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Battersea Power Station
Coal-fired power station decommissioned in 1975, now redeveloped into office space and residential accommodations. Grade II* listed.
London - UK
Ortygia is a small island which is the historical centre of the city of Syracuse, Sicily. The island, also known as the Città Vecchia (Old City), contains many historical landmarks. The name originates from the ancient Greek ortyx (ὄρτυξ), which means "Quail".
The Homeric Hymn to Delian Apollo has it that the goddess Leto stopped at Ortygia to give birth to Artemis, the firstborn of her twins. Artemis then helped Leto across the sea to the island of Delos, where Leto gave birth to Apollo. Other ancient sources state that the twins were born in the same place – which was either Delos or Ortygia – but Ortygia, according to Strabo was an old name of Delos. Further, there were perhaps a half-dozen other places called Ortygia, so that the identification is uncertain.
It was also said that Asteria, the sister of Leto, metamorphosed into a quail (Ortyx), threw herself into the sea, and was metamorphosed into the island of Ortygia. Another myth suggested that it was Delos, rather than Ortygia.
Ortygia was the mythological home of Arethusa, a chaste nymph who, while fleeing a river god, was transformed by Artemis into a spring, traversed underground and appeared here, thus providing water for the city. Arethusa and her pursuer, the river god Alpheus, came from Arcadia in Greece.
Ortygia, being an island just off the coast, was easily transformed into a natural fortress with harbors and was big enough that it could hold a significant population in ancient times. Therefore, the history of Ortygia is synonymous with the early history of Syracuse.
The Almo Collegio Borromeo is a private university hall of residence (collegio) in Pavia, region of Lombardy, Italy. It is classified as a "highly qualified Cultural Institute" by the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research and is the oldest such institution remaining in operation in Italy. Together with Collegio Ghislieri – with which a sharp goliardic rivalry has developed during the centuries – it is one of two colleges in Pavia with historical heritage. The building that houses the college was designed by Pellegrino Tibaldi, and overlooks the Ticino, surrounded by landscaped gardens and the Borromeo Gardens. Vasari described it as a "palace of knowledge" ("palazzo per la Sapienza").
The college selects students of the University of Pavia through a rigorous public competition based on tests taken annually. The services offered by the college are not limited to food and housing, but rather are focused on providing training in parallel and integrated with the university: for example, CEGA (Center for General and Applied Ethics) is hosted by the college; along with conferences, presentations of books on current affairs, hosting the chair in theology, and offering countless moments of reflection, in addition to the ever-rich artistic and musical seasons in the life of the college. The college also offers various exchange programmes, with institutions such as Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University.
Collegio Borromeo was founded in 1561 by the estate of cardinal St. Charles Borromeo which aimed to create an institution to accommodate young promising students experiencing economic hardship. This is still the aim of the Fondazione Collegio Borromeo. On May 10, 2009, the Women's Section was opened in the presence of Minister Mariastella Gelmini and Cardinal Dionigi Tettamanzi; it is intended to accommodate approximately fifty of the most deserving female students from the University of Pavia.
The student rooms are divided according to the sides of the building: "Piazza" ("Square") on the western side, facing Piazza Borromeo, "Giardino" ("Garden") on the south side, "Vicolo" ("Lane") on the north side, looking onto Via Cardinal Tosi. The east side is called "Richini", as it is situated on a seventeenth-century garden designed by Francesco Maria Richini, and houses two auditorium-style rooms ("White Room" and "Mural Room") with private upstairs rooms for guests. The rooms are also divided into several levels: "Mezzanino" (mezzanine), "Nobile" (piano nobile), "Paradiso" (second mezzanine) and "Iperuranio" (attic). Also on the south side are "Sangiovannino alto" and "basso" ("Upper" and "Lower"), saved from the Church of San Giovanni in Borgo before demolition in the nineteenth century.
College admission follows an open, meritocratic competition divided into a variety of assessments; only those who have obtained a minimum score of 80 in their graduation exam may apply for the admissions competition. This competition is now run in conjunction with the Scuola Superiore Studi Pavia IUSS, the School for Advanced Studies, of which the Almo Collegio Borromeo is a founding member and, indeed, the admission test is valid for access to IUSS courses to the extent of space reserved for the college. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the gaining a place at Borromeo does not automatically secure a place in IUSS: although it is not the norm, there are students of Borromeo who are not students of IUSS, as the rankings of the IUSS competition and the Borromeo competition are separate and follow different criteria (distinguishing different classes and thresholds).
The first part of the competition includes a written test administered by the IUSS, divided into the following disciplines: Italian, Latin, History, Philosophy, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry problems were recently introduced. One can choose the track and the exercises regardless of the degree course chosen and can obtain a maximum score of 20 points from this written test. Those obtaining a minimum score of 12 points in the written test are invited to two oral examinations. In these, candidates are tested on the content of their last three years of high school in two subjects of their choice, however relevant to their degree course. The test begins from a topic chosen by the student and listed in the schedule ("tesario"; containing the list of topics to prepare for each discipline). The oral exam can provide up to 60 points, 30 for each interview. Additionally, as part of these tests, the candidate is interviewed by the appropriate college Rector and, in order to gauge the strength of compatible cultural background, he or she has a test of general knowledge and an aptitude interview with a psychologist seeking to determine eligibility for collegiate life. The latter tests have no value for the IUSS competition but contribute 20 points overall towards Borromeo entry. To be eligible, a candidate must achieve the minimum score of 65 points.
To retain their place at the college, students are required to have a university average of at least 27/30, with no marks below 24, and to pass all required exams by the formal closing of the academic year. The ability to speak at least two foreign languages is required, demonstrated through specific, internationally recognized certificates. Students must also attend additional courses required by IUSS or, alternatively, take at least two internal courses per academic year.
I recently stayed a couple nights out on Chincoteague Island on the eastern shore of Virginia. I was planning on doing a night shot of the lighthouse out there but the park closed at 10. In addition, there aren't really any good views of the lighthouse unless you're on a boat. So I did some exploring and the Curtis Merit Harbor at the end of the island has a giant cross dedicated to townsmen who lost their lives at sea. I decided this would be a great spot to get some milky way shots.
In the middle of shooting out of no where the sky suddenly flashed bright white. I had no idea what happened at first. The clouds were so far away and it was so dark I couldn't see them. Had no idea they were there. Then I realized it was lightning way off in the distance. Can't believe I got lucky enough to capture a lightning bolt with the milky way. This is just one frame. I didn't do any stacking or blending. The cross was lit up pretty perfectly by some ambient light from the harbor behind me.
I was pretty disappointed with the whole lighthouse situation but I guess somethings happen for a reason. I'm pretty satisfied with this shot! Thanks for looking!
Railroad tracks, near Benicia, northern California.
"For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail."
G last 9 3.4.23
One of my five photos (five allowed) entered in the Flickr World Photography Day Contest 2022 (as of 9/14/2022) www.flickr.com/groups/worldphotographyday2022/ WPD22Objects
Old antique wooden rocking horse with a saddle in an antiques shop window. Shot specifically for the Flickr Friday December theme "Wood". Photo available for exclusive licensing from Alamy: www.alamy.com/old-antique-wooden-rocking-horse-with-a-sad...
Evening festivities on World Photography Day at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. An amusement ride in motion that is pretty too look at and one that there is no way I would get on it.
Sleggveien in Røros, Norway. A popular motif among tourists and photographers. Taken during a cold night in february-21 (approx. -32C). HDR of 3 images due to dim stars and bright streetlights (2nd version of this photo).
Sleaford Maltings … it's all about the Bass. Or maybe it's all about the Mods?
Nikolaus Pevsner reckoned that, "For sheer impressiveness, little in English architecture can equal the scale of this building," but it’s the only site which has ever given me a seriously bad feeling. I know a lot of people have explored it, some have even done it in the dark, but to me it felt oppressive from the start. Derelict buildings usually feel benign but there were odd noises in here, perhaps vehicles and voices from the nearby houses reflected off the malting walls. After I’d been inside for an hour or so, the unease grew into a feeling of apprehension, then an aura of dread. It was palpable but I never managed to rationalise it, I just knew it was time to leave. I think that feeling was mutual, as the fence had a proper go at ripping my rucksack as I scrambled away. A couple of weeks later, I was made redundant.
Earlier this year I met up with my father in Malaga for a 2 week holiday to photograph the wildlife in and around Grazalema.
To say the weather was unkind was an understatement, however this presented other opportunities so as well as the wildlife, of which there was plenty. This was a taken on a very damp overcast day when we decided to visit Ronda, needless to say the Puente Nuevo was top of the list.
As well as the weather, the river was also much more obvious, usually just a trickle and there are also a couple of Red-billed Choughs in the image, so we did see some wildlife whilst here.
Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. It was referred to as Hoover Dam after President Herbert Hoover in bills passed by Congress during its construction; it was named Boulder Dam by the Roosevelt administration. The Hoover Dam name was restored by Congress in 1947.
Since about 1900, the Black Canyon and nearby Boulder Canyon had been investigated for their potential to support a dam that would control floods, provide irrigation water and produce hydroelectric power. In 1928, Congress authorized the project. The winning bid to build the dam was submitted by a consortium named Six Companies, Inc., which began construction of the dam in early 1931. Such a large concrete structure had never been built before, and some of the techniques were unproven. The torrid summer weather and lack of facilities near the site also presented difficulties. Nevertheless, Six Companies turned the dam over to the federal government on March 1, 1936, more than two years ahead of schedule.
Hoover Dam impounds Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the United States by volume when full. The dam is located near Boulder City, Nevada, a municipality originally constructed for workers on the construction project, about 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The dam's generators provide power for public and private utilities in Nevada, Arizona, and California. Hoover Dam is a major tourist attraction, with 7 million tourists a year. The heavily traveled U.S. Route 93 (US 93) ran along the dam's crest until October 2010, when the Hoover Dam Bypass opened.