means attending a neighborhood or union meeting, signing a petition, organizing or riding a bus to a demonstration, going on a lobby visit, making a financial contribution, or just talking to a stranger about the need and desirability of the common good.

 

Thanks for all you do!

Live your values. Love your country.

And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a D-I-F-F-E-R-E-N-C-E !

 

© all rights reserved by B℮n

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. The Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Hundreds of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape. Today after 4 years we could ice skate in Monnickendam.

 

Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. Photo taken of Dutch people and children on the Pierebaan in Monnickendam. A first time skating in 2017 is such a rare occurrence.

 

Terwijl schaatsbond KNSB voor de zekerheid nog een officiële waarschuwing afgaf om voorzichtig te zijn op meren, sloten en kanalen waagde een aantal mensen het erop en bond de schaatsen onder. Op 22 januari 2017 verzamelden meerdere mensen op de Pierebaan in Monnickendam zich ter hoogte van de halfpipe. Dat is de plek waar het ijs het sterkst was. Vaak wordt er aangehouden dat het ijs een centimeter of 10 dik moet zijn om veilig op te kunnen schaatsen, en het ijs op de Pierebaan is op het dikste gedeelte maar een centimeter of vijf dik, maar dat weerhield tientallen mensen er niet van om toch even het ijs op te gaan. Bij de Pierebaan was de meest gehoorde reactie: “het is dun, maar het kan wel…”. En dat leverde mooie plaatjes op. Mensen van alle leeftijden op schaatsen, kinderen die een buikschuiver willen maken, mensen die voorzichtig even willen voelen hoe het is om op het ijs te staan. De aantrekkingskracht van het ijs is enorm.

     

© all rights reserved

 

Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

 

Each winter I wait for the first glazing of ice across the canals and lakes. As the temperature drops my hopes rise. By the time the ice is a few centimetres thick, I keep my skates in the back of my car. Today I could use my skates on natural ice at the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam to Marken and from Marken to Volendam. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. Slashed by rivers and canals, pocked with polders, meers and lakes and meshed in a web of interconnecting drainage ditches, the Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Thousands of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape, unsuspected and inaccessable, except when frozen. But at the first scabbing of ice across the canals, the Dutch, normally so earnest and responsible, abandon jobs and universities, uttering the traditional schoolchildren's demand of We willen ijs vrij - we want ice time. In the Netherlands everybody skates. Speed teams, in tight lines, nose to nape of neck, legs pumping in a powerful unison, set the ice whining and vibrating like the rails under an approaching train. Children on double-bladed, tin skates push chairs ahead of themselves for balance. Unlikely looking people in town clothes shiver past. And veteran couples in sensible woollen jackets, arms entwined, sway along like ballroom dancers. According to Richard van Ammerzoden, a skater from Rotterdam, skating in Holland originated as a poor man's sport. Isolated by mud and water in the damp winters, rural farmers prayed for ice. When it came, just like Hans Brinker, they strapped on their wooden skates with leather thongs, and traveled great distances to visit friends and relatives they hadn't seen in months. Then they skated home. Perhaps that explains the origin of the Elfstedentocht or Eleven Cities Tour, a 200-kilometer mega-tour in the province of Friesland known as "the mother of all skating tours." In the 1890s, some Frisian farmer with well-developed leg muscles tried to skate through all eleven cities of Friesland in a single day. He succeeded, and the rest is history. Perhaps there will be an Elfstedentocht this winter.

 

Photo taken on the Gouwsea between Monnickendam and Marken. Immersing in Dutch winter culture. Speed skating on the Dutch 'Gouw sea", Holland's own Bermuda Triangle between Monnickendam, Volendam and Marken.A historical moment since crossing the gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. It was a cloudy day and sometimes it was hailing but in the end the sun came through which gave a lovely light. Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise.

 

Eindelijk weer een week waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al drie winters achter elkaar gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde weilanden. Het is min één graden het is bewolkt maar aan de horizon komt uiteindelijk de zon nog door. Af en toe een hagelbui maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. Het ijs is door de sneeuw helaas te dof om het licht te weerkaatsen maar levert toch prachtige plaatjes op. In de verte kan je de flats van Almere stad zien aan de andere kant van het IJmeer. Jong en oud staan op het ijs, zelfs koek en zopie is present in de haven van Monnickendam, Marken en Volendam. De warme chocolademelk smaakte heerlijk met een beetje rum erbij.

  

© all rights reserved

 

Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

 

Each winter I wait for the first glazing of ice across the canals and lakes. As the temperature drops my hopes rise. By the time the ice is a few centimetres thick, I keep my skates in the back of my car. Today I could use my skates on natural ice at the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam to Marken and from Marken to Volendam. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. Slashed by rivers and canals, pocked with polders, meers and lakes and meshed in a web of interconnecting drainage ditches, the Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Thousands of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape, unsuspected and inaccessable, except when frozen. But at the first scabbing of ice across the canals, the Dutch, normally so earnest and responsible, abandon jobs and universities, uttering the traditional schoolchildren's demand of We willen ijs vrij - we want ice time. In the Netherlands everybody skates. Speed teams, in tight lines, nose to nape of neck, legs pumping in a powerful unison, set the ice whining and vibrating like the rails under an approaching train. Children on double-bladed, tin skates push chairs ahead of themselves for balance. Unlikely looking people in town clothes shiver past. And veteran couples in sensible woollen jackets, arms entwined, sway along like ballroom dancers. According to Richard van Ammerzoden, a skater from Rotterdam, skating in Holland originated as a poor man's sport. Isolated by mud and water in the damp winters, rural farmers prayed for ice. When it came, just like Hans Brinker, they strapped on their wooden skates with leather thongs, and traveled great distances to visit friends and relatives they hadn't seen in months. Then they skated home. Perhaps that explains the origin of the Elfstedentocht or Eleven Cities Tour, a 200-kilometer mega-tour in the province of Friesland known as "the mother of all skating tours." In the 1890s, some Frisian farmer with well-developed leg muscles tried to skate through all eleven cities of Friesland in a single day. He succeeded, and the rest is history. Perhaps there will be an Elfstedentocht this winter.

 

Photo taken on the Gouwsea between Monnickendam and Marken. Immersing in Dutch winter culture. Speed skating on the Dutch 'Gouw sea", Holland's own Bermuda Triangle between Monnickendam, Volendam and Marken. A historical moment since crossing the gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. On 25 december 2010 I skate from Monnickendam to Marken such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. It was a cloudy day and sometimes it was hailing but in the end the sun came through which gave a lovely light. It was my first Christmas 2010 weekend on ice. Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise.

 

Eindelijk weer een weekend zelfs een Kerst weekend waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al drie winters achter elkaar gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2010. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde weilanden. Het is min één graden het is bewolkt maar aan de horizon komt uiteindelijk de zon nog door. Af en toe een hagelbui maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. Het ijs is door de sneeuw helaas te dof om het licht te weerkaatsen maar levert toch prachtige plaatjes op. In de verte kan je de flats van Almere stad zien aan de andere kant van het IJmeer. Vandaag op 25 december 2010 een lange schaatstocht gemaakt van Monnickendam - Uitdam - Marken - Volendam - en weer terug Monnickendam - 20km. Jong en oud staan op het ijs, zelfs koek en zopie is present in de haven van Monnickendam, Marken en Volendam. De warme chocolademelk smaakte heerlijk met een beetje rum erbij. Ik ben blij dat ik vandaag geweest ben, het was fantastisch.

  

© all rights reserved

 

Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

 

Each winter I wait for the first glazing of ice across the canals and lakes. As the temperature drops my hopes rise. By the time the ice is a few centimetres thick, I keep my skates in the back of my car. Today I could use my skates on natural ice at the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam to Marken and from Marken to Volendam. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. Slashed by rivers and canals, pocked with polders, meers and lakes and meshed in a web of interconnecting drainage ditches, the Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Thousands of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape, unsuspected and inaccessable, except when frozen. But at the first scabbing of ice across the canals, the Dutch, normally so earnest and responsible, abandon jobs and universities, uttering the traditional schoolchildren's demand of We willen ijs vrij - we want ice time. In the Netherlands everybody skates. Speed teams, in tight lines, nose to nape of neck, legs pumping in a powerful unison, set the ice whining and vibrating like the rails under an approaching train. According to Richard van Ammerzoden, a skater from Rotterdam, skating in Holland originated as a poor man's sport. Isolated by mud and water in the damp winters, rural farmers prayed for ice. When it came, just like Hans Brinker, they strapped on their wooden skates with leather thongs, and traveled great distances to visit friends and relatives they hadn't seen in months. Then they skated home. Perhaps that explains the origin of the Elfstedentocht or Eleven Cities Tour, a 200-kilometer mega-tour in the province of Friesland known as "the mother of all skating tours." In the 1890s, some Frisian farmer with well-developed leg muscles tried to skate through all eleven cities of Friesland in a single day. He succeeded, and the rest is history. Perhaps there will be an Elfstedentocht this winter.

 

Photo taken on the Gouwsea between Monnickendam and Marken. A historical moment since crossing the gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. On 25 december 2010 I skated from Monnickendam to Marken such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy. It was a stormy day and sometimes it was hailing shown here above but in the end the sun came through which gave a lovely light. It was my first Christmas 2010 weekend on ice. Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions.

 

Eindelijk weer een weekend zelfs een Kerst weekend waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al drie winters achter elkaar gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2010. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde weilanden. Het is min één graden en een hagelstorm komt op ons af midden op de Gouwzee maar gelukkig komt later die dag de zon nog door. Af en toe een hagelbui maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. Het ijs is door de sneeuw helaas te dof om het licht te weerkaatsen maar levert toch prachtige plaatjes op. In de verte kan je Marken zien liggen. Vandaag op 25 december 2010 een lange schaatstocht gemaakt van Monnickendam - Uitdam - Marken - Volendam - en weer terug Monnickendam - 20km. Jong en oud staan op het ijs, zelfs koek en zopie is present in de haven van Monnickendam, Marken en Volendam. De warme chocolademelk smaakte heerlijk met een beetje rum erbij. Ik ben blij dat ik vandaag geweest ben, het was fantastisch.

  

Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

  

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London | Architecture | Night Photography

 

EXPLORE #6, Front Page on the 8th June. Thank you for your comments.

 

My favourite hour in London and my favourite building, the Lloyds...

 

=======================================================================

 

The blue hour comes from a French expression (l'heure bleue), which refers to twilight, the period each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. The time is considered special because of the quality of the light at this time of day.

 

The Lloyd's Building (also sometimes known as The Inside-Out Building) is the home of the insurance institution Lloyd's of London, and is located at One Lime Street, in the City of London, England.

It was designed by architect Richard Rogers and built between 1978 and 1986. Bovis was the management contractor for the scheme.[1] Like the Pompidou Centre (designed by Renzo Piano and Rogers), the building was innovative in having its services such as staircases, lifts, electrical power conduits and water pipes on the outside, leaving an uncluttered space inside. The twelve glass lifts were the first of their kind in the UK.

 

The building consists of three main towers and three service towers around a central, rectangular space. Its focal point is the large Underwriting Room on the ground floor, which houses the famous Lutine Bell. The Underwriting Room (often simply known as 'the Room') is overlooked by galleries, forming a 60 metres (197 ft) high atrium lit naturally through a huge barrel-vaulted glass roof. The first four galleries open onto the atrium space, and are connected by escalators through the middle of the structure. The higher floors are glassed-in, and can only be reached via the outside lifts.

  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd's_Building

 

=======================================================================

 

The City of London is a geographically small city within Greater London in England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Southwark and then Westminster, the modern conurbation grew. The City’s boundaries have remained almost constant since the Middle Ages, and hence it is now only a tiny part of the much larger London metropolis. It is often referred to as the City or the Square Mile, as it is just over one square mile (1.12 mile² / 2.90 km²)[1] in area. These terms are also often used as metonyms for the United Kingdom's financial services industry, which is based here.

 

In the medieval period, the City was the full extent of London. The term London now refers to a much larger conurbation containing both the City of London itself, as well as the 32 'London boroughs', constituting Greater London. The City is today a major business and financial centre, ranking on a par with New York City as the leading centre of global finance;[2] in the 19th Century, the City served as the world's primary business centre.[3] The City has a resident population of under 10,000, whilst it employs 340,000 professional workers, mainly in the financial sector, making the area's transport system extremely busy during peak times.

 

The City is not one of the 32 London boroughs. It is governed by the City of London Corporation, which has some unusual responsibilities for a local authority, such as being the police authority for the City. It also has responsibilities and ownerships beyond the City's boundaries.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_London

 

=================================================================================

 

When The Blue Hour Comes by Joan Osborne,

 

City of London ~ A London Blue Hour ~

 

© all rights reserved

 

Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

 

Each winter I wait for the first glazing of ice across the canals and lakes. As the temperature drops my hopes rise. By the time the ice is a few centimetres thick, I keep my skates in the back of my car. Today I could use my skates on natural ice at the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam to Marken and from Marken to Volendam. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. Slashed by rivers and canals, pocked with polders, meers and lakes and meshed in a web of interconnecting drainage ditches, the Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Thousands of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape, unsuspected and inaccessable, except when frozen. But at the first scabbing of ice across the canals, the Dutch, normally so earnest and responsible, abandon jobs and universities, uttering the traditional schoolchildren's demand of We willen ijs vrij - we want ice time. In the Netherlands everybody skates. Speed teams, in tight lines, nose to nape of neck, legs pumping in a powerful unison, set the ice whining and vibrating like the rails under an approaching train. Children on double-bladed, tin skates push chairs ahead of themselves for balance. Unlikely looking people in town clothes shiver past. And veteran couples in sensible woollen jackets, arms entwined, sway along like ballroom dancers. According to Richard van Ammerzoden, a skater from Rotterdam, skating in Holland originated as a poor man's sport. Isolated by mud and water in the damp winters, rural farmers prayed for ice. When it came, just like Hans Brinker, they strapped on their wooden skates with leather thongs, and traveled great distances to visit friends and relatives they hadn't seen in months. Then they skated home. Perhaps that explains the origin of the Elfstedentocht or Eleven Cities Tour, a 200-kilometer mega-tour in the province of Friesland known as "the mother of all skating tours." In the 1890s, some Frisian farmer with well-developed leg muscles tried to skate through all eleven cities of Friesland in a single day. He succeeded, and the rest is history. Perhaps there will be an Elfstedentocht this winter.

 

Photo taken on the Gouwsea between Monnickendam and Marken. A historical moment since crossing the gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. On 25 december 2010 I skate from Monnickendam to Marken such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. It was a cloudy day and sometimes it was hailing but in the end the sun came through which gave a lovely light. It was my first Christmas 2010 weekend on ice. Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise.

 

Eindelijk weer een weekend zelfs een Kerst weekend waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al drie winters achter elkaar gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2010. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde weilanden. Het is min één graden het is bewolkt maar aan de horizon komt uiteindelijk de zon nog door. Af en toe een hagelbui maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. Het ijs is door de sneeuw helaas te dof om het licht te weerkaatsen maar levert toch prachtige plaatjes op. In de verte kan je de flats van Almere stad zien aan de andere kant van het IJmeer. Vandaag op 25 december 2010 een lange schaatstocht gemaakt van Monnickendam - Uitdam - Marken - Volendam - en weer terug Monnickendam - 20km. Jong en oud staan op het ijs, zelfs koek en zopie is present in de haven van Monnickendam, Marken en Volendam. De warme chocolademelk smaakte heerlijk met een beetje rum erbij. Ik ben blij dat ik vandaag geweest ben, het was fantastisch.

  

© all rights reserved

 

Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

 

Each winter I wait for the first glazing of ice across the canals and lakes. As the temperature drops my hopes rise. By the time the ice is a few centimetres thick, I keep my skates in the back of my car. Today I could use my skates. My daughter Samantha joined me too this time. I bought new Viking skates for her. This time we enjoyed the natural ice at the Oostvaardersplassen. The Oostvaardersplassen is a nature reserve in the Netherlands, covering almost 6,000 hectares. In a moderate cold winter and not too much of snow these open areas will freeze. Nature is then at it's finest, I myself like the winterseason best especially when skating around. Sunrise, sunset or nature full in ripe, they all are breathtaking as observed from the ice! Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. Slashed by rivers and canals, pocked with polders, meers and lakes and meshed in a web of interconnecting drainage ditches, the Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Thousands of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape, unsuspected and inaccessable, except when frozen. But at the first scabbing of ice across the canals, the Dutch, normally so earnest and responsible, abandon jobs and universities, uttering the traditional schoolchildren's demand of We willen ijs vrij - we want ice time. In the Netherlands everybody skates. Speed teams, in tight lines, nose to nape of neck, legs pumping in a powerful unison, set the ice whining and vibrating like the rails under an approaching train. Children on double-bladed, tin skates push chairs ahead of themselves for balance. Unlikely looking people in town clothes shiver past. And veteran couples in sensible woollen jackets, arms entwined, sway along like ballroom dancers. The most famous of the winter in the Netherlands is the Friesan Elfstendtocht - the eleven towns race - run only in the coldest years when the ice is thick enough to support anything up to 17,000 competitors racing the 200 km's course.

 

Photo of my daughter Samantha skating on the Infinite sea of ice at the Oostvaardersplassen. This lake in the winter is a real skater’s paradise. We could skate around the lake - about 15km. The Oostvaardersplassen is the latest and the largest of the wetland reserves in the Netherlands. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. unfortunately this weekend it stopped freezing. Many are hoping for frigid conditions again.

 

Eindelijk weer een week waarin Flevolanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. Wat is mooier dan schaatsen op natuurijs? Op de Oostvaardersplassen tussen Almere en Lelystad heb je een enorme vlakte voor je. Het natuurgebied is bijna 6.000 hectare groot. Eindeloos kun je er genieten van het ijs, de rust, de uitgestrektheid van dit grote natuurgebied van Europa. Het is heel bijzonder om in zo'n natuurlijke omgeving te schaatsen. Als men zich rustig gedraagt en het ijs van de plassen niet verlaat, is het toegestaan om hier te schaatsen. De boswachters houden goed in de gaten of de dieren in het gebied niet door de ijspret worden verstoord. Normaal nooit toegankelijk als er geen ijs ligt krijg je nu een uniek kijkje op een gaaf natuurgebied. Een moerasgebied, met uitgestrekte bevroren plassen, woeste graslanden en een ongekende vogelrijkdom, waar de natuur onbelemmerd haar gang mag gaan. Schaatsers kunnen over bevroren plassen en sloten op plekken komen, die normaal gesproken onbereikbaar zijn voor mensen. Zo hebben schaatsenrijders op de vorige week op 21 december 2010 moerasandijvie ontdekt, een plant die internationaal als zeer zeldzaam te boek staat. Ik heb samen met m'n dochter heerlijk geschaatst op de grote plas. Een prachtige rondje van zo'n 15km met superglad ijs. Ik snapte niet waarom het zo stil was. We hadden hier het rijk alleen op deze grote ijsoppervlakte. Samantha schaatste lekker hard en gleed prima over het mooie zwarte ijs. De zon wilde helaas niet doorkomen maar dat mocht de pret niet drukken. We zijn blij dat we waren geweest waren, het was fantastisch. De volgende dag zou het gaan dooien.

    

© all rights reserved

 

Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

 

The Netherlands is a small country of 16 million people, but it boasts a quarter of a million competitive speedskaters, and millions more who skate for fun. What's the story? Natural ice in the Netherlands is a rare occurrence. In fact, some winters there's no natural ice at all. Maybe that explains why the Dutch love to skate outdoors. They hardly ever get the chance! But when a cold wave hits, and the interconnected maze of canals, rivers and lakes freeze over, it's a spontaneous celebration, a national holiday.

Ice skating is not only a popular Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch with their one chance to discover a wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. Slashed by rivers and canals, pocked with polders, meers and lakes and meshed in a web of interconnecting drainage ditches, the Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. That's why our Dutch skater Sven Kramer won a golden Olympic medal at the 5km in Vancouver and maybe next week Tuesday he will win the 10km distance too. Thousands of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape, unsuspected and inaccessable. In the Netherlands everybody skates. Speed teams, in tight lines, nose to nape of neck, legs pumping in a powerful unison, set the ice whining and vibrating like the rails under an approaching train. Children on double-bladed, tin skates push chairs ahead of themselves for balance. Unlikely looking people in town clothes shiver past. And veteran couples in sensible woollen jackets, arms entwined, sway along like ballroom dancers. In the Art galleries and at the Rijksmuseum of Amsterdam you can see the beautiful paitings of Pieter Bruegel and Hendrick Averkamp, the foremost painter of Dutch winter landscapes in the 17th century. He had painted skaters accurately enough to show the technique.

I started skating on the traditional skates which are still available in second-hand shops; Friesan Doolopers - metal blades set into wooden platforms, which one straps onto ones walking boots. This allows the skater the possibility of unstrapping them and walking away if things went badly. Today same as last year we could ice skating on the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam to Marken and from Marken to Volendam. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Besides ice skating Dutch also love Ice yachting. This is the sport of sailing and racing iceboats and is very popular in the Netherlands. Ice boats are racing at a speed of 100 km an hour over the ice of the Gouwsea.

 

Photo taken of Ice yachting on the Gouwsea near Volendam. A historical moment since crossing the Gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. Crossing this Gouwzee was last possible in 2009 and 1996. Today 13 February 2010, I skate from Monnickendam - Marken - Volendam and back to Monnickendam a round-trip of 16km, such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy. Here I skate on my way back to Amsterdam. People and children having so much joy on the ice. Children are sled-ring or mother tows their sled. Elderly are Ice-yachting on their tradiotional boats while the youngsters are using the new type of ice boats. Anything is used to glide over the ice even kite-skaters. The young boy might be our new "Sven Kramer" for the Olympic Winter Games 2018. It looks like a modern scene of a paiting of Hendrick Avercamp. In the distance you can see skyline of Amsterdam.

 

Op 13 februari 2010 een schaatstocht gemaakt rond de Gouwzee van Monnickendam - Volendam - Marken - Monnickendam. Een prachtige ronde van zo'n 16km met top ijs. Tot mijn verbazing was de Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren, dit is laatst in 2009 en 1996 gebeurd. Dus alweer een historische ijstocht gemaakt. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monnickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2010. Het was genieten. Jong en oud staan op het ijs, zelfs koek en zopie is present in de haven van Monnickendam, Marken en Volendam. Ook zijn er weer ijszeilers te zien. Met spectaculaire snelheden van wel 80 tot 100 kilometer per uur razen ze over bevroren meren en plassen: ijszeilers hebben deze dagen de tijd van hun leven. In elke ijszeiler schuilt een pionier die nieuw terrein wil ontginnen. Wie steekt er als eerste over naar Marken? Wakduikers heten de onfortuinlijken die in een overmoedige bui te ver gingen en met behulp van collega's uit het wak gehaald moesten worden. Het mag de pret niet drukken. IJszeilen is een gezamenlijke gekte, een collectieve spanning die vanwege de natuurlijke elementen zo bijzonder is. Op pure windkracht zeilen over de eindeloze ijsvlakte, geruisloos en snoeihard. Onzettend veel IJspret op het Markermeer. Het doet mij een denken aan een moderne versie van de schilderijen van Hendrick Averkamp. Kinderen rijden sleetje op het ijs of worden getrokken door moeders. De ouderen genieten van ijszeilen in hun traditionele boten terwijl de jongeren kiezen voor de veel snellere surfbootjes. Zoveel mogelijkheden tegenwoordig om over het ijs te glijden zelfs Kite-skating. Deze jongen wordt misschien wel onze nieuwe "Sven Kramer" voor de Olympische Winterspelen 2018?

The Saint Johns River Ferry, also known as the Mayport Ferry, is an automobile ferry between Mayport and Fort George Island, two areas within Jacksonville, Florida. The 0.9 miles (1.4 km) voyage crosses the Saint Johns River about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) inland of the river's mouth and travels in an east-west direction for approximately 2,000 feet (610 m) on State Road A1A. It departs every half-hour.

 

The alternate driving route uses the toll-free Dames Point Bridge on I-295 but is 28 miles (45 km) long. The ferry has been operating since 1874.

 

These vessels operate in the ferry fleet:

*primary: Jean Ribault, built 1996, 40 vehicles, 206

passengers.

*stand-by: Blackbeard[permanent dead link], built 1956, 42

vehicles, 207 passengers.

 

Additional ferries which were in service included the Jean LaFitte which was a 26-car ferry, the Reliance, the Sirus. U.S.Coast Guard documents these vessels; some of the older ferries have been renamed to pass inspection. The history of the ferry dates back to 1874 according to the New York Times[permanent dead link] and the Library of Congress. The Florida Department of Transportation, which had always operated the service, had the Mayport Ferry line item budget vetoed by Governor Charlie Crist for 2007-2008. The City of Jacksonville had been contributing $200,000-300,000 for several years, so instead of allowing the service to end, the City of Jacksonville assumed full responsibility. However, they lost over $1 million in one year, and Mayor John Peyton announced that there was insufficient money available in the new budget.

 

The Jacksonville Port Authority took over operation of the ferry for 2007 and lost half a million dollars each year, but uses port revenue, not tax money, to underwrite the operation. After taking over, the JPA decided to cut costs and sell the Blackbeard, the backup vessel built in 1956. That meant that whenever the Jean Ribault had problems, ferry service would be suspended. On February 5, 2009 the ferry was put into dry dock for routine maintenance, but hull corrosion required an extra week of repairs, and there was no service for a month.

 

On March 31, 2016, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority took over permanent ownership and operation of the ferry.

The ferry helps connect segments of the East Coast Greenway, a 3000 mile long system of trails connecting Maine to Florida.

 

Credit for the data above is given to the following website:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayport_Ferry

© all rights reserved

 

Please take your time... and enjoy it large on black

 

Each winter I wait for the first glazing of ice across the canals and lakes. As the temperature drops my hopes rise. By the time the ice is a few centimetres thick, I keep my skates in the back of my car. Today I could use my skates on natural ice at the Gouwsea. Ice skating can be done from Monnickendam to Marken and from Marken to Volendam. Infinite sea of ice is perfect for ice skating journeys. Ice skating is not only a Dutch sport, it also underwrites the history, art and culture of the Netherlands. Perhaps most importantly a good freeze provides the Dutch a chance to discover the wilderness and an outdoor challenge within their own landscape. Slashed by rivers and canals, pocked with polders, meers and lakes and meshed in a web of interconnecting drainage ditches, the Netherlands are a long distance skater's dream. Thousands of kilometres of potential routes can carry the skater to the heart of a wild landscape, unsuspected and inaccessable, except when frozen. But at the first scabbing of ice across the canals, the Dutch, normally so earnest and responsible, abandon jobs and universities, uttering the traditional schoolchildren's demand of We willen ijs vrij - we want ice time. In the Netherlands everybody skates. Speed teams, in tight lines, nose to nape of neck, legs pumping in a powerful unison, set the ice whining and vibrating like the rails under an approaching train. Children on double-bladed, tin skates push chairs ahead of themselves for balance. Unlikely looking people in town clothes shiver past. And veteran couples in sensible woollen jackets, arms entwined, sway along like ballroom dancers. According to Richard van Ammerzoden, a skater from Rotterdam, skating in Holland originated as a poor man's sport. Isolated by mud and water in the damp winters, rural farmers prayed for ice. When it came, just like Hans Brinker, they strapped on their wooden skates with leather thongs, and traveled great distances to visit friends and relatives they hadn't seen in months. Then they skated home. Perhaps that explains the origin of the Elfstedentocht or Eleven Cities Tour, a 200-kilometer mega-tour in the province of Friesland known as "the mother of all skating tours." In the 1890s, some Frisian farmer with well-developed leg muscles tried to skate through all eleven cities of Friesland in a single day. He succeeded, and the rest is history. Perhaps there will be an Elfstedentocht this winter.

 

Photo taken on the Gouwsea between Monnickendam and Marken. Immersing in Dutch winter culture. Speed skating on the Dutch 'Gouw sea", Holland's own Bermuda Triangle between Monnickendam, Volendam and Marken.A historical moment since crossing the gouwsea by skates is such a rare occurrence. On 25 december 2010 I skate from Monnickendam to Marken such a beautiful sea of ice to enjoy. As temperatures plunge across Europe, many are cursing the cold. But not in the Netherlands. Many are hoping for further frigid conditions. It was a cloudy day and sometimes it was hailing but in the end the sun came through which gave a lovely light. It was my first Christmas 2010 weekend on ice. Waterland in the winter is a real skater’s paradise.

 

Eindelijk weer een weekend zelfs een Kerst weekend waarin Waterlanders de ijzers konden onderbinden. De Gouwzee helemaal dichtbevroren en dit is nu al drie winters achter elkaar gebeurd. Maar het blijft een historische ijstocht. Vele honderden schaatsenrijders zoeken vandaag de bevroren oppervlakte van de Gouwzee op voor een schaatstocht langs alle havens. Mensen kunnen een rondje Gouwzee schaatsen. Een groot ijsoppervlakte tussen Monickendam en Marken met prima ijs. Een oneindig mooi gezicht op deze ijszee anno 2010. Het was genieten. De weilanden zijn hier wit, de Gouwzee totaal bevroren en de adem komt in kleine grijze pufjes uit mijn mond. Handen op de rug. Rustig ademen. Ik geniet van het geluid van de ijzers over het ijs en het prachtige uitzicht over de besneeuwde weilanden. Het is min één graden het is bewolkt maar aan de horizon komt uiteindelijk de zon nog door. Af en toe een hagelbui maar dat mag de pret niet drukken. Het ijs is door de sneeuw helaas te dof om het licht te weerkaatsen maar levert toch prachtige plaatjes op. In de verte kan je de flats van Almere stad zien aan de andere kant van het IJmeer. Vandaag op 25 december 2010 een lange schaatstocht gemaakt van Monnickendam - Uitdam - Marken - Volendam - en weer terug Monnickendam - 20km. Jong en oud staan op het ijs, zelfs koek en zopie is present in de haven van Monnickendam, Marken en Volendam. De warme chocolademelk smaakte heerlijk met een beetje rum erbij. Ik ben blij dat ik vandaag geweest ben, het was fantastisch.

  

I took this from my cab heading to Pen Station New York. Here is the Historical timeline from the Cathedral's web page.

1785 - In New York City there were only two hundred Catholics and one priest. The predecessor church of St. Patrick’s Cathedral was dedicated to the Prince of the Apostles - Saint Peter - and was built and dedicated on Barclay Street in lower Manhattan. It is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in New York City Today.

 

1805 - Mrs. Elizabeth Bayley Seton, founder of the Sisters of Charity in this country, was converted to Catholicism and made her profession of faith, received first communion and was confirmed in the old Saint Peter’s Church.

 

1808 - The Diocese of New York was created and comprised the entire State of New York and the eastern part of New Jersey. It was one of four suffrage sees within the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

 

1809 - The recent elevation of New York as an episcopal see with its own bishop inspired the increasing Catholic population to build the original Cathedral of New York under the name of Ireland’s patron saint, Saint Patrick. The site chosen belonged to the corporation of Saint Peter’s Church and was located on Mulberry Street in lower Manhattan. The cornerstone was laid in June 1809.

 

1815 - A news article in the New York Gazette declared: “The new Catholic church in this city was last Thursday, Ascension Day, solemnly dedicated to God under the name of Saint Patrick. This grand and beautiful church, which may justly be considered one of the greatest ornaments of our city, and inferior in point of elegance to none in the United States, is built in the Gothic style and executed agreeable to the design of Mr. Joseph Mangin, the celebrated architect of New York. The superior elegance of the architecture, as well as the beauty of the interior, had for some months past excited a considerable degree of public curiosity. Upwards of four thousand persons consisting of the best families of New York attended the dedication,” which was begun in 1809 and lately so far completed as to be fit for divine service,

 

1842 - Bishop John Hughes became Bishop of New York. His cathedral was the largest church structure in New York City, where he safely guided the growth of the city’s Catholic population during a time of much religious bigotry and turmoil.

 

1850 - New York became an archdiocese and Bishop Hughes became the first archbishop.

 

1853 - Archbishop Hughes announced plans “to erect a Cathedral in the City of New York that may be worthy of our increasing numbers, intelligence and wealth as a religious community, and at all events, worthy, as a public architectural monument, of the present and prospective crowns of this metropolis of the American continent.”

 

1853 - Renowned architect James Renwick was engaged to design the current Cathedral at a cost of approximately $850,000, not including the altars, furnishings for chapels, organs and other furniture. The stone chosen was white marble.

 

1858 - The cornerstone of the new St. Patrick’s Cathedral, whose boundaries would be between Fifth and Madison Avenues and Fiftieth and Fifty-First Streets, was laid on the site of the old Saint John’s Church on August 15, 1858. Construction of the new Cathedral progressed rapidly until interrupted by the Civil War and the need for additional funding.

 

1864 - After the death of the beloved Archbishop Hughes, Bishop John McCloskey was installed Archbishop of New York. Construction of the Cathedral resumed shortly after the close of the war.

 

1866 - On the night of October 6, 1866, old historic St. Patrick’s on Mulberry Street was destroyed by fire; the Cathedral was rebuilt within the four original walls that remained and dedicated on Saint Patrick’s Day 1868.

 

1875 - The first American Cardinal, Cardinal John McCloskey, was invested in the old Cathedral.

 

1878 - A fund- raising fair was held in the new St. Patrick’s Cathedral, with forty-five parishes sponsoring tables. Receipts of $172,625 were raised to assist in purchasing furnishings for the Cathedral.

 

1879 - St. Patrick’s Cathedral was opened formally on May 25, 1879. The newspapers hailed the new Cathedral as “the noblest temple ever raised in any land to the memory of Saint Patrick, and as the glory of Catholic America.”

 

1884 - On the occasion of his fiftieth anniversary as a priest, Cardinal McCloskey was presented with the beautiful marble pulpit as a gift from the clergy.

 

1888 - The spires of the Cathedral were completed during the stewardship of Archbishop Michael Corrigan.

 

1900 - Construction of the Lady Chapel was begun and the first Mass was offered in the Chapel on Christmas 1906. Construction with all furnishings was completed in 1908.

 

1909 - The first of the Lady Chapel stained glass windows was installed with the remainder to follow over the next twenty-five years. They were designed and constructed in England, France and Germany.

 

1910 - On October 5, 1910, the Cathedral became free from debt and was solemnly consecrated by Archbishop Farley who later was made Cardinal. It was estimated that over $4 million had been spent from start to the day of consecration.

 

1927 - In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral, Cardinal Hayes inaugurated the largest renovation project in the history of the Cathedral up to that time. The sanctuary was enlarged, the choir gallery was rebuilt, new chancel and gallery organs were built, a new baptistery was added and new nave flooring and pews were put in place. The sanctuary was enclosed by an oak screen and a handsomely designed altar railing was added.

 

1936 - On October 11, 1936, Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, who later became Pope Pius XII, presided at the 26th anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral.

 

1941-1947 - Cardinal Spellman found benefactors to underwrite many improvements including many new upper windows, the bronze doors, a new high altar and Lady Chapel altar and extensive repairs of the marble exterior facade.

 

1942 - The new Lady Chapel altar and new high altar and baldachin, more appropriate for a Gothic cathedral design, were consecrated by Archbishop Spellman. The famous stained glass artisan Charles Connick designed a number of upper windows and the rose window. The architect of the renovations was Charles Maginnis of Maginnis and Walsh.

 

1950’s - Installation of the upper windows was completed. The crowning stained glass work was the installation of the grand rose window over the west portal.

 

1972 - During Cardinal Cooke’s administration the entire interior of the Cathedral was restored.

 

1979 - Restoration of the exterior was completed for the Cathedral’s 100th anniversary.

 

1984-2000 - During Cardinal O’Connor’s episcopate, extensive renovations were made to maintain the structural integrity of the building, including replacement of much of the roof, resetting the exterior steps, repainting the transept walls and refinishing the transept doors. The Cathedral’s organs were rebuilt and television monitors were added so that all congregants at services might be able to participate fully in the liturgy. The bells were restored and a new lighting system was installed.

 

2000-2009 - During Cardinal Egan’s episcopate, the Lady Chapel, including windows, was cleaned and restored. The restoration of the altar of Saint Anthony was completed and a fine bas-relief of Saint Frances Cabrini was mounted. The sanctuary with its two altars, the sacristy, the baldachin and the great carved wood screen around the sanctuary were restored to their original splendor. A new shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Czestochowa and various saints of Poland was dedicated as was the restored Saint Andrew’s Chapel.

 

2000 - At a June 19, 2000 Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral attended by many dignitaries and graced by the beautiful voice of soprano Renée Fleming, Edward Egan was appointed Archbishop of New York, proclaiming "We are a people of faith. We are a people of prayer. We are a people of justice. We are a people of charity. That is our formula." Archbishop Egan would be elevated to the cardinalate in 2001.

 

2001 - On September 16, 2001 Cardinal Egan presided over a memorial mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for the victims of the September 11 attacks. He praised the public servants of New York who selflessly and heroically rushed to the scene. See 9/11 Mass of Supplication and Remembering the Heroes of 9/11.

 

2007-2008 - The Archdiocese of New York celebrated its Bicentennial with many celebratory Masses and events. Edward Cardinal Egan hosted a much-heralded concert featuring various choirs and stars from the Metropolitan Opera.

 

2008 - On April 19, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI became the first Pope to celebrate Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. His Holiness called upon all who were present to be heralds of hope— and to look to the spires of St. Patrick’s as a symbol of the spiritual yearning of the human heart. See video excerpt.

 

2009 - On April 15, 2009 in a joyful Mass of Installation at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, His Excellency Timothy Dolan was installed as the 10th Archbishop of New York saying: "I pledge to you my love, my life, my heart, and I can tell you already that I love you. I need so much your prayers and support. I am so honored, humbled, and happy to serve as your pastor."

 

2011 and the Future - Plans are put in place to launch a major effort to preserve St. Patrick’s for generations to come.

saintpatrickscathedral.org/