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A large banner for Bergen Ølfestival flying over Skostredet in Bergen.
Notice the umbrellas hanging over the street further down, they are colorful reminders that Bergen is the rain capital of Norway - with an average annual rainfall of 2,250 mm or 89 inches.
A simple boat dock at the public access site along the St. Joseph River down streem from the Constantine, MI dam. It was late in the day on an overcast day and I liked the reflections.
Photographed using Kodak Portra 160NC film using a 6x9 roll film back on my Horseman VH-R field camera. I used a 90mm lens. Metering was by averaging using the Sekonic 758DR.
Pushkar (Hindi: पुष्कर) is a town in the Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated 14 km northwest of Ajmer at an average elevation of 510 m and is one of the five sacred dhams (pilgrimage site) for devout Hindus. According to Hindu theology, the pond at the Katas Raj temple Near Choa Saidan Shah in Chakwal District of Pakistan has a theological association with Shiva; it was formed by the tears of Lord Shiva which he is believed to have shed after the death of his wife, Sati. The story goes that when Sati died, Shiva cried so much and for so long, that his tears created two holy ponds – one at Pushkara in Ajmer in India and the other at Ketaksha, which literally means raining eyes, in Sanskrit. It is from this name that the word Katas is derived. It is often called "Tirth Raj" – the king of pilgrimage sites – and has in recent years become a popular destination for foreign tourists.
Pushkar is one of the oldest existing cities of India. It lies on the shore of Pushkar Lake. The date of its actual origin is not known, but legend associates Brahma with its creation.
Pushkar has many temples. Most of the temples are not very old because MANY TEMPLES WERE DESTROYED DURING MUSLIM CONQUESTS in the area. Subsequently, the destroyed temples were rebuilt. The most famous among all is the Brahma Temple built during the 14th century CE. Very few temples to Lord Brahma exist anywhere in the world. Other temples of Brahma include Bithoor in Uttar Pradesh, India; Khedbrahma in Gujarat, India; village Asotra near Balotra city of Barmer district in Rajasthan; Uttamar Kovil (one of the Divya Desams) near Srirangam, Tamil Nadu; Mother Temple of Besakih in Bali, Indonesia; and Prambanan in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The Pushkar lake has 52 ghats where pilgrims descend to the lake to bathe in the sacred waters.
Pushkar is also famous for its annual fair (Pushkar Camel Fair) held in November.
ETYMOLOGY
Pushkar in Sanskrit means blue lotus flower. Hindus believe that the gods released a swan with a lotus in its beak and let it fall on earth where Brahma would perform a grand yagna. The place where the lotus fell was called Pushkar. Pushkar word may be derived from word 'Pushkarni'means- lake. It may be derived from word Pushpa means flower and Kar means hand.
HISTORY
Pushkar is one of the oldest cities of India. The date of its actual founding is not known, but legend associates Brahma with its creation.
According to legend, Brahma was in search of a place for Mahayagna and he found this place suitable. After a long time, Brahma came to known that a demon, Vajranash, was killing people here so the Lord intoned a mantra on a lotus flower and killed the demon. During this process the parts of flower fell on three places which were later known as Jyaistha, Madhya and Kanistha Pushkar. After this Brahma performed a yagna to protect this place from demons. The consort of Brahma, Saraswati, were needed to offer Ahuti for the yagna but she was not there that time so Gayatri, a Gurjar girl, was married to brahma and performned yagna. This act made first wife of Brahma, Saraswati, angry and she cursed Brahma saying that he would be worshiped in Pushkar only.
The Mahabharata says that while laying down a programme for Maharaja Yudhishthara’s travel, “Maharaja after entering the Jungles of Sind and crossing the small rivers on the way should bathe in Pushkara". And, as per Vaman Purana, Prahlada on his pilgrimage to holy places visited Pushkarayana.
A Gurjara Pratihara ruler of Mandore, Nahadarava, restored this tirtha in the seventh century. He got the place cleared and the lake restored by making an embankment on the side of the river Luni. He rebuilt old palaces and built twelve dharmashalas (resting places) and ghats on three sides of the lake.
According to Rajputana Gazetteer Pushkar was held by Chechi Gurjars until about 700 years ago.Later Some shrines were occupied by Kanphati Jogis.
There are still priests from the Gurjar community in Pushkar temple, known as Bhopas.
The sage Parasara is said to have been born here. His descendants, called Parasara Brahamanas, are found in Pushkar and the surrounding area. The famous temple of Jeenmata has been cared for by Parasara Brahmans for the last 1,000 years.
It is also the venue of the annual Pushkar Camel Fair. In 1901, the town was part of the Rajputana Agency had a population of 3,831.
PUSHKAR FAIR
Pushkar fair continues for five days and these five days are a period of relaxation and merry-making for the villagers. This fair time is the most busy time for them, as this is one of the largest cattle fairs in the country. Animals, including over 50,000 camels, are brought from miles around to be traded and sold. Trading is brisk as several thousand heads of cattle exchange hands. All the camels are cleaned, washed, adorned, some are interestingly shorn to form patterns, and special stalls are set up selling finery and jewellery for the camels. Camels at the Pushkar fair are decorated with great care. They wear jewellery of silver and beads. There are silver bells and bangles around their ankles that jangle when they walk. An interesting ritual is the piercing of a camel's nose. It has more than 400 temples including the only one temple in India dedicated to the Hindu God Lord Brahma, the Creator of the Universe.
According to Indian mythology, after visiting all the Hindu pilgrim towns and temples (Four Dhams), if Pushkar is not visited for worship, then salvation is not achieved. According to the Hindu calendar Pushkar Fair commences in Nawami (ninth day of fortnightly phases of moon) and ends in Purnima (Full Moon) in the month of Kartika (October or November according to the lunar calendar). In Pushkar, one of the biggest Cattle Fair is also held for trading purposes and the best cattle in all categories are awarded. Countless people in their colourful attire gather to take a dip in the Holy Lake and pray to the deities. The whole town comes alive with vibrant folk music and dances, magic shows, horse and camel races and various other traditional entertainment competitions.Pushkar, with more than 12 local fairs and festivals of 10–15 days duration is a year round destination. It is a mellow town by the great lake of Pushkar amidst the perfume of jasmine and rose flowers. About 4,000 to 6,000 visitors from all over the world come to Pushkar everyday.
PUSHKAR LAKE
The prime attraction of Pushkar is the Pushkar Lake which is considered sacred like the Mansarovar Lake in Tibet. Pushkar has become a place of Hindu pilgrimage because of this holy lake. Legend has it that this lake was consecrated to Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe when a lotus dropped from his hand into the vale and a lake emerged in that place.
BRAHMA TEMPLE
The most important temple in Pushkar is the Temple of Lord Brahma, one of the holy trinity of Hinduism. The temple enshrines a life-size idol of Lord Brahma.
SAVITRI TEMPLE
This temple that is located at the top of the Ratnagiri Hill is dedicated to Savitri, the wife of Lord Brahma. The temple houses a statue of Goddess Savitri.
The Golden Temple runs one of the largest free kitchens in the world, serving 100,000! people on average daily. The meal consists of flat bread and lentil soup.
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The Harmandir Sahib (Punjabi: ਹਰਿਮੰਦਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ), also Darbar Sahib (Punjabi: ਦਰਬਾਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ, Punjabi pronunciation: [dəɾbɑɾ sɑhɪb]) and informally referred to as the "Golden Temple", is a prominent Sikh gurdwara located in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India. It was built by the fourth Sikh guru, Guru Ramdaas Sahib Ji, in the 16th century. In 1604, Guru Arjun completed the Adi Granth, the holy scripture of Sikhism, and installed it in the Gurudwara.
There are four doors to get into the Harmandir Sahib, which symbolize the openness of the Sikhs towards all people and religions. The present-day gurdwara was rebuilt in 1764 by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia with the help of other Sikh Misls. In the early nineteenth century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh secured the Punjab region from outside attack and covered the upper floors of the gurdwara with gold, which gives it its distinctive appearance and its English name.
The Harimandir Sahib is considered holy by Sikhs. The holiest text of Sikhism, the Guru Granth Sahib, is always present inside the gurdwara. Its construction was mainly intended to build a place of worship for men and women from all walks of life and all religions to come and worship God equally. Over 100,000 people visit the holy shrine daily for worship.
HISTORY
The Harmandir Sahib literally means The Temple of God. The fourth guru of Sikhs, Guru Ram Das, excavated a tank in 1577 CE which subsequently became known as Amritsar (meaning "Pool of the Nectar of Immortality"), giving its name to the city that grew around it. In due course, a Sikh edifice, Sri Harmandir Sahib (meaning "the abode of God") rose in the middle of this tank and became the supreme centre of Sikhism. Its sanctum came to house the Adi Granth comprising compositions of Sikh Gurus and other saints considered to have Sikh values and philosophies, e.g., Baba Farid, and Kabir. The compilation of The Adi Granth was started by the fifth guru of Sikhism, Guru Arjan Dev Ji.
CONSTRUCTION
Sri Guru Arjan Sahib, the Fifth Sikh Guru, conceived the idea of creating a central place of worship for the Sikhs and he himself designed the architecture of Sri Harmandir Sahib. Earlier the planning to excavate the holy tank (Amritsar or Amrit Sarovar ) was chalked out by Guru Amar Das Ji, the Third Sikh Guru, but it was executed by Guru Ramdas Sahib under the supervision of Baba Budha ji. The land for the site was acquired by the earlier Guru Sahibs on payment or free of cost from the Zamindars (landlords) of native villages. The plan to establish a town settlement was also made. Therefore, the construction work on the Sarovar (the tank) and the town started simultaneously in 1570. The work on both projects completed in 1577 A.D. During the leadership of the fifth Guru, Guru Arjan (1581–1606), the full-fledged gurdwara was built. In December 1588, Guru Arjan initiated the construction of the gurdwara. The foundation stone was laid by none other than Guru Arjan Sahib himself in December 1588. It is a common misconception that the foundation stone was laid by the Sufi saint Mian Mir of Lahore.
Some of the architectural features of the Harmandir Sahib were intended to be symbolic of the Sikh worldview. Instead of the normal custom of building a gurdwara on high land, it was built at a lower level than the surrounding land so that devotees would have to go down steps to enter it. In addition, instead of one entrance, Sri Harmandir Sahib has four entrances.
The gurdwara was completed in 1604. Guru Arjan, installed the Guru Granth Sahib in it and appointed Baba Buddha as the first Granthi (reader) of it on August 1604. In the mid-18th century it was attacked by the Afghans, by one of Ahmed Shah Abdali's generals, Jahan Khan, and had to be substantially rebuilt in the 1760s. However, in response a Sikh Army was sent to hunt down the Afghan force. Both forces met each other five miles outside Amritsar; Jahan Khan's army was destroyed.
The gurdwara is surrounded by a large lake or holy tank, known as the Sarovar, which consists of Amrit ("holy water" or "immortal nectar") and is fed by the Ravi River. There are four entrances to the gurdwara, signifying the importance of acceptance and openness. Inside the gurdwara complex there are many shrines to past Sikh Gurus, saints and martyrs (see map). There are three holy trees (bers), each signifying a historical event or Sikh saint. Inside the gurdwara there are many memorial plaques that commemorate past Sikh historical events, saints, martyrs and includes commemorative inscriptions of all the Sikh soldiers who died fighting in World Wars I and II.
In keeping with the rule observed at all Sikh gurdwaras worldwide, the Harmandir Sahib is open to all persons regardless of their religion, colour, creed, or sex. The only restrictions on the Harmandir Sahib's visitors concern their behavior when entering and while visiting:
Maintaining the purity of the sacred space and of one's body while in it:
- Upon entering the premises, removing one's shoes and washing one's feet in the small pool of water provided;
- Not drinking alcohol, eating meat, or smoking cigarettes or other drugs while in the shrine
- Dressing appropriately:
- Wearing a head covering (a sign of respect) (the gurdwara provides head scarves for visitors who have not brought a suitable covering);
- Not wearing shoes.
How to act:
If you choose to listen to Gurbani, one must also sit on the ground while in the Darbar Sahib as a sign of deference to both the Guru Granth Sahib and God.
First-time visitors are advised to begin their visit at the information office and then proceed to the Central Sikh Museum near the main entrance and clock tower.
The Harimandir Sahib runs one of the largest free kitchens in the world, serving 100,000 people on average daily. The meal consists of flat bread and lentil soup.
ARTWORK & MONUMENT SCULPTURES
Much of the present decorative gilding and marblework dates from the early 19th century. All the gold and exquisite marble work were conducted under the patronage of Hukam Singh Chimni and Emperor Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab. The Darshani Deorhi Arch stands at the beginning of the causeway to the Harmandir Sahib; it is 62 metres high and 6 metres in width. The gold plating on the Harmandir Sahib was begun by Ranjit Singh and was finished in 1830. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a major donor of wealth and materials for the shrine and is remembered with much affection by the Punjabi people in general and the Sikh community in particular.
CELEBRATIONS
One of the most important festivals is Vaisakhi, which is celebrated in the second week of April (usually the 13th). Sikhs celebrate the founding of the Khalsa on this day and it is celebrated with fervour in the Harmandir Sahib. Other important Sikh religious days such as the birth of Guru Raamdas ji, martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur, the birthday of Guru Nanak, etc., are also celebrated with religious piety. Similarly Bandi Chhor Divas is one of the festivals which sees the Harmandir Sahib beautifully illuminated with Divas (lamps); lights and fireworks are discharged. Most Sikhs visit Amritsar and the Harmandir Sahib at least once during their lifetime, particularly and mostly during special occasions in their life such as birthdays, marriages, childbirth, etc.
BLUE STAR
Blue Star was a military operation undertaken on 3 June 1984 and ended on 6 June 1984. The Indian Army, led by General Kuldip Singh Brar, brought infantry, artillery, and tanks into the Harmandir Sahib to put a stop to self-styled Dharam Yudh Morcha led by Bhindrawala. During these "Morchay" thousands of Sikhs courted arrest. Indira Gandhi ordered the army to launch Operation Blue Star. Within six months, Indira Gandhi’s Sikh bodyguards killed her (31 October 1984) for the perceived sacrilege.
Fierce fighting ensued between Sikhs and the soldiers, in which many of the Sikhs were killed along with many soldiers. The Harmandir Sahib complex also suffered much damage due to the attack, especially the holy Akal Takhat Sahib.
This attack is regarded by Sikhs as a desecration of Sikhism's holiest shrine and discrimination against a minority in India. In 1986, the repairs performed on the Akal Takhat Sahib after the attack, which the Rajiv Gandhi Government had undertaken without consultation, were removed. A new Akal Takhat Sahib was completed in 1999 by Kar Sevaks (volunteer labor and funding).
It was an average day at Manatee Springs. My family and I were there for a family reunion enjoying good food and catching up with each other's lives. Suddenly, a group of five deer emerged from the forest to walk along the spring's edge. They were just having a leisurely stroll through the park. One of them got as close as about 10-12 feet from me as I snapped away with my camera. This silhouette, however, turned out to be the best of the bunch to me.
More wildlife photos:
Nikon D40 :: 1/125 :: 200mm @ ƒ/6.3 :: ISO 200
The Bundi Palace is situated on the hillside adjacent to the Taragarh Fort and is notable for its lavish traditional murals and frescoes. The Chitrashala (picture gallery) of the palace is open to the general public.
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Bundi is a city with 104,457 101,000 inhabitants (2011) in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan state in northwest India. It is of particular architectural note for its ornate forts, palaces, and stepwell reservoirs known as baoris. It is the administrative headquarters of Bundi District.
GEOGRAPHY
The town of Bundi is situated 35 km from Kota and 210 km from Jaipur. It is located at 25.44°N 75.64°E and an average elevation of 268 metres. The city lies near a narrow gorge, and is surrounded on three sides by hills of the Aravalli Range. A substantial wall with four gateways encircles the city. The town of Indragarh and nearby places are famous for the renowned temples of Bijasan Mata and Kamleshwar. The Indargarh step well is considered as one of the most attractive places in the Bundi district, especially during the rainy season.
DEMOGRAPHICS
In the 2001 Indian census, Bundi had a population of 88,312. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Bundi has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 75% and female literacy of 57%. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age. In the 2011 Indian census Bundi has a population of 104,457 people.
HISTORY
In ancient times, the area around Bundi was apparently inhabited by various local tribes. Bundi and the eponymous princely state are said to derive their names from a former Meena tribe man called Bunda Meena. Bundi was previously called “Bunda-Ka-Nal", Nal meaning “narrow ways”. Later the region was governed by Rao Deva Hada, who took over Bundi from Jaita Meena in 1342, and established a princely state Bundi, renaming the surrounding area called Hadoti, the land of great Hada Rajputs.
MUGHAL ERA
Rao Surjan (1554–85) given Ranthambore Fort to Akbar in 1533. He was subsequently rewarded by Akbar with additional territory which expanded his kingdom. Both he and his successors entered the service of the Mughals and became one of their closest allies. From this time the rulers of Bundi bore the title of "Rao Raja".
One of the most notable rulers was Rao Ratan Singh Hada (1607–31) who saw service during the reign of the Emperor Jahangir. When Mughal Prince Khurram rebelled against his father, and gained the support of 22 Rajput princes, Rattan Singh stayed loyal to Jahangir. He defeated Prince Khurram at the battle of Burhanpur during which two of his sons were badly wounded. As a reward for his service Jahangir gave Ratan Singh many honours. With his 14 year old son Madho Singh having proven himself during the suppression of the rebellion as a courageous warrior Ratan Singh carved out of Bundi in 1580 sufficient land to create for Madho Singh the independent principality of Kota. Part of Kota was later used to create the separate Jhalawar State in 1838. Despite the loss of land to the new kingdom Ratan Singh retained sufficient territory and revenues to begin construction of the Garh palace.
Rao Chhattra Sal (1632–58) built the temple of Keshavarao at Patan and Chattra Mahal at Bundi. He saw service with the Mughal forces in the Deccan and was trusted by Dara Shikoh with governorship of Delhi, a rare privilege for a Rajput. He remained loyal to Shah Jahan and Dara Shikoh during the rebellion of Aurangzeb despite many temptations and died fighting at the head of his troops at the battle of Samurgarh in 1658 along with his youngest son Bharat Singh. Rao Bhao Singh (1658–78) the eldest son of Chhattar Sal succeeded his father to the throne of Bundi. When after the defeat of Dara Shikoh and his imprisonment of Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb became the Mughul emperor he dispatched troop under the command of Atmaram Gaur and Barh Singh Bundela to conquer Bundi. When they failed Aurangzeb made peace with Bhao Singh. Bhao Singh became sufficiently reconciled to Aurangzeb that he fought for him against Shivaji and at one time served as governor of Aurangabad. When his own son died during his lifetime he adopted Kishan Singh, the son of his brother Bhim Singh. When Kishan Singh too died early his 15 year old son Anirudh Singh (1682 to 1696) succeeded Bhao Singh on the throne.
Anirudh Singh served Aurangzeb in the Deccan and in the northwest under Prince Muazzam where he died. He was succeed by his eldest son Budha Singh, whose service to Muazzam (later Emperor Bahadur Shah I) in the war of succession to the Mughul throne saw the Bundi become dominate over Kota those ruler had backed the losing side.
During the reign of Rao Budh Singh (1696 to 1735) despite him being married to the sister of Jai Singh II of Jaipur, a bitter feud broke out between Bundi and the Kachwaha rulers of Amber (later called Jaipur) which led to him being expelled from his kingdom by surprise attack by the Kachwaha forces in 1702. He regained and lost his kingdom four times before he died in exile while Jaipur and Kota annexed large portion of his territory. It wasn’t until 1739 before the Bundi rulers were able to regain control of their kingdom after enlisting the aid of the Maratha general Malhar Rao Holkar who kept the estate of Patan for his services.
Relations became uneasy with Mewar after Prince Ajit Singh the heir to the Bundi throne killed Rana Ari Singh of Udaipur during the annual Aheria (Bundi’s ritual spring hunt) in 1773. Through claimed to be an accident Mewar historical records consider that it was an assassination which removed an unpopular ruler.
According to an ancient prophecy made by a dying sati it was said that if the rulers of Bundi and Mewar should ever meet at the event one of the two would die. According to legend, over the centuries such a meeting took place four times and on each occasion one of the rulers was killed by the other. Mewar sources indicate that there was only one other occasion when a Mewar ruler died when in 1531 Maharana Ratan Singh II of Mewar, accompanied Prince Surajmal of Bundi on a hunt. The two men despised each other. During the hunt the Maharana attacked Prince Surajmal which ended with both dying within minutes of each other.
BRITISH ERA
In 1804 Rao Raja Bishan Singh (1773–1821) gave valuable assistance to Colonel Monson in his disastrous retreat before Holkar, in revenge for which the Maratha Empire and Pindaris continually ravaged his state and forced the kingdom to pay tribute up to 1817 This led to Bishan Singh signing a subsidiary alliance with the British East India Company on 10 February 1818, which bought him under its protection. Bishan Singh was responsible for the creation of the pleasure palace of Sukh Niwas on the outskirts of Bundi.
Bishan Singh when dying of cholera entrusted James Tod with guardianship of his 11-year old son, Ram Singh. Maharao Raja Ram Singh (1821–89) grew up to be a much respected ruler who initiated economic and administrative reforms as well as establishing schools for the teaching of Sanskrit. On the throne for 68 years he was described as a grand specimen of the Rajput gentleman and "the most conservative prince in conservative Rajputana." His rule was popular and beneficial; and though during the mutiny of 1857 his attitude was equivocal, he continued to enjoy the confidence of the British, being created G.C.S.I. and a counsellor of the empire in 1877 and C.I.E. in 1878. He was succeeded by his adopted son Raghubir Singh (1889–1927), who was made a K.C.S.I. in 1897 and a G.C.I.E. in 1901. His reign was blighted by two disastrous famines which despite his best attempts to alleviated saw the population of his kingdom reduced from some 258,000 to 171,000 by 1901 due to death and immigration. Raghubir Singh supported the British during the World War I.[citation needed]
Maharao Bahadur Singh (1945–77) also supported the British and served in the Burma campaign where he earned the Military Cross for his gallantry before succeeding to the throne. He was a guest at the 1947 wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
ACCESSION TO INDIA
At the time of the partition of India in 1947, the British abandoned their suzerainty over the princely states, which were left to decide whether to remain independent or to accede to the newly independent Dominion of India or to Pakistan. The ruler of the state of Bundi decided to accede to India, which later became the Union of India. This brought the internal affairs of Bundi under the control of Delhi.
RULERS
The hereditary rulers of Bundi used the title ‘Rao’ before being granted the prefix ‘Raja’ by the Mughals. A Raja is a ruler of exalted rank but inferior to Maharana or Maharawal.
- Rao Deva (1343 to 1342).
- Rao Napuji.
- Rao Hamuli (1384 to 1400).
- Rao Birsingh (1400 to 1415).
- Rao Biru (1415 to 1470).
- Rao Bandu (1470 to 1491).
- Rao Narayan Das (1491 to 1527).
- Rao Suraj Mal (1527 to 1531).
- Rao Surtan Singh (1531 to 1544).
- Rao Raja Surjan Singh (1544 to 1585).
- Rao Raja Bhoj Singh (1585 to 1608).
- Rao Raja Ratan Singh (1608 to 1632).
- Rao Raja Chhattar Sal Singh (1632 to 1658).
- Rao Raja Bhao Singh (1658 to1682).
- Rao Raja Anirudh Singh (1682 to 1696).
- Rao Raja Budh Singh (b. ... - d. 1739) (1696 to 1735).
- Rao Raja Dalel Singh (b. 1729 - d. 1804) (1735 to 1749).
- Rao Raja Umaid Singh (1749 to 1770) and again (1773 to 1804).
- Rao Raja Ajit Singh (b. ... - d. 1773) (1770 to 1773).
- Rao Raja Bishen Singh (b. ... - d. 1821) (1804 to 14 May 1821).
- Maharao Raja Ram Singh Sahib Bahadur (b. 1811 - d. 1889) (1821 to 28 Mar 1889).
- Colonel HH Maharao Raja Shri Sir Raghubir Singh Sahib Bahadur (b. 1869 - d. 1927) (12 April 1889 to 28 Jul 1927).
- Major HH Maharao Raja Shri Sir Iishwari Singh Bahadur (b. 1893 - d. 1945) (8 Aug 1927 to 3 Apr 1945).
- Col. HH Maharao Raja Shri Bahadur Singh Bahadur (1945 to 1977).
- HH Maharao Raja Ranjit Singh (b. 1920 - d. 1977) (1977 to 07-01-2010).
COAT OF ARMS
Bundi’s coat of arms is a shield depicting Garuda, the mount of Vishnu, flanked by winged griffins. The shield is flanked by bulls representing dharma or righteousness; it is crowned by a warrior emerging from flames, signifying the creation-legend of the ruling Chauhan clan, which was supposedly created from fire.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
- The Taragarh Fort, or 'Star Fort' is the most impressive of the city's structures. It was constructed in AD 1354 upon the top of steep hillside overlooking the city. The largest of its battlements is the 16th century bastion known as the Bhim Burj, on which was once mounted a particularly large cannon called Garbh Gunjam, or 'Thunder from the Womb'. The fort is a popular tourist viewpoint of the city below. The fort contains three tanks which never dry up. The technique with which they were built has been long since lost but the tanks survive as a testament to the advanced methods of construction and engineering in medieval India.
- The Bundi Palace is situated on the hillside adjacent to the Taragarh Fort and is notable for its lavish traditional murals and frescoes. The Chitrashala (picture gallery) of the palace is open to the general public.
- The largest of Bundi's baoris or stepwells is the intricately carved Raniji ki Baori. Some 46 m deep, it was built in 1699 by Rani Nathavatji. The steps built into the sides of the water-well made water accessible even when at a very low level. The baori is one of the largest examples of its kind in Rajasthan.
- The Nawal Sagar is a large square-shaped artificial lake in the centre of Bundi containing many small islets. A temple dedicated to Varuna, the vedic god of water, stands half-submerged in the middle of the lake. the lake feeds the numerous bavdis in the old city by creating an artificial water table.
- The Nagar Sagar twin step wells are identical step wells crafted in pristine masonry on either side of the main spine of Bundi town. The kunds (pools) are currently full of waste from the ancient vegetable market in the vicinity.
- The Dabhai Kund also known as the jail kund, is the largest of the kunds in Bundi. Though slightly overgrown, it is well worth a visit for the spectacular carvings on the numerous steps leading down to the water level.
THE STEPWELLS
There are over 50 stepwells in Bundi, of which only a handful have been maintained. They used to be the only source of water for the town until a piped water system was introduced. After that these stepwells were abandoned and the monuments fell into disrepair. Most of the former stepwells inside the town have become garbage dumps, and are slipping out of the public consciousness.
FESTIVALS
Festivals of Bundi
1. Kajali Teej
2. The Gangaur Festival
3. Bundi Festival - started by Rajmata Sahiba Daulat Kanwar Of Dugari & Shri Madhukarji Gupta which was inaugurated by Shreeji Arvin singhji Mewar & Kunwar Shivam Singh Dugari in !998.
WIKIPEDIA
* Average Length: (Adult) 35-50 ft (Newborn) 13-16 ft
* Average Weight: (Adult) 23-30 tons (Birth) 1-2 tons
* Population: 18,000-20,000 (2002 figure)
* Lifespan: estimated to be around 40 years (1998 figure)
* Threats: Caught in fishing nets, human disturbance, and being tangled in marine pollution
* The flukes (tails) have a distinct pattern on the underside, much like our fingerprints
* The humpback whale breaches more frequently than other baleen whales
* The Pacific humpback's pectoral fins are white underneath & black on top..
* The Atlantic humpback's pectoral fins are white on both sides- which makes it easier for us to see them
* While in their breeding grounds- the whales do NOT eat!
* Some humpbacks feed in the Southern Ocean and go north to their reproductive areas!
* Can stay underwater for 30 minutes but often dives for much shorter periods of time, usually 5 to 10 minutes
* Humpbacks emit high frequency "clicks" reaching 30,000 Hz
* The males produce, in frequencies between 20 and 9,000 Hz, songs that are the longest and the most varied in all the animal kingdom, with repeated sequences about 15 minutes long
* When they are in cold waters, the humpback whale eats 2 tons of fish and planktonic crustaceans a day, in 2 to 4 meals
The remarkable bill of the Black Skimmer sets it apart from all other American birds. The large red and black bill is knife-thin and the lower mandible is longer than the upper. The bird drags the lower bill through the water as it flies along, hoping to catch small fish.
Adult Description
•Medium-sized to large waterbird.
•Long red and black bill; lower half longest.
•Black back and cap.
•Underparts white.
•Very short red legs.
•Long, pointd wings.
Immature Description
Similar to adult, but with mottled black-and-white back and head.
Measurements
Both Sexes
Length15.7–19.7 in
40–50 cmWeight7.5–15.8 oz
212–447 g
Other Names
•Bec à ciseaux (Louisiana), Bec-en-ciseaux noir (French)
•Rayador, Arador, Pico de Tijera (Spanish)
Cool Facts
•The Black Skimmer is the only American representative of the skimmer family. The other two, rather similar, species are the African Skimmer and the Indian Skimmer. All use the same unusual feeding method.
•Although the Black Skimmer is active throughout the day, it is largely crepuscular (active in the dawn and dusk) and even nocturnal. Its use of touch to catch fish lets it be successful in low light or darkness.
•At hatching, the two mandibles of a young Black Skimmer are equal in length, but by fledging at four weeks, the lower mandible is already nearly 1 cm longer than the upper.
•Possibly the best description of the Black Skimmer's bounding, head-down foraging style came from R. C. Murphy in 1936. He said they look like “unworldly… aerial beagles hot on the scent of aerial rabbits.”
Habitat
Look for Black Skimmers on open sandy beaches, on gravel or shell bars with sparse vegetation, or on mats of sea wrack (tide-stranded debris) in saltmarsh. Skimmers are occasionally seen at inland lakes such as the Salton Sea of California. Much of this species' original beach habitat has been developed as houses and attractions for beachgoers. Particularly in the southeastern U.S., artificial islands made from dredge spoils are an important nesting habitat for this and other species.
Food
Feeds on small fish up to about 5 inches in length, including herring, killifish, mullet, and pipefish. Also may consume small crustaceans. Black Skimmers may travel 5 miles from their breeding colony in search of food.
Nest Description
Mates take turns scraping, using an exaggerated posture (with the neck, head, bill, and tail raised) kicking sand behind them with alternating foot strokes. They then rotate in their scrape to create a saucer-shaped depression, similar to resting scrapes used throughout the year. The depression takes only a few minutes to create, but the process of nesting may involve several scrapes. Males do more scraping and make larger scrapes than females. The average scrape is 10 inches in diameter and 1 inch deep.
Nest Placement
Black Skimmers are colonial seabirds that nest in groups, often with other species such as Laughing Gulls and Common, Least, or Gull-billed Terns. Look for colonies on beaches, gravel or shell bars, dredge deposition islands, saltmarshes, and rooftops.
Behavior
The Black Skimmer has one of the most unusual foraging styles of any North American bird. A feeding skimmer flies low over the water with its bill open and its lower mandible slicing the surface. When the mandible touches a fish, the upper bill (maxilla) snaps down instantly to catch it. Skimmers are highly social birds, nesting in colonies and forming large flocks outside the breeding season. Large, successful colonies usually occupy the same site from year to year, while small or failed colonies usually relocate.
St. Helens was established as a river port on the Columbia River in the 1840s. In 1853, the Pacific Mail Steamship Company tried to make the city their only stop on the Columbia River.[7] Portland's merchants boycotted this effort, and the San Francisco steamship Peytona helped break the impasse.[7]
St. Helens was incorporated as a city in 1889.[8]
The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through and camped in the area that is now St. Helens on the night of November 5, 1805 while on their way to the Pacific Ocean. While here the party encountered Native Americans and Clark observed "low rockey clifts".[9]
Geography
U.S. Route 30 passes through the city.[10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.51 square miles (14.27 km2), of which, 4.53 square miles (11.73 km2) is land and 0.98 square miles (2.54 km2) is water.[1]
Neighborhoods
Columbia Heights is a formerly separate populated place that is within the city limits of St. Helens.[11][12]
Demographics
Columbia County Court House (1906)
Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1890 220 —
1900 258 17.3%
1910 743 188.0%
1920 2,220 198.8%
1930 3,994 79.9%
1940 4,304 7.8%
1950 4,711 9.5%
1960 5,022 6.6%
1970 6,212 23.7%
1980 7,064 13.7%
1990 7,535 6.7%
2000 10,019 33.0%
2010 12,883 28.6%
Est. 2012 12,910 0.2%
Sources:[4][13][14][15][16][17]
2010 census
As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 12,883 people, 4,847 households, and 3,243 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,843.9 inhabitants per square mile (1,098.0/km2). There were 5,154 housing units at an average density of 1,137.7 per square mile (439.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.3% White, 0.6% African American, 1.6% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 1.3% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.1% of the population.
There were 4,847 households of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 14.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.1% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.11.
The median age in the city was 34 years. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.9% were from 25 to 44; 23.3% were from 45 to 64; and 10.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.
2000 census
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 10,019 people, 3,722 households, and 2,579 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,305.6 people per square mile (889.3/km²). There were 4,032 housing units at an average density of 927.8 per square mile (357.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.74% White, 0.34% African American, 1.68% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 1.35% from other races, and 3.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.05% of the population. 21.5% were of German, 10.9% English, 9.5% Irish and 9.3% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 3,722 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.12.
City Hall
In the city the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $40,648, and the median income for a family was $45,548. Males had a median income of $39,375 versus $26,725 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,237. About 8.7% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.
Tourism
The town is home to sets of many films. These include the Disney Channel television film Halloweentown, and the film adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's novel Twilight.[18]
average 21.0 x 10.4 µm. (looked to me like the right spore type; 3 spore photos not same scale; immature spores at left are considerably smaller relative to the mature spores
all KOH
Rinodina has neat spores
my lichen photos by genus - www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections/7215762439...
my photos arranged by subject, e.g. mountains - www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections
Red-headed Trogon
The red-headed trogon (Harpactes erythrocephalus) is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae.
The red-headed trogon is on average 34 cm (13 in) in length. The male has a red head and breast, a unique feature in the Trogon group. The female resembles the Diard’s trogon without a speckled undertail.
The head, neck and upper breast of an adult male is dull crimson. A narrow white band crosses the mid breast, underneath which the lower breast to abdomen is light red to pink. Pale red can be observed on the flanks whereas the mantle and back of the bird are rusty brown. The male perches on branches with the support of mauve-blue legs. Regarding wing colouration, the lesser and median wing coverts, secondary coverts, as well as outer webs of tertials and secondaries are vermiculated black and white. The primary feathers also appear black and white. As for the bird’s long tail, the central feathers are dark brown with a black tip, the second and third pairs are black and the outer pairs are white with black bases. Finally, a black-tipped cobalt blue bill, a deep mauve-blue gape and eyering and reddish-brown irises shape the bird’s face.
The head, neck and upper breast of an adult female are olive-brown. Just like the male, a narrow white band crosses the mid breast, underneath which the lower breast to abdomen is light red to pink. The mantle and back appear orange to brown in colour. The wings are vermiculated dark brown and yellowish brown. The tail feathers are very similar to those of the males. The bill, gape and bare eyering are pale blue on females.
At the juvenile stage, the head, neck and upper-parts are buff brown, whereas the underparts appear buff white. No black tip on the narrower central tail feathers can be observed.
The Red-headed trogon is a widely distributed species of the Harpactes genus and is occurs across much of the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is sporadically distributed from North-Eastern India, Bangladesh and Central Nepal to Southern China, through the Malay Peninsula all the way to areas of Sumatra.
The red-headed trogon prefers upland forests. In the Himalayan foothills it lives in dense broad-leaved forests and in tropical and subtropical zones the species inhabits mostly mixed bamboo forests. In Southeast Asia, this species frequents broadleaved evergreen forests from 300m up to 2600m. In Myanmar, Red-headed trogons live in bamboo and oak forests at 2500m altitude with Ward's Trogons (Harpactes wardi). On the Malay Peninsula, the birds can be observed regularly between 300m and 1680m in evergreen lowland, lower montane and taller upper montane forests. Towards the south of the peninsula however, it is rarely seen below 700m. In Laos, it shares its habitat of evergreen forests and adjacent plains 1700m high, with the Orange-breasted Trogon (Harpactes oreskios). Finally, in northern, western and southern Thailand, it favours climax broad-leaved evergreen forests between 400m and 2000m which it also shares with the Orange-breasted Trogon (Harpactes oreskios).
The bird's local conservation status varies depending on the level of disturbance in the forest. Generally speaking it is locally fairly common in Northeastern India, frequent in Bhutan, and locally dispersed in Bangladesh. The forests of Vietnam appear to be a stronghold, for the birds are reported regularly from many localities throughout the country. Elsewhere throughout its range, it is uncommon to scarce, including Nepal where habitat destruction most certainly explains a rapid decline in population numbers in that area.
In most regions, the red-headed trogon is sedentary although researchers have observed altitudinal movements in Southern Laos, as well as in the Sangthong district, Northern Laos.
Red-headed trogons can most often be found perched on a shaded branch waiting for prey, alone or in pairs. Flight between trees is often sluggish and very low, only a few meters above the ground.
Red-headed trogons are most active in the early hours of the morning and at night, when they fly on the edges of forest clearings in pursuit of flying moths.
In central south Thailand, they share their habitat with the Orange-breasted trogon (Harpactes oreskios). The two species often follow flocks of foraging birds taking advantage of the insects they flush out.
The male’s call resembles that of the Eurasian golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus): a sequence of usually five to six, well-spaced mellow “tyaup” notes, repeated every minute. Occasionally the male calls an extended “pluu-du” note marked by a significant terminal drop in pitch. The call is repeated every 3–6 seconds. As an alarm signal, the Red-headed trogon emits a chattering croak.
Red-headed trogons feed primarily on insects and their larvae found in the foliage, on tree branches or in mid air. They also eat leaves and fruits. Some food items include green orthopterans, stick-insects, cicadas, millipedes, flies, beetles, centipedes, woodlice and moths.
In Northern India, eggs are laid between mid April and mid July, with a peak in May and June. In China, eggs are laid in April, as do eggs in Myanmar. In Thailand, nesting occurs slightly earlier, in March and continues until July, while on the Malay Peninsula dependent juveniles have been observed anytime between early March and late May.
Red-headed trogons usually nest in natural tree cavities, 1.5 to 5m above the ground. The entrance hole is generally wide. Indeed, the pair will enlarge narrow entrances, and occasionally, will excavate the entire nesting cavity. Birds have been seen using old nesting holes of woodpeckers and barbets.
Both sexes contribute to the nesting process, namely excavating, incubating the eggs, brooding and feeding the offspring. However females spend more time brooding, since they alone incubate and brood at night. Males on the other hand contribute more to providing the chicks with food. During the day the pair will take it in turns to brood although they have been known to incubate together.
Nest success is low, at about 9%.
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Only 4 km from the city centre you can find Ada ciganlija - previously an island, now a peninsula - artificial lake 4,2 km long, and on average 200 m wide and 4-6 m deep.
Ada ciganlija, together with Ada Medjica spreads on 800 ha. This popular "Belgrade sea" with beaches on both sides, attracts up to 300.000 people in the summer period.
In the swimming season, from 15th June till end of September, rescue teams are at alert every day from 10 A.M. till 7 P.M.
The lake is suitable for swimming, watercraft, kayak, water polo, water jumps, board soaring, wakeboarding and water ski. You can enjoy many football, basketball, golf, tennis, and hockey on grass fields. The woods around the lake have many traces for running, riding a bicycle or roller-skating. If, after all these activities, you still have energy, you can try extreme sports like bungee jumping from a 55 m high platform or free climbing. You can also see Ada from a popular tourist train. If you are not in the mood for sun bathing or would like to enjoy summer nights beside the water, you can find the freshness and the fun in numerous cafes and restaurants, or maybe float-restaurant that preserve the bohemian spirit of Belgrade.
As far as I know, the Berkeley Pit is the only place in the country where you can pay good money to see toxic waste. Visitors gladly fork over $2 because, after all, this is not your average environmental disaster. By crackey, this is the mother of them all, the country's largest superfund site. There's 37 billion gallons of of highly acidic, toxic water, laden with heavy metals and chemicals like arsenic and sulfuric acid. And you wanted to see it for free? C'mon!
So, plunk down your $2 and walk through the long tunnel, which takes you through the outer wall of the pit.
1955: The year it all began
For more stories from the current issue of PitWatch, go here.
Over the active lifespan of the Berkeley, approximately 320 million tons of ore and over 700 million tons of waste rock were mined from the Pit. Put another way, "The Richest Hill on Earth" produced enough copper to pave a four-lane highway four inches thick from Butte to Salt Lake City and 30 miles beyond.
In 1955, mining in Butte saw the light, literally. Excavation on what would become the Berkeley Pit, named from one of several nearby historic underground mines that the Pit would later swallow, began that year in a transition from underground to open pit mining.
The Pit would, in the next decade, swallow Butte neighborhoods like Meaderville, Dublin Gulch, and McQueen. The transition to open pit mining, a highly mechanized form of mining, also meant fewer jobs for the city’s miners. But mining had always been the lifeblood of Butte, and so the community embraced the new mine, and there was little objection to the sacrifice of some of the city’s neighborhoods.
The Anaconda Company’s decision to begin open pit mining in Butte was not without its reasons. In 1955, copper prices were the highest they had been since the end of World War I in 1918. And the following year, 1956, would mark the highest copper price seen until 2006 (with the exception of the lone year 1974, when copper briefly spiked due to an end to price controls and the ongoing demands of the Vietnam War).
Those high prices gave the Company a big incentive to rethink its Butte operations. The most accessible parts of the Butte hill had already been mined out. Legend has it that Marcus Daly’s original ore vein was 30% copper. That is extraordinarily rich ore, and the veins of that quality could not last- as a point of comparison, when it opened, the ore mined at the Berkeley was about 0.75% copper, and the ore being mined at Montana Resources Continental Pit operation today is approximately 0.35% copper.
In order to economically extract copper from lower grade ore, the Pit was born.
Aside from, and more important, than economic motives, the Pit was also opened because of the simple fact that open pit mining is much less hazardous for the miners themselves. Best guesses put the number of deaths in Butte’s underground mines, which operated for about a century, from the 1860’s through 1976, at around 2,500, an average of about 25 deaths per year. Only six fatalities occurred over the life of the Berkeley, which was operated for 27 years from 1955 through 1982. The Continental Pit, which has been mined intermittently since 1980, has seen only one death.
But steep, continuous declines in copper prices following the 1974 spike led to the eventual shut down of Berkeley operations in 1982.
Throughout the history of mining in Butte, pumps were used to dewater the underground mines and, later, the Berkeley Pit. On April 23, 1982, ARCO, the owners of the former Anaconda Company holdings, announced that they were suspending their Butte operations. Along with the announcement, the underground pumps in the Kelley Mine were shut down. The result: the underground mines and the Berkeley Pit began to fill with acidic water.
The great advantage of the Berkeley is that it acts as a terminal sink: all contaminated ground and surface waters from Butte’s East Camp flow to it and are captured in it. Since 1982, ARCO, Montana Resources, the EPA, the DEQ and the local community have risen to the unique challenges of managing the Pit.
Historically, Butte’s resourcefulness made it a successful mining town that has far outlived the boom-and-bust cycle of many similar communities. That resourcefulness is today being applied in new ways in the many environmental restoration projects underway in the area, and in the management of the Berkeley Pit, all while mining continues successfully, and in ways that alleviate the impacts on the environment, just next door to the Berkeley at the Continental Pit.
In fact it can be said that mining continues today in the Berkeley Pit as Montana Resources copper recovery project is recovering the dissolved copper that exists in the water contained within the walls of the Pit (see "Montana Resources mines the water" for details).
Just as Butte transitioned from underground to open pit mining in 1955, in 2009 we are in the midst of an exciting transition from a landscape scarred by mining to a landscape that is restored where possible and managed responsibly.
For more stories from the current issue of PitWatch, go here.
www.cardcow.com/136196/the-pavilion-at-columbia-gardens-b...
www.montanastandard.com/articles/2004/08/22/featuresbigsk...
Venedig - Canal Grande
The Grand Canal (Italian: Canal Grande [kaˌnal ˈɡrande]; Venetian: Canal Grando, anciently Canałasso [kanaˈɰaso]) is a channel in Venice, Italy. It forms one of the major water-traffic corridors in the city.
One end of the canal leads into the lagoon near the Santa Lucia railway station and the other end leads into the basin at San Marco; in between, it makes a large reverse-S shape through the central districts (sestieri) of Venice. It is 3.8 km (2.4 mi) long, and 30 to 90 m (98 to 295 ft) wide, with an average depth of 5 metres (16 feet).
Description
The banks of the Grand Canal are lined with more than 170 buildings, most of which date from the 13th to the 18th century, and demonstrate the welfare and art created by the Republic of Venice. The noble Venetian families faced huge expenses to show off their richness in suitable palazzos; this contest reveals the citizens’ pride and the deep bond with the lagoon. Amongst the many are the Palazzi Barbaro, Ca' Rezzonico, Ca' d'Oro, Palazzo Dario, Ca' Foscari, Palazzo Barbarigo and to Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, housing the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. The churches along the canal include the basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. Centuries-old traditions, such as the Historical Regatta [it], are perpetuated every year along the Canal.
Because most of the city's traffic goes along the Canal rather than across it, only one bridge crossed the canal until the 19th century, the Rialto Bridge. There are currently three more bridges, the Ponte degli Scalzi, the Ponte dell'Accademia, and the controversial Ponte della Costituzione from 2008, designed by Santiago Calatrava, connecting the train station to Piazzale Roma, one of the few places in Venice where buses and cars can enter. As was usual in the past, people can still take a ferry ride across the canal at several points by standing up on the deck of a simple gondola called a traghetto, although this service is less common than even a decade ago.
Most of the palaces emerge from water without pavement. Consequently, one can only tour past the fronts of the buildings on the grand canal by boat.
History
The first settlements
The Grand Canal probably follows the course of an ancient river (possibly a branch of the Brenta) flowing into the lagoon. Adriatic Veneti groups already lived beside the formerly-named "Rio Businiacus" before the Roman age. They lived in stilt houses and relied on fishing and commerce (mainly salt). Under the rule of the Roman empire and later of the Byzantine empire the lagoon became populated and important, and in the early 9th century the doge moved his seat from Malamocco to the safer "Rivoaltus".[clarification needed]
Increasing trade followed the doge and found in the deep Grand Canal a safe and ship accessible canal-port. Drainage reveals that the city became more compact over time: at that time the Canal was wider and flowed between small, tide-subjected islands connected by wooden bridges.
"Fondaco" houses
Along the Canal, the number of "fondaco" houses increased, buildings combining the warehouse and the merchant's residence.
A portico (the curia) covers the bank and facilitates the ships' unloading. From the portico a corridor flanked by storerooms reaches a posterior courtyard. Similarly, on the first floor a loggia as large as the portico illuminates the hall into which open the merchant's rooms. The façade is thereby divided into an airy central part and two more solid sides. A low mezzanine with offices divides the two floors.
The fondaco house often had lateral defensive towers (torreselle), as in the Fondaco dei Turchi (13th century, heavily restored in the 19th). With the German warehouse, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi (which is also situated on the Grand Canal), it reflects the high number of foreign merchants working in Venice, where the republic supplied them with storerooms and lodging and simultaneously controlled their trading activity.
More public buildings were built along the Canal at Rialto: palaces for commercial and financial Benches (Palazzo dei Camerlenghi and Palazzo dei Dieci Savi, rebuilt after 1514 fire) and a mint. In 1181 Nicolò Barattieri constructed a pontoon bridge connecting Rialto to Mercerie area, which was later replaced by a wooden bridge with shops on it. Warehouses for flour and salt were more peripheral.
The Venetian-Byzantine style
From the Byzantine empire, goods arrived together with sculptures, friezes, columns and capitals to decorate the fondaco houses of patrician families. The Byzantine art merged with previous elements resulting in a Venetian-Byzantine style; in architecture, it was characterized by large loggias with round or elongated arches and by polychrome marbles abundance.
Along the Grand Canal, these elements are well preserved in Ca' Farsetti, Ca' Loredan (both municipal seats) and Ca' da Mosto, all dating back to the 12th or 13th century. During this period Rialto had an intense building development, determining the conformation of the Canal and surrounding areas. As a matter of fact, in Venice building materials are precious and foundations are usually kept: in the subsequent restorations, existing elements will be used again, mixing the Venetian-Byzantine and the new styles (Ca' Sagredo, Palazzo Bembo). Polychromy, three-partitioned façades, loggias, diffuse openings, and rooms disposition formed a particular architectural taste that continued in the future.
The Fourth Crusade, with the loot obtained from the sack of Constantinople (1204), and other historical situations, gave Venice an Eastern influence until the late 14th century.
Venetian Gothic
Venetian Gothic architecture found favor quite late, as a splendid flamboyant Gothic ("gotico fiorito") beginning with the southern façade of the Doge's Palace. The verticality and the illumination characterizing the Gothic style are found in the porticos and loggias of fondaco houses: columns get thinner, elongated arches are replaced by pointed or ogee or lobed ones. Porticos rise gently intertwining and drawing open marbles in quatrefoils or similar figures. Façades were plastered in brilliant colors.
The open marble fascias, often called "laces", quickly diffused along the Grand Canal. Among the 15th-century palaces still showing the original appearance are Ca' d'Oro, Palazzo Bernardo a San Polo, Ca' Foscari (now housing the University of Venice), Palazzo Pisani Moretta, Palazzi Barbaro, Palazzo Cavalli-Franchetti.
Renaissance
By the start of the 15th century, Renaissance architecture motifs appear in such buildings as the Palazzo Dario and the Palazzo Corner Spinelli; the latter was designed by Mauro Codussi, pioneer of this style in Venice. Ca' Vendramin Calergi, another of his projects (now hosting the Casino), reveals a completed transition: the numerous and large windows with open marbles are round-arched and have columns in the three classical orders.
Classical architecture is more evident in Jacopo Sansovino's projects, who arrived from Rome in 1527. Along the Canal, he designed Palazzo Corner and Palazzo Dolfin Manin, known for grandiosity, for the horizontal layout of the white façades and for the development around a central courtyard. Other Renaissance buildings are Palazzo Papadopoli and Palazzo Grimani di San Luca. Several palaces of this period had façades with frescoes by painters such as Il Pordenone, Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, all of them unfortunately lost. Particularly noteworthy were the frescoes by Veronese and Zelotti on Ca Cappello, overlooking the Grand Canal at the intersection with the Rio de S. Polo.
Venetian Baroque
In 1582, Alessandro Vittoria began the construction of Palazzo Balbi (now housing the Government of Veneto), in which Baroque elements can be recognized: fashioned cornices, broken pediments, ornamental motifs.
The major Baroque architect in Venice was Baldassarre Longhena. In 1631 he began to build the magnificent Santa Maria della Salute basilica, one of the most beautiful churches in Venice and a symbol of Grand Canal. The classical layout of the façade features decorations and by many statues, the latter crowning also the refined volutes surrounding the major dome.
Longhena later designed two majestic palaces, Ca' Pesaro and Ca' Rezzonico (with many carvings and chiaroscuro effects), and Santa Maria di Nazareth church (Chiesa degli Scalzi). For various reasons the great architect did not see any of these buildings finished, and the designs for all but Santa Maria Della Salute were modified after his death.
Longhena's themes recur in the two older façades of Palazzo Labia, containing a famous fresco cycle by Giambattista Tiepolo. In the Longhenian school grew Domenico Rossi (San Stae's façade, Ca' Corner della Regina) and Giorgio Massari, who later completed Ca' Rezzonico.
The 16th and 17th centuries mark the beginning of the Republic's decline, but nevertheless, they saw the highest building activity on the Grand Canal. This can be partially explained by the increasing number of families (like the Labia) becoming patrician by the payment of an enormous sum to the Republic, which was then facing financial difficulties. Once these families had achieved this new status, they built themselves with impressive residences on the Canal, often inducing other families to renew theirs.
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architectures along the Canal date to the 18th century: during the first half was built San Simeone Piccolo, with an impressive corinthian portico, central plan and a high copper-covered dome ending in a cupola shaped as a temple. Date to the second half Massari's Palazzo Grassi.
Modern era
After the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, much of the palatial construction in Venice was suspended, as symbolized by the unfinished San Marcuola and Palazzo Venier dei Leoni (housing the Peggy Guggenheim Collection). The Patrician families, bereft of their hereditary role in governance and sometimes persecuted by revolutionary forces, sought other residences. Several historical palaces were pulled down, but many found other uses, and some restorations have saved their 18th-century appearance. By the late 20th century, most of the more prominent palaces were owned by the city, state, or civic institutions.
During the era of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, the Napoleonic suppression of the monastic religious orders vacated large sectors of real estate in the city. It also freed large amounts of furnishings and works of art into the antiquarian market or into the possession of the state. Large monasteries changed functions: the Santa Maria della Carità complex became a museum, the Gallerie dell'Accademia); the Santa Croce complex, was converted into the Papadopoli Gardens area; and the Santa Lucia complex (partially designed by Palladio) was razed for the establishment of the Santa Lucia Station.
The Kingdom of Italy accession restored serenity in the city and stimulated construction along the Grand Canal respecting its beauty, often reproduced in Gothic Revival architectures like the Pescaria at Rialto.
Events
Historical Regatta
On the first Sunday of September the Historical Regatta ("Regata Storica") takes place, a competition between Venetian boats watched by thousands of people from the banks or from floating stands. Competitions are preceded by a historical procession ("Corteo Storico") remembering the entrance of the Queen of Cyprus Catherine Cornaro after abdication in 1489: gondoliers in costumes sail in typical 16th century boats following the Bucentaur, doge's state galley.
The Feast-day of the Madonna della Salute
On November 21, Venetians thank the Virgin Mary for salvation from the plague epidemic in 1630-38 with a pilgrimage to Santa Maria della Salute. Pilgrims cross Grand Canal on a temporary pontoon bridge from Campo Santa Maria del Giglio, and enjoy stalls and traditional dishes.
(Wikipedia)
Der Canal Grande, im Venezianischen Canałazzo, ist eine knapp vier Kilometer lange, zwischen 30 und 70 Meter breite und bis zu fünf Meter tiefe Hauptwasserstraße in der Lagunenstadt Venedig. Die erste Biegung des S-förmigen Kanals wird als Volta di Canal bezeichnet.
Er ist das letzte Stück des nördlichen Armes des Flusses Brenta, der durch die Lagune zieht, weshalb das Wasser hier im Gegensatz zu den übrigen venezianischen Kanälen immer fließt. Rund 45 kleinere Kanäle (italienisch Rii) münden in den Canal Grande ein.
Lage
Der Canal Grande trennt die citra (diesseits)-Stadtsechstel (Sestieri) San Marco, Cannaregio und Castello von den auf der rechten Kanalseite gelegenen ultra (jenseits)-Stadtteilen Dorsoduro, San Polo und Santa Croce.
Brücken und Gondeln
Derzeit überspannen vier Brücken den Kanal, deren älteste die Rialtobrücke ist. Es handelt sich dabei um eine gegen Ende des 16. Jahrhunderts anstelle einer Holzbrücke errichtete, gedeckte Brücke in Kalkstein.
Bis zur Errichtung der Scalzi-Brücke und der Accademia-Brücke im 19. Jahrhundert (beide erneuert im 20. Jahrhundert) war die Rialtobrücke die einzige feste Verbindung über den Kanal.
Im Sommer 2007 wurde mit dem Bau einer vierten Brücke nach Entwürfen des spanischen Architekten Santiago Calatrava begonnen. Am 11. August 2007 wurde das Mittelstück der tragenden Konstruktion eingesetzt. Dazu wurde der Canal Grande für mehrere Stunden gesperrt. Am 11. September 2008 wurde die Brücke als „Ponte della Costituzione“ eingeweiht. Die 94 Meter lange Brücke mit Treppenstufen ermöglicht Pendlern und Busreisenden, ohne Umweg von den Parkplätzen und dem Busbahnhof am Piazzale Roma zum Bahnhof Santa Lucia zu gelangen.
Neben den Brücken und den städtischen Vaporetti ermöglichen Gondeln (italienisch Traghetti) an acht Stellen ein Übersetzen über den Canal Grande. Die Gondeln verkehren ausschließlich tagsüber.
Verluste an historischer Bebauung, darunter die Kirche Santa Lucia, mussten im 19. Jahrhundert durch die Errichtung des Bahnhofs am westlichen Ende des Kanals verzeichnet werden. In Erinnerung an die abgerissene Kirche wurde der Bahnhof Stazione Ferroviaria Santa Lucia genannt.
Im Canal Grande besteht ein bußgeldbewehrtes Badeverbot, das streng durchgesetzt wird.
Paläste
Der Canal Grande wird von über 200 prächtigen Adelspalästen gesäumt. In Venedig war die Höhe der Paläste von zahlreichen Vorschriften der Stadtrepublik vorgegeben und jeder akzeptierte das. Auch hier herrschte im Vergleich zu anderen italienischen Städten ein starker gemeinsamer Geist, der Einzelinteressen überlagerte. Das Gegenbeispiel sind die Geschlechtertürme in anderen Städten, mit denen sich die einzelnen Familien gegenseitig zu übertrumpfen suchten.
Nach dem großen Vierten Kreuzzug von 1204, in dessen Verlauf die Venezianer reiche Beute gemacht hatten, waren die ehemals hölzernen Häuser zunächst durch Steinbauten im byzantinischen Stil abgelöst worden. Vom 15. Jahrhundert an wurden sie nach und nach durch prunkvolle Paläste ersetzt – im Stil der Gotik, der Renaissance und auch des Barock. Byzantinische Elemente blieben in wenigen Gebäuden erhalten, sind jedoch noch in den Maßwerkformen der gotischen Fenster zu sehen.
Der Abstand der Paläste zum Canal Grande war im frühen und hohen Mittelalter teilweise größer. Erst im 13. Jahrhundert begann man, die Bauten, die auf vielen kleinen Inseln errichtet waren, zum Kanal hin zu erweitern und den Hof nach hinten zu verlagern. Gleichzeitig wurde die Hauptfassade zum Wasser hin verlegt, die zuvor zur Landseite wies. Entgegen einer weitverbreiteten Meinung standen die Paläste der berühmtesten Familien nicht am Canal Grande, sondern an größeren und kleineren Plätzen oder an Seitenkanälen.
Die Steine für diese Paläste wurden hauptsächlich vom Festland herbeitransportiert, besonders aus Verona (roter Marmor) und aus Istrien (weißer Kalkmarmor). Alles Baumaterial, auch Ziegel für Mauern und Dächer sowie erhebliche Mengen von Holz musste von außerhalb, zum Teil über hunderte von Kilometern, herangeschafft werden, da in der Stadt Venedig nichts davon vorhanden war.
Die Paläste sind zwar in ihrer Größe oft sehr unterschiedlich, aber alle nach dem gleichen Bauprinzip – einem dominierenden Mittelteil und seitlich untergeordneten Flügeln – angelegt. Die durch große Fenster geöffnete Fassade und die Bevorzugung der leichten vor der festen Bauweise ergibt sich auch durch die Notwendigkeit, auf unsicherem, oft sandigem Grund mitten im Wasser der Lagune keine allzu schweren Häuser bauen zu können. So sind alle Gebäude Venedigs auf einem Gerüst aus tausenden von Eichenpfählen, die viele Meter tief in den Untergrund getrieben wurden, errichtet. Die innere Anordnung der Räume ist meist an der Fassade abzulesen. Hier zeigt sich die jahrhundertelange Erfahrung der Baumeister, dass das fundamentale Element Venedigs das Wasser ist, dessen Lichtreflexionen in die Räume hineinspiegeln sollten.
Das untere Geschoss, das Wassergeschoss, war schon deshalb offen, um die Waren aufnehmen zu können, die von den Schiffen gebracht wurden. Dieses ganze Geschoss, das Piantereno, war auch auf der Hofseite seit dem 14. Jahrhundert dem Handel vorbehalten, also der wirtschaftlichen und finanziellen Grundlage der meisten venezianischen Familien, die solche Paläste bewohnten. Hier legten vor dem Portal die Boote an, wurden be- und entladen und die Waren unmittelbar in den angrenzenden Räumen und Magazinen eingelagert. Vor den Palästen stehen die berühmt gewordenen Pali, die bunten Pfähle zum Anbinden der Schiffe. Sie bezeichnen mit ihren individuellen Farben auch den jeweiligen Hausherrn.
Das erste Obergeschoss, das Piano nobile, und oft noch ein weiteres, war der Familie vorbehalten. Hier gab es den großen Saal, den Portego, der in der Mitte die ganze Tiefe des Hauses einnahm. Dieser Mitteltrakt war meist zu beiden Seiten von kleineren Räumen umgeben. Die Dienstboten wohnten ganz oben im Mezzanin. Die Küchen lagen ebenfalls meist unter den Dächern – aus gutem Grund. Wenn es hier zu einem Brand kam, wurde nicht das ganze Haus in Mitleidenschaft gezogen.
Innenhöfe fehlen fast immer. Dafür hatte jeder Palast im nach hinten offenen Hof seinen eigenen Brunnen. Die weniger Begüterten holten ihr Wasser aus öffentlichen Zisternen, die auf den Campi standen. Über jeder Zisterne war ein Brunnen eingerichtet.
Das Wasser für die Zisternen kam zum Teil von den Dächern. Rund um das Dach verlief nämlich die so genannte Gorne, eine steinerne Regenrinne, die über senkrechte Abflussrohre mit den Zisternen verbunden war. Die Dächer der Paläste sind relativ flach, und zwar – der Sage nach – weil die Venezianerinnen dort ihre Haare von der Sonne so lange bleichen lassen konnten, bis sie jenen Farbton des goldenen rötlichen Blonds erreicht hatten, für den sie schon zu Tizians Zeiten berühmt waren. Nur das Haar wurde gebleicht, nicht die Haut gebräunt. Das galt als vulgär. Braune Haut hatten nur die Leute, die im Freien arbeiten mussten. Die Dächer der venezianischen Palazzi waren aber entgegen einer weit verbreiteten Meinung nur selten wirklich begehbar, jedoch gab und gibt es in Venedig zahlreiche Altanen, hölzerne, balkonartige Aufbauten über den Dächern.
Viele Paläste waren trotz ihrer luftig-lichten Bauweise im Inneren sehr dunkel, vor allem im hinteren Bereich, wenn das Haus, wie meist in Venedig, eingekeilt zwischen Nachbargebäuden stand, mit oft nur wenig oder gar keinem Platz für einen Innenhof. Vor allem die Treppenhäuser und Erdgeschosse ließen an Licht und Luft zu wünschen übrig. Deswegen kam es im 16. Jahrhundert zu einer Aufwertung dieser Bereiche.
Kirchen
Direkt dem Canal Grande zugewandt, nur durch kleine Plätze oder gepflasterten Uferbereich von ihm getrennt, sind auch einige Kirchen: die Santa Maria di Nazareth (Scalzi), San Simeone Piccolo, San Geremia, San Marcuola, San Stae, San Samuele und Santa Maria della Salute. Als Teil der Accademia, dem größten Museum für Venezianische Kunst, ist auch noch das Langhaus der ehemaligen Kirche Santa Maria della Carità zu sehen. Für die Errichtung des Bahnhofs am nordwestlichen Ende des Canal Grande war im 19. Jahrhundert die Kirche Santa Lucia abgebrochen worden.
(Wikipedia)
W1FVB FN44ej VLF Spectrogram, 2016-04-19 at 07:00 to 08:00 UTC (03:00 to 04:00 Local)
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08:00:03 up 27 days, 17:16, 0 users, load average: 1.14, 0.94, 0.95 | temp=46.0'C | Start Sox
08:10:24 up 27 days, 17:26, 0 users, load average: 2.78, 2.46, 1.79 | temp=48.2'C | Sox Finished
Average 3 inches tall diecast figures from Star Wars universe by Takara Tomy in 2016. #13 Darth Maul, #14 Rey & #15 Chewbacca.
I went back to my local city museum BM & AG, to check out the brand new permanent galleries that is the Birmingham History Galleries (it opened on the 12th October 2012).
Free entry
Birmingham its people, its history
A Stranger's Guide to 18th Century Birmingham
1700 to 1830
Fortune Smiles - Average Means - Hard Times
Something that you can spin in the museum. There was more like this in the History Galleries. I took one more after this one.
To enliven the #followthefoodie experience with Team Shivangi Reviews, we visited Market Café in GK 2. With separate smoking and non-smoking seating, the manager reserved a table in both the areas, not knowing which area we will prefer, just goes to say the level of service being provided. The exclusive Gourmet It Up menu contains selected dishes from the restaurant and some of the chef’s favourite.
Staff & Ambiance
Simple & uncomplicated - the first thing that comes to mind. This is the kind of place where you can sit and unwind with friends, have endless drinks & good food to eat. The service is good. We didn’t have to wait too much for anything, nor had we to tell anything. Everything was being done at its pace as we relaxed.
Food & Beverages
From the set Gourmet It Up menu, Jam Jar Margarita and Mocktail of the day was asked for. The former was served in a jam-jar and was above average. Mocktail of the day - Virgin Mojito, again good, was served according to our specifications.
Greek Salad was fresh and tasteful – the right amount of everything. For starters, Ranchero Nachos & Harissa Chicken Skewers were ordered. With homemade Nachos, the former was very refined while maintaining the simplicity but the latter was a disappointment. Though the marinade was fine, the chicken was fibrous and it lacked the necessary moisture it should have had.
The interestingly named – MC BC Biryani – is a butter chicken biryani which is quite unique. The biryani is made using butter chicken – the flavor of which was very dominant. Grilled Chicken with Rosemary Pepper sauce was great again. Served with sautéed broccoli & zucchini & potato mash, this is a meal in itself and quite flavorful too. The complaint we had with Chicken skewers was missing here and we thoroughly enjoyed the dish.
Desserts
A single portion of Caramel Cheesecake, which was special for the day was ordered. The size is good enough for 2 people after all the food we have had. This was again unique in taste and the mixture of cheesecake and caramel sauce did wonders, a must try I would say. A small portion of strawberry sauce served on the side just enhanced the flavours.
The place is buzzing with youngsters from the nearby areas, relaxing with friends, enjoying their drinks and socializing. The staff makes all efforts to take care of all customizations requested. They also have interestingly breakfast and quick lunch menu which are very reasonably priced.
XOXO
Shivangi
(Shivangi Reviews)
Review Credit: Abhik D.
Contact: mail@shivangireviews.com
Find me on Facebook, search "Shivangi Reviews"
Manipur gets an average of 1200 mm of annual rainfall. Most houses in Manipur, both rural and urban, have a pond (pukhri) where water collects during the monsoons. The size of the pond in a house depends on the economic status of the homeowner. Water from these ponds was originally used for drinking and household uses, but over the years, people also breed fish in these ponds for personal consumption and an additional source of income.
Photos by Amitangshu Acharya.
An average NS, eastbound, manifest train was captured here at Bryan, Ohio, on this early March Saturday. I chose to include it because I believe the Amtrak shack and its days are numbered. I saw the shack come and I will likely see it go in its 40-year lifespan. Rumor is that a more significant depot is planned but I've been hearing that for a few years. I guess we'll see. Still, it's showing its age since its unofficial caretaker, John Marquis, passed on to deal with other heavenly duties a few years ago. Incidentally, Bryan, Ohio, is the home of Spangler Candy Co. and their renowned Dum Dum suckers. The water tower to the left, recently painted to a Dum Dum scheme, reminds us of that. The air around town is usually filled with the fragrance of the whatever sucker flavor is in production that particular day.
* Average Length: (Adult) 35-50 ft (Newborn) 13-16 ft
* Average Weight: (Adult) 23-30 tons (Birth) 1-2 tons
* Population: 18,000-20,000 (2002 figure)
* Lifespan: estimated to be around 40 years (1998 figure)
* Threats: Caught in fishing nets, human disturbance, and being tangled in marine pollution
* The flukes (tails) have a distinct pattern on the underside, much like our fingerprints
* The humpback whale breaches more frequently than other baleen whales
* The Pacific humpback's pectoral fins are white underneath & black on top..
* The Atlantic humpback's pectoral fins are white on both sides- which makes it easier for us to see them
* While in their breeding grounds- the whales do NOT eat!
* Some humpbacks feed in the Southern Ocean and go north to their reproductive areas!
* Can stay underwater for 30 minutes but often dives for much shorter periods of time, usually 5 to 10 minutes
* Humpbacks emit high frequency "clicks" reaching 30,000 Hz
* The males produce, in frequencies between 20 and 9,000 Hz, songs that are the longest and the most varied in all the animal kingdom, with repeated sequences about 15 minutes long
* When they are in cold waters, the humpback whale eats 2 tons of fish and planktonic crustaceans a day, in 2 to 4 meals
Offshore Wind's new
South Cat 19m Alloy WFSV (wind farm support vessel)
OFFSHORE WEST HINDER
in the Solent heading back to South Boats at East Cowes.
Vessel's Details
Ship Type: High Speed Craft
Length x Breadth: 19 m X 8 m
Speed recorded (Max / Average): / knots
Flag: United Kingdom [UK]
Call Sign: 2FNT2
IMO: 0, MMSI: 235092785
The Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar breeding distribution covering the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America (as far south as Brittany and Massachusetts). The species is strongly migratory, seeing two summers each year as it migrates along a convoluted route from its northern breeding grounds to the Antarctic coast. Recent studies have shown average annual round trip lengths of about 70,900 km (44,100 mi) for birds nesting in Iceland and Greenland and c. 90,000 km (56,000 mi) for birds nesting in the Netherlands. These are by far the longest migrations known in the animal kingdom. The Arctic tern flies as well as glides through the air, performing almost all of its tasks in the air. It nests once every one to three years (depending on its mating cycle); once it has finished nesting it takes to the sky for another long southern migration.
Arctic terns are medium-sized birds. They have a length of 28–39 cm (11–15 in) and a wingspan of 65–75 cm (26–30 in). They are mainly grey and white plumaged, with a red beak (as long as the head, straight, with pronounced gonys) and feet, white forehead, a black nape and crown (streaked white), and white cheeks. The grey mantle is 305 mm, and the scapulae are fringed brown, some tipped white. The upper wing is grey with a white leading edge, and the collar is completely white, as is the rump. The deeply forked tail is whitish, with grey outer webs. The hind crown to the ear-coverts is black.
Arctic terns are long-lived birds, with many reaching thirty years of age. They eat mainly fish and small marine invertebrates. The species is abundant, with an estimated one million individuals. While the trend in the number of individuals in the species as a whole is not known, exploitation in the past has reduced this bird's numbers in the southern reaches of its range.
The Arctic tern was known as sea swallow describing their slender shape as they swoop over the water.
The Arctic tern has a continuous worldwide circumpolar breeding distribution; there are no recognized subspecies. It can be found in coastal regions in cooler temperate parts of North America and Eurasia during the northern summer. While wintering during the southern summer, it can be found at sea, reaching the northern edge of the Antarctic ice.
The Arctic tern is famous for its migration; it flies from its Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic and back again each year, the shortest distance between these areas being 19,000 km (12,000 mi). The long journey ensures that this bird sees two summers per year and more daylight than any other creature on the planet.
One example of this bird's remarkable long-distance flying abilities involves an Arctic tern ringed as an unfledged chick on the Farne Islands, Northumberland, UK, in the northern summer of 1982, which in October 1982, just three months from fledging, reached Melbourne, Australia. Assuming a direct route of flight, the distance covered would have been more than 22,000 km (14,000 mi). Another example is that of a chick ringed in Labrador, Canada, on 23 July 1928. It was found in South Africa four months later.
A 2010 study using tracking devices attached to the birds showed that the above examples are not unusual for the species. In fact, it turned out, previous research had seriously underestimated the annual distances travelled by the Arctic tern. Eleven birds that bred in Greenland or Iceland covered 70,900 km (44,100 mi) on average in a year, with a maximum of 81,600 km (50,700 mi).
The difference from previous estimates is due to the birds' taking meandering courses rather than following a straight route as was previously assumed. The birds follow a somewhat convoluted course in order to take advantage of prevailing winds. The average Arctic tern lives about twenty years, and will, based on the above research, travel some 2.4 million km (1.5 million mi) during its lifetime.
A 2013 tracking study of half a dozen Arctic terns breeding in the Netherlands shows average annual migrations of c. 90,000 km (56,000 mi). On their way south, these birds roughly followed the coastlines of Europe and Africa. Having rounded the southern tip of Africa, they then turned east, some flying approximately halfway to Australia before again turning south to eventually reach Wilkes Land in the north-eastern Antarctic.
One bird flew several hundred kilometres along the south coast of Australia before turning south for the Antarctic, while one flew along the entire south coast of Australia, passing between Australia and Tasmania. Having reached the Melbourne area, it turned south and flew in an arc to Wilkes Land in the north-east Antarctic, passing the south-western tip of New Zealand's South Island en route. Once back in the Netherlands, this bird had journeyed c. 91,000 km (57,000 mi), the longest migration yet recorded for any animal.
Arctic terns usually migrate sufficiently far offshore that they are rarely seen from land outside the breeding season.
This image was taken on Lake St Lucia in South Africa
Averaged 12.8 over 12.8 miles. Took an hour.
She's about 4.5 now, and did a great job on this trip. She helped on hills and pointed out the corn and soybeans along the way.
A friend commissioned me the painting at average game level of his Bloodbowl chaos team: here are a few pics of the completed work, hope you like it! ;-)
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Un amico mi ha commissionato la pittura a livello medio da gioco della sua squadra del caos di Bloodbowl: qui alcune foto del lavoro finito, spero vi piaccia! ;-)
This figure reports the average number of compromised records over a 12-month period by industry classification.
Source: The True Cost of Compliance Research Report, independently conducted by Ponemon Institute and commissioned by Tripwire Inc. This benchmark study of multinational organizations provides a clear understanding of the differences between compliance and non-compliance costs incurred when complying with laws, regulations and policies over a 12-month period.
RUNWAY Fridays| Huge Leo Bash/PROBLEM LIVE 8-12-11 #LANightLife
For more pictures from this event and many more visit www.vvkphoto.com and click "Find Your Photo".
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Hosted by Models, Beauti, Kameron Dash, Chelsea Reese, CT, Heather Nikole, Jae Michelle, Jasmine Monroe, Kaeo Black & more
Live Performances By Problem, Genasis, Yung Brodee, & Don Benjamin
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