Since 9/11 the number of crimes committed daily by America's corporations & politicians has increased so dramatically that no one - & no single agency - is able to feel adequately informed. During this era of runaway mob scheming & proliferation I've read 25 & usually more serious news articles daily, which is the minimum number that must be examined & absorbed to enable more than a glimmer of the magnitude & scope of the criminality.

 

In the early months of George W. Bush's institutionalization of Federal Government as Mob Operation it was apparent that the people of the nation were under the spell of a psychopathic cult leader who, unlike the usual religious con men - say, Jim Jones, David Koresh, L. Ron Hubbard, Ayn Rand or the convicted felon, Joseph Smith - had at his disposal & command the whole vast apparatus of the empire's instruments for social control, including the police, army, legal system, churches, news press & television media. And of course the oligarchs & their executives (Bush's peers by birthright) were anxious to steal all that they could while the taking was easy ... & very easy it became, & very easy it still is.

 

Habeas corpus was taken away from us, as was posse comitatus. The Watergate criminal, ex-Admiral John Poindexter, was appointed to create Total Information Awareness, a DARPA program designed to spy on all citizens at all hours, which when public outcries arose against it was disbanded but instantly replaced here & there in various other government agencies, such as the CIA & NSA, in which agencies it grew like flies multiplying in a dung heap, as indeed it continues to do, most recently with drones supplied to local police forces, able to identify & track a milk carton from 60,000 feet above the earth. Again, under Mob Boss Bush, the capitalists joined in, & we became & are still spied upon by our telephone & internet servers, & banks, which collect & dispense the history of our once private individual activities & behaviors from birth to our death. Cameras serving police record our passage from Starbuck's to Sears. Like all people caught up in cults, we came to believe that all of this is as it must & should be, & we silently conform to it, as do trained dogs to their masters.

 

The deep function of what has happened is this: The wages we receive & the taxes we pay must all be instantly given up to the superrich. Our physical health is a commodity owned by the superrich, not us. Likewise, our welfare is owned by the aristocrats, not by us. In a few short years, for instance, student debt was made to exceed the nation's credit card debt - our children, in other words, were sold into debt peonage, & this is enforced by new law that says the children must pay it even after filing bankruptcy, & even in old age by garnishment from Social Security income. And of course there has been & will be no let up in the quest of the superrich to own Social Security, which surely they will in the near future unless a people's government is somehow - repeat, somehow - created.

 

As Thomas Frank has explained, a college graduate can no longer pursue his or her intellectual dream, such as becoming a teacher, artist or journalist committed to discovering & telling the truth, because student debt & laws enforcing payment compel immediate entrance into the empire's mainstream occupations, where the objectives to be pursued are the properties of others, not of oneself. Thus our children are now born into bonded servitude, for which on the whole wages are pitiful & increasingly buy little more than necessities.

 

All great institutions in the empire assure us that all of this criminality is necessary for two reasons: One, immensely determined evil external & internal personages are out to destroy our country, & we must surrender all of our civil rights & wealth in order to survive; & Two, alas alas, our nation has no money, & so must sell all of the people's assets & public services to the superrich. Well ... please, the first reason does not survive the briefest review of its merit, & let me not bother anyone with further words about it. And the second reason is equally preposterous, because the United States prints its own money, & under Obama did so to the tune of two trillion dollars given by the Federal Reserve to its clients, the big banks (which naturally did not, have not & will not do anything socially responsible with it). No economist who is committed to an understanding not of capitalist dogma, but rather to the truth of what was very well learned during & consequent to previous severe economic demand crises, such as the one we are now in, believes that 'shrinking government' is anything other than a vicious, irresponsible policy devised by & for the sole benefit of aristocrat thieves & their sociopathic politicians. Economics, after all, is a science, & as such its method & conclusions are dependent upon the collection & interpretation of empirical data, not any of which does in fact or in the least support shrinking government during a demand crisis. Indeed, the only agency known to be capable of or potentially possessed of the will to end such crises is a nation's government.

 

But all good sense is lost upon cultists, who will do anything to secure life in death, a clear clear E-meter reading, a galaxy to be an eternal god of with one's dead wife, morality in selfishness, up in down, straight in crooked, or - now - an American in Washington, DC (or in Dallas or Tombstone or any other city or town).

 

-----------

 

Hope Burning

 

Posted on May 30, 2012

 

By Robert Scheer

 

EXCERPTS: Obama as the cool triggerman is an image useful to White House operatives as they buff the president’s persona for the coming election. But what it reveals is the mindset of a political cynic whose seductive words cloak the moral indifference of a methodical executioner. Forget Harry Truman, who obliterated the civilian populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or Lyndon Johnson, who carpet-bombed millions in Vietnam. The Democrats have got themselves another killer, one whose techniques are as devastatingly effective, but brilliantly refined.

The story obviously was planted in The New York Times to benefit the Obama political campaign.

 

.... Pfc. Bradley Manning was held for many months in solitary confinement for allegedly disclosing information of far lower security classification. The difference is that the top secrets in the news article are ones the president wants leaked in the expectation they will burnish his “tough on terrorism” credentials. This is clearly not the Obama whom many voted for in the hope that he would stick by his word, including the pledge he made on his second day in office to ban brutal interrogation and close the prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. “What the new president did not say was that the orders contained a few subtle loopholes,” the Times now reports concerning the early promises by Obama. “They reflected a still unfamiliar Barack Obama, a realist who, unlike some of his fervent supporters, was never carried away by his own rhetoric.”

Parse that sentence carefully to learn much of what is morally decrepit in our journalism as well as politics. The word “realist” is now identical to “hypocrite,” and the condemnation of immoral behavior addresses nothing more than “rhetoric” that only the “fervent” would take seriously. The Times writers all but thrill to the lying, as in recounting the new president’s response to advisers who warned him against sticking to his campaign promises on Guantanamo prisoners: “The deft insertion of some wiggle words in the president’s order showed that the advice was followed.”

 

Please Continue to Full Text: www.truthdig.com/report/item/hope_burning_20120531/

 

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Committed to expired Fujifilm Provia 100 using a Konica Autoreflex T3 and 50 mm f1.4 lens. Developed using an E6 kit from Ars-Imago and scanned using an Epson V850 using Silverfast.

I had my fingerprints scanned for a certification, today. The scan reveals my (lack of) criminal record, but, honestly, says nothing about me as a person.

 

Sweater, thrifted. Skirt, thrifted, shortened, and embellished. Boots, Miz Mooz. Sunglasses, Marc by Marc Jacobs. Bag, El Paso Saddleblanket Co. Earrings, street vendor. Ring, vintage.

 

Just looking at my hands tells you so much more about me. I’m practical and lazy. I love to spend time outside, getting dirty. I cook. I’m in a committed relationship, but I’m not a traditionalist. I doubt the Live Scan will return those results.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Allied powers, subject to restrictions on its use of guided missiles. The Austrian State Treaty of 1955 committed Austria to permanent neutrality. Pilot training started out with a four Yak-11 Moose and four Yak-18 Max aircraft donated by the Soviet Union, and Austria purchased further light trainer types under the Military Assistance Program. Until 1960 Austria purchased training and support aircraft under the MAP, but no modern fighter aircraft; the role of a fighter was rather inadequately filled by thirty already outdated Saab 29 Tunnan, bought second-hand from the Swedish Air Force in the early 1960s which equipped two fighter bomber squadrons.

 

To expand its capabilities and modernize the fleet, Austria purchased from 1970 on a total of 40 Saab 105 lightweight multi-role aircraft from Sweden with the intention to deploy them in trainer, reconnaissance, ground attack and even interception roles. As it became clear in the 1980s that the light sub-sonic aircraft were inadequate for air combat and airspace interdiction, Austria started looking for a more capable aircraft. In 1984, Austria had devised a two-phase solution to its problem: buying 30 interim aircrafts cheaply as a stopgap and then trading them back for a new generation aircraft in the early or mid-Nineties.

 

International response was quick and manifold: Bristol Aerospace offered initially ex RAF Jaguars to be replaced by Tornado F.3 or even Eurofighters; Saab-Scania offered between 24 and 30 former Royal Swedish Air Force J 35D Draken, followed by Saab J 39 Gripen as future substitutes; General-Electric suggested downgraded F-16/79 or F-16A for phase one and an option for the same aircraft in a more modern variant for phase two; Northrop’s numberF-5E was another alternative for phase one. Dassault was also present with refurbished Mirage III initially, followed by Mirage 2000.

 

Finding the most suitable option in this mass was not easy, and eventually a surprising deal materialized: In 1985 the contract for the sale of twenty-four Lightning F.56 fighters plus four T.55 trainers was signed by the SPÖ/FPÖ government under Fred Sinowatz. The background: Saudi Arabia had been operating thirty-four F.53 single-seaters and six T.55 trainers since 1967 and was about to retire its fleet, which was still in very good condition and with a reasonable number of flying hours left on many airframes. The aircraft would be refurbished directly at BAe in Great Britain with the option to switch to the Tornado ADV or its successor, the Eurofighter Typhoon, later.

 

The Lightning F.53 was an export version of the RAF’s F.6, but with a multi-role mission profile in mind that included, beyond the primary interceptor mission with guided missiles or internal guns, the capability to carry out interdiction/ground attacks and reconnaissance missions. To carry a suitable ordnance load, the F.53 featured additional underwing pylons for bombs or unguided rocket pods. Instead of the standard Firestreak/Red Top AAM missile station in the lower front fuselage, two retractable panniers with a total of forty-four unguided 50 mm rockets, which were effective against both ground and aerial targets, could be installed, or, alternatively, two camera packs (one with five cameras and another with a rotating camera mount) was available for tactical photo reconnaissance missions. Overwing hardpoints, adapted from the Lightning F.6, allowed to carry auxiliary fuel tanks to increase range/endurance, additional rocket pods or even retarded bombs.

The Lightning T.55 was also an export variant, a two-seat side-by-side training aircraft, and virtually identical to the T.5, which itself was based on the older F.3 fighter variant, and fully combat-capable.

 

The Saudi Arabian multi-role F.53s had served in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles as well as an air defense fighter, with Lightnings of No. 6 Squadron RSAF carrying out ground-attack missions using rockets and bombs during a border dispute with South Yemen between December 1969 and May 1970. Saudi Arabia received Northrop F-5E fighters from 1971, which resulted in the Lightnings relinquishing the ground-attack mission, concentrating on air defense, and to a lesser extent, reconnaissance. Until 1982, Saudi Arabia's Lightnings were mainly operated by 2 and 6 Squadron RSAF (although a few were also used by 13 Squadron RSAF), but when 6 Squadron re-equipped with the F-15 Eagle from 1978 on, all the remaining aircraft were concentrated and operated by 2 Squadron at Tabuk. In 1985, as part of the agreement to sell the Panavia Tornado (both IDS and ADV versions) to the RSAF, the Lightnings were traded in to British Aerospace, returned to Warton for refurbishment and re-sold to Austria.

 

While the Saudi Arabian Lightnings’ hardware was in very good shape, the Austrian Bundesluftwaffe requested some modifications, including a different missile armament: instead of the maintenance-heavy British Firestreak/Red Top AAMs, the Lightnings were to be armed with simpler, lighter and more economical IR-guided AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs which were already in the Austrian Air Force’s inventory. Two of these missiles were carried on single launch rails on the lower forward fuselage; an additional pair of Sidewinders could also be carried on the outer underwing stations, for a total of four. The F.53s’ optional retractable unguided rocket panniers were dropped altogether in favor of a permanent avionics bay for the Sidewinders in its place. However, to carry out tactical reconnaissance tasks (formerly executed by J 29Fs with a removable camera pod instead of the portside gun bay), four Austrian Lightnings frequently had one of the optional camera compartments installed, thereby losing the capability to deploy Sidewinders, though.

 

Among other things, the machines were furthermore upgraded with new bird strike-proof cockpit glazing, avionics were modernized, and several other minor customer requests were adopted, like a 0.6-megacandela night identification light. This spotlight is mounted in the former portside gun bay in front of the cockpit, and an anti-glare panel was added under the windscreen.

The fixed in-flight refueling probe was deleted, as this was not deemed necessary anymore since the Lightnings would exclusively operate within neutral Austria’s borders. The probes could, however, be re-installed, even though the Austrian pilots would not receive on-flight refueling training. The Lightnings' optional 260 imp gal overwing tanks were retained since they were considered to be sufficient for extended subsonic air patrols or eventual ferry flights.

 

The refurbished Lightnings were re-designated F.56 and delivered in batches of four between 1987 and 1989 to the Austrian Air Force’s 1st and then 2nd Fighter Squadrons, carrying a grey air superiority paint scheme. At that time, the airframes had between 1,550 and 2,800 flight hours and all had a general overhaul behind them. In 1991, the Lightings were joined by eighteen German ex-NVA-LSK MiG-23s, which were transferred to Austrian Air Force's ‘Fliegerwerft B’ at Nittner Air Base, where they'd be overhauled and updated with NATO-compatible equipment. As MiG-23Ö they were exclusively used as interceptors, too.

 

Shortly after their introduction, the Austrian Lightnings saw their first major use in airspace interdiction starting 1991 during the Yugoslav Wars, when Yugoslav MiG-21 fighters frequently crossed the Austrian border without permission. In one incident on 28 June a MiG-21 penetrated as far as Graz, causing widespread demands for action. Following repeated border crossings by armed aircraft of the Yugoslav People's Army, changes were suggested to the standing orders for aircraft armament.

 

With more and more practice and frequent interceptions one of the Lightning's basic flaws became apparent: its low range. Even though the Lightning had a phenomenal acceleration and rate of climb, this was only achieved in a relatively clean configuration - intercepting intruders was one thing but escorting them back to the Austrian border or an assigned airfield, as well as standing air patrols, were a different thing. With more tactical experience, the overwing tanks were taken back into service, even though they were so draggy that their range benefit was ultimately zero when the aircraft would use its afterburners during a typical interception mission. Therefore, the Austrian QRA Lightnings were typically operated in pairs: one clean and only lightly armed (typically with the guns and a pair of AIM-9s), to make a quick approach for visual intruder identification and contact, while a second aircraft with extra fuel would follow at high subsonic speed and eventually take over and escort the intruder. Airspace patrol was primarily executed with the MiG-23Ö, because it had a much better endurance, thanks to its VG wings, even though the Floggers had a poor service record, and their maintenance became ever more complicated.

 

After more experience, the Austrian Lightnings received in 1992 new ALR-45 radar detectors in a fairing on the fin top as well as chaff and flare dispenser systems, and the communication systems were upgraded, too. In 2004 the installation of Garmin 295 moving map navigation devices followed, even though this turned out to be a negligible update: on December 22, 2005, the active service life and thus military use of the Lightnings in general ended, and Austria was the last country to decommission the type, more than 50 years after the first flight of the prototype on August 4, 1954.

The Austrian Lightnings’ planned service period of 10 years was almost doubled, though, due to massive delays with the Eurofighter’s development: In 2002, Austria had already selected the Typhoon as its new “Phase II” air defense aircraft, having beaten the F-16 and the Saab Gripen in competition, and its introduction had been expected to occur from early 2005 on, so that the Lightnings could be gradually phased out. The purchase of 18 Typhoons was agreed on 1 July 2003, but it would take until 12 July 2007 that the first Typhoon would eventually be delivered to Zeltweg Air Base and formally enter service with the Austrian Air Force. This operational gap had to be bridged with twelve F-5E leased from Switzerland for EUR 75 mio., so that Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties for the Austrian airspace could be continued.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 55 ft 3 in (16.84 m)

Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)

Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)

Wing area: 474.5 sq ft (44.08 m²)

Empty weight: 31,068 lb (14,092 kg) with armament and no fuel

Gross weight: 41,076 lb (18,632 kg) with two AIM-9B, cannon, ammunition, and internal fuel

Max takeoff weight: 45,750 lb (20,752 kg)

 

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojet engines,

12,690 lbf (56.4 kN) thrust each dry, 16,360 lbf (72.8 kN) with afterburner

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 (1,500 mph+ at 40,000 ft)

Range: 738 nmi (849 mi, 1,367 km)

Combat range: 135 nmi (155 mi, 250 km) supersonic intercept radius

Range: 800 nmi (920 mi, 1,500 km) with internal fuel

1,100 nmi (1,300 mi; 2,000 km) with external overwing tanks

Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Zoom ceiling: 70,000 ft (21,000 m)

Rate of climb: 20,000 ft/min (100 m/s) sustained to 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

Zoom climb: 50,000 ft/min

Time to altitude: 2.8 min to 36,000 ft (11,000 m)

Wing loading: 76 lb/sq ft (370 kg/m²) with two AIM-9 and 1/2 fuel

Thrust/weight: 0.78 (1.03 empty)

 

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.181 in) ADEN cannon with 120 RPG in the lower fuselage

2× forward fuselage hardpoints for a single AIM-9 Sidewinder AAM each

2× underwing hardpoints for 1.000 lb (454 kg) each

2× overwing pylon stations for 2.000 lb (907 kg each),

typically occupied with 260 imp gal (310 US gal; 1,200 l) ferry tanks

  

The kit and its assembly:

This was another submission to the “Hunter, Lightning and Canberra” group build at whatifmodellers.com in 2022 and intended as a rather simple build since it was based on an alternate reality plot: the weird story that Austria was offered a revamped fleet of ex-Saudi Arabian Lightnings is true(!), but the decision eventually fell in favor of revamped Saab J 35Ds from Sweden. For this what-if build I used the real historic timeline, replaced the aircraft, and built both story and model around this – and the result became the BAC Lightning F.56 in Austrian Air Force service.

 

Initially I wanted to use an Airfix BAC Lightning in The Stash™, a really nice model kit and a relatively new mold, but it turned out to be the kit’s F.2A variant. While very similar to the F.6, changing it into a F.53 analogue with the OOB parts turned out to be too complex for my taste. For instance, the F.2A kit lacks the ventral gun bay (it just comes with the auxiliary tank option since the guns are already located in front of the cockpit) and the cable conduits on the lower flanks. Procuring a suitable and priceworthy Airfix F.6 turned out to be impossible, but then I remembered a Hasegawa Lightning F.6 in The Stash™ that I had shot at ev!lbay many moons ago for a laughable price and without a concrete plan. However, this kit is pretty old: it has raised (yet quite fine, less robust than the Matchbox kit) panel lines and even comes with a pilot figure, but also many weak spots like the air intake and the jet exhausts that end in flat walls after some millimeters depth and a very basic cockpit. But for this rather simple what-if project the kit appeared to be a suitable basis, and it would eventually find a good use.

 

The Hasegawa Lightning was basically built OOB, even though I made some cosmetic amendments like a better seat for the pilot, hydraulic fluid lines on the landing gear made from wire or opening the flat walls inside of the air intake opening and the jet nozzles. Behind the radome, a simple splitter plate was added as well as a recessed bulkhead in front of an implanted Me 262 cockpit tub (the Hasegawa kit just offers a bare floor panel, nothing else!), the afterburners were extended inwards with parts from a Matchbox A.W. Meteor night fighter.

 

The Red Top AAMs and the in-flight refueling probe were omitted. Instead, I added extra F.53-style forward-swept pylons under the outer wings, scratched from 1.5 mm styrene sheet due to their odd, raked shape, and I added Sidewinder launch rails plus suitable missiles from a Hasegawa air-to-air weapons set to all four stations. After long consideration I also retained the ‘overburger’ tanks, partly because of the unique layout on the Lightning, and also because of operational considerations.

Chaff dispensers were scratched from styrene profiles and placed at the fin’s base. A fairing for the retrofitted radar warning sensor was added to the fin tip, created from 1.5 mm styrene sheet.

  

Painting and markings:

To reflect the “alternate reality” role of the Lightning I gave the model a livery similar to the Saab J 35Ö that were actually procured: an adaptation of the USAF “Egypt One” scheme, carried primarily by the USAF F-16s. Adapting this simple three-tone camouflage from the flat F-16 to the Draken was easy and straightforward, but applying it to a Lightning with its many vertical surfaces turned out to be a tough challenge. I eventually came up with a paint scheme that reminds of the late RAF low-viz Lightning liveries, which existed in a wide range of patterns and graduations of grey.

 

The colors were authentic, FS 36118, 36270 and 36375 (using Humbrol 125, 126 and 127), and I decided to emphasize the camouflage of the flanks against the horizon, so that the vertical surfaces and the fin became FS 36270. The undersides of wings, stabilizers and fuselage became FS 36375. The dark FS 36118 was only applied to the upper sides of the wings and the stabilizer, and to a high dorsal section, starting at the wing roots. As a small contrast, the tank area on the spine was painted in light grey, simulating unpainted fiber glass. The radome was painted with a streaky mix of Humbrol 155 and 56.

 

As usual, the model received a light black ink washing, some post-panel-shading in lighter tones, and, due to the raised panel lines, was very lightly rubbed with graphite. The cockpit interior was painted in medium grey (Revell 47) with an olive drab fabric fairing behind the black pilot seat, which received ejection handles made from thin wire as eye candy. The landing gear and the respective wells were painted in Humbrol 56 (Aluminum Dope).

 

The decals are a wild mix: The fuselage roundels are actually wing markings from a Hasegawa J 35OE, as well as the huge orange "06" on the wings (I could not resist; they will later be partly obscured by the overwing tanks, but the heck with it!). The roundels on the wings come from a generic TL Modellbau sheet - I found that I needed larger markings than those on the Draken.

Both unit and individual aircraft identifiers are single black DIN font digits, also from TL Modellbau. The unit badges on the fin are authentic, even though from an earlier era: they came from an Austrian J 29 of Fliegerregiment 2 from a PrintScale sheet, and all stencils were taken from the OOB low-viz RAF markings sheet, plus four small warning triangles for the underwing pylons.

  

A ‘what-if’ model in the purest sense, since this model depicts what could really have been: ex Saudi-Arabian export BAC Lightnings over the Austrian Alps! However, refurbished Saab J 35D Draken made the race (and later followed by the Eurofighter Typhoon at ‘Stage 2’), so that this Lightning remains fictional. It does not look bad in the ‘Egypt One’ paint scheme, though, better than expected!

After I jumped , it hit me that life is beautiful , full of magic !!!

Ah! The infamous, Zipper! Meet California's most notorious criminal; one who goes above and beyond to fulfill his filthy duties, ranging from physical violence to downright thievery and, in many cases, murder! The thug-for-hire with direct connections to Eric Raymond and the Misfits. If you're not speaking green cha-ching, then you're not speaking his language. A complete louse when it comes to most criminal activity, Zipper always has one foot out the door and, when he fails a mission, two revved up and ready to dash. This snake constantly shows his love for dirty cash and also acts as the handler for Eric's underhanded affairs - examining, counting and stacking the figures all without a lick of common sense rattling around in his empty head. Zipper is a typical guttersnipe who craves danger, and he does not mind demonstrating such action as he did, when he crashed his way onto the scene, in 1985, during “The Beginning.” Ole' Zip committed his first crime against Jem and the Holograms one night by breaking into the Starlight Foster House with the intent to spook the Holograms, but the assignment ended in the fiery destruction of their home! As the smoke grew out of control, Zipper ran off avoiding charges for arson. His next attack went tick, tick, BOOM, in “Disaster”...um, need I say more?! Howard E. Sands gave Jerrica and the Holograms the greenlight to move into Starlight Mansion after the tragic loss of their foster house, and they explored every inch of the luxurious manor, alongside Rio who reminded them that the photographers for their special magazine layout on new Rock groups were waiting outside. A few seconds after the photogs arrival, the remaining members of their styling team had just walked through the security gates...and that's when Zipper made his move by appearing from inside the bushes, creeping along the steel gate, and slithering directly behind Jem's dream team with only his duffel bag and a pair of rad Ray-Ban shades to disguise his bloodshot eyes. The venomous cobra moved fast into the servants quarters where he unwrapped a 2-pack of dynamite and stashed them under the cushions of the couch, all while Jem and the Holograms were out front posing for their photoshoot. After destroying Howard's property, and not to mention endangering the lives of the Starlight girls who were still inside, Zipper waited for Eric to distract the news reporters by lying about the blast, and then he peeled out of there on foot. Life was beginning to look up for the pink-haired entertainer, during “Kimber's Rebellion”, and she had finally experienced her first taste of international fame. It's somewhat true that adventure equals danger, and trouble was carved in granite as Zipper worked side by side with Eric on a plan to follow the women to Paris to decimate their video shoot for “Twilight in Paris!” The second he arrived, he went HARD at trying to kill the Pop stars, first by striking out with his failed attempt to kidnap Kimber, and then batting a home run by dropping a statue of stone from 20 stories above down to the ground where the musicians were acting out a scene for video pioneer, Anthony Julian! When the menace of mayhem realized he had been spotted from below, he made a break for the airport and escaped Paris unscathed and unfazed. He had the hook-up in “Frame Up”, and left no room for mistakes. Following the direction of Eric, and with the help of the Misfits, he planted a safe full of money from both bands' Las Vegas concert inside Jem's tour bag. He then transferred the operation over to the Misfits who sent in the police to search her dressing room! Even though he's strictly a one-man show, Zipper works real well with two or more players as was the deal, in “Battle of the Bands”, when he teamed up with Eric's goons to hold Jem and the Holograms hostage at the old Starlight Drive-In, leaving the girls no choice but to forfeit the Battle of the Bands competition to the Misfits who swore that they were “Takin' it All!” Time was winding down and Jem's back was against the wall, but she wasn't going to allow those undeserving rockers to win by default, so she made a break for the exit and escaped. Primed for some good ole' rock 'em sock 'em action, Zipper chased her down on his motorcycle and dragged her back to the abandoned hideout! Then Jem did what came naturally; she held her star earring between her fingers and conjured up holographic illusions of wild tigers, exit doors, and an entire field full of police cars to psych him out. The illusions worked for a second, but once he realized they were false images, he proceeded to snatch Kimber by the arm and pull her back as she and the others tried to run away. Eventually, sirens and lights went off in the distance, and this time, there were NO holographic illusions to see as a REAL army of police cars arrived to the scene and arrested Zipper and his twisted cohorts. Los Angeles' infamous convict switched things up, in “The World Hunger Shindig”, after finally fleeing from the hard-knock life of mugshots, mushy food and cold jail cells, and deciding to dye his hair black to blend in with his surroundings. Now, with a darker, more mysterious appearance, he accepted his first assignment: to get rid of Jem and the Holograms! The next day of the Shindig, Jerrica felt that Jem deserved a break, so she joined her girls in an hour of outdoor activities with Sean Harrison, and spent a few minutes of relaxation in preparation for the big concert. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, Sean was contacted over the phone to handle business, so he hopped on his horse and waved goodbye. Shortly after waving him off, the Pop superstars were ambushed by Zipper and his band of cowboys who appeared from the woods with scarves around their mouths, cowboy hats, and shotguns, and forced them to walk the trail of a ravine! Jerrica knew she needed to act promptly, so she and Kimber cooked up a topper that was sure to foil Zips plan. As they continued down the rocky path to their doom, Kimber suddenly fell to the ground and faked a foot injury, while Jerrica called on Synergy to project a flash flood that frightened the s**t out of Zipper and his pals, sending them running in the opposite direction with their tails between their legs. It pained him to call Eric on the phone and admit defeat, but he managed with a promise to take care of everything the night of the concert, at the Astrodome. Fans came pouring in from different countries and tumbled over to the ticket booth where the money-hungry maniac sat while skimming the booth off the books as fans paid him face to face for their tickets. He wanted to keep the cash close by, so he placed it all inside a suitcase and stored it deep within the vent in Eric's room. Well, it just so happened that Jem and the Holograms had escaped from a storage room that they were locked in by climbing out through the vent and crawling along the open shaft to safety. Eventually, they made their way past Eric's office where they overheard the two crooks discussing their part in stealing the proceeds and their plan to sabotage the Pop stars' performance. Jem wasted no time apprehending the suitcase of cash and followed the path all the way up to a trapdoor at the top of the stage where she and the Holograms stood awaiting their introduction from Synergy. Though heights weren't exactly his cup of tea (mixed with rum lol), Zipper didn't allow the situation to slow him down from getting what was due, so he moved as quick as a rat in pursuit of the doe and arrived at the same spot situated above the audience. As he peeked out from inside the vent, he actually tried to steal the money back from Jem by reaching over and grabbing the suitcase, but she used her foot to slide it over to where she stood. He wasn't concerned about being recognized until a spotlight from the stage shined on his face, proving that what you do in the dark will eventually come to light! Moving forward, Zipper was skating on thin ice, in “Last Resorts”, when Eric paid him to climb the tower of a ski lift to unhinge the bolts on the walking beam that supports the sheave wheels, at Rick Franklin's resort, just minutes before Jem and her band hopped aboard! The incident left Shana and Jem suspended from their seat and in fear for their lives! Then, on the day of the ski race, which was a competition Eric suggested to Rick pitting the Misfits against Jem and the Holograms, Zipper decided to decorate the top of a pine tree with HIMSELF so that he could send out one last signal below to his three troops, all of whom arranged a maze of accidents to prevent the girls from winning the race. You would think this time he'd have better luck escaping the avalanche of penalties or that maybe it missed him by a hair, but that would be simplicity at its finest, and he's not fortunate enough to afforded that luxury. As usual, the entire operation failed with Eric losing his resort to Rick, the silver he hid in a cave, and his pride! As for Zipper, he was wrangled up along with his three allies and then turned over to the boys in blue. With all his past troubles haunting him in California, it was now time for a change of scenery, so he traveled to Venice, Italy, free of charge...but it wasn't to take a vacation. Eric and the Misfits were already on their way over to compete in a Rock fashion contest and needed extra help to liberate the superstars of their prizewinning outfits. So Zipper packed his blue jumpsuit and combat boots to complete his work, but he didn't need them for his first attack, anyway, just a few extra bucks to pick up a disguise as an oarsmen and to rent a gondola, the same gondola that was expected to escort Shana across the water with her designs. He kept his eyes on the prize as the purple-haired percussionist entered the boat to take a seat. Then he swiped the long capsule that housed her work and bounced out of the boat and onto the next like a frog out of water, finally landing in the Misfits' speedboat where the capsule hit the clutch and sent all four offenders coasting on top of the water and back around to Shana's gondola, almost taking her out of more than just the competition! Eager for a breather, Zipper and the Misfits arrived at the hotel room and were pumped up from their heist. Zipper handed Pizzazz the cylindrical capsule with confidence that he achieved his goal of grand theft, but when she opened it, she discovered a few doodles that belonged to Starlight teen, Ashley, who later admitted to Shana and the others that she brought along her artwork to commingle with the star designer's portfolio of fashions. Eric huffed and puffed and blew his top, while Pizzazz quipped that he'd been duped. The situation didn't sit right with Zipper. Was he having an off day?! Was he not at the top of his game?! Whatever problem he had, he made sure not to dwell on it for too long because his second attempt was moments away and it required his lengthy rope and duffel bag, both of which he carefully packed. The goof then hoofed over to Countess Danielle du Voisin's palazzo, where Shana was staying, to burglarize her estate by hoisting himself to the top of the building, shimmying down through the skylight to grab all four outfits, then pulling himself back up again to the top of the roof. On his way back to the hotel, he covered a wide stretch of ground while grimacing madly with an ego the size of Alcatraz. The thought of getting away with such a pricey task of smash-n-grab was almost too exciting for his heart to handle. So one can only imaging how he felt when he realized that all of his hard work put forth was for nothing, and it was all on account of the Misfits who, in the end, lost the contest to Jem and her fab sisters. However, the excursion didn't turn out so bad for Eric whose trip to Italy was actually considered an overdue vacation. And with the large bonus Zipper received from his boss, he used half the money for tickets to Huey Lewis & the News' ‘86 concert tour. I do believe that's what you call a win-win lol! Barely a month had gone by “In Search of the Stolen Album”, and he was overcome with a strong desire to commit a crime. The timing couldn't have been better, either, because Eric needed assistance with gaining possession of Jem and the Holograms' master tape for their chart-topping smash hit, “There's a Melody Playing”, so that the Misfits could dub their own lyrics over the melody and bump them off the charts. Since his recent court case was still pending, Zipper was forced to operate incognito. So, once again, he threw on his hooded sweatsuit and sprinted over to Eric's low rent shack where he climbed through the window while ducking under a set of trashy blinds to find the self-proclaimed record producer sleeping on a flee-infested sofa! After Eric awoke from a deep slumber, he explained the lowdown on what he needed, and added that there would be a generous bonus cash reward for stealing the tape. Zipper's eyes circled swiftly like two slot machines, and with his lucky lasso wrapped around his body, he rolled like dice across town to Starlight Music Studios where he leaped through the back window, clicked on his flashlight, rustled the master tape, along with a pile of sheet music, dumped everything in his satchel, then vamoosed! Big, bad Pizzazz thought she covered her tracks, but Jem sure hit her where it hurt the most by driving to Flash Recording Studios and switching their master tapes. Shortly after, four major record companies were in line to hear the Misfits' so-called new album at a press conference inside Gabor Mansion, but the tape Jem replaced earlier that day was with a recording for French lessons instead. The false feeling of confidence was high and heavy in that room, but, after several interviews with the media, and posing for the cameras, the Misfits were left standing in disgrace lol! The cash bonus was enough to boast about to his fellow thugs, but to avoid additional charges and the slammer, Zipper quickly zipped out of sight. Another crime that he so proudly brags about occurred during “Hot Time in Hawaii”, when he trained the Misfits in the art of cheating for the Battle of the Music Stars competition, in Honolulu. Zipper promised the Misfits that they wouldn't have to do anything LEGAL to prepare for the contest. And that was the precise moment when he unveiled the special equipment he rigged for each Misfit, beginning with his first secret weapon: an electromagnetic switch on the handlebar of Roxy's bike that controlled a sharp drill from inside the spokes of her tires! He then supplied Pizzazz with a flexible, spring-poppin' pole that would catapult her as high as a palm tree for her pole vault competition. And Stormer was provided a pair of track shoes with booster springs attached to the outsoles. His dirtiest trick, however, went down during Kimber's swim practice in the ocean, when he attacked her with a fake metal shark that he controlled from the beach. He needed to keep her from competing in the freestyle and backstroke events, which she was sure to win, but he preferred wiping her clean out of the competition all together. So he cranked up the power on his controller and chased the talented keyboardist through the water, almost devouring her with his dangerous contraption! When she survived his test, he then turned to his usual hands-on approach by kidnapping her and placing her inside a live volcano! Back on the field, the crowd was treated to the Misfits' performance of prolific achievements in each event, but the entertainers slowly lost their grip during the tug of war competition, when Jem, Kimber and Shana gained leverage of the rope and sent them belly-flopping into the mud where they surfaced looking like three mini Chewbaccas lol! Zipper sensed trouble and began to haul a**, but before he knew it, he was tackled by the Holograms' training coach, Steve, and suffered a one-two straight to the face before taking a header into the mud bath with his three glamazons. More trouble awaited the four bamboozlers at the athletics office, where the Misfits were disqualified for cheating, and Zipper was apprehended and carted off to jail for kidnapping! Why Rio never snatched him by the throat early in the series beats the hell out of me. What I find most shocking, though, is the fact that he never appeared on America's Most Wanted, along with Clash lol! The most treacherous incidental character in Jem, bar none! However, it's a well-known fact that the incidental characters in the show are all very important to the story, each equipped with personality, emotion, and an overall purpose for existing. And when it comes to every incidental character who has EVER appeared in Jem, this monster here stands heads above the crowd, and that's no compliment! But again, every character is special in his/her own way and have all etched their mark in Jem history. Unfortunately, in this case, my sentiment does not exclude careered criminals. Having said that, I will go on record and admit that Zipper is absolutely essential to Jem! Not only was he present during the first season, but he was the sole reason for Jem's jump from small estate to the luxurious, mega Starlight Mansion. Now, while it's safe to say that he will not receive any accolades for his vile behavior anytime soon, there's one reasonable question that remains: Could he be considered the inner core of the show? After all, Zipper represents three important elements to Jem: action, adventure, and death-defying danger! He sure seems to cover the action-packed aspect all on his own, and his resumé (hit list) speaks for itself.

 

Zipper was never planned during the heyday of Jem, so it's real nice to have him now! Even though he has a limited bio and only appeared in a handful of episodes, I still feel that Integrity could have chosen a few dangerous items that he carries in the show and incorporated them with this set. That's my only problem with this doll and his set, there's not enough to go by, and it feels rather bland! On the other side of the token, I'm floored at the sight of him. Give me flocked black hair any day! It worked for Anthony Julian, and it works for Zipper as well. Initially, I was excited about his new face sculpt, so excited, in fact, that I keep lifting him up near my eyes to closely examine the details. His outfit surprised me from day one: black leather moto jacket with his trademark logo on the back, which is a great surprise! For myself, I'd say that the style of the pockets and the zipper (both wrists included) are my favorite features! Hell, just the fact that he actually has a black leather jacket excites me! Add his tight, white “grease lightning” Hanes teeshirt and blue Levi 501 denim jeans to the mix and you have a cross between Danny and Kenickie from Rydell High lol! Zipper's second outfit is a dark blue sweatsuit used for more suitable occasions, like ducking, diving, running, rolling, or rope-climbing up and down the glass structure of Starlight Music. And to do this successfully, he tightens the laces on his shiny black combat boots, provided inside, and wraps them three times around the boot itself in double knots. Integrity added a pair of dark socks with slippery material to make it easier when squeezing his feet inside his rugged footwear, because it's no easy task—believe that! Everything's perfect with this set. Having said that, I'm still in shock at the absence of his accessories! Sorry, but one item is bogus for a doll like this. Sure, the black rope was a nice addition, but a rather typical choice. Integrity's Design Team would have been better off throwing all caution to the wind and going BIG with his accessories, say, a set of binoculars, ransom note, floor plans and escape plans, or a flashlight, grappling hook, spiked bat, 2X4 of wood, gasoline can...oops, did I hint at too many bright ideas?!

 

In all honesty, I am extremely happy to see this man in doll form. No more pondering what he'd look like as a fashion doll because the real deal is here and he's fire! Zipper was one out of a few dolls on my wish list that I considered crucial to the entire doll line and, after the debut of Graphix, I was confident that he'd see the light of day. Besides, within the world of Jem, the villains are just as important as their rivals. So, despite his shortcomings, and record-breaking rap sheet, I'm honored to welcome this felon into my Jem and the Holograms/Misfits doll collection! ☠

July 16th. It's such a shame you're not allowed to do this to stroppy teenagers these days.

Stagecoach have committed 50 buses to the Open Championship at Muirfield. Large fields are used as car parks and Stagecoach provide the shuttle service to Muirfield . In addition Drem Station car park becomes a bus station for the week of the event. The operation seems to run very smoothly with all the Stagecoach staff in good spirits and even the odd barbecue set up for lunch ( a few of the drivers had singed eyebrows) Stagecoach seem to rise to these occasions and the old Olympians sounded great even the scruffy ones. Well done Stagecoach .

SO I finally committed to digitising this, one of my first MOCs completed just out of my darkage, and one of my first ever mechs.

 

Updates to LDD have made it a really great tool for turning MOC's into "digital backups" - I tweaked this during the process, adding parts I didn't have originally, but most techniques are the same and are actually legal.

 

I must say that where LDD sucks, is the instruction view - it's really haphazard about which elements are constructed before others, making a simple build seem unduly difficult.

 

What's really great about LDD is the scope to test colour schemes. I've been looking at this for too long now and I'm still not sure I like it. I prefer the plain white variation with the red accents just on it's artistic merits, but it's not really a suitable colour scheme for a giant mech...

 

LDD reconstruction -poster002

Stagecoach have committed 50 buses to the Open Championship at Muirfield. Large fields are used as car parks and Stagecoach provide the shuttle service to Muirfield . In addition Drem Station car park becomes a bus station for the week of the event. The operation seems to run very smoothly with all the Stagecoach staff in good spirits and even the odd barbecue set up for lunch ( a few of the drivers had singed eyebrows) Stagecoach seem to rise to these occasions and the old Olympians sounded great even the scruffy ones. Well done Stagecoach .

INCREDIBLE INDIA

Dicono che passeggiare la sera lungo il molo dei defunti sia pericoloso. Non tanto per via degli spiriti, quanto per la presenza molto più terrena di vagabondi e ladruncoli comuni. Ma il buio della notte qui non è mai davvero buio. L’oscurità è punteggiata di fuochi. Alcune fiammelle se le porta via il Gange: sono luci di buon augurio, accese dentro piccole ceste di fiori di loto, e affidate alla corrente. Ormai trasportano perlopiù desideri e speranze di turisti di passaggio. Le fiamme della tradizione vera bruciano più verso le sponde, alitando in cielo fumi d’incenso, sandalo e carne bruciata: sono le pire che ardono incessantemente lungo i ghat, i moli in riva al Gange dove gli indù cremano i loro morti.

Per questo alcuni indiani conoscono Varanasi solo con il soprannome di Maha Shmashan Puri, che vuol dire "fuoco che non si ferma mai". Questa è la città santa dell’induismo: un luogo propizio per morire perché, secondo antiche credenze, esalando qui l’ultimo respiro ci si sottrae al ciclo delle reincarnazioni, e si accede direttamente al paradiso himalayano di Shiva, che si ritiene sia sul Monte Kailasa.

"Varanasi", scrisse una volta Mark Twain, "è più antica della storia, più antica della tradizione, più antica della leggenda, e appare vecchia il doppio di tutte queste cose messe insieme". Un luogo denso di misticismo, dove tutto sembra possibile. Ad esempio, che una famiglia collocata al gradino più basso della gerarchia sociale indiana, i cosiddetti "intoccabili", acquisisca tanto denaro e prestigio da divenire la famiglia più ricca e influente della città. Il loro nome è Dom, ma loro si fanno chiamare Dom Raja, poiché si considerano "i re del regno dei morti" (in indù "raja" significa "re"). La loro casa è la più bella e imponente del lungofiume.

I Dom custodiscono il cosiddetto "fuoco sacro", una fiamma che arde giorno e notte da tempo immemorabile all’interno di un tempio dedicato a Shiva. Nel complesso cerimoniale della cremazione, il fuoco sacro, con cui la pira funebre viene accesa al termine del rito, è considerato un elemento fondamentale. E per avervi accesso, le famiglie dei defunti fanno offerte anche cospicue.

Matru Dom è uno dei capifamiglia. In città lo conoscono tutti, ma non è facile arrivare a lui. Accetta di parlarmi solo grazie all’aiuto di un intermediario. E’ sera fatta, ormai, quando arrivo all’Harishchandra Ghat, un molo delle cremazioni tra i più antichi in città, e forse il più sacro in assoluto. Tutto intorno un fitto tramestio di fedeli e sacerdoti già impegnati nelle cerimonie funebri. Ci sono petali di rosa e fiori di loto sparsi un po’ ovunque, braci quasi consumate, roghi che bruciano con fiamme alte tre metri, legna accatastata in attesa dell’arrivo di una salma. "Aspetta qui", dice Sadhu, l’intermediario. Mi fa un cenno d’intesa, poi si arrampica leggero sulla scalinata che sale verso la città. Il Gange nero si appropria della visuale. Sembra accogliere con identica accondiscendenza i vivi e i morti che continuamente si riversano, o vengono riversati, nelle sue acque. Un vecchio, seduto su uno scalino in riva al fiume, tossisce e sputa in terra più volte. Poi torna a guardare l’acqua senza espressione. Alcuni anziani, all’approssimarsi della morte, vengono qui ad aspettare il destino. Un tempo anche i malati incurabili venivano abbandonati lungo le rive del fiume, all’interno di capanne fatte di rami. Non ci si attendeva che il Gange facesse il miracolo, come l’acqua di Lourdes, ma che accettasse lo spirito del defunto al momento della sua morte. Se il malato invece sopravviveva, si pensava che fosse stato rifiutato dagli dei, e pertanto veniva respinto dalla società e isolato tra i paria, gli intoccabili.

"Matru Dom, signore". Mi giro. Davanti a me c’è un uomo piccolo, avvolto in una sciarpa bianca che mette ancor più in risalto la sua carnagione scura (caratteristica di molti intoccabili). Ci sediamo sotto un piccolo portico di cemento. Parla un inglese stentato, ma sorprendentemente spolvera qualche parola di italiano. "Ciao amico", abbozza sorridendo, "bella Italia". Ricorda di aver imparato quelle parole da un missionario, qualche anno addietro. Poi torna serio, fa qualche cenno a dei ragazzi impegnati su un rogo ormai agli sgoccioli. Finalmente mi racconta dei Dom: "Non saprei dire da quanto tempo la mia famiglia faccia questo lavoro, nessuno può dirlo. Custodiamo il fuoco sacro da generazioni. Facciamo un lavoro onesto, e non chiediamo in cambio nulla, solo donazioni spontanee". Si mette in bocca una foglia di betel, avvolta in una miscela di spezie dal colore rosso: per gli indiani aiuta a digerire e profuma l’alito, ma non tutti gli amanti del betel sanno che è causa frequente di cancro alla bocca.

"La donazione più importante", prosegue, “venne dalla famiglia di un maraja: 5 milioni di rupie (quasi 90 mila euro, ndr). Ma noi accettiamo qualunque offerta. Anche 50 rupie". Secondo l’induismo, fare offerte di questo tipo consente a ciascuno di migliorare il proprio karma, una sorta di somma delle azioni passate dal quale dipende la reincarnazione dell’anima. Per questo quando c’è da fare offerte per cerimonie importanti come un funerale, le famiglie benestanti non badano a spese. E l’offerta per il fuoco sacro non è che una parte. "Ci vogliono 360 chili di legna e 3 ore di tempo affinché le fiamme consumino un corpo", racconta. "I più ricchi comprano legna di sandalo, che arde meglio ed è profumata, ma costa più di 100 rupie al chilo (circa 2 euro)".

Spesso, però, le famiglie più povere non possono permettersi abbastanza legna, e allora il corpo non brucia a sufficienza, rimangono dei pezzi intatti. I Dom sanno come gestire queste situazioni: rivoltano i corpi tra le fiamme, li colpiscono con un bastone, e riescono così a ridurre il tempo necessario alla cremazione. "Noi siamo esperti", sorride Matru. "Per questo tutti ci rispettano e nessuno si sognerebbe di affidare ad altri il proprio defunto". Si guarda attorno, osserva il lavoro dei Dom, con l’aria del re che scruta i suoi possedimenti. Poi mi confida: "Una volta noi Dom abbiamo bruciato anche la salma di un italiano". Soppesa per un attimo il mio sguardo meravigliato. "Proprio lì, vicino a quel mucchio di braci", aggiunge stringendo gli occhi e indicando con un gesto circolare una pira ormai estinta. Sputa il betel. Dopodiché continua: "Era un vecchio venuto a Varanasi ormai da qualche settimana. Lo vedevamo spesso, qui al ghat. Conoscevo anche il suo nome, ma ora non lo ricordo più. Veniva sempre da solo, un signore curioso con un berretto in testa. Aveva occhi strani, sembrava sereno di spirito, ma forse il suo corpo era malato". Riprende a masticare del betel. "Poi improvvisamente smise di venire, non lo vidi per un po’. Lo trovarono morto nella sua stanza d’albergo. E accanto al cadavere c’era un foglietto, nel quale chiedeva di essere cremato qui. Così la polizia telefonò alla sua famiglia, in Italia, e chiese il permesso per la cremazione. Dopo lo affidarono a noi Dom. Le ceneri, però, non le abbiamo buttate nel Gange. La famiglia le ha volute indietro, così, alla fine della cerimonia, le abbiamo raccolte in un’urna e sono partite per l’Italia con il primo aereo". Dalle sue parole traspare l’orgoglio per il rispetto che i Dom si sono guadagnati anche presso le forze dell’ordine, con il loro centenario lavoro di custodi delle cremazioni.

Un rispetto che sembra oltrepassare ogni barriera sociale. Matru ne è convinto e nega con forza l’esistenza di disparità tra i vari livelli della società indiana. "Non ci sentiamo affatto discriminati per la questione delle caste. Possiamo avere la pelle più scura, essere più o meno poveri, ma alla fine siamo fatti di carne e ossa, siamo tutti come fratello e sorella", dice, cercando con insistenza il contatto con le mie mani. Ma poi ci pensa un po’ su e ammette: "Certo, a volte succede che qualcuno delle caste più alte eviti di toccarci. Ma accade raramente. Non è più come un tempo. Oggi i bambini vanno a scuola, sono più acculturati. E capiscono che tra esseri umani non ci può essere differenza". Le pupille scure lampeggiano a tratti, illuminate dai bagliori delle pire che bruciano tutto intorno.

Si interrompe, indica un corteo di persone che scende al molo, portando un feretro. Cantano "Ram Nam Satya hei" (Rama, l’unica verità). "Quelli sono bengalesi", spiega. "Hanno canti diversi, tradizioni particolari: noi indù bruciamo il defunto con la testa rivolta verso Calcutta, dove il Gange sfocia nell’oceano. Loro invece preferiscono sistemare le spoglie con la testa verso la sorgente, e i piedi verso la foce". I bengalesi trasportano il defunto avvolto in un sudario su una barella di bambù. Si sistemano in riva al fiume e il bramino inizia il rituale illuminato dagli schermi di un paio di telefoni cellulari. Tradizione e tecnologia. Per tre volte l’acqua del fiume viene versata in bocca al cadavere, prima di adagiarlo sulla pira e accendere il rogo. Nessuno fa una piega quando dal feretro ormai avvolto dalle fiamme, un braccio del defunto esce dalle bende, ondeggiando inerte per qualche secondo prima di essere aggredito dal fuoco.

"Molti indù non hanno abbastanza denaro per finanziare un corteo funebre sino a Varanasi" riprende Matru. "Così bruciano il defunto a casa loro, e qui portano solo le ceneri, per disperderle sul Gange". Solo alcuni morti sono considerati puri, e non è quindi necessario bruciarne i corpi: si tratta dei neonati, dei morti per vaiolo o per morsi di serpente, e delle vacche. I loro corpi vengono sepolti, oppure gettati direttamente nel fiume. Non vedo donne, al ghat delle cremazioni. Chiedo spiegazione a Matru. "Non c’è un divieto codificato secondo cui le donne non possano assistere alle cremazioni", spiega. "Però le famiglie preferiscono così. Le donne spesso sopportano meno il dolore per la perdita di un parente, e potrebbero turbare la cerimonia funebre con pianti e lamenti". In effetti, non ci sono segni di disperazione, né scene di isteria di alcun tipo tra i parenti che assistono alla cremazione dei loro defunti. La cerimonia segue di solito un rituale preciso: dopo le parole pronunciate dal sacerdote è il primogenito del morto ad accendere il rogo, girandogli attorno cinque volte. La salma è avvolta in un sudario rosso se si tratta di una donna, bianco se si tratta di un uomo, giallo dorato se è una persona anziana, indipendentemente dal sesso.

"Vieni, in cima a questa scalinata c’è il fuoco sacro. Te lo mostro". Matru sale lentamente i gradini, rispondendo con cenni di benevolenza ai molti sguardi che incrociano il suo.

Il tempio che custodisce il fuoco sacro ha un aspetto molto meno scenografico di quanto il suo valore rituale lascerebbe presagire. Una brace debole espira il suo fumo all’interno di una nicchia di cemento dipinta di rosso. Nella parte alta, cinque icone immacolate riconducono il fornetto alla sua dimensione spirituale: Shiva il distruttore danza in mezzo alle fiamme che rappresentano il ritmo perpetuo della distruzione e della creazione; accanto alla sua icona, c’è quella del paffuto Ganesh, il dio dalla testa di elefante, solitamente legato al concetto di fortuna; poi c’è Kali "la nera", con la lunga lingua rossa e una ghirlanda di teschi umani appesa al collo, segni caratteristici della dea della morte; le ultime due mattonelle sono per Durga, moglie di Shiva che si batte per la difesa dell’ordine cosmico, e Vishnu il preservatore, associato al concetto di giustizia.

"Il fuoco per le cremazioni deve partire da qui", assicura Matru, soffiando piano sulla brace per mostrarmi che è ancora viva. "Vedi questi steli di paglia? La gente li accende qui al tempio, e poi li usa per attizzare le fiamme sulla pira. Ognuno dona quello che può", ripete. Invitandomi in maniera più o meno esplicita a contribuire con un’offerta. Gli metto in mano le poche rupie che ho in tasca. "Torna domattina all’alba", riprende lui, "voglio mostrarti la casa dei Dom Raja". Lascio Matru alle sue mansioni di custode del fuoco e mi incammino lungo il ghat, illuminato a squarci dai falò. Luci accese da vite spente. L’occhio mi cade su un oggetto conficcato in una brace ormai quasi esausta. Sembra un femore. Affretto il passo. Al Kedar Ghat è già in corso la puja della sera. E’ una cerimonia rituale che si svolge all’alba e al tramonto, e rappresenta l’offerta di luce al fiume. La cerimonia più importante si svolge al Dasaswamedh Ghat, qualche chilometro più avanti, con cinque sacerdoti che officiano il rito accompagnati da un chiassoso gruppo di musicisti armati di tamburo. Chi preferisce una spiritualità più raccolta si ferma al Dekar. Un solo sacerdote, in piedi su una piattaforma di legno collocata di fronte al Gange, spande un crescendo di luce con movimenti precisi e armoniosi, servendosi dapprima di candele, per passare poi a incensiere, candelabri e lampade infuocate. Un ragazzo accompagna i gesti del sacerdote con un tamburello. Al termine della puja, nel ghat tornano oscurità e silenzio. Ancora pochi metri incerti sui gradini di pietra, nella testa gli ammonimenti sui rischi della Varanasi notturna. Poi è un sollievo riconoscere nel buio l’insegna lampeggiante della guesthouse.

 

Sul Gange l’alba arriva prima. I ghat non dormono mai, e i canti religiosi si diffondono pian piano ben prima che la luce del sole nascente arrivi a lambire le acque del fiume.

Lungo le sponde i primi pellegrini hanno già iniziato il loro complesso rituale: uomini e donne di ogni età sono assorti nelle abluzioni che prevedono bagni e gesti simbolici, da eseguire secondo un ordine preciso. Ogni errore commesso nella sequenza può portare sventura. Un uomo, immerso fino alla vita, riempie d’acqua una brocca d’ottone, ne beve parte del contenuto, poi la ripone sotto il braccio: al termine del rituale la porterà su al tempio. Una signora anziana è nel fiume con tutti i vestiti. Raccoglie l’acqua nelle mani a coppa, poi, rivolta verso il sole, la lascia gocciolare attraverso le dita. Un’offerta ai propri antenati e alle divinità. Più al largo, due pescatori trafficano con le loro reti su una vecchia barca. Nessuno si cura dei turisti più mattinieri che, scarrozzati in barca dal personale degli hotel, scattano freneticamente con le loro macchinette fotografiche digitali, spesso a un palmo di distanza dai pellegrini.

Matru è gia al ghat. Ha appena comprato una nuova foglia di betel e sembra di buonumore. Saliamo su una piccola imbarcazione che ci traghetta verso la casa dei Dom. Sulla sponda del fiume, dove ieri ardeva una grande pira, sono rimasti solo cenere e frammenti di bambù e del sudario. Due bambini scalzi rovistano tra i resti del rogo. "Sono i nostri ragazzi", sorride Matru, scorgendo il mio sguardo interrogativo. "Prima di buttare le ceneri nel fiume setacciano per bene, in cerca dei gioielli che il defunto aveva addosso. Sono tutte cose che rimangono a noi".

La casa dei Dom Raja non è distante. Si staglia sul Gange come un piccolo castello, dalle mura intonacate, un bel po’ di tempo fa, di rosso e celeste. All’interno le stanze sono grandi e colorate, anche se arredate in maniera approssimativa, e con una patina di fumo scuro sulle pareti. Sulla grande terrazza c’è un tempio per le preghiere che si sporge direttamente sul Gange. Ai due angoli, affacciate sul fiume, due imponenti tigri di ceramica colorata rivendicano alla casa dei Dom il primato tra gli edifici bagnati dal fiume sacro. Molti di questi sono palazzi di Maharaja provenienti anche da città lontane, come Jaipur. Una selva curiosa di figlioletti e nipotini ci segue in ogni stanza. Alcuni hanno un tratto di carboncino sulla fronte. "Serve a proteggerli dagli sguardi dei malintenzionati", spiega Matru. "Il carboncino intorno agli occhi, invece, protegge dalla polvere nelle giornate di vento". Matru mostra con orgoglio il ritratto di un suo antenato, l’uomo che fece affari con un Maharaja, ottenendo in cambio forse la cospicua donazione che diede avvio alla vera fortuna dei Dom. Tre donne lavano i panni sulla grande terrazza assolata. I bambini le aiutano a stenderli su un fitto reticolo di pali e fili che occupa parte del terrazzo. C’è un cucciolo di cane, una sedia da giardino di plastica, un lettino in legno e vimini. Nulla lascia trasparire la grande ricchezza dei Dom, se non l’imponenza dell’edificio arroccato in posizione strategica sul fiume.

Torniamo alla barca, seguiamo a ritroso il percorso dell’andata. Il sole è alto, sulle sponde del fiume il flusso di pellegrini sembra cresciuto. Adesso ci sono anche i professionisti del lava-e-stendi, spediti dagli HOTEL A sciacquare le lenzuola sul fiume. Dagli stretti vicoli della città vecchia arriva anche un pastore con un’intera mandria di bufali, che si accomoda in acqua senza creare grande scompiglio.

Nei ghat delle cremazioni, i roghi sono ripresi a pieno ritmo. Enormi mucchi di legna da ardere sono impilati in cima alle scalinate, dove vengono pesati accuratamente su grosse bilance che stabiliscono il prezzo della cremazione. Fuoco sacro a parte. Mi affretto a nascondere la macchina fotografica. Scattare foto nella zona delle cremazioni è considerato sacrilegio. Anche se Matru mi fa capire che, pagando 50 euro al funzionario giusto, è possibile ottenere un’autorizzazione scritta che consente di scattare foto liberamente anche nei ghat sacri. Resta da scoprire come la moltitudine di indu impegnata nei riti funebri riesca a distinguere chi ha il permesso di fare foto da chi non lo ha.

Dietro le pire dei defunti che ardono, incombe una struttura che sembra morta anche lei. E’ il crematorio elettrico di Varanasi, voluto dal Governo per tentare di porre argine all’inquinamento del Gange, dove spesso, nonostante il lavoro dei Dom, vengono gettati cadaveri non del tutto bruciati. Si calcola siano almeno quarantacinque mila ogni anno. Ma l’elettricità, nella città santa, va e viene in continuazione. E il crematorio è diventato presto un monumento alle buone intenzioni. Così come il sistema di depuratori installato in diversi punti del fiume, e mai veramente funzionante. Doveva depurare una striscia di fiume dove 30 cloache scaricano contemporaneamente i propri liquami. Gli investimenti per 25 milioni di dollari, riversati tra il 1986 e il 1993 dopo forti pressioni sul governo, si sono rivelati inutili.

Il livello d’inquinamento del Gange a Varanasi raggiunge livelli talmente alti che l’acqua è praticamente priva di ossigeno disciolto. Studi recenti hanno mostrato che in 100 ml di acqua del fiume sono presenti un milione e mezzo di colibatteri fecali…un valore che in acque balneabili non dovrebbe essere superiore a 500.

Anni fa si era tentato anche di affidarsi a spazzini naturali: tartarughe carnivore, introdotte nel fiume con la speranza di eliminare ciò che restava di rifiuti organici e cremazioni imperfette. Ma le tartarughe sono scomparse in pochissimo tempo. E la gente, sul Gange, continua a fare quello che ha sempre fatto: i pescatori pescano, i pellegrini eseguono le abluzioni rituali, i bambini si fanno il bagno e tutti lavano qui i propri panni.

Eppure il Gange ha una velocità di "autodepurazione" che continua a sfidare la scienza. Il vibrione del colera, che in acqua distillata sopravvive 24 ore, nell’acqua del Gange resiste appena 3 ore. Per gli scienziati è un rompicapo, al quale Mark Twain, sempre lui, diede una spiegazione dissacrante: "Nessun microbo che si rispetti saprebbe vivere in un’acqua simile". Una considerazione che i "figli del Gange" non esiterebbero a definire profana.

Matru allarga le braccia e spiega: "Il Gange è nostra madre. E una madre non farebbe mai del male ai propri figli. Vedi la gente che si bagna nel fiume? Non è mai accaduto nulla di male. Nessun incidente, nessuna malattia. Se fosse successo, tutti sarebbero stati molto più cauti. Ma non è mai accaduto. E mai accadrà". Poi si guarda attorno e, prudentemente, aggiunge: "Se Shiva vorrà", con un ampio sorriso che scopre i denti macchiati dal rosso del betel.

(Tratto da I Re Intoccabili di Varanasi)

They say that an evening stroll along the pier of the deceased is dangerous. Not so much because of the spirits, but for the much more earthly presence of vagrants and common thieves. But the darkness of the night here is never really dark. The darkness is punctuated by fireworks. Some flames if the port via the Ganges lights are a good omen, turned into small baskets of lotus flowers, and assigned to the current. Now carrying mostly desires and hopes of passing tourists. The flames burn more true of the tradition to the shores, breathed in the sky fumes of incense, sandalwood and burned flesh: are the pyres that burn incessantly along the ghats, jetties along the Ganges where Hindus cremate their dead.

For this reason, some Indians know Varanasi only by the nickname Shmashan Puri Maha, which means "fire that never stops." This is the holy city of Hinduism: a place conducive to die because, according to ancient beliefs, exhaling the last breath here one escapes the cycle of reincarnation, and leads directly to the Himalayan paradise of Shiva, who is believed to be on the Mount Kailasa.

"Varanasi" Mark Twain once wrote, "is older than history, older than tradition, older than legend and looks twice as old all these things put together." A place full of mysticism, where everything seems possible. For example, a family that placed at the lowest rung of the social hierarchy of India, the so-called "untouchables", acquires much money and prestige to become the richest and most influential families of the city. Their name is Dom, but they call themselves Dom Raja, because they consider it "the king of the kingdom of the dead" (in Hindu "raja" means "king"). Their home is the most beautiful and impressive of the riverfront.

The Sun guard the "sacred fire", a flame that burns day and night since time immemorial inside a temple dedicated to Shiva. Overall the cremation ceremony, the sacred fire, which is lit the funeral pyre at the end of the rite, is considered a key element. And to access them, the families of the deceased are also offered substantial.

Matru Dom is one of the householders. In the city everyone knows, but it is not easy to get to him. Agree to talk only with the help of an intermediary. And 'evening made ​​now, when I get all'Harishchandra Ghat, a dock of cremations among the oldest in the city, and perhaps the most sacred of all. All around a busy bustle of faithful and priests who were already engaged in funeral ceremonies. There are rose petals and lotus flowers scattered 'everywhere, almost consumed embers, fires that burn with flames three meters high, firewood stacked awaiting the arrival of a corpse. "Wait here," says Sadhu, the intermediary. He gives me a nod, then climbs slightly on the stairway leading to the city. The Ganges black appropriates the visual. There appears to be identical with appeasing the living and the dead who continually pour, or be reversed, in its waters. An old man, sitting on a step in the river, coughs and spits on the ground several times. Then come back and watch the water without expression. Some seniors, at the approach of death, come here to wait for destiny. At one time even the incurably ill were abandoned along the banks of the river, in huts made of branches. Not expected that the Ganges did the miracle, like the water of Lourdes, but he accepted the spirit of the deceased at the time of his death. If the patient survived the other hand, it was thought that it had been rejected by the gods, and was therefore rejected by society and isolated among the pariahs, the untouchables.

"Matru Dom, sir." I turn around. In front of me there is a small man, wrapped in a white scarf that puts even more emphasis on his dark complexion (a characteristic of many untouchables). We sit under a small concrete porch. He speaks broken English, but surprisingly sprinkle a few words of Italian. "Hello friend," outlines a smile, "Beautiful Italy". Remember to have learned those words from a missionary, a few years ago. Then come back seriously, does nod to some of the guys working on a pyre now running out. I finally told the Sun: "I do not know how long my family to do this work, no one can tell. We guard the sacred fire for generations. Do an honest job, and do not ask anything in return, only spontaneous donations." You put in your mouth a betel leaf, wrapped in a blend of spices from the red: for the Indians helps to digest and smells the breath, but not all lovers of betel know that it is a frequent cause of mouth cancer.

"The most important gift," he says, "came from the family of a maharajah: 5 million rupees (almost 90 thousand euro, ed.) But we accept any offer. Even 50 rupees. "According to Hinduism, making offerings of this type allows everyone to improve their karma, a sort of summation of past actions upon which the reincarnation of the soul.'s Why when it comes to bidding for important ceremonies such as a funeral, wealthy families spare no expense. and the offer for the sacred fire is but a part. "It takes 360 pounds of wood and 3 hours of time so that the flames consume a body," he says. "the richest buy sandal wood, which burns better and is fragrant, but it costs more than 100 rupees per kilo (about 2 euro)."

Often, however, the poorest families can not afford enough wood, and then the body does not burn enough, the pieces remain intact. Dom I know how to handle these situations: turn over the bodies in the flames, hit them with a stick, and can thus reduce the time required for cremation. "We are the experts," he smiles Matru. "That's why we all respect and nobody would entrust to others their own dead." He looks around, observing the work of the Sun, with the air of a king who searches his possessions. Then he tells me: "Once we have Dom also burned the body of an Italian." Weigh for a moment my gaze in wonder. "Right there, next to that pile of embers," adds squinting and gesturing circulated a pyre now extinct. He spits the betel. Then he continues: "It was an old man came to Varanasi for a few weeks now. We saw him often here at the ghat. Knew even his name, but now I no longer remember. Always came alone, a curious gentleman with a beret on his head. his eyes were strange, he seemed serene in spirit, but perhaps her body was sick. "Starts to chew betel. "Then suddenly he stopped coming, did not see him for a while. 'They found him dead in his HOTEL ROOM. And beside the corpse there was a piece of paper, in which he asked to be cremated here. So the police phoned his family in Italy, and asked permission for the cremation. entrusted to us after the Sun's Ashes, however, we have not thrown in the Ganges.'s family wanted them back, so at the end of the ceremony, we have collected in a 'urn and left for Italy with the first plane. "From his words reflected the pride in the respect that they have earned Dom also at the police, with their centenary work as custodians of cremations.

A respect that seems to go beyond any social barrier. Matru is convinced and strongly denies the existence of disparities between the various levels of Indian society. "We do not feel discriminated at all to the issue of caste., We have darker skin, be more or less poor, but in the end we are made of flesh and bones, we all like brother and sister," he says, looking earnestly contact with my hands. But then we think a bit 'up and admits: "Sure, sometimes it happens that some of the higher castes avoid touching., But rarely happens.'s Not like the past. Nowadays children go to school, they are more educated. E understand that among human beings there can be no difference. "The dark eyes flashing at times, illuminated by the glow of the pyres burning all around.

It stops, shows a procession of people coming down to the dock, carrying a coffin. They sing "Ram Nam Satya hei" (Rama, the only truth). "Those are Bengalis," he explains. "They have different songs, particular traditions: we Hindus burn the dead with her ​​head turned towards Calcutta, where the Ganges meets the ocean. They prefer to fix the spoils with his head towards the source, and the feet towards the mouth." The Bengalis carrying the deceased wrapped in a shroud on a bamboo stretcher. They settle in the river and the Brahmin ritual begins lit by a couple of screens of mobile phones. Tradition and technology. Three times the river water is poured into the mouth of the corpse, before you lay it on the pyre and light the pyre. No one bat an eyelid when the coffin is now engulfed in flames, an arm of the deceased comes from the bandages, swaying inert for a few seconds before being attacked by fire.

"Many Hindus do not have enough money to finance a funeral procession up to Varanasi" Matru resumes. "So burn the deceased at their home, and here only carry the ashes to scatter them on the Ganges." Only a few deaths are considered pure, and it is therefore necessary to burn the bodies: they are infants, deaths from smallpox or snake bites, and the cows. Their bodies are buried, or dumped directly into the river. I do not see women at the cremation ghat. I ask for explanation Matru. "There is a ban encoded according to which women can not attend the cremation," he explains. "But the families prefer it that way. Women often bear less pain for the loss of a relative, and might upset the funeral with weeping, and with mourning." In fact, there are signs of desperation, or scenes of hysteria of any kind between the relatives attending the cremation of their dead. The ceremony usually follows a precise ritual: after the words spoken by the priest is the firstborn of the dead to light the pyre, girandogli around five times. The body is wrapped in a shroud red if it is a woman, whether it is a white man, golden yellow if it is an older person, regardless of gender.

"Come, on top of this staircase is the sacred fire. I'll show you." Matru slowly climbs the stairs, responding with nods of kindness to many looks that cross her.

The temple which houses the sacred fire looks a lot less dramatic than its ritual value would leave portend. A brace weak exhale the smoke within a niche of concrete painted red. In the upper part, five icons immaculate bring back the oven to its spiritual dimension: the destroyer Shiva dance in the flames that represent the perpetual rhythm of destruction and creation; next to its icon, there is that of chubby Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, usually linked to the concept of luck; Then there is Kali "the black," with the long red tongue and a garland of human skulls hung around his neck, characteristic marks of the goddess of death; the last two tiles are for Durga, wife of Shiva who is fighting for the defense of the cosmic order, and Vishnu the preserver, associated with the concept of justice.

"The focus for the cremations must start from here," assures Matru, blowing on the embers plan to show that it is still alive. "See these stalks of straw? Them people on here at the temple, and then use them to stoke the flames on the pyre. Everyone gives what he can," he repeats. Inviting more or less explicitly to contribute with an offer. I put my hand in the few rupees in my pocket. "Come back tomorrow morning at dawn," he resumed, "I want to show the house of the Dom Raja". I leave Matru to his duties as guardian of the fire and walked along the ghats, illuminated by bonfires gashes. Lights to screw off. My eye falls on an object stuck in a brace now almost exhausted. It looks like a femur. Hasten the pace. At the Kedar Ghat is already underway puja in the evening. It 'a ritual ceremony that takes place at dawn and dusk, and represents the range of light to the river. The most important ceremony takes place at Dasaswamedh Ghat, a few kilometers further on, with five priests who officiate the ceremony accompanied by a boisterous group of musicians armed with drum. Those who prefer a more intimate spirituality stops at Dekar. One priest, standing on a wooden platform placed in front of the Ganges, spreading a crescendo of light with precise movements and harmonious, using first candle, then move on to incense, candlesticks and lamps burning. A boy accompanies the gestures of the priest with a tambourine. At the end of the puja, in return ghat darkness and silence. Just a few meters uncertain on the stone steps, in the head the warnings on the risks of Varanasi night. Then it is a relief to recognize the sign flashing in the darkness of the guesthouse.

 

On the Ganges before dawn arrives. The ghats never sleep, and religious songs spread gradually well before the light of the rising sun arrives to lap the waters of the river.

Along the banks of the first pilgrims have already started the whole ritual: men and women of all ages are absorbed in the ablutions that provide bathrooms and symbolic gestures, to be performed in a specific order. Any error in the sequence can lead misfortune. A man immersed to the waist, fills a water jug brass, do you drink the contents, then shoves it under his arm at the end of the ritual will bring about the temple. An elderly lady is in the river with all the dresses. Collects water in cupped hands, then, facing the sun, the leaves drip through your fingers. An offer to their ancestors and the gods. Further offshore, two fishermen traffic in their networks on an old boat. Nobody cares tourists risers that scarrozzati by boat from the staff of the hotel, click frantically with their cameras digital, often a few inches away from the pilgrims.

Matru is already at the ghat. He just bought a new betel leaf and seems in good spirits. We go on a small boat that ferries us to the house of the Sun On the bank of the river, where a great fire was burning yesterday, there are only ashes and fragments of bamboo and cloth. Two barefoot children rummaging through the remains of the fire. "They are our kids," Matru smiles, seeing my quizzical look. "Before you throw the ashes into the river scour for good, in search of the jewels that the deceased was wearing. Things are all that remain to us."

The home of Dom Raja is not far away. It stands on the Ganges as a small castle, the walls plastered, a nice little 'time ago, red and blue. Inside, the rooms are big and colorful, although furnished approximate, and with a patina of dark smoke on the walls. On the large terrace there is a temple for prayers that leans directly on the Ganges. The two corners, overlooking the river, two huge tigers colorful ceramic claiming the house of Dom primacy among the buildings bathed in the sacred river. Many of these buildings are of Maharaja also from distant cities, such as Jaipur. A mass of curious little children and grandchildren following us in every room. Some have a stretch of charcoal on the forehead. "We need to protect them from the eyes of the bad guys," says Matru. "The charcoal around the eyes, on the other hand, protects against dust on windy days." Matru proudly displays the portrait of his ancestor, the man who did business with a Maharaja, perhaps in exchange for the generous donation that started the fortune of the Sun Three Women wash clothes on the large sun terrace. The children help to lay them out on a dense network of poles and wires which occupies part of the terrace. There is a puppy dog, a plastic garden chair, a cot in wood and wicker. Nothing reveals the great wealth of the Sun, if not the grandeur of the building perched in a strategic position on the river.

Let's get back to the boat, we follow back the route. The sun is up, on the banks of the stream of pilgrims seem grown up. Now there are also professionals in the lava-and-stretch, consigned by A HOTEL wash the sheets on the river. From the narrow streets of the old town comes a shepherd with a herd of buffalo, which sits on the water without creating a commotion.

In the cremation ghat, the fires were resumed in full swing. Huge piles of firewood are stacked on top of the stairs, where they are weighed accurately on large scales that determine the price of cremation. Sacred Fire apart. I hasten to hide the camera. Take pictures of cremations in the area is considered sacrilege. Although Matru makes me realize that paying 50 euro to the official right, you can get a written authorization allowing you to take pictures freely even in the sacred ghat. It remains to find out how the multitude of Hindu funeral rites committed to be able to differentiate who is allowed to take pictures from those who did not.

Behind the blazing pyres of the dead, a looming structure that seems dead too. E 'the electric crematorium in Varanasi, wanted by the government for groped to put an embankment to the pollution of the Ganges, where often, despite the work of Dom, corpses are thrown completely burned. It is estimated to be at least forty-five thousand each year. But electricity, in the holy city comes and goes constantly. And the crematorium soon became a monument to good intentions. As well as the system of scrubbers installed at different points of the river, and never really working. He had to clean up a stretch of river where 30 sewers discharge their sewage at the same time. Investments for $ 25 million, paid between 1986 and 1993, after strong pressure on the government, proved futile.

The level of pollution of the Ganges in Varanasi reaches levels so high that the water is virtually free of dissolved oxygen. Recent studies have shown that in 100 ml of water of the river there are a million and a half of fecal coliform ... a value in bathing waters should not be more than 500.

Years ago it was also attempted to rely on natural scavengers: carnivorous turtles, which were introduced into the river with the hope of eliminating the remnants of organic waste and cremations imperfect. But the turtles are gone in no time. And the people, on the Ganges, continues to do what it has always done: most fishermen, the pilgrims perform the ritual ablutions, children bathe and wash all their clothes here.

Yet the Ganges has a speed of "self-purification" that continues to defy science. The vibrio cholerae, which survives 24 hours in distilled water, the water of the Ganges resists just 3 hours. For scientists it is a puzzle game, in which Mark Twain, he always gave a debunking explanation: "No self-respecting microbe know how to live in water like that." One consideration that the "sons of the Ganges" would not hesitate to define profane.

Matru opens his arms and says: "The Ganga is our mother. And a mother would never do harm to their children. See people who bathes in the river? There is nothing bad ever happened. Were no incidents, no disease. If had happened, all would have been much more cautious., but it never happened. it never happens. "Then you look around and prudently adds: "If you want to Shiva", with a broad smile that turns your teeth stained red from betel.

(Taken from The Untouchables King of Varanasi)

Osprey in full dive to catch a fish. Newcastle Maine

Committed.

In the 19th century, people were committed to asylums for many reasons other than what we would consider mental illness today. Reading through the Weston State patient statistics, diagnoses included various mania, melancholy, excessive religion, masturbation, alchoholism, "women's troubles", epilepsy, "softening of the brain" and other diagnoses that were either reasonable sounding or silly.

 

This is 9 exposures (-4 to +4) processed through Photomatix and post in Photoshop using Topaz, Nik and On-One products.

   

View On Black

 

This is going to get me committed …

 

I didn't set out to make a Big Bertha, it just happened along the way.

I'd like to make a ULF camera at some point, and I'd like it to be able to take big old lenses.

There was a discussion on the LFPF a few months ago, where the weights of these lenses was discussed.

It's difficult to gauge the heft of a big lens without actually handling one,

so when this one came up, I bought it as a surrogate.

 

It's a 36" Air Ministry Reconnaissance Lens, a telephoto, F/6.3, with a flange distance of around 650mm at infinity.

 

It's too big for my camera, so I did a quick and dirty adapter-

 

This is like ULF aversion therapy- it's like one of those realistic doll babies they give to teenagers, to put them off getting pregnant.

If I did make a ULF Portrait camera, it wouldn't go anywhere, it couldn't-

I had a look at a head and shoulders setup on 8x10, and the bellows draw was 800mm-

a bigger format would need even more-

 

So at least this thing has brought home some of the considerations involved in going extra large-

Construction, Week 59

 

You've likely been wondering, as I know I have (!), how Kroger managed to remove the hand-painted schoolchildren's tiles from the Committed to Excellence wall: well, now you know! You may have even seen a glimpse of this in the background of the last pic, too. Looks like they carefully removed some, then just got tired of it and ripped the entire wall out, haha! That's one way to ensure they'd all get down in one piece, anyway :P

 

(c) 2016 Retail Retell

These places are public so these photos are too, but just as I tell where they came from, I'd appreciate if you'd say who :)

Trabajamos de manera responsable en nuestras operaciones y contamos con un proceso de gestión de riesgos que cubre todos los aspectos del proceso.

 

Descubre nuestra apuesta en upstream:

 

www.repsol.com/es_es/corporacion/conocer-repsol/nuestra-a...

 

We work responsibly in our operations and we have a risk management process that covers all aspects of the process.

 

Discover our commitment in upstream :

 

www.repsol.com/es_es/corporacion/conocer-repsol/nuestra-a ...

Hard working busker

Susannah McCorkle (1946 – 2001) McCorkle was an American jazz singer. For many years she suffered from depression and at the age of 55 she committed suicide by jumping off her apartment balcony on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

 

Twenty five years ago before my wife, Brenda, and I moved to Paris from New York City, we were treated to a night on the town by her bosses as a going away and thank you gift for her hard work. Luckily we knew exactly what we wanted to do. We had been big fans of Susannah McCorkle for years and had never gotten to see her perform. At the time she was going to be appearing at the night club, Rainbow and Stars, atop Rockefeller Center. And that’s what we did. The day before the show I stopped by the club and dropped off a note and package to her. I wrote that we were very excited to see her show. I also mentioned that we were soon moving to Paris. Besides the note I added a bunch of MAD Magazines that contained my work. The next day the phone rang and it was Susannah McCorkle herself!! She wanted to tell me that she was thrilled with my note. She also told me that she gets packages like mine all the time, except they usually contained really bad original songs that people sent her. She thought my package was a lot of really bad original songs and she laughed when it turned out to be MAD Magazines. She told me to meet her after the show. It was a great performance and it was obvious she made sure we had the best table in the place! We were really happy to meet her. We found out that years before she had lived in Paris and that's where she heard a Billie Holiday album for the first time. It influenced her to become a singer. From then on we became friends. Susannah was wonderful! We were able to see her perform a number of times after that, on some of our trips back to New York. In 1996 her albums were being put on CDs. She called me because she wanted me to do the illustration for The Songs of Johnny Mercer CD. She wanted me to base my drawing on the photograph, by Bradley Olman, from the original LP. I felt a little weird doing that, but that’s what the lady wanted!! I couldn’t say no. We didn’t know about her ongoing battle with depression. Only her closest friends did. We were devastated on hearing about her death. It took me over a year before I could listen to her music. Eventually I was able to and now, when I listen, I just remember how great it was knowing her and having her as a friend.

These birds haves committed to the drop down to the pond in a steep descent... more a free fall drop (i.e., parachute) than a glide-in. This shot against a cloudy western sunset sky results in a silhouette view of the crane against the clouds... but if you're familiar with these birds such shots offer no difficulty regarding their ID. The sky colors change so rapidly and the bird groups arrive constantly... you need to be constantly shooting to capture the ever changing spectacle! All of the subsequent shots this evening will be of silhouettes of the Cranes against the sky.

 

IMG_8247; Sandhill Cranes

;-) Texto en castellano mas abajo ;-)

 

Excuse me the many mistakes that sure I have committed in the translation, I hope that it is understood regardless!

 

Introduction to the trilogy blog-pride-persons

I am going to dedicate this trilogy of photos to explain, and to explain myself too, because I use the captions (feet) of my photos as if they were my personal blog. To explain it I have to develop before the bases on which it is sustained. And the principal base consists of the vision that I have of the others and in my concept of person.

 

What do you see when you look at the others? You see women, fat men, disabled persons, children, bald men, gays, nice girls, blacks, foreigners, unfaithful, millionaires, old people … an infinite variety of adjectives. These adjectives are very useful for us, essential of fact, allow us to represent, to understand and to handle our reality. But this great skill leads us with excessive frequency to big mistakes, in fact, for me it is the cause of almost all (to not say all) the misfortunes caused by the man. We forget the obvious thing, the basic, forget that the adjectives are … adjectives. We replace the noun, what we are really, our common base, our essence, the substantive, to an alone specific adjective. This noun that defines us is … person, we are persons. I will put an example of what I want to say, when you see a woman, what do you see?, you see a woman who is a person, or you see like I do it, a person who is a woman. In the second case the noun is person, the essence and the main, and as characteristic note the adjective says to us that this person is woman, which awards some differentiated characteristics. In this second example I relate to a person and the adjective only is bear in mind when it is pertinent. Nevertheless in the first case, the noun is woman, to whom I give the person's category, and there is when the problems come. In this case, if I am a man the relation is totally different, we are different and share the characteristic of which both are persons. And as the adjectives are relative, we can do that some weigh more than other; we can do that they have different intensities, in this case, might be more or less person, we might apply the whole scale; and also they can change, today you are blond and tomorrow dark-haired, today you are person and tomorrow not. In this case it would produce machismo, even with our better intentions. And like with this adjective with all, and already you know the multiple discriminations that it produce: feminism, racism, homophobia, etc … all with the same evil of base. It is possible even in positive tone, like with the handsome ones, one does not see any more than the beauty and it annuls any other characteristic of the multiple ones that define a person. In fact not only annul them, but that in addition we invent ourselves. If she is handsome then implies that she is silly, is presumed, serves only as object of desire, that is … This one is another evil that is frequent, and with all the adjectives, for me, for example, to be a woman only means it, does not imply any other associate adjective, more clever to be a woman?, or more silly? The reality clarifies us it, the intelligence is another different and independent characteristic, in general the adjectives are not related a priori between themselves, for much that we insists in the contrary to simplify the world (sometimes yes, but the less). An adjective only means … what it means (it seems to be easy, but at the moment of the truth …). All of us make these mistakes, in a degree or other, but we must try to avoid it and to have very clear what we are and what are the others … we are persons!

 

Explanatory note: For these big brains, always there is someone, which instead of catching the message, has realized that woman is not an adjective, morphologically speaking, but a noun, to say to them that I have done it to conscience, I have used it for the example, not only because it concerns the half of the population, but because as noun subordinated to the principal noun, it should expand the concept that I want to express on any type of not conceptual barrier that should intervene, or this it is my intention (wooow!, this is a phrase!;-D).

Si veis que está mal traducido, echarme una manita y decírmelo, please! ;-D

 

Introducción a la trilogía blog-orgullo-personas.

Voy a dedicar esta trilogía de fotos a explicar, y a explicarme a mi misma de paso, el porque utilizo los pies de fotos como si fueran mi blog personal. Para explicarlo he de desarrollar antes las bases sobre las que se sustenta. Y la base principal consiste en la visión que tengo de los demás y en mi concepto de persona.

 

¿Qué veis cuando miráis a los demás? Veis mujeres, gordos, discapacitados, niños, calvos, mariquitas, listos, tontos, negros, ricos, extranjeros, poderosos, infieles, viejos… una infinita variedad de adjetivos. Esos adjetivos nos son muy útiles, esenciales de hecho, nos permiten representar, entender y manejar nuestra realidad. Pero esta gran habilidad nos lleva con excesiva frecuencia a grandes errores, de hecho, para mi es el causante de casi todas (por no decir todas) las desgracias causadas por el hombre. Olvidamos lo obvio, lo mas básico, olvidamos que los adjetivos son… adjetivos. Sustituimos el sustantivo, lo que somos realmente, nuestra base común, nuestra esencia, por un solo adjetivo en concreto. Ese sustantivo que nos define es… persona, somos personas. Pondré un ejemplo de lo que quiero decir, cuando veis a una mujer, ¿que veis?, veis a una mujer que es una persona, o veis como yo lo hago, a una persona que es mujer. En el segundo caso el sustantivo es persona, la esencia y lo principal, y como nota característica el adjetivo nos dice que esa persona es mujer, lo cual le confiere determinadas características diferenciadoras. En este segundo ejemplo yo me relaciono con una persona y el calificativo solo se tiene en cuenta cuando es pertinente. Sin embargo en el primer caso el sustantivo es mujer, a la que le doy la categoría de persona, y ahí vienen los problemas. En este caso, si soy hombre la relación es totalmente diferente, somos distintos y compartimos la característica de que ambos somos personas. Y como los adjetivos son relativos, podemos hacer que unos pesen más que otros; podemos hacer que tengan diferentes intensidades, en este caso, podría ser más o menos persona, podríamos aplicar toda una escala; y también pueden cambiar, hoy eres rubia y mañana morena, hoy persona y mañana no. En este caso produciría machismo, incluso con nuestras mejores intenciones. E igual que con este adjetivo con todos, y ya sabéis las múltiples discriminaciones que producen: feminismo, racismo, homofobia, etc… todas con el mismo mal de base. Se puede producir incluso en tono positivo, como con las guapas, no se ve más que la belleza y eso anula cualquier otra característica de las múltiples que definen a una persona. De hecho no solo las anulan, sino que además nos las inventamos. Si es guapa conlleva que es tonta, es presumida, solo sirve como objeto de deseo, es… Este es otro mal que se da frecuentemente, y con todos los adjetivos, para mi, por ejemplo, el ser mujer solo significa eso, no implica ningún otro adjetivo asociado, ¿se es mas lista por ser mujer?, ¿o mas tonta? La realidad nos lo deja muy claro, la inteligencia es otra característica distinta e independiente, en general los adjetivos no están relacionados a priori entre si, por mucho que nos empeñemos en lo contrario para simplificar el mundo (a veces si, claro, pero las menos). Un adjetivo solo significa… lo que significa (parece fácil, pero a la hora de la verdad…). Todos caemos en estos errores, en un grado u otro, pero debemos intentar evitarlo y tener muy claro que somos y que son los demás… ¡Somos personas!

 

Nota aclaratoria: Para esas grandes inteligencias, siempre hay alguna, que en vez de captar el mensaje, se haya dado cuenta de que mujer no es un adjetivo, morfológicamente hablando, sino un sustantivo, decirles que lo he hecho a conciencia, lo he utilizado para el ejemplo, no solo porque afecta a la mitad de la población, sino porque como sustantivo supeditado al sustantivo principal, debería expandir el concepto que quiero expresar sobre cualquier tipo de barrera no conceptual que pudiera interponerse, o esa es mi intención (¡¡hala!!,¡¡vaya frase me he marcado!! ;-D).

 

PS: Si quieres ver un video con este look (If you want see a video with this look):

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_uECwjsm1M

An image from streets .

The boy is a street cobbler and was so dedicated to his work with a big smile on his face.

Beauty and dignity of his character personified. .

Once you've committed yourself to a particular wave, it's too late to take advantage of the bigger one behind it ...

 

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I'm spending the winter months of 2014-2015 in a warm spot on the beach in Indialantic, FL (if I have Internet access, it doesn't matter too much where I'm physically located).

 

In addition to my sunrise walks along the beach, I’m also shooting various other afternoon scenes that look interesting — especially during the “golden hour” that extends from roughly an hour before sunset to an hour afterwards. The view in all of these shots is basically eastwards (sometimes northeast or southeast), so the sun is always setting behind me in the west. Thus, I’ll sometimes see some pink skies, or some interesting mixtures of late-afternoon sunlight and blue/purple colors — but not the fiery red/yellow/pink skies that accompany the sunsets in the west ...

 

These are some of the shots that I thought were somewhat interesting ...

Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a U.S. national monument and national preserve in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho. It is along US 20 (concurrent with US 93 and US 26), between the small towns of Arco and Carey, at an average elevation of 5,900 feet (1,800 m) above sea level.

 

The Monument was established on May 2, 1924. In November 2000, a presidential proclamation by President Clinton greatly expanded the Monument area. The 410,000-acre National Park Service portions of the expanded Monument were designated as Craters of the Moon National Preserve in August 2002. It spreads across Blaine, Butte, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Power counties. The area is managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

 

The Monument and Preserve encompass three major lava fields and about 400 square miles (1,000 km2) of sagebrush steppe grasslands to cover a total area of 1,117 square miles (2,893 km2). The Monument alone covers 343,000 acres (139,000 ha). All three lava fields lie along the Great Rift of Idaho, with some of the best examples of open rift cracks in the world, including the deepest known on Earth at 800 feet (240 m). There are excellent examples of almost every variety of basaltic lava, as well as tree molds (cavities left by lava-incinerated trees), lava tubes (a type of cave), and many other volcanic features.

 

Craters of the Moon is in south-central Idaho, midway between Boise and Yellowstone National Park. The lava field reaches southeastward from the Pioneer Mountains. Combined U.S. Highway 20–26–93 cuts through the northwestern part of the monument and provides access to it. However, the rugged landscape of the monument itself remains remote and undeveloped, with only one paved road across the northern end.

 

The Craters of the Moon Lava Field spreads across 618 square miles (1,601 km2) and is the largest mostly Holocene-aged basaltic lava field in the contiguous United States. The Monument and Preserve contain more than 25 volcanic cones, including outstanding examples of spatter cones. The 60 distinct solidified lava flows that form the Craters of the Moon Lava Field range in age from 15,000 to just 2,000 years. The Kings Bowl and Wapi lava fields, both about 2,200 years old, are part of the National Preserve.

 

This lava field is the largest of several large beds of lava that erupted from the 53-mile (85 km) south-east to north-west trending Great Rift volcanic zone, a line of weakness in the Earth's crust. Together with fields from other fissures they make up the Lava Beds of Idaho, which in turn are in the much larger Snake River Plain volcanic province. The Great Rift extends across almost the entire Snake River Plain.

 

Elevation at the visitor center is 5,900 feet (1,800 m) above sea level.

 

Total average precipitation in the Craters of the Moon area is between 15–20 inches (380–510 mm) per year. Most of this is lost in cracks in the basalt, only to emerge later in springs and seeps in the walls of the Snake River Canyon. Older lava fields on the plain have been invaded by drought-resistant plants such as sagebrush, while younger fields, such as Craters of the Moon, only have a seasonal and very sparse cover of vegetation. From a distance this cover disappears almost entirely, giving an impression of utter black desolation. Repeated lava flows over the last 15,000 years have raised the land surface enough to expose it to the prevailing southwesterly winds, which help to keep the area dry. Together these conditions make life on the lava field difficult.

 

Paleo-Indians visited the area about 12,000 years ago but did not leave much archaeological evidence. Northern Shoshone created trails through the Craters of the Moon Lava Field during their summer migrations from the Snake River to the camas prairie, west of the lava field. Stone windbreaks at Indian Tunnel were used to protect campsites from the dry summer wind. No evidence exists for permanent habitation by any Native American group. A hunting and gathering culture, the Northern Shoshone pursued elk, bears, American bison, cougars, and bighorn sheep — all large game who no longer range the area. The most recent volcanic eruptions ended about 2,100 years ago and were likely witnessed by the Shoshone people. Ella E. Clark has recorded a Shoshone legend which speaks of a serpent on a mountain who, angered by lightning, coiled around and squeezed the mountain until liquid rock flowed, fire shot from cracks, and the mountain exploded.

 

In 1879, two Arco cattlemen named Arthur Ferris and J.W. Powell became the first known European-Americans to explore the lava fields. They were investigating its possible use for grazing and watering cattle but found the area to be unsuitable and left.

 

U.S. Army Captain and western explorer B.L.E. Bonneville visited the lava fields and other places in the West in the 19th century and wrote about his experiences in his diaries. Washington Irving later used Bonneville's diaries to write the Adventures of Captain Bonneville, saying this unnamed lava field is a place "where nothing meets the eye but a desolate and awful waste, where no grass grows nor water runs, and where nothing is to be seen but lava."

 

In 1901 and 1903, Israel Russell became the first geologist to study this area while surveying it for the United States Geological Survey (USGS). In 1910, Samuel Paisley continued Russell's work and later became the monument's first custodian. Others followed and in time much of the mystery surrounding this and the other Lava Beds of Idaho was lifted.

 

The few European settlers who visited the area in the 19th century created local legends that it looked like the surface of the Moon. Geologist Harold T. Stearns coined the name "Craters of the Moon" in 1923 while trying to convince the National Park Service to recommend protection of the area in a national monument.

 

The Snake River Plain is a volcanic province that was created by a series of cataclysmic caldera-forming eruptions which started about 15 million years ago. A migrating hotspot thought to now exist under Yellowstone Caldera in Yellowstone National Park has been implicated. This hot spot was under the Craters of the Moon area some 10 to 11 million years ago but 'moved' as the North American Plate migrated northwestward. Pressure from the hot spot heaves the land surface up, creating fault-block mountains. After the hot spot passes the pressure is released and the land subsides.

 

Leftover heat from this hot spot was later liberated by Basin and Range-associated rifting and created the many overlapping lava flows that make up the Lava Beds of Idaho. The largest rift zone is the Great Rift; it is from this 'Great Rift fissure system' that Craters of the Moon, Kings Bowl, and Wapi lava fields were created. The Great Rift is a National Natural Landmark.

 

In spite of their fresh appearance, the oldest flows in the Craters of the Moon Lava Field are 15,000 years old and the youngest erupted about 2000 years ago, according to Mel Kuntz and other USGS geologists. Nevertheless, the volcanic fissures at Craters of the Moon are considered to be dormant, not extinct, and are expected to erupt again in less than a thousand years. There are eight major eruptive periods recognized in the Craters of the Moon Lava Field. Each period lasted about 1000 years or less and were separated by relatively quiet periods that lasted between 500 and as long as 3000 years. Individual lava flows were up to 30 miles (50 km) long with the Blue Dragon Flow being the longest.

 

Kings Bowl Lava Field erupted during a single fissure eruption on the southern part of the Great Rift about 2,250 years ago. This eruption probably lasted only a few hours to a few days. The field preserves explosion pits, lava lakes, squeeze-ups, basalt mounds, and an ash blanket. The Wapi Lava Field probably formed from a fissure eruption at the same time as the Kings Bowl eruption. More prolonged activity over a period of months to a few years led to the formation of low shield volcanoes in the Wapi field. The Bear Trap lava tube, between the Craters of the Moon and the Wapi lava fields, is a cave system more than 15 miles (24 km) long. The lava tube is remarkable for its length and for the number of well-preserved lava cave features, such as lava stalactites and curbs, the latter marking high stands of the flowing lava frozen on the lava tube walls. The lava tubes and pit craters of the monument are known for their unusual preservation of winter ice and snow into the hot summer months, due to shielding from the sun and the insulating properties of basalt.

 

A typical eruption along the Great Rift and similar basaltic rift systems starts with a curtain of very fluid lava shooting up to 1,000 feet (300 m) high along a segment of the rift up to 1 mile (1.6 km) long. As the eruption continues, pressure and heat decrease and the chemistry of the lava becomes slightly more silica rich. The curtain of lava responds by breaking apart into separate vents. Various types of volcanoes may form at these vents: gas-rich pulverized lava creates cinder cones (such as Inferno Cone – stop 4), and pasty lava blobs form spatter cones (such as Spatter Cones – stop 5). Later stages of an eruption push lava streams out through the side or base of cinder cones, which usually ends the life of the cinder cone (North Crater, Watchmen, and Sheep Trail Butte are notable exceptions). This will sometimes breach part of the cone and carry it away as large and craggy blocks of cinder (as seen at North Crater Flow – stop 2 – and Devils Orchard – stop 3). Solid crust forms over lava streams, and lava tubes (a type of cave) are created when lava vacates its course (examples can be seen at the Cave Area – stop 7).

 

Geologists feared that a large earthquake that shook Borah Peak, Idaho's tallest mountain, in 1983 would restart volcanic activity at Craters of the Moon, though this proved not to be the case. Geologists predict that the area will experience its next eruption some time in the next 900 years with the most likely period in the next 100 years.

 

All plants and animals that live in and around Craters of the Moon are under great environmental stress due to constant dry winds and heat-absorbing black lavas that tend to quickly sap water from living things. Summer soil temperatures often exceed 150 °F (66 °C) and plant cover is generally less than 5% on cinder cones and about 15% over the entire monument. Adaptation is therefore necessary for survival in this semi-arid harsh climate.

 

Water is usually only found deep inside holes at the bottom of blow-out craters. Animals therefore get the moisture they need directly from their food. The black soil on and around cinder cones does not hold moisture for long, making it difficult for plants to establish themselves. Soil particles first develop from direct rock decomposition by lichens and typically collect in crevices in lava flows. Successively more complex plants then colonize the microhabitat created by the increasingly productive soil.

 

The shaded north slopes of cinder cones provide more protection from direct sunlight and prevailing southwesterly winds and have a more persistent snow cover (an important water source in early spring). These parts of cinder cones are therefore colonized by plants first.

 

Gaps between lava flows were sometimes cut off from surrounding vegetation. These literal islands of habitat are called kīpukas, a Hawaiian name used for older land surrounded by younger lava. Carey Kīpuka is one such area in the southernmost part of the monument and is used as a benchmark to measure how plant cover has changed in less pristine parts of southern Idaho.

 

Idaho is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the United States. It shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border to the north, with the province of British Columbia. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west. The state's capital and largest city is Boise. With an area of 83,570 square miles (216,400 km2), Idaho is the 14th largest state by land area. With a population of approximately 1.8 million, it ranks as the 13th least populous and the 6th least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states.

 

For thousands of years, and prior to European colonization, Idaho has been inhabited by native peoples. In the early 19th century, Idaho was considered part of the Oregon Country, an area of dispute between the U.S. and the British Empire. It officially became a U.S. territory with the signing of the Oregon Treaty of 1846, but a separate Idaho Territory was not organized until 1863, instead being included for periods in Oregon Territory and Washington Territory. Idaho was eventually admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, becoming the 43rd state.

 

Forming part of the Pacific Northwest (and the associated Cascadia bioregion), Idaho is divided into several distinct geographic and climatic regions. The state's north, the relatively isolated Idaho Panhandle, is closely linked with Eastern Washington, with which it shares the Pacific Time Zone—the rest of the state uses the Mountain Time Zone. The state's south includes the Snake River Plain (which has most of the population and agricultural land), and the southeast incorporates part of the Great Basin. Idaho is quite mountainous and contains several stretches of the Rocky Mountains. The United States Forest Service holds about 38% of Idaho's land, the highest proportion of any state.

 

Industries significant for the state economy include manufacturing, agriculture, mining, forestry, and tourism. Several science and technology firms are either headquartered in Idaho or have factories there, and the state also contains the Idaho National Laboratory, which is the country's largest Department of Energy facility. Idaho's agricultural sector supplies many products, but the state is best known for its potato crop, which comprises around one-third of the nationwide yield. The official state nickname is the "Gem State."

 

The history of Idaho is an examination of the human history and social activity within the state of Idaho, one of the United States of America located in the Pacific Northwest area near the west coast of the United States and Canada. Other associated areas include southern Alaska, all of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, western Montana and northern California and Nevada.

 

Humans may have been present in Idaho for 16,600 years. Recent findings in Cooper's Ferry along the Salmon River in western Idaho near the town of Cottonwood have unearthed stone tools and animal bone fragments in what may be the oldest evidence of humans in North America. Earlier excavations in 1959 at Wilson Butte Cave near Twin Falls revealed evidence of human activity, including arrowheads, that rank among the oldest dated artifacts in North America. Native American tribes predominant in the area in historic times included the Nez Perce and the Coeur d'Alene in the north; and the Northern and Western Shoshone and Bannock peoples in the south.

 

Idaho was one of the last areas in the lower 48 states of the US to be explored by people of European descent. The Lewis and Clark expedition entered present-day Idaho on August 12, 1805, at Lemhi Pass. It is believed that the first "European descent" expedition to enter southern Idaho was by a group led in 1811 and 1812 by Wilson Price Hunt, which navigated the Snake River while attempting to blaze an all-water trail westward from St. Louis, Missouri, to Astoria, Oregon. At that time, approximately 8,000 Native Americans lived in the region.

 

Fur trading led to the first significant incursion of Europeans in the region. Andrew Henry of the Missouri Fur Company first entered the Snake River plateau in 1810. He built Fort Henry on Henry's Fork on the upper Snake River, near modern St. Anthony, Idaho. However, this first American fur post west of the Rocky Mountains was abandoned the following spring.

 

The British-owned Hudson's Bay Company next entered Idaho and controlled the trade in the Snake River area by the 1820s. The North West Company's interior department of the Columbia was created in June 1816, and Donald Mackenzie was assigned as its head. Mackenzie had previously been employed by Hudson's Bay and had been a partner in the Pacific Fur Company, financed principally by John Jacob Astor. During these early years, he traveled west with a Pacific Fur Company's party and was involved in the initial exploration of the Salmon River and Clearwater River. The company proceeded down the lower Snake River and Columbia River by canoe, and were the first of the Overland Astorians to reach Fort Astoria, on January 18, 1812.

 

Under Mackenzie, the North West Company was a dominant force in the fur trade in the Snake River country. Out of Fort George in Astoria, Mackenzie led fur brigades up the Snake River in 1816-1817 and up the lower Snake in 1817-1818. Fort Nez Perce, established in July, 1818, became the staging point for Mackenzies' Snake brigades. The expedition of 1818-1819 explored the Blue Mountains, and traveled down the Snake River to the Bear River and approached the headwaters of the Snake. Mackenzie sought to establish a navigable route up the Snake River from Fort Nez Perce to the Boise area in 1819. While he did succeed in traveling by boat from the Columbia River through the Grand Canyon of the Snake past Hells Canyon, he concluded that water transport was generally impractical. Mackenzie held the first rendezvous in the region on the Boise River in 1819.

 

Despite their best efforts, early American fur companies in this region had difficulty maintaining the long-distance supply lines from the Missouri River system into the Intermountain West. However, Americans William H. Ashley and Jedediah Smith expanded the Saint Louis fur trade into Idaho in 1824. The 1832 trapper's rendezvous at Pierre's Hole, held at the foot of the Three Tetons in modern Teton County, was followed by an intense battle between the Gros Ventre and a large party of American trappers aided by their Nez Perce and Flathead allies.

 

The prospect of missionary work among the Native Americans also attracted early settlers to the region. In 1809, Kullyspell House, the first white-owned establishment and first trading post in Idaho, was constructed. In 1836, the Reverend Henry H. Spalding established a Protestant mission near Lapwai, where he printed the Northwest's first book, established Idaho's first school, developed its first irrigation system, and grew the state's first potatoes. Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Hart Spalding were the first non-native women to enter present-day Idaho.

 

Cataldo Mission, the oldest standing building in Idaho, was constructed at Cataldo by the Coeur d'Alene and Catholic missionaries. In 1842, Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, with Fr. Nicholas Point and Br. Charles Duet, selected a mission location along the St. Joe River. The mission was moved a short distance away in 1846, as the original location was subject to flooding. In 1850, Antonio Ravalli designed a new mission building and Indians affiliated with the church effort built the mission, without nails, using the wattle and daub method. In time, the Cataldo mission became an important stop for traders, settlers, and miners. It served as a place for rest from the trail, offered needed supplies, and was a working port for boats heading up the Coeur d'Alene River.

 

During this time, the region which became Idaho was part of an unorganized territory known as Oregon Country, claimed by both the United States and Great Britain. The United States gained undisputed jurisdiction over the region in the Oregon Treaty of 1846, although the area was under the de facto jurisdiction of the Provisional Government of Oregon from 1843 to 1849. The original boundaries of Oregon Territory in 1848 included all three of the present-day Pacific Northwest states and extended eastward to the Continental Divide. In 1853, areas north of the 46th Parallel became Washington Territory, splitting what is now Idaho in two. The future state was reunited in 1859 after Oregon became a state and the boundaries of Washington Territory were redrawn.

 

While thousands passed through Idaho on the Oregon Trail or during the California gold rush of 1849, few people settled there. In 1860, the first of several gold rushes in Idaho began at Pierce in present-day Clearwater County. By 1862, settlements in both the north and south had formed around the mining boom.

 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints missionaries founded Fort Lemhi in 1855, but the settlement did not last. The first organized town in Idaho was Franklin, settled in April 1860 by Mormon pioneers who believed they were in Utah Territory; although a later survey determined they had crossed the border. Mormon pioneers reached areas near the current-day Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming and established most of the historic and modern communities in Southeastern Idaho. These settlements include Ammon, Blackfoot, Chubbuck, Firth, Idaho Falls, Iona, Pocatello, Rexburg, Rigby, Shelley, and Ucon.

 

Large numbers of English immigrants settled in what is now the state of Idaho in the late 19th and early 20th century, many before statehood. The English found they had more property rights and paid less taxes than they did back in England. They were considered some of the most desirable immigrants at the time. Many came from humble beginnings and would rise to prominence in Idaho. Frank R. Gooding was raised in a rural working-class background in England, but was eventually elected as the seventh governor of the state. Today people of English descent make up one fifth of the entire state of Idaho and form a plurality in the southern portion of the state.

 

Many German farmers also settled in what is now Idaho. German settlers were primarily Lutheran across all of the midwest and west, including Idaho, however there were small numbers of Catholics amongst them as well. In parts of Northern Idaho, German remained the dominant language until World War I, when German-Americans were pressured to convert entirely to English. Today, Idahoans of German ancestry make up nearly one fifth of all Idahoans and make up the second largest ethnic group after Idahoans of English descent with people of German ancestry being 18.1% of the state and people of English ancestry being 20.1% of the state.

 

Irish Catholics worked in railroad centers such as Boise. Today, 10% of Idahoans self-identify as having Irish ancestry.

 

York, a slave owned by William Clark but considered a full member of Corps of Discovery during expedition to the Pacific, was the first recorded African American in Idaho. There is a significant African American population made up of those who came west after the abolition of slavery. Many settled near Pocatello and were ranchers, entertainers, and farmers. Although free, many blacks suffered discrimination in the early-to-mid-late 20th century. The black population of the state continues to grow as many come to the state because of educational opportunities, to serve in the military, and for other employment opportunities. There is a Black History Museum in Boise, Idaho, with an exhibit known as the "Invisible Idahoan", which chronicles the first African-Americans in the state. Blacks are the fourth largest ethnic group in Idaho according to the 2000 census. Mountain Home, Boise, and Garden City have significant African-American populations.

 

The Basque people from the Iberian peninsula in Spain and southern France were traditionally shepherds in Europe. They came to Idaho, offering hard work and perseverance in exchange for opportunity. One of the largest Basque communities in the US is in Boise, with a Basque museum and festival held annually in the city.

 

Chinese in the mid-19th century came to America through San Francisco to work on the railroad and open businesses. By 1870, there were over 4000 Chinese and they comprised almost 30% of the population. They suffered discrimination due to the Anti-Chinese League in the 19th century which sought to limit the rights and opportunities of Chinese emigrants. Today Asians are third in population demographically after Whites and Hispanics at less than 2%.

 

Main articles: Oregon boundary dispute, Provisional Government of Oregon, Oregon Treaty, Oregon Territory, Washington Territory, Dakota Territory, Organic act § List of organic acts, and Idaho Territory

 

On March 4, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed an act creating Idaho Territory from portions of Washington Territory and Dakota Territory with its capital at Lewiston. The original Idaho Territory included most of the areas that later became the states of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, and had a population of under 17,000. Idaho Territory assumed the boundaries of the modern state in 1868 and was admitted as a state in 1890.

 

After Idaho became a territory, legislation was held in Lewiston, the capital of Idaho Territory at the time. There were many territories acts put into place, and then taken away during these early sessions, one act being the move of the capital city from Lewiston to Boise City. Boise was becoming a growing area after gold was found, so on December 24, 1864, Boise City was made the final destination of the capital for the Territory of Idaho.

 

However, moving the capital to Boise City created a lot of issues between the territory. This was especially true between the north and south areas in the territory, due to how far south Boise City was. Problems with communicating between the north and south contributed to some land in Idaho Territory being transferred to other territories and areas at the time. Idaho’s early boundary changes helped create the current boundaries of Washington, Wyoming, and Montana States as currently exist.

 

In a bid for statehood, Governor Edward A. Stevenson called for a constitutional convention in 1889. The convention approved a constitution on August 6, 1889, and voters approved the constitution on November 5, 1889.

 

When President Benjamin Harrison signed the law admitting Idaho as a U.S. state on July 3, 1890, the population was 88,548. George L. Shoup became the state's first governor, but resigned after only a few weeks in office to take a seat in the United States Senate. Willis Sweet, a Republican, was the first congressman, 1890 to 1895, representing the state at-large. He vigorously demanded "Free Silver" or the unrestricted coinage of silver into legal tender, in order to pour money into the large silver mining industry in the Mountain West, but he was defeated by supporters of the gold standard. In 1896 he, like many Republicans from silver mining districts, supported the Silver Republican Party instead of the regular Republican nominee William McKinley.

 

During its first years of statehood, Idaho was plagued by labor unrest in the mining district of Coeur d'Alene. In 1892, miners called a strike which developed into a shooting war between union miners and company guards. Each side accused the other of starting the fight. The first shots were exchanged at the Frisco mine in Frisco, in the Burke-Canyon north and east of Wallace. The Frisco mine was blown up, and company guards were taken prisoner. The violence soon spilled over into the nearby community of Gem, where union miners attempted to locate a Pinkerton spy who had infiltrated their union and was passing information to the mine operators. But agent Charlie Siringo escaped by cutting a hole in the floor of his room. Strikers forced the Gem mine to close, then traveled west to the Bunker Hill mining complex near Wardner, and closed down that facility as well. Several had been killed in the Burke-Canyon fighting. The Idaho National Guard and federal troops were dispatched to the area, and union miners and sympathizers were thrown into bullpens.

 

Hostilities would again erupt at the Bunker Hill facility in 1899, when seventeen union miners were fired for having joined the union. Other union miners were likewise ordered to draw their pay and leave. Angry members of the union converged on the area and blew up the Bunker Hill Mill, killing two company men.

 

In both disputes, the union's complaints included pay, hours of work, the right of miners to belong to the union, and the mine owners' use of informants and undercover agents. The violence committed by union miners was answered with a brutal response in 1892 and in 1899.

 

Through the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) union, the battles in the mining district became closely tied to a major miners' strike in Colorado. The struggle culminated in the December 1905 assassination of former Governor Frank Steunenberg by Harry Orchard (also known as Albert Horsley), a member of the WFM. Orchard was allegedly incensed by Steunenberg's efforts as governor to put down the 1899 miner uprising after being elected on a pro-labor platform.

 

Pinkerton detective James McParland conducted the investigation into the assassination. In 1907, WFM Secretary Treasurer "Big Bill" Haywood and two other WFM leaders were tried on a charge of conspiracy to murder Steunenberg, with Orchard testifying against them as part of a deal made with McParland. The nationally publicized trial featured Senator William E. Borah as prosecuting attorney and Clarence Darrow representing the defendants. The defense team presented evidence that Orchard had been a Pinkerton agent and had acted as a paid informant for the Cripple Creek Mine Owners' Association. Darrow argued that Orchard's real motive in the assassination had been revenge for a declaration of martial law by Steunenberg, which prompted Orchard to gamble away a share in the Hercules silver mine that would otherwise have made him wealthy.

 

Two of the WFM leaders were acquitted in two separate trials, and the third was released. Orchard was convicted and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted, and he spent the rest of his life in an Idaho prison.

 

Mining in Idaho was a major commercial venture, bringing a great deal of attention to the state. From 1860-1866 Idaho produced 19% of all gold in the United States, or 2.5 million ounces.

 

Most of Idaho's mining production, 1860–1969, has come from metals equating to $2.88 billion out of $3.42 billion, according to the best estimates. Of the metallic mining areas of Idaho, the Coeur d'Alene region has produced the most by far, and accounts for about 80% of the total Idaho yield.

 

Several others—Boise Basin, Wood River Valley, Stibnite, Blackbirg, and Owyhee—range considerably above the other big producers. Atlanta, Bear Valley, Bay Horse, Florence, Gilmore, Mackay, Patterson, and Yankee Fork all ran on the order of ten to twenty million dollars, and Elk City, Leesburg, Pierce, Rocky Bar, and Warren's make up the rest of the major Idaho mining areas that stand out in the sixty or so regions of production worthy of mention.

 

A number of small operations do not appear in this list of Idaho metallic mining areas: a small amount of gold was recovered from Goose Creek on Salmon Meadows; a mine near Cleveland was prospected in 1922 and produced a little manganese in 1926; a few tons of copper came from Fort Hall, and a few more tons of copper came from a mine near Montpelier. Similarly, a few tons of lead came from a property near Bear Lake, and lead-silver is known on Cassia Creek near Elba. Some gold quartz and lead-silver workings are on Ruby Creek west of Elk River, and there is a slightly developed copper operation on Deer Creek near Winchester. Molybdenum is known on Roaring River and on the east fork of the Salmon. Some scattered mining enterprises have been undertaken around Soldier Mountain and on Chief Eagle Eye Creek north of Montour.

 

Idaho proved to be one of the more receptive states to the progressive agenda of the late 19th century and early 20th century. The state embraced progressive policies such as women's suffrage (1896) and prohibition (1916) before they became federal law. Idahoans were also strongly supportive of Free Silver. The pro-bimetallism Populist and Silver Republican parties of the late 1890s were particularly successful in the state.

 

Eugenics was also a major part of the Progressive movement. In 1919, the Idaho legislature passed an Act legalizing the forced sterilization of some persons institutionalized in the state. The act was vetoed by governor D.W. Davis, who doubted its scientific merits and believed it likely violated the Equal Protection clause of the US Constitution. In 1925, the Idaho legislature passed a revised eugenics act, now tailored to avoid Davis's earlier objections. The new law created a state board of eugenics, charged with: the sterilization of all feebleminded, insane, epileptics, habitual criminals, moral degenerates and sexual perverts who are a menace to society, and providing the means for ascertaining who are such persons.

The Eugenics board was eventually folded into the state's health commission; between 1932 and 1964, a total of 30 women and eight men in Idaho were sterilized under this law. The sterilization law was formally repealed in 1972.

 

After statehood, Idaho's economy began a gradual shift away from mining toward agriculture, particularly in the south. Older mining communities such as Silver City and Rocky Bar gave way to agricultural communities incorporated after statehood, such as Nampa and Twin Falls. Milner Dam on the Snake River, completed in 1905, allowed for the formation of many agricultural communities in the Magic Valley region which had previously been nearly unpopulated.

 

Meanwhile, some of the mining towns were able to reinvent themselves as resort communities, most notably in Blaine County, where the Sun Valley ski resort opened in 1936. Others, such as Silver City and Rocky Bar, became ghost towns.

 

In the north, mining continued to be an important industry for several more decades. The closure of the Bunker Hill Mine complex in Shoshone County in the early 1980s sent the region's economy into a tailspin. Since that time, a substantial increase in tourism in north Idaho has helped the region to recover. Coeur d'Alene, a lake-side resort town, is a destination for visitors in the area.

 

Beginning in the 1980s, there was a rise in North Idaho of a few right-wing extremist and "survivalist" political groups, most notably one holding Neo-Nazi views, the Aryan Nations. These groups were most heavily concentrated in the Panhandle region of the state, particularly in the vicinity of Coeur d'Alene.

 

In 1992 a stand-off occurred between U.S. Marshals, the F.B.I., and white separatist Randy Weaver and his family at their compound at Ruby Ridge, located near the small, northern Idaho town of Naples. The ensuing fire-fight and deaths of a U.S. Marshal, and Weaver's son and wife gained national attention, and raised a considerable amount of controversy regarding the nature of acceptable force by the federal government in such situations.

 

In 2001, the Aryan Nations compound, which had been located in Hayden Lake, Idaho, was confiscated as a result of a court case, and the organization moved out of state. About the same time Boise installed an impressive stone Human Rights Memorial featuring a bronze statue of Anne Frank and quotations from her and many other writers extolling human freedom and equality.

 

The demographics of the state have changed. Due to this growth in different groups, especially in Boise, the economic expansion surged wrong-economic growth followed the high standard of living and resulted in the "growth of different groups". The population of Idaho in the 21st Century has been described as sharply divided along geographic and cultural lines due to the center of the state being dominated by sparsely-populated national forests, mountain ranges and recreation sites: "unless you're willing to navigate a treacherous mountain pass, you can't even drive from the north to the south without leaving the state." The northern population gravitates towards Spokane, Washington, the heavily Mormon south-east population towards Utah, with an isolated Boise "[being] the closest thing to a city-state that you'll find in America."

 

On March 13, 2020, officials from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 within the state of Idaho. A woman over the age of 50 from the southwestern part of the state was confirmed to have the coronavirus infection. She contracted the infection while attending a conference in New York City. Conference coordinators notified attendees that three individuals previously tested positive for the coronavirus. The Idahoan did not require hospitalization and was recovering from mild symptoms from her home. At the time of the announcement, there were 1,629 total cases and 41 deaths in the United States. Five days beforehand, on March 8, a man of age 54 had died of an unknown respiratory illness which his doctor had believed to be pneumonia. The disease was later suspected to be – but never confirmed as – COVID-19.

 

On March 14, state officials announced the second confirmed case within the state. The South Central Public Health District, announced that a woman over the age of 50 that resides in Blaine County had contracted the infection.[44] Like the first case, she did not require hospitalization and she was recovering from mild symptoms from home. Later on in the day, three additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in the state by three of the seven health districts in the state, which brought the confirmed total cases of coronavirus to five in Idaho. Officials from Central District Health announced their second confirmed case, which was a male from Ada County in his 50s. He was not hospitalized and was recovering at home. South Central Public Health reported their second confirmed case in a female that is over the age of 70 who was hospitalized. Eastern Idaho Public Health reported a confirmed positive case in a woman under the age of 60 in Teton County. She had contracted the coronavirus from contact with a confirmed case in a neighboring state; she was not hospitalized. The South Central Public Health District announced that a woman over the age of 50 that resides in Blaine County had contracted the infection. Like the first case, she did not require hospitalization and she was recovering from mild symptoms from home.

 

On March 17, two more confirmed cases of the infection were reported, bringing the total to seven. The first case on this date was by officials from Central District Health reported that a female under the age of 50 in Ada County was recovering at home and was not hospitalized. The second confirmed case was a female over the age of 50 as reported by South Central Public Health officials.

 

On March 18, two additional confirmed cases were announced by South Central Public Health District officials. One is a male from Blaine County in his 40s and the other a male in his 80s from Twin Falls County. These cases were the first known community spread transmission of the coronavirus in South Central Idaho.

recently six young men committed suicide because of homophobic teasing aimed at them.

hearing about this really hit close to home. when i was in jr high i used to get made fun of all the time for "acting queer." so part of me knows what it's like having that dread looming over you. what i don't know is what it's was like and IS like for many of these boys and girls that are both gay and are being scrutinized for it.

my heart truly goes out to them. life is a blessing and it's so sad to have people see it as a curse.

I personally know that there are better days to come.

 

Stay strong, it's true when people say "It gets better."

  

listen

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on authentic facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Allied powers, subject to restrictions on its use of guided missiles. The Austrian State Treaty of 1955 committed Austria to permanent neutrality. Pilot training started out with a four Yak-11 Moose and four Yak-18 Max aircraft donated by the Soviet Union, and Austria purchased further light trainer types under the Military Assistance Program. Until 1960 Austria purchased training and support aircraft under the MAP, but no modern fighter aircraft; the role of a fighter was rather inadequately filled by thirty already outdated Saab 29 Tunnan, bought second-hand from the Swedish Air Force in the early 1960s which equipped two fighter bomber squadrons.

 

To expand its capabilities and modernize the fleet, Austria purchased from 1970 on a total of 40 Saab 105 lightweight multi-role aircraft from Sweden with the intention to deploy them in trainer, reconnaissance, ground attack and even interception roles. As it became clear in the 1980s that the light sub-sonic aircraft were inadequate for air combat and airspace interdiction, Austria started looking for a more capable aircraft. In 1984, Austria had devised a two-phase solution to its problem: buying 30 interim aircrafts cheaply as a stopgap and then trading them back for a new generation aircraft in the early or mid-Nineties.

 

International response was quick and manifold: Bristol Aerospace offered initially ex RAF Jaguars to be replaced by Tornado F.3 or even Eurofighters; Saab-Scania offered between 24 and 30 former Royal Swedish Air Force J 35D Draken, followed by Saab J 39 Gripen as future substitutes; General-Electric suggested downgraded F-16/79 or F-16A for phase one and an option for the same aircraft in a more modern variant for phase two; Northrop’s numberF-5E was another alternative for phase one. Dassault was also present with refurbished Mirage III initially, followed by Mirage 2000.

 

Finding the most suitable option in this mass was not easy, and eventually a surprising deal materialized: In 1985 the contract for the sale of twenty-four Lightning F.56 fighters plus four T.55 trainers was signed by the SPÖ/FPÖ government under Fred Sinowatz. The background: Saudi Arabia had been operating thirty-four F.53 single-seaters and six T.55 trainers since 1967 and was about to retire its fleet, which was still in very good condition and with a reasonable number of flying hours left on many airframes. The aircraft would be refurbished directly at BAe in Great Britain with the option to switch to the Tornado ADV or its successor, the Eurofighter Typhoon, later.

 

The Lightning F.53 was an export version of the RAF’s F.6, but with a multi-role mission profile in mind that included, beyond the primary interceptor mission with guided missiles or internal guns, the capability to carry out interdiction/ground attacks and reconnaissance missions. To carry a suitable ordnance load, the F.53 featured additional underwing pylons for bombs or unguided rocket pods. Instead of the standard Firestreak/Red Top AAM missile station in the lower front fuselage, two retractable panniers with a total of forty-four unguided 50 mm rockets, which were effective against both ground and aerial targets, could be installed, or, alternatively, two camera packs (one with five cameras and another with a rotating camera mount) was available for tactical photo reconnaissance missions. Overwing hardpoints, adapted from the Lightning F.6, allowed to carry auxiliary fuel tanks to increase range/endurance, additional rocket pods or even retarded bombs.

The Lightning T.55 was also an export variant, a two-seat side-by-side training aircraft, and virtually identical to the T.5, which itself was based on the older F.3 fighter variant, and fully combat-capable.

 

The Saudi Arabian multi-role F.53s had served in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles as well as an air defense fighter, with Lightnings of No. 6 Squadron RSAF carrying out ground-attack missions using rockets and bombs during a border dispute with South Yemen between December 1969 and May 1970. Saudi Arabia received Northrop F-5E fighters from 1971, which resulted in the Lightnings relinquishing the ground-attack mission, concentrating on air defense, and to a lesser extent, reconnaissance. Until 1982, Saudi Arabia's Lightnings were mainly operated by 2 and 6 Squadron RSAF (although a few were also used by 13 Squadron RSAF), but when 6 Squadron re-equipped with the F-15 Eagle from 1978 on, all the remaining aircraft were concentrated and operated by 2 Squadron at Tabuk. In 1985, as part of the agreement to sell the Panavia Tornado (both IDS and ADV versions) to the RSAF, the Lightnings were traded in to British Aerospace, returned to Warton for refurbishment and re-sold to Austria.

 

While the Saudi Arabian Lightnings’ hardware was in very good shape, the Austrian Bundesluftwaffe requested some modifications, including a different missile armament: instead of the maintenance-heavy British Firestreak/Red Top AAMs, the Lightnings were to be armed with simpler, lighter and more economical IR-guided AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs which were already in the Austrian Air Force’s inventory. Two of these missiles were carried on single launch rails on the lower forward fuselage; an additional pair of Sidewinders could also be carried on the outer underwing stations, for a total of four. The F.53s’ optional retractable unguided rocket panniers were dropped altogether in favor of a permanent avionics bay for the Sidewinders in its place. However, to carry out tactical reconnaissance tasks (formerly executed by J 29Fs with a removable camera pod instead of the portside gun bay), four Austrian Lightnings frequently had one of the optional camera compartments installed, thereby losing the capability to deploy Sidewinders, though.

 

Among other things, the machines were furthermore upgraded with new bird strike-proof cockpit glazing, avionics were modernized, and several other minor customer requests were adopted, like a 0.6-megacandela night identification light. This spotlight is mounted in the former portside gun bay in front of the cockpit, and an anti-glare panel was added under the windscreen.

The fixed in-flight refueling probe was deleted, as this was not deemed necessary anymore since the Lightnings would exclusively operate within neutral Austria’s borders. The probes could, however, be re-installed, even though the Austrian pilots would not receive on-flight refueling training. The Lightnings' optional 260 imp gal overwing tanks were retained since they were considered to be sufficient for extended subsonic air patrols or eventual ferry flights.

 

The refurbished Lightnings were re-designated F.56 and delivered in batches of four between 1987 and 1989 to the Austrian Air Force’s 1st and then 2nd Fighter Squadrons, carrying a grey air superiority paint scheme. At that time, the airframes had between 1,550 and 2,800 flight hours and all had a general overhaul behind them. In 1991, the Lightings were joined by eighteen German ex-NVA-LSK MiG-23s, which were transferred to Austrian Air Force's ‘Fliegerwerft B’ at Nittner Air Base, where they'd be overhauled and updated with NATO-compatible equipment. As MiG-23Ö they were exclusively used as interceptors, too.

 

Shortly after their introduction, the Austrian Lightnings saw their first major use in airspace interdiction starting 1991 during the Yugoslav Wars, when Yugoslav MiG-21 fighters frequently crossed the Austrian border without permission. In one incident on 28 June a MiG-21 penetrated as far as Graz, causing widespread demands for action. Following repeated border crossings by armed aircraft of the Yugoslav People's Army, changes were suggested to the standing orders for aircraft armament.

 

With more and more practice and frequent interceptions one of the Lightning's basic flaws became apparent: its low range. Even though the Lightning had a phenomenal acceleration and rate of climb, this was only achieved in a relatively clean configuration - intercepting intruders was one thing but escorting them back to the Austrian border or an assigned airfield, as well as standing air patrols, were a different thing. With more tactical experience, the overwing tanks were taken back into service, even though they were so draggy that their range benefit was ultimately zero when the aircraft would use its afterburners during a typical interception mission. Therefore, the Austrian QRA Lightnings were typically operated in pairs: one clean and only lightly armed (typically with the guns and a pair of AIM-9s), to make a quick approach for visual intruder identification and contact, while a second aircraft with extra fuel would follow at high subsonic speed and eventually take over and escort the intruder. Airspace patrol was primarily executed with the MiG-23Ö, because it had a much better endurance, thanks to its VG wings, even though the Floggers had a poor service record, and their maintenance became ever more complicated.

 

After more experience, the Austrian Lightnings received in 1992 new ALR-45 radar detectors in a fairing on the fin top as well as chaff and flare dispenser systems, and the communication systems were upgraded, too. In 2004 the installation of Garmin 295 moving map navigation devices followed, even though this turned out to be a negligible update: on December 22, 2005, the active service life and thus military use of the Lightnings in general ended, and Austria was the last country to decommission the type, more than 50 years after the first flight of the prototype on August 4, 1954.

The Austrian Lightnings’ planned service period of 10 years was almost doubled, though, due to massive delays with the Eurofighter’s development: In 2002, Austria had already selected the Typhoon as its new “Phase II” air defense aircraft, having beaten the F-16 and the Saab Gripen in competition, and its introduction had been expected to occur from early 2005 on, so that the Lightnings could be gradually phased out. The purchase of 18 Typhoons was agreed on 1 July 2003, but it would take until 12 July 2007 that the first Typhoon would eventually be delivered to Zeltweg Air Base and formally enter service with the Austrian Air Force. This operational gap had to be bridged with twelve F-5E leased from Switzerland for EUR 75 mio., so that Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) duties for the Austrian airspace could be continued.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 55 ft 3 in (16.84 m)

Wingspan: 34 ft 10 in (10.62 m)

Height: 19 ft 7 in (5.97 m)

Wing area: 474.5 sq ft (44.08 m²)

Empty weight: 31,068 lb (14,092 kg) with armament and no fuel

Gross weight: 41,076 lb (18,632 kg) with two AIM-9B, cannon, ammunition, and internal fuel

Max takeoff weight: 45,750 lb (20,752 kg)

 

Powerplant:

2× Rolls-Royce Avon 301R afterburning turbojet engines,

12,690 lbf (56.4 kN) thrust each dry, 16,360 lbf (72.8 kN) with afterburner

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 2.27 (1,500 mph+ at 40,000 ft)

Range: 738 nmi (849 mi, 1,367 km)

Combat range: 135 nmi (155 mi, 250 km) supersonic intercept radius

Range: 800 nmi (920 mi, 1,500 km) with internal fuel

1,100 nmi (1,300 mi; 2,000 km) with external overwing tanks

Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Zoom ceiling: 70,000 ft (21,000 m)

Rate of climb: 20,000 ft/min (100 m/s) sustained to 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

Zoom climb: 50,000 ft/min

Time to altitude: 2.8 min to 36,000 ft (11,000 m)

Wing loading: 76 lb/sq ft (370 kg/m²) with two AIM-9 and 1/2 fuel

Thrust/weight: 0.78 (1.03 empty)

 

Armament:

2× 30 mm (1.181 in) ADEN cannon with 120 RPG in the lower fuselage

2× forward fuselage hardpoints for a single AIM-9 Sidewinder AAM each

2× underwing hardpoints for 1.000 lb (454 kg) each

2× overwing pylon stations for 2.000 lb (907 kg each),

typically occupied with 260 imp gal (310 US gal; 1,200 l) ferry tanks

  

The kit and its assembly:

This was another submission to the “Hunter, Lightning and Canberra” group build at whatifmodellers.com in 2022 and intended as a rather simple build since it was based on an alternate reality plot: the weird story that Austria was offered a revamped fleet of ex-Saudi Arabian Lightnings is true(!), but the decision eventually fell in favor of revamped Saab J 35Ds from Sweden. For this what-if build I used the real historic timeline, replaced the aircraft, and built both story and model around this – and the result became the BAC Lightning F.56 in Austrian Air Force service.

 

Initially I wanted to use an Airfix BAC Lightning in The Stash™, a really nice model kit and a relatively new mold, but it turned out to be the kit’s F.2A variant. While very similar to the F.6, changing it into a F.53 analogue with the OOB parts turned out to be too complex for my taste. For instance, the F.2A kit lacks the ventral gun bay (it just comes with the auxiliary tank option since the guns are already located in front of the cockpit) and the cable conduits on the lower flanks. Procuring a suitable and priceworthy Airfix F.6 turned out to be impossible, but then I remembered a Hasegawa Lightning F.6 in The Stash™ that I had shot at ev!lbay many moons ago for a laughable price and without a concrete plan. However, this kit is pretty old: it has raised (yet quite fine, less robust than the Matchbox kit) panel lines and even comes with a pilot figure, but also many weak spots like the air intake and the jet exhausts that end in flat walls after some millimeters depth and a very basic cockpit. But for this rather simple what-if project the kit appeared to be a suitable basis, and it would eventually find a good use.

 

The Hasegawa Lightning was basically built OOB, even though I made some cosmetic amendments like a better seat for the pilot, hydraulic fluid lines on the landing gear made from wire or opening the flat walls inside of the air intake opening and the jet nozzles. Behind the radome, a simple splitter plate was added as well as a recessed bulkhead in front of an implanted Me 262 cockpit tub (the Hasegawa kit just offers a bare floor panel, nothing else!), the afterburners were extended inwards with parts from a Matchbox A.W. Meteor night fighter.

 

The Red Top AAMs and the in-flight refueling probe were omitted. Instead, I added extra F.53-style forward-swept pylons under the outer wings, scratched from 1.5 mm styrene sheet due to their odd, raked shape, and I added Sidewinder launch rails plus suitable missiles from a Hasegawa air-to-air weapons set to all four stations. After long consideration I also retained the ‘overburger’ tanks, partly because of the unique layout on the Lightning, and also because of operational considerations.

Chaff dispensers were scratched from styrene profiles and placed at the fin’s base. A fairing for the retrofitted radar warning sensor was added to the fin tip, created from 1.5 mm styrene sheet.

  

Painting and markings:

To reflect the “alternate reality” role of the Lightning I gave the model a livery similar to the Saab J 35Ö that were actually procured: an adaptation of the USAF “Egypt One” scheme, carried primarily by the USAF F-16s. Adapting this simple three-tone camouflage from the flat F-16 to the Draken was easy and straightforward, but applying it to a Lightning with its many vertical surfaces turned out to be a tough challenge. I eventually came up with a paint scheme that reminds of the late RAF low-viz Lightning liveries, which existed in a wide range of patterns and graduations of grey.

 

The colors were authentic, FS 36118, 36270 and 36375 (using Humbrol 125, 126 and 127), and I decided to emphasize the camouflage of the flanks against the horizon, so that the vertical surfaces and the fin became FS 36270. The undersides of wings, stabilizers and fuselage became FS 36375. The dark FS 36118 was only applied to the upper sides of the wings and the stabilizer, and to a high dorsal section, starting at the wing roots. As a small contrast, the tank area on the spine was painted in light grey, simulating unpainted fiber glass. The radome was painted with a streaky mix of Humbrol 155 and 56.

 

As usual, the model received a light black ink washing, some post-panel-shading in lighter tones, and, due to the raised panel lines, was very lightly rubbed with graphite. The cockpit interior was painted in medium grey (Revell 47) with an olive drab fabric fairing behind the black pilot seat, which received ejection handles made from thin wire as eye candy. The landing gear and the respective wells were painted in Humbrol 56 (Aluminum Dope).

 

The decals are a wild mix: The fuselage roundels are actually wing markings from a Hasegawa J 35OE, as well as the huge orange "06" on the wings (I could not resist; they will later be partly obscured by the overwing tanks, but the heck with it!). The roundels on the wings come from a generic TL Modellbau sheet - I found that I needed larger markings than those on the Draken.

Both unit and individual aircraft identifiers are single black DIN font digits, also from TL Modellbau. The unit badges on the fin are authentic, even though from an earlier era: they came from an Austrian J 29 of Fliegerregiment 2 from a PrintScale sheet, and all stencils were taken from the OOB low-viz RAF markings sheet, plus four small warning triangles for the underwing pylons.

  

A ‘what-if’ model in the purest sense, since this model depicts what could really have been: ex Saudi-Arabian export BAC Lightnings over the Austrian Alps! However, refurbished Saab J 35D Draken made the race (and later followed by the Eurofighter Typhoon at ‘Stage 2’), so that this Lightning remains fictional. It does not look bad in the ‘Egypt One’ paint scheme, though, better than expected!

I finally committed to getting my old 450D converted for IR. This is just a test shot really, so that I could experience the novelty of shooting a living, moving thing in IR (I'm used to exposures of several minutes when shooting IR). The coverted camera is not a replacement to shooting IR through a filter - I'll still be doing that too. The conversion uses a stronger filter than I'm used to (colour will be very limited - this hasn't been converted to b/w), and should make for some interesting shots once I've got to grips with it. This was taken at 1/60 sec at ISO100.

Name: Luke Swailes

Arrested for: not given

Arrested at: North Shields Police Station

Arrested on: 23 September 1906

Tyne and Wear Archives ref: DX1388-1-95-Luke Swailes

 

An image of his accomplice, William Townsley, is available here www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/27145451015/in/album-72157....

 

The Shields Daily News for 29 September 1906 reports:

 

“THEFT OF JEWELLERY AT NORTH SHIELDS. TWO MEN COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.

 

This morning at the North Shields Police Court, before Captain J. Sanderson and Mr G.H. Stansfield, Luke Swailes (60), general dealer and Wm. Townsley, a young man, both of Gateshead, were charged with stealing, on the 27th of November 1905, from Welbury House, Preston Park, three bracelets, a neck chain, locket, ring and brooch, value £20, the property of Ethel Annie Freeth.

 

Swailes was further charged with receiving from Wm. Townsley a gold expansion bracelet and watch value £6, the property of Alfred John Freeth, well knowing the same to have been stolen. Mr G W Chapman represented Swailes.

 

Ethel Annie Freeth said that on Sunday, November 26th, she left her watch and bracelet in a drawer in the bedroom, together with the other articles mentioned in the charge. On the afternoon of the next day she missed them and gave information to the police.

 

Elizabeth Irvin, dressmaker, 84 Grey Street, said that in November last she was employed at the Elms, Preston Park, which was next door to Freeth’s house. On the afternoon of the 27th, she saw a man prowling about in front of the sitting room window and took good notice of him. On January 30th, she identified him among six men at Gateshead Police Station and now identified him as the prisoner Townsley.

 

Edward Surtees Chisholm, manager of the New Gateshead Inn, North Street, Gateshead, stated that he had known the prisoner Swailes for several years. He was a respectable general dealer. He came to witness’s house one Tuesday in November or December and offered him the watch bracelet for £2. The witness bought it for that sum which he thought was a fair price.

 

Detective Radcliffe said he was present at the Gateshead Police Station when Miss Irvin identified Townsley. The prisoner said “I can soon get out of that, I was in hospital at the time.” On Friday 21st, he arrested Swailes on a warrant. When witness read the warrant over to him he said, “He (Townsley) must be a scoundrel. This is some more he has put on to me.” Later he said, “I have only to say that Townsley is a thorough scoundrel. I am as innocent as a child unborn.” Witness showed him the watch bracelet and told him that that was what he was charged with receiving. He replied, “I have never seen it before.” In the cell he said, “I think the best thing in a case of this kind is to plead guilty. Chisholm knew as well as I did that I got it from Townsley. He asked me if it was straight and I told him he would not get it for £2 if it had been.” Neither of the prisoners, when charged this morning, had anything to say.

 

The prisoner Swailes gave evidence on his own behalf. He said that he was 50 years of age and a general dealer and lived at 4 Towns Street, New Gateshead. About Christmas the accused Townsley came to him. Previous to that he did not know the man. Townsley asked him if he would buy a bracelet, as he wanted the money to go to Scotland. Asked where he had got it, he said he found it sometime since at Jesmond on a seat. He asked £2 for it, and witness telling him that all the money he had upon him was 35s, Townsley at once handed it over for that price. At Chisholm’s bar next day witness offered it for sale to him and he bought it for £2. Witness thought that would be about the value of the article and did not for one moment imagine it had been stolen. From what he was, however, told later he has very reason to think that the bracelet had been stolen. Afterwards from time to time witness advanced Townsley’s mother small sums of money. Eventually he stopped lending her money, whereupon she made a charge against him to the Gateshead Police. He was tried on that charge at Durham Assizes and acquitted. When charged last Friday week with the offence now being dealt with he did deny that he bought the bracelet from Townsley. He did this because he was afraid of getting Chisholm into trouble. Later he admitted that he had sold it.

 

Cross-examined by the Chief Constable (Mr. J. H. Huish) Swailes admitted that when arrested he did not know that the bracelet was in the hands of the police.

 

The prisoner Townsley reserved his defence.

 

Both prisoners were committed for trial at the Quarter Sessions. Townsley who was in charge of warders, was conveyed to Newcastle Gaol to await trial. Swailes was admitted to bail in his own recognisances of £50 and one surety of £50.

 

Townsley is at present undergoing a sentence of three years penal servitude for burglary at Hedgeley Heath and was brought before the magistrates on a Home Office order."

  

The Shields Daily News for 19 October 1906 reports:

 

“William Townsley, 22, labourer, pleaded guilty to having stolen £20 worth of jewellery at Tynemouth on Nov. 27, 1905, the property of Miss Ethel Annie Freeth of Preston Park, North Shields. Luke Swailes, 59, dealer, pleaded not guilty to a charge of having received the jewellery, well knowing it to have been stolen. Mr Griffith Jones prosecuted and Mr Mundahl defended the accused Swailes.

 

The jury found Swailes guilty and he was sentenced to three months’ hard labour.

 

Townsley, who is currently undergoing a sentence of three years’ penal servitude at Stafford Prison, was sentenced to a similar term, to run concurrently with the sentence he is now serving”.

 

These images are a selection from an album of photographs of prisoners brought before the North Shields Police Court between 1902 and 1916 in the collection of Tyne & Wear Archives (TWA ref DX1388/1).

 

(Copyright) We're happy for you to share this digital image within the spirit of The Commons. Please cite 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums' when reusing. Certain restrictions on high quality reproductions and commercial use of the original physical version apply though; if you're unsure please email archives@twmuseums.org.uk.

St Govan's Chapel is a chapel located at St Govan's Head, Pembrokeshire in south west Wales.

 

Built into the side of a limestone cliff, the building measures 20 by 12 feet (6.1 m × 3.7 m) with walls constructed from limestone, and consists of two chambers, one in the front and one in the back. The majority of the chapel was built in the thirteenth century, although parts of it may date back further to the sixth century when Saint Govan, a monk moved into a cave located on the site of the chapel. One legend suggests that Saint Govan is buried underneath the chapel's altar, located at the east end of the building. The entrance to the building is via a doorway on the north side, low stone benches run along the north and south walls and an empty bell-cote is located at the west end. The slate roof is suspected to be a modern addition compared to the rest of the building.

 

The building is accessible from the clifftop by climbing down a set of 52 steps, although tourist organisations propagate the legend that when counted, the number of steps differs between going down and going back up.

 

The building was listed with Grade I status on 8 February 1996. The chapel is within the Castlemartin Military Training Area and is sometimes inaccessible because of military activity.

 

The chapel was used as a location in episode 1 of the third series of the BBC drama His Dark Materials.

 

Under the chapel is a huge cave system, Ogof Gofan, containing a "cathedral-like structure", accessible only by abseiling down the cliff. The cave was re-discovered in 1966, but it had been used by people for thousands of years, from when the sea was miles from the cave mouth.

 

Saint Govan (Welsh: Gofan; died 586) was a hermit who lived in a fissure on the side of coastal cliff near Bosherston, in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales. St. Govan's Chapel was built in the fissure in the 13th century on what is now known as St. Govan's Head.

 

One story says Govan was an Irish monk who travelled to Wales late in life to seek the friends and family of the abbot who had trained him, variously identified as Saint David or Saint Ailbe of Emly. Another story identifies Govan with Gawain, one of King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table;. In traditional Welsh, the name "Govan" means "Legendary Son of Caw". Caw- or Hueil mab Caw- was a Pictish rival of King Arthur. In other legends he is a thief.

 

Govan was set upon by pirates, from Ireland or the nearby Lundy Island. The cliff opened up and left a fissure just big enough for him to hide in until the pirates left. In gratitude, he decided to stay on along the cliff, probably to help warn the locals of the impending pirate attack if they were to return.

 

Govan lived within a small cave in the fissure of the cliff. This is now reached by a long flight of stone steps, the number of which is said to vary depending on whether one is ascending or descending.

 

The present small vaulted chapel of local limestone was built over the cave and dates from the 13th century although the site may have been of monastic importance since the 5th century. St Govan may be identified with Sir Gawain, one of King Arthur's knights, who entered into a state of retreat in his later years.

 

Originally, Govan caught fish and took water from two nearby springs. Both are now dry; one was where the medieval chapel now stands, the other, which was lower down the cliff, later became a holy well. A legend says St Govan's hand prints are imprinted on the floor of his cave and his body is buried under the chapel's altar. The cave was once a popular place for making wishes.

 

Another legend regarding St Govan concerns his silver bell. He is supposed to have kept the bell in the tower of the chapel. When the bell pealed, its sound was of perfect tone and clarity. But pirates who heard the sound left St Govan desolate when they stole the bell. Angels flew in and took it from the pirates and returned it to the hermit. To stop the pirates returning and taking it again, the angels encased the bell in a huge stone, that is, the Bell Rock which is found at the water's edge. The legend said that when St Govan "rang" the stone, its vigour had become a thousand times stronger.

 

Pembrokeshire is a county in the south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and administrative headquarters of Pembrokeshire County Council.

 

The county is generally sparsely populated and rural, with an area of 200 square miles (520 km2) and a population of 123,400. After Haverfordwest, the largest settlements are Milford Haven (13,907), Pembroke Dock (9,753), and Pembroke (7,552). St Davids (1,841) is a city, the smallest by population in the UK. Welsh is spoken by 17.2 percent of the population, and for historic reasons is more widely spoken in the north of the county than in the south.

 

Pembrokeshire's coast is its most dramatic geographic feature, created by the complex geology of the area. It is a varied landscape which includes high sea cliffs, wide sandy beaches, the large natural harbour of Milford Haven, and several offshore islands which are home to seabird colonies. Most of it is protected by Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, and can be hiked on the 190-mile (310 km) Pembrokeshire Coast Path. The interior of Pembrokeshire is relatively flat and gently undulating, with the exception of the Preseli Mountains in the north.

 

There are many prehistoric sites in Pembrokeshire, particularly in the Preseli Mountains. During the Middle Ages several castles were built by the Normans, such as Pembroke and Cilgerran, and St David's Cathedral became an important pilgrimage site. During the Industrial Revolution the county remained relatively rural, with the exception of Milford Haven, which was developed as a port and Royal Navy dockyard. It is now the UK's third-largest port, primarily because of its two liquefied natural gas terminals. The economy of the county is now focused on agriculture, oil and gas, and tourism.

 

Human habitation of the region that is now Pembrokeshire extends back to between 125,000 and 70,000 years  and there are numerous prehistoric sites such as Pentre Ifan, and neolithic remains (12,000 to 6,500 years ago), more of which were revealed in an aerial survey during the 2018 heatwave; in the same year, a 1st-century Celtic chariot burial was discovered, the first such find in Wales. There may have been dairy farming in Neolithic times.

 

There is little evidence of Roman occupation in what is now Pembrokeshire. Ptolemy's Geography, written c. 150, mentioned some coastal places, two of which have been identified as the River Teifi and what is now St Davids Head, but most Roman writers did not mention the area; there may have been a Roman settlement near St Davids and a road from Bath, but this comes from a 14th-century writer. Any evidence for villas or Roman building materials reported by mediaeval or later writers has not been verified, though some remains near Dale were tentatively identified as Roman in character by topographer Richard Fenton in his Historical Tour of 1810. Fenton stated that he had "...reason to be of opinion that they had not colonized Pembrokeshire till near the decline of their empire in Britain".

 

Part of a possible Roman road is noted by CADW near Llanddewi Velfrey, and another near Wiston. Wiston is also the location of the first Roman fort discovered in Pembrokeshire, investigated in 2013.

 

Some artefacts, including coins and weapons, have been found, but it is not clear whether these belonged to Romans or to a Romanised population. Welsh tradition has it that Magnus Maximus founded Haverfordwest, and took a large force of local men on campaign in Gaul in 383 which, together with the reduction of Roman forces in south Wales, left a defensive vacuum which was filled by incomers from Ireland.

 

Between 350 and 400, an Irish tribe known as the Déisi settled in the region known to the Romans as Demetae.  The Déisi merged with the local Welsh, with the regional name underlying Demetae evolving into Dyfed, which existed as an independent petty kingdom from the 5th century.  In 904, Hywel Dda married Elen (died 943), daughter of the king of Dyfed Llywarch ap Hyfaidd, and merged Dyfed with his own maternal inheritance of Seisyllwg, forming the new realm of Deheubarth ("southern district"). Between the Roman and Norman periods, the region was subjected to raids from Vikings, who established settlements and trading posts at Haverfordwest, Fishguard, Caldey Island and elsewhere.

 

Dyfed remained an integral province of Deheubarth, but this was contested by invading Normans and Flemings who arrived between 1067 and 1111.  The region became known as Pembroke (sometimes archaic "Penbroke":), after the Norman castle built in the cantref of Penfro. In 1136, Prince Owain Gwynedd at Crug Mawr near Cardigan met and destroyed a 3,000-strong Norman/Flemish army and incorporated Deheubarth into Gwynedd.  Norman/Flemish influence never fully recovered in West Wales.  In 1138, the county of Pembrokeshire was named as a county palatine. Rhys ap Gruffydd, the son of Owain Gwynedd's daughter Gwenllian, re-established Welsh control over much of the region and threatened to retake all of Pembrokeshire, but died in 1197. After Deheubarth was split by a dynastic feud, Llywelyn the Great almost succeeded in retaking the region of Pembroke between 1216 and his death in 1240.  In 1284 the Statute of Rhuddlan was enacted to introduce the English common law system to Wales, heralding 100 years of peace, but had little effect on those areas already established under the Marcher Lords, such as Cemais in the north of the county.

 

Henry Tudor, born at Pembroke Castle in 1457, landed an army in Pembrokeshire in 1485 and marched to Cardigan.  Rallying support, he continued to Leicestershire and defeated the larger army of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. As Henry VII, he became the first monarch of the House of Tudor, which ruled England until 1603.

 

The Laws in Wales Act 1535 effectively abolished the powers of the Marcher Lords and divided the county into seven hundreds, roughly corresponding to the seven pre-Norman cantrefi of Dyfed. The hundreds were (clockwise from the northeast): Cilgerran, Cemais, Dewisland, Roose, Castlemartin, Narberth and Dungleddy and each was divided into civil parishes; a 1578 map in the British Library is the earliest known to show parishes and chapelries in Pembrokeshire. The Elizabethan era brought renewed prosperity to the county through an opening up of rural industries, including agriculture, mining and fishing, with exports to England and Ireland, though the formerly staple woollen industry had all but disappeared. 

 

During the First English Civil War (1642–1646) the county gave strong support to the Roundheads (Parliamentarians), in contrast to the rest of Wales, which was staunchly Royalist. In spite of this, an incident in Pembrokeshire triggered the opening shots of the Second English Civil War when local units of the New Model Army mutinied. Oliver Cromwell defeated the uprising at the Siege of Pembroke in July 1648.  On 13 August 1649, the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland began when New Model Army forces sailed from Milford Haven.

 

In 1720, Emmanuel Bowen described Pembrokeshire as having five market towns, 45 parishes and about 4,329 houses, with an area of 420,000 acres (1,700 km2). In 1791 a petition was presented to the House of Commons concerning the poor state of many of the county's roads, pointing out that repairs could not be made compulsory by the law as it stood. The petition was referred to committee.  People applying for poor relief were often put to work mending roads. Workhouses were poorly documented. Under the Poor Laws, costs and provisions were kept to a minimum, but the emphasis was often on helping people to be self-employed. While the Poor Laws provided a significant means of support, there were many charitable and benefit societies. After the Battle of Fishguard, the failed French invasion of 1797, 500 French prisoners were held at Golden Hill Farm, Pembroke. From 1820 to 1878 one of the county's prisons, with a capacity of 86, was in the grounds of Haverfordwest Castle. In 1831, the area of the county was calculated to be 345,600 acres (1,399 km2) with a population of 81,424.

 

It was not until nearly the end of the 19th century that mains water was provided to rural south Pembrokeshire by means of a reservoir at Rosebush and cast iron water pipes throughout the district.

 

Throughout much of the 20th century (1911 to 1961) the population density in the county remained stable while it rose in England and Wales as a whole. There was considerable military activity in Pembrokeshire and offshore in the 20th century: a naval base at Milford Haven because German U-boats were active off the coast in World War I and, in World War II, military exercises in the Preseli Mountains and a number of military airfields. The wartime increase in air activity saw a number of aircraft accidents and fatalities, often due to unfamiliarity with the terrain. From 1943 to 1944, 5,000 soldiers from the United States Army's 110th Infantry Regiment were based in the county, preparing for D-Day. Military and industrial targets in the county were subjected to bombing during World War II. After the end of the war, German prisoners of war were accommodated in Pembrokeshire, the largest prison being at Haverfordwest, housing 600. The County of Pembroke War Memorial in Haverfordwest carries the names of 1,200 of those that perished in World War I.

 

In 1972, a second reservoir for south Pembrokeshire, at Llys y Fran, was completed.

 

Pembrokeshire's tourism portal is Visit Pembrokeshire, run by Pembrokeshire County Council. In 2015 4.3 million tourists visited the county, staying for an average of 5.24 days, spending £585 million; the tourism industry supported 11,834 jobs. Many of Pembrokeshire's beaches have won awards, including Poppit Sands and Newport Sands. In 2018, Pembrokeshire received the most coast awards in Wales, with 56 Blue Flag, Green Coast or Seaside Awards. In the 2019 Wales Coast Awards, 39 Pembrokeshire beaches were recognised, including 11 awarded Blue Flag status.

 

The Pembrokeshire coastline is a major draw to tourists; in 2011 National Geographic Traveller magazine voted the Pembrokeshire Coast the second best in the world and in 2015 the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park was listed among the top five parks in the world by a travel writer for the Huffington Post. Countryfile Magazine readers voted the Pembrokeshire Coast the top UK holiday destination in 2018, and in 2019 Consumers' Association members placed Tenby and St Davids in the top three best value beach destinations in Britain. With few large urban areas, Pembrokeshire is a "dark sky" destination. The many wrecks off the Pembrokeshire coast attract divers. The decade from 2012 saw significant, increasing numbers of Atlantic bluefin tuna, not seen since the 1960s, and now seen by some as an opportunity to encourage tourist sport fishing.

 

The county has a number of theme and animal parks (examples are Folly Farm Adventure Park and Zoo, Manor House Wildlife Park, Blue Lagoon Water Park and Oakwood Theme Park), museums and other visitor attractions including Castell Henllys reconstructed Iron Age fort, Tenby Lifeboat Station and Milford Haven's Torch Theatre. There are 21 marked cycle trails around the county.

 

Pembrokeshire Destination Management Plan for 2020 to 2025 sets out the scope and priorities to grow tourism in Pembrokeshire by increasing its value by 10 per cent in the five years, and to make Pembrokeshire a top five UK destination.

 

As the national sport of Wales, rugby union is widely played throughout the county at both town and village level. Haverfordwest RFC, founded in 1875, is a feeder club for Llanelli Scarlets. Village team Crymych RFC in 2014 plays in WRU Division One West. There are numerous football clubs in the county, playing in five leagues with Haverfordwest County A.F.C. competing in the Cymru Premier.

 

Triathlon event Ironman Wales has been held in Pembrokeshire since 2011, contributing £3.7 million to the local economy, and the county committed in 2017 to host the event for a further five years. Ras Beca, a mixed road, fell and cross country race attracting UK-wide competitors, has been held in the Preselis annually since 1977. The record of 32 minutes 5 seconds has stood since 1995. Pembrokeshire Harriers athletics club was formed in 2001 by the amalgamation of Cleddau Athletic Club (established 1970) and Preseli Harriers (1989) and is based in Haverfordwest.

 

The annual Tour of Pembrokeshire road-cycling event takes place over routes of optional length. The 4th Tour, in April 2015, attracted 1,600 riders including Olympic gold medallist Chris Boardman and there were 1,500 entrants to the 2016 event. Part of Route 47 of the Celtic Trail cycle route is in Pembrokeshire. The Llys y Fran Hillclimb is an annual event run by Swansea Motor Club, and there are several other county motoring events held each year.

 

Abereiddy's Blue Lagoon was the venue for a round of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in 2012, 2013, and 2016; the Welsh Surfing Federation has held the Welsh National Surfing Championships at Freshwater West for several years, and Llys y Fran Country Park hosted the Welsh Dragonboat Championships from 2014 to 2017.

 

While not at major league level, cricket is played throughout the county and many villages such as Lamphey, Creselly, Llangwm, Llechryd and Crymych field teams in minor leagues under the umbrella of the Cricket Board of Wales.

 

Notable people

From mediaeval times, Rhys ap Gruffydd (c. 1132-1197), ruler of the kingdom of Deheubarth, was buried in St Davids Cathedral. and Gerald of Wales was born c. 1146 at Manorbier Castle. Henry Tudor (later Henry VII) was born in 1457 at Pembroke Castle.

 

The pirate Bartholomew Roberts (Black Bart) (Welsh: Barti Ddu) was born in Casnewydd Bach, between Fishguard and Haverfordwest in 1682.

 

In later military history, Jemima Nicholas, heroine of the so-called "last invasion of Britain" in 1797, was from Fishguard, Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton GCB, born in Haverfordwest, was killed at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and Private Thomas Collins is believed to be the only Pembrokeshire man that fought in the Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879.

 

In the arts, siblings Gwen and Augustus John were both born in Pembrokeshire, as was the novelist Sarah Waters; singer Connie Fisher grew up in Pembrokeshire. The actor Christian Bale was born in Haverfordwest.

 

Stephen Crabb, a former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Wales, was brought up in Pembrokeshire and is one of the county's two Members of Parliament, the other being Simon Hart,[90] who served as Secretary of State for Wales from 2019 to 2022.

This is a letter I wrote in response to an article in the National Post:

 

msoupcoff@nationalpost.com

 

Dear Editor,

 

I wish you would read this, even more that you would take the time to investigate the story I am going to give you, so that I could continue to tell women from other countries that Western-born Canadian women are indeed free. You would justify my faith in my citizenship.

 

I learned of Aqsa Parvez’s brutal, unjustified, and barbaric murder from the pages of the Post. No faith can justify murder without a trial (even if it is justified by the law---and even under Islamic Law only if Miss Parvez had been married and committed adultery could she and her lover have been punished at all---and that, in brief, not without a trial).

Such law cannot exist in Canada, as Muslims are a minority, and Islamic law can only be applied to Muslims. Aqsa Parvez’s killers are murderers and should be condemned as such. They are monsters. Aqsa Parvez deserves to hear a public outcry against their actions (whether they are adhering to the tribal customs of another country or not!). She does not deserve to have her life’s ending and its tragedy overshadowed by the controversial issue represented by a piece of cloth called “hijab” if we are to affect true change. If the writer does not want a two-tier system between Western and immigrant women in Canada the writer cannot make an issue out of hijab in the same breath, giving her killers a motive. Their actions were wrong whatever motivated them. In fact, they had no motive. There is not a word in the Qu’ran or Canadian law that allows murder for not adhering to a dress code. The girl deserves more than that after a tragic struggle for freedom. She deserves her murderers to be brought to justice, and that people be educated about what freedom really is. It is not a piece of cloth, but the right to choose it or the right to disregard it. Bring her killers to justice, then come learn about hijab and Islam so you can educate others of it.

 

I would like to call out the writer of “How Canada Let Aqsa Down” when they wrote [“you’ll never hear a feminist murmur a word of complaint about these girls’ lack of autonomy.”] I was just peacefully walking down the street the other day and this woman figured she had the right to judge me and called out: “Live you life!” I said, “Excuse me?” She said, “I hoped you’d say that.”

 

I wear hijab. I hope that doesn’t discredit everything I am going to say. Your writer said ["The hijab marks those wearing it as chattel, leashed to their men as surely as if they were wearing a dog collar"] so maybe my words don't count, maybe I am "a non-person" who owns nothing of herself and is fully absorbed by "her men". This is a stereo-type a Muslim woman will have to deal with every day if she decides to wear a head-scarf. Why do I do it? Sometimes I wonder. Well, Western men assume I am treated as a non-person by Arab/Muslim men all my life, and so, always go out of their way to hold doors open for me, and bus drivers always wait even if I have to run all the way down the street. That wouldn't be a good reason for a Muslim woman trying to be modest would it??? And women think that I am too timid to respond to their stereo-types and actually answer their questions (because, as a Western woman herself not born Muslim, I know there’s a lot Western women don’t know about Muslims) so maybe I like the shock value??? “Why are you bringing your backwardness to Canada?” Some women come up to me and my friends. “I’m from Canada,” I say and watch them draw a blank. “I’m more Canadian than you-” would quip my friend to these women with a sly smile from underneath the folds of her hijab (with dark eyes, colouring and exotic beauty she looks unequivocally Arab while my blue eyes and paleness always give me away for the Norman-Anglophile I am even under my own pink hijab- “I’m Metis.” She then giggles her ridiculous sweet laugh. “My ancestors were here long before yours.” My best friend Amanda is often with me. She wears jean mini shorts and a white tank top, with her own blonde hair running free in a pony-tail. She adores the latest styles of me and Um Abdullah’s black abayas, even though she would never wear one herself. I ask her if she ever feels uncomfortable being with me, because people stare so much. She replies that she was afraid when I first started wearing hijab, that my new Muslim friends would think she was a slut for wearing tank tops. We smile, because we know women and men are the same everywhere. People are always afraid of what they don’t know. It is the job of the media to educate and relieve fear by information, not to spread the stereo-types that injure another citizen’s chances of employment, public safety, and education.

 

I love my best friend Amanda. After 9/11 I decided to wear hijab. She supported me by walking down the streets of our small town of Sooke, B.C (where weeks before I had had my scarf torn off, been called a murderer, and Taliban by strangers that were once my neighbours) sporting a black Halloween robe that she deemed abaya-esque with pink rhinestones glue-gunned on the back to spell out “I AM NOT SUPPRESSED” in support of my decision. She said, “if it had been anybody else but my Alix, I would have been worried about your decision, thought someone had forced you to do it. But no one can force you to do anything, so I know this is right for you.” I would die for her right to wear a mini-skirt, because she would do the same for me to wear a head-scarf, just as I got beat up when I was little with my best friend Fallon Hagreen by a group of wannabe Neo-Nazi punks in the same town because I thought it wasn’t fair her to get beat up alone and to have someone hate her just because she was Jewish. Fallon taught me about the holocaust, how the Nazi’s slowly took away the freedom of the Jews in Germany, and the terrible things that were done to them, and I was proud that we were both Canadian, and believed in the freedom of all people’s to believe what they want as long as they don’t use that freedom to take away the rights of others’.

 

In Iran, I would be forced to wear hijab. In Afghanistan, I would have been hidden behind a chador with a mesh screen common in that region and in Pakistan (burka is the wrong word for the dress-code enforced by the Taliban there-burqa is what the Bedouin women in Sohar in Oman wear). I would rebel against this. I don’t believe any human being can be forced to believe in something. Aqsa Parvez’s father was not adhering to the Qu’ran or any hadith in Islam when he murdered his own daughter. A Muslim in Canada can only practice Islamic Law in their own lives and not apply it in the lives of others’ (and ideally should)---if they are guilty of something that is truly punishable under Islamic Law the most justice a Muslim can expect from other Muslims in Canada is to be warned of their behaviour being far from their beliefs, and if that behaviour continues, perhaps to be shunned. The best of us, as sinners, would seek out punishment from our companions-they would not come look for us like hanging party! Compassion is one of the most compelled aspects of Islam, and the Qu’ran says that instead of saying “Listen to me!” like a whiny brat or control freak, a Muslim should say, “Look upon me,” and live their own life without judgement as that would be the best example to someone who is truly in error. There is a story in Islam that said there were two men. One prayed every day, gave charity, and did everything required of him as a Muslim. The other never prayed, drank, cursed, but still knew in his heart, that his actions were wrong, and that he loved God (Allah.) One day the good man came up to the one who was rarely good, and said, “You don’t believe in God. You will go to Hell.” The good man went to Hell despite all the good he had done, and the other, to paradise. At his judgement, the good man asked God why. “Because you stole something that belonged to me,” Allah responded. “Judgement is mine alone.” I don’t believe hijab can ever be made a law, because you cannot force someone to believe in Judaism, or Christianity, Nazism, or Islam if they don’t. Wearing hijab is a confirmation of beliefs, like christening in Christianity. Your writer wrote [“Multiculturalists would have us believe that the hijab is merely a religious symbol, like the Sikh kirpan or the Christian cross, freely embraced by the girls wearing them. I have argued before in these pages that the hijab, however benign-seeming, is still one end of a female-submissive spectrum that ends in the burqa, a garment virtually all Canadians find antithetical to our values.”] If someone forced me to put on the chador of Afghanistan they would have to cut me up to fit me into it (because I have found nothing in the Qu’ran my faith is founded on, to justify the Taliban’s laws against art and laughing, and suppression of women.) But someone else would have to cut out my tongue to silence me speaking out for the women that DO want to keep their veils (there are a minority and I know two-who volunteer to pay for their own car being towed and to be fit in the back of a patrol car driven to the station where a female officer is present before presenting their driver’s licence). They know they are a minority, and volunteer to go out of the way and pay the costs of their beliefs themselves. My opinion: those that don’t want to pay for their own car being towed? Shut-up, move, or adapt. You are a minority. I understand your frustration, but you cannot force your beliefs on others.

 

I don’t want someone to put a veil on my sister, or hijab on my friend, to whom it is just a piece of cloth, and thus, would be a meaningless abuse of power. But I don’t want to see someone take away my right to wear my hijab in school, at work, or on the street safely, the right of someone who has fought for human rights and freedom, in this country, and in others, her whole life. I don’t deserve my rights to leave the home, to work, and go to school to be taken away for a piece of cloth; Aqsa did not deserve to have the same rights and more to be taken away over a square of fabric. I face prejudice every day, but I am proud I live in a country where I have the freedom to walk down the street still dressed as I choose. By the way, I have no real family and I am not married yet. I was given an ultimatum by my own family, as many Muslim-convert girls are: take off that scarf of get out of the house. I was lucky. I was old enough, and educated enough to work. My friend, Um Abdullah, was not so fortunate. She could not afford life on her own, but was willing to live on the street and go hungry, all for the freedom of her right to wear hijab. You said: [“If public schools, which are supposedly secular, had banned hijabs as France did, along with all other religious paraphernalia, in order to create a level social Canadian playing field, Aqsa would have had Canada on her side”] Canada would have lost Aqsa as surely as she is lost now. Do you honestly think a father like her own would have let her go to a school where she could not wear hijab anymore than he would have let her go to school not wearing one at a school where hijab is allowed? Aqsa would have disappeared from public education just the same, and women like me could not pursue university in Canada. I am not hurting anyone by wearing my scarf. Protect my right to wear it. Protect the right of women who don’t want to wear it. It is the dream of Um Abdullah and myself, to set up a shelter for girls like ourselves, and Aqsa, who need a place to live in safety from their families while continuing their education and maintaining their beliefs. To hijab or not to hijab is not a question we should be asking at the time of Aqsa’s death. It should be focussed on giving girls in similar situations other options beyond the simple death of self, and death or dismissal of body. No one should be forced to make that decision in a country that is truly free.

 

Sincerely and respectfully yours,

 

Alixianna Normandeau

 

P.S I expect a respectful reply.

  

(No reply was ever given)

Well I tried to do some Portraits of this group this year, and I did them in B&W as it fits their motif. This is my first time doing a portrait session like this, so I am grateful for the chance to do this.

 

Strobist info:

ISO 200

f 4

Shutter 1/10th

Ambient light to the right, a Canon 480 EXII flash to the left with a Firefly Softbox fired using a Hahnel Trigger.

committed in the shed over the past week have resulted in much shuffling and much painting :)

 

rambled

I may not tell him often, but I am appreciative of my nephew's dedication in helping me elevate my photographic eye. He's always ready and willing to jump in front of my camera--and what budding photographer doesn't appreciate or NEED that?

 

So we spent sometime yesterday trying out a make-shift backdrop & some lighting techniques. Summer is nearing its end, and soon I'll be forced inside, and out of natural light. So I figured it was time to set about mastering light. No fancy set up here; just a directional halogen fixture, a wing and a whole lot of prayer! lol!

This was the one I mentioned earlier, the Darth Talon outfit where the person was much more committed. That's actual body paint and not no stinking satin body suit. From the thumbnail it totally looks like I just blacked out the zones, but it's the material that came out so dark in the shot. She didn't say a single word, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it was to add an air of mystique or something. Who knows, but it was a great costume that took a lot of guts and care into going through with it.

Stagecoach have committed 50 buses to the Open Championship at Muirfield. Large fields are used as car parks and Stagecoach provide the shuttle service to Muirfield . In addition Drem Station car park becomes a bus station for the week of the event. The operation seems to run very smoothly with all the Stagecoach staff in good spirits and even the odd barbecue set up for lunch ( a few of the drivers had singed eyebrows) Stagecoach seem to rise to these occasions and the old Olympians sounded great even the scruffy ones. Well done Stagecoach .

Finally, Someone has committed this character to Lego form.

 

Another brilliant figure and a perfect example of where John truly stands out amongst other customisers which is the face designs. His prints seem to convey so much character in their expressions and i think he does this better than anyone :).

Repsol is committed to being a responsible operator in all areas of our business. Our values of flexibility, transparency, responsibility, integrity and innovation are at the core of everything we do. Repsol holds an interest in 170,000 net acres in the Marcellus, which is one of the largest natural gas fields in the world. Our acreage is primarily located in northeastern Pennsylvania in Bradford, Susquehanna and Tioga counties.

Learn more about our U.S. exploration and production business at www.repsolusa.com.

 

Repsol se compromete a actuar con responsabilidad a lo largo de toda la cadena de valor. Nuestros valores de flexibilidad, transparencia, responsabilidad, integridad e innovación marcan nuestra manera de trabajar. Repsol tiene un interés de 170.000 acres netos en el Marcellus, es uno de los mayores campos de gas natural en el mundo. Nuestra área de operación se encuentra principalmente en el noreste de Pennsylvania en Bradford, y en los condados de Susquehanna y Tioga.

Más información sobre nuestro negocio de exploración y producción en EE.UU. www.repsolusa.com .

QUELLE HORREUR! A fashion faux pas was committed at the fashion show at Barbie’s Fashion Shop, when Miss Goldie and Miss Platinum Swirl strolled out in the same ensemble! But it was OK when they realised the outfits weren’t exactly the same…

 

It’s great when your Barbie BFF comes over with the same outfits and dolls so you can compare the interesting variations firsthand. Even though one of our favourite outfits ‘Evening Splendour’ was in production for such a long time (1959 to around 1964), we didn’t expect there would be so many differences, and came to the conclusion that mine was the earlier 1959/60 version, whereas Deany’s was the later 1963/4 version, as he got it in a lot with a bunch of other dolls, clothes and accessories from those years. As you can see, the brocade is a much lighter gold and has a much larger ‘daisy’ style pattern in the earlier 1959/60 version my platinum swirl is wearing, whereas Deany’s side-part bubble’s brocade is a much darker, ‘rosier’ gold with a smaller pattern. The pearls in the hat are slightly larger and are a slightly different shade on my Platinum Swirl, and the fur trim on the sleeves is much fuller and a shade lighter. Also, the cut of the shoulders, sleeves and upper part of the coat is more generous, and the dress a touch longer in my version. The aqua corduroy purse is much lighter in colour, too (this may be due to fading of course, but it matches the lining of the coat exactly.) Deany’s later version has a purse in a much deeper turquoise colour. He really wanted my version more, but I thought his later version suited his gal perfectly, due to her gorgeous golden colouring!

 

Grover Furr is a hobby historian with zero credibility who worships Joseph Stalin and denies that his hero ever committed a single crime.

 

rationalwiki.org/wiki/Stalin_apologetics#Grover_Furr

 

It was interesting to discover that the excellent Holocaust Controversies blog (which devotes itself to deconstructing and debunking the false claims of holocaust deniers) has also taken apart Furr's false claims about the Katyń massacre.

 

You'd have to be staggeringly ignorant, gullible and foolish to believe that the mass murder of 22000 Polish nationals by the Soviet NKVD in 1940 was actually carried out by the Nazis - as Furr suggests - but being staggeringly ignorant, gullible and foolish is a pre-requisite for joining the tankie cult, so it's not surprising that some people do believe it.

 

However, in a very long blog post - titled "Debunking Grover Furr's Katyń Screed" - the HC folks demonstrate conclusively that Furr's claims about Katyń are completely bogus, as well as demonstrating that Furr is an incompetent researcher and a highly dishonest one.

 

holocaustcontroversies.blogspot.com/2023/02/debunking-gro...

 

As deniers of Hitler's crimes and deniers of Stalin's crimes both have the same kind of conspiratorial mindset, this should also not be a surprise to anyone. But it's great that the Holocaust Controversies blog went to the trouble of going through Furr's entire book about Katyń with their usual meticulous attention to detail, in order to demolish it point by point.

 

Quick summary....

 

- Furr pretends that the evidence implicating the NKVD which he mentions is all fake, and that all the other evidence (which he fails to mention) doesn't exist.

 

- He focuses on a few apparent anomalies in one of the hundreds of books and other studies about the Katyń massacre and pretends that this somehow disproves the whole thing.

 

- He also misrepresents the "discoveries" in the title, as well as making a lot of wrong assumptions based on his predetermined conclusion that the NKVD couldn't possibly be responsible.

 

The HC folks also posted their debunking in the r/DebateCommunism subreddit to see what kind of response they'd get. Not surprisingly, the post was quickly removed by the moderators (after one or two replies that were predictably lame and didn't include a single counter-argument)....

 

www.reddit.com/r/DebateCommunism/comments/11387dy/grover_...

Carte de visite by N.A. and R.A. Moore of Hartford, Conn. By the time the Civil War began, the man pictured here, Henry Eugene Burton, had committed himself heart and soul to the party of Abraham Lincoln and the cause of human rights. Gene, as he was known to his family and friends in Hartford, Connecticut, did not join the army until late 1863, when he reported to the Union base at Folly Island, South Carolina, with a second lieutenant’s commission in the newly formed 1st Regiment North Carolina Colored Volunteers, which mustered into federal service as the 35th U.S. Colored Infantry.

 

The first engagement in which he and his men participated was the February 1864 Battle of Olustee in Florida, a loss for the Federals. Burton suffered a severe wound to his leg in the thick of the fray. He told a newspaper correspondent the story of the fight, telling the journalist “of the fierce rage that gripped him as he saw his ego soldiers falling around him; of how he faced the enemy with a ‘damn you, you have killed my men! Kill me, too!’”

 

Burton’s wound ended his combat career. He returned to active duty as an aide-de-camp to Maj. Gen. David Bell Birney, but eventually fell ill and resigned in February 1865.

 

Burton returned to his home in Hartford, Conn., and practiced law for many years. Active in the Grand Army of the Republic and a tireless campaigner for progressive causes, including anti-government corruption, good citizenship, and the state’s humane society, he was also a talented writer, contributing to the local newspaper, the Hartford Courant. Burton lived until 1904, dying at age 63. He outlived his wife, Mary, who died in 1886. A daughter survived him.

 

His legacy includes an essay he wrote on the occasion of Memorial Day 1894. Published in the Courant, Burton honors the plain, working-class men who fought for the Union—farmers, laborers, clerks—whose heroism was built on devotion, endurance, and love for family and country. Their service, marked by hardship, sacrifice, and quiet faith, is described as the nation’s chief glory.

 

I want to share it with you. Listen for a reference to Capt. Valentine B. Chamberlain of the 6th Connecticut Infantry, who was captured during the assault on Fort Wagner in July 1863—the same attack in which the 54th Massachusetts Infantry distinguished itself.

 

Burton’s essay is titled:

 

HATS OFF TODAY.

 

He begins:

 

Heroism has been truly said to be homely work in the doing. It is good and comforting to remember, on this day of memories, and to never forget that heroic work is mostly done by homely men, by men who are not rich, or famous, or great. The heroes of the Union were, in the phrase of Lincoln, of the plain people, as was he himself, the greatest of them all. They began their education in the common school, and frequently finished it there.

 

They were laborers and wayfarers like their fathers and like ourselves. They worked in the fields, in factories, in offices, and shops, for self-respect and for the respect of others and for wives, children and friends. They were glad at the weddings and sorry at the funerals of their neighborhoods. They had, and showed, a personal interest in politics, local and general. They went to town meetings and caucuses, voted at elections and stood by their candidates, in victory and in defeat, as later they stood by their guns. They were not perfect, all had their faults, and some the vices of their race and time. They had their private ambitions and disappointments, temptations and triumphs, like every man since Adam. And for joy or grief, and mostly in secret, of course, after the manner of men, they cried sometimes; how else could they have been heroes? A man who is never good for a cry is not good for a fight; his feelings cannot rise to the occasion and stay there. Mere intellect or mere courage or both together, never made a real man, much less a hero. Heroism is of the heart and so wins all hearts. It is tender with the love and dewy with the tears of all mankind. And so it was that our heroes loved their babies and their country and were ready to fight for both at the first flicker of a hostile flag.

 

Their work was homely in the doing; none but themselves could know how homely. It was homesickness, weariness and dirt, disease and death, from year's end to year's end. But for their cause, and their heroism in it, there was no debasing work. In that cause and with their devotion to it, their work was the chief glory of their country and century. Year by year, on land and sea, by night and day, through heat and winter wind, scourged by life and racked by death, they fought their starry way to happy peace.

 

And they builded better than they knew. Heroes always do that. They lived by faith, not by knowledge; and no man's faith was ever yet big enough to divine a hero's estate. Sometimes they die in the mid stress of their endeavor, knowing nothing of its results; sometimes they live to know a little of the reward of their sacrifices; but, however long they stay, they finally go hence, half knowing and half known, leaving an unclaimed heritage to unborn heirs.

 

The world does not pay its debt to its benefactors themselves, partly because it is not payable in material things, partly because only the slow ages can at all compute it, and partly because it is not altogether payable by mortals. These continents are not all the world, nor their living inhabitants all its people. Sadly doubting, as men may, of the undiscovered country, they, nevertheless, cannot doubt of the millions who forelived them, or think in their hearts that those millions are no more. From those millions come earth’s heroes, and to them, at last, return. What a welcome theirs must be! Perhaps one who remembers the return of our regiments in 1865 may guess something about it; but it can be quite revealed only to those who go home on their shields. This is the way in which so many of our boys went home a generation ago, and in that way, also, have gone many of their survivors. What a tear-blurred list those names would make today.

 

And, of all those names, none could be dearer than that of Captain Valentine B. Chamberlain. One year ago next month he died. Many of his comrades, with a multitude of his friends and neighbors, gathered around him in his funeral services. They saw and shared the griefs of the people, to whom he had come in his youth, a citizen soldier, and among whom he lived, as he died, a soldier citizen. They went with him to his final resting place, and, standing there, saw, near and far, around his grave, green mounds glorified by the flag he had followed over the parapet of Wagner, as though his comrades, long at rest, had roused to give him welcome. And into that gallant company, in the soft brightness of that June afternoon, with the sorrowing eyes of hundreds fixed upon him he disappeared forever. The flags that followed him there were sad with crape; but the flags that paved his coming were glad with sunlight. The comrades who stayed with him to the end turned homeward with the sunlit flags awave in their hearts, like Chamberlain’s good by to his friends and God-speed to his country. Happy in the number as in the character of his children, he will long survive in their loving memory, and will be born to honor and gratitude again and again, in the multiplying generations of his descendants.

 

How measureless the inheritance which our heroes leave to their children. They may add to their patrimony houses and lands and all the winged riches which fortune gives to labor; and all these things they may lose. They can but keep while life remains one thing which moth and rust cannot corrupt or thieves break through and steal, the priceless treasure of heroic blood. A man with Gettysburg in his veins is richer than the Indies, though the Indies drained the wealth of all the zones. Emerson was right:—

 

“A ruddy drop of manly blood

The surging sea outweighs.”

 

Our old soldiers know the truth. They have seen it in the service of heavy fights and the valley of the shadow of death. They have felt it in all the personal reverses, and civil turmoils of these last thirty years and they feel it more and more, as in faded blue, they face their fading west.

 

Hats off today, for the war of the Union marches past! Hats off to its old men and its old flag! Hats off to its flag lit by new flame, to its men, now forever young who fell at the front or died at their homes! Hats off to Liberty, sweet Mother of us all, who mourns among our dead her sons of many lands! None but the dead could name them all. But there are black men among them, who melted the chains of their people with the flame of their muskets. There are Native Americans there, who were worthy of their country and her crown of lyric death. There are Irishmen there, who illustrate anew their freedom-loving ancestry and the martial fame of their race. There are Scotchmen there, born of Bruce and Burns. There are Englishmen there, children of Shakespeare and Waterloo. There are Germans there, beloved heirs of fame and victory, who marched, hot foot, to the sound of our guns. There are Frenchmen there, sons of that race who, twice within a century, brought their valor of Marengo to our banners of the free.

 

Now that the battle roar dies away in the distance, what choral harmonies flood in from thirty years ago—pipes of the Scottish border, sounds of the English lanes, strains of the Marseillaise, songs of the fatherland, chants of the Emerald Isle, and, rising above all, like a soul let free, the roll of Appomattox drums chanting for the ages our litany of the knights.

 

I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

DATE: 01/07/2012

 

This waterfall is actually in the city of Sapporo called "Heiwa no Taki" Heiwa means Peace, Taki means waterfall.

The town which has this waterfall is called "Heiwa" and it is located at the west side of Sapporo.

Only 20mins drive from my apartment but never been there, so my wife and I decided to go there to check it out.

 

This waterfall is also famous for a haunted place since there is a cemetery close by, people committed suicide and some mysterious phenomenon. However we didn't feel any of that but good energy.

 

As you can see on the bottom left there are white feathers on the rocks and I wonder what happened there....

 

Well I hope everyone had/is having a great weekend!!

 

Camera Info: Nikon D300S | Tamron 17-50mm (f/2.8) @ 17mm | Kenko ND 400 Pro Filter | ISO 100 | 30.0s @ f/13 | Camera Mounted on Tripod | Lightroom 3

ATR-72 201(F)

Farnair Europe

Dublin 11/7/2014

30 years Committed To Quality

I've paid my dues

Time after time

I've done my sentence

But committed no crime

And bad mistakes

I've made a few

I've had my share of sand

Kicked in my face

But I've come through

And we mean to go on and on and on and on

We are the champions, my friends

And we'll keep on fighting till the end

We are the champions

We are the champions

No time for losers

'Cause we are the champions of the World

- We Are The Champions, Queen

 

HER

 

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Face Skin - Heaux

Body Skin - Velour

Skin Extras - Izzie's

Piercings - LeLutka & Little Fish

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Earrings - Garmonbozia

Tattoo - Macabra

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HIM

Look not disclosed per avatar request.

Often described as Britain's first supercar (a little late, Italy beat us to that like 5 years earlier!), but the Aston Martin V8 and the derivative Vantage helped keep the company afloat during those dark years of bankruptcy and recovery, even though it almost committed corporate suicide by developing the overly complicated Lagonda!

 

The original Aston Martin V8 was a coupé manufactured from 1969 to 1989, built to replace the Aston Martin DBS, a more angular car that killed off the DB6, and by extension the iconic design that had eminated through the James Bond DB5. As with all traditional Aston Martins, it was entirely handbuilt, with each car requiring 1,200 manhours to finish. Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger car. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the company released the DBS with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS V8. With the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8, now restyled and called simply the Aston Martin V8, became the company's mainstream car for nearly two decades. It was retired in favour of the Virage in 1989.

 

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the other hand took the original bodyshell of this 60's sports coupé, and completely re-engineered it to create something that was not of this earth! The first series had 375hp, and series specific details such as a blanked bonnet vent and a separate rear spoiler, of which 38 of these were built.

 

The Vantage name had previously been used on a number of high-performance versions of Aston Martin cars, but this was a separate model. Although based on the Aston Martin V8, numerous detail changes added up to a unique driving experience. One of the most noticeable features was the closed-off hood bulge rather than the open scoop found on the normal V8. The grille area was also closed off, with twin driving lights inserted and a spoiler added to the bootlid.

 

Upon its introduction in 1977, the car's incredible speed and power was taken up with acclaim, and, as mentioned, was dubbed 'Britain's first supercar', with a top speed of 170 mph top speed. Its engine was shared with the Lagonda, but it used high-performance camshafts, increased compression ratio, larger inlet valves and bigger carburettors mounted on new manifolds for increased output. Straight-line performance was the best of the day, with acceleration from 0–60 mph in 5.3 seconds, one-tenth of a second quicker than the Ferrari Daytona.

 

The Oscar India version, introduced in late 1978, featured an integrated tea-tray spoiler and smoother bonnet bulge. Inside, a black leather-covered dash replaced the previous walnut. The wooden dashboard did find its way back into the Vantage during the eighties, giving a more luxurious appearance. The Oscar India version also received a slight increase in power, to 390hp. This line was produced, with some running changes, until 1989. From 1986 the engine had 403hp.

 

1986 saw the introduction of X-Pack was a further upgrade, with Cosworth pistons and Nimrod racing-type heads producing 403hp. A big bore after-market option was also available from Works Service, with 50mm carbs and straight-through exhaust system giving 432hp, the same engine as fitted to the limited-edition V8 Zagato. 16-inch wheels were also now fitted. A 450hp 6.3L version was also available from Aston Martin, and independent manufacturers offered a 7L version just to up the ante.

 

In 1986, the Vantage had its roof cut off into what would become the convertible Vantage Volante, basically identical. In 1987 The Prince of Wales took delivery of a Vantage Volante, but at his request without the production car's wider wheelarches, front air dam and side skirts. This became known as the 'Prince of Wales Spec' (or POW) and around another 26 such cars were built by the factory.

 

The Prince was obviously very specific about his motorcars!

 

304 Series 2 Vantage coupés were built, including 131 X-Packs and 192 Volantes. Volante's are often considered the most desirable of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage range. In all, 534 V8 Vantages were constructed during its 12 year production run, with the car being replaced in 1989 by the Aston Martin Virage, as well as a new generation V8 Vantage which remained somewhat faithful to the original design of the 60's (if not a little more bulky) and was the last Aston Martin design to incorporate a traditional style before changing to the style laid down by the DB7 in 1993.

 

However, the Vantage did find its way into movie fame as the first Aston Martin used in a James Bond movie since the DBS used in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. In 1987's 'The Living Daylights' (the first film to star Timothy Dalton as 007), Bond was treated to Q-Branch's Aston Martin V8 Vantage, complete with missiles, lasers to separate pesky Lada's from their chassis, and a heads-up display to assist in warding off evildoers. It also came with a 'Winter Pack', which included skis, a rocket propulsion and spiked tyres for better grip. The car however met an unfortunate demise after getting stuck in a snowdrift, forcing Bond to activate the self-destruct, engulfing the car in a fiery explosion. But at least everyone's favourite secret agent had finally been reunited with his faithful Aston Martin once again!

 

There is some slight incongruity with the film though, as at the beginning of the movie, the car is a convertible Volante, yet for the rest of the movie it's a hardtop regular Vantage. This confused me somewhat, or perhaps whilst Bond had the car shipped he had a roof welded on in the meantime!

 

Today there are a fair number of Vantages roaming the countryside, their popular design, pedigree Bond Car status and sheer raw power keeping them truly afloat. In fact, these cars are much more prominent than the Virage that replaced it, of which you barely see any!

Carte de visite of Hiram B. Banks by Miller of Boston, Mass. They were three brothers committed to fighting for Union and freedom. All were sons of a hard-working textile mill foreman who toiled for a better life for his family. The oldest son, Nathaniel, worked in the mills as a bobbin boy and eventually became a state governor. The next in line, Gardner, raised a company and rose to command a regiment. The third and youngest, the subject of this sketch, was Hiram, who poured his heart and soul into the war—and did not live to see the end. He is pictured here.

 

These were the Banks brothers of Massachusetts. Nathaniel Prentice Banks (1816-1894), the most successful of the trio, was one of President Abraham Lincoln's political generals. Though untrained in the military arts, Nathaniel excelled in making government work. His lackluster performance as a general overshadowed his stellar career as Massachusetts governor and in the U.S. Congress, not to mention his very American rags to riches story.

 

Gardner Banks (1830-1871) started his war service in the 16th Massachusetts Infantry as captain of Company H and ended his service as colonel in September 1863 when he was forced to resign due to disability.

 

Gardner commanded the regiment at the Second Battle of Bull Run on Aug. 29, 1862. His brother Hiram, a second lieutenant in Company K, was standing by his side during the thick of the action when a bullet struck. Hiram was dead at about age 29.

 

A memorial in the Boston Post on Sept. 4, 1862, paid a tribute to Hiram's memory:

 

Lieut. Hiram B. Banks, of the Mass. 16th, reported killed in one of the last engagements, was a young man of fine abilities, and possessed of firm and inflexible principles. In a letter written to an intimate friend but a few days previous to his death, when reviewing the horrors of this war, and the many trials and severe labors which the soldier is compelled to undergo, he stated that so long as his life was spared, and this war should continue, he would be found fighting for the cause he was engaged in. In a previous letter to the same friend in answer to some enquiries about his opinion regarding certain movements, and affecting his superior officers, he said he felt it was his only duty to obey his orders, and beyond that he could not pretend to say. Peace to his ashes. A noble soul has gone to rest, and many a silent tear will be shed to his memory by those who knew him as well as did the writer of this article.

 

W.

 

Researching the life and military service of this soldier is currently in progress. If you have any information to share, including letters, journals, and other personal and public documents, please contact me.

 

I encourage you to use this image for educational purposes only. However, please ask for permission.

WEEK 32.2 – Oakland Kroger, Pre-Remodel (II)

 

The wall directly next to the pharmacy in the former Hernando millennium Kroger once housed a very nice, large display of elementary schoolers' hand-painted tiles, beneath the caption “Committed to Excellence” and the emblem of DeSoto County Schools. Here in Oakland, we find a similar “Committed to Education” display, again featuring the local school district's emblem, this time placed alongside a collection of images of various school events (including one that appears to be a ribbon cutting!).

 

As you can tell, those five images have sadly faded quite a considerable amount since this store's opening in 2003, but I guess that's to be expected after 15 years' time. (Thankfully the rest of the décor aged much better, lol!) This display was removed with the remodel, I'm sure... but it was nice while it was here.

 

(c) 2018 Retail Retell

These places are public so these photos are too, but just as I tell where they came from, I'd appreciate if you'd say who :)

rimini, shooting with my friend buttha

 

explore, july 13 2010 #217

 

---- a young devotee committed to set up the lateral altar ----

 

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the slideshow

    

Qi Bo's photos on Flickriver

    

Qi Bo's photos on FlickeFlu

    

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This is a long-short report on the feast of the Three Brothers Martyrs Saints Alfio, Filadelfo and Cirino, that the town of Saint Alfio (Sicily) is dedicating the first Sunday in May to its Three Patron Saints.

On Sunday the Feast is celebrated at 10.00 with a sung Mass in the Mother Church, at 15:00 preparations begin to go down the statues of the Saints on float. At 16.00 the float looks out from the main door of the Mother Church where starts a joyful sound of bells toghether a spectacular shoot of bombs and a spontaneous chorus of faithfuls who perform the anthem of the Three Saints, the famous "Sung".

Subsequently, the float travels the streets of the town of Saint Alfio, accompanied in procession from the large crowd of faithful, to return to the mother church.

    

LENS TEST: RICOH Rikenon P 28mm f2.8

 

Restitution of the sacred objects to the shrine: details of the objects to be committed to the fire (a strap in the shape of a school backpack... probably of a student). Higusa Hachimangu, Tokyo, Japan. © Michele Marcolin, 2021.

 

LENS MANIA: RICOH Rikenon P 28mm f2.8

 

Another lens I rescued for peanuts from the auction junkyard almost by chance. It turned out to be a relatively rare early version.

 

The genealogical tree of this series is not yet fully clear, because there were multiple models with more or less evident differences of components or also makers (Cosina, Tomioka, etc.); or even differences of general design that not always had reflection in the names (such as for ex. “Auto P Rikenon”, “XR Rikenon” “MACRO”, etc.). However in the case of this “Rikenon P 28mm f2.8” it seems there were three main production variants that can generally be identified as follows.

 

• Early model: lens barrel and distance ring made of metal; value ring and aperture ring made of plastic; green circle on aperture-stop button; counterclockwise helicoid direction (infinity mark on the right); "P" in lens name plate is white; shortest shooting distance of 30 cm.

 

• Model-I: all plastic; clockwise helicoid direction (infinity mark on the left); "P" in lens name plate is green; shortest shooting distance of 25 cm.

 

• Model-II: all plastic; clockwise helicoid direction (infinity mark on the left); "MACRO" and "P" in lens name plate is green; macro function; shortest shooting distance is 25 cm.

 

The lens reviewed here is the first of them, which among all is the only one that was made by Tomioka. It was introduced in 1984, when Tomioka Optics had already been absorbed by Yashica (1968), which in turn became a subsidiary of Kyocera (1983) after its bankruptcy. Sources suggest that this lens could have been one of the last jobs of Tomioka Optics.

 

It is very compact and light, but with a good feel and easy handling: the helicoid is quite sensitive and with a short run, therefore focusing requires some attention. Relatively solid despite the plastic-oriented production standards starting in those years. Reliable and relatively good for any situation as an all-rounder tool. I am using it on K1 and despite having its age, it produces very appealing and up-to-today standard-needs images. Its short min. focus distance makes it ideal for small objects and details shots, as well as for environmental and street snaps.

 

It has some vignette wide open, but nothing much noticeable. It is quite sharp, with good definition, an interesting mae-bokeh and a background bokeh which I do not find bad as other reviewers described. It does not have a specific color cast, even if I'd say it displays the typical Rikenon 'gray' tone of those year productions (I noticed it on the 45mm f2.8, the 50mm f2, the 50mm f1.7). Shadows tend to achieve a cyano-violet tone in unsuitable contrast situations, with suppression of yellows (I guess as a result of the coating). The only negative thing I can find in it is visible barrel distortion, when you use it on straight architectural lines. Nothing tragic, but keep in mind it will show up.

 

The lens does not seem to have cemented elements inside, so if you find one with fog or mold, chances are you will be able to clean it up and bring it back to use.