View allAll Photos Tagged commitment
GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS Commitment March Rally at Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool North Pathway, NW, Washington DC on Friday morning, 28 August 2020 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Visit Commitment March website at nationalactionnetwork.net/commitment-march-on-washington-dc/
Elvert Barnes 57th Anniversary of 1963 March on Washington COMMITMENT MARCH docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/57MOW2020
Mt Somers vs Methven Senior B Rugby.
Methven won 27-7?
My daughter Sara and friend Justine took the photos using my camera as I don't like the cold
Digital image taken with a Lumix GX7 fronted with an Olympus M. Zuiko 25mm f/1.8 lens
Editing done via Photoshop Elements 12 with Topaz Labs plug ins
Found and admired during the All Corvette Car Show at Calvary Church in St. Peters, Missouri, USA
These are my summer commitments. 9 Sketchbooks to fill end to end.
The top four moleskines are already started and just need finishing.
The botttom five, thinner Moleskines on the left and Japanese accordions to the right are still blank.
www.arqueologiadelperu.com/in-rare-interview-colombian-re...
Bogotá, Colombia (AP) – In a landmark television interview, the rarely-seen leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reaffirmed the commitment of Latin America's oldest insurgency to abandon the battlefield even while shying from a six-month deadline to sign a final peace accord.
Rodrigo Londoño said he has always considered himself an "enemy" of putting artificial dates on negotiations, fearing it could backfire against the rebels if a target is missed. But he said he eventually was persuaded to put aside those objections and join Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos in making a pledge to reach a final deal by March because he trusts the president, whom he called an "ally of peace."
"If there's political will, we can do it earlier, but six months may also be too short," Londoño said in his first interview since peace talks began in Cuba three years ago.
The interview aired Tuesday night was as significant for its very existence as for any revelations made by the normally secretive Londoño, who is better known by the alias Timochenko.
Until last week, when he shook hands with President Santos in Havana to announce a breakthrough agreement on the thorny issue of punishment for war crimes during a half-century of fighting, the veteran guerrilla commander had been something of a sphinx to Colombians. When he was seen at all, it was only in videotaped messages from the jungle battlefield dressed in military fatigues and railing against Colombia's U.S.-backed "oligarchy."
But in a speech alongside Santos and again in the interview aired Tuesday with Venezuelan-based network Telesur, Londoño tired to cast a softer image, wearing a white guayabera shirt and sporting his trademark salt-and-pepper beard neatly groomed.
In a heavily edited conversation with a leftist former Colombian senator, Piedad Cordoba, Londoño reminisced about his decision to run off with the rebels while still a teenager 40 years ago. And he spoke of a desire to one day return to the coffee-growing town where he was raised by a peasant communist father and devout Catholic mother.
Asked if he would ask the FARC's many victims for forgiveness, Londoño said tactical "errors" in the heat of battle were made on all sides, but that he had nothing to apologize for.
"Whoever asks for forgiveness it's because they regret something, and I don't regret anything," he said.
Without presenting any proof or details, he said the FARC early in the peace process had had the opportunity to assassinate Santos but desisted from carrying out an attack because the group's then-leader, alias Alfonso Cano, was against provoking more bloodshed while dialogue was underway. Cano was later killed in a military air attack.
Londoño said he is no longer dedicating energy to warfare and in the spirit of reconciliation would even meet with former President Alvaro Uribe, a harsh critic of the talks whose U.S.-backed military offensive last decade decimated the FARC's ranks.
The rebel leader also played down speculation that some of the FARC's estimated 6,500 troops would not adhere to a peace accord. Critics say many former fighters will dedicate themselves to drug trafficking and extortion, lucrative activities the group uses to fund its insurgency, instead of handing over their weapons for an uncertain future in which they'll be required to confess their abuses to special tribunals.
"I give you my full assurances, that there's not a single guerrilla, neither commander or combatant, that's in disagreement," said Londoño.
Like us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter & Instagram
My last opportunity to dress as a woman was back in November 2023, some seven months on and I still do not foresee any new opportunities to indulge in my love of female illusion anytime soon. It's a little frustrating as I have a lot of new dresses to wear that I've been quietly buying in sales over the last year. My female clothing is mainly bought in sales as it's a nice way to get some gorgeous feminine clothes at good value. I can often get three dresses, for example, at what was the original price for just one. That's a cross-dressing tip I would definitely recommend.
In my periods of being unable to dress as a woman , which is most of the time for me, I like to browse through my photos and videos and recall the delightful memories of the occasions I was able to become my female alter-ego. I do love and adore dressing as a woman, I really enjoy my time in my female guise. There is a delight in imagining I am female that I never experience as a man. I always enjoy having shaved legs, chest and arms and shaping my eyebrows, I enjoy the physical commitment to attempting to look more feminine.
I've said many times in the past how much I enjoy wearing make-up, wigs and dresses, they are just so fabulous and you feel amazing! I will admit to feeling a lot more confident presenting as a woman than I do as a man. Somehow being feminine is empowering compared to being male. I'm sure many men would disagree but for me I feel better being a woman. I will likely be accused of delusion as reality is I am a man dressing as a woman so in truth I know nothing of what women really have to experience. I am, I suppose, enjoying the trappings of femininity without facing the reality of being female.
Transvestism has featured strongly in my life and it took me a long time to set it free. For years I did all I could to suppress the urges and desires that I had to try and spend time dressed as a woman. I know I keep saying 'dressed as a woman' but that's my reality. It is all I can do to express the feelings I've always had about my inner desire to be feminine. These days I attempt to dress in a real world manner, so I can, hopefully, pass as a woman. This doesn't mean wearing dull styles, far from it, but I do now favour styles women would choose over what my transvestite desires have a liking for. I accept I have those desires so every now and again I like to indulge them.
This picture is one of those times. I had just shaved my legs and plucked my eyebrows and as I applied my make-up I found myself wanting to be a bit girly. I applied several coats of mascara to my lashes to help feminise them, I enjoyed my thinner shaped eyebrows and feeling a bit daring decided on a darker lipstick and chose my mid length blonde wig and decided on a black button through mini dress and pointed toe stiletto heels. I won't deny, I feel amazing stepping onto the photo set I had setup for my evening of indulging in photo taking as a my female self.
I loved...loved...doing this. I dreamt of the years I had missed on being a teenage girl and young woman (I only began to cross-dress as a woman in my early 40s...I wasted so much time...)
You only live once so it's good to have a bit of fun and dare to do things that are, let's be honest, gentle and harmlesss. It is a truth that we often experience fear and guilt when it comes to being men that dress as women but I feel sure most of us do enjoy our time in our dresses, heels, make-up and wigs. It's all an illusion but it is such an amazing experience. I think you can see why I couldn't resist slipping into the short dress and heels and put on the make-up...it was fun and yet, something I needed on an emotional level too.
Despite a lifetime of knowing, and on occasion indulging, that I love to cross-dress as a woman it has always been a desire that has been an activity I rarely manage engage with. It comes down to real life I that I have other commitments and priorities that I feel must come ahead of my own desires. For me personally, my own family and their security are what I feel more strongly about over my own trans feelings and dressing as a woman.
In a good year I may enjoy two cross-dressing sessions though sometimes I may have to wait several years between sessions. Despite the long periods of no cross-dressing I don't feel too distraught. I say that as my family are aware I like to spend tome as a woman, though they are not delighted by this they do tolerate it. It is an open secret in the family but is never discussed. I have mo wish to cause upset and disruption so I'm very willing too keep quiet about how I feel about wanting to present as a female and how I feel emotionally when I do set free my female self. I say that as I feel truly fortunate that my family do let me go ahead and cross-dress completely.
By completely I mean I am able to pluck my eyebrows, shave my legs, chest and arms, apply make-up as a woman would, pant my nails, wear dresses, high heels and wigs and feel utterly free as the female I know exists within me. This may sound a bit strange, but when I transform into my female alter-ego, I no longer feel I am a man, I love being the woman I've become.
I accept that may be see as delusional as it is on the surface a facade, it's illusion created by make-up, shaving and wearing female clothing. I'm sure the general perception would be I am merely dressing up as an actor may for a performance. I feel though, at leat for me, more is involved than that. I will confess, the male part of me does actually enjoy the transformation process and creating the outward illusion of trying to look like a woman, there is a suppressed actor lurking within me, so becoming the character is an element of what I enjoy.
There is more to it than that, It has taken many years of fighting self doubt to admit to myself but a part of me loves the emotional release that I am not a man anymore, it takes me beyond the initial enjoyment of performance. I feel I'm moving into becoming!
I adore being Helene, I absolutely love being her. I say her, but really she is me. I enjoy being a female. This may add to me being even more delusional as I live as a man, but I won't deny I feel good freeing this part of myself.
I feel more alive and confident being a woman, and I enjoy the change that occurs emotionally. I become more chatty, more tactile, more open, my emotions are expressed more freely, it just feels so fulfilling. This may a symptom of the reality that I so rarely get to appear as a woman so it all comes to the fore when I do become Helene. I do find I am more fun loving as a woman and I often feel a kind of sexiness and flirtyness emerging.
At times I so forget I am a man that I imagine I could be girlfriend or a wife, I am contented to be the female. I say that but there is a twist! The thing I have realised over the years is though I would enjoy the thrill of being perceived as a woman alongside a man, I could only ever do that as a performance. The truth is I am not attracted to men but I am attracted to women (some may so much I wanted to be one!). I think Helene the woman is a lesbian. Knowing that, gives me quite a boost as I've been wondering for years about my sexuality. I just find women appealing and attractive and have no feelings like that towards men.
I think cross-dressing is driven by many different desires by those of us who engage in it. We all have varied motivations driving us as is evident by the wide ranging presentations shown here on Flickr be it from a transsexual aspect to sexual excitement, it covers a wide spectrum.
The underlying thing that prevails, whatever one's motivations are, we all seem to enjoy our cross-dressing. On the whole cross-dressing is for me a form of true self expression and I am delighted I am one.
A note on the accompanying picture. I do have aspirations to pass a real woman. This affects my choice of make-up, hair and clothing. Though I still enjoy the occasional cross-dresser indulgence of short dresses, big heels and lots of make-up, I also enjoy trying to create a real world daytime style such as a real woman may choose. In this session, my last cross-dressing opportunity back in October 2023, I was a bit ham fisted with my make-up (being out of practice) but wanted to appear as feminine but casual. I chose a woman floral patterned shirt, a denim skirt (of course I had to wear a skirt as I had just shaved my legs) a pair of wedge heel sandals, a casual brush out of my blonde wig, hoop ear rings, a hint of perfume, and I chose a more muted lipstick and applied softer eyeliner before finishing off with my usual two coats of mascara on my lashes. I felt quite the girl when I was done! I just love becoming a woman.
Thornbridge Hall
A Jacobean Country House surrounded by 12 acres of quintessential English gardens, set in the heart of the Peak District National Park.
Designed at the end of the 19th Century to create a vision of '1,000 shades of green' which the owner wanted to be able to see.
History
Thornbridge was the seat of the Longsdon family from the 12th century until the late 18th century.
In 1790 John Morewood, a linen merchant, bought the estate for £10,000, and enlarged the earlier house.
In 1871 Frederick Craven rebuilt the house entirely in Jacobean style, but the house as we see it today is the work of a Sheffield lawyer named George Marples.
In 1896 Marples enlarged the house, to nearly its present form, and laid out the gardens. He bought up much of the surrounding land and employed many servants and gardeners, all of whom addressed him, Lord Marples. Marples also built estate cottages, lodges, and even a private railway station, now Thornbridge Outdoors.
In 1930 Charles Boot, head of a Sheffield based building firm, bought the estate. Boot's company (Henry Boot Construction) had earned the contract to demolish the stately home of Clumber Park after that house was destroyed in a fire in 1938. Boot rescued a large number of statues, fountains, and building facades from Clumber and installed them at Thornbridge Hall.
In 1945, after Boot's death, Sheffield City Council bought Thornbridge at auction for £42,000 with the intention to use it as a teacher training college. Building alterations were necessary to put this into effect.
In 1948 the first 60 student teachers began their studies. The final teacher training class was held in 1975, after that the Hall was used as a multi-purpose Education Centre for South Yorkshire.
In 1997 the Hall was bought back into private ownership by the Hunt family, who started restoration work to the formal gardens and removed inappropriate additions to the house to reveal its proper proportions.
In 2002 the Hall was bought by the Harrison family. Since then extensive work has taken place The Harrisons made a commitment to add their layer of history to Thornbridge and return many of the features back to their former glory. Completed works include the main house and all its rooms including the exquisite music room, the Carriage House, Gardeners Cottage, North Lodge, South Lodge, the rebuilding of the Orangery and extensive new building work to link the whole estate.
Remaining first and foremost a private family home, Thornbridge is also now recognised as one of the most exclusive and exciting venues for Events and Weddings in the country.
The Hall is Grade II Listed.
www.arqueologiadelperu.com/in-rare-interview-colombian-re...
Bogotá, Colombia (AP) – In a landmark television interview, the rarely-seen leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reaffirmed the commitment of Latin America's oldest insurgency to abandon the battlefield even while shying from a six-month deadline to sign a final peace accord.
Rodrigo Londoño said he has always considered himself an "enemy" of putting artificial dates on negotiations, fearing it could backfire against the rebels if a target is missed. But he said he eventually was persuaded to put aside those objections and join Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos in making a pledge to reach a final deal by March because he trusts the president, whom he called an "ally of peace."
"If there's political will, we can do it earlier, but six months may also be too short," Londoño said in his first interview since peace talks began in Cuba three years ago.
The interview aired Tuesday night was as significant for its very existence as for any revelations made by the normally secretive Londoño, who is better known by the alias Timochenko.
Until last week, when he shook hands with President Santos in Havana to announce a breakthrough agreement on the thorny issue of punishment for war crimes during a half-century of fighting, the veteran guerrilla commander had been something of a sphinx to Colombians. When he was seen at all, it was only in videotaped messages from the jungle battlefield dressed in military fatigues and railing against Colombia's U.S.-backed "oligarchy."
But in a speech alongside Santos and again in the interview aired Tuesday with Venezuelan-based network Telesur, Londoño tired to cast a softer image, wearing a white guayabera shirt and sporting his trademark salt-and-pepper beard neatly groomed.
In a heavily edited conversation with a leftist former Colombian senator, Piedad Cordoba, Londoño reminisced about his decision to run off with the rebels while still a teenager 40 years ago. And he spoke of a desire to one day return to the coffee-growing town where he was raised by a peasant communist father and devout Catholic mother.
Asked if he would ask the FARC's many victims for forgiveness, Londoño said tactical "errors" in the heat of battle were made on all sides, but that he had nothing to apologize for.
"Whoever asks for forgiveness it's because they regret something, and I don't regret anything," he said.
Without presenting any proof or details, he said the FARC early in the peace process had had the opportunity to assassinate Santos but desisted from carrying out an attack because the group's then-leader, alias Alfonso Cano, was against provoking more bloodshed while dialogue was underway. Cano was later killed in a military air attack.
Londoño said he is no longer dedicating energy to warfare and in the spirit of reconciliation would even meet with former President Alvaro Uribe, a harsh critic of the talks whose U.S.-backed military offensive last decade decimated the FARC's ranks.
The rebel leader also played down speculation that some of the FARC's estimated 6,500 troops would not adhere to a peace accord. Critics say many former fighters will dedicate themselves to drug trafficking and extortion, lucrative activities the group uses to fund its insurgency, instead of handing over their weapons for an uncertain future in which they'll be required to confess their abuses to special tribunals.
"I give you my full assurances, that there's not a single guerrilla, neither commander or combatant, that's in disagreement," said Londoño.
Like us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter & Instagram
for more information on stray rescue and adoption, please drop by:
"Hong Kong Dog Rescue" site
www.hongkongdogrescue.com/public/index.php
"Animals Asia Foundation"
GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS Commitment March Rally at Lincoln Memorial Lower Steps in Washington DC on Friday morning, 28 August 2020 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Visit Commitment March website at nationalactionnetwork.net/commitment-march-on-washington-dc/
Elvert Barnes 57th Anniversary of 1963 March on Washington COMMITMENT MARCH docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/57MOW2020
Parish Church to the Holy Trinity and Franciscan Monastery
Object ID: 20593 Town Square 12
The late Baroque building, taking up the whole north side of the town square, is dominated by the Rococo façade. 1707 the Carmelite order at the request of the benefactor, Maria Antonia Montecuculi, settled down in St. Pölten, at the north side of the square the men convent should find its place. Although architect's plan and financial resources were available, was the start of construction not until 1757, there was missing the planning permission of Empress Maria Theresa. The church then was built to 1768 according to plans by Johann Pauli, the monastery was completed in 1773. Yet 10 years later, the monastery by Emperor Joseph II was repealed. Because of its strategic location, the church in 1785 became parish church, the pastoral care took over the by the dissolutions not affected Franciscan Order.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_denkmalgesch%C3%BCtzten_O...(Stadtteil)
(further information is available by clicking on the link at the end of page!)
History of the City St. Pölten
In order to present concise history of the Lower Austrian capital is in the shop of the city museum a richly illustrated full version on CD-ROM.
Tip
On the occasion of the commemoration of the pogroms of November 1938, the Institute for Jewish History of Austria its virtual Memorbuch (Memory book) for the destroyed St. Pölten Jewish community since 10th November 2012 is putting online.
Prehistory
The time from which there is no written record is named after the main materials used for tools and weapons: Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age. Using the latest technologies, archaeologists from archaeological finds and aerial photographs can trace a fairly detailed picture of life at that time. Especially for the time from the settling down of the People (New Stone Age), now practicing agriculture and animal husbandry, in the territory of St. Pölten lively settlement activity can be proved. In particular, cemeteries are important for the research, because the dead were laid in the grave everyday objects and jewelry, the forms of burial changing over time - which in turn gives the archeology valuable clues for the temporal determination. At the same time, prehistory of Sankt Pölten would not be half as good documented without the construction of the expressway S33 and other large buildings, where millions of cubic meters of earth were moved - under the watchful eyes of the Federal Monuments Office!
A final primeval chapter characterized the Celts, who settled about 450 BC our area and in addition to a new culture and religion also brought with them the potter's wheel. The kingdom of Noricum influenced till the penetration of the Romans the development in our area.
Roman period, migrations
The Romans conquered in 15 BC the Celtic Empire and established hereinafter the Roman province of Noricum. Borders were protected by military camp (forts), in the hinterland emerged civilian cities, almost all systematically laid out according to the same plan. The civil and commercial city Aelium Cetium, as St. Pölten was called (city law 121/122), consisted in the 4th Century already of heated stone houses, trade and craft originated thriving urban life, before the Romans in the first third of the 5th Century retreated to Italy.
The subsequent period went down as the Migration Period in official historiography, for which the settlement of the Sankt Pöltner downtown can not be proved. Cemeteries witness the residence of the Lombards in our area, later it was the Avars, extending their empire to the Enns.
The recent archaeological excavations on the Cathedral Square 2010/2011, in fact, the previous knowledge of St.Pölten colonization not have turned upside down but enriched by many details, whose full analysis and publication are expected in the near future.
Middle Ages
With the submission of the Avars by Charlemagne around 800 AD Christianity was gaining a foothold, the Bavarian Benedictine monastery of Tegernsee establishing a daughter house here - as founder are mentioned the brothers Adalbert and Ottokar - equipped with the relics of St. Hippolytus. The name St. Ypolit over the centuries should turn into Sankt Pölten. After the Hungarian wars and the resettlement of the monastery as Canons Regular of St. Augustine under the influence of Passau St. Pölten received mid-11th Century market rights.
In the second half of the 20th century historians stated that records in which the rights of citizens were held were to be qualified as Town Charters. Vienna is indeed already in 1137 as a city ("civitas") mentioned in a document, but the oldest Viennese city charter dates only from the year 1221, while the Bishop of Passau, Konrad, already in 1159 the St. Pöltnern secured:
A St. Pöltner citizen who has to answer to the court, has the right to make use of an "advocate".
He must not be forced to rid himself of the accusation by a judgment of God.
A St. Pöltner citizen may be convicted only by statements of fellow citizens, not by strangers.
From the 13th Century exercised a city judge appointed by the lord of the city the high and low jurisdiction as chairman of the council meetings and the Municipal Court, Inner and Outer Council supported him during the finding of justice. Venue for the public verdict was the in the 13th Century created new marketplace, the "Broad Market", now the town hall square. Originally square-shaped, it was only later to a rectangle reduced. Around it arose the market district, which together with the monastery district, the wood district and the Ledererviertel (quarter of the leather goods manufacturer) was protected by a double city wall.
The dependence of St. Pölten of the bishop of Passau is shown in the municipal coat of arms and the city seal. Based on the emblem of the heraldic animal of the Lord of the city, so the Bishop of Passau, it shows an upright standing wolf holding a crosier in its paw.
Modern Times
In the course of the armed conflict between the Emperor Frederick III . and King Matthias of Hungary pledged the Bishop of Passau the town on the Hungarian king. From 1485 stood Lower Austria as a whole under Hungarian rule. The most important document of this period is the awarding of the city coat of arms by King Matthias Corvinus in the year 1487. After the death of the opponents 1490 and 1493 could Frederick's son Maximilian reconquer Lower Austria. He considered St. Pölten as spoils of war and had no intention of returning it to the diocese of Passau. The city government has often been leased subsequently, for instance, to the family Wellenstein, and later to the families Trautson and Auersperg.
That St. Pölten now was a princely city, found its expression in the coat of arms letter of the King Ferdinand I. from 1538: From now on, the wolf had no crosier anymore, and the from the viewer's point of view left half showed the reverse Austrian shield, so silver-red-silver.
To the 16th Century also goes back the construction of St. Pöltner City Hall. The 1503 by judge and council acquired house was subsequently expanded, rebuilt, extended and provided with a tower.
A for the urban history research important picture, painted in 1623, has captured scenes of the peasant uprising of 1597, but also allows a view to the city and lets the viewer read some of the details of the then state of construction. The economic inconveniences of that time were only exacerbated by the Thirty Years War, at the end of which a fifth of the houses were uninhabited and the citizenry was impoverished.
Baroque
After the successful defense against the Turks in 1683, the economy started to recover and a significant building boom began. Lower Austria turned into the land of the baroque abbeys and monasteries, as it is familiar to us today.
In St. Pölten, the change of the cityscape is closely connected to the Baroque architect Jakob Prandtauer. In addition to the Baroquisation of the interior of the cathedral, a number of buildings in St. Pölten go to his account, so the reconstruction of the castle Ochsenburg, the erection of the Schwaighof and of the core building of the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Englische Fräuleins - English Maidens) - from 1706 the seat of the first school order of St.Pölten - as well as of several bourgeois houses.
Joseph Munggenast, nephew and co-worker of Prandtauer, completed the Baroquisation of the cathedral, he baroquised the facade of the town hall (1727) and numerous bourgeois houses and designed a bridge over the Traisen which existed until 1907. In the decoration of the church buildings were throughout Tyroleans collaborating, which Jakob Prandtauer had brought along from his homeland (Tyrol) to St. Pölten, for example, Paul Troger and Peter Widerin.
Maria Theresa and her son Joseph II: Their reforms in the city of the 18th Century also left a significant mark. School foundings as a result of compulsory education, the dissolution of the monasteries and hereinafter - from 1785 - the new role of St. Pölten as a bishop's seat are consequences of their policies.
1785 was also the year of a fundamental alteration of the old Council Constitution: The city judge was replaced by one magistrate consisting of five persons, at the head was a mayor. For the first mayor the painter Josef Hackl was chosen.
The 19th century
Despite the Napoleonic Wars - St. Pölten in 1805 and 1809 was occupied by the French - and despite the state bankruptcy of 1811, increased the number of businesses constantly, although the economic importance of the city for the time being did not go beyond the near vicinity.
Against the background of monitoring by the state secret police, which prevented any political commitment between the Congress of Vienna and the 1848 revolution, the citizens withdrew into private life. Sense of family, fostering of domestic music, prominent salon societies in which even a Franz Schubert socialized, or the construction of the city theater were visible signs of this attitude.
The economic upswing of the city did not begin until after the revolution of the year 1848. A prerequisite for this was the construction of the Empress Elisabeth Western Railway, moving Vienna, Linz, soon Salzburg, too, in a reachable distance. The city walls were pulled down, St. Pölten could unfold. The convenient traffic situation favored factory start-ups, and so arose a lace factory, a revolver factory, a soap factory or, for example, as a precursor of a future large-scale enterprise, the braid, ribbon and Strickgarnerzeugung (knitting yarn production) of Matthias Salcher in Harland.
In other areas, too, the Gründerzeit (years of rapid industrial expansion in Germany - and Austria) in Sankt Pölten was honouring its name: The city got schools, a hospital, gas lanterns, canalization, hot springs and summer bath.
The 20th century
At the beginning of the 20th Century the city experienced another burst of development, initiated by the construction of the power station in 1903, because electricity was the prerequisite for the settlement of large companies. In particular, the companies Voith and Glanzstoff and the main workshop of the Federal Railways attracted many workers. New Traisen bridge, tram, Mariazell Railway and other infrastructure buildings were erected; St. Pölten obtained a synagogue. The Art Nouveau made it repeatedly into the urban architecture - just think of the Olbrich House - and inspired also the painting, as exponents worth to be mentioned are Ernst Stöhr or Ferdinand Andri.
What the outbreak of the First World War in broad outlines meant for the monarchy, on a smaller scale also St. Pölten has felt. The city was heavily impacted by the deployment of army units, a POW camp, a military hospital and a sick bay. Industrial enterprises were partly converted into war production, partly closed. Unemployment, housing emergency and food shortages long after the war still were felt painfully.
The 1919 to mayor elected Social Democrat Hubert Schnofl after the war tried to raise the standard of living of the people by improving the social welfare and health care. The founding of a housing cooperative (Wohnungsgenossenschaft), the construction of the water line and the establishment of new factories were further attempts to stimulate the stiffening economy whose descent could not be stopped until 1932.
After the National Socialist regime had stirred false hopes and plunged the world into war, St. Pölten was no longer the city as it has been before. Not only the ten devastating bombings of the last year of the war had left its marks, also the restrictive persecution of Jews and political dissidents had torn holes in the structure of the population. Ten years of Russian occupation subsequently did the rest to traumatize the population, but at this time arose from the ruins a more modern St. Pölten, with the new Traisen bridge, district heating, schools.
This trend continued, an era of recovery and modernization made the economic miracle palpable. Already in 1972 was - even if largely as a result of incorporations - exceeded the 50.000-inhabitant-limit.
Elevation to capital status (capital of Lower Austria), 10 July 1986: No other event in this dimension could have become the booster detonation of an up to now ongoing development thrust. Since then in a big way new residential and commercial areas were opened up, built infrastructure constructions, schools and universities brought into being to enrich the educational landscape. East of the Old Town arose the governmental and cultural district, and the list of architects wears sonorous names such as Ernst Hoffmann (NÖ (Lower Austria) Landhaus; Klangturm), Klaus Kada (Festspielhaus), Hans Hollein (Shedhalle and Lower Austrian Provincial Museum), Karin Bily, Paul Katzberger and Michael Loudon ( NÖ State Library and NÖ State Archive).
European Diploma, European flag, badge of honor, Europe Price: Between 1996 and 2001, received St. Pölten numerous appreciations of its EU commitment - as a sort of recognition of the Council of Europe for the dissemination of the EU-idea through international town twinnings, a major Europe exhibition or, for example, the establishment and chair of the "Network of European medium-sized cities".
On the way into the 21st century
Just now happened and already history: What the St. Pöltnern as just experienced sticks in their minds, travelers and newcomers within a short time should be told. The theater and the hospital handing over to the province of Lower Austria, a new mayor always on the go, who was able to earn since 2004 already numerous laurels (Tags: polytechnic, downtown enhancement, building lease scheme, bus concept) - all the recent changes are just now condensed into spoken and written language in order to make, from now on, the history of the young provincial capital in the 3rd millennium nachlesbar (checkable).
www.st-poelten.gv.at/Content.Node/freizeit-kultur/kultur/...
Ventura County Juvenile Justice Facility - Cell in girls post-adjudication commitment pod, for girls that have been sentenced. Room of 17-year-old female, has been to the facility 13 times, and has presently been in for 5 days for disturbing the peace, and providing false information to an officer. She is currently reading Jodi Picoult, Harry Potter, and the last book in the Twilight series.
The Bears of Sheffield, Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
The Bears of Sheffield raised more than £750000 for a new Cancer and Leukaemia Ward at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Bear Name: Our Community
Artist: Tom Fergusson - Penistone Grammar School
Location: Winter Gardens
Description: Student Tom Fergusson designed this Bear, Tom was inspired by the beautiful countryside which surrounds Penistone. Due to COVID the whole school community have all had the opportunity to explore their local area and reconnect with the outside spaces around them. His design represents not only the green fields and blue sky, but also the hope they all have for the future, especially around their commitment to the environment.
Penistone Grammar School has two Bears in the trail and they are symbiotic; Our Community and Our Values, as they are nothing without their community or their values. They are both starkly different in design but united in the message they deliver.
Entrance Walk to GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS Commitment March Rally at Constitution Gardens along Lincoln Memorial North Elm Walkway, NW, Washington DC on Friday morning, 28 August 2020 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Visit Commitment March website at nationalactionnetwork.net/commitment-march-on-washington-dc/
Elvert Barnes 57th Anniversary of 1963 March on Washington COMMITMENT MARCH docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/57MOW2020
For those that know my artworks well and my style, you would know my emotional works tend to be internally focused. The emotion I often try to capture is that of the emotions one faces him/her self. What he/she is dealing with in his/her own mind.
Being that, for me this artwork actually captures what I often feel like as I go through most days as a result of my own personal dealings with what I believe to be ADD.
I am an energizer bunny on 5 cans of red bull. My mind never shuts up and is always coming up with ideas in countless directions. The problem is I also often never say NO to running with these ideas - I simply take on another challenge and another opportunity and another business and another creative learning experiment. Many of them lead to commitments and deadlines that others expect of me when I took it on.
Its like a Juggler that has 10 balls in the air and agrees to add another. As long as they all come down at different times, I am OK. But often many come at the same time. Also, even when they come down at a good pace, they never stop coming so I struggle to just for my mind to rest.
So this artwork shows a person like me that struggles to keep his commitments from crushing him. The clouds are the opportunities that have also become commitments and stresses and obligations. I constantly need the incredible strength to keep them from falling to the ground - which to me is a failure.
HE holds up his growing burden of commitments - using all his strength to ensure then don't fall and crush him in the process.
CREDITS & RESOURCES USED:
The subject is from a SecondLife photo I took in 2012 at the Fantasy Faire exhibits. I then used my own personal clouds and blending textures to complete the art.
A copy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA ) proclamation declaring January 6th as Bob Stallman Appreciation Day sits on attendees chairs preceding the ceremony at USDA on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. The proclamation was in recognition of Stallman’s commitment to strengthening rural American families and communities supporting the nations farmers and ranchers as president of the American Farm Bureau Federation for 16 years. USDA Photo by Bob Nichols.
Soldiers from Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division fire ceremonial rounds from their M1A2 Abrams Tanks at the Adazi Training Area, Latvia, on November 6, 2014. The Soldiers, who are here to assist in training the Latvian Land Forces as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, were part of an exhibit to dignitaries and local media. These rounds mark the first firing of tank rounds in Latvia since 1994. These activities are part of the U.S. Army Europe-led Operation Atlantic Resolve land force assurance training taking place across Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland to enhance multinational interoperability, strengthen relationships among allied militaries, contribute to regional stability and demonstrate U.S. commitment to NATO. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy J. Fowler)
Ciudad Rodrigo, Semana Santa 2011. Pulsad [L], por favor.
***********************
Ciudad Rodrigo, Easter 2011. Please, press [L].
qwikLoadr™ Videos...
Big Apple Circus | Sizzle 3D! • Vimeo™
Miramax Films | Goodwill Hunting • YouTube™
NOTE: the Apples scene
the Commitments | Mustang Sally Live! • mail.RU™
Amaluna | Cirque du Soleil Boston 2014! • YouTube™
Matt Timmons Media | Rain Down on Me Jess C! • Vimeo™
Big Apple Circus | Backstage Behind the Scenes! • Vimeo™
Purple Rain | National Night Out Police [10.3.23] gwennie2006! • YouTube™
Blogger GrfxDiner:
Tales of the Butterfly | Little Wing...
GrfxDziner.blogspot.com/2009/11/tales-of-butterfly-little...
Blogger GrfxDziner | I Scream, You Scream...
GrfxDzinerTutorials.blogspot.com/2015/05/i-scream-you-scream...
Blogger GrfxDziner | Blue Wave 10-4 & more! [part I]…
GrfxDzinerTutorials.blogspot.com/2022/10/blue-wave-10-4-more...
Blogger GrfxDziner | Blue Wave 10-4 & more! [part II]…
GrfxDziner.blogspot.com/2024/07/blue-wave-10-4-more-part-ii.html
Collage and drop shadow created in PicMonkey, sooc images.
Tenuous Link: Big Apple Circus
NOTE 10.31.19:
Page removed.
www.scatvsomerville.org/snn/tears-pledges-and-promises-on...
**The page has recently been removed, but I reported it to the FBI in July 2017. Spent about 45 minutes on the phone, and told them how to see the public video which had March 22 as the date of the gathering, and the transcript that also had the date March 22, 2014. [page removed] see comment.
Also that video has the Mayor of Somerville say Cremins, with an "s", like Deanna's 13,000 reward billboard. Her name was actually spelled incorrectly, really, with an "s", like the Mayor said.
FBI.
on July 12, 2017 I went to the Boston Police, it was the day I found out Deanna's sister Christine died on 3.8.17....the day after I asked Katherine where the missing $20,000.00 went to. They told me to go to the FBI, because of the Mayor involvement.
Also.....the Sargent that I spoke with asked me as I left...."Was she the one found in the trunk of a car?" I said, "No, Deanna was found behind an elderly housing project, 125 Jaques Street, Somerville." ….the woman in the trunk was in Stoneham.....and her Billboard had her picture, and her name spelled correctly.
GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS Commitment March Rally at Lincoln Memorial Lower Steps in Washington DC on Friday morning, 28 August 2020 by Elvert Barnes Photography
Visit Commitment March website at nationalactionnetwork.net/commitment-march-on-washington-dc/
Elvert Barnes 57th Anniversary of 1963 March on Washington COMMITMENT MARCH docu-project at elvertbarnes.com/57MOW2020
Last Year 15th December night was really interesting for me..
I went to TSC to Cover the night of 41th Victory Day .. people were writing their commitment in a white paper ..
One of the person wrote there is no place for a person who is against the nation name Bangladesh .
Alhamdulillah Recently one of those person " Kader Mulla " was hanged for his faults ..
More left to be under the final Justis ... Hope all those people known as KAJAKER will be properly Judge and Bangladesh will be free from them all ...
John Dunn, a pioneer settler of Mount Barker had a lifetime of commitment to the Wesleyans Methodist Church. He arrived in South Australia in 1840 as an experienced flour miller and established a mill (1844) and business in Mount Barker before he acquired other mills across the state from Nairne and Quorn to other small towns. Dunn’s businesses and influence spread across the state. Three of Dunn’s mills are represented in the State Heritage Register: his first at Mount Barker (1844), the Bridgewater Mill (1860) and one at Quorn (1879). The cottage that he built for himself and his family at Mount Barker in 1844 is also entered in the Register as he added extensively to it turning it into an Italianate mansion overlooking Mt Barker. Today the Laurels mansion is it part of a retirement village. Dunn was a religious man and supported the Wesleyans. He provided most of the funding for the fine Wesleyan Methodist Church in Mt Barker in 1884. It is still known as the Dunn Memorial Church which is now a Uniting Church. He was also involved in the establishment of the first Wesleyan church in Mount Barker (the current Church Hall), in the 1850s. Dunn was a benefactor of Mount Barker . He gave the land and a gift of £300 for the Dunn Park Oval; he donated £400 towards the showground and also gave generously to the Institute committee. He had constructed twelve cottages in Mount Barker, known as the Salem Cottages, ‘for indigent widows and spinsters’.
I've decided to finally commit to something. Hopefully this one won't be that bad. Something about this makes me feel good, like I'm doing something with my life. I cannot wait until the year 2017. I want to be a photographer and a artist. I am
Herbert von Karajan, born April 5, 1908 Salzburg, † July 16, 1989 Anif near Salzburg (cemetery Anif), conductor.
Studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum and at the University of Music in Vienna (resident 1926/1927 7, Neubau alley 54, 1927 1, Stubenbastei 1, 1928/1929 1, Kolowratring (Schubertring) 8, 1930 1, Mölkerbastei 12). After a commitment in Ulm (1930-1934 Opera Director of music), he went to Aachen (1934 General Music Director); when he conducted Wagner's "Tristan" at the Berlin State Opera on October 21, 1938, the word "Miracle Karajan" was coined. In 1941 he became head of the Berlin Staatskapelle (Staatskapelle is a denomination used by several German symphony and theatre orchestras) participated in the Salzburg and Bayreuth festivals and staged at La Scala in Milan.
In 1947 Karajan (after political turmoil and professional ban because he was accused of his [controversial] NSDAP membership) came to Vienna and laid the foundation for an unprecedented career when he became director of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Society of Friends of the Music in Vienna) in 1949. Soon after, he went to La Scala in Milan, was in 1954 (as successor of Furtwängler) lifelong chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic (May 1988) and was artistic director of the 1956-1964 Vienna State Opera (which he left in disarray) and the Salzburg Festival; in 1967 he founded the Salzburg Easter Festival and became its overall director, in 1969 he founded the Salzburg Karajan Foundation. Karajan has toured extensively throughout Europe and the US, first conducting an orchestral concert during a Vatican service, but increasingly struggling with health issues.
In 1977 he returned to the podium of the Vienna State Opera; in 1987 he conducted the Vienna New Year's Concert. Karajan had an ingenious gift for the interpretation of almost all works of orchestral literature from classical to modern; with his pedagogical skills and his successful efforts to achieve technical precision for the perfect reproduction of musical productions (he was extremely interested in technical developments and put the media at the service of classical music), he was one of the greatest conductors in music history.
In January 1997, the "Herbert von Karajan Centrum" was opened in state rooms of the former Königswarter Palace, 1, Carinthian Ring 4. Its main goals are musical performances in the context of spatial possibilities, the construction of a publicly accessible archive about the life's work of Karajan as well as the intensification of the music education of the youth.
Honorary citizen of the city of Vienna (April 24, 1978).
On behalf of the City of Vienna, a Commission of Historians examined the historical significance of those personalities the streets of Vienna have been named after from 2011 to 2013 and made a historical contextualization. According to the final report of this research group Herbert von Karajan was from 1933 a member of the NSDAP. Karajan (1925 Conkneipant (= extraordinary member of a corps which does not fulfill the requirements of the full member) in the Salzburg Fraternity "Pan-German Gymnasium-Rugia") was one of the most important conductors of the Nazi state. From 1934 he served as General Music Director in Aachen and from 1941 in Berlin. He was also used by the Nazi regime before the Second World War for foreign propaganda. After the war Karajan received until 1947 conducting ban.
Herbert von Karajan, * 5. April 1908 Salzburg, † 16. Juli 1989 Anif bei Salzburg (Friedhof Anif), Dirigent.
Studierte am Salzburger Mozarteum und an der Hochschule für Musik in Wien (Wohnhaft 1926/1927 7, Neubaugasse 54, 1927 1, Stubenbastei 1, 1928/1929 1, Kolowratring (Schubertring) 8, 1930 1, Mölkerbastei 12). Nach einem Engagement in Ulm (1930-1934 Opernkapellmeister) ging er nach Aachen (1934 Generalmusikdirektor); als er in dieser Eigenschaft am 21. Oktober 1938 an der Berliner Staatsoper Wagners „Tristan" dirigierte, wurde das Wort vom „Wunder Karajan" geprägt. 1941 wurde er Leiter der Berliner Staatskapelle, wirkte bei den Salzburger und Bayreuther Festspielen mit und inszenierte an der Mailänder Scala.
1947 kam Karajan (nach politischen Turbulenzen und Berufsverbot, weil man ihm seine [umstrittene] NSDAP-Mitgliedschaft vorwarf) nach Wien und legte hier den Grundstein zu einer beispiellosen Karriere, als er 1949 Direktor der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde wurde. Bald darauf ging er an die Mailänder Scala, wurde 1954 (als Nachfolger Furtwänglers) lebenslänglicher Chefdirigent der Berliner Philharmoniker (Zurücklegung Mai 1988) und war 1956-1964 künstlerischer Leiter der Wiener Staatsoper (die er in Unfrieden verließ) sowie der Salzburger Festspiele; 1967 begründete er die Salzburger Osterfestspiele und wurde deren Gesamtleiter, 1969 begründete er die Salzburger Karajan-Stiftung. Karajan unternahm zahlreiche Tourneen durch Europa und die USA, dirigierte als erster ein Orchesterkonzert während eines Gottesdienstes im Vatikan, kämpfte jedoch zunehmend mit gesundheitlichen Problemen.
1977 kehrte er nochmals ans Pult der Wiener Staatsoper zurück; 1987 dirigierte er das Wiener Neujahrskonzert. Karajan hatte eine geniale Begabung zur Ausdeutung fast sämtlicher Werke der Orchesterliteratur von der Klassik bis zur Moderne; mit seinem pädagogischen Können und seinen erfolgreichen Bemühungen um technische Präzision zur perfekten Wiedergabe von musikalischen Produktionen (er war an technischen Entwicklungen äußerst interessiert und stellte die Medien in den Dienst der klassischen Musik) gehörte er zu den größten Dirigentenpersönlichkeiten der Musikgeschichte.
Im Jänner 1997 wurde in Prunkräumen des ehemaligen Königswarterpalais, 1, Kärntner Ring 4, das "Herbert von Karajan Centrum" eröffnet. Seine Hauptziele sind musikalische Darbietungen im Rahmen der räumlichen Möglichkeiten, der Aufbau eines öffentlich zugänglichen Archivs über das Lebenswerk Karajans sowie die Intensivierung der Musikerziehung der Jugend.
Ehrenbürger der Stadt Wien (24. April 1978).
Im Auftrag der Stadt Wien hat eine HistorikerInnen-Kommission die historische Bedeutung jener Persönlichkeiten, nach denen Wiener Straßen benannt sind, von 2011 bis 2013 untersucht sowie eine zeithistorische Kontextualisierung vorgenommen. Laut Abschlussbericht dieser Forschungsgruppe war Herbert von Karajan ab 1933 Mitglied der NSDAP. Der deutschnational und völkisch sozialisierte Karajan (1925 Konkneipant bei der schlagenden Salzburger „Alldeutschen Gymnasialverbindung Rugia“) zählte zu den wichtigsten Dirigenten des NS-Staates. Ab 1934 fungierte er als Generalmusikdirektor in Aachen und ab 1941 in Berlin. Zudem wurde er vom NS-Regime bereits vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg auch für die Auslandspropaganda eingesetzt. Nach dem Krieg erhielt Karajan bis 1947 Dirigierverbot.
Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background:
The Malaysian air forces trace their lineage to the Malayan Auxiliary Air Force formations of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed in 1934. They later transformed into the Straits Settlements Volunteer Air Force (SSVAF) and the Malaya Volunteer Air Force (MVAF) formed in 1940 and dissolved in 1942 during the height of the Japanese advance over Malaya. The latter was re-established in 1950 in time for the Malayan Emergency and contributed very much to the war effort.
On 2 June 1958 the MVAF finally became the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force (RFMAF), this date is celebrated as RMAF Day yearly. On 25 October 1962, after the end of the Malayan Emergency, the RAF handed over their first airfields in Malaya to the RFMAF, at Simpang Airport; it was opened on 1 June 1941, in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur which was formerly part of Selangor and the national capital city. The first aircraft for the fledgling air force was a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer named "Lang Rajawali" by the then Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Several Malayans serving with the Royal Air Force transferred to the Royal Federation of Malaya Air Force. The role played by RMAF was limited initially to communications and the support of ground operations against Communist insurgents during the Malayan Emergency. RMAF received its first combat aircraft with the delivery of 20 Canadair CL41G Tebuans (an armed version of the Canadair Tutor trainer). RMAF also received Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters, to be used in the liaison role.
With the formation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the name of the air force was changed to "Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia" or "Royal Malaysian Air Force". New types introduced into service included the Handley Page Herald transport and the De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou. RMAF received Sikorsky S-61A-4 helicopters in the late 1960s and early 1970s which were used in the transport role. RMAF gained an air defence capability when the Australian Government donated 10 ex-Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) CAC Sabre fighters. These were based at the Butterworth Air Base. After the withdrawal of British military forces from Malaysia and Singapore at the end of 1971, a Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) agreement between Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom was concluded to ensure defence against external aggression. The RAAF maintained two Mirage IIIO squadrons at RAF/RAAF Station Butterworth, Butterworth Air Base as part of its commitment to the FPDA. These squadrons were withdrawn in 1986, although occasional deployments of RAAF aircraft continue.
With the withdrawal of British military forces, RMAF underwent gradual modernization from the 1970s to the 1990s. The Sabre were replaced by 16 Northrop F-5E Tiger-IIs. A reconnaissance capability was acquired with the purchase of two RF-5E Tigereye aircraft. RMAF also purchased 88 ex-US Navy Douglas A-4C Skyhawks, of which 40 of the airframes were converted/refurbished by Grumman Aircraft Engineering at Bethpage into the A-4PTM ('Peculiar To Malaysia'), configuration (A-4Bs updated to A-4M standard). RMAF has traditionally looked to the West for its purchases, primarily to the United States. However, limitations imposed by the US on "new technology" to the region, such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM fire-and-forget air-to-air missile, has made RMAF consider purchases from Russia and other non-traditional sources. The early 1990s saw the arrival of a number of IAI Kfir fighter bombers from Israel and the first BAE Hawk Mk108/208s which replaced the T/A-4PTMs and the ageing F-5Es. These were followed by the MiG-29N/NUB in 1995 in the air superiority role.
Malaysia’s order for the IAI Kfir had been placed in 1989 and a total of twenty-eight aircraft were procured. These machines were among the last newly built aircraft of this type, comparable with the IDF’s late C.7 standard with HOTAS and a partial “glass cockpit”. Deliveries included twenty-four single seaters, optimized for the fighter bomber/strike role, even though the machines could carry light AAMs like the AIM-9 Sidewinder, too, and operate as interceptors. Additionally, four new Kfir TC.7 two-seaters were bought, primarily for conversion training, but these machines had, except for a reduced internal fuel capacity in the fuselage due to the second seat, the same capabilities as the TUDM C.7 single seaters. By 1992 the RMAF Kfir fleet was ready for service and the machines were concentrated at No. 17 Squadron, based at Kuantan Air Base, located at the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Even though they were not officially re-christened, the RMAF Kfirs were frequently referred to as “Anak Singa” among the personnel, meaning “lion cub” in Malaysian language.
In 1996, three TUDM Kfir C.7s were, with the help from IAI and imported hardware, modified into armed photo reconnaissance aircraft, resulting in the CR.7 variant exclusively operated by Malaysia. These machines received an elongated nose section (more than 4’ longer) with space for a rotating long-range oblique camera, similar in shape to the former “Tsniut” conversion of C.2 fighter bombers for the IDF. The guns were replaced with avionics but the C.7s’ Elta EL/M-2021B pulse-Doppler radar was retained, so that these converted machines kept their limited all-weather strike and interception capability. But as dedicated reconnaissance aircraft they were almost exclusively operated unarmed, just carrying up to three drop tanks for extra range and loiter time.
The Kfirs did not serve with the Royal Malaysian Air Force for a long period, though: In 1997, Malaysia received a dozen F/A-18D Hornet two-seaters to provide an all-weather interdiction capability, which the rather simple Kfirs did not offer. They could also use the AGM-84 “Harpoon” ASM, making them better suited for naval strike missions, and initially the Hornets frequently served as pathfinders for the Kfirs on all-weather missions. Despite their limitations, what still made the Kfirs attractive for the RMAF was their relatively low operational cost level and the type’s high speed and rate of climb.
However, in 2003 a contract was signed for 18 Su-30MKMs from Russia for delivery in 2007 to fulfill a requirement for a new multi-role combat aircraft (MRCA). Boeing alternatively offered the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, but the type was declined. These capable machines, which were adapted to Western ordnance like GBU-12 laser-guided glide bombs, eventually replaced the RMAF Kfirs, which were gradually phased out until 2010, mothballed, and put up for sale. The last new Su-30MKM arrived in 2009 August, but the F/A-18Ds remained in service – even though only eight machines were still operational at that time. Apparently, the RMAF’s budget was tightened in the meantime since a new requirement for a further batch of new 18 MRCAs remained unfulfilled. Furthermore, the RMAF has also been looking for an AWACS aircraft, although no firm orders have been placed.
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length (incl. pitot): 16.92 m (55 ft 5¾ in)
Wingspan: 8.22 m (26 ft 11½ in)
Height: 4.61 m (14 ft 11 3/4 in)
Wing area: 34.8 m² (374.6 sq ft)
Empty weight: 7,285 kg (16,060 lb)
Loaded weight: 11,603 kg (25,580 lb) with two 500 L drop tanks, two AAMs
Max. take-off weight: 16,200 kg (35,715 lb)
Powerplant:
1× IAl Bedek-built General Electric J-79-J1E turbojet with a dry thrust of 52.9 kN (11,890 lb st)
and 79.62 kN (17,900 lb st) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: 2,440 km/h (2 Mach, 1,317 knots, 1,516 mph) above 11,000 m (36,000 ft)
Combat radius: 768 km (415 nmi, 477 mi) in ground attack configuration, hi-lo-hi profile,
with seven 500 lb bombs, two AAMs, two 1,300 L drop tanks
Service ceiling: 17,680 m (58,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 233 m/s (45,950 ft/min)
Armament:
No internal guns
9× hardpoints under the wings and fuselage for up to 5,775 kg (12,730 lb) of payload
The kit and its assembly:
This was a spontaneous build for the “Recce & Surveillance” Group Build at whatifmodellers.com in September 2021. I had bought a resin conversion set from AML for a Kfir RC.2 a while ago, without a certain plan. I had originally planned not to use it on a Kfir, though, but when I considered the build of a Malaysian Kfir I remembered the conversion set and decided to use it for this project, giving it a weird twist.
The kit is the Italeri 1:72 Kfir C.2 in a recent Revell re-boxing. It is not a stellar model of this aircraft. While outlines are O.K. and the kit comes with fine recessed surface details, fit is so-so and there are some weak spots, like the fuselage/wing seams, the many intersections under the air intakes that run right through the gun ports, sinkholes on the wings upper surface and a cockpit tub/front landing gear well piece that won’t fit properly. The Hasegawa kit’s fit is better, but the Italeri Kfir is detail-wise not worse – and it’s cheaper.
The model was built OOB with the usual challenges (see above). When the fuselage was completed, the nose was chopped off in front of the windscreen, to be replaced with the parts from the “Tsniut” (however this is properly pronounced, meaning “modesty”) AML set – which is apparently different from those resin parts that come with the manufacturer’s Mirage IIICJ kit, which offers two versions of the long Tsniut nose plus a modified standard radome nose with a vertical Zeiss camera inside that was mounted on some converted IDF Mirages, too, called AFAIK the “Tarmil” nose.
The AML set is a very nice and clean offering – crisply molded, no bubbles, and with delicate parts and details like a new pitot or conduits that run from the former gun ports to the front of the nose – all molded in fine resin. There’s a good instruction sheet and even a decal set (plus painting instructions) for the two real IDF Kfir CR.2 conversions. However, there is also a piece of acetate film supposed to be included, to be used as a clear cover for the relatively large oblique camera fairing that is open to three sides and gives a good view to the rotating camera mount inside - it was missing from my set. But it was easily replaced with a piece of stiff clear film from a blister packaging. The camera opening’s 3D shape was copied with the help of masking tape into 2D, which was used to cut the replacement window out. This tailored piece of sheet was then bent into shape and attached with Humbrol Clearfix. A prothesis, but it does certainly not look worse than the OOB solution.
However, while the AML set itself went together fluidly, grafting it onto the Italeri Kfir was more complicated: the kit’s nose diameter is markedly larger than the camera extension, maybe 1mm. This does not sound much, but it leaves a recognizable step on an otherwise smooth surface – some body sculpting with a Dremel tool and PSR was necessary to even the intersection out.
The rest of the conversion was straightforward – I considered to leave the nose extension away, for a personal Kfir recce variant, but eventually stuck close to the original Tsniut configuration because of the aircraft’s weird look and added realism.
As a recce aircraft, I left the kit’s underwing pylons for the Python AAMs away and just used the ventral pylon and the large OOB drop tank.
Painting and markings:
The bane of modern aircraft type: dull livery options. I wanted a realistic paint scheme for this aircraft, suitable for a tactical mission and for the late Nineties tine frame – but the TUDM offers only very limited options. At first I considered the late A-4PTM scheme (either SEA style or a subdued two-tone green/brown scheme) with low-viz markings, but eventually settled for a simple all-grey scheme, inspired by the TUDM’s F-18Ds that arrived in the model’s time frame, too. These were dedicated all-weather strike aircraft and were initially painted overall FS 36118 (USAF Gunship Grey) with low-viz markings. This is very dull and simple, but I nevertheless adopted it for the recce Kfir because it does not distract from the odd nose, and it suits the tactical recce mission profile well.
The basic paint became Humbrol 125, which is a rather bluish interpretation of the tone, and the retrofitted new nose was set apart with FS 36118 from ModelMaster. The cockpit interior was painted in Medium Gull Grey (Humbrol 140) and landing gear as well as the air intakes were painted in bright white (Revell 301) – they really stand out on the dark and uniform airframe! To reduce the contrast a little I took the Gunship Grey over to the inner intake lips and the shock cones - some Kfirs have these intake areas painted all-white, making them stand out blatantly! The outside of the intake lips was painted black, as well as the small nose radome and the antenna bumps under the cockpit.
The interior color of the camera compartment is uncertain, but I painted it in anthracite (Revell 06), while the rotating camera mount became light grey, so that it would be more visible from the outside.
The model received an overall light ink washing to emphasize the engraved surface details as well as some post-shading and weathering through dry-brushing with various shades of medium grey. The markings/decals were puzzled together from a Begemot MiG-29 sheet (national and tactical markings) and the Kfir’s OOB stencils, which had to be – because they are in Hebrew in the Revell kit – partly replaced with low-viz alternatives from leftover Italeri Kfir sheets. The camera window received frames made with 1mm black decal strips. Finally, the model was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.
A relatively simple and quick build. The Italeri Kfir has some weaknesses, but I have built enough of them to know the major pitfalls. The AML Tsniut conversion set blended well onto the airframe, even though the missing camera window called for some scratch work. The result is an interesting Kfir variant, and the subtle paint scheme of the fictional Malaysian operator adds credibility – the dark grey upper color reminds a little of the late Ecuadorean Kfirs, but this TUMD whif is much less colorful, even with the many red markings and stencils, which blend into the grey with little contrast. This is not a spectacular model/whif, but I like the unusual dark livery on the Kfir. And it certainly is not the last whiffy Kfir I will build, there are already ideas for more…
TINIAN, Northern Mariana Islands (June 7, 2022) Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 complete a road construction project on the island of Tinian in support of Valiant Shield 2022. Valiant Shield allows the opportunity to integrate forces from all branches of service to conduct precise, lethal, and overwhelming multi-axis, multi-domain effects that demonstrate the strength and versatility of the Joint Force and our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photos by Lt. Tyler Baldino/Released)