View allAll Photos Tagged Water_filtration_systems
This is a marsh where one stream feeds into Lake George. Water flowing through here is filtered by the plants. It's right outside the very busy village, with lots of traffic - but it is totally protected from development and pollution. In fact, all streams that feed this lake are natural, protected environments. There is a general realization that tourists are attracted to clear, clean water, so some money has been spent to keep the lake that way.
Created for The Blind Pig Speakeasy challenge 27 - The Earth's Bounty: www.flickr.com/groups/photopigs/discuss/72157648985867546/
Wetlands play a critical role in the health of our environment and in the quality of our lives. Among other things, wetlands provide flood water storage, act as one of nature's water filtration systems, and provide habitat for numerous species of flora and fauna. As human development continues to expand, wetlands continue to shrink and we find ourselves in the position of having to somehow compensate (inadequately) for their loss. Support wetland conservation initiatives.
Photos and textures are my own. All rights reserved. Do not use without explicit permission.
Thanks to all for your visits, comments, awards and favorites! Very much appreciated!!!
These look like old time gas pumps, but I believe Pure is a water filtration system. What really caught my eye is the old Royal Crown Cola cooler on the right. Is RC Cola still on the market? I haven’t seen it in many, many years.
Taken in Whitestone, Virginia
this marsh is actually a water filtration system and it works quite well. a spigot sticks out of a sign and you can fill your water bottle right there with the water from the five basins inside the marsh.
Basilica Cisterns is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul. The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapı Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times
Basilica Cistern
Istanbul, Turkey
The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
--- Wikipedia
The Basilica cistern, the largest of several ancient cisterns lying beneath Istanbul, is located near the Hagia Sophia. It was built in the 6th C by the Byzantine emperor, Justinian. Water for the columned cistern comes via aqueducts from the north of the city. It is a water filtration system that still provides water to the nearby Topaki Palace.
Basilica Cistern
Istanbul, Turkey
The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
--- Wikipedia
A subterranean cistern constructed in the 6th century. Once a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople.
Today drained of most of its water and installed with fancy light it’s a major tourist attraction.
Glossy Ibis wading in the Sweetwater Wetlands Park near Gainesville, Florida. The Sweetwater Wetlands are a wonderful man-made habitat created to improve water quality naturally in the Paynes Prairie wetlands and the Florida Aquifer. Opened to the public in 2015, there are over 125 acres of wetlands with over 3.5 miles of trails. These wetlands provide a natural water filtration system and a wonderful habitat for wildlife, including over 270 species of birds.
Explored January 4, 2016.
(from Wikipedia)
The Basilica Cistern (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarayı - "Sunken Palace", or Yerebatan Sarnıcı - "Sunken Cistern"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
History
The name of this subterranean structure derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. Before being converted to a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed by Illus after a fire in 476.
Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Hagia Sophia. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.
Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
Basilica Cistern
Istanbul, Turkey
The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
--- Wikipedia
Some of the 336 columns of the Basilica cistern underground water filtration system, dating back from the 6th century, in Istanbul.
Basilica Cistern, Istanbul, Turkey
After the disappointment of the renovation work hiding the interior of the Blue Mosque we headed back across Sultanahmet Meydani (gardens and fountain between the two great mosques) towards Haghia Sophia, but as expected the queues were particularly long and I estimated it would take over an hour just to reach the ticket office. Besides, we were a little confused by the entrance fee pricing - 72₺ basic or 105₺ for fast track to the museum. Not that it was expensive by tourist standards but we only wanted to visit the church/mosque (we later found out the museum IS the church/mosque).
But not to worry, we had a backup plan... just across the road from Haghia Sophia is the entrance to the underground cistern known as Basilica Cistern, actually there are loads of these all over Istanbul but this is the main one that all the tourists (including us) go to visit, mainly on account of a well known character from the novels of Dan Brown - a certain Dr Robert Langdon, a professor of symbology at Harvard University and honorary tour guide to all the worlds ancient monuments and sponsored front man to all vested tourist organisations... he does get about a bit in his films if you haven't noticed!
Now, if you've not seen the last film with Tom Hanks as Dr RL in Inferno then you might not known that this cistern featured in the final act of the film. It was high on my "places to visit" list, even though I'd researched that you couldn't use a tripod or even a gorilla pod inside. Non-deterred I still packed tripod, gorilla pod and newly purchased camera bean bag - just in case they had relaxed the conditions or took pity on a crying 55 year old man having a paddy on the pavement outside. The queues weren't too long and at 20₺ a bargain. Scanning the queue line I couldn't see any reference to the use of tripods etc and as I hadn't actually brought mine, I considered rushing back to the hotel for it - a 15 minute jog - tops! Better check at the ticket office first I thought... good call, there is also an x-ray machine to negotiate.
"Can I take photoooos inside with triiiipoood, you know, that thing with 3 sticky out legs?" holding camera in one hand and trying to simulate a tripod with the fingers of my other hand. The ticket clerk looked at me perplexed, as though my fluent Turkish was grammatically incorrect. She pointed to a security guard standing by the x-ray machine... "he tell you".
"Can I take photoooos inside with triiiipoood?"
"You pay fee to use triiipoood", no need to mock my linguistic skills, I thought, but I'll let that go!
"How much L I R A ?" I enquired
"One thousand, two hundred lira" came back the instant reply... a bit to rehearsed for my liking.
"HOW MUCH!!!"
"One thousand, two hundred lira!" the security guard reiterated.
"Ok mate, I think I'll give it a miss this time"
We paid the 20₺ each, passed through the scanner and went down an every darkening staircase! Now they say there's one born every minute... I think I'm fully paid up now for the hour. Yet again there were major renovation work taking place that necessitated the draining of the cistern so no chance of any mirror reflections, let alone the opportunity to swim in it like Robert Langdon did while trying to find the world's deadly virus.
You navigate through the cistern on a raised walkway that limits photography, not that it really mattered as it's so poorly lit. Don't be fooled by this image... I only took 11 pictures and didn't even bother with the Medusa heads on account of the poor light - one of the failing of the Canon 5Ds... no flash! This is the best I could manage handholding and pushing the ISO, which I really dislike doing. I don't know how all these youngsters manage on these new fangled camera phones, but they seemed to be getting better results than me!
Anyway, what this picture lacks in impact and drama I hope the following history makes up for it...
The Basilica Cistern, or Cisterna Basilica (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarnıcı – "Subterrenean Cistern"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 150 metres (490 ft) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
History
This subterranean cistern, in Greek kinsterne (κινστέρνη), was called Basilica because it was located under a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica. At this location, and prior to constructing the cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed by Illus after a fire in 476.
Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Haghia Sophia. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city. Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern. The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapı Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
Measurements and data
This cathedral-size cistern is an underground chamber approximately 138 metres (453 ft) by 65 metres (213 ft) – about 9,800 square metres (105,000 sq ft) in area – capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres (2,800,000 cu ft) of water. The ceiling is supported by a forest of 336 marble columns, each 9 metres (30 ft) high, arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns each spaced 5 metres (16 ft) apart. The capitals of the columns are mainly Ionic and Corinthian styles, with the exception of a few Doric style with no engravings. One of the columns is engraved with raised pictures of a Hen's Eye, slanted braches, and tears. This column resembles the columns of the Triumphal Arch of Theodosius I from the 4th century (AD 379–395), erected in the 'Forum Tauri' Square. Ancient texts suggest that the tears on the column pay tribute to the hundreds of slaves who died during the construction of the Basilica Cistern. The majority of the columns in the cistern appear to have been recycled from the ruins of older buildings (a process called 'spoliation'), likely brought to Constantinople from various parts of the empire, together with those that were used in the construction of Haghia Sophia. They are carved and engraved out of various types of marble and granite.
Fifty-two stone steps descend into the entrance of the cistern. The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 metres (13 ft) and coated with a waterproofing mortar. The Basilica Cistern's water came from the Eğrikapı Water Distribution Center in the Belgrade Forest, which lie 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city. It travelled through the 971-metre-long (3,186 ft) Valens (Bozdoğan) Aqueduct, and the 115-metre-long (377 ft) Mağlova Aqueduct, which was built by the Emperor Justinian.
The Basilica Cistern has undergone several restorations since its foundation. The first of the repairs were carried out twice during the Ottoman State in the 18th century during the reign of Ahmed III in 1723 by the architect Muhammad Agha of Kayseri. The second major repair was completed during the 19th century during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II (1876–1909). Cracks to masonry and damaged columns were repaired in 1968, with additional restoration in 1985 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Museum. During the 1985 restoration, 50,000 tons of mud were removed from the cisterns, and platforms built throughout to replace the boats once used to tour the cistern. The cistern was opened to the public in its current condition on 9 September 1987. In May 1994, the cistern underwent additional cleaning.
Medusa column bases
Located in the northwest corner of the cistern, the bases of two columns reuse blocks carved with the visage of Medusa. The origin of the two heads is unknown, though it is thought that the heads were brought to the cistern after being removed from a building of the late Roman period. There is no written evidence that suggests they were used as column pedestals previously. Tradition has it that the blocks are oriented sideways and inverted in order to negate the power of the Gorgons' gaze; however, it is widely thought that one was placed sideways only to be the proper size to support the column. The upside-down Medusa was placed that way specifically because she would be the same height right side up.
In popular culture
The cistern was used as a location for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love and most recently the cistern with its inverted Medusa pillar featured in the 2013 Dan Brown novel Inferno as well as its 2016 film adaptation.
Some of you may recall the telling of my adventures in an underground bunker earlier this summer. The secret bunker was discovered in the backyard by the new owners of the property. The new owners invited me to go down into the extensive tunnel system so I could take pictures of what was down there in exchange for copies of the photos I was able to capture. It was pitch black in the bunker so we had to use head lamps in order to see our way around. Thankfully, my D750 is quite good at getting pictures in extremely low-light situations! The man that built this tunnel system was preparing for an apocalypse,of sorts. Besides all these various containers that are filled with all manner of seeds and beans, the owners also recovered a large cache of guns that were kept in grease, presumably to prevent them from rusting. They also recovered large amounts of gold, silver, kerosene, grains, personal hygiene items, a water filtration system, and a rather ingenious air filtration system that treated the whole bunker. There is some talk that the man that owned the place, originally, had worked for NASA as an engineer. There is also speculation that he aided and abetted a white supremacist for a period of time. The story is bolstered by the trap door that's still located in the bathroom of the main house. There is also a small button located on the wall which is actually a buzzer. The theory is that when anyone approached the main house the original owner would press the buzzer which alerted the man that was hiding out to the danger. Once aware of the danger he would then use the trap door in the bathroom floor to access the bunker's tunnel system; from there he would use the tunnels to make his way to a remote cabin located further back on the property. The new owners are working to verify the truth of this mysterious discovery made on their property. I'll try to keep everyone updated on anything new that develops with this story.
The name is derived from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. Before being converted to a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed after a fire in 476.
Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Hagia Sophia. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.
Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
This house is designed by Richard Neutra for Ambassador Walter Rice, a top Reynolds Metals Corp. executive, and his wife, Inger. The only International Style home in Richmond, the Rice House is perched on a man-made island overlooking Williams Dam on the James River.
Upon exchanging vows in 1960, the Rices were living comfortably near the University of Richmond across from the sixth hole of the Country Club of Virginia. They played golf, hunted and fished regularly. And although they considered building a house on property they owned in Goochland County, what they really craved was living with a water view. So lakefront explorations and James River hikes became routine.
One perfect autumn day while they trudged along a riverbank near Windsor Farms, they had their eureka moment.
"It was all jungle, no roads," Inger recalls of stumbling upon a remote and steeply sloping site alongside the Chesapeake and Ohio (now CSX) train tracks. "This is it, here we will build," she said. "But then I looked a little farther toward a slope and asked, 'What is that over there?'"
After descending the treacherous incline and crossing the James River and Kanawha Canal, a barbed wire barrier was no deterrent, she says, "Walter put his jacket on the fence and we climbed over."
It was named Dead Man's Hill because of three men interred there in the 1860s. And from atop it the Rices scanned the canal, Williams Dam and the James River rapids that raged 110 feet below. "The view was magnificent. We fell in love with it," she says, recalling the conversation.
"Walter, build me a drawbridge," Inger implored.
"Absolutely not," he replied.
"Walter," she persisted, "Build me a suspension bridge."
"Absolutely not."
But when Inger consulted a company engineer at Reynolds Metals, her husband knew she'd dug in.
After purchasing the 17-acre island plus 16 acres north of the tracks, Walter also began to study bridge design. Eventually, Inger says, "he knew more about bridge building than anyone."
To span the deep ravine to link Dead Man's Hill with the mainland would require a single, 60-foot stretch of steel.
"The city said we couldn't build a house on the island because fire trucks couldn't get there," Inger says. "So we asked how much a fire truck weighed, and we were told 13 tons. Walter said, 'OK, I will build it to hold 13.8 tons.'"
"Since then, fire trucks have become much larger — they now weigh 25 tons," Inger says. "But they still keep one fire truck on standby that weighs 13 tons."
Walter was a Harvard-educated lawyer who'd argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and headed five of Reynolds' international subsidiaries. But the logistics of constructing a bridge in so rustic a location would require all the savvy and mettle he could muster.
Mum's the word, he instructed his wife, while he negotiated not just halting all C&O railroad traffic for a week, but also stopping water intake to the nearby Richmond water filtration system for the same period of time. He also convinced city officials to permit nighttime delivery of construction materials so as not to interfere with local daytime traffic.
"He did the impossible," Inger says. "I don't think you could do that today."
With infrastructure in place, the Rices tackled their next challenge, persuading the revolutionary, temperamental and Austrian-born architect Neutra to design a house for them.
Walter Lyman Rice and Inger Margarethe Vestergaard were introduced in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1960. Apparently it was love at first sight. "There was immediate electricity," she says.
A Copenhagen native, Inger was a purser for Pan American Airlines who'd been lent to Reynolds Metals to serve on a corporate flight. It was there that she caught the eye of Richard S. Reynolds Jr., president of the Richmond-based, Fortune 500 company, which merged with Alcoa in 2000.
Walter, a Minnesota native, was in Hamburg, Germany, overseeing a company ship-building project when he got a telephone call from his boss: "Come here, I've got something to show you," Reynolds told him, as he recounted to a reporter in 1996. "I thought he had discovered a new way of making aluminum."
When Walter arrived in Lucerne, he said he "found the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
At dinner that night, Inger says, Reynolds' wife, Virginia, suggested they all go to the casino. "Walter was the best dancer in the world," she says. And a few days later the mutually smitten pair — she was 20 years his junior — rendezvoused in London. "We talked and talked and talked," she says. "We talked about life. I had been all over the world. He had been all over the world."
But when Walter proposed marriage just days later, there was a hitch: Inger was engaged to a man in Copenhagen. She immediately flew to Denmark and ended the commitment.
Within a month of meeting, the couple was married in the living room of the Reynolds' home on Sulgrave Road in Windsor Farms. "Virginia Reynolds had insisted that if we weren't married in their home Richmond society would never accept me," Inger says.
While the Rices settled into life on Ridgeway Road, Inger also observed that local society wasn't eager to accept anything architecturally short of traditional. This clearly wasn't for her. Inger says her interest in contemporary art and architecture had been heightened in part after the opening in 1958 of Denmark's architecturally bold and contemporary Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. The museum's broad expanses of glass walls dispensed with any interruption between interior and exterior. Sculpture adorned the grounds and there were water views.
But modernism also was in the air in the Richmond of the late 1950s. In 1957, Reynolds Metals had moved into its strikingly sleek new headquarters complex on West Broad Street in Henrico County. It was the area's first suburban office complex, designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore Owings & Merrill — and now headquarters of Altria Corp. In 1963 local architect Haig Jamgochian's startlingly metallic Markel Building was taking shape near Willow Lawn. And in 1960, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts had featured Neutra's architecture in a one-man photographic exhibition that later toured colleges statewide.
If Walter had imported a wife, Inger was interested in bringing an International Style house to her adopted town.
"People were doing a lot of interesting things in design and manufacturing at the time," says Frederick Cox, a principal with the Richmond firm of Marcellus Wright Cox Architects who was entering the profession in the early 1960s, "Inger Rice was trying to do something interesting and trying something different on that island."
Walter's commitments as a director and policy committee member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce took him frequently to Washington. So Inger often accompanied him. She'd spend the day at the American Institute of Architects, poring over books and other literature about contemporary architects. In the evenings she'd show the borrowed books to her husband in their suite in the Hay Adams Hotel near the White House.
"I loved the naturalistic setting of Falling Water," Inger says of Frank Lloyd Wright's famous house near Pittsburgh. "But he was dead. I also liked the Tugendhat House, by Mies van der Rohe, in Czechoslovakia."
"I finally nailed it down to three architects: Philip Johnson, Edward Durell Stone and Richard Neutra." Johnson was working on the New York World's Fair and Lincoln Center at the time, while Stone went on to design the Kennedy Center for the Arts.
But when the Rices asked Neutra about building a house on Dead Man's Hill, he was less than eager. "We approached Neutra and he was conceited and self-centered," Inger recalls. "He said: 'I'm famous. I don't need to come to Richmond, Virginia.'"
It was late in Neutra's career and he was at the top of his game. He'd recently completed the U.S. Embassy in West Pakistan, which the Rices had visited, and was working on a plum commission, a memorial to Abraham Lincoln marking the centennial of the Gettysburg Address.
In California, where he'd almost single-handedly melded modernism onto the architectural landscape since opening his practice there in 1928, he was still in demand. Garden Grove Community Church, a commission by television evangelist Robert Schuller, was completed in 1962. It had huge glass walls that swung open so families could worship from the convenience of their automobiles (Philip Johnson's Crystal Cathedral for Schuller came later).
Born in fin de siécle Vienna, Austria, in 1892, Neutra was a beneficiary of the first generation of European architects who'd laid groundwork to straddle classicism with modernism both stylistically and in new construction techniques.
The Vienna of Neutra's youth was percolating with new philosophical, scientific, artistic and architectural ideas that would define the 20th century. The Neutras, agnostic Jews, were of the intelligentsia. His grandfather was a physician and his prosperous father owned a foundry. One brother was a violinist who mingled with revolutionary composer Arnold Schonberg. Sigmund Freud was a family friend.
Drawn to architecture since boyhood, Neutra was dazzled by the startlingly modern train stations by Otto Wagner, Austria's leading public building architect. Later, Neutra was influenced by another modernist forebear and teacher, Adolph Loos, who insisted buildings exhibit neither historical reference nor ornament. Loos stressed that architecture should be of its time, but timeless and honest and bold in expressing building techniques.
In 1911, the same year Neutra enrolled in architecture school, Frank Lloyd Wright's works were published in Europe, creating a positive sensation.
Neutra entered the Austrian army during World War I in 1914 and served in the Balkans. His friend and colleague, architect Rudolf Schindler, had left Vienna and settled in Chicago, where he secured a job with Wright. Remaining in Europe, however, Neutra was further exposed to such modern movements as the Bauhaus and the De Stijl: The ravages of war only strengthened the general belief that radical changes were essential in designing how people lived, worked and spent their leisure time.
Neutra became determined that human experience could be enhanced by design that embraced nature, employed humanistic systems and exploited technology. In 1919 he wrote in his diary, "I wish I could get out of Europe and get to an idyllic tropical island where one does not have to fear the winter ... but find time to think and ... be a free spirit."
In 1923 Neutra followed Schindler to the United States. He was attracted by Frank Lloyd Wright and worked for the master briefly in Chicago. But California beckoned and he established a mostly residential practice there. In 1929 he designed the Philip and Leah Lovell "Health" House in Los Angeles, which established exterior spaces as important as the interior. It also was the nation's first all light-steel house and the project was featured in the seminal exhibition, "Modern Architecture" at the Museum of Modern Art.
Neutra's client base became increasingly impressive and wealthy. For the department-store magnate Edgar Kauffman — whose 1939 house, Falling Water by Wright, continues to thrill architecture aficionados — he designed a large home in Palm Springs, Calif.
He also worked on city planning projects and designed public housing complexes. He pioneered the use of plywood and claims to have invented the sliding glass door. Time magazine put him on its cover in August 1949.
"We had written him and telephoned him" to no avail, Inger says. "But when we heard he was going to be in New York for a concert, we said, 'We are going to put you in a car and drive you to Richmond.' He finally agreed he would come to look and stay with us for a week."
The Rices expected him at 6 o'clock for dinner and finally he arrived at 9, Inger recalls. "He'd also brought his wife and his assistant, Thaddeus Longstreth, and Mrs. Longstreth. "When I said, 'Let's sit down a eat,' he said, 'No, my wife will first play the piano.'" The Rices dutifully sat through a rendition of classical music before settling down to boeuf bourguignon. "He was testing us," Inger says, almost approvingly.
The next day the party drove to Dead Man's Hill. "Neutra loved the river and loved the view," Inger says. The Rices also took their guests to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where they visited with director Leslie Cheek, an architect by training, who championed modernism.
"But most Richmonders were against contemporary architecture," Inger says. "My best friends said, 'This is Richmond and Richmond is Williamsburg.' But I said, we are on our own island and we will do what we like."
Neutra agreed to take on the project. Although his architect assistant, Princeton-based Longstreth, oversaw the project, "Neutra was the boss and dictated to Thaddeus what to do," Inger says.
Taking their cues from what they'd seen and read about his approach to house design, the Rices presented Neutra an advance "like" and "do not like" list. "We like: White with rustic stone" and "We do not like: Extended beam with outside pillar."
While a construction budget was never established, the Rices had an agreement with builder William Kayhoe of Richmond that work would proceed on a cost plus basis. "Kayhoe Construction had never done a modern house before. The house plans were this thick," Inger says, indicating two inches with her fingers.
There were battles, Inger says: "Neutra didn't want a dining room. He hated the legs of dining room chairs and wanted us to have a Japanese dining area." But seating her guests on the floor wasn't for her: "I told Neutra that in Richmond we have formal dinners and I wanted to be able to seat 24. He compromised by adding the Japanese sitting room." And when Inger asked for a sunken, marble tub, Neutra balked: "It'd be like sitting in a tomb." He specified a tile tub.
During construction the Neutras came to check on the progress. When the architect saw that the shallow water feature off the second-floor master bedroom was too narrow — it not only created a reflective surface but also was a safety measure taking the place of a railing. "We wanted to make the pool one foot wider, but Neutra objected," Inger says. "He said he'd take his name off the project and he'd tear the whole house down if we did. "He and Walter argued over that. I had to calm Walter down, and then I had to calm Neutra down."
The water feature remained 4 feet wide.
Neutra also didn't like the craftsmanship of how the Georgia marble joined the concrete, although it had been done by three masons imported from the Peach State.
But Inger says her husband was especially intrigued and pleased by Neutra's use of atmospheric lighting, both inside and outside the house — which required 10,000 feet of wiring. "There was light on the roof, light on the dam, and there was lighting in the overhang."
Soon after the 6,000-square-foot house was finished, the architect came to inspect. "This house should last as long as the rapids," Neutra proclaimed. But apparently he was less than enamored by some of the furnishings. "He took the burgundy colored cushions — Walter loved red — and threw them out onto the terrace," Inger says. "Then he just lay down outside. He was very spirited."
In 1965 the Rices took occupancy of their house with floor-to-ceiling windows, built-in furniture, a swimming pool and various terraces with sweeping views of the James River.
Their son, John Eric, and daughter, Lisa, grew up in their perfectly modern house. "Some friends were surprised that their bedrooms were on the floor below our bedroom room," Inger says. "But we had an intercom and could always hear what was going on."
Built farther back into the hillside on the lower level was an air raid shelter — a very Cold War feature. It was approached by a zigzag of walls — "to deflect the rays," Inger says. It was never stocked.
Walter retired from Reynolds in 1968. Inger went into real estate. And they continued to travel — Inger says she's been around the world 18 times — and welcome guests to their midcentury modern landmark.
In August 1997 the Rices were still entertaining grandly in dining room that Neutra had balked at designing. The occasion, which this writer attended, was Walter's 94th birthday. Twenty guests ascended the broad, floating staircase from the poolside terrace to the main floor and were ushered in for supper. They sat on Danish modern chairs and dined on Rose Medallion china. Inger had done the flowers herself, Japanese bonsai-style.
Toasting the celebrants, the former ambassador uttered his favorite maxim: "Work hard, play hard."
He died the following year and was buried on the island near the grave of a son who died in infancy.
Inger continued to live in the house until 2007 before moving to a retirement community. But in 1996, before her husband's death, the Rices had donated their house to the Science Museum of Virginia Foundation to ensure its preservation and continued use. It's now used for conferences, nature study, occasional architectural studies and is available on a limited basis for private events.
Five years ago the foundation restored Virginia's Neutra gem. The project involved a new roof, laying cork floors, filling in the swimming pool and making 21st-century, environmentally sound enhancements. And in a nod to code and safety inspectors, a railing was installed around the second-floor deck and reflecting pool that Neutra and his client had locked horns over.
Walter Rice probably would have found a way around it.
From Wikipedia: "The name of this subterranean structure derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. Before being converted to a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre.[1] The basilica was reconstructed by Illus after a fire in 476.
Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Hagia Sophia.[1] According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.
Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.[1]
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times."
The Basilica Cistern (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarayı - "Sunken Palace", or Yerebatan Sarnıcı - "Sunken Cistern"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
History
The name of this subterranean structure derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. Before being converted to a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed by Ilius after a fire in 476.
Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Church of Hagia Sophia According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.
Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapı Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
In media
The cistern was used as a location for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love. In the film, it is referred to as being constructed by the Emperor Constantine, with no reference to Justinian. Its location is a considerable distance from the Soviet (now Russian) consulate, which is located in Beyoğlu, the "newer" European section of Istanbul, on the other side of the Golden Horn.
The finale of the 2009 film The International takes place in a fantasy amalgam of the Old City, depicting the Basilica Cistern as lying beneath the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, which, in the film, is directly adjacent to the Süleymaniye Mosque.
In the 2011 video game, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, the player controlled character, Ezio Auditore, is given the chance to explore a section of this cistern in a memory sequence entitled The Yerebatan Cistern.
Source: Wikipedia
Camera Nikon D7000
Exposure 4
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 10.5 mm
ISO Speed 400
After you enter the subterranean cisterns that have been there since the 6th century, you begin to see the water, the marble columns and you hear the haunting music playing. It is unlike any where else I have ever been. This is the water filtration system that was built for the near by palaces and has been beneath the city of Istanbul since the days of the Byzantine empire.
After you enter the subterranean cistern that has been there since the 6th century, you begin to see the water, the marble columns and you hear the haunting music playing. It is unlike any where else I have ever been. This is the water filtration system that was built for the near by palaces and has been beneath the city of Istanbul since the days of the Byzantine empire.
As a precaution, our fair city issued a boil water advisory due to concerns about e-coli.
On an everyday basis, I forget how fortunate we are to be able to simply turn on the tap and have fresh, clean, and safe water at my disposal. Something like this is a good reminder.
Fortunately I bought a water filtration system last year for camping which takes out water born viruses and bacteria. It takes a little will to fill up the jug, but time seems like a small price to pay.
The Basilica Cistern. Built in the 6th Century to provide a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
The Basilica Cistern is one of my favourite places to visit in Istanbul. One of the cities hidden treasures... it resides beneath a fairly unimpressive entrance building. You'd walk straight past it if you didn't know.
I never leave Istanbul without visiting at least once...
We sat in a cafe not far from the entrance and I surveyed the queue of tourists snaking its way around the corner.
"Lets not go now." I said to Stan. "My experiences of the Cisterns have always been good, and I will just be annoyed if we go now and have to elbow our way through the masses."
Our iced coffees arrived along with a slice of cheesecake and a small platter of baklava. Three pieces too many. The waiter was flirtatious, bald and sported a gold earring.
We agreed to visit the cisterns later in the day when the crowds had died down. When we could walk along its slippery boardwalks in peace and enjoy the sounds of echoey water drips overlaying classical music.
We went 45 minutes before closing and the crowd was much smaller. I was the last to leave... the security guard following me patiently as I turned and snapped my last shot.
The Basilica Cistern (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarayı - "Sunken Palace", or Yerebatan Sarnıcı - "Sunken Cistern"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
The name of this subterranean structure derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. Before being converted to a cistern, a great Basilica stood in its place, built between the 3rd and 4th centuries during the Early Roman Age as a commercial, legal and artistic centre. The basilica was reconstructed by Ilius after a fire in 476.
Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Hagia Sophia. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.
Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
(Wikipedia)
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Famous Istanbul's Basilicia Cistern is on the list of must-see sights of many of town visitors, and no wonder - it is both unique and monumental building.
The Knockdow Estate boasts a magnificently restored country house in sensational Scottish setting.
Knockdow Estate lies in an oft-forgotten corner of Argyll, among the lochs and rounded hills of the Cowal peninsula – part of Argyll’s so-called ‘Secret Coast’. The estate runs northward between Loch Striven and Ardyne Burn, taking in the beautiful Inverchaolain Glen rising up to the 2000ft summits of Cruach nan Capull and Leacann nan Gall west of Dunoon.
At the heart of the 250 acre Knockdow Estate is Knockdow House – a very attractive and comprehensively upgraded 12-bedroom mansion just one hour from Glasgow. If you have a cool £2m to spend, then you could have the lot… including two lakes, a former mill pond, outbuildings, pasture and a forest.
This magnificent Highland seat was originally owned by a sept of Clan Lamont, one of the oldest of the Scottish clans, for around 600 years.
The Lamonts of Knockdow descended from Godfrey (Gorrie) Lamont who is believed to have been the grandson Lamont Clan Chief John III.
Knockdow House was built in 1760 and was further altered and extended in 1920 by the laird at the time Sir Norman Lamont, one time Permanent Private Secretary to Sir Winston Churchill.
Built of stone under a slate roof, the house itself has been the subject of an extensive restoration and refurbishment project since it was purchased by the current owners in 2010. They have transformed it from being virtually uninhabitable into one of the most outstanding houses on the west coast of Scotland.
The renovation and refurbishment of Knockdow House has seen the installation of a state of the art biomass heating system, a new water filtration system, and comprehensive renewal of the electrical, plumbing and heating systems, whilst ensuring that the unique heritage of the house was retained including most of its original features.
Laid out over three floors, accommodation includes six main reception rooms, three additional reception rooms and 12 bedrooms (11 of which are en-suite including 3 self-contained suites).
A bedroom in the ‘School House’ suite, which used to be the school room, still features a frieze depicting the Monarchs of Scotland.
The stunning centrepiece of Knockdow House is a glorious domed cupola over the Great Hall which is galleried at first floor level and supported by Ionic columns.
The Lamonts also owned significant estates in Trinidad and Tobago; decorated with mahogany, sandalwood and other exotic woods, Knockdow House bears testament to the family’s Caribbean legacy. For example, the main stairwell is lined with timber panelling from Palmiste in Trinidad.
Knockdow House is surrounded by several acres of beautifully kept lawns, parkland and wooded policies, beds of herbaceous shrubs and a variety of mature ornamental deciduous and coniferous trees. Due to the Gulf Stream climate, specialist trees such as eucalyptus, bamboo and palm thrive at Knockdow.
On the south side of the house is an enclosed paved terrace and lawn with a gate leading to the south lawn which can serve as a croquet lawn, cricket pitch and playing field for a variety of games and sports.
And the sporting opportunities don’t end there – the combination of woods and topography at Knockdow provide the basis for an informal and enjoyable shoot for mixed game including pheasants, partridges, woodcock and snipe.
The lakes and mill pond also provide fishing for trout and carp, there is a duck flight pond up the hill towards the northern end of the estate, and the forestry and woodland provide the opportunity for roe deer stalking. The occasional red stag or hind has also been accounted for during a dawn or dusk stalking expedition.
Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020). The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Robin Currie, a councillor for Kintyre and the Islands.
Argyll and Bute covers the second-largest administrative area of any Scottish council. The council area adjoins those of Highland, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.
History
Buteshire and Argyll were two of the historic counties of Scotland, having originated as shires (the area controlled by a sheriff) in the Middle Ages. From 1890 until 1975 both counties had an elected county council.
In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts were abolished and replaced with upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. The Strathclyde region was created covering a large part of western Scotland. Strathclyde was divided into nineteen districts, one of which the 1973 Act called "Argyll", covering most of the former county of Argyll, but also including the Isle of Bute from Buteshire. The shadow authority elected in 1974 requested a change of name to "Argyll and Bute", which was agreed by the government before the new district came into being on 16 May 1975.
As created in 1975 the Argyll and Bute district covered the whole area of fourteen of Argyll's sixteen districts and part of a fifteenth, plus two of Buteshire's five districts, which were all abolished at the same time:
From Argyll:
Campbeltown Burgh
Cowal District
Dunoon Burgh
Inveraray Burgh
Islay District
Jura and Colonsay District
Kintyre District
Lochgilphead Burgh
Mid Argyll District
Mull District
North Lorn District: the Lismore and Appin, and Ardchattan electoral divisions only, rest (Ballachulish and Kinlochleven electoral divisions) went to Lochaber district of Highland
Oban Burgh
South Lorn District
Tiree and Coll District
Tobermory Burgh
From Buteshire:
Bute District
Rothesay Burgh
The two Buteshire districts together corresponded to the whole Isle of Bute. The rest of Buteshire, being the Isle of Arran and The Cumbraes went to Cunninghame district. The Ardnamurchan district from Argyll went to the Lochaber district of Highland. The new district was made a single Argyll and Bute lieutenancy area.
Local government was reformed again in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which abolished the regions and districts which had been created in 1975, replacing them with unitary council areas. Argyll and Bute became one of the new council areas, but had its territory enlarged to include the town of Helensburgh and surrounding rural areas which had been in the Dumbarton district prior to 1996, and had formed part of the county of Dunbartonshire prior to 1975. The Helensburgh area had voted in a referendum in 1994 to join Argyll and Bute rather than stay with Dumbarton.
Transport
Railways
The main railway line in Argyll and Bute is the West Highland Line, which links Oban to Glasgow, passing through much of the eastern and northern parts of the area. From the south the line enters Argyll and Bute just to the west of Dumbarton, continuing north via Helensburgh Upper to the eastern shores of the Gare Loch and Loch Long. The line comes inland at Arrochar and Tarbet to meet the western shore of Loch Lomond. At the northern end of the loch the lines leaves Argyll and Bute to enter Stirling council area. The Oban branch of the West Highland Line re-enters the area just west of Tyndrum, and heads west to Oban: stations on this section of the line include Dalmally and Taynuilt railway station. The majority of services on the line are operated by ScotRail: as of 2019 the summer service has six trains a day to Oban, with four on Sundays. In addition to the ScotRail service is the nightly Caledonian Sleeper, although this does not run on the Oban branch.
Helensburgh also has a much more frequent service into Glasgow and beyond via the North Clyde Line, which has its western terminus at the town's central railway station.
Roads
The main trunk roads in Argyll and Bute are:
The A82, which runs along the western shore of Loch Lomond, providing the main route between Glasgow and Fort William.
The A83, which leaves the A82 at Tarbet, heading west and then south to eventually reach Campbeltown by way of Inveraray and Lochgilphead.
The A85, which leaves the A82 at Tyndrum (just outside Argyll and Bute) and heads west to Oban via Dalmally.
The A828, which leaves the A85 at Connel and north through Appin to join the A82 at Ballachulish.
The A815, which leaves the A83 in Glen Kinglas near Cairndow, heading south through Strachur and Dunoon and ends at Toward 40 miles later, on the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula. The A815 is the main road through Cowal.
The A886, which leaves the A815 at Strachur, passing through Glendaruel, the route includes a ferry link to the Isle of Bute, Colintraive - Rhubodach terminating at Port Bannatyne to the north of Rothesay.
Ferry services
Due to its heavily indented coastline and many islands, ferries form an important part of the council area's transport system. The main ferry operator in Argyll and Bute is Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), which operates services from the mainland to most of the inhabited islands. Several other routes are operated by commercial operators, usually on contract to the council, although the Western Ferries service across the Firth of Clyde is run on a commercial basis.
Bute is served by a route across the Kyles of Bute between Rhubodach and Colintraive in Cowal, as well as a route between Rothesay to Wemyss Bay in Inverclyde. Both routes are operated by CalMac.
Coll and Tiree are each served from Oban, via a CalMac service that also provides links between the two islands, and a once-weekly link to Barra.
Gigha is served by a CalMac route from Tayinloan in Kintyre.
Islay is served by a CalMac route from Kennacraig in Kintyre. The service is timetabled to utilise either one of two ports on the island, with both Port Askaig and Port Ellen having a service to the mainland.
Feolin on Jura is linked to Port Askaig on Islay via a vehicle ferry run by ASP Ship Management on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council. There is also a passenger-only service between the island's main centre, Craighouse, and Tayvallich on the mainland that is operated by Islay Sea Safaris.
Kerrera is linked to Gallanach (about 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Oban) by a passenger-only service operated by CalMac.
Lismore is served by two ferries, a vehicle and passenger service operated by CalMac that runs from Oban, and a passenger-only service from Port Appin that is operated by ASP Ship Management on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council.
Mull is served by a route between Oban and Craignure on the island's east coast, as well as routes across the Sound of Mull (between Lochaline and Fishnish, and Tobermory and Kilchoan). All three routes are operated by CalMac.
Iona is linked to Mull via a CalMac service from Fionnphort at Mull's southwest tip.
The island of Seil, which itself is linked to the mainland via the Clachan Bridge, has links to two further islands: Easdale and Luing. Both services are operated by ASP Ship Management on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council.
There are also routes connecting some mainland locations in Argyll and Bute to other parts of the mainland:
There is a CalMac service across Loch Fyne which provides a link between Portavadie in Cowal and Tarbert in Kintyre.
The Cowal peninsula route is a passenger-only service from the Dunoon Breakwater to Gourock pier, giving easy access to ScotRail services at Gourock railway station with onward transport to Glasgow Central station. This route was for a period run by a CalMac subsidiary company, Argyll Ferries, but has since January 2019 been operated directly by CalMac.
CalMac provide a limited (3 ferry each way per week) service between Cambeltown in Kintyre and Ardrosssan in North Aryshire during the summer months.
Western Ferries, a commercial operator, runs a vehicle and passenger service between Hunters Quay to McInroy's Point that also provides a link between Cowal and Inverclyde in (partial) competition with the subsidised CalMac service.
A service operated by Clyde Marine Services on behalf of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport runs between Kilcreggan and Gourock pier, providing a link from the Rosneath peninsula to the rail network at Gourock.
Argyll and Bute also has ferry services linking it to islands in neighbouring council areas:
Oban is the mainland terminal for services to Barra in Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Outer Hebrides).
Lochranza on Arran, in North Ayrshire, has a year-round service to Kintyre: during the summer the mainland port used is Claonaig, however in winter the service is reduced to a single daily return crossing from Tarbert.
There is also a passenger-only ferry service linking Campbeltown and Port Ellen on Islay with Ballycastle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, running seasonally from April to September, operated by West Coast Tours as the Kintyre Express.
Cultural references
The later scenes of the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love were filmed around the lochs and hills of Argyll and Bute.
The area has also been indirectly immortalised in popular culture by the 1977 hit song "Mull of Kintyre" by Kintyre resident Paul McCartney's band of the time, Wings.
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The Basilica Cistern (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarayi - "Sunken Palace", or Yerebatan Sarnici - "Sunken Cistern"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Hagia Sophia. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.
Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
This cathedral-size cistern is an underground chamber approximately 138 metres (453 ft) by 64.6 metres (212 ft) - about 9,800 square metres (105,000 sq ft) in area - capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres (2,800,000 cu ft) of water. The ceiling is supported by a forest of 336 marble columns, each 9 metres (30 ft) high, arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns each spaced 4.9 metres (16 ft) apart. The capitals of the columns are mainly Ionic and Corinthian styles, with the exception of a few Doric style with no engravings. One of the columns is engraved with raised pictures of a Hen's Eye, slanted braches, and tears. This column resembles the columns of the Triumphal Arch of Theodosius I from the 4th century (AD 379-395), erected in the 'Forum Tauri' Square. Ancient texts suggest that the tears on the column pay tribute to the hundreds of slaves who died during the construction of the Basilica Cistern. The majority of the columns in the cistern appear to have been recycled from the ruins of older buildings (a process called 'spoliation'), likely brought to Constantinople from various parts of the empire, together with those that were used in the construction of Hagia Sophia. They are carved and engraved out of various types of marble and granite.
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The Basilica Cistern (Turkish: Yerebatan Sarayi - "Sunken Palace", or Yerebatan Sarnici - "Sunken Cistern"), is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located 500 feet (150 m) southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.
Ancient texts indicated that the basilica contained gardens, surrounded by a colonnade and facing the Hagia Sophia. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city.
Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern.
The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
This cathedral-size cistern is an underground chamber approximately 138 metres (453 ft) by 64.6 metres (212 ft) - about 9,800 square metres (105,000 sq ft) in area - capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres (2,800,000 cu ft) of water. The ceiling is supported by a forest of 336 marble columns, each 9 metres (30 ft) high, arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns each spaced 4.9 metres (16 ft) apart. The capitals of the columns are mainly Ionic and Corinthian styles, with the exception of a few Doric style with no engravings. One of the columns is engraved with raised pictures of a Hen's Eye, slanted braches, and tears. This column resembles the columns of the Triumphal Arch of Theodosius I from the 4th century (AD 379-395), erected in the 'Forum Tauri' Square. Ancient texts suggest that the tears on the column pay tribute to the hundreds of slaves who died during the construction of the Basilica Cistern. The majority of the columns in the cistern appear to have been recycled from the ruins of older buildings (a process called 'spoliation'), likely brought to Constantinople from various parts of the empire, together with those that were used in the construction of Hagia Sophia. They are carved and engraved out of various types of marble and granite.
(Ardea herodias) Young Great Blue Heron on the smaller of the two ponds at Belmont Park.
Am not sure what caused the raised crest; perhaps he just needed to fix an itch, but it's more fun to think he was trying to break through the hard water to breakfast....
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The company currently has over 600 dealers in the United States and Canada and sells its products in more than 90 countries." (Wikipedia)
Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report team were invited to come out and see the awesome Swag Bag that Distinctive Assets put together to take the sting out of not getting an Oscar at this years 86th Academy Awards. From fashion to luxury accommodations and chocolate, they thought of everything one would need to feel better about being nominated but not getting an Oscar this year.
The 2014 Distinctive Assets “Everybody Wins” Swag Bag valued at over $80,000!
We have the complete list of goods below and links to the websites where you can find this swag - cause we know you’ll want to try some of these goodies out too! Here’s what’s in the bag:
Chocolate soothes all wounds, so these talented nominees will be served exquisitely savory wine-infused chocolate from Chicago-based Chocolatines. In the spirit of gifts that give back, a 10,000 meal donation of Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres' Halo natural pet food to the animal shelter of their choice through Halo's partnership with Freekibble.com. Additionally, nominees like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio will enjoy Hydroxycut Gummies + Lean Protein Shakes + Protein Bars, innovative Swiss-made Slow Watches, Betty Jane Homemade Candies, Acure Organics cutting-edge skincare, Jan Lewis Designs bangle bracelets + silk neckties, 2011 California Cabernet from Cannonball Wine Company, Narrative Clip wearable automatic camera + app, PolarLoop activity tracker, Bee Free Honee made from US-grown organic apples, Blossom Blends bespoke teas, MACE pepper gun, fine art from Gizara Arts, Jitseu Handbags, the LOADED book series, Steamist Total Sense Home Spa System, Aviv 613 luxury vodka, Wrag Wrap luxury sustainable gift wrap, Dosha Pops, VETVIK “The Covert” luxury leather iPhone5 cases, HISY Bluetooth camera shutter remote for Apple devices, Mane ‘n Tail haircare plus Conceived by Nature styling products, The Green Garmento Gargantote + reuseable dry cleaning bag, Le Petit Cirque aerial lessons, Naked Luxury Condoms, Epic Pet Health electrolyte therapy, M3K Beauty products for exceptionally vibrant skin, DrainWig, acupuncture sessions with Heather Lounsbury, personal training sessions at Huntley Drive Fitness, Rouge Maple “best maple syrup you’ve ever tasted”, Slimware portion-control plates, °Coolway “no damage” Go Pro Blow Dryer, Simon’s Happy Pet Shampoo, Wonder Glow Organic Lipgloss from Makeup Studio by Diane Capt, lifetime subscription to Headspace.com, CherryT Knit & Co. cable knit mittens, Krystal Klear Water whole house water filtration system, the O-Shot procedure by Dr. Charles Runels, ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System performed by Dr. William Yates, Max Martin luxury American-made shoes, and deluxe vacation packages to the Canadian Rockies (Rocky Mountaineer), Hawaii (Koloa Landing Resort), Las Vegas (PR Plus), Mexico (Imanta Resorts) and Japan (Walk Japan).
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About Distinctive Assets
Distinctive Assets is a niche marketing company offering celebrity placement, product introduction and branding opportunities within the entertainment industry. The breadth of Distinctive Assets’ services transcends award shows and has organically grown over the past decade to include Celebrity Seeding, Corporate Gifting, Event Production, Public Relations, Product Development and Strategic Marketing. From Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, our clients benefit from customized marketing solutions that leverage unparalleled experience as well as access to top celebrities, premier events, influential media and strategic partners. For more info visit: www.distinctiveassets.com
The Basilica Cistern is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that lie beneath the city of Istanbul (formerly Constantinople), Turkey. The cistern, located just southwest of the Hagia Sophia on the historical peninsula of Sarayburnu, was built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Today it is kept with little water, for public access inside the space.
According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine built a structure that was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532, which devastated the city. Historical texts claim that 7,000 slaves were involved in the construction of the cistern. The enlarged cistern provided a water filtration system for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapı Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.
The red phonebox at Beer Head caravan park In Devon.
I thought that this phonebox had been put here and was originally sited elsewhere, but the owner of the site told me that this phonebox has been here since 1955 and was converted Into a fishtank in 2015.
The fishtank Is actually a tank Inside the box and Is well stocked with cold water fish, plants and water filtration system. The owner told me that he got the Idea from a red phonebox in the Lake District outside a pub which has been converted Into a fishtank, so when the phonebox at the caravan park was decommissioned he set about converting It.
Thanks to fellow Flickr member AWS 410 for telling me about this phonebox.
May 7 2017.
Pentagon's new massive expansion of 'cyber-security' unit is about everything except defense
Cyber-threats are the new pretext to justify expansion of power and profit for the public-private National Security State
From:www.guardian.co.uk
by:Glenn Greenwald
As the US government depicts the Defense Department as shrinking due to budgetary constraints, the Washington Post this morning announces "a major expansion of [the Pentagon's] cybersecurity force over the next several years, increasing its size more than fivefold." Specifically, says the New York Times this morning, "the expansion would increase the Defense Department's Cyber Command by more than 4,000 people, up from the current 900." The Post describes this expansion as "part of an effort to turn an organization that has focused largely on defensive measures into the equivalent of an Internet-era fighting force." This Cyber Command Unit operates under the command of Gen. Keith Alexander, who also happens to be the head of the National Security Agency, the highly secretive government network that spies on the communications of foreign nationals - and American citizens.
The Pentagon's rhetorical justification for this expansion is deeply misleading. Beyond that, these activities pose a wide array of serious threats to internet freedom, privacy, and international law that, as usual, will be conducted with full-scale secrecy and with little to no oversight and accountability. And, as always, there is a small army of private-sector corporations who will benefit most from this expansion.
Disguising aggression as "defense"
Let's begin with the way this so-called "cyber-security" expansion has been marketed. It is part of a sustained campaign which, quite typically, relies on blatant fear-mongering.
In March, 2010, the Washington Post published an amazing Op-Ed by Adm. Michael McConnell, Bush's former Director of National Intelligence and a past and current executive with Booz Allen, a firm representing numerous corporate contractors which profit enormously each time the government expands its "cyber-security" activities. McConnell's career over the last two decades - both at Booz, Allen and inside the government - has been devoted to accelerating the merger between the government and private sector in all intelligence, surveillance and national security matters (it was he who led the successful campaign to retroactively immunize the telecom giants for their participation in the illegal NSA domestic spying program). Privatizing government cyber-spying and cyber-warfare is his primary focus now.
McConnell's Op-Ed was as alarmist and hysterical as possible. Claiming that "the United States is fighting a cyber-war today, and we are losing", it warned that "chaos would result" from an enemy cyber-attack on US financial systems and that "our power grids, air and ground transportation, telecommunications, and water-filtration systems are in jeopardy as well." Based on these threats, McConnell advocated that "we" - meaning "the government and the private sector" - "need to develop an early-warning system to monitor cyberspace" and that "we need to reengineer the Internet to make attribution, geolocation, intelligence analysis and impact assessment - who did it, from where, why and what was the result - more manageable." As Wired's Ryan Singel wrote: "He's talking about changing the internet to make everything anyone does on the net traceable and geo-located so the National Security Agency can pinpoint users and their computers for retaliation."
The same week the Post published McConnell's extraordinary Op-Ed, the Obama White House issued its own fear-mongering decree on cyber-threats, depicting the US as a vulnerable victim to cyber-aggression. It began with this sentence: "President Obama has identified cybersecurity as one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation, but one that we as a government or as a country are not adequately prepared to counter." It announced that "the Executive Branch was directed to work closely with all key players in US cybersecurity, including state and local governments and the private sector" and to "strengthen public/private partnerships", and specifically announced Obama's intent to "to implement the recommendations of the Cyberspace Policy Review built on the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) launched by President George W. Bush."
Since then, the fear-mongering rhetoric from government officials has relentlessly intensified, all devoted to scaring citizens into believing that the US is at serious risk of cataclysmic cyber-attacks from "aggressors". This all culminated when Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, last October, warned of what he called a "cyber-Pearl Harbor". This "would cause physical destruction and the loss of life, an attack that would paralyze and shock the nation and create a profound new sense of vulnerability." Identifying China, Iran, and terrorist groups, he outlined a parade of horribles scarier than anything since Condoleezza Rice's 2002 Iraqi "mushroom cloud":
"An aggressor nation or extremist group could use these kinds of cyber tools to gain control of critical switches. They could derail passenger trains, or even more dangerous, derail passenger trains loaded with lethal chemicals. They could contaminate the water supply in major cities, or shut down the power grid across large parts of the country."
As usual, though, reality is exactly the opposite. This massive new expenditure of money is not primarily devoted to defending against cyber-aggressors. The US itself is the world's leading cyber-aggressor. A major purpose of this expansion is to strengthen the US's ability to destroy other nations with cyber-attacks. Indeed, even the Post report notes that a major component of this new expansion is to "conduct offensive computer operations against foreign adversaries".
It is the US - not Iran, Russia or "terror" groups - which already is the first nation (in partnership with Israel) to aggressively deploy a highly sophisticated and extremely dangerous cyber-attack. Last June, the New York Times' David Sanger reported what most of the world had already suspected: "From his first months in office, President Obama secretly ordered increasingly sophisticated attacks on the computer systems that run Iran's main nuclear enrichment facilities, significantly expanding America's first sustained use of cyberweapons." In fact, Obama "decided to accelerate the attacks . . . even after an element of the program accidentally became public in the summer of 2010 because of a programming error that allowed it to escape Iran's Natanz plant and sent it around the world on the Internet." According to the Sanger's report, Obama himself understood the significance of the US decision to be the first to use serious and aggressive cyber-warfare:
"Mr. Obama, according to participants in the many Situation Room meetings on Olympic Games, was acutely aware that with every attack he was pushing the United States into new territory, much as his predecessors had with the first use of atomic weapons in the 1940s, of intercontinental missiles in the 1950s and of drones in the past decade. He repeatedly expressed concerns that any American acknowledgment that it was using cyberweapons - even under the most careful and limited circumstances - could enable other countries, terrorists or hackers to justify their own attacks."
The US isn't the vulnerable victim of cyber-attacks. It's the leading perpetrator of those attacks. As Columbia Professor and cyber expert Misha Glenny wrote in the NYT last June: Obama's cyber-attack on Iran "marked a significant and dangerous turning point in the gradual militarization of the Internet."
Indeed, exactly as Obama knew would happen, revelations that it was the US which became the first country to use cyber-warfare against a sovereign country - just as it was the first to use the atomic bomb and then drones - would make it impossible for it to claim with any credibility (except among its own media and foreign policy community) that it was in a defensive posture when it came to cyber-warfare. As Professor Glenny wrote: "by introducing such pernicious viruses as Stuxnet and Flame, America has severely undermined its moral and political credibility." That's why, as the Post reported yesterday, the DOJ is engaged in such a frantic and invasive effort to root out Sanger's source: because it reveals the obvious truth that the US is the leading aggressor in the world when it comes to cyber-weapons.
This significant expansion under the Orwellian rubric of "cyber-security" is thus a perfect microcosm of US military spending generally. It's all justified under by the claim that the US must defend itself from threats from Bad, Aggressive Actors, when the reality is the exact opposite: the new program is devoted to ensuring that the US remains the primary offensive threat to the rest of the world. It's the same way the US develops offensive biological weapons under the guise of developing defenses against such weapons (such as the 2001 anthrax that the US government itself says came from a US Army lab). It's how the US government generally convinces its citizens that it is a peaceful victim of aggression by others when the reality is that the US builds more weapons, sells more arms and bombs more countries than virtually the rest of the world combined.
Threats to privacy and internet freedom
Beyond the aggressive threat to other nations posed by the Pentagon's "cyber-security" programs, there is the profound threat to privacy, internet freedom, and the ability to communicate freely for US citizens and foreign nationals alike. The US government has long viewed these "cyber-security" programs as a means of monitoring and controlling the internet and disseminating propaganda. The fact that this is all being done under the auspices of the NSA and the Pentagon means, by definition, that there will be no transparency and no meaningful oversight.
Back in 2003, the Rumsfeld Pentagon prepared a secret report entitled "Information Operations (IO) Roadmap", which laid the foundation for this new cyber-warfare expansion. The Pentagon's self-described objective was "transforming IO into a core military competency on par with air, ground, maritime and special operations". In other words, its key objective was to ensure military control over internet-based communications:
It further identified superiority in cyber-attack capabilities as a vital military goal in PSYOPs (Psychological Operations) and "information-centric fights":
And it set forth the urgency of dominating the "IO battlespace" not only during wartime but also in peacetime:
As a 2006 BBC report on this Pentagon document noted: "Perhaps the most startling aspect of the roadmap is its acknowledgement that information put out as part of the military's psychological operations, or Psyops, is finding its way onto the computer and television screens of ordinary Americans." And while the report paid lip service to the need to create "boundaries" for these new IO military activities, "they don't seem to explain how." Regarding the report's plan to "provide maximum control of the entire electromagnetic spectrum", the BBC noted: "Consider that for a moment. The US military seeks the capability to knock out every telephone, every networked computer, every radar system on the planet."
Since then, there have been countless reports of the exploitation by the US national security state to destroy privacy and undermine internet freedom. In November, the LA Times described programs that "teach students how to spy in cyberspace, the latest frontier in espionage." They "also are taught to write computer viruses, hack digital networks, crack passwords, plant listening devices and mine data from broken cellphones and flash drives." The program, needless to say, "has funneled most of its graduates to the CIA and the Pentagon's National Security Agency, which conducts America's digital spying. Other graduates have taken positions with the FBI, NASA and the Department of Homeland Security."
In 2010, Lawrence E. Strickling, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, gave a speech explicitly announcing that the US intends to abandon its policy of "leaving the Internet alone". Noting that this "has been the nation's Internet policy since the Internet was first commercialized in the mid-1990s", he decreed: "This was the right policy for the United States in the early stages of the Internet, and the right message to send to the rest of the world. But that was then and this is now."
The documented power of the US government to monitor and surveil internet communications is already unfathomably massive. Recall that the Washington Post's 2010 "Top Secret America" series noted that: "Every day, collection systems at the National Security Agency intercept and store 1.7 billion e-mails, phone calls and other types of communications." And the Obama administration has formally demanded that it have access to any and all forms of internet communication.
It is hard to overstate the danger to privacy and internet freedom from a massive expansion of the National Security State's efforts to exploit and control the internet. As Wired's Singel wrote back in 2010:
"Make no mistake, the military industrial complex now has its eye on the internet. Generals want to train crack squads of hackers and have wet dreams of cyberwarfare. Never shy of extending its power, the military industrial complex wants to turn the internet into yet another venue for an arms race".
Wildly exaggerated cyber-threats are the pretext for this control, the "mushroom cloud" and the Tonkin Gulf fiction of cyber-warfare. As Singel aptly put it: "the only war going on is one for the soul of the internet." That's the vital context for understanding this massive expansion of Pentagon and NSA consolidated control over cyber programs.
Bonanza for private contractors
As always, it is not just political power but also private-sector profit driving this expansion. As military contracts for conventional war-fighting are modestly reduced, something needs to replace it, and these large-scale "cyber-security" contracts are more than adequate. Virtually every cyber-security program from the government is carried out in conjunction with its "private-sector partners", who receive large transfers of public funds for this work.
Two weeks ago, Business Week reported that "Lockheed Martin Corp., AT&T Inc., and CenturyLink Inc. are the first companies to sign up for a US program giving them classified information on cyber threats that they can package as security services for sale to other companies." This is part of a government effort "to create a market based on classified US information about cyber threats." In May, it was announced that "the Pentagon is expanding and making permanent a trial program that teams the government with Internet service providers to protect defense firms' computer networks against data theft by foreign adversaries" - all as "part of a larger effort to broaden the sharing of classified and unclassified cyberthreat data between the government and industry."
Indeed, there is a large organization of defense and intelligence contractors devoted to one goal: expanding the private-public merger for national security and intelligence functions. This organization - the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) - was formerly headed by Adm. McConnell, and describes itself as a "collaboration by leaders from throughout the US Intelligence Community" which "combines the experience of senior leaders from government, the private sector, and academia."
As I detailed back in 2010, one of its primary goals is to scare the nation about supposed cyber-threats in order to justify massive new expenditures for the private-sector intelligence industry on cyber-security measures and vastly expanded control over the internet. Indeed, in his 2010 Op-Ed, Adm. McConnell expressly acknowledged that the growing privatization of internet cyber-security programs "will muddy the waters between the traditional roles of the government and the private sector." At the very same time McConnell published this Op-Ed, the INSA website featured a report entitled "Addressing Cyber Security Through Public-Private Partnership." It featured a genuinely creepy graphic showing the inter-connectedness between government institutions (such as Congress and regulatory agencies), the Surveillance State, private intelligence corporations, and the Internet:
Private-sector profit is now inextricably linked with the fear-mongering campaign over cyber-threats. At one INSA conference in 2009 - entitled "Cyber Deterrence Conference" - government officials and intelligence industry executives gathered together to stress that "government and private sector actors should emphasize collaboration and partnership through the creation of a model that assigns specific roles and responsibilities."
As intelligence contractor expert Tim Shorrock told Democracy Now when McConnell - then at Booz Allen - was first nominated to be DNI:
Well, the NSA, the National Security Agency, is really sort of the lead agency in terms of outsourcing . . . . Booz Allen is one of about, you know, ten large corporations that play a very major role in American intelligence. Every time you hear about intelligence watching North Korea or tapping al-Qaeda phones, something like that, you can bet that corporations like these are very heavily involved. And Booz Allen is one of the largest of these contractors. I estimate that about 50% of our $45 billion intelligence budget goes to private sector contractors like Booz Allen.
This public-private merger for intelligence and surveillance functions not only vests these industries with large-scale profits at public expense, but also the accompanying power that was traditionally reserved for government. And unlike government agencies, which are at least subjected in theory to some minimal regulatory oversight, these private-sector actors have virtually none, even as their surveillance and intelligence functions rapidly increase.
What Dwight Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex has been feeding itself on fear campaigns since it was born. A never-ending carousel of Menacing Enemies - Communists, Terrorists, Latin American Tyrants, Saddam's chemical weapons, Iranian mullahs - has sustained it, and Cyber-Threats are but the latest.
Like all of these wildly exaggerated cartoon menaces, there is some degree of threat posed by cyber-attacks. But, as Singel described, all of this can be managed with greater security systems for public and private computer networks - just as some modest security measures are sufficient to deal with the terrorist threat.
This new massive expansion has little to do with any actual cyber-threat - just as the invasion of Iraq and global assassination program have little to do with actual terrorist threats. It is instead all about strengthening the US's offensive cyber-war capabilities, consolidating control over the internet, and ensuring further transfers of massive public wealth to private industry continue unabated. In other words, it perfectly follows the template used by the public-private US National Security State over the last six decades to entrench and enrich itself based on pure pretext.
Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report team were invited to come out and see the awesome Swag Bag that Distinctive Assets put together to take the sting out of not getting an Oscar at this years 86th Academy Awards. From fashion to luxury accommodations and chocolate, they thought of everything one would need to feel better about being nominated but not getting an Oscar this year.
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We have the complete list of goods below and links to the websites where you can find this swag - cause we know you’ll want to try some of these goodies out too! Here’s what’s in the bag:
Chocolate soothes all wounds, so these talented nominees will be served exquisitely savory wine-infused chocolate from Chicago-based Chocolatines. In the spirit of gifts that give back, a 10,000 meal donation of Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres' Halo natural pet food to the animal shelter of their choice through Halo's partnership with Freekibble.com. Additionally, nominees like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio will enjoy Hydroxycut Gummies + Lean Protein Shakes + Protein Bars, innovative Swiss-made Slow Watches, Betty Jane Homemade Candies, Acure Organics cutting-edge skincare, Jan Lewis Designs bangle bracelets + silk neckties, 2011 California Cabernet from Cannonball Wine Company, Narrative Clip wearable automatic camera + app, PolarLoop activity tracker, Bee Free Honee made from US-grown organic apples, Blossom Blends bespoke teas, MACE pepper gun, fine art from Gizara Arts, Jitseu Handbags, the LOADED book series, Steamist Total Sense Home Spa System, Aviv 613 luxury vodka, Wrag Wrap luxury sustainable gift wrap, Dosha Pops, VETVIK “The Covert” luxury leather iPhone5 cases, HISY Bluetooth camera shutter remote for Apple devices, Mane ‘n Tail haircare plus Conceived by Nature styling products, The Green Garmento Gargantote + reuseable dry cleaning bag, Le Petit Cirque aerial lessons, Naked Luxury Condoms, Epic Pet Health electrolyte therapy, M3K Beauty products for exceptionally vibrant skin, DrainWig, acupuncture sessions with Heather Lounsbury, personal training sessions at Huntley Drive Fitness, Rouge Maple “best maple syrup you’ve ever tasted”, Slimware portion-control plates, °Coolway “no damage” Go Pro Blow Dryer, Simon’s Happy Pet Shampoo, Wonder Glow Organic Lipgloss from Makeup Studio by Diane Capt, lifetime subscription to Headspace.com, CherryT Knit & Co. cable knit mittens, Krystal Klear Water whole house water filtration system, the O-Shot procedure by Dr. Charles Runels, ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System performed by Dr. William Yates, Max Martin luxury American-made shoes, and deluxe vacation packages to the Canadian Rockies (Rocky Mountaineer), Hawaii (Koloa Landing Resort), Las Vegas (PR Plus), Mexico (Imanta Resorts) and Japan (Walk Japan).
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About Distinctive Assets
Distinctive Assets is a niche marketing company offering celebrity placement, product introduction and branding opportunities within the entertainment industry. The breadth of Distinctive Assets’ services transcends award shows and has organically grown over the past decade to include Celebrity Seeding, Corporate Gifting, Event Production, Public Relations, Product Development and Strategic Marketing. From Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, our clients benefit from customized marketing solutions that leverage unparalleled experience as well as access to top celebrities, premier events, influential media and strategic partners. For more info visit: www.distinctiveassets.com
Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report team were invited to come out and see the awesome Swag Bag that Distinctive Assets put together to take the sting out of not getting an Oscar at this years 86th Academy Awards. From fashion to luxury accommodations and chocolate, they thought of everything one would need to feel better about being nominated but not getting an Oscar this year.
The 2014 Distinctive Assets “Everybody Wins” Swag Bag valued at over $80,000!
We have the complete list of goods below and links to the websites where you can find this swag - cause we know you’ll want to try some of these goodies out too! Here’s what’s in the bag:
Chocolate soothes all wounds, so these talented nominees will be served exquisitely savory wine-infused chocolate from Chicago-based Chocolatines. In the spirit of gifts that give back, a 10,000 meal donation of Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres' Halo natural pet food to the animal shelter of their choice through Halo's partnership with Freekibble.com. Additionally, nominees like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio will enjoy Hydroxycut Gummies + Lean Protein Shakes + Protein Bars, innovative Swiss-made Slow Watches, Betty Jane Homemade Candies, Acure Organics cutting-edge skincare, Jan Lewis Designs bangle bracelets + silk neckties, 2011 California Cabernet from Cannonball Wine Company, Narrative Clip wearable automatic camera + app, PolarLoop activity tracker, Bee Free Honee made from US-grown organic apples, Blossom Blends bespoke teas, MACE pepper gun, fine art from Gizara Arts, Jitseu Handbags, the LOADED book series, Steamist Total Sense Home Spa System, Aviv 613 luxury vodka, Wrag Wrap luxury sustainable gift wrap, Dosha Pops, VETVIK “The Covert” luxury leather iPhone5 cases, HISY Bluetooth camera shutter remote for Apple devices, Mane ‘n Tail haircare plus Conceived by Nature styling products, The Green Garmento Gargantote + reuseable dry cleaning bag, Le Petit Cirque aerial lessons, Naked Luxury Condoms, Epic Pet Health electrolyte therapy, M3K Beauty products for exceptionally vibrant skin, DrainWig, acupuncture sessions with Heather Lounsbury, personal training sessions at Huntley Drive Fitness, Rouge Maple “best maple syrup you’ve ever tasted”, Slimware portion-control plates, °Coolway “no damage” Go Pro Blow Dryer, Simon’s Happy Pet Shampoo, Wonder Glow Organic Lipgloss from Makeup Studio by Diane Capt, lifetime subscription to Headspace.com, CherryT Knit & Co. cable knit mittens, Krystal Klear Water whole house water filtration system, the O-Shot procedure by Dr. Charles Runels, ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System performed by Dr. William Yates, Max Martin luxury American-made shoes, and deluxe vacation packages to the Canadian Rockies (Rocky Mountaineer), Hawaii (Koloa Landing Resort), Las Vegas (PR Plus), Mexico (Imanta Resorts) and Japan (Walk Japan).
Get the Story from the Red Carpet Report Team, follow us on Twitter and Facebook at:
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About Distinctive Assets
Distinctive Assets is a niche marketing company offering celebrity placement, product introduction and branding opportunities within the entertainment industry. The breadth of Distinctive Assets’ services transcends award shows and has organically grown over the past decade to include Celebrity Seeding, Corporate Gifting, Event Production, Public Relations, Product Development and Strategic Marketing. From Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, our clients benefit from customized marketing solutions that leverage unparalleled experience as well as access to top celebrities, premier events, influential media and strategic partners. For more info visit: www.distinctiveassets.com
Gum Maya, 25, has been living in a tent with her family since the earthquake stuck on Saturday.
She’s living in a temporary camp where British Gurkha engineers have built a water filtration system to provide safe, clean water to people affected by the earthquake.
"The earthquake took everything away," she says.
"It's a relief to have clean running water. It is vital for my children's health and their futures.”
Background
On 25 April, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the country, killing more than 5000 people, and injuring thousands more.
The UK is responding to Nepal's request for international help, sending search and rescue teams, emergency medics and logistical support.
Find out more at: www.gov.uk/nepal-earthquake-2015
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Picture: Jessica Lea/DFID
Free-to-use photo
This image is posted under a Creative Commons - Attribution Licence, in accordance with the Open Government Licence. You are free to embed, download or otherwise re-use it, as long as you credit the source as 'Jessica Lea/DFID'.
the earthships are a community of ram-earth housing just outside of taos, new mexico. they have a display home open to visitors who are interested in learning about what environmentally sustainable and fully self-sufficient housing can look like. jay's always wanted to live off the grid, so he really wanted to check it out.
it was very interesting, i must say. their water filtration system is brilliant. and they grow bananas in their house.
in their house!!
the interiors were quite beautiful, actually. nice wood or clay tile floors, loads of windows, and whimsicle mosaics made of coloured glass bottles throughout -- especially in the bathroom where they let light in, but maintain privacy.
Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report team were invited to come out and see the awesome Swag Bag that Distinctive Assets put together to take the sting out of not getting an Oscar at this years 86th Academy Awards. From fashion to luxury accommodations and chocolate, they thought of everything one would need to feel better about being nominated but not getting an Oscar this year.
The 2014 Distinctive Assets “Everybody Wins” Swag Bag valued at over $80,000!
We have the complete list of goods below and links to the websites where you can find this swag - cause we know you’ll want to try some of these goodies out too! Here’s what’s in the bag:
Chocolate soothes all wounds, so these talented nominees will be served exquisitely savory wine-infused chocolate from Chicago-based Chocolatines. In the spirit of gifts that give back, a 10,000 meal donation of Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres' Halo natural pet food to the animal shelter of their choice through Halo's partnership with Freekibble.com. Additionally, nominees like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio will enjoy Hydroxycut Gummies + Lean Protein Shakes + Protein Bars, innovative Swiss-made Slow Watches, Betty Jane Homemade Candies, Acure Organics cutting-edge skincare, Jan Lewis Designs bangle bracelets + silk neckties, 2011 California Cabernet from Cannonball Wine Company, Narrative Clip wearable automatic camera + app, PolarLoop activity tracker, Bee Free Honee made from US-grown organic apples, Blossom Blends bespoke teas, MACE pepper gun, fine art from Gizara Arts, Jitseu Handbags, the LOADED book series, Steamist Total Sense Home Spa System, Aviv 613 luxury vodka, Wrag Wrap luxury sustainable gift wrap, Dosha Pops, VETVIK “The Covert” luxury leather iPhone5 cases, HISY Bluetooth camera shutter remote for Apple devices, Mane ‘n Tail haircare plus Conceived by Nature styling products, The Green Garmento Gargantote + reuseable dry cleaning bag, Le Petit Cirque aerial lessons, Naked Luxury Condoms, Epic Pet Health electrolyte therapy, M3K Beauty products for exceptionally vibrant skin, DrainWig, acupuncture sessions with Heather Lounsbury, personal training sessions at Huntley Drive Fitness, Rouge Maple “best maple syrup you’ve ever tasted”, Slimware portion-control plates, °Coolway “no damage” Go Pro Blow Dryer, Simon’s Happy Pet Shampoo, Wonder Glow Organic Lipgloss from Makeup Studio by Diane Capt, lifetime subscription to Headspace.com, CherryT Knit & Co. cable knit mittens, Krystal Klear Water whole house water filtration system, the O-Shot procedure by Dr. Charles Runels, ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System performed by Dr. William Yates, Max Martin luxury American-made shoes, and deluxe vacation packages to the Canadian Rockies (Rocky Mountaineer), Hawaii (Koloa Landing Resort), Las Vegas (PR Plus), Mexico (Imanta Resorts) and Japan (Walk Japan).
Get the Story from the Red Carpet Report Team, follow us on Twitter and Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/RedCarpetReportTV
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About Distinctive Assets
Distinctive Assets is a niche marketing company offering celebrity placement, product introduction and branding opportunities within the entertainment industry. The breadth of Distinctive Assets’ services transcends award shows and has organically grown over the past decade to include Celebrity Seeding, Corporate Gifting, Event Production, Public Relations, Product Development and Strategic Marketing. From Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, our clients benefit from customized marketing solutions that leverage unparalleled experience as well as access to top celebrities, premier events, influential media and strategic partners. For more info visit: www.distinctiveassets.com
Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report team were invited to come out and see the awesome Swag Bag that Distinctive Assets put together to take the sting out of not getting an Oscar at this years 86th Academy Awards. From fashion to luxury accommodations and chocolate, they thought of everything one would need to feel better about being nominated but not getting an Oscar this year.
The 2014 Distinctive Assets “Everybody Wins” Swag Bag valued at over $80,000!
We have the complete list of goods below and links to the websites where you can find this swag - cause we know you’ll want to try some of these goodies out too! Here’s what’s in the bag:
Chocolate soothes all wounds, so these talented nominees will be served exquisitely savory wine-infused chocolate from Chicago-based Chocolatines. In the spirit of gifts that give back, a 10,000 meal donation of Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres' Halo natural pet food to the animal shelter of their choice through Halo's partnership with Freekibble.com. Additionally, nominees like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio will enjoy Hydroxycut Gummies + Lean Protein Shakes + Protein Bars, innovative Swiss-made Slow Watches, Betty Jane Homemade Candies, Acure Organics cutting-edge skincare, Jan Lewis Designs bangle bracelets + silk neckties, 2011 California Cabernet from Cannonball Wine Company, Narrative Clip wearable automatic camera + app, PolarLoop activity tracker, Bee Free Honee made from US-grown organic apples, Blossom Blends bespoke teas, MACE pepper gun, fine art from Gizara Arts, Jitseu Handbags, the LOADED book series, Steamist Total Sense Home Spa System, Aviv 613 luxury vodka, Wrag Wrap luxury sustainable gift wrap, Dosha Pops, VETVIK “The Covert” luxury leather iPhone5 cases, HISY Bluetooth camera shutter remote for Apple devices, Mane ‘n Tail haircare plus Conceived by Nature styling products, The Green Garmento Gargantote + reuseable dry cleaning bag, Le Petit Cirque aerial lessons, Naked Luxury Condoms, Epic Pet Health electrolyte therapy, M3K Beauty products for exceptionally vibrant skin, DrainWig, acupuncture sessions with Heather Lounsbury, personal training sessions at Huntley Drive Fitness, Rouge Maple “best maple syrup you’ve ever tasted”, Slimware portion-control plates, °Coolway “no damage” Go Pro Blow Dryer, Simon’s Happy Pet Shampoo, Wonder Glow Organic Lipgloss from Makeup Studio by Diane Capt, lifetime subscription to Headspace.com, CherryT Knit & Co. cable knit mittens, Krystal Klear Water whole house water filtration system, the O-Shot procedure by Dr. Charles Runels, ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System performed by Dr. William Yates, Max Martin luxury American-made shoes, and deluxe vacation packages to the Canadian Rockies (Rocky Mountaineer), Hawaii (Koloa Landing Resort), Las Vegas (PR Plus), Mexico (Imanta Resorts) and Japan (Walk Japan).
Get the Story from the Red Carpet Report Team, follow us on Twitter and Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/RedCarpetReportTV
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About Distinctive Assets
Distinctive Assets is a niche marketing company offering celebrity placement, product introduction and branding opportunities within the entertainment industry. The breadth of Distinctive Assets’ services transcends award shows and has organically grown over the past decade to include Celebrity Seeding, Corporate Gifting, Event Production, Public Relations, Product Development and Strategic Marketing. From Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, our clients benefit from customized marketing solutions that leverage unparalleled experience as well as access to top celebrities, premier events, influential media and strategic partners. For more info visit: www.distinctiveassets.com
Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report team were invited to come out and see the awesome Swag Bag that Distinctive Assets put together to take the sting out of not getting an Oscar at this years 86th Academy Awards. From fashion to luxury accommodations and chocolate, they thought of everything one would need to feel better about being nominated but not getting an Oscar this year.
The 2014 Distinctive Assets “Everybody Wins” Swag Bag valued at over $80,000!
We have the complete list of goods below and links to the websites where you can find this swag - cause we know you’ll want to try some of these goodies out too! Here’s what’s in the bag:
Chocolate soothes all wounds, so these talented nominees will be served exquisitely savory wine-infused chocolate from Chicago-based Chocolatines. In the spirit of gifts that give back, a 10,000 meal donation of Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres' Halo natural pet food to the animal shelter of their choice through Halo's partnership with Freekibble.com. Additionally, nominees like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio will enjoy Hydroxycut Gummies + Lean Protein Shakes + Protein Bars, innovative Swiss-made Slow Watches, Betty Jane Homemade Candies, Acure Organics cutting-edge skincare, Jan Lewis Designs bangle bracelets + silk neckties, 2011 California Cabernet from Cannonball Wine Company, Narrative Clip wearable automatic camera + app, PolarLoop activity tracker, Bee Free Honee made from US-grown organic apples, Blossom Blends bespoke teas, MACE pepper gun, fine art from Gizara Arts, Jitseu Handbags, the LOADED book series, Steamist Total Sense Home Spa System, Aviv 613 luxury vodka, Wrag Wrap luxury sustainable gift wrap, Dosha Pops, VETVIK “The Covert” luxury leather iPhone5 cases, HISY Bluetooth camera shutter remote for Apple devices, Mane ‘n Tail haircare plus Conceived by Nature styling products, The Green Garmento Gargantote + reuseable dry cleaning bag, Le Petit Cirque aerial lessons, Naked Luxury Condoms, Epic Pet Health electrolyte therapy, M3K Beauty products for exceptionally vibrant skin, DrainWig, acupuncture sessions with Heather Lounsbury, personal training sessions at Huntley Drive Fitness, Rouge Maple “best maple syrup you’ve ever tasted”, Slimware portion-control plates, °Coolway “no damage” Go Pro Blow Dryer, Simon’s Happy Pet Shampoo, Wonder Glow Organic Lipgloss from Makeup Studio by Diane Capt, lifetime subscription to Headspace.com, CherryT Knit & Co. cable knit mittens, Krystal Klear Water whole house water filtration system, the O-Shot procedure by Dr. Charles Runels, ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System performed by Dr. William Yates, Max Martin luxury American-made shoes, and deluxe vacation packages to the Canadian Rockies (Rocky Mountaineer), Hawaii (Koloa Landing Resort), Las Vegas (PR Plus), Mexico (Imanta Resorts) and Japan (Walk Japan).
Get the Story from the Red Carpet Report Team, follow us on Twitter and Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/RedCarpetReportTV
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About Distinctive Assets
Distinctive Assets is a niche marketing company offering celebrity placement, product introduction and branding opportunities within the entertainment industry. The breadth of Distinctive Assets’ services transcends award shows and has organically grown over the past decade to include Celebrity Seeding, Corporate Gifting, Event Production, Public Relations, Product Development and Strategic Marketing. From Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, our clients benefit from customized marketing solutions that leverage unparalleled experience as well as access to top celebrities, premier events, influential media and strategic partners. For more info visit: www.distinctiveassets.com
Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report team were invited to come out and see the awesome Swag Bag that Distinctive Assets put together to take the sting out of not getting an Oscar at this years 86th Academy Awards. From fashion to luxury accommodations and chocolate, they thought of everything one would need to feel better about being nominated but not getting an Oscar this year.
The 2014 Distinctive Assets “Everybody Wins” Swag Bag valued at over $80,000!
We have the complete list of goods below and links to the websites where you can find this swag - cause we know you’ll want to try some of these goodies out too! Here’s what’s in the bag:
Chocolate soothes all wounds, so these talented nominees will be served exquisitely savory wine-infused chocolate from Chicago-based Chocolatines. In the spirit of gifts that give back, a 10,000 meal donation of Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres' Halo natural pet food to the animal shelter of their choice through Halo's partnership with Freekibble.com. Additionally, nominees like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio will enjoy Hydroxycut Gummies + Lean Protein Shakes + Protein Bars, innovative Swiss-made Slow Watches, Betty Jane Homemade Candies, Acure Organics cutting-edge skincare, Jan Lewis Designs bangle bracelets + silk neckties, 2011 California Cabernet from Cannonball Wine Company, Narrative Clip wearable automatic camera + app, PolarLoop activity tracker, Bee Free Honee made from US-grown organic apples, Blossom Blends bespoke teas, MACE pepper gun, fine art from Gizara Arts, Jitseu Handbags, the LOADED book series, Steamist Total Sense Home Spa System, Aviv 613 luxury vodka, Wrag Wrap luxury sustainable gift wrap, Dosha Pops, VETVIK “The Covert” luxury leather iPhone5 cases, HISY Bluetooth camera shutter remote for Apple devices, Mane ‘n Tail haircare plus Conceived by Nature styling products, The Green Garmento Gargantote + reuseable dry cleaning bag, Le Petit Cirque aerial lessons, Naked Luxury Condoms, Epic Pet Health electrolyte therapy, M3K Beauty products for exceptionally vibrant skin, DrainWig, acupuncture sessions with Heather Lounsbury, personal training sessions at Huntley Drive Fitness, Rouge Maple “best maple syrup you’ve ever tasted”, Slimware portion-control plates, °Coolway “no damage” Go Pro Blow Dryer, Simon’s Happy Pet Shampoo, Wonder Glow Organic Lipgloss from Makeup Studio by Diane Capt, lifetime subscription to Headspace.com, CherryT Knit & Co. cable knit mittens, Krystal Klear Water whole house water filtration system, the O-Shot procedure by Dr. Charles Runels, ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System performed by Dr. William Yates, Max Martin luxury American-made shoes, and deluxe vacation packages to the Canadian Rockies (Rocky Mountaineer), Hawaii (Koloa Landing Resort), Las Vegas (PR Plus), Mexico (Imanta Resorts) and Japan (Walk Japan).
Get the Story from the Red Carpet Report Team, follow us on Twitter and Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/RedCarpetReportTV
www.youtube.com/MingleMediaTVNetwork
About Distinctive Assets
Distinctive Assets is a niche marketing company offering celebrity placement, product introduction and branding opportunities within the entertainment industry. The breadth of Distinctive Assets’ services transcends award shows and has organically grown over the past decade to include Celebrity Seeding, Corporate Gifting, Event Production, Public Relations, Product Development and Strategic Marketing. From Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, our clients benefit from customized marketing solutions that leverage unparalleled experience as well as access to top celebrities, premier events, influential media and strategic partners. For more info visit: www.distinctiveassets.com
Mingle Media TV’s Red Carpet Report team were invited to come out and see the awesome Swag Bag that Distinctive Assets put together to take the sting out of not getting an Oscar at this years 86th Academy Awards. From fashion to luxury accommodations and chocolate, they thought of everything one would need to feel better about being nominated but not getting an Oscar this year.
The 2014 Distinctive Assets “Everybody Wins” Swag Bag valued at over $80,000!
We have the complete list of goods below and links to the websites where you can find this swag - cause we know you’ll want to try some of these goodies out too! Here’s what’s in the bag:
Chocolate soothes all wounds, so these talented nominees will be served exquisitely savory wine-infused chocolate from Chicago-based Chocolatines. In the spirit of gifts that give back, a 10,000 meal donation of Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres' Halo natural pet food to the animal shelter of their choice through Halo's partnership with Freekibble.com. Additionally, nominees like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Leonardo DiCaprio will enjoy Hydroxycut Gummies + Lean Protein Shakes + Protein Bars, innovative Swiss-made Slow Watches, Betty Jane Homemade Candies, Acure Organics cutting-edge skincare, Jan Lewis Designs bangle bracelets + silk neckties, 2011 California Cabernet from Cannonball Wine Company, Narrative Clip wearable automatic camera + app, PolarLoop activity tracker, Bee Free Honee made from US-grown organic apples, Blossom Blends bespoke teas, MACE pepper gun, fine art from Gizara Arts, Jitseu Handbags, the LOADED book series, Steamist Total Sense Home Spa System, Aviv 613 luxury vodka, Wrag Wrap luxury sustainable gift wrap, Dosha Pops, VETVIK “The Covert” luxury leather iPhone5 cases, HISY Bluetooth camera shutter remote for Apple devices, Mane ‘n Tail haircare plus Conceived by Nature styling products, The Green Garmento Gargantote + reuseable dry cleaning bag, Le Petit Cirque aerial lessons, Naked Luxury Condoms, Epic Pet Health electrolyte therapy, M3K Beauty products for exceptionally vibrant skin, DrainWig, acupuncture sessions with Heather Lounsbury, personal training sessions at Huntley Drive Fitness, Rouge Maple “best maple syrup you’ve ever tasted”, Slimware portion-control plates, °Coolway “no damage” Go Pro Blow Dryer, Simon’s Happy Pet Shampoo, Wonder Glow Organic Lipgloss from Makeup Studio by Diane Capt, lifetime subscription to Headspace.com, CherryT Knit & Co. cable knit mittens, Krystal Klear Water whole house water filtration system, the O-Shot procedure by Dr. Charles Runels, ARTAS Robotic Hair Transplant System performed by Dr. William Yates, Max Martin luxury American-made shoes, and deluxe vacation packages to the Canadian Rockies (Rocky Mountaineer), Hawaii (Koloa Landing Resort), Las Vegas (PR Plus), Mexico (Imanta Resorts) and Japan (Walk Japan).
Get the Story from the Red Carpet Report Team, follow us on Twitter and Facebook at:
www.facebook.com/RedCarpetReportTV
www.youtube.com/MingleMediaTVNetwork
About Distinctive Assets
Distinctive Assets is a niche marketing company offering celebrity placement, product introduction and branding opportunities within the entertainment industry. The breadth of Distinctive Assets’ services transcends award shows and has organically grown over the past decade to include Celebrity Seeding, Corporate Gifting, Event Production, Public Relations, Product Development and Strategic Marketing. From Fortune 100 companies to start-ups, our clients benefit from customized marketing solutions that leverage unparalleled experience as well as access to top celebrities, premier events, influential media and strategic partners. For more info visit: www.distinctiveassets.com