"-Singer-Songwriter, Katy Perry, and Kathleen Checki of Simply Consistent Management."

 

"-The New Chanel Boutique Opening and Charity Event,hosted by SIMPLY CONSISTENT INC. and Kathleen Checki."

www.simplyconsistent.com/artist-management

www.simplyconsistent.com/

"-Kathleen Checki."

"-Checki."

"-Simply Consistent."

"-Simply Consistent Management."

"-Katy Perry and Kathleen Checki."

"-Chanel Boutique."

   

Shot for Iron Photographer 348

 

1 - Objects of somewhat consistent shapes

2 - Arranged in rows/columns

3 - B&W

Air China has undergone a lot of changes to its schedule between London Heathrow and Beijing, what has consistently been twice daily since the Winter 2014 changes... The airline within the past two and a half years has continued to alter capacity between the Summer and Winter timetable for its 2 daily flights.

Let's begin with the Winter 2016/2017 schedule... For the past couple of years, Air China has utilised Boeing 777-300ER's on CA937/938 and Airbus A330-200's on CA855/856. However; since 15th January 2017, Air China has commonly placed Airbus A330-200's on both daily flights instead of the mixture of Boeing 777-300ER's and Airbus A330-200's during the Winter schedule.

From 27th March 2017, when the Summer 2017 comes into action, Boeing 777-300ER's should return back onto CA937/938 following a brief hiatus. The original plan from 15th July 2017 was to place Boeing 777-300ER's on CA855/856 what has been a long-standing Airbus A330 route, however that plan has since been scrapped with the second daily flight planned to go back to Airbus A330-300's from 8th July 2017. Boeing 777-300ER's will remain on CA937/938.

Currently, Air China operates a fleet of 29 Boeing 777's which includes 6 Boeing 777-200's (one currently in long-term storage) and 23 Boeing 777-300ER's with 3 more on-order.

Two Zero Four Six is one of 23 Boeing 777-300ER's in service with Air China, delivered new to the flag-carrier in January 2014 and she is powered by 2 General Electric GE90-115B engines.

Boeing 777-39L/ER B-2046 on final approach into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on CA937 from Beijing-Capital (PEK).

Being fairly new to narrowband, I have been curious to go through the palette options. Here the NB data and processing remained consistent, the central image additionally including Lum data from the apo and RGB from the 6" newt. Its rather interesting how each palette brings out different detail.

 

A couple were so close as to almost the same, at least with the data I had, both in color and detail so were omitted.

 

The full file is over 1GB, here downsized quite a bit. The palettes are labeled, although until shown at a larger size the font may be too small to read. Acquisition dates may be a bit off.

 

Palettes:

 

OSS .. OSH .. HOS

HSO .. LRGB-HSO .. HSS

SOH .. SHO .. HOO

  

Equipment

Imaging Telescopes Or Lenses

Astro-Tech AT66ED · Star Instruments Rich Field 6"

Imaging Cameras

Canon EOS 500D / Rebel T1i / Kiss X3 (modified) · QHYCCD QHY163C · QHYCCD QHY163M

Mounts

Celestron Omni CG-4 · Meade LX70

Filters

Astronomik H-alpha CCD 12nm 2" · Optolong SII 6.5nm 2" · SVBony OIII 7nm 2"

Software

Adobe Photoshop · Aries Productions Astro Pixel Processor (APP) · Astroberry Project Astroberry Server · Open PHD Guiding Project PHD2 · Stefan Berg Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy (N.I.N.A. / NINA)

  

Acquisition details

Dates:

Aug. 5, 2021 · Aug. 8, 2022 · Aug. 9, 2022 · Aug. 10, 2022 · Oct. 1, 2022

Frames:

130×120″(4h 20′)

68×180″(3h 24′)

Astronomik H-alpha CCD 12nm 2": 155×120″(5h 10′)

Optolong SII 6.5nm 2": 166×120″(5h 32′)

SVBony OIII 7nm 2": 166×120″(5h 32′)

Integration:

23h 58′

Darks:

100

Bias:

100

Avg. Moon age:

13.56 days

Avg. Moon phase:

62.33%

Basic astrometry details

Astrometry.net job: 6389771

 

RA center: 02h28m16s.8

 

DEC center: +57°59′24″

 

Orientation: 342.981 degrees

 

Find images in the same area

Resolution: 4375x5314

 

File size: 33.3 MB

 

Data source: Backyard

11-Jan-2021: 1. Frivillig barnlöshet by Kristina Engwall & Helen Peterson (editors)

Fave! Swedish book about childfree people. :)

 

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26-Jan-2021: 2. A promised land by Barack Obama

Fave!

 

"My staff's biggest fear was that I'd make a 'gaffe,' the expression used by the press to describe any maladroit phrase by the candidate that reveals ignorance, carelessness, fuzzy thinking, insensitivity, malice, boorishness, falsehood, or hypocrisy – or is simply deemed to veer sufficiently far from conventional wisdom to make said candidate vulnerable to attack. By this definition, most humans will commit five to ten gaffes a day, each of us counting on the forbearance and goodwill of our family, coworkers, and friends to fill in the blanks, catch our drift, and generally assume the best rather than the worst in us."

 

"Hearing about what had happened to [Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.], I had found myself almost involuntarily conducting a quick inventory of my own experiences. The multiple occasions when I'd been asked for my student ID while walking to the library on Columbia's campus, something that never seemed to happen to my white classmates. The unmerited traffic stops while visiting certain 'nice' Chicago neighborhoods. Being followed around by department store security guards while doing my Christmas shopping. The sound of car locks clicking as I walked across a street, dressed in a suit and tie, in the middle of the day.

Moments like these were routine among Black friends, acquaintances, guys in the barbershop. If you were poor, or working-class, or lived in a rough neighborhood, or didn't properly signify being a respectable Negro, the stories were usually worse. For just about ever Black man in the country, and every woman who loved a Black man, and every parent of a Black boy, it was not a matter of paranoia or 'playing the race card' or disrespecting law enforcement to conclude that whatever else had happened that day in Cambridge, this much was almost certainly true: A wealthy, famous, five-foot-six, 140-pound, fifty-eight-year-old white Harvard professor who walked with a cane because of a childhood leg injury would not have been handcuffed and taken down to the station merely for being rude to a cop who'd forced him to produce some form of identification while standing on his own damn property."

 

"Around six in the morning on October 9, 2009, the White House operator jolted me from sleep to say that Robert Gibbs was on the line. Calls that early from my staff were rare, and my heart froze. Was it a terrorist attack? A natural disaster?

'You were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,' Gibbs said.

'What do you mean?'

'They just announced it a few minutes ago.'

'For what?'

Gibbs tactfully ignored the question. Favs would be waiting outside the Oval to work with me on whatever statement I wanted to make, he said. After I hung up, Michelle asked what the call was about.

'I'm getting the Nobel Peace Prize.'

'That's wonderful, honey,' she said, then rolled over to get a little more shut-eye.

An hour and a half later, Malia and Sasha stopped by the dining room as I was having breakfast. 'Great news, Daddy,' Malia said, hitching her backpack over her shoulders. 'You won the Nobel Prize . . . and it's Bo's birthday!'"

 

"Reading the transcript [from a Deepwater Horizon press conference] now, a decade later, I'm struck by how calm and cogent I sound. Maybe I'm surprised because the transcript doesn't register what I remember feeling at the time or come close to capturing what I really wanted to say before the assembled White House press corps:

That MMS wasn't fully equipped to do its job, in large part because for the past thirty years a big chunk of American voters had bought into the Republican idea that government was the problem and that business always knew better, and had elected leaders who made it their mission to gut environmental regulations, starve agency budgets, denigrate civil servants, and allow industrial polluters to do whatever the hell they wanted to do.

That the government didn't have better technology than BP did to quickly plug the hole because it would be expensive to have such technology on hand, and we Americans didn't like paying higher taxes – especially when it was to prepare for problems that hadn't happened yet.

That it was hard to take seriously any criticism from a character like Bobby Jindal, who'd done Big Oil's bidding throughout his career and would go on to support an oil industry lawsuit trying to get a federal court to lift our temporary drilling moratorium; and that if he and other Gulf-elected officials were truly concerned about the well-being of their constituents, they'd be urging their party to stop denying the effects of climate change, since it was precisely the people of the Gulf who were the most likely to lose their homes or jobs as a result of rising global temperatures.

And that the only way to truly guarantee that we didn't have another catastrophic oil spill in the future was to stop drilling entirely; but that wasn't going to happen because at the end of the day we Americans loved our cheap gas and big cars more than we cared about the environment, except when a complete disaster was staring us in the face; and in the absence of such a disaster, the media rarely covered efforts to shift America off fossil fuels or pass climate legislation, since actually educating the public on long-term energy policy would be boring and bad for ratings; and the one thing I could be certain of was that for all the outrage being expressed at the moment about wetlands and sea turtles and pelicans, what the majority of us were really interested in was having the problem go away, for me to clean up yet one more mess decades in the making with some quick and easy fix, so that we could all go back to our carbon-spewing, energy-wasting ways without having to feel guilty about it."

 

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8-May-2021: 3. Unweaving the rainbow by Richard Dawkins

Fave! And a re-read. Only my favourite book of all time, and Dawkins is my fave writer. :O

 

"Imagine a spaceship full of sleeping explorers, deep-frozen would-be colonists of some distant world. Perhaps the ship is on a forlorn mission to save the species before an unstoppable comet, like the one that killed the dinosaurs, hits the home planet. The voyagers go into the deep-freeze soberly reckoning the odds against their spaceship's ever chancing upon a planet friendly to life. If one in a million planets is suitable at best, and it takes centuries to travel from each star to the next, the spaceship is pathetically unlikely to find a tolerable, let alone safe, haven for its sleeping cargo.

But imagine that the ship's robot pilot turns out to be unthinkably lucky. After millions of years the ship does find a planet capable of sustaining life: a planet of equable temperature, bathed in warm starshine, refreshed by oxygen and water. The passengers, Rip van Winkles, wake stumbling into the light. After a million years of sleep, here is a whole new fertile globe, a lush planet of warm pastures, sparkling streams and waterfalls, a world bountiful with creatures, darting through alien green felicity. Our travellers walk entranced, stupefied, unable to believe their unaccustomed senses or their luck.

As I said, the story asks for too much luck; it would never happen. And yet, isn't that what has happened to each one of us? We have woken after hundreds of millions of years asleep, defying astronomical odds. Admittedly we didn't arrive by spaceship, we arrived by being born, and we didn't burst conscious into the world but accumulated awareness gradually through babyhood. The fact that we slowly apprehend our world, rather than suddenly discover it, should not subtract from its wonder.

Of course I am playing tricks with the idea of luck, putting the cart before the horse. It is no accident that our kind of life finds itself on a planet whose temperature, rainfall and everything else are exactly right. If the planet were suitable for another kind of life, it is that other kind of life that would have evolved here. But we as individuals are still hugely blessed. Privileged, and not just privileged to enjoy our planet. More, we are granted the opportunity to understand why our eyes are open, and why they see what they do, in the short time before they close for ever. /.../

After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with colour, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn't it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it? This is how I answer when I am asked -- as I am surprisingly often -- why I bother to get up in the mornings. To put it the other way round, isn't it sad to go to your grave without ever wondering why you were born? Who, with such a thought, would not spring from bed, eager to resume discovering the world and rejoicing to be a part of it?"

 

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30-May-2021: 4. Do no harm: Stories of life, death, and brain surgery by Henry Marsh

Fave!

 

"Sometimes I discuss with my neurosurgical colleagues what we would do if we – as neurosurgeons and without any illusions about how little treatment achieves – were diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour. I usually say that I hope that I would commit suicide but you never know for certain what you will decide until it happens."

 

"'He might recover.'

'Oh come off it! With both his frontal lobes smashed up like that? He hasn't got a hope in hell. If we operate to deal with the bleeding he might just survive but he'll be left hopelessly disabled, without language and probably with horrible personality change as well. If we don't operate he'll die quickly and peacefully.'

'Well, the family will want something done. It's their choice,' she replied.

I told her that what the family wanted would be entirely determined by what she said to them. If she said 'we can operate and remove the damaged brain and he may just survive' they were bound to say that we should operate. If, instead, she said 'If we operate there is no realistic chance of his getting back to an independent life. He will be left profoundly disabled. Would he want to survive like that?' the family would probably give an entirely different answer. What she was really asking them with the first question was 'Do you love him enough to look after him when he is disabled?' and by saying this she was not giving them any choice. In cases like this we often end up operating because it's easier than being honest and it means that we can avoid a painful conversation. You might think the operation has been a success because the patient leaves the hospital alive but if you saw them years later – as I often do – you would realize that the result of the operation was a human disaster."

 

"With slowly progressing cancers it can be very difficult to know when to stop. The patients and their families become unrealistic and start to think that they can go on being treated forever, that the end will never come, that death can be forever postponed. They cling to life. I told the meeting about a similar problem some years ago of a three-year-old child, an only child from IVF treatment. I had operated for a malignant ependymoma and he was fine, and had radiotherapy afterwards. When it recurred – which ependymomas always do – two years later, I operated again and it recurred again, deep in the brain, soon afterwards. I refused to operate another time – it seemed pointless. The conversation with his parents was terrible: they wouldn't accept what I said and they found a neurosurgeon elsewhere who operated three times over the next year and the boy still died. His parents then tried to sue me for negligence. It was one of the reasons I stopped doing paediatrics. Love, I reminded my trainees, can be very selfish."

 

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5-Jun-2021: 5. We are the weather: Saving the planet begins at breakfast by Jonathan Safran Foer

Fave!

 

"We cannot keep the kinds of meals we have known and also keep the planet we have known. We must either let some eating habits go or let the planet go. It is that straightforward, that fraught."

 

"It is true that a healthy traditional diet is more expensive than an unhealthy one – about $550 more expensive over the course of a year. And everyone should, as a right, have access to affordable, healthy food. But a healthy vegetarian diet is, on average, about $750 less expensive per year than a healthy meat-based diet. (For perspective, the median income of a full-time American worker is $31,099.) In other words, it is about $200 cheaper per year to eat a healthy vegetarian diet than an unhealthy traditional diet. Not to mention the money saved by preventing diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer – all associated with the consumption of animal products. So, no, it is not elitist to suggest that a cheaper, healthier, more environmentally sustainable diet is better. But what does strike me as elitist? When someone uses the existence of people without access to healthy food as an excuse not to change, rather than as a motivation to help those people."

 

"And we have to acknowledge that change is inevitable. We can choose to make changes, or we can be subject to other changes – mass migration, disease, armed conflict, a greatly diminished quality of life – but there is no future without change. The luxury of choosing which changes we prefer has an expiration date."

 

"We view the actions of civilians during World War II from the vantage of having won the war. Winning required the ravaging of lives, landscapes, and cultures. Perhaps we look back at those blacked-out houses with admiration, but more likely, we look back and think, It was the least they could do.

What if those who came before us had refused to make home-front efforts, and we had lost the war? What if the costs were not extreme, but total? Not eighty million, but two hundred million or more? Not the occupation of Europe, but the domination of the world? Not a Holocaust, but an extinction? If we existed at all, we would look back at a collective unwillingness to sacrifice as an atrocity commensurate with the war itself."

 

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20-Jun-2021: 6. Outgrowing God: A beginner's guide by Richard Dawkins

Fave!

 

"We tend to think the United States is an advanced, well-educated country. And so it is, in part. Yet it is an astonishing fact that nearly half the people in that great country believe literally in the story of Adam and Eve. Luckily the other half is there too, and they have made the United States the greatest scientific power in the history of the world. You have to wonder how much further ahead they would be if they weren't held back by the scientifically ignorant half who believe every word of the Bible is literally true."

 

"What do you think of people who threaten children with eternal fire after they are dead? In this book I don't normally give my own answers to such questions. But I can't help making an exception here. I'd say those people are lucky there is no such place as hell, because I can't think of anybody who more richly deserves to go there."

 

"If God made the cheetah, he evidently put a lot of effort into designing a superb killer: fast, fierce, keen-eyed, with sharp claws and teeth, and with a brain dedicated to ruthlessly killing gazelles. But the same God put an equal amount of effort into making the gazelle. At the same time as he designed the cheetah to kill gazelles, he was busy designing the gazelle to be expert at escaping from cheetahs. He made both fast, so each could thwart the speed of the other. You can't help wondering, whose side is God on? He seems to be piling on the agony for both. Does he enjoy the spectator sport? Wouldn't it be horrible to think that God enjoys watching a terrified gazelle running for its life, then being knocked over and throttled by a cheetah gripping its throat so tightly that it can't breathe? Or that he likes watching a cheetah that fails to kill starve slowly to death, along with its pathetically whimpering cubs?"

 

"In 2014, a teenager was caught on camera urinating into a reservoir in America. The local water authority therefore took the decision to drain the reservoir and clean it at an estimated cost of $36,000. The volume of water drained was about 140 million litres. The volume of urine was perhaps about a tenth of a litre. So the ratio of urine to water in the reservoir was less than one part in a billion. There were dead birds and debris in the reservoir, and presumably plenty of animals had urinated into it without anyone noticing. But such was the 'yuck' reaction many people felt, the fact that a single human was known to have peed in the reservoir was enough to get it drained and cleaned. Is that sensible? What would you have done if you were in charge of the reservoir?

Every time you drink a glass of water, there's a high chance you'll drink at least one molecule that passed through the bladder of Julius Caesar."

 

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17-Jul-2021: 7. White Fang by Jack London

 

"To man has been given the grief, often, of seeing his gods overthrown and his altars crumbling; but to the wolf and the wild dog that have come in to crouch at man's feet, this grief has never come. Unlike man, whose gods are of the unseen and the overguessed, vapors and mists of fancy eluding the garmenture of reality, wandering wraiths of desired goodness and power, intangible outcroppings of self into the realm of spirit – unlike man, the wolf and the wild dog that have come into their fire find the gods in the living flesh, solid to the touch, occupying earth-space and requiring time for the accomplishment of their ends and their existence. No effort of faith is necessary to believe in such a god; no effort of will can possibly induce disbelief in such a god. There is no getting away from it. There it stands, on its two hindlegs, club in hand, immensely potential, passionate and wrathful and loving, god and mystery and power all wrapped up and around by flesh that bleeds when it is torn and that is good to eat like any flesh."

 

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23-Jul-2021: 8. What happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton

Fave!

 

"In short, I thought I'd be a damn good President.

Still, I never stopped getting asked, 'Why do you want to be President? Why? But, really – why?' The implication was that there must be something else going on, some dark ambition and craving for power. Nobody psychoanalyzed Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, or Bernie Sanders about why they ran. It was just accepted as normal. But for me, it was regarded as inevitable – people assumed I'd run no matter what – yet somehow abnormal, demanding a profound explanation."

 

"For years, GOP leaders had stoked the public's fears and disappointments. They were willing to sabotage the government in order to block President Obama's agenda. For them, dysfunction wasn't a bug, it was a feature. They knew that the worse Washington looked, the more voters would reject the idea that government could ever be an effective force for progress. They could stop most good things from happening and then be rewarded because nothing good was happening. When something good did happen, such as expanding health care, they would focus on tearing it down, rather than making it better. With many of their voters getting their news from partisan sources, they had found a way to be consistently rewarded for creating the gridlock voters say they hate."

 

"In my experience, the balancing act women in politics have to master is challenging at every level, but it gets worse the higher you rise. If we're too tough, we're unlikable. If we're too soft, we're not cut out for the big leagues. If we work too hard, we're neglecting our families. If we put family first, we're not serious about the work. If we have a career but no children, there's something wrong with us, and vice versa. If we want to compete for a higher office, we're too ambitious. Can't we just be happy with what we have? Can't we leave the higher rungs on the ladder for men?

Think how often you've heard these words used about women who lead: angry, strident, feisty, difficult, irritable, bossy, brassy, emotional, abrasive, high-maintenance, ambitious (a word that I think of as neutral, even admirable, but clearly isn't for a lot of people)."

 

"Of the sixty-eight women who signed the Declaration of Sentiments in 1848, only one lived to see the Nineteenth Amendment ratified. Her name was Charlotte Woodward, and she thanked God for the progress she had witnessed in her lifetime.

In 1848, Charlotte was a nineteen-year-old glove maker living in the small town of Waterloo, New York. She would sit and sew for hours every day, working for meager wages with no hope of ever getting an education or owning property. Charlotte knew that if she married, she, any children she might have, and all her wordly possessions would belong to her husband. She would never be a full and equal citizen, never vote, certainly never run for office. One hot summer day, Charlotte heard about a women's rights conference in a nearby town. She ran from house to house, sharing the news. Some of her friends were as excited as she was. Others were amused or dismissive. A few agreed to go with her to see it for themselves. They left early on the morning of July 19 in a wagon drawn by farm horses. At first, the road was empty, and they wondered if no one else was coming. At the next crossroads, there were wagons and carriages, and then more appeared, all headed to Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls. Charlotte and her friends joined the procession, heading toward a future they could only dream of.

Charlotte Woodward was more than ninety years old when she finally gained the right to vote, but she got there. My mother had just been born and lived long enough to vote for her daughter to be President.

I plan to live long enough to see a woman win."

 

"As Stephen Colbert once joked, 'reality has a well-known liberal bias.'"

 

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11-Sep-2021: 9. The hipster handbook by Robert Lanham

 

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19-Sep-2021: 10. Mannen som ordnade naturen: En biografi över Carl von Linné by Gunnar Broberg

Swedish bio of Carl Linnaeus.

 

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31-Oct-2021: 11. Until the end of time: Mind, matter, and our search for meaning in an evolving universe by Brian Greene

Fave! Brian is my 4th fave writer, the most pedagogical person in the world, and THE GREATEST MINDFUCKER I have ever read. :'D

 

"… A star that's twenty times the mass of the sun will spend its first eight million years fusing hydrogen into helium, then devote its next million years to fusing helium into carbon and oxygen. From there, with its core temperature getting ever higher, the conveyor belt continually revs up: it takes about a thousand years for the star to burn its storehouse of carbon, fusing it into sodium and neon; over the next six months, further fusion produces magnesium; within a month more sulfur and silicon; and then in a mere ten days fusion burns the remaining atoms, producing iron."

 

"The functions that keep a typical cell alive for just a single second require the energy stored in about ten million ATP molecules. Your body contains tens of trillions of cells, which means that every second you consume on the order of one hundred million trillion (10^20) ATP molecules."

 

"I have encountered many people /.../ who feel that any attempt to subsume consciousness within the physical description of the world belittles our most precious quality. People who suggest that the physicalist program is the hamfisted approach of scientists blinded by materialism and unaware of the true wonders of conscious experience. Of course, no one knows how all this will play out. Perhaps a hundred or a thousand years from now the physicalist program will look naïve. I doubt it. But in acknowledging this possibility, it is also important to counter the presumption that by delineating a physical basis for consciousness we devalue it. That the mind can do all it does is extraordinary. That the mind may accomplish all it does with nothing more than the kinds of ingredients and types of forces holding together my coffee cup makes it more extraordinary still. Consciousness would be demystified without being diminished."

 

"Let's focus on earth and imagine that another star wanders by. Depending on the interloper's mass and trajectory, its gravitational pull may only mildly perturb earth's motion. A lightweight intruder that keeps a good distance won't wreak havoc. But the gravitational pull of a more massive star that passes closer could easily rip earth from its orbit, sending it hurtling across the solar system and heading into deep space. And what's true for earth is true for most other planets orbiting most other stars in most other galaxies. As we climb up the timeline, more and more planets will be flung into space by the disruptive gravitational pull of wayward stars. Indeed, although extremely unlikely, the earth could suffer this fate before the sun burns out.

Were this to happen, earth's ever-larger distance from the sun would cause its temperature to fall continually. Upper layers of the world's oceans would freeze, as would whatever else is left on the surface. Atmospheric gases, predominantly nitrogen and oxygen, would liquefy and drip from the skies. Could life survive? On earth's surface, that would be a tall order. But as we have seen, life thrives and indeed may have originated in dark thermal vents dotting the ocean floor. Sunlight can't penetrate anywhere near such depths, and so the vents will hardly be affected by the sun's absence. Instead, a substantial part of the energy powering the vents comes from diffuse but continual nuclear reactions. Earth's interior contains a storehouse of radioactive elements (mostly thorium, uranium, and potassium), and as these unstable atoms decay they emit a stream of energetic particles that heat the surroundings. So whether or not earth enjoys the warmth generated by nuclear fusion in the sun, it will continue to enjoy the warmth generated by nuclear fission in its interior. Were earth to be ejected from the solar system, it is possible that life on the ocean floor would carry on for billions of years as if nothing had happened."

Me in margin: :)

Me in margin: "DISASTER MOVIE!!!"

 

"… In forming a black hole, the larger the mass, the less that mass needs to be crushed. To build a black hole like the one in the center of the Milky Way, whose mass is about four million times that of the sun, you need matter whose density is about one hundred times that of lead, so you've still got some serious crushing ahead of you. To build one with mass one hundred million times that of the sun, the necessary density drops all the way to that of water. And to build one that's four billion times the mass of the sun, the density you need is on par with that of the air you're now breathing. Gather together four billion times the mass of the sun in air, and unlike the case with a grapefruit, or the earth, or the sun, to create a black hole you would not need to squeeze the air at all. Gravity acting on the air would form a black hole on its own."

 

And I was introduced to the concept of Boltzmann brains. o_O The biggest mindfuck in this book of mindfuckery.

"… We can estimate that there's a reasonable chance that a Boltzmann brain will form within [1 followed by 10^68 zeroes] years."

 

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21-Dec-2021: 12. Me by Elton John

Fave! The shit hit the fan when I watched "Rocketman" on June 14, and several songs in it made me go "Hmm, this sounds pretty nice. I should probably check out more of his music." I'd had a handful of Elton songs in my collection for decades (I first heard him on "The lion king" soundtrack), but now I really started to spend time with ALL THE ALBUMS. (Er, I'm almost done.) Normally, the high point of my week is… the Flickr upload… :B But the Flickr habit had kind of been broken over the summer, for reasons. So the new high point of each week was to sit the fuck down with a new (to me…) Elton album and a can o' energy drink and no distractions. Ahhh. And I've got THREE ELTON SHOWS booked for 2022 and 2023! But I half expect them to get postponed or cancelled. :'( I COULD have started listening to him properly in 1995 or some shit. -_-

 

"But there was something more to cocaine than the way it made me feel. Cocaine had a certain cachet about it. It was fashionable and exclusive. Doing it was like becoming a member of an elite little clique, that secretly indulged in something edgy, dangerous and illicit. Pathetically enough, that really appealed to me. I'd become successful and popular, but I never felt cool. Even back in Bluesology, I was the nerdy one, the one who didn't look like a pop star, who never quite carried off the hip clothes, who spent all his time in record shops while the rest of the band were out getting laid and taking drugs. And cocaine felt cool: the subtly coded conversations to work out who had some, or who wanted some - who was part of the clique and who wasn't - the secretive visits to the bathrooms of clubs and bars. Of course, that was all bullshit, too. I already was part of a club. Ever since my solo career had begun, I'd been shown nothing but kindness and love by other artists. From the minute I turned up in LA, musicians I adored and worshipped - people who'd once just been mythic names on album sleeves and record labels - had fallen over themselves to offer friendship and support. But when it finally arrived, my success had happened so fast that, despite the warm welcome, I couldn't help but still feel slightly out of place, as if I didn't quite belong."

 

"There was choreography, in which I was expected to take part, at least initially. Visibly stunned by my demonstration of the moves I'd honed on the dance floors of Crisco Disco and Studio 54, the choreographer Arlene Phillips went pale and suddenly scaled down my involvement in that side of things, until all I really had to do was click my fingers and walk along the seafront in time to the music. Perhaps she was afraid I was going to upstage the professionals, and the thing she later said about me being the worst dancer she'd ever worked with was a brilliant double-bluff, designed to spare their blushes."

 

PS. Fave Elton song: "Live like horses". :'D Never heard it before 2021. D:

 

--------------------------------------------------

Vegan FAQ! :)

 

The Web Site the Meat Industry Doesn't Want You to See.

 

Please watch Earthlings.

Consistent Character

Foto en GRANDE con Fondo NEGRO

 

Orden:Suliformes

Familia:Anhingidae

Género:Anhinga

nombres comunes: Anhinga, ave serpiente,Corúa real,Ave cuello de serpiente,Marbella americana

Nombre científico: Anhinga anhinga

Nombre Ingles: Anhinga

Lugar de captura: Viera Wetlands, Florida.

Por : Cimarron mayor Panta.

 

ME QUEDE VIENDO LA IMAGEN Y VI QUE TAMBIEN TENÍA UN CORAZON VERDE A LA DERECHA, PERO ESE DETALLE NO LO VIO ESA CULEBRA!!! POR ESO LO REVENTE DE SOPA DE MARIPOSAS Y POLILLAS EN FLAMINGO. ADEMAS LO PUSE A FREGAR MAS QUE UN PRESO!!

 

Despues que esa culebra me dijo eso, no he parado de reír y decidí mostrar esta pequeña serie y hablar un poco de nuestro campamento en Flamingo.

Todos teníamos obligaciones! Marino era el chofer pero se me reveló cuando lo mandé a fregar jajajajaja, así que el fregao le tocó a la mamba negra Chilensis.

Huascar colaba el cafe,además de facilitarme todos los ingredientes de lo que se iba a cocinar. Por supuesto el cocinero era yo.

Se sentaban como niños a velar mis suculentas sopas cimarrónicas de cada día con la cuchara en las manos! Yo utilizaba un foco de explorador en mi cabeza para tener las manos libres, pero se presentó un problema. Una mardita vieja comenzó a quejarse de que la luz del foco le molestaba y no tuvimos más remedio que apagar el foco y prender nuestra lampara.

El problema era que la lampara atraía demasiado insectos, polillas y mariposas que se metían en el caldero y llegó un punto en que me cansé de sacarsela! Que carajo, si los Tyrannidos viven comiendo mariposas y estan vivos, estas maripositas le servirán de pócima milagrosa a estos cimarrones.

Anoche vino Marino a visitarme y me dice... Las celulas de mi cuerpo me piden una sopa cimarronica de las que tu nos hacía en el campamento de Flamingo. Yo le respondí.. como la quieres? Con mariposas o sin mariposas?

Yo creo que esas polillas y mariposas lo que hacían era darle consistencia a nuestras sopas, el sabor cimarronico era responsabilidad del chef jajajajaja.

Nos poníamos que los ombligos se nos querían reventar y luego un cafe y la mamba negra obedientemente a fregar jajajajaja y Huascar a recoger y guardarlo todo.

No teníamos que poner despertador, pues un enorme carpintero venía a darmos picotazos en la cabeza bien temprano. Tenía un nido el mardito en nuestras cabezas prácticamente.

En la noche hacían unos desacatos en esa tienda de campaña y aquello más bien se convertía en una cámara de gas jajajaja.Yo creo que esas mariposas y polillas le estaban haciendo daño a todas esas mambas Chilensis y boas del Caribe.

Pero la pasamos de maravilla y no se imaginan como extrañamos todos tan gratos momentos y hasta mis sopas de mariposas le hacen falta ya a estos cimarrones

 

Un abrazo para todos y los dejo con estas serpientes que vuelan.

 

Cimarron mayor Panta.

© yohanes.budiyanto, 2014

 

PRELUDE

The 1st of August, 2014 was such an historic day as the world finally welcomed the birth of the first in line to the Parisian throne after a painstaking and extraordinary "labor" process that took four years in creation, and almost a decade in the making. I was not talking about a French rival to baby George, but instead a newborn that has sent shivers down the spines of Paris' oldest and current Kings and Grand Dames from the day it was conceived. Yes, I was referring to The Peninsula Paris, the youngest sister to the legendary Peninsula Hong Kong (circa 1928).

 

Ever since the project was announced to the public four years ago, it has been on my top list of the most eagerly awaited hotel openings of the decade. So when the hotel announced 1st of August as an opening date back in March, I immediately issued my First Class return tickets to the City of Light, risking the usual opening delay. A man of his word, Peninsula Paris finally opened as scheduled.

 

HISTORY

The Peninsula brand needs no introduction, as it is synonymous with quality, technology, innovation, craftsmanship and sophistication, -much like a slogan for French top brands and their savoir faire. Despite having only 10 current properties worldwide in its portfolio (Paris is its tenth), each Peninsula hotel is a market leader in each respective cities, and consistently tops the chart in many bonafide travel publications and reigns supreme as the world's best, especially elder sisters in Hong Kong and Bangkok. The Peninsula model is different from other rival hotel groups, which usually expand aggressively through both franchise and managed models worldwide. Instead, the Peninsula focuses on acquiring majority to sole ownership on all its properties to ensure control on quality (Hong Kong, New York, Chicago and Tokyo are 100% owned; Bangkok, Beijing and Manila are over 75%; Shanghai is 50%, while Beverly Hills and Paris are the only two with only 20% ownership).

 

The history of the Peninsula Paris could be traced back to a modest villa aptly called Hotel Basilevski on the plot of land at 19 Avenue Kleber back in 1864, -named after its Russian diplomat owner, Alexander Petrovich Basilevski, which caught the attention of hotelier Leonard Tauber for his prospective hotel project. The Versailles-styled property was partly a museum housing Basilevski's vast and impressive collection of 19th century medieval and Renaissance art, which eventually was acquired by Alexander III, -a Russian Tsar, at the sums of six millions francs. These collections were later transported to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and formed the base collection for the newly established Department of Medieval and Renaissance Art. After Basilevski sold the villa and moved to a more palatial residence at Avenue du Trocadero, the property was then acquired and rebranded the Palais de Castille as the residence of the exiled Queen Isabella II of Spain in 1868, who seeked refuge and continued to live there until 1904. Upon her death, the property was later demolished in 1906 to make way for the Majestic hotel, which finally opened in 1908 with much satisfaction of Leonard Tauber, who has eyed the premise from the very beginning.

 

The Majestic Hotel was exquisitely designed in the Beaux-Art style as a grand hotel by prominent architect of that time, Armand Sibien. Together with The Ritz (circa 1898), the two became the most preferred places to stay and entertain in Paris of the time. The Majestic has attracted the well-heeled crowd, and hosted many high profile events, most notably for a particular dinner hosted by rich British couple Sydney and Violet Schiff on 18 May 1922 as the after party of Igor Stravinsky's 'Le Renard' ballet premiere, and the hotel becomes an instant legend. The guests list were impressive: Igor Stravinsky himself, Pablo Picasso, Sergei Diaghilev, and two of the 20th century most legendary writers: James Joyce and Marcel Proust, who met for the first and only time before Proust's death six months later. Since then, the Majestic continued to draw high profile guests, including George Gershwin on 25 March 1928, where he composed "An American in Paris" during the stay.

 

If the walls could talk, the Majestic has plenty of stories to tell. It was once converted into a hospital during the infamy in 1914, and the British took residency at the hotel during the Paris Peace Conference back in 1919. The hotel was then acquired by the French State in 1936 as the offices of the Ministry of Defence; and later had a stint as the German Military High Command in France between October 1940 to July 1944 during the World War II. Post war, it then became the temporary home for UNESCO from 16 September 1946 until 1958. More than a decade after, the Paris Peace talks was opened by Henry Kissinger in one of its spectacular Ballrooms in 1969 with the Northern Vietnamese. Four years later, the Paris Peace Accord was finally signed at the oak paneled-room next to the Ballroom on 27 January 1973, which ended the Vietnam War. This triumphant event has also led to another victorious event when Henry Kissinger won the Nobel Peace Prize that same year.

 

The hotel continued to serve as the International Conference Center of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs until it was up for sale by the government in 2008 as part of the cost cutting program to the Qatari Diar, -which later transferred its ownership to Katara Hospitality, for a staggering USD 460 million. An excess of USD 600 million was further spent on the massive rebuilding and refurbishment not only to restore the hotel to its former glory, but also to transform it into a Peninsula with the highest standard.

 

The epic restoration work was led by prominent French architect, Richard Martinet, who has also previously work with the restoration of Prince Roland Bonaparte's former mansion into the Shangri-La Paris and also the Four Seasons George V; and involved teams of France's leading craftsmen; heritage designers and organisations; stonemasons from historic monument specialist; master glass crafters; crystal manufacturer; wood, moulding and gilder restoration experts, -many of whom are third generation, and have carried out high profile projects such as the Palace of Versailles, Louvre Museum, the dome of Les Invalides, the Grand and Petit Palais, and even the flame of the Statue of Liberty in New York. The result is truly breathtaking, and it was certainly money well spent to revive and recreate one of the nation's most treasured landmark. One of my favorite places within the hotel is the Main Lobby at Avenue des Portugais where the grand hall is adorned with a spectacular chandelier installation comprising 800 pieces of glass leaves inspired by the plane trees along Avenue Kleber. The work of Spain's most influential artist since Gaudi, Xavier Corbero, could also be found nearby in the form of a beautiful sculpture called Moon River.

 

Katara Hospitality owns 80% of The Peninsula Paris, and already has a spectacular portfolio ownership consisting some of the world's finest hotels, including The Raffles Singapore, Le Royal Monceau-Raffles Paris, Ritz-Carlton Doha, Schweizerhof Bern, and most recently, 5 of the InterContinental Hotel's European flagships, including Amstel in Amsterdam, Carlton in Cannes, De la Ville in Rome, Madrid and Frankfurt. It is interesting to note that Adrian Zecha, founder of the extraordinary Amanresorts chain is a member of the Board of Directors at Katara since September 2011, lending his immense hospitality expertise to the group.

 

At over USD 1 billion cost, the Pen Paris project is easily the most expensive to ever being built, considering it has only 200 rooms over 6 storeys. As a comparison, the cost of building the 101 storey, 494m high Shanghai World Financial Center (where the Park Hyatt Shanghai resides) is USD 1.2 billion; whereas Burj Khalifa, the current tallest building on earth at 163 storey and 828m, costed a 'modest' USD 1.5 billion to build. The numbers are truly mind boggling, and The Peninsula Paris is truly an extraordinary project. It might took the Majestic Hotel two years to build; but it took four years just to restore and reincarnate it into a Peninsula.

 

HOTEL OPENING

On a pleasant afternoon of 1 August 2014, the hotel finally opened its door to a crowd of distinguished guests, international journalists, first hotel guests and local crowds who partake to witness the inauguration and rebirth of a Parisian legend and grande dame (Many A-list celebrities and even Head of State flocked to the hotel to witness its sheer beauty). It was an historic day not just for Paris, but also for the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Group as it marks their arrival in Europe with its first ever Peninsula, while the second is already on the pipeline with the future opening of The Peninsula London, located just behind The Lanesborough at Knightsbridge.

 

The eagerly-awaited opening ceremony was attended by the Chairman of Katara Hospitality, His Excellency Sheikh Nawaf Bin Jassim Bin Jabor Al-Thani; CEO of Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Limited (HSH), Clement Kwok; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Laurent Fabius; General Manager of the Peninsula Paris, Nicolas Béliard; and the event kicked off with an opening speech by the famous French Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, the Promotion of Tourism and French Nationals Abroad, Madame Fleur Pellerin, who clearly stole the show with her public persona. A ribbon cutting and spectacular lion dance show concluded the event, which drew quite a spectacle on Avenue des Portugais as it brought a unique display of Asian heritage to the heart of cosmopolitan Paris.

 

LOCATION

The Peninsula Paris stands majestically at the tree-lined Avenue Kléber, just off the Arc de Triomphe. Personally, this is an ideal location in Paris as it is a stone's throw away from all the happenings at the Champs-Élysées, but is set away from its hustle and bustle, which is constantly a tourist trap day and night. Once you walk pass the leafy Avenue Kléber, the atmosphere is very different: peaceful and safe. The Kléber Metro station is just a few steps away from the hotel, providing guests a convenient access to further parts of town.

 

Champs-Élysées is the center of Parisian universe, and it is just a short and pleasant stroll away from the hotel, where some of the city's most legendary commercial and cultural institutions reside. For a start, Drugstore Publicis at the corner by the roundabout has been a legendary hang-out since the 1960s, and is my ultimate favourite place in town. The Post Modern edifice by architect Michele Saee (renovated in 2004) houses almost everything: a Cinema; side walk Brasserie & Steak House; Newsagency; Bookshop (you can find Travel publications and even the Michelin Guide); upscale Gift shop and Beauty corner (even Acqua di Parma is on sale here); Pharmacy (whose pharmacist thankfully speaks English and gladly advises you on your symptoms); upscale deli (stocking pretty much everything from Foie gras burger on the counter, to fine wines & cigar cellar; to Pierre Herme & Pierre Marcolini chocolates; Dalloyau bakery; Marriage Freres tea; and even the Petrossian Caviar!). Best of all, it features a 2 Michelin star L'atelier de Joel Robuchon Etoile on its basement; and the store is even opened on Sunday until 2am. It is a one stop shopping, eating and entertainment, showcasing the best of France.

 

Further down the road, Maison Louis Vuitton stands majestically on its own entire 7 storey building, which was opened in 2005 as one of the biggest flagship stores in the world, covering a total area of 1,800m2. Designed by Eric Carlson and Peter Marino, the entire store is an architectural marvel and the temple of luxury, elegance and sophistication. This is one of the very few stores to open in Sunday as the French Labour Unions prohibits commercial stores to open on Sunday, unless if it involves cultural, recreational and sporting aspect. Initially, Maison LV was ordered by the court to close on Sunday, but LVMH finally wins an appeal in 2007 on the grounds of cultural experience; and the store has continued to draw endless queue on Sunday.

 

A block away from Maison LV is the legendary Parisian Tea Room of Ladurée, which was founded in 1862 by Louis Ernest Ladurée on its original store at 16 Rue Royal as a bakery. The Champs-Élysées store was opened in 1997 and has since attracted an endless queue of tourists and locals who wish to savour its legendary Macarons and pastries. The Ladurée phenomenon and popularity could only be rivaled by fellow Frenchmen Pierre Hermé, who has also attracted a cult of loyal fans worldwide. It may not have a flagship store at Champs-Élysées, but one could easily stop by Drugstore Publicis for a quick purchase to ease the craving.

 

For those looking for upscale boutiques, Avenue Montaigne located just nearby on a perpendicular, and features the flagship presence of the world's finest luxury fashion labels: Armani, Bottega Veneta, Valention, Prada, Dior, Versace, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Fendi and Salvatore Ferragamo to name a few. For the ultimate in shopping extravaganza, head down to Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré where all money will (hopefully) be well spent.

 

Champs-Élysées is the most famous and expensive boulevard in the world, yet it has everything for everyone; and myriad of crowds flocking its grand boulevards for a pleasant stroll. It has no shortage of luxury stores, but it also offers mainstream stores for the general public, from Levi's to Zara and Lacoste; to McDonalds and Starbucks; and FNAC store (French answer to HMV).

 

In terms of fine dining experience, the areas around Champs-Élysées has plenty to offer. I have mentioned about the 2 Michelin L'atelier de Joel Robuchon Etoile at the Drugstore Publicis, which was excellent. Robuchon never disappoints as it consistently serves amazing French cuisine amidst its signature red and black interior everywhere I visited, including Tokyo (3 Michelin), Hong Kong (3 Michelin), Paris (2 Michelin) and Taipei.

 

During my stay, I also managed to sample the finest cuisine from the kitchens of two, 3-Michelin Paris institutions: Pierre Gagnaire at Rue Balzac, just off Champs-Élysées; and Epicure at Le Bristol by Chef Eric Frechon on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, which was undoubtedly the best and most memorable dining experiences I have ever had in Paris to date. It is certainly the gastronomic highlight of this trip.

 

Other 3 Michelin establishment, such as Ledoyen is also located nearby at an 18th century pavilion by the Gardens of Champs-Élysées by newly appointed famous French Chef Yannick Alléno, who previously also resided at the Le Meurice with 3 Michelin, until Alain Ducasse took over last year during the Plaza Athénée closure for expansion.

 

August is a time of misery for international visitors to Paris as most fine dining restaurants are closed for the summer holiday. When choices are limited, foodies could rely on Epicure and Robuchon, which are opened all year round; and also the 2 Michelin star Le Cinq at the Four Seasons George V. Although its food could not compete with Robuchon, Epicure and Gagnaire, guests could still enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

 

ROOMS:

On my visit to Paris last year, I was not too impressed with my stay at the Four Seasons George V, as everything seemed to be pretty basic: the room design; the in-room tech and amenities; and even the much lauded service. It simply does not justify the hefty price tag. The only thing stood out there were the ostentatious designer floral display at the lobby, which reportedly absorbed a six digit figure budget annually. When I saw them at the first time, this was what came to mind: guests are paying for these excessive flowers, whether you like it or not.

 

Fortunately, the Peninsula Paris skips all this expensive gimmick, and instead spends a fortune for guests to enjoy: advance room technology; a host of complimentary essential amenities, including internet access, non-alcoholic minibar, and even long distance phone calls. In fact, every single items inside the room has been well thought and designed for guest's ultimate comfort.

 

Ever since The Peninsula Bangkok opened in 1998 to much success, the group has used it as a template for its signature rooms for future sister hotels, which consists of an open plan, ultra-wide spacious room equivalent to a 2 bays suite, with 5-fixtures bathroom, and a separate Dressing Room, which soon becomes a Peninsula signature.

 

The Peninsula Tokyo followed this template when it opened in 2007 to rave reviews; and it was soon adopted as a model for Peninsula Shanghai, which later opened in 2009 as the flagship property in Mainland China. This layout is also being applied at The Peninsula Paris, albeit for its Suites categories, i.e. Junior Suite, which measure at an astonishing 50 - 60m2. The entry level Superior and Deluxe Rooms lack the signature layout with smaller size at 35 - 45m2, but they are already spacious for a Parisian standard; and each is equipped with Peninsula's signature technology.

 

Technology is indeed at the core of the Peninsula DNA, and no expense is spared in creating the world's most advance in-room technology. When other hotels try to cut costs and budgets on in-room technology with lame excuses, the Peninsula actually spends a fortune to innovate and set a new benchmark. In fact, it is probably the only hotel group to have its own Technology laboratory at a secret location deep inside Aberdeen, Hong Kong, where in-room tech is being developed and tested. It was here where innovative devices, such as the outside temperature indicator; my favourite Spa Button by the bathtub; or even the portable nail dryer for the ladies are invented. The Peninsula took the world by storm when it introduced the Samsung Galaxy tablet device at the Peninsula Hong Kong in 2012, which is programmed in 11 languages and virtually controls the entire room, including the lights, temperature, curtains, TV, radio, valet calls and Do Not Disturb sign. It even features touch screen Room Service Menu, hotel information, city guide, and a function to request room service and housekeeping items, thus creating an entirely paperless environment.

 

All these technological marvel are also being replicated at the Peninsula Paris, together with other 'standard' features, such as Nespresso Coffee Machine; flat-screen 3D LED television; LED touch screen wall panels; an iPod/iPad docking station; memory card reader; 4-in1 fax/scanner/printer/photocopier machine; DVD player; complimentary in-house HD movies; complimentary internet access and long distance calls through the VOIP platform. Even the room's exterior Parisian-styled canopy is electronically operated. All these technological offerings is so extremely complex, that it resulted in 2.5 km worth of cabling in each room alone.

 

Bathroom at the Junior Suite also features Peninsula's signature layout: a stand alone bathtub as the focal point, flanked by twin vanities and separate shower and WC compartments amidst acres of white marble. Probably the first in Paris, it features a Japanese Toilet complete with basic control panel, and a manual handheld bidet sprayer.

 

When all these add up to the stay, it actually brings a very good value to the otherwise high room rates. Better yet, the non-alcoholic Minibar is also complimentary, which is a first for a Peninsula hotel. The Four Seasons George V may choose to keep looking back to its antiquity past and annihilate most technological offerings to its most basic form, but the Pen always looks forward to the future and brings the utter convenience, all at your finger tip. The Peninsula rooms are undoubtedly the best designed, best equipped and most high-tech in the entire universe.

 

ROOM TO BOOK:

The 50 - 60m2 Junior Suite facing leafy Avenue Kléber is the best room type to book as it is an open-plan suite with Peninsula's signature bathroom and dressing room; and the ones located on the Premiere étage (first floor) have high ceilings and small balcony overlooking Kleber Terrace's iconic glass canopy. Personally, rooms facing the back street at Rue La Pérouse are the least preferred, but its top level rooms inside the Mansart Roof on level 5 have juliet windows that allow glimpse of the tip of Eiffel Tower despite being smaller in size due to its attic configuration. Superior Rooms also lack the signature Peninsula 5 fixtures bathroom configuration, so for the ultimate bathing experience, make sure to book at least from the Deluxe category.

 

If money is no object, book one of the five piece-de-resistance suites with their own private rooftop terrace and gardens on the top floor, which allow 360 degree panoramic views of Paris. Otherwise, the mid-tier Deluxe Suite is already a great choice with corner location, multiple windows and 85m2 of pure luxury.

 

DINING:

Looking back at the hotel's illustrious past, the Peninsula offers some of the most unique and memorable dining experiences in Paris, steep in history.

 

The area that once housed Igor Stravinksy's after party where James Joyce met Marcel Proust for the first time is now the hotel's Cantonese Restaurant, aptly called LiLi; and is led by Chef Chi Keung Tang, formerly of Peninsula Tokyo's One Michelin starred Hei Fung Terrace. Lili was actually modeled after Peninsula Shanghai's Yi Long Court, but the design here blends Chinese elements with Art Nouveau style that flourished in the late 1920s. It also boasts a world first: a spectacular 3x3.3m fiber optic installation at the entrance of the restaurant, depicting the imaginary portrait of LiLi herself. The Cantonese menu was surprisingly rather simple and basic, and features a selection of popular dim sum dishes. The best and most memorable Chinese restaurants I have ever experienced are actually those who masterfully fuse Chinese tradition with French ingredients: Jin Sha at the Four Seasons Hangzhou at Westlake; 2 Michelin Tin Lung Heen at Level 102 of the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong; Jiang at Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou by Chef Fei; and Ya Ge at Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Ironically, the world's only 3 Michelin star Chinese restaurant, Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons Hong Kong failed to impress me.

 

The former Ballroom area where Henry Kissinger started the Paris Peace talks with the Vietnamese has now been transformed as The Lobby, which is a signature of every Peninsula hotels where the afternoon tea ritual takes place daily. The spectacular room with intricate details and crystal chandeliers has been meticulously restored, and is an ideal place to meet, see and be seen. Breakfast is served daily here, and guests could choose to have it either inside or outside at the adjoining al fresco La Terrasse Kléber, which connects all the F&B outlets on the ground floor, including Lili. Guests could choose from a Chinese set breakfast, which includes dim sum, fried vermicelli, and porridge with beef slices; or the Parisian set, which includes gourmet items such as Egg Benedict with generous slices of Jamon Iberico on top. The afternoon tea ritual is expected to be very popular as renowned Chef Pattissier Julien Alvarez, -who claimed the World Pastry Champion in 2009; and also the Spanish World Chocolate Master in 2007 at the tender age of 23, is at the helm; and the venue quickly booked out from the opening day.

 

Next to the Lobby is a small, intimate bar covered in exquisite oak panelling where Henry Kissinger signed the Paris Peace Accord back in 1973 that ended the Vietnam War. Kissinger politely declined the offer to have the Bar named after him, and instead it is simply called Le Bar Kléber.

 

On the top floor of the hotel lies the signature restaurant L'Oiseau Blanc, which is named after the French biplane that disappeared in 1927 in an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York. A 75% replica of the plane has even been installed outside the main entrance of the restaurant with the Eiffel Tower on its background. The restaurant is divided into 3 distinct areas: a spectacular glass enclosed main dining room; a large outdoor terrace that runs the entire length of the hotel's roof; and an adjoining lively bar, all with breathtaking uninterrupted views of Paris' most identifiable landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower and the Sacré-Cœur at the highest point of the city at Montmartre.

 

L'Oiseau Blanc is led by Chef Sidney Redel, a former protégé of Pierre Gagnaire, and serves contemporary French cuisine focussing on 'terroir' menu of locally sourced seasonal ingredients from the region. During my stay, tomato was the seasonal ingredients, and Chef Redel created four courses incorporating tomato, even on dessert. While the food was of high quality, personally the menu still needs fine tuning, considering the sort of clientele the Pen is aiming for: the ultra rich (Chinese), who usually seek top establishments with luxury ingredients, such as caviar, black truffle, foie gras, blue lobster, Jamon Iberico, Wagyu beef, Kurobuta pork and Challans chicken.

 

LEISURE:

The Peninsula Paris features one of the best health and recreational facilities in the city, housed within the basement of the hotel, and covers an expansive area of 1,800m2. For a comparison, rival Mandarin Oriental Spa covers a total area of only 900m2 over two floors. The Peninsula Spa is undoubtedly one of the nicest urban spa that I have been to, it easily beats the Spa at the Four Seasons George V. The pool is also one of the city's largest at 22m long, -compared to both the Shangri-La and Mandarin Oriental at 15m; the George V at only 9m, which is more like a bigger jacuzzi. The only two other pools better than the Peninsula is the one designed by Phillippe Starck at the Le Royal Monceau at 28m; and the spectacular grand pool at the Ritz.

 

There is the usual 24 hours gym within two fitness spaces equipped with Technogym machines and free weights; and the locker rooms features steam, sauna, and experience shower room. There is a total of 8 treatment rooms within the Spa area, and the highlight is certainly the Relaxation Room, which is equipped with amazing day beds with specially placed deep cushions. The best part? the beds are electronically operated, much like a first class seat on a plane.

 

X-FACTOR:

The Peninsula signature technology; The Spa Button in the bathroom; VOIP technology for complimentary long distance calls; The top suites (Historic, Katara and Peninsula Suites); Xavier Corbero's Moon River sculpture at the Lobby; Lili; The Lobby and Bar where Henry Kissinger signed Paris Peace Accord; L'Oiseau Blanc Restaurant; The 1,800m2 Peninsula Spa; and the 1934 Rolls Royce Phantom II.

 

SERVICE:

There are a total of 600 staffs for just 200 rooms, so the service level is expected to be high; but it is perhaps unfair to judge the service during the opening weeks when all staffs were not at their best due to the intense preparation leading to the opening event. Furthermore, teething problems are expected for a newly opened hotel as great hotels are not born overnight, but takes a good few years of refinement.

 

Nonetheless, I was actually quite impressed with the level of service during the whole stay, as the majority of the staffs showed great attitude and much enthusiasm, which is a testament of great intense training. As one of the first guests arriving on the opening day, check-in was truly delightful and memorable as a battalion of staffs of different ranks welcomed and wished the most pleasant stay. The mood could not have been more festive as moments later, the hotel was finally inaugurated.

 

I was also particularly impressed with the service at both LiLi and The Lobby where staffs performed at an exceptional level like a veteran. There are two distinct qualities that made a lot of difference during the stay: humility and friendliness, which is quite a challenge to find, not only in Paris and the entire Europe, but even in Asian cities, such as Hong Kong. It is like finding needles in a haystack. A genuine smile seems to be a rare commodity these days, so I was happy to see plenty of smiles at the Peninsula Paris during the stay, from the signature Peninsula Pageboys to waiters, Maître d, receptionists and even to Managers and Directors. In fact, there were more smiles in Paris than Hong Kong.

 

When I woken up too early for breakfast one day, the restaurant was just about to open; and there were hardly anyone. I realized that even the birds were probably still asleep, but I was extremely delighted to see how fresh looking and energetic the staffs were at the dining room. There was a lot of genuine smile that warmed the rather chilly morning; and it was a great start to the day. One of the staffs I met during the stay even candidly explained how they were happy just to be at work, and it does not feel like working at all, which was clearly shown in their passion and enthusiasm.

 

That said, the Shangri-La Paris by far is still my top pick for best service as it is more personalized and refined due to its more intimate scale. The Shangri-La Paris experience is also unique as guests are welcomed to a sit down registration by the historic lounge off the Lobby upon arrival, and choice of drinks are offered, before being escorted to the room for in-room check-in. Guests also receive a Pre-Arrival Form in advance, so the hotel could anticipate and best accommodate their needs. During the stay, I was also addressed by my last name everywhere within the hotel, so it was highly personalized. I did receive similar treatment at The Peninsula Paris, -albeit in a lesser extent due to its size; and even the housekeeping greeted me by my last name. Every requests, from room service to mineral water were all handled efficiently at a timely manner. At times, service could be rather slow at the restaurants (well, it happens almost everywhere in Paris), but this is part of the Parisian lifestyle where nothing is hurried; and bringing bills/checks upfront is considered rude. I did request the food servings to be expedited during a lunch at LiLi on the last day due to the time constraint; and the staffs managed to succeed the task not only ahead of the time limit, but also it never felt hurried all along. Everything ran as smooth as silk.

 

VERDICT:

It was a personal satisfaction to witness the history in the making during the opening day on 1 August 2014, as the Peninsula Paris is my most eagerly awaited hotel opening of the decade. It was also historic, as it was a first in my travel to dedicate a trip solely for a particular hotel in a particular city (in this case Paris, some 11,578km away from home), without staying at other fine hotels. It was money well spent, and a trip worth taking as it was an amazing stay; and certainly a lifetime experience.

 

The Peninsula Paris could not have arrived at a better time, as two of the most established Parisian grande dames (Ritz and de Crillon) are still closed for a complete renovation, and will only be revealed in 2015; so there is plenty of time to adapt, grow and hone its skills. But with such pedigree, quality and illustrious history, the Pen really has nothing to be worried about. The Four Seasons George V seems to have a cult of highly obsessed fans (esp. travel agents) worldwide, but personally (and objectively), it is no match to the Peninsula. Based on physical product alone, the Pen wins in every aspect as everything has been meticulously designed with the focus on guest comfort and convenience. In terms of technology, the Pen literally has no rival anywhere on the planet, except from the obvious sibling rivalry.

 

The only thing that the Pen still needs to work on is its signature restaurants as all its rival hotels have at least 2 Michelin star restaurants (L'abeille at the Shangri-La; Sur Mesure at the Mandarin Oriental; and 3 Michelin at Epicure, Le Bristol; Le Cinq at the Four Seasons George V and Alain Ducasse at Le Meurice). L'Oiseau Blanc design is truly breathtaking and would certainly be the most popular gastronomic destination in Paris, but at the moment, the food still needs some works.

 

There were the expected teething problems and some inconsistencies with the service; but with years of refinement, The Peninsula Paris will no doubt ascend the throne. Personally, the Shangri-La Paris is currently the real competitor, together with the upcoming Ritz and de Crillon when they open next year, especially when Rosewood has taken over Crillon management and Karl Lagerfeld is working on its top suites. The two, however, may still need to revisit the drawing boards and put more effort on the guestrooms if they ever want to compete; because at the moment, The Peninsula Paris is simply unrivaled.

 

UPDATE 2016:

*I have always been very spot-on with my predictions. After only two years since its opening, The Peninsula Paris has been awarded the much coveted Palace status. In fact, it is the only hotel in Paris to receive such distinction in 2016. Congratulations, it is very much deserving*

 

PERSONAL RATING:

1. Room: 100

2. Bathroom: 100

3. Bed: 100

4. Service: 90

5. In-room Tech: 100

6. In-room Amenities: 100

7. Architecture & Design: 100

8. Food: 80

9. View: 80

10. Pool: 95

11. Wellness: 95

12. Location: 95

13. Value: 100

 

Overall: 95.00

 

Compare with other Parisian hotels (all with Palace status) that I have stayed previously:

SHANGRI-LA HOTEL, PARIS: 95.00

PARK HYATT PARIS-VENDOME: 90.00

FOUR SEASONS GEORGE V: 85.38

 

My #1 ALL TIME FAVORITE HOTEL

LANDMARK MANDARIN ORIENTAL, HONG KONG: 95.38

 

THE PENINSULA, PARIS

19, Avenue Kléber, Paris

Awarded Palace Status in 2016

 

General Manager: Nicolas Béliard

Hotel Manager: Vincent Pimont

Executive Chef: Jean-Edern Hurstel

Head Chef (Lili): Chi Keung Tang

Head Chef (L'oiseau Blanc): Sidney Redel

Head Chef (The Lobby): Laurent Poitevin

Chef Patissier: Julien Alvarez

 

Architect (original Majestic Hotel, circa 1908): Armand Sibien

Architect (renovation & restoration, 2010-2014): Richard Martinet

Interior Designer: Henry Leung of Chhada Siembieda & Associates

Landscape Designer: D. Paysage

 

Art Curator: Sabrina Fung

Art Restorer: Cinzia Pasquali

Artist (Courtyard installation): Ben Jakober & Yannick Vu

Crystal work: Baccarat

Designer (Lili fiber optic installation): Clementine Chambon & Francoise Mamert

Designer (Chinaware): Catherine Bergen

Gilder Specialist & Restorer: Ateliers Gohard

Glass Crafter (Lobby Installation): Lasvit Glass Studio

Master Glass Crafters: Duchemin

Master Sculptor (Lobby): Xavier Corbero

Metalwork: Remy Garnier

Plaster & Moulding Expert: Stuc et Staff

Silverware: Christofle

Silk & Trimmings: Declercq Passementiers

Wood Restoration Expert: Atelier Fancelli

  

Hotel Opening Date: 01 August 2014

Notable owners: Katara Hospitality; Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Group (HSH)

Total Rooms & Suites: 200 (including 35m2 Superior, 45m2 Deluxe, 50m2 Grand Deluxe, 55m2 Premier and 60m2 Grand Premier Rooms)

Total Suites: 34 Suites (including 70m2 Superior, 85m2 Deluxe and 100m2 Premier

Top Suites: Historic Suite, Katara Suite, and The Peninsula Suite

Bathroom Amenities: Oscar de la Renta

 

Restaurants: The Lobby (All day dining & Afternoon tea), LiLi (Cantonese), L'Oiseau Blanc (French), La Terrasse Kléber

Bars and Lounges: Le Bar Kléber; Kléber Lounge; Cigar Lounge; and L'Oiseau Blanc Bar

Meeting & Banquets: Salon de l'Étoile for up to 100 guests, and 3 smaller Function Rooms

Health & Leisure: 24 hours gym & 1,800m2 Peninsula Spa with 22m indoor swimming pool and jacuzzis; Steam & Sauna, Relaxation Room, and 8 treatment rooms

Transport: chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce Extended Wheel Base Phantom; a 1934 Rolls Royce Phantom II; 2 MINI Cooper S Clubman; and a fleet of 10 BMW 7 Series

 

Complimentary facilities: Non-alcoholic Minibar; Wired and Wireless Internet; VOIP long distance calls; HD Movies; Daily fruit Basket; International Newspaper; Chauffeured MINI Cooper S Clubman for Suites guests; and Chauffeured Rolls Royce for top Suites

 

paris.peninsula.com

The younger (I think) of two Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) drakes who visited Teal Pond, Thomson Marsh, Kelowna, BC. this day. His head / neck posture was consistently more erect than his companion's.

 

The appearance of the pond varies greatly in different parts with different lighting. If I weren't trying to illustrate that, there would likely be only two shots of Stretch here, not four.... I leave it to viewers to figure out why....

I shot this obviously in separate groups and then put it together later. The family LOVED this. The thing is, you must be absolutely consistent with the lighting or you're dead when you go into Photoshop.

North Pier, Blackpool

North Pier is the most northerly of the three coastal piers in Blackpool, England. Built in the 1860s, it is also the oldest and longest of the three. Although originally intended only

as a promenade, competition forced the pier to widen its attractions to include theatres and bars. Unlike Blackpool's other piers, which attracted the working classes with open air

dancing and amusements, North Pier catered for the "better-class" market, with orchestra concerts and respectable comedians. Until 2011, it was the only Blackpool pier that

consistently charged admission.

The pier is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building, due to its status as the oldest surviving pier created by Eugenius Birch. As of 2012 it is still in regular use,

despite having suffered damage from fires, storms and collisions with boats. Its attractions include bars, a theatre, a carousel and an arcade. One of the oldest remaining Sooty

glove puppets is on display commemorating Harry Corbett buying the original puppet there.

North Pier was built at the seaward end of Talbot Road, where the town's first railway station, Blackpool North, was built. Its name reflects its location as the most northerly of

Blackpool's three piers. It is about 450 yards (410 m) north of Blackpool Tower, which is roughly the midpoint of Blackpool's promenade. The sea front is particularly straight and

flat on this stretch of coastline, and the 1,650 feet (500 m) pier extends at right angles into the Irish Sea, more or less level with the promenade.

History: The construction of Blackpool Pier (eventually North Pier) started in May 1862, in Layton-cum-Warbreck, part of the parish of Bispham. In October 1862 severe storms

suggested that the planned height of the pier was insufficient, and it was increased by 3 feet (0.91 m) North Pier was the second of fourteen piers designed by Eugenius Birch,

and since Margate Pier was destroyed by a storm in 1978, it is the oldest of the remaining examples of his work still in use. It was the first of Birch's piers to be built by Glasgow

engineering firm Richard Laidlaw and Son.

The pier, which cost £11,740 to build, originally consisted of a promenade 1,405 feet (428 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) wide, extending to 55 feet (17 m) wide at the pier-head. The

bulk of the pier was constructed from cast iron, with a wooden deck laid on top. The cast iron piles on which the structure rests were inserted using Birch's screw pile process; the

screw-tipped piles were twisted into the sand until they hit bedrock. This made construction much quicker and easier, and guaranteed that the pier had a solid foundation. The

cast iron columns, 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter, were filled with concrete for stability at intervals of 60 feet (18 m), and supported by struts that were on average were slightly

more than 1 inch (25 mm) thick.The pier's promenade deck is lined with wooden benches with ornamental cast iron backs. At intervals along the pier are hexagonal kiosks built

around 1900 in wood and glass with minaret roofs topped with decorative finials. On opening two of the kiosks were occupied by a bookstall and confectionery stall and the

kiosks near the ends of the pier were seated shelters. The pier-head is a combination of 420 tons of cast iron and 340 tons of wrought iron columns; standing 50 feet (15 m)

above the low water line, it sees a regular 35 feet (11 m) change in sea level due to the tide.

The pier was officially opened in a grand ceremony on 21 May 1863, even though the final 50 yards (46 m) had not yet been completed. All the shops in the area were closed

and decorated with flags and streamers for the ceremony, which included a procession and a cannon salute, and was attended by more than 20,000 visitors. Although the town

only had a population of approximately 4,000, more than 200,000 holiday makers regularly stayed there during the summer months; this included 275,000 admissions in 1863,

400,000 in 1864 and 465,000 the following year. The pier was officially opened by Major Preston, and he and 150 officials then travelled to the Clifton Hotel for a celebratory

meal.

The pier was intended primarily for leisure rather than seafaring; for the price of 2d (worth approximately £4.90 in 2012) the pier provided the opportunity for visitors to walk close

to the sea without distractions.This fee was insufficient to deter "trippers'", which led to Major Preston campaigning for a new pier to cater for the 'trippers'. In 1866, the

government agreed that a second pier could be built, despite objections from the Blackpool Pier Company that it was close to their pier and therefore unnecessary

As permitted by the original parliamentary order, a landing jetty was built at the end of North Pier in incremental stages between 1864 and 1867. The full length of the jetty was

474 feet (144 m), and the extensions increased the pier's total length to its current 1,650 feet (500 m). The Blackpool Pier Company used the jetty to operate pleasure steamers

that made trips to the surrounding areas. In 1871 swimming and diving lessons were added to the pier.

In 1874, the pier-head was extended to allow Richard Knill Freeman to incorporate a pavilion, which opened in 1877. The interior decoration led it to be known as the "Indian

Pavilion", and it was Blackpool's primary venue for indoor entertainment until the Winter Gardens opened in 1879.

To differentiate itself from the new pier, North Pier focused on catering for the "better classes", charging for entry and including attractions such as an orchestra and band

concerts, in contrast to the Central Pier (or the "People's pier"), which regularly had music playing and open-air dancing. The pier owners highlighted the difference, charging at

least a shilling (worth approximately £19.90 in 2012) for concerts and ensuring that advertisements for comedians focused on their lack of vulgarity. Sundays were given over to a

church parade.

On 8 October 1892, a storm-damaged vessel, Sirene, hit the southern side of the pier, causing four shops and part of the deck to collapse onto the beach below. Several columns

were also dislodged, and the ship's bowsprit hit the pier entrance. All eleven crew members were rescued when they were hauled onto the pier. Damage to the pier was

estimated to be £5,000 and was promptly repaired.

Nelson's former flagship, HMS Foudroyant, was moored alongside North Pier for an exhibition, but slipped anchor and was wrecked on the shore in a violent storm on 16 June

1897, damaging part of the jetty. The wreck of the ship broke up during December storms.

The pier was closed for the winter during 1895–6 as it unsafe; as a result, the pier was widened as electric lighting was added.

An Arcade Pavilion was added in 1903 at the entrance to the pier and contained a wide range of amusements to suit all tastes. Further alterations were made to the pier in 1932-

3 when the open air stand was replaced with a stage and sun lounge.

In 1936, a pleasure steamer returning from Llandudno crashed into the pier. The collision left a 10 feet (3.0 m) gap, and stranded a number of people at the far end.

The 1874 Indian Pavilion was severely damaged by fire in 1921. It was refurbished, but was then destroyed by a second fire in 1938. In 1939 it was replaced by a theatre, built in

an Art Deco style. At around the same time, the bandstand was removed and replaced with a sun lounge.

In the 1960s, the Merrie England bar and an amusement arcade were constructed at the end of the pier nearest to the shore. The 1939 theatre, which is still in use, narrowly

escaped damage in 1985 when the early stages of a fire were noticed by performer Vince Hill. In the 1980s, a Victorian-styled entrance was built. In 1991 the pier gained the

Carousel bar as an additional attraction, and a small tramway to ease access to the pier-head. By this point, the pier had ceased to have any nautical use, but the jetty section

was adapted for use as a helicopter pad in the late 1980s. Storms on 24 December 1997 destroyed the landing jetty, including the helipad.

The North Pier is one of the few remaining examples of Birch's classic pier architecture and is a Grade II Listed building, the only Blackpool pier to hold that status. It was

recognised as "Pier of the Year" in 2004 by the National Piers Society.

North Pier's attractions include a Gypsy palm reader and an ice cream parlour, the North Pier Theatre, a Victorian tea room, and the Carousel and Merrie England bars. The

arcade, built in the 1960s, has approximately eleven million coins pass through its machines each year.

One of the earliest Sooty bear puppets used by Harry Corbett is on display on the pier. Corbett bought the original Sooty puppet on North Pier for his son, Matthew. When Corbett

took the puppet on BBC's Talent Night programme, he marked the nose and ears with soot so that they would show up on the black and white television, giving the puppet its

name.

The Carousel bar on the pier-head has a Victorian wrought iron canopy, and its outdoor sun-lounge is classified as the largest beer garden in Blackpool. Next to the bar is a two

tier carousel, the "Venetian Carousel", which is protected from sand and spray by a glass wall.

After the fire in 1938, the pavilion was replaced with a 1,564 seat theatre which has since hosted a number of acts including; Frankie Vaughan, Frank Randle, Tessie O'Shea,

Dave Morris, Bernard Delfont, Morecambe and Wise, Paul Daniels, Freddie Starr, Russ Abbott, Bruce Forsyth, Des O'Connor, Joe Longthorne, Lily Savage, Brian Conley and

Hale and Pace.

In 2002 a heritage room with photographs was opened up, the foyer entrance was refurbished and a disabled lift added. By 2005, there was no longer a live organist playing in

the sun lounge although other live entertainment continues. In 2013, the live organist was brought back into the sun lounge.

The pier was built and owned by the Blackpool Pier Company, created with three thousand £5-shares in 1861 (worth approximately £2,990 in 2012). The same firm operated the

pier in 1953, and the company was incorporated in 1965. The Resorts Division of First Leisure, including the pier, was sold to Leisure Parks for £74 million in 1998. In 2009, the

pier was sold to the Six Piers group, which owns Blackpool's other two piers, and hoped to use it as a more tranquil alternative to them. The new owners opened the Victorianthemed

tea room, and built an eight-seat shuttle running the length of the pier.

In April 2011, the pier was sold to a Blackpool family firm, Sedgwick's, the owners of amusement arcades and the big wheel on Blackpool's Central Pier. Peter Sedgwick

explained that he proposed to his wife on North Pier forty years ago, and promised to buy it for her one day. He said that he wants to restore the Victorian heritage of the pier and

re-instate the pier's tram. An admission charge of fifty pence to access the board-walk section of the pier was abolished by the Sedgewicks.

A petition to wind up the Northern Victorian Pier Limited (the company used by the Sedgwick family to manage Blackpool North Pier) was presented on 17 September 2012 by

Carlsberg UK Limited, a creditor of the Company, and this was to be heard at Blackpool County Court on 15 November 2012.

At the 11th hour, an agreement to pay the outstanding balance owed to Carlsberg was made and Peter Sedgwick's company escaped liquidation.

[Wikipedia]

Here's the other side of BN 612 sitting in the Dirt House at Superior. Modelers are always looking for photographs of both sides of the equipment that they are building to keep the details, paint, lettering, and weathering consistent with the actual prototype being modeled. But sometimes that's difficult to do, especially when the prototypes disappeared so long ago. This one had less than a year to go before it was off the property and scrapped.

 

The large, black smokestack in the background upper left belonged to the Great Northern's power house that provided steam heat throughout all of the shop buildings and the roundhouse once located here. Notice just to the right of that big smokestack is a skinny pole, with a large steam whistle mounted on top of it. This is the famous steam whistle of the Great Northern Belknap Street shops that called men to work from all parts of the city.

 

The whistle sounded each day at 7:30AM; 8AM; 12 Noon; 12:20; 12:30; and 4PM. It was also used to sound fire drills and there was a special code used in the event of an actual fire that would bring the Superior Fire Department to the exact building in trouble, all based on different long and short blasts from the steam whistle.

 

The whistle dated back to about 1895 when this facility was started by James J. Hill's fledgling Eastern Railway of Minnesota. The power house was smaller then and when it was moved, rebuilt, and enlarged by Great Northern in 1917 the whistle was moved from the old power house to the new one.

 

During the earliest times at the shops most of the men who worked here lived in Billings Park. According to Shop Superintendent Earl Coleman (who worked here during the 1950s) back in those old days they blew the whistle at 6AM to wake them up. The 7:30 and 8AM whistles were to signal that actual start of the work day. Some workers had just 20 minutes for lunch while others had 30 minutes. So the two different whistles at lunch time were for two sets of workers. The 4PM whistle was quitting time.

 

Henry Westermeyer was the man in charge of the power house and it was up to him to blow that whistle every day, on time. He was always prepared to signal the emergency signal to each area of the shops including the lumber yard, the old car shop, the blacksmith and boiler shops, steel shop and RIP, the machine shop, the fuel tank, the storehouse and the roundhouse. If you worked in the roundhouse and you heard 2 long and 4 short whistles blasting repeatedly from the top of the power house—you had to run for it!

 

Most likely, everyone working in the other shops would have taken a look-see as well.

 

The boilers inside the power house were coal fired until the Fall of 1953 when the steam plant was converted to run off of fuel oil. When it was torn down in the early 1980s the steam whistle was silenced forever. Hopefully, someone took that off of the building before the wreckers moved in to take the rest.

 

Contrary to popular believe, the turntable at the roundhouse was definitely not steam powered. During the summer months the power house was idled to save money on fuel and the staff who operated the boilers. That's why Heater Car 8 was always parked next to the power house during the summer months, just in case the temperatures dipped, and the roundhouse offices needed a blast of steam to keep warm. But the boiler cars couldn't heat the whole facility—just the first few stalls of the roundhouse where the offices were located.

 

So it was an electrically controlled turntable. In fact, if you look hard, in the top left corner of this picture, you'll see the two power lines that ran in an arc from the power distribution bar on the power poles to the rotating head frame located mid point on the 120-foot Bethlehem Twin Span turntable.

 

The steam that bathed the turntable pit during cold days was leaking from underground steam lines that ran from the power house into the roundhouse, then across the pit into the Mallet House where that steam was used to heat the cast iron radiators that lined the walls of the track pits. Those kept workers warm over the long winter as they did heavy repairs to running gear on steam and diesel locomotives alike.

© All Rights Reserved - No Usage Allowed in Any Form Without the Written Consent of Connie Lemperle/ lemperleconnie or the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

 

Link to Cincinnati Zoo..............

www.cincinnatizoo.org/

 

Also a new group to join for anyone who has Ohio Zoo pictures!

www.flickr.com/groups/ohio_zoos/

 

Also check out Zoos Around the World group!

www.flickr.com/groups/zoos_around_the_world/

 

I don't know how much I'll be able to be on Flickr except to post some photos because my hip surgery is taking place on Feb. 9th and I have a lot of things to do. I'll stop in whenever possible but I know that I will miss a lot of photos. Right now I want to spend time getting things ready, spend time with my family, and my dogs. I hope you all understand. Hopefully I'll have a chance to let everyone know how I'm doing after I get home from the hospital. I'll do that as soon as possible. Obviously it will be awhile before I can come back to Flickr in full force. I wish you all a very nice week and want to thank you all for being such great friends here on Flickr. Lots of love and hugs!

 

I'm sorry that I am posting so many photos. I just have so many and I want to have more on here for the Cincinnati Zoo. You certainly don't have to comment on them because I can't promise that I'll be able to visit your beautiful photostreams consistently for awhile. I'll miss seeing all your beautiful photos and talking with you all. Thanks everyone!

 

Uncropped

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuttgart

 

Stuttgart (Swabian: Schduagert) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Stuttgart is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known locally as the "Stuttgart Cauldron." It lies an hour from the Swabian Jura and the Black Forest. Its urban area has a population of 609,219, making it the sixth largest city in Germany. 2.7 million people live in the city's administrative region and another 5.3 million people in its metropolitan area, making it the fourth largest metropolitan area in Germany. The city and metropolitan area are consistently ranked among the top 20 European metropolitan areas by GDP; Mercer listed Stuttgart as 21st on its 2015 list of cities by quality of living, innovation agency 2thinknow ranked the city 24th globally out of 442 cities and the Globalization and World Cities Research Network ranked the city as a Beta-status world city in their 2014 survey.

 

Since the 6th millennium BC, the Stuttgart area has been an important agricultural area and has been host to a number of cultures seeking to utilize the rich soil of the Neckar valley. The Roman Empire conquered the area in 83 AD and built a massive castrum near Bad Cannstatt, making it the most important regional centre for several centuries. Stuttgart's roots were truly laid in the 10th century with its founding by Liudolf, Duke of Swabia, as a stud farm for his warhorses. Initially overshadowed by nearby Cannstatt, the town grew steadily and was granted a charter in 1320. The fortunes of Stuttgart turned with those of the House of Württemberg, and they made it the capital of their county, duchy, and kingdom from the 15th century to 1918. Stuttgart prospered despite setbacks in the Thirty Years' War and devastating air raids by the Allies on the city and its automobile production during World War II. However, by 1952, the city had bounced back and it became the major economic, industrial, tourism and publishing centre it is today.

 

Stuttgart is also a transport junction, and possesses the sixth-largest airport in Germany. Several major companies are headquartered in Stuttgart, including Porsche, Bosch, Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG, and Dinkelacker.

 

Stuttgart is unusual in the scheme of German cities. It is spread across a variety of hills (some of them covered in vineyards), valleys (especially around the Neckar river and the Stuttgart basin) and parks. This often surprises visitors who associate the city with its reputation as the "cradle of the automobile". The city's tourism slogan is "Stuttgart offers more". Under current plans to improve transport links to the international infrastructure (as part of the Stuttgart 21 project), the city unveiled a new logo and slogan in March 2008 describing itself as "Das neue Herz Europas" ("The new Heart of Europe"). For business, it describes itself as "Where business meets the future". In July 2010, Stuttgart unveiled a new city logo, designed to entice more business people to stay in the city and enjoy breaks in the area.

 

Stuttgart is a city with a high number of immigrants. According to Dorling Kindersley's Eyewitness Travel Guide to Germany, "In the city of Stuttgart, every third inhabitant is a foreigner." 40% of Stuttgart's residents, and 64% of the population below the age of five, are of immigrant background.

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannstatter_Volksfest

 

The Cannstatter Volksfest is an annual three-week Volksfest (beer festival and travelling funfair) in Stuttgart, Germany. It is sometimes also referred to by foreign visitors as the Stuttgart Beer Festival, although it is actually more of an autumnal fair.

 

The festival takes place at the Cannstatter Wasen from late September to early October, spanning a period over three weekends, ending the second Sunday in October. The extensive Wasen area is in the Stuttgart city district of Bad Cannstatt, near the river Neckar. A smaller variant of the Stuttgart festival, the Stuttgart Spring Festival, is also held each year in Wasen.

MADRID RIO

 

Madrid Río es un parque de la ciudad española de Madrid, consistente en una zona peatonal y de recreo construida entre los años 2006 a 2012 en los dos márgenes del río Manzanares, en buena parte sobre el trazado soterrado de la vía de circunvalación M-30,1​ desde el nudo Sur hasta el enlace con la A-5. En 2016, el proyecto se hizo con el galardón Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design de la Universidad de Harvard por su diseño e impacto social y cultural en la transformación del río

Entre 2003 y 2007 se llevó a cabo la obra de soterramiento del arco oeste de la M-30 en el ámbito del río, obra que hizo posible la eliminación del tráfico en superficie y la consiguiente liberación de más de cincuenta hectáreas de terreno ocupado anteriormente por las calzadas. A esta superficie se sumaron otras casi cien hectáreas correspondientes a los diferentes suelos infrautilizados adyacentes a la autopista.

 

Tras la construcción de los túneles afloró una herida vacía formada por un rosario de espacios desocupados, que atesoraban la potencia latente de convertirse en nexo de unión de un corredor ambiental de casi tres mil hectáreas dentro del término municipal, que se extiende desde El Pardo hasta Getafe y que enlaza importantísimas áreas verdes de la ciudad como la Casa de Campo, el Parque de la Arganzuela o el Parque del Manzanares Sur.

 

Por tanto, los beneficios obtenidos al enterrar la antigua autopista, obviamente, no han quedado reducidos a la mejora de ciertos aspectos de la movilidad urbana, ni siquiera a la rehabilitación local de los barrios, sino que pueden adquirir en un futuro próximo, una dimensión de gran escala que necesariamente deberá repercutir en las relaciones entre la ciudad y el territorio, entendidas en su mayor alcance. La enorme trascendencia para la ciudad de los espacios liberados como consecuencia del soterramiento de la M-30, llevó al Ayuntamiento de Madrid a convocar un Concurso Internacional de Ideas para concebir y proyectar los nuevos espacios libres en el entorno del río. El concurso lo ganó el equipo de arquitectos dirigido por Ginés Garrido y formado por Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos, Porras & La Casta y Rubio & Álvarez-Sala y West8, con la solución para la construcción de un parque urbano de más de ciento veinte hectáreas, que ocupa la superficie liberada por el soterramiento de la autopista. Los inicios del proyecto pasaron por el intento de comprender en su totalidad las cualidades geográficas de la cuenca fluvial. Las características del territorio y la diversidad de sus elementos naturales constituyen un conjunto de claves que han sustentado muchas de las ideas contenidas en el proyecto.

 

Sumariamente, la estrategia del éste se basa en la convicción de que, a través del río es posible conectar la ciudad, expresión máxima de la acción artificial, con los territorios del norte y el sur de Madrid, en los que aún perviven los elementos naturales propios de la cuenca fluvial. El río se convierte en puerta o enlace entre interior urbano y exterior territorial y, a través de sus márgenes, se establece la continuidad y la permeabilidad, hasta hoy aniquiladas por los sucesivos anillos concéntricos, hollados por los cinturones viarios, M-30, M-40, M-45, M-50 …, que fueron el resultado de aplicar a la red circulatoria los modelos de movilidad propios de mediados del siglo XX.

 

El proyecto se ha concebido en sucesivas aproximaciones o escalas a partir de las que se ha aplicado la reflexión sobre el campo de juego, obteniendo respuestas o soluciones diversas, desde el ámbito territorial o estratégico al local o específico.

 

En la escala territorial se han establecido los parámetros de partida para que, en el medio plazo, sea posible la regeneración de las márgenes del río en toda su longitud, como verdaderas áreas de integración entre el paisaje y la actividad humana, bajo un entendimiento contemporáneo capaz de superar el antagonismo implícito en el binomio urbano-rural.

 

En la escala metropolitana, a través del proyecto y de su concepción como gran infraestructura, se lleva a cabo la incorporación del corredor que se extiende sobre los bordes fluviales a su paso por la ciudad como parte del GR 124 (Gran Recorrido de la Red de Senderos Europeos) que ya, en 2011 se podrá transitar en toda su extensión, desde Manzanares el Real hasta Aranjuez.

 

En la escala urbana, el proyecto incorpora el río como doble línea de fachada inédita y configura un conjunto enlazado de espacios verdes que se infiltra en la ciudad; establece en la superficie un nuevo sistema de movilidad y accesibilidad; incrementa la integración y calidad urbana de los barrios limítrofes al río; protege y revaloriza el patrimonio histórico y detecta áreas de oportunidad que, sobre este ámbito de nueva centralidad, serán capaces de generar un cambio potencial del conjunto de la ciudad en el largo plazo.

 

En la escala local, la propuesta se ejecuta como una operación radicalmente artificial, materializada sin embargo con instrumentos eminentemente naturales. No se debe olvidar que se actúa mayoritariamente sobre una infraestructura bajo tierra. El proyecto se implanta sobre un túnel o, más bien, sobre la cubierta de un conjunto complejísimo de instalaciones al servicio del viario enterrado. Un edificio de hormigón de más de seis kilómetros de longitud, con enormes y determinantes servidumbres y con una topografía cuya lógica obedece exclusivamente a la construcción de la infraestructura, que emerge inopinadamente sobre el suelo y con la que ha sido necesario negociar. Sobre esta edificación subterránea, la solución adoptada se ha basado en el uso de la vegetación como principal material de construcción. El proyecto establece como estrategia general la idea de implantar una densa capa vegetal, de carácter casi forestal, allá donde sea posible, es decir, fabricar un paisaje con materia viva, sobre un sustrato subterráneo inerte, modificado y excavado para el automóvil, sobre una construcción que expresa por sí misma el artificio máximo.

 

Las familias, formas y asociaciones de especies vegetales seleccionadas provienen de la extrapolación del estudio de la cuenca del río y su adaptación, en cada caso, al medio urbano específico. La ordenación de los distintos entornos y su caracterización como lugares de uso público se ha producido teniendo en cuenta, por un lado, las funciones requeridas y las necesidades detectadas en cada distrito y por otro, la capacidad de conformar espacios habitables, inherente a los conjuntos organizados de vegetación de distinto porte.

La solución se concreta en tres unidades de paisaje principales. Primero, el Salón de Pinos, o corredor verde que discurre por la margen derecha del río. Es la estructura que permite la continuidad de los recorridos y reacciona en su encuentro con los puentes existentes dando lugar a distintos tipos de jardines de ribera (Jardines bajos de Puente de Segovia, Jardines del Puente de San Isidro, Jardines del Puente de Toledo y Jardines del Puente de Praga). Segundo, el enlace definitivo del centro histórico (representado por la imagen imponente del Palacio Real y la cornisa elevada de la ciudad), con la Casa de Campo, parque de más de mil setecientas hectáreas. En este entorno se incluyen la Avenida de Portugal, la Huerta de la Partida, la Explanada del Rey y los Jardines de la Virgen del Puerto. Tercero, la ancha franja sobre la ribera izquierda donde se sitúa el conjunto del Parque de la Arganzuela que incluye el centro de creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, y que representa la mayor superficie de espacio verde unitario de la propuesta.

 

Además de estas tres grandes operaciones paisajísticas coherentes entre sí, el proyecto propone ciento cincuenta intervenciones de diferente carácter, entre las que destaca el sistema puentes que dotan de un inédito grado de permeabilidad al cauce. Se han desarrollado soluciones sobre más de veinte puentes o pasarelas sobre el río, rehabilitando las siete presas, reciclando algunos puentes existentes y creando nuevos pasos, unas veces con un lenguaje silencioso y otras, intencionadamente expresivo. Como en una acción microquirúrgica el proyecto incorpora, eslabón por eslabón, una cadena de fórmulas de integración del río en la ciudad y de la ciudad en el río. Son elementos que garantizarán el contagio de los nuevos valores de las orillas regeneradas sobre los ámbitos y barrios cercanos. Con este efecto de resonancia, se prevé una sucesión de operaciones que aseguren una renovación de gran alcance. Desde ahora y de manera irreversible, se está fraguando una radical metamorfosis, sin precedentes para la ciudad de Madrid.

La superestructura lineal del Salón de Pinos es el elemento que organiza la continuidad de recorridos a lo largo de la ribera derecha del río. Está construida sobre los túneles en su práctica totalidad y tiene un ancho medio de treinta metros. Sobre la losa de hormigón que cubre el paso de los automóviles se han plantado más de 9.000 unidades de diferentes especies de pinos, de diversos tamaños, formas y agrupaciones con un marco de plantación forestal. Los ejemplares han sido seleccionados fundamentalmente en campos en los que hubiese posibilidad de extraer plantas con morfologías naturales (troncos no lineales, troncos dobles, troncos inclinados, etc.) De este modo se obtiene una prolongación controlada de los pinares de la sierra situada al norte de Madrid que parecen extenderse hasta el confín de la ciudad. Estos árboles han sido anclados a la losa de los túneles mediante cables de acero y bridas biodegradables, para potenciar su estabilidad y el crecimiento de sus raíces en horizontal sobre el paquete de tierras disponible. No obstante, este paseo se encuentra frecuentemente con estructuras de gran valor urbano o patrimonial.

 

Dos ejemplos simbólicos de esta intersección son los puentes históricos de Segovia (1582) y de Toledo (1732). En estos enclaves el salón reacciona como espacio de estancia, ampliando sus límites y ofreciendo un diseño específico, con árboles de ribera de hoja caduca y alineaciones de setos y bancos de piedra. Las actividades integradas en el salón se incorporan con un lenguaje coherente con su carácter forestal. Un claro ejemplo de este procedimiento lo forma el conjunto de áreas de juegos infantiles, diseñado específicamente como un sistema completo de formas naturales.

 

Jardines del Puente de Segovia

 

El puente de Segovia está declarado Bien de Interés Cultural. Fue construido a finales del siglo XVI por el arquitecto Juan de Herrera, por encargo de Felipe II. El proyecto de ajardinamiento de su entorno conforma una excepción en el ámbito del Salón de Pinos, constituyendo un ensanchamiento de éste y ofreciendo un modo diferente de aproximación al río. Los jardines se ordenan mediante una serie de líneas de traza orgánica que modelan sucesivas terrazas que descienden hacia el río. Estas líneas están construidas con unas piezas de granito de gran formato que sirven también de bancos. Entre ellos se extiende una superficie de hierba de bajo consumo hídrico arbolada con diferentes especies de árboles frondosos de ribera de la familia de los populus. En las inmediaciones de la fábrica almohadillada del puente se han construido dos estanques de agua limpia sobre los cuales, por un lado alza una fuente monumental de 16 chorros con forma de ciprés y por otro se extiende un pequeño jardín de lirios acuáticos. Los estanques son accesibles mediante unas gradas de piedra que se acercan a ellos hasta sumergirse.

 

Jardines del Puente de Toledo

 

Los jardines del Puente de Toledo constituyen una de las áreas más significativas del Proyecto Madrid Río, ya que se están situados en un enclave de excepcional importancia en el que el Salón de Pinos se encuentra con uno de los puentes monumentales de Madrid, el puente de Toledo, construido entre 1718 y 1732. El proyecto aprovecha dicho monumento en un doble sentido: Por un lado se compone un espacio concebido para ser visto desde lo alto del puente que se convierte así en un mirador privilegiado. De este modo los jardines ofrecen una nueva e inédita panorámica de Madrid ya que sus trazados dibujan un enorme tatuaje que se extiende como una alfombra sobre la superficie, reproduciendo un motivo figurativo vegetal. Por otro lado, los jardines incorporan el Puente de Toledo, que es una estructura barroca diseñada por el arquitecto Pedro de Ribera, como un objeto al que admirar, al que tocar y bajo el que pasar. La disposición de los setos está organizada de modo que conforma una serie de líneas que toman como referencia los jardines barrocos de la época borbónica, aunque están trazadas con un lenguaje contemporáneo. Asimismo en este punto se ha construido un graderío que permite la máxima aproximación a la lámina de agua del río, y la mejor contemplación de los arcos del antiguo puente.

 

Segunda unidad de paisaje: La Escena Monumental

 

La vinculación del centro histórico y el barrio de La Latina con la Casa de Campo ha estado vedada a los peatones de forma secular. El nuevo contacto, que ya es posible por la desaparición de los automóviles bajo tierra, ha sido resuelto con diversas intervenciones que asumen el carácter monumental y panorámico de esta zona, en la que el zócalo elevado del Palacio Real (germen primigenio del nacimiento de la ciudad) contacta con el río. Se han propuesto diferentes soluciones afrontando con extremada atención el contexto en el que se sitúan: La “Explanada del Rey”, explanada abierta pavimentada con un gran patrón figurativo y que sirve de gran atrio ante la Casa de Campo. La huerta de la partida, que es un recinto cerrado en el que se han plantado diferentes retículas de árboles frutales (perales, manzanos, moreras, granados, higueras, nogales, avellanos, etc) acoge un extraordinario mirador de la cornisa. La avenida de Portugal, convertida en un bulevar pavimentado por calceteiros portugueses y poblado por cuatro especies de cerezos (Prunus avium, P. avium ‘Plena’, P.yedoensis y P.padus ‘Watereii’ ) permite la contemplación de una espectacular floración que se alarga más de un mes en primavera. Por último, los jardines de La Virgen del Puerto, en la otra margen del río, estructurados mediante la disposición de parterres orientados según los ejes de los principales acontecimientos urbanos del área: el puente de Segovia, el puente del Rey, la avenida de Portugal y la puerta del Rey que ha sido restaurada y resituada según los datos disponibles en la cartografía histórica de Madrid.

 

Plataforma del Rey

 

En el acceso monumental que enlaza el centro histórico de Madrid con la Casa de Campo, antiguo cazadero real, destaca la Explanada o Plataforma del Rey, que es un espacio abierto de una superficie aproximada de 14.000 m2 y un frente paralelo al río de poco menos de 250 m. El destino de este espacio es el de formar un escenario capaz de acoger diferentes manifestaciones cívicas (conciertos, celebraciones oficiales, actividades culturales, etc.) en un entorno de extraordinaria calidad ambiental, que permite contemplar la Cornisa Histórica de la Ciudad. Este lugar está conectado con el Salón de Pinos y forma parte de él, aunque por exigencias de su uso, sea un área casi desprovista de arbolado. En ella el principal elemento organizador es el pavimento que, de forma muy suave, se adapta a una topografía que integra todas las emergencias de los túneles hasta hacerlas imperceptibles. En este pavimento las pequeñas piezas de granito y basalto forman un patrón que desciende desde la Avenida de Portugal y se esparce sobre la superficie del suelo a una escala en aumento progresivo. Dicho patrón vincula la plataforma con el pavimento proyectado en la avenida. De este modo la Plataforma es un elemento que liga de manera natural importantes piezas del escenario monumental que se produce en este punto, como son el Puente del Rey, la Casa de Campo, la Avenida de Portugal y el Salón de Pinos.

 

Huerta de la Partida

  

Se trata de un espacio recuperado que en las pasadas décadas se dedicó a albergar uno de los principales nudos de la autopista. La propuesta de regeneración de este lugar incluye varias operaciones: En primer lugar la construcción de una tapia, a veces opaca, a veces permeable que constituye un cierre que confiere al recinto el carácter de huerto cerrado. En segundo lugar, el modelado artificial del terreno, regularizando su superficie y tallando un único plano inclinado de suave pendiente que se desliza hacia el río. En tercer lugar la plantación de diferentes agrupaciones de árboles frutales (granados, moreras, manzanos, perales, avellanos, almendros, higueras, olivos y nogales) que se incorporan en el entorno describiendo cuadrantes reticulados con sutiles variaciones de orientación. Por último, se ha proyectado una ría húmeda que describe la trayectoria del Arroyo Meaques, actualmente entubado y oculto. Este proyecto ha sido fruto del estudio minucioso de la historia del lugar, ya que en el pasado, cuando Felipe II adquirió esta finca después de establecer la capitalidad de Madrid, en esta posición se plantaron algunas huertas que producían el alimento necesario para los trabajadores de la Casa de Campo.

 

Tercera unidad de paisaje: La Ribera del Agua. Arganzuela y Matadero

 

En la margen izquierda del cauce la ciudad se separa del río. El ejemplo más importante de la propuesta en esta orilla es el nuevo Parque de la Arganzuela, construido sobre antiguas dehesas de pasto de uso comunal. En este entorno se construyó el Matadero Municipal, notable ejemplo de arquitectura posindustrial de la segunda década del siglo XX. Con el soterramiento de la autopista, Madrid dispone ahora en este punto de 33 hectáreas de espacios libres que forman el mayor parque del proyecto. Éste se ha concebido como un gran espacio en el que el río se ha retirado dejando su huella ancestral. Está organizado con diferentes líneas que se entrecruzan, como surcos por los que pasó el agua, dejando entre sí espacios para distintos usos. Estas líneas, de carácter marcadamente longitudinal, son los caminos de distinta especie que recorren el espacio de norte a sur.

 

Paseo junto al matadero

 

Un camino más plano y ancho (el Camino Rápido), otro más sinuoso y de pendiente variable (el Camino Lento) y una franja empedrada de márgenes frondosos (el Arroyo Seco), que vertebra el centro del parque. La construcción del espacio se plantea como una gran arboleda que contiene varios paisajes, algunos más naturales y otros más construidos, configurados por una variación de especies, alturas, densidades y texturas. De este modo el parque, concebido como un retazo de la cuenca del río, incorpora tres áreas botánicas: bosque mediterráneo, bosque atlántico y fronda de ribera. El carácter de estos paisajes interiores está relacionado con los trazados longitudinales del parque, con árboles que siguen los caminos y las sendas, con sotos y bosques que emergen sobre la topografía. La textura boscosa se intercala con las superficies plantadas de aromáticas entre los caminos y el Arroyo Seco. Siguiendo la orilla izquierda del río, se dispone una franja húmeda y verde, con una pradera de césped que se inclina hacia el agua. Una constelación de fuentes ornamentales y un conjunto de tres láminas elípticas de agua pura introducen este elemento como materia narrativa que relaciona las distintas asociaciones de vegetación. Cada fuente presenta un distinto juego sonoro y visual y se rodea de pequeñas laderas plantadas de frutales que remiten a la imagen de los jardines de las leyendas o del Paraíso. Las líneas entrelazadas que estructuran el parque permiten la formación de recintos en los que se han situado importantes instalaciones para el recreo al servicio de los usuarios de todas las edades. En él se incluye un campo de fútbol , dos pistas de patinaje y tres importantes conjuntos de juegos infantiles. El parque así mismo incorpora el conjunto dedicado a la creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, como una gran dotación cultural que vive dentro de él. A través de los caminos se accede a las naves del antiguo complejo, cuya rehabilitación está a punto de finalizar. El diseño de los trazados permite entender la relación entre Matadero y el parque como un continuo entre el río y la ciudad.

 

El sistema de puentes sobre el río

 

La implantación de puentes sobre el Manzanares se lleva a cabo como una estrategia global, es decir, como un conjunto en que cada elemento resuelve problemas puntuales detectados en el entorno próximo, pero también forma parte a su vez de un sistema integral de conectividad transversal de acuerdo con la relación entre la ciudad y el río. Las unidades de este conjunto son de diferente carácter: puentes y presas rehabilitados o reciclados, puentes rodados existentes acondicionados al nuevo sistema de tráfico ciclista y peatonal, puentes singulares que constituyen hitos en el recorrido del río, pasarelas funcionales situadas en los nodos de máximo tránsito transversal y puentes de grandes luces que enlazan los recorridos del parque con los territorios exteriores a la ciudad al norte y al sur, haciendo realidad la principal aspiración territorial del proyecto.

 

Entre los puentes existentes destaca la operación llevada a cabo con las siete presas que han sido convertidas en pasarelas peatonales a través de su restauración integral y la incorporación de un tablero de madera accesible. En segundo lugar dentro de esta serie, se debe destacar el reciclaje del puente rodado de la M-30 que cruzaba el río al sur del Puente de Segovia, reconvertido en un puente peatonal y ciclista que incorpora un talud plantado con pinos. Entre los puentes singulares cabe mencionar el puente con forma de Y construido con cajones de perfiles metálicos, que evoca el lenguaje de los puentes ferroviarios del s. XIX colgados sobre los desfiladeros forestales y los puentes gemelos de hormigón que se dan acceso al complejo Matadero, proyectados como elementos de paso capaces también de configurar un espacio al que se ingresa, como pabellones que gravitan sobre el río, pero que verdaderamente pertenecen al parque.

 

Pasarela de Almuñécar

 

Fabricada de una sola pieza con fibra de carbono, para salvar una luz de algo más de 40 metros. Se sitúa sobre el único tramo del cauce que carece de cajero de hormigón. Su diseño final responde a las capacidades del material con que está fabricada, extremadamente ligero y resistente.

 

Restauración de Presas

 

Las siete presas que regulan el río a su paso de la ciudad han sido restauradas y puestas al servicio del nuevo sistema de pasos transversales. Sus mecanismos y exclusas han sido reparados y se les ha incorporado un tablero accesible de madera y una escala de peces para favorecer la continuidad de la fauna subacuática a lo largo del río.

 

Puente Oblicuo

 

Esta estructura viaria coetánea de la M-30 se ha reciclado para incorporarla al Salón de Pinos como un paso privilegiado a través del cual los peatones, los ciclistas y los árboles pasan de una a otra orilla. La losa aligerada que componía el tablero de hormigón postesado se cortó y apeó reforzándose para soportar las cargas debidas a su nuevo uso.

 

Puente del Principado de Andorra

 

Es uno de los nuevos puentes singulares del proyecto. Está construido por jaulas de perfiles abiertos, de expresividad algo arcaica, que toma como referencia las estructuras ferroviarias sobre los desfiladeros boscosos que se construyeron en Europa y Estados Unidos a finales de siglo XIX. Antes conocido como Puente Y, en julio de 2011 se le cambió de nombre al actual de Principado de Andorra, para agradecer al gobierno de Andorra la construcción del Puente de Madrid en Andorra la Vieja.​ Se escogió este puente para nombrarlo como Principado de Andorra porque representa también la geografía de Andorra: el país pirenaico está formado por dos valles, el del Valira del Norte y el del Valira de Oriente, los cuales confluyen en Escaldes-Engordany y se convierten en uno solo, de nombre Gran Valira. Esta disposición de los valles y sus ríos es similar a una Y.

 

Puentes Cáscara

 

Son dos puentes gemelos construidos con una lámina de 15 cm de hormigón autonivelante que forma una superficie con doble curvatura, de la que cuelga el tablero. Se conciben como dos pabellones a los que acceder para cruzar el río. Su bóveda se ha ornamentado con un mosaico creado por el artista Daniel Canogar.

 

Pasarela de la Princesa

 

El canto necesario para el funcionamiento de la pasarela se incorpora en las barandillas que en realidad conforman una pareja de vigas de alma llena y rigidizadores verticales. El lenguaje de la pasarela es intencionadamente sobrio.

 

Big German card by Ross Verlag. Photo: Paramount Pictures.

 

Blonde Mae West (1895-1982) was a seductive, overdressed, endearing, intelligent, and sometimes vulgar American actress and sex symbol. She featured a come-hither voice, aggressive sexuality, and a genius for comedy. West started in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York, and later moved to Hollywood to star in such films as I’m No Angel (1933), She Done Him Wrong (1933), and Klondike Annie (1936). She was one of the first women in the cinema to consistently write the films she starred in.

 

Mary Jane West was born in 1892, in Brooklyn, New York, to Matilda and John West. Family members called her Mae. Her father was a prizefighter known around the Brooklyn area as ‘Battlin' Jack’ West. Later, he worked as a "special policeman" (most likely as muscle for local business and crime bosses) and then as a private detective. Mae began working as an entertainer at age five at a church social. After a few years in stock, she moved into burlesque, where she was billed as ‘The Baby Vamp’. In 1907, 14-year-old West began performing professionally in vaudeville in the Hal Claredon Stock Company. Her mother made all her costumes, drilled her on rehearsals, and managed her bookings and contracts. In 1909, West met Frank Wallace, an up-and-coming vaudeville song-and-dance man. They formed an act and went out on the burlesque circuit. In 1911, she married Frank Wallace. Only 17, she lied about her age on her marriage certificate and kept the marriage secret from the public and her parents. She broke up the act soon after they arrived back in New York and the union remained a secret until 1935. In 1911, West auditioned for, and got a part, in her first Broadway show, ‘A La Broadway’, a comedy review. The show folded after only eight performances, but West was a hit. In the audience on opening night were two successful Broadway impresarios, Lee and J.J. Shubert, and they cast her in the production of ‘Vera Violetta’, also featuring Al Jolson and Gaby Deslys. West got her big break in 1918 in the Shubert Brothers revue Sometime, playing opposite Ed Wynn. Her character, Mayme, danced the shimmy, a brazen dance move that involved shaking the shoulders back and forth and pushing the chest out. As more parts came her way, West began to shape her characters, often rewriting dialogue or character descriptions to better suit her persona. She eventually began writing her own plays, initially using the pen name Jane Mast. In 1926 her first play, ‘Sex’, which she wrote, produced, and directed on Broadway, caused a scandal and landed her in jail for ten days on obscenity charges. Media attention surrounding the incident enhanced her career, by crowning her the darling "bad girl" who "had climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong". She wrote and directed her second play, ‘Drag’ (1927) about homosexuality. She was an early supporter of gay rights and publicly declared against police brutality that gay men experienced. The play was a smash hit during a series of try-outs in Connecticut and New Jersey, but she was warned by city officials, not to bring it to Broadway. Finally, her play ‘Diamond Lil’ (1928), about a racy, easygoing, and ultimately very smart lady of the 1890s, became a Broadway hit and cemented West's image in the public's eye. And, after two more successful stage productions, she was invited to Hollywood.

 

At Paramount Pictures, Mae West made her film debut in Night After Night (Archie Mayo, 1932), starring George Raft. At 38 years old, she might have been considered in her ‘advanced years’ for playing sexy harlots, but her persona and physical beauty seemed to overcome any doubt. At first, she balked at her small role in Night After Night but was appeased when allowed to rewrite her scenes. One scene became a sensation. When a coat check girl exclaims, "Goodness! What lovely diamonds!", after seeing Mae's jewelry. Mae replies, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie". Mae was a hit and later George Raft said of Mae: "She stole everything but the cameras." In her second film, She Done Him Wrong (Lowell Sherman, 1933), West was able to bring her ‘Diamond Lil’ character to the screen in her first starring film role. Her co-star was newcomer Cary Grant in one of his first major roles. ‘Lil’ was renamed ‘Lady Lou’, and she uttered the famous West line, "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, and did tremendously well at the box office. She Done Him Wrong is attributed to saving Paramount from bankruptcy. In her next film, I'm No Angel (Wesley Ruggles, 1933), she was again paired with Grant. This film, too, was a financial blockbuster and West became the highest-paid woman in the United States. However, her reputation as a provocative sexual figure and the steamy settings of her films aroused the wrath and moral indignation of several groups. The new Hays Office had the power to pre-approve films' productions and change scripts. In 1934, the organisation began to seriously and meticulously enforce the Production Code on West's screenplays, and heavily edited them. West responded in her typical fashion by increasing the number of innuendos and double entendres, fully expecting to confuse the censors, which she did for the most part. Her film Klondike Annie (Raoul Walsh, 1936) with Victor McLaglen, concerned itself with religion and hypocrisy. William R. Hearst disagreed so vehemently with the film's context, and West's portrayal of a Salvation Army worker, that he personally forbade any stories or advertisements of the film to be published in any of his newspapers. However, the film did well at the box office and is considered the high-point of West's film career. Throughout the 1930s her films were anticipated as major events, but by the end of the decade she seemed to have reached her limit and her popularity waned. The few other films she did for Paramount — Go West, Young Man (Henry Hathaway, 1936) and Everyday's a Holiday (A. Edward Sutherland, 1937) — did not do well at the box office, and she found censorship was severely limiting her creativity. In 1937, she was banned from NBC Radio after a guest appearance with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy that was loaded with flirtatious dialogue and double-entendres.

 

In 1939, Mae West was approached by Universal Pictures to star in a film opposite comedian W.C. Fields. The studio wanted to duplicate the success they had with another film, Destry Rides Again (George Marshall, 1939), a Western morality tale starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. West, looking for a vehicle to make a comeback in films, accepted the part, demanding creative control over the film. Using the same Western genre, she wrote the script for My Little Chickadee (Edward F. Cline, 1940). Despite tension on the set between West and Fields (she was a teetotaler and he drank), the film was a box-office success, out-grossing Fields' previous two films. After making The Heat's On (Gregory Ratoff, 1943) for Columbia, she planned to retire from the screen and went back to Broadway and on a tour of English theatres. Among her popular stage performances was the title role in ‘Catherine Was Great’ (1944) on Broadway, in which she penned a spoof on the story of Catherine the Great of Russia, surrounding herself with an ‘imperial guard’ of tall, muscular young actors. The play was produced by theater and film impresario Mike Todd and ran for 191 performances and then went on tour. In 1954, when she was 62, she began a nightclub act in which she was surrounded by musclemen; it ran for three years and was a great success. In 1954, West formed a nightclub act which revived some of her earlier stage work, featuring her in song-and-dance numbers and surrounded by musclemen fawning over her for attention. The show ran for three years and was a great success. With this victory, she felt it was a good time to retire. In 1959, West released her bestselling autobiography, ‘Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It’, recounting her life in show business. She made a few guest appearances on the 1960s television comedy/variety shows like The Red Skelton Show and some situation comedies like Mister Ed. She also recorded a few albums in different genres including rock 'n' roll and a Christmas album which, of course, was more parody and innuendo than a religious celebration. In the 1970s, she appeared in two more films. She had s small part in Gore Vidal's Myra Breckenridge (Michael Sarne, 1970), starring Raquel Welch. She starred in Sextette (Ken Hughes, 1978), which she based on her own stage play. Both were box office flops, but are now seen as cult films. In 1980, Mae West died after suffering two strokes in Hollywood and was entombed in Brooklyn, New York. She was 88. Denny Jackson at IMDb: “The actress, who only appeared in 12 films in 46 years, had a powerful impact on us. There was no doubt she was way ahead of her time with her sexual innuendos and how she made fun of a puritanical society. She did a lot to bring it out of the closet and perhaps we should be grateful for that.”

 

Sources: Denny Jackson (IMDb), Biography.com, AllMovie, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

 

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards..

Viewed from Nungate Bridge.

 

"The Collegiate Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Church of Scotland parish church in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland.

 

Building work on the church was started in 1380, and further building and rebuilding has taken place up to the present day. It is the longest church in Scotland, at 206 feet (62.8 metres) from east to west, and is in the early Gothic style.

 

The cruciform church is located in a large open churchyard, at some distance from the town centre. The church is built on a scale becoming of a cathedral. It is of a uniform and consistent design, that suggests a clear adherence to the original plans. Having been desecrated during the sixteenth century, the nave of the church and the tower were repaired for use by the congregation, this part being subject to various restorations in subsequent centuries. A comprehensive renovation of the whole church was carried out in the 1970s.

 

The choir is aisled and is made up of four bays, intersected by buttresses with a mixture of gabled and pinnacled terminals. The windows between have simple curvilinear tracery dividing two main lights. The cornice below the eaves has foliate carving. The clerestory is unbuttressed and has double-lighted windows beneath two mouchettes. The window at the east end of the choir was built in 1877, and consists of four lights with contemporary tracery. One of the finials shows an angel playing the bagpipe. On the north side of the choir there is a medieval sacristy, which is now an ecumenical chapel and mausoleum of the Maitland family dedicated to the Three Kings.

 

The transepts are aisleless, with windows at the gables and to the west, the gable windows are triple lighted with mouchettes above. The north transept contains modern toilets and stairs to the north gallery. The south transept contains a memorial to George Seton and a stained glass window by Edward Burne-Jones donated by the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of the restoration. to the east of the north transept lies the Lauderdale Aisle, a small Scottish Episcopal chapel that commemorates John Maitland, 1st Lord Maitland of Thirlestane and others of the Maitland family. There is a stair turret in the east angle of the north transept which gives access to the tower. The tower is cubic in form and has triple lancet windows on each elevation. There are single figure niches on either side of the openings. The wall heads terminate in a decorative cornice with gargoyles. The corbelling at this level suggests that there were plans to erect a crown spire similar to that of St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh and St. Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow. It is not known whether or not this decorative structure was ever built.

 

The nave is similar to the choir, in that it has four bays on the north and south aspects, buttressed in between. The windows, however, are similar to those on the transept gables. The side aisles were raised by some 10 feet in 1811 and were finished with castellation and pinnacles. The clerestory windows are similar to those of the aisles and the wall heads finished with cornicing. The position of the pre-1811 vaults are still visible on the sides of the nave.

 

The western front of the building has a large window divided into six main lights in groups of three divided by a 'Y' shaped central mullion. These are each surmounted by double mouchettes and vesica piscis windows. The capital is formed of double "dagger" and single quatrefoil windows. Below is the main door, with round headed arch composed of several filleted shafts, the door is divided into two by a trumeau shaft topped with two semi-circular arches; the capital here bears a representation of the Arma Christi.

 

The interior of the church is notable for the extensive sexpartite vaulting. The pulpit and font were both designed by Glaswegian sculptor, William Birnie Rhind in 1891. In the north choir aisle there is an ancient sculpture of Haddington Burgh arms, discovered in the north transept, during the 1970s restoration. The east wall of the south transept houses a memorial to William Seton, Provost of Haddington, erected in 1682. In the late 1980s a new pipe organ was commissioned, and installed in 1990 on a gallery within the north transept. The tower of St Mary's had been silent since 1548, when the English army removed the three bells extant. In 1999 the church acquired a set of eight bells, cast to celebrate the coronation of George V in 1911, and originally hung as a chime in Dunecht House. These were installed between March and May 1999 and were dedicated by The Very Rev Dr John B. Cairns, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, on the 6th of June.

 

The Royal Burgh of Haddington (Scots: Haidintoun) is a town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is the main administrative, cultural and geographical centre for East Lothian, which as a result of late-nineteenth century Scottish local government reforms took the form of the county of Haddingtonshire for the period from 1889 to 1921. It lies about 17 miles (27 km) east of Edinburgh. The name Haddington is Anglo-Saxon, dating from the sixth or seventh century AD when the area was incorporated into the kingdom of Bernicia. The town, like the rest of the Lothian region, was ceded by King Edgar of England and became part of Scotland in the tenth century. Haddington received burghal status, one of the earliest to do so, during the reign of David I (1124–1153), giving it trading rights which encouraged its growth into a market town.

 

Today Haddington is a small town with a population of fewer than 10,000 people; although during the High Middle Ages, it was the fourth-biggest city in Scotland after Aberdeen, Roxburgh and Edinburgh. In the middle of the town is the Town House, built in 1748 according to a plan by William Adam. When first built, it inheld a council chamber, jail and sheriff court, to which assembly rooms were added in 1788, and a new clock in 1835. Nearby is the Corn Exchange (1854) and the County Courthouse (1833). Other nearby notable sites include the Jane Welsh Carlyle House, Mitchell's Close and the birthplace of author and government reformer Samuel Smiles on the High Street, marked by a commemorative plaque.

 

Haddington is located predominantly on the north-east bank of the River Tyne, and was once famous for its mills. It developed into the fourth-largest town in Scotland during the High Middle Ages, and later was at the centre of the mid-eighteenth century Scottish Agricultural Revolution.

 

In 1641, an Act was passed by the Parliament of Scotland to encourage the production of fine cloth, and in 1645 an amendment went through stating that the masters and workers of manufactories would be exempt from military service. As a result of this, more factories were established; these included the New Mills. This factory suffered during the Civil War with the loss of its cloth to General Monck. A new charter was drawn up in May 1681, and major capital invested in new machinery, but the New Mills had mixed fortunes, inevitably affected by the lack of protectionism for Scottish manufactured cloth. The Scots Courant reported in 1712 that New Mills was to be "rouped" (auctioned). The property was sold on 16 February 1713 and the machinery and plant on 20 March. The lands of New Mills were purchased by Colonel Francis Charteris and he changed their name to Amisfield.

 

As the county town of East Lothian, Haddington is the seat of East Lothian Council with offices located at John Muir House behind Court Street. This building occupies the site of Haddington's twelfth century royal palace and adjoins the former Sheriff Court complex. The town centre is home to a wide range of independent retailers including: a bookshop, two sports shops, a saddlery and country goods specialist, two butchers, a hardware shop, cookware shop and several gift shops alongside several pubs, restaurants and cafés. Nationwide retailers with a presence in Haddington include: Tesco, M&Co, Boots, Aldi and Co-op Food. Besides retail and administration, the town is also home to various law firms and has industrial capacity in the works beside the Tyne at the Victoria Bridge (PureMalt), and around the site of the old station (Lemac), and various smaller industrial units and garages. Haddington is also home to the offices of the local newspaper the East Lothian Courier. There is a farmers' market held on the last Saturday of the month in Court Street.

 

The town centre largely retains its historic street plan with Court Street, High Street, Market Street and Hardgate defining the edges of the original open triangular medieval market place, divided by a central island of buildings developed from the 16th century onwards on the site of market stalls. To the north and south the medieval rigg pattern of burgage plots can still be observed with narrow buildings fronting the main streets and long plots behind stretching back, originally to the line of the old town walls, accessed by small closes and pends. The historic importance of the town's relatively unaltered medieval plan and significant survival of historic buildings was recognised as early as the 1950s, with Haddington subject to an Improvement Scheme, Scotland's earliest, which saw many period properties rehabilitated by the Town Council (under the leadership of Frank Tindall as Director of Planning) and a pioneering town colour scheme developed, resulting in the distinctive and colourful townscape seen today. Some comprehensive redevelopment did occur, chiefly around Newton Port and Hardgate to allow for widening of these narrow streets to improve motor traffic flow. This included the demolition of Bothwell Castle and its dovecote in 1955, the land now forming part of Hardgate Park. Today the whole town centre is a conservation area with a high proportion of listed buildings, some dating back to the C16th, and the redevelopment and infill schemes undertaken since the 1950s have largely been in a sympathetic vernacular style which has maintained the town's historic character." - info from Wikipedia.

 

Summer 2019 I did a solo cycling tour across Europe through 12 countries over the course of 3 months. I began my adventure in Edinburgh, Scotland and finished in Florence, Italy cycling 8,816 km. During my trip I took 47,000 photos.

 

Now on Instagram.

 

Become a patron to my photography on Patreon.

"The value of consistent prayer is not that He will hear us, but that we will hear Him." ~William McGill

Singapore Zoo ranks consistently (after San Diego Zoo) as one of the best in the world.

 

The penguins are a delight to watch. As they waddle out single file on opposite feet, I’m reminded of my daughter’s tap dance classes.

 

For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/teeth-claws-and-colou...

Family: Braconidae

Order: Hymenoptera

 

Size 3mm body length. There were several of these flying close to the ground above leaf litter.

 

The wing venation is consistent with Braconidae. See photo in comments below.

  

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Braconidae_Wing_Venation.JPG

  

2023-03-31-10.04.15 ZS PMax v4 PS LR

Singapore Zoo ranks consistently (after San Diego Zoo) as one of the best in the world.

 

Watching the power of this animal as he leaps for the incoming food is just breathtaking. You can see the deadly canines in the powerful jaw. At 16, Omar was already old for a tiger, and he died 16 months after this was taken.

 

For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/teeth-claws-and-colou...

Canterbury (/ˈkæntərbəri/) is a historic English cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.

 

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of the Church of England and the worldwide Anglican Communion owing to the importance of St Augustine, who served as the apostle to the pagan Kingdom of Kent around the turn of the 7th century. The city's cathedral became a major focus of pilgrimage following the 1170 martyrdom of Thomas Becket, although it had already been a well-trodden pilgrim destination since the murder of St Alphege by the men of King Canute in 1012. A journey of pilgrims to Becket's shrine served as the frame for Geoffrey Chaucer's 14th century classic The Canterbury Tales.

 

Canterbury is a popular tourist destination: consistently one of the most-visited cities in the United Kingdom, the city's economy is heavily reliant upon tourism. The city has been occupied since Paleolithic times and served as the capital of the Celtic Cantiaci and Jute Kingdom of Kent. Many historical structures fill the area, including a city wall founded in Roman times and rebuilt in the 14th century, the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey and a Norman castle, and the oldest extant school in the world, the King's School. Modern additions include the Marlowe Theatre and the St Lawrence Ground, home of the Kent County Cricket Club. There is also a substantial student population, brought about by the presence of the University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University, the University for the Creative Arts, and the Girne American University Canterbury campus. Canterbury remains, however, a small city in terms of geographical size and population, when compared with other British cities.

 

The Roman settlement of Durovernum Cantiacorum ("Kentish Durovernum") occupied the location of an earlier British town whose ancient British name has been reconstructed as *Durou̯ernon ("stronghold by the alder grove"), although the name is sometimes supposed to have derived from various British names for the Stour. (Medieval variants of the Roman name include Dorobernia and Dorovernia.) In Sub-Roman Britain, it was known in Old Welsh as Cair Ceint ("stronghold of Kent"). Occupied by the Jutes, it became known in Old English as Cantwareburh ("stronghold of the Kentish men"), which developed into the present name.

 

Landmarks

 

Canterbury Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Anglican Communion and seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Founded in 597 AD by Augustine, it forms a World Heritage Site, along with the Saxon St. Martin's Church and the ruins of St Augustine's Abbey. With one million visitors per year, it is one of the most visited places in the country. Services are held at the cathedral three or more times a day.

 

The Roman Museum houses an in situ mosaic pavement dating from around 300 AD. Surviving structures from the Roman times include Queningate, a blocked gate in the city wall, and the Dane John Mound, once part of a Roman cemetery. The Dane John Gardens were built beside the mound in the 18th century, and a memorial was placed on the mound's summit. A windmill was on the mound between 1731 and 1839.

 

The ruins of the Norman Canterbury Castle and St Augustine's Abbey are both open to the public. The medieval St Margaret's Church now houses "The Canterbury Tales", in which life-sized character models reconstruct Geoffrey Chaucer's stories. The Westgate is now a museum relating to its history as a jail. The medieval church of St Alphege became redundant in 1982 but had a new lease of life as the Canterbury Urban Studies Centre, later renamed the Canterbury Environment Centre; the building is used by the King's School. The Old Synagogue, now the King's School Music Room, is one of only two Egyptian Revival synagogues still standing. The city centre contains many timber-framed 16th and 17th century houses, however there are far fewer than there were before the Second World War, as many were damaged during the Baedecker Blitz. Many are still standing, including the "Old Weaver's House" used by the Huguenots. St Martin's Mill is the only surviving mill out of the six known to have stood in Canterbury. It was built in 1817 and worked until 1890; it is now a house conversion. St Thomas of Canterbury Church is the only Roman Catholic church in the city and contains relics of Thomas Becket.

 

Canterbury Heritage Museum houses many exhibits - including the Rupert Bear Museum. The Herne Bay Times has reported that the Heritage at Risk Register includes 19 listed buildings in Canterbury which need urgent repair but for which the council has insufficient funds.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Canterbury [ˈkæntəbəɹɪ] (von altenglisch Cantwaraburig für „Burg (oder Stadt, Ort) der Leute von Kent“, lat. Cantuaria, veraltet im Deutschen auch Kanterberg, Kanterburg oder Kantelberg) ist eine Universitätsstadt mit 55.240 Einwohnern (2011). Sie liegt am Fluss Stour in der Grafschaft Kent im Südosten Englands und ist Sitz des Erzbischofs von Canterbury und Zentrum der Anglikanischen Kirche Englands.

 

Canterbury soll der Sage nach 900 v. Chr. von Rudilibas angelegt und von den alten Briten Caerther oder Caerkent (Stadt von Kent) genannt worden sein. Ab 43 n. Chr. entstand an ihrer Stelle das römische Durovernum Cantiacorum (römisch: duro = „Fort“, verno = „Sumpf“), das sich zu einem Verwaltungszentrum entwickelte und das größte römische Theater Britanniens besaß; ab 200 n. Chr. wurde die Stadt mit einer Stadtmauer umgeben. Æthelberht von Kent, der ab 568 n. Chr. regierte, machte Canterbury zu seiner Residenz und nannte sie Cantwarabyrig.

 

Nach dem Übertritt der Angelsachsen zum Christentum wurde die Stadt Sitz des Erzbischofs-Primas, dem geistlichen Oberhaupt der Kirche von England und der anglikanischen Kommunion. Die Erzbischöfe von Canterbury werden seit dem Bruch Heinrichs VIII. mit Rom vom englischen König (später britischen König) bestimmt.

 

Der Mord an Thomas Becket ist Gegenstand in den Dramen von George Darley (1840), Alfred Tennyson (1884) und Jean Anouilh (1959) sowie in T. S. Eliots Theaterstück Murder in the Cathedral (1935), das im Chapter House uraufgeführt wurde und in Ken Folletts Roman Die Säulen der Erde.

 

Die Erzählungen der Canterbury Tales (deutsch: „Canterbury-Geschichten“) des mittelalterlichen Dichters Geoffrey Chaucer sind in eine Rahmenhandlung eingebunden, die von einer Pilgergruppe auf ihrem Weg von London nach Canterbury zum Grabmal von Thomas Becket handelt. Die Themen der Erzählungen variieren und beinhalten höfische Liebe, Verrat und Habsucht. Die Genres variieren ebenso, es gibt Romanzen, bretonische Lai (kurze rhythmische Erzählungen), Predigten und Fabeln.

 

Canterbury entwickelte sich in römischer Zeit als besagtes Durovernum Cantiacorum zu einer bedeutenden Siedlung. Nach der Christianisierung Kents wurden einige frührömische Kirchen wieder für den Gebrauch hergerichtet, so z. B. St. Martin und die damals an der Stelle der jetzigen Kathedrale befindliche Kirche. Seit jener Zeit ist Canterbury Mittelpunkt der Kirche in England und Anziehungspunkt für viele Besucher; nach der Ermordung von Thomas Becket waren das vor allem Wallfahrer. Im 12. Jahrhundert avancierte Canterbury zur zweitgrößten Münzstätte Englands nach London. Im 16. Jahrhundert setzte dank der Einführung der Weberei durch die Hugenotten, die als Religionsflüchtlinge vom Festland kamen, ein wirtschaftlicher Aufschwung ein. Im Jahr 1888 erhielt die Stadt Grafschaftsrechte, obwohl sie bis dahin von der Industriellen Revolution kaum berührt wurde und die Zahl der Einwohner nur geringfügig zugenommen hatte.

 

Die Stadt blieb über lange Zeit weitgehend unverändert, wurde aber im Zweiten Weltkrieg durch die deutsche Luftwaffe bei den „Baedeker-Vergeltungsangriffen“ auf kulturell bedeutende Städte Englands im Jahr 1942, vor allem am 1. Juni, stark beschädigt. Seitdem hat sich Canterbury zu einer modernen Stadt und einem wichtigen Einkaufszentrum entwickelt, mit großem Freizeitangebot, guten Verkehrsverbindungen und vielfältigen Unterkunftsmöglichkeiten. Weil viele historische Bauwerke erhalten blieben, konnte der mittelalterliche Charakter des Stadtkerns bewahrt werden. Bemerkenswert sind außer der Kathedrale auch die vielen anderen alten Kirchenbauwerke in der Stadt. Erwähnenswert sind hier u. a. Greyfriars, St Martin’s Church und St. Dunstan's Church.

 

Ein Großteil der Stadtmauer ist unversehrt; von den sechs alten Toren ist nur noch eins, das Westgate, aus der Zeit Richards II. erhalten; es beherbergt heute ein Museum. Am Fluss Stour entlang reihen sich die historischen Weberhäuser aneinander, und weiter flussabwärts liegen die Klöster der Blackfriars und Greyfriars aus dem 13. Jahrhundert. Canterbury bietet eine Vielzahl weiterer historischer Sehenswürdigkeiten wie den Bergfried des ehemaligen normannischen Canterbury Castles oder die normannische Treppe der King’s School. Einige von ihnen haben berühmten Dichtern und Schriftstellern als Anregung gedient. Christopher Marlowe wurde in Canterbury geboren und in St. Georg getauft. Trotz seiner engeren Bindungen an Rochester und Broadstairs wählte Charles Dickens als Schauplatz seines Romans David Copperfield Canterbury.

 

Neben der Kathedrale von Canterbury ist auch die St Martin’s Church Weltkulturerbe.

 

(Wikipedia)

IMG_4398

 

This watch runs consistently at +1 second/24 hours when worn and came like that. (I have usually had to regulate HMT watches, even new ones). It is actually the most accurate mechanical watch I have ever worn. I swapped the stem for one the correct size out of another watch as it came with one which was about a millimeter too long.

 

From the age of its lume, as well as the slightly mushroom-shaped crown, I think it probably dates from the 1970's.

 

I find black-dialled watches are almost impossible to photograph as I am not usually trying to take a self-portrait at the same time.

 

At the We Like'em Short Film Festival at Churchill School in Baker City Oregon

 

The We Like ‘Em Short Film Festival is committed to celebrating the art of the short film, and providing a platform for independent filmmakers to showcase their talent. This festival seeks original and entertaining animated and comedy shorts from around the world.

 

The We Like ‘Em Short Film Festival was started in 2009 as a very small local festival featuring local filmmakers. In 2012 the festival decided to seek entries online, which has led them to becoming an international film festival with films now being submitted from around the world. In 2014 festival decided to pare the festival down a bit, seeking only the films that staff and audiences had consistently found to be the most entertaining, creative and engaging: animated and comedy shorts.

 

In 2014 the We Like'em Short Film Festival was named Oregon's Best Fine Arts Festival by the Oregon Festivals and Events Association.

 

Churchill school includes a sound studio, a working woodshop, metal fabrication studio gallery space and multiple artist studio spaces and the cafeteria has become a new music venue regularly hosting musical artists from throughout the PNW

 

For more information about Churchill School including upcoming classes exhibits, and events, visit their website at www.churchillbaker.com/index.html

 

For more information about the We Like'em Short Film Festival or other Baker County cultural and art events, visit Baker County Tourism's website at www.travelbakercounty.com

   

This section of the St. Lawrence River would normally have several inches of solid surface ice. But not so this year as the water temperature is just too warm. There's more ice on land (or on rocks such as these) where the air temperature has been colder, and more consistently below freezing. Just another example of global warming (polar bears take warning)!

Despre copilăria mea

sau

Despre Rață și visul lui

sau

Despre un primar și jumătate aflat la un mandat şi jumătate

sau

Despre dreptul individului de a visa și dreptul istoriei de a-i distruge visul

sau

Despre istoria ca recompensă și ca răsfăț

 

de Oana URSACHE RÂŞCANU

 

Gura Humorului este un oraș mic, pitit printre coline și obcini, la răscruce de cărări către mănăstiri celebrisime. Uitat sus pe hartă, plin de orgolii neînțelese de nimeni, orașul meu a avut dintotdeauna energii absolut impresionante. Că oriunde m-aș afla rămîn om al locului meu de origine e pe jumătate adevărat. Pentru că adevărul întreg este că niciodată nu m-am simțit mai humorean decît acum, cînd trăiesc într-un Alicante mediteranean, cu mandarini plini de rod în decembrie, cu portocali plini de floare în februarie; cînd văd la știrile în limba spaniolă (catalană, pe alocuri) că sudul României e înghițit de zăpezi și viscole; cînd e inutil să îmi mai cumpăr cizme, din moment ce iarna nu e niciodată mai frig de +10 grade, ei bine, acum mă simt, culmea, mai humoreancă decît oricînd. O fi distanța cea care nu estompează, ci, dimpotrivă, amplifică paroxistic sentimentele interioare, cele pe care am apucat să le adun înainte de plecare, să le înghesui prin bagaje, ce am trăit, ce îmi mai amintesc din ce am trăit... Rămîn multe acasă, altele multe se pierd pe veci. Dar ceea ce totuși am apucat să iau și să păstrez, capătă acum consistența granitului. Humorenitatea mea, fie-mi permisă licența filosofică, a devenit o definiție aproape sinonimă cu românitatea, sau cu numele meu.

Uite că azi, deși tocmai mi-am cumpărat patine cu rotile, mă simt mai schioriță (o fi ăsta femininul?) ca niciodată. Și asta numai pentru că am cîteva zile de cînd scormonesc internetul și îmi agasez prietenii să îmi trimită fotografii cu pîrtia. Și nu mă mai satur de minunat, în special privind la fotografia lui Ovidiu Şancariuc, făcută de sus, de la mesteceni, la îngemănare de apus de soare și răsărit de lună, cu pădurea Arinișului misterioasă și ascunzișă. Ascunzișă pentru cei care ajung pentru prima dată acolo, nu pentru mine, pentru că le-am tropăit o copilărie întreagă în expediții Cireșarii, pe care le puneam în mare taină la cale cu Dana, și cu Manuela, și nu mai ajungeam să descoperim intrarea secretă în peșteră pentru că rămîneam în reverie adunînd cimbrișor din Poiana Soarelui, o poiană neașteptată care se deschide pe culme în plină pădure. Nu îi spuneam pe vremea aceea așa, îi spuneam Poiana Cimbrișor. Abia acum cînd copiii mei, ai Manuelei ne citesc Cireșarii, abia acum cînd după traseele off-road năucitoare ale lui Sorin, am redescoperit-o în plin soare și așa i-a rămas numele.

Îmi trimite Marius imaginea asta cu pirtia luminată ca un fulger în pădure, un fulger venit să rămînă, care taie și arde pădurea și lasă urmă albă, pîrtia asta semeață, ca un tăiș de sabie, vîrf de lance, deasupra orașului, tăcut, copleșit, pîlpîindu-și fudul luminițele în vale. Pînă și marele hotel BWB rămîne umbrit de lumina selenară a pîrtiei. Cînd o să ajung la Humor, așa vreau să o văd: de la mesteceni (or mai fi fiind mestecenii ăia care au dat numele dealului?...), pe înserat, ea aprinsă ca un templu păgîn din nordul extrem al planetei, eu...

Vorbeam cu ceva vreme înainte unui prieten, şi îi spuneam vorbe mari despre istoria mică și istoria mare, adică despre istoria individuală, a fiecăruia dintre noi, cea pe care o consumăm în încercarea de a supraviețui, în încercarea de a fi fericiți. Pe de cealaltă parte, istoria mare, cea de la televizor, care din păcate numai în foarte scurte episoade va intra în cărțile de istorie. Între istoria particulară și cea oficială, ni se scrurg, ni se termină viețile fără să ne dăm seama. La nivelul istoriei individuale însă, se întîmplă uneori miracole. Adică viața asta personală cu vise, pasiuni, curaj, longevitate în ideal, a cîtorva indivizi norocoși, ajunge să facă istorie. Istoria mare, care însă are prostul obicei de a evalua prea tîrziu oameni și fapte.

Orașul meu este un astfel de oraș. Un altfel de oraș. Cu astfel de oameni. Un altfel de oameni. Mi-am dat seama de lucrul acesta cînd acum 30 de ani un primar răsturna lunca Moldovei ca să facă un mare parc dendrologic. Eram mică, aveam fiecare clasă o porțiune dintr-o alee și trebuia să avem grijă de ea. Îmi amintesc ce mare noroc pe capul nostru că în clasa noastră era Manuela, (de care mă leagă cea mai longevivă prietenie, și pentru care, da!, Marius, sigur că o să dau foc iahtului ca în reclama la Alexandrion, și o să dau foc iahtului meu pentru Norica, pentru foarte mulți prieteni, pentru Rață am să îi dau foc, pentru toate personajele pe care le-am iubit, uite ii dau foc și pentru Don Quijote, și pentru Nichita care a iubit o leoaică tînără care l-a părăsit, și pentru Panait pe care nu l-au iubit suficient oamenii..., dacă nu cumva, iahtul meu e în permanență în flăcări, ca și al tău!), pentru că mama ei, mama Manuelei ne aducea cele mai frumoase răsaduri, bumbișori, zambile și trandafiri. Nu numai că era cea mai frumoasă alee dintre cele intrate în grija Școlii 1, ci dintre toate aleile parcului. De fiecare dată cînd venea mămaia în vizită, de la Bîrlad, mergeam să îi arăt aleea noastră, și ea știa exact ce plantă a răsărit nouă și o prețuia cu bunătatea de sfîntă a oricărei bunici (îmi imaginez eu). Știa și cîți boboci avuseseră trandafirii cu un an în urmă, și că zambilele cele mov sunt de anul acesta. Aleile se unduiau de-a lungul acestor istorii personale ale copiilor și părinților orașului.

Avea parcul acesta, (noi îi spuneam luncă) un bazin de înot uriaș, unde în puținele zile călduroase lăsate peste Humor, se bălăceau în neștire doctorul și pacientul X, primarul și portarul primăriei, profu de geografie și ultimul elev dintr-a opta, și un alt bazin mai mic alături, unde era o forfoteală de nedescris de urmașii celor care populau bazinul mare. Alături de bazin era o mică „plajă”, cu nisip de-adevăratelea și alături un părcușor de distracții, o terasă hexagonală bună de băut bere și suc, de unde se contamina aerul de Bucovina cu promisiuni grele de mici cu muștar. Mai ales aveam bunul obicei ca tot humoreanu să iasă duminica la plimbare în luncă, să asculte liniștea pestriță a copacilor populați de păsări hotărîte să-și dezvolte repertoriul, a Moldovei care susură prevestitoare alături, a firului de iarbă dormind sub zăpadă, a răzbunării caldei primăveri, descătușînd nebună energii și doruri și sete de viață și de verde. După plimbare, lumea se stătea la taclale, la un Cico (Brifcorul avea să fie inventat cu mult mai tîrziu). Dacă aveai o fustă nouă, în luncă îți făceai prima apariție cu ea, acolo aflai cine ce bicicletă și-a mai luat, ce pantofi se mai dau pe sub mînă la Romarta, ce modele au mai apărut la Guban. Acolo am văzut prima dată geaca roșie ca a lui Michael Jackson în Thriller, cu fermoare, cu tot dichisul, geaca cu care a făcut istorie în oraș Ovidiu Ilaș, geaca pe care o invidiau cam două generații de tineri și adolescenți. Acolo am văzut primii ochelari Startreck, ai lui Marius, și acolo m-am plimbat eu prima dată cu adidașii mei aduși din Germania și cu casetofonul galben Philips, cu căști, ultimul răcnet. Cînd erai îndrăgostit în luncă aveai marcată harta sentimentală. În luncă au rămas primele conversații („știi că m-a salutat? Cred că îi place de mine”), primele „Vrei să fii prietena mea?” („Hei, mi-a cerut prietenia!), primele emoții, strîngeri de mînă, primele săruturi, primele îmbrățișări și..., generațiile noi vor fi uimite să afle că nu mai urma nimic picant, că așa erau relațiile dintre oameni pe vremea aceea. Deveneai apoi părinte, în luncă făceai prima intrare a copilului în lume, acolo îi prezentai și îl trasnformai în om al locului. Acolo, în ritmul ba zăbăuc, ba cuminte al Moldovei, acolo, în curcubeul desenat de puntea suspendată care lega parcul de Ariniș („ariniș”, ce cuvînt frumos!, doamne), aproape un casteluș pentru noi, lunca toată, cu secvențe temporale bine conturate: ierni, primăveri, veri, toamne, pe malurile largi ale Moldovei la întâlnirea cu Humorelul, curgea viața noastră. Oaza aceasta, chiar cînd ani mai tîrziu avea să fie în întregime o ruină, a rămas în sufletul oricărui humorean, indiferent prin ce țară a lumii își are contul bancar sau serviciul (distincția e necesară), iar el își va identifica orașul prin acest parc anistoric, un lăcaș de huzur, ca o stațiune elvețiană pentru chiaburi.

A avut Humorul parte de un primar aproape mitic, transformat în referent istoric..., „apăi pe vremea lui Țăranu...”, sau „s-ar fi întîmplat așa ceva pe vremea lui Țăranu?” A fost vîrsta de aur a orașului. El făcuse lunca, și căminul de copii. Îi spuneam deunăzi unui prieten că aveam 3 ani cînd eu i-am ținut pernuța cu foarfecă lui Țăranu ca să taie panglica la inaugurarea căminului și că am plîns apoi că nu mi-au dat mie panglica roșie, că cică „nu era pentru copii”. Prietenul a făcut un comentariu pe care nu îl pot trece în memorii, ca să nu îmi pierd cititorii, dar eu am rămas de atunci cu o traumă, Freud mi-ar fi schițat deja portretul psihologic, că uite și acum cînd au tăiat panglica Udrea, Flutur și Vlădescu, la inaugurarea pîrtiei eu am avut curiozitatea să aflu ce s-a întîmplat cu bucățile de panglică, cine le-a luat, le păstrează cineva? Ce bine ar fi să fi păstrat primarul măcar o bucățică.

Țăranu, primarul boier, a plecat prin alte părți, lunca, încetul cu încetul s-a părăginit, arborii din patruzeci de ţări plantați în parc au fost năpădiți de buruieni, trandafirii noștri au dispărut sub invazia plantelor din preajmă. Au rămas anotimpurile să își cearnă neputința peste nepăsarea oamenilor. Băncile au început să dispară, felinarele să se spargă. Singură puntea suspendată ne lega de Arinișul închis și el după revoluție, nefericit renovat de fel de fel de șmecheri... Din conac boieresc ce fusese, a devenit juma de bloc rusesc, pentru nefamiliști, nici ăla finalizat; dispărute sînt și iazul pentru păstrăv din spatele conacului, și verandele largi și generoase în lumină și liniște.

Tot un alt fel de oraș a fost și Humorul post revoluționar, din moment ce noi am tot avut rezultate anapoda la toate alegerile locale. Altfel decît țara. Țin minte la primele alegeri, cînd România avea numai primari FSN-iști, de era harta toată plină de trandafiri, Humorul a fost al treilea oraș din țară cu primar țărănist: București, Timișoara și... Gura Humorului, de nu știa nimeni unde vine localitatea asta țîfnoasă. Mă sunau prietenii să mă întrebe cum de sîntem așa de revoluționari și de curajoși, că ce fel de oameni sînt acolo de au putut să voteze cu..., apăi dragilor, oamenii nu votau cu un partid, votau cu niște alți oameni. În istoria acestor lungi 20 de ani, anii lui Brucan, s-a mai întîmplat cîte ceva prin Humor, în ciuda vremurilor, niște oameni formidabili au reușit să participe la istoria cea mare.

Ni s-a întîmplat un muzeu foarte... altfel, și ăla pornit din visul Verei, că să fie așa cum vrea ea, și cu încăpățînare s-a ținut de capul tuturor pînă i-au făcut hatârul, că a vrut ea să îi fie muzeul organizat cum era calendarul popular în vremile cele bune, și uite așa s-a transformat fosta carmangerie într-un muzeu etnografic cum nu-i altul, o excursie în timp, printre obiceiurile de peste an. Nu mi s-a întîmplat să duc vreun grup de străini la muzeu care să nu rămînă impresionați. Să nu uităm că Vera, cînd a sosit ca directoare a muzeului trasformat acum în tribunal, a adus o expoziție Löwendal, baronul îndrăgostit de Bucovina, care a pictat țărani de la începutul secolului trecut în casa lui Fritz (o să scriu și despre Fritz), și la expoziția aceea plîngeam cu toții de emoție, grupul de oameni care dădeau viață oricărui festival, oricărui fapt cultural, era..., în fine, povestea-i lungă și o las pentru altă dată.

Ni s-a mai întîmplat, desigur și marea minune cu hotelul din centru, hotelul care era de fapt de mulți ani o stafie, un șantier oribil în mijlocul orașului și care, în 3 ani a devenit una din marile investiții din zonă, un hotel de 4 stele, singurul dintre Iași și Cluj, uite-așa, la Humor, ca să aibă și snobul din partea locului unde să-și însoare feciorul, ca să aibă și dragii mei țărani din Voroneț pentru cine organiza plimbări cu sania de Crăciun și mânăstirenii, demonstrație de încondeiere de ouă de Paște.

Apoi orașul s-a fălit cu sala de sport, toată lumea o știe drept „sala lui Ciocoiu”, pentru că el a visat-o, el a luptat pentru ea, el a văzut-o întîi în visele lui și mai apoi am văzut-o noi în Parcul cu cerb. (și nu e singura, pentru că în luncă a mai răsărit o sală de sport care arată ca o nacelă uriașă ancorată parcă împotriva voinței ei). Cît să ai unde să golești colesterolul și surplusul așezat pe ici pe colo de huzurul excesului de smîntînă în toate cele gătite bucovinește: că e ciorbă, că e „tocăniță de cartofi” , sau papanași, smîntîna nu poate lipsi. Alături de „sala lui Ciocoiu” stă să se deschidă și piscina acoperită, și cît mai rădeam de el cînd ne spunea că pînă la urmă se va face și piscina, „hai, mă, du-te cu piscina ta de aici, că nu are cum. Cine o să bage atîția bani?”, și uite-o că e și acoperită gata, ca să nu mai ai ce să îți dorești mai mult de la orașul tău. Mai cu seamă că și catedrala dă să își deschidă porțile în curînd, ca să avem grijă și de cele sufletești, că de trup ne grijim bine.

S-au întîmplat multe...

 

Multe pînă... pînă cînd l-am văzut pe Ursaciuc în luncă, acum 5 ani suflecat a treabă..., de atunci înainte întîmplările se înghesuie. Imediat după primele alegeri pe care le-a cîștigat, Ursaciuc era cu oameni cu pixuri și carnețele în mînă în luncă, printre buruieni și ce mai rămăsese din arborii unicat. Mergeau printre copaci și măsurau de zor, gesticulau, dădeau cușma pe ceafă. El promisese multe, ca toți ceilalți primari din lumea asta. Noi l-am ales de nebun ce era, (nebun e și acum), pentru că avusese o campanie șuie și năstrușnică, pentru că avea o armată de tineri lîngă el. Și, vorba vecinului meu, Lucian Năsulea: „Pe moșnegi, i-am tot ales și nu au făcut nimic, hai să vedem ce fac și ăștia mai tineri”. Dar să îl vezi în luncă în prima săptămînă, cu mînecile suflecate a treabă,... nu se aștepta nimeni. Am sunat la ușa lui Lucian și i-am spus: „L-am văzut pe primar în luncă, cred că o să o curețe”. Și în cîteva luni, lunca a fost tunsă, băncile refăcute, luminile reaprinse. Ne-am gîndit cu toții la Țăranu. Și ne-am tăcut gîndul mai departe. Eram mîndri că lunca era din nou aerisită, aleea principală asfaltată, ca să poți trece cu căruciorul copilului fără să îl zgudui prin hîrtoape. Apoi i-a adus pe Boney M la Humor și îl auzeam bombănind ceva și despre un festival rock. Cînd a avut în oraş o adunare de oameni importanți rău de tot, de la Banca Mondială, i-a urcat pe Toacă, le-a dat două leațuri și un ciocan și au bătut bancherii lumii cîteva cuie și au inaugurat acolo sus, ăi de la ditamai Banca Mondială, o bancă de șezut ciobanu ca să vază adîncul văii și naltu cerului, tot Humorul, până-n pânza de ceaţă dinspre apa Sucevei.

Mai are o calitate primarul ăsta, o menționez în acest laudatio, că nu știu cînd o să mai scriu despre el, că acu o fi el un primar inspirat, dar și lista mea de personaje e lungă. Cum spuneam, acest primar are o virtute rarisimă din păcate la nația politică românească: cînd vorbește Ursaciuc, vorbește bine. Are discurs și retorică. Are umor: îl poate genera și îl poate percepe și dacă îi stă cineva în cale, dă imediat replica, fără să ezite și fără să se scarmene în barbă că nu îi vin cuvintele. I se trage poate de pe vremea cînd era student și-şi făcea veacul printre cei de la Divertis. Are farmec, da, îmi pare rău, știu că îmi pierd credibilitatea, că nu își poate nimeni imagina că poate exista un filolog care să laude (hei, dezinteresat!) un primar, dar o fac, pentru că nu am nevoie nici de loc de casă, nici de loc de veci, și totuși Ursaciuc este un politician cu retorică pe alocuri impecabilă. Uite, da, Ursaciuc de la Humor. Știe să vorbească, are carismă, are conținut, nu bate apa în piuă. L-am văzut dînd interviuri și reușind să nu fie nici plictisitor, nici penibil, cum se întîmplă de cele mai multe ori. Pragmatica lingvistică ar avea ceva de lucru să-i decodeze poziția pe care o adoptă în comunicare. (Semnați cecul, dom primar?, că așa o portretizare..., mai rar!)

În ciuda demenței provocate de portocalizare (mecanică?) a alegerilor trecute, Ursaciuc a rămas primar, într-o confruntare teribilă, sinistră pe alocuri. A inventat campania săracă, aproape austeră, de la om la om, a intrat în casele oamenilor, și-a făcut campanie vorbind (inspirat). Și a rămas primar. A cerut ajutor, a făcut proiecte, a strigat, a cerșit bani de pe peste tot, a stat pe la uși, n-a renunțat niciodată, n-a uitat niciodată, a fost ajutat, i s-au întins ba mîini, ba capcane, s-a fript, s-a înfipt, și-a pierdut speranța, a găsit alta și a terminat pîrtia. Instalațiile, ultimul răcnet, venite de la tații și mamele pîrtiilor, refuzau să se adapteze și să se armonizeze cu Humorul, au venit specialiștii, au plecat, s-au întors, au venit alții și după un tango european al științei și vremurilor, cu puțin ajutor divin de zăpadă autentică, primarul și Humorul lui au deschis săptămîna trecută pîrtia. I-au spus Șoimul. Și bine i-au spus. Nu e despre primar scrierea asta. E despre vremea lui Țăranu, care, iată, a devenit vremea lui Ursaciuc.

Pîrtia de la Humor nu e o pîrtie: e visul imposibil, aproape indecent, care exclude de pe hartă o grămadă de alte stațiuni consacrate, lăsînd în urmă Predealul, și Dorna, şi câte altele... Da, azi Humorul are cea mai cea pîrtie de schi din țară.

 

Amintiri din clasa a VI-a, sau cum se bate pîrtie. Despre Rață

 

Într-a șasea eram. Îmi amintesc cu maximă exactitate, cum se întâmplă cu toate chestiile care te marchează: făcusem într-a cincea educație fizică cu profesorul Roșca, și acum se zvonea că o să avem un prof nou, tînăr și mișto și a venit... Rață. Mai degrabă zbanghiu decît mișto, tînăr în tot cazul. Multă vreme am crezut că ăsta îi e numele, de vreo cîteva ori i-am și spus tovarășul profesor Rață. Avea motocicletă și era un fel de haiduc tînăr, (tînăr e și acum) și ne tot povestea cum sînt munții de frumoși, și cum sînt Făgărașii, organiza excursii vara, el de capul lui, și cînd m-am mai mărit m-am inclus și eu în grupul montaniarzilor lui: ne adunam vreo 20 de mintoși și plecam la cucerit Făgărașul, pentru că ne povestise Rață despre un lac minunat..., am mers cu toții să îl vedem. Atunci, într-a șasea ne tot înnebunea cu schiurile și că să ne luăm, că să vedem ce sport minunat, că cum poți zbura fără să ai aripi (asta am pus-o de la mine, ca nu era Rață chiar atîta de poet; sau poate că o fi fost, în sufletul lui, dar nu cred că ar fi deschis gura să spună una ca asta), și cum noi care stăm aici, între munți, ar trebui cu toții să schiem. Ne-a convins pe toți, Rață. A convins generații întregi de copii și de părinți să își ia schiuri. În cazul meu l-a convins pe moșu să-mi aducă o pereche de schiuri Reghin, galbene, cu arc. Se prindea gheața în arc, și nu se mai închidea. Și Lucian Ulian mi-a dat o buburuză să mi-o lipesc pe schiuri, ca să fie mai șmechere. Și apoi, bocancii de piele, pe care ii dădeam cu untură de pește ca să nu se ude... și se udau. Tot Rață, cu pasiunea lui clocotitoare ne convingea pe toți să mergem duminică de duminică, să batem pîrtie și în deal și în vale, cu bătăi mărunte, schi lîngă schi. Adică, ajungeam sus, cu picioarele scrum de efort, și nu coboram pe schiuri, pentru că era pîrtia prea îngustă (o lungime două de schi), sau prea afînată zăpada, și mai coboram o tură, tot ca să batem zăpada. Și povești, și planuri. „Rață! Hai să căutăm undeva, la UMCTF, poate ne dă domnul Ulian un cablu și hai să îl punem cumva”, și începeau visele, că cum ar fi să punem cumva mînă de la mînă și să punem un cablu, cu un motoraș de mobră, pe care apoi să îl demontăm seara... În fiecare sîmbătă, după școală, mergeam pe Albu (pe jos, evident), sau pe Gingioaia și băteam pîrtie, și visam cu ochii deschiși. Și deja cînd coboram ne gîndeam să ne bucurăm cît mai mult de zbor, că după aia urma iar urcușul. Iar dacă pîrtia era suficient de bună (și pentru Rață arareori era), yupiii, puteai să urci cu schiurile în spate, și urcai, evident, mult mai repede.

Rață... La primii fulgi știai că Rață își freacă palmele și că abia așteaptă sîmbăta. Dar dacă îl căutai pe o zăpadă bună căzută marți, îl găseai în timpul săptămînii, singur pe pîrtie, și la deal și la vale. Ne făcea cadoul ăsta uneori: bătea el pîrtia pentru noi toți, și sîmbătă cînd veneam era numai bună, un pic înghețată de la vînt. Cîți copii nu a cărat Rață între genunchi la vale, ca să îi învețe! Pe cîți nu i-a dus la Dorna sau la Borșa, și îi căra și la deal pe cablu. Am crescut cu toții preluînd schiuri unii de la alții, ca o mare familie. Copiii mei, copiii Manuelei, fata Noricăi... toți schiază și asta i se datorează lui Rață și pasiunii de care ne-am contaminat cu toții. Dacă îți rămîneau clăparii mici, mergeai la Rață, sigur știa el pe cineva care are o pereche cu un număr mai mare, și desigur că știa pe cineva care are nevoie de clăparii tăi. La fel cu schiurile. Rață a făcut școală de schi la Humor. Fără aprobare de la inspectorat, fără fonduri Phare. S-a format apoi o generație întreagă de vîrsta mea, numai eu și Mihaela eram fete, restul un cîrd de băieți, printre ei și Sorin, acum stăpînul OZN-ului care bate zăpada pe Pîrtia Șoimul. Un utilaj care nu încape în nici o poză, indiferent de obiectiv. Rață nu mai trebuie să bată pîrtia, avem o mașină care face asta. Așa că nu cred că exagerez prea mult dacă spun că Rață a făcut istorie la Humor.

Am vrut apoi o pîrtie mai lungă și ne-am mutat spre Frasin unde în josul tîrlei se deschidea Sinucigașul. Așa îi spuneam noi unei văi absolut sălbatice, plină de mușuroaie și smîrcuri care ieșeau din zăpadă, o aventură și să o urci și să o cobori pe schiuri. (Aud că Șoimul are și el o porțiune absolut profesională). Schiam și noaptea la lumina lunii, cînd era lună plină, puneam un felinar în fereastra micuță a tîrlei și veneam ușor de sus înspre luminița din geam. Și acolo, planurile au luat-o razna rău de tot: că aici o să punem cablu și dincoace o sa punem un foișor unde să îți lași lucrurile ferite de ninsoare, că dincoace mai facem o cameră să avem de rămas peste noapte cu toată gașca de prieteni, ca să putem dimineața schia la prima oră, pe chiciură. Familia mea, gazdă acolo sus la tîrlă, mai alerga din cînd în cînd prin reprezentanți (adică eu) să mai pună un lemn pe foc să nu se răcească vinul și țuica fiartă, și ceaiul cu bucăți de mere și scorțișoară..., Isache, cu amîndoi copiii lui, niște gheme albastre care ca niște mușuroaie fermecate, se mișcau pe pîrtie, cînd în deal, cînd în vale, Sergiu Lupei, Mircea Sauciuc cu cele mai occidentale accesorii, după care ne întindeam cu discreție gîturile, să vedem ce s-a mai inventat în materie, cu Virgil, frate-su, amîndoi eleganți ca niște patinatori pe gheață, pe muzică clasică, Titi Ulian cum era hotărît în tot ce făcea, (o să scriu mult despre Titi Ulian, care făcuse teren de tenis muncitorilor lui de la UMTCF, o să scriu și despre Monicu Gingolea, un om cu un umor absolut contaminant), așa și schia, clasic, elegant și hotărît ca un concert de Anul Nou de la Viena și Sergiu Scutariu, Sergiu care schia ca un balerin, (trebuie și despre Sergiu vorbit mult), și în rest... povești și vise: ce-ar fi dacă. Eu sper că Sergiu... Știți cum era Sergiu? El era cel mai înalt om pe care îl cunoscusem eu. Drept e că și eu eram foarte mică pe atunci, dar și Sergiu era zvelt, brunet, frumos, și zîmbăreț. De fiecare dată cînd îl vedeai, Sergiu zîmbea. Dacă era vară avea o racheta de tenis în sapte, dacă era iarnă, schiurile. Grăbit, mergea cu pași mari să acopere pămîntul dacă nu cu statura lui, măcar cu umbra lui. Eu sper că Sergiu, de acolo unde a plecat așa, dintr-odată s-a dus, că mă și gîndeam că nu poți să îl îngropi pe Sergiu, pentru că e prea frumos și prea mare, aveam să citesc apoi o povestire minunată a lui Marquez despre Esteban, cel mai frumos mort, pentru care oamenii au trebuit să facă ferestre mai mari, și uși mai mari, și paturi mai mari, ei bine, Sergiu a murit absurd și definitiv, ca toți morții, lăsîndu-ne nouă visul lui de a avea... un teleschi la Humor, ei bine, eu sper că acolo unde a plecat într-așa o mare grabă, or fi oare ierni acolo?, sau joacă numai tenis?, eu aș vrea să fie și ninsoare, și pîrtii, pe un nor, să privească la noi, la Șoimul cel proaspăt și să schieze acolo sus, în lumină și în cîntec de îngeri. Cît despre Titi, ei bine, nu trebuia să moară, pentru că era foarte mare, un suflet și un bărbat mare, mare în idei și în determinarea cu care le ducea la capăt. Spre deosebire de noi toți ceilalți, Titi Ulian era capabil să gîndească o lume mai mare, venea poate din educația lui de neamț, serios, clasic, elegant, și te aștepți de la astfel de oameni să nu poată muri, pur și simplu, te aștepți de la ei să fie prea greu pămîntului să îi înghită. Și poate că într-adevăr pămîntul nu l-a putut înghiți și l-a eliberat într-o seară cînd nu a știut nimeni și își face lumile lui clasice pe undeva prea sus pentru noi, undeva unde nu îl putem ajunge.

Era plin pe pîrtie. Mai era Moroșan, nelipsit, uneori venea și Viorel Munteanu cu un rucsac plin de mere, și la fiecare urcare mai suplimenta aportul de vitamina C cu un măr, mai era generația celor un pic mai mari decît mine, gașca lui Lucian, cu Hardy Slubceacovschi (ce nume imposibil!), cu Dani Molocea, Cezar tobarul inspirat al Axiomelor, autorul tainic al super-hitului, cu Gaga, ah!, da, Gaga, pe care nu îl lăsa frumoasa lui Cristina să vină la schi și, pentru că stătea la etajul I, își arunca schiurile de la balcon jos, cu echipament cu tot, și spunea că pleacă pînă la un prieten și se urca în tren și mergea la Dorna la schi. Apoi următorul segment de vîrstă: Sorin, Radu, Grațian, Șmeganii...

Pentru e restabili istoria exactă, primul schior al Humorului fusese Generalul Dragu. Nu știu dacă știu mulți care e numele mic al generalului, dar toată lumea îi știe casa și povestea. Generalul Dragu a adus prin anii 80 o instalație de teleschi. A început atunci visarea cu ochii deschiși: oare unde o să îl monteze? Ce bine ar fi să fie pe Albu..., E prea scurtă pîrtia pe Albu, cred că o să îl pună pe Gingioaia. Multe ierni am așteptat minunea... Nu știu din ce motive instalația generalului nu a funcționat niciodată. Aud acum bîrfe urbane care spun că Mircea Sauciuc va instala telescaunul Generalului Dragu la Frasin.

Nici măcar Titi, nici Sergiu, nici măcar Rață, nici unul dintre noi nu mai aștepta un telescaun. Ne-am obișnuit cu toții să mergem prin împrejurimi, la pîrtia de la Mălini, prea ușoară pentru noi, numai bună pentru copiii noștrii. Nu mai visam... pentru că și visul trebuie să fie decent. Și uite acum, la Humor se arată Șoimul. Cu fel de fel de figuri: tunuri de zăpadă, mașină de bătut pîrtia, lumini pentru nocturnă, muzică, telescaun cu patru locuri în care nu îți îngheață fundul la urcare, pentru că nu e metal gol. Mi-a trimis Marius fotografia asta... și văd cum iată, uneori realitatea, istoria cea mare, care ne consumă zi de zi, tuturor visele, e capabilă, din cînd în cînd, de răsplată și răsfăț cosmic. Pentru toți cei care au schiat în Humor, pîrtia aceasta e mai mult decît oricare vis. Pentru că e. Pentru că FUNCȚIONEAZĂ, pentru că Rață acum e monitor şi-l cheamă Nicu și are tot un cîrd de copii în urma lui, pentru că toți cei care băteam pîrtie și la deal și la vale, pe vremuri, ne-am putea regăsi cu cartelele în mînă, la baza Șoimului.

Mi-e dor de copilăria mea...

 

Mă sună Marius:

─ Îmi vine să plîng. Am terminat de citit textul tău.

─ Marius, nu plînge, că acum avem pîrtie.

─ Auzi, cel mai frumos lucru pe care îl face textul ăsta al tău este că spune lucruri pe care le știu toți, dar care n-au fost puse la un loc, niciodată, și nu le-ar fi spus nimeni. Multi vorbesc frumos despre Rață, însă ce ai scris tu aici este manual de istorie.

─ Știi ce am uitat eu să scriu? Că Rață e neschimbat, de cînd eram noi într-a șasea, el a rămas identic cu sine, absolut neschimbat: și în energie, și în optimism, și în modestia cuceritoare, și fizic, deși or fi trecut 25 de ani de atunci.

─ Da, Oana. E neschimbat.

─ Bătea pîrtie ca un..., hai ca să nu îl glorificăm degeaba, dar, Marius, mergea singur pe Albu în timpul săptămînii, și mergea NUMAI ca să pregătească pîrtia pt sîmbătă, că el era neînsurat și avea mai mult timp liber. Și dacă mai prostea pe vreun Sorin, ca să îi țină de urît, bine. Vreun Sorin, vreun Fish, sau vreun Șmegan. Dacă nu, stătea singur...

─ Te cred și îl cred în stare.

─ Dacă nu, stătea singur ca un călugăr și clădea pe Albu, sau pe Gingioaia biserica lui, mănăstirea lui.

─ Cîndva, din Șoimul, o să-i spunem pîrtia lu' Rață ?

─ Hahahahaha! Nu spera săracu vreodată, nici unul nu spera din trupă, nici măcar occidentalul de Mircea, care văzuse la viața lui pîrtii adevărate,nici imaginația nu ne dădea așa ceva, nu ne încuraja la o asemenea dimensiune.

─ Știu, voi pregăteați de-atunci pîrtia lui Ursaciuc.

─ Nu, eu cred ca i-a făcut Ursaciuc pîrtie lui Titi, lui Sergiu, ca să mai treacă din cînd în cînd pe acasă și apoi lui Rață și tuturor celor din trupă ca să îi răsplătească și să le dea un vis pe care ei nu au avut curajul să îl viseze. Na, băi, uite ce nu ați avut voi nici măcar curaj să visați, și eu v-am făcut. Că tu poți să îmi spui orice, că e o investiție, că județul, că turismul, că..., orice, eu o să cred în continuare că în vremurile astea de mare tulburare, un primar a premiat niște oameni care au crezut toată viața lor într-o pasiune pe care o vedeau și o trăiau alb-negru, și acum o pot vedea în culori. Asta se cheamă răsfăț și remunerație după buget... mare.

Dutch postcard, no. 576. Photo: Paramount.

 

Blonde Mae West (1895-1982) was a seductive, overdressed, endearing, intelligent, and sometimes vulgar American actress and sex symbol. She featured a come-hither voice, aggressive sexuality, and a genius for comedy. West started in Vaudeville and on the stage in New York, and later moved to Hollywood to star in such films as I’m No Angel (1933), She Done Him Wrong (1933), and Klondike Annie (1936). She was one of the first women in the cinema to consistently write the films she starred in.

 

Mary Jane West was born in 1892, in Brooklyn, New York, to Matilda and John West. Family members called her Mae. Her father was a prizefighter known around the Brooklyn area as ‘Battlin' Jack’ West. Later, he worked as a "special policeman" (most likely as muscle for local business and crime bosses) and then as a private detective. Mae began working as an entertainer at age five at a church social. After a few years in stock, she moved into burlesque, where she was billed as ‘The Baby Vamp’. In 1907, 14-year-old West began performing professionally in vaudeville in the Hal Claredon Stock Company. Her mother made all her costumes, drilled her on rehearsals, and managed her bookings and contracts. In 1909, West met Frank Wallace, an up-and-coming vaudeville song-and-dance man. They formed an act and went out on the burlesque circuit. In 1911, she married Frank Wallace. Only 17, she lied about her age on her marriage certificate and kept the marriage secret from the public and her parents. She broke up the act soon after they arrived back in New York and the union remained a secret until 1935. In 1911, West auditioned for, and got a part, in her first Broadway show, ‘A La Broadway’, a comedy review. The show folded after only eight performances, but West was a hit. In the audience on opening night were two successful Broadway impresarios, Lee and J.J. Shubert, and they cast her in the production of ‘Vera Violetta’, also featuring Al Jolson and Gaby Deslys. West got her big break in 1918 in the Shubert Brothers revue Sometime, playing opposite Ed Wynn. Her character, Mayme, danced the shimmy, a brazen dance move that involved shaking the shoulders back and forth and pushing the chest out. As more parts came her way, West began to shape her characters, often rewriting dialogue or character descriptions to better suit her persona. She eventually began writing her own plays, initially using the pen name Jane Mast. In 1926 her first play, ‘Sex’, which she wrote, produced, and directed on Broadway, caused a scandal and landed her in jail for ten days on obscenity charges. Media attention surrounding the incident enhanced her career, by crowning her the darling "bad girl" who "had climbed the ladder of success wrong by wrong". She wrote and directed her second play, ‘Drag’ (1927) about homosexuality. She was an early supporter of gay rights and publicly declared against police brutality that gay men experienced. The play was a smash hit during a series of try-outs in Connecticut and New Jersey, but she was warned by city officials, not to bring it to Broadway. Finally, her play ‘Diamond Lil’ (1928), about a racy, easygoing, and ultimately very smart lady of the 1890s, became a Broadway hit and cemented West's image in the public's eye. And, after two more successful stage productions, she was invited to Hollywood.

 

At Paramount Pictures, Mae West made her film debut in Night After Night (Archie Mayo, 1932), starring George Raft. At 38 years old, she might have been considered in her ‘advanced years’ for playing sexy harlots, but her persona and physical beauty seemed to overcome any doubt. At first, she balked at her small role in Night After Night but was appeased when allowed to rewrite her scenes. One scene became a sensation. When a coat check girl exclaims, "Goodness! What lovely diamonds!", after seeing Mae's jewelry. Mae replies, "Goodness had nothing to do with it, dearie". Mae was a hit and later George Raft said of Mae: "She stole everything but the cameras." In her second film, She Done Him Wrong (Lowell Sherman, 1933), West was able to bring her ‘Diamond Lil’ character to the screen in her first starring film role. Her co-star was newcomer Cary Grant in one of his first major roles. ‘Lil’ was renamed ‘Lady Lou’, and she uttered the famous West line, "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, and did tremendously well at the box office. She Done Him Wrong is attributed to saving Paramount from bankruptcy. In her next film, I'm No Angel (Wesley Ruggles, 1933), she was again paired with Grant. This film, too, was a financial blockbuster and West became the highest-paid woman in the United States. However, her reputation as a provocative sexual figure and the steamy settings of her films aroused the wrath and moral indignation of several groups. The new Hays Office had the power to pre-approve films' productions and change scripts. In 1934, the organisation began to seriously and meticulously enforce the Production Code on West's screenplays, and heavily edited them. West responded in her typical fashion by increasing the number of innuendos and double entendres, fully expecting to confuse the censors, which she did for the most part. Her film Klondike Annie (Raoul Walsh, 1936) with Victor McLaglen, concerned itself with religion and hypocrisy. William R. Hearst disagreed so vehemently with the film's context, and West's portrayal of a Salvation Army worker, that he personally forbade any stories or advertisements of the film to be published in any of his newspapers. However, the film did well at the box office and is considered the high-point of West's film career. Throughout the 1930s her films were anticipated as major events, but by the end of the decade she seemed to have reached her limit and her popularity waned. The few other films she did for Paramount — Go West, Young Man (Henry Hathaway, 1936) and Everyday's a Holiday (A. Edward Sutherland, 1937) — did not do well at the box office, and she found censorship was severely limiting her creativity. In 1937, she was banned from NBC Radio after a guest appearance with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy that was loaded with flirtatious dialogue and double-entendres.

 

In 1939, Mae West was approached by Universal Pictures to star in a film opposite comedian W.C. Fields. The studio wanted to duplicate the success they had with another film, Destry Rides Again (George Marshall, 1939), a Western morality tale starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. West, looking for a vehicle to make a comeback in films, accepted the part, demanding creative control over the film. Using the same Western genre, she wrote the script for My Little Chickadee (Edward F. Cline, 1940). Despite tension on the set between West and Fields (she was a teetotaler and he drank), the film was a box-office success, out-grossing Fields' previous two films. After making The Heat's On (Gregory Ratoff, 1943) for Columbia, she planned to retire from the screen and went back to Broadway and on a tour of English theatres. Among her popular stage performances was the title role in ‘Catherine Was Great’ (1944) on Broadway, in which she penned a spoof on the story of Catherine the Great of Russia, surrounding herself with an ‘imperial guard’ of tall, muscular young actors. The play was produced by theater and film impresario Mike Todd and ran for 191 performances and then went on tour. In 1954, when she was 62, she began a nightclub act in which she was surrounded by musclemen; it ran for three years and was a great success. In 1954, West formed a nightclub act which revived some of her earlier stage work, featuring her in song-and-dance numbers and surrounded by musclemen fawning over her for attention. The show ran for three years and was a great success. With this victory, she felt it was a good time to retire. In 1959, West released her bestselling autobiography, ‘Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It’, recounting her life in show business. She made a few guest appearances on the 1960s television comedy/variety shows like The Red Skelton Show and some situation comedies like Mister Ed. She also recorded a few albums in different genres including rock 'n' roll and a Christmas album which, of course, was more parody and innuendo than a religious celebration. In the 1970s, she appeared in two more films. She had s small part in Gore Vidal's Myra Breckenridge (Michael Sarne, 1970), starring Raquel Welch. She starred in Sextette (Ken Hughes, 1978), which she based on her own stage play. Both were box office flops, but are now seen as cult films. In 1980, Mae West died after suffering two strokes in Hollywood and was entombed in Brooklyn, New York. She was 88. Denny Jackson at IMDb: “The actress, who only appeared in 12 films in 46 years, had a powerful impact on us. There was no doubt she was way ahead of her time with her sexual innuendos and how she made fun of a puritanical society. She did a lot to bring it out of the closet and perhaps we should be grateful for that.”

 

Sources: Denny Jackson (IMDb), Biography.com, AllMovie, Wikipedia, and IMDb.

 

And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards..

“You can grow in any area of your life if you are consistent.”

 

Donald Ngonyo

Personally, I have been consistently getting more and more bored and angry with the ‘mens’ game. The obscene amounts of money changing hands. The plethora of platitudes and excuses as to why grown, trained footballers can’t play twice in a week, and all of the other nonsense. What a ‘breath of fresh air’ this young lady is. This is Eva Olid. She is the Head coach of Hearts of Midlothian Women’s team in Scotland. Throughout the game as I watched it, there were no ‘angry’ outbursts of petulance, kicking water bottles or spitting. I’ve never seen a coach in the technical area smile so much. It probably doesn’t harm that she is very pleasant on the eye.

I know you guys are probably going to murder me for not being consistent with flickr for the past couple of months, I’ve been so held up with college and life's bumpy roads. For the most part, I’ve been doing okay; a couple of bad decisions and trusting the wrong people made me feel extremely forsaken. And after moving out, I’ve been missing my family so so so much, it’s hard to believe they’re so far away in Bahrain.

I’ve missed looking through my daily sources of inspiration and taking pictures everyday. It made it feel completely out of place and I just really needed a vent that could help me pacify my misery. Unfortunately, I don't have that much free time on my hands anymore. However, last week I had the opportunity to go to Huntsville, TX for a church retreat. I managed to capture a couple of landscapes and macros and it was truly blissful and once again I started to feel like I was in my element again. I couldn’t wait to go home and process everything and show’em to you guys, but with all the tests and essays due this week I feel like my responsibilities have overshadowed my passion for taking pictures. I’m just hoping things will start slowing down and I really want to be able to post pictures on here more often. For those of ya’ll that want to add me on facebook…click this!

 

The front runner's massive lead among the party faithful has me once again despairing that conservatives just don't get it (to recycle a criticism from a past election).

 

A wall...?!! It's going to take more than a wall. That's not even "thinking outside the box", and what it's really going to take is some thinking outside the perimeter wire. Like, say, some of that there "job creation" among those of my neighbors who give my part of town the nickname "Little Saigon", who probably won't be averse to a juicy government contract to import all those punji stakes, because it's going to require 1900-some-odd miles of those plus another 1900+ of concertina wire, with machine gun positions and four-deuce mortar pits every 50 meters or so with interlocking fields of fire, God knows how many Claymores and enough command-detonated 55-gallon drums of fougasse to force us back to those of odd/even plate number days at the pumps we all recall so fondly from the Seventies, with an unbroken chain of firebases a few miles to the rear to provide artillery support. And, if he's really serious about interdicting the Ho Chi Menendez Trail, we're going to need a 50-mile-deep free fire zone where if so much as a Mexican bean jumps, we ARC LIGHT every madref-----g grid square from Matamoros to Tiajuana.

 

But even all that is just TOO conservative, the sort of effort that's about 15/32nds short of a half-measure, precisely the kind of meaningless gesture that we've consistently seen out of congressional conservativettes under Crybaby Boehner and, from what I've seen so far, what we can continue to expect with the guy who's waffling between the Charles Atlas and Maynard G. Krebs look. Besides, it's a plan based on our weakness rather than playing on our strength. As Patton's romp through Europe in '44-45 proved, and was reconfirmed by the Gulf War and the initial phase of the Iraq War (and proven in the negative by Vietnam and Iraqistan since 2003), if there is one thing that the United States Army absolutely excels at, it's the division-level drive-by shooting.

 

Therefore, fuzzy-thinking Liberal that I've become, I propose a much more expansive Big Government Spending Program to SOLVE the problem. Namely, have everybody at Hood, Bliss, Riley and Carson mount up, head out the main gate and DRIVE SOUTH! I figure by the time 1st Cav and 1st Armored are holding at PHASE LINE AY CHIHUAHUA! six klicks south of Mexico City waiting for 1st and 4th ID to finish mopping up, security along el viejo Rio Grande will have become pretty much a non-issue.

 

On a serious note (and I do trust that everyone realizes that I had my tongue planted firmly in my cheek in writing the foregoing; well, except for the part about invading Mexico, of course--you can take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the boy), what really worries me about the lunatic wing of the party's adoration of The Donald is that I don't trust him, and am just astounded that so many of them have been fooled into doing so.

 

To begin with, he IS a Republican, which means he talks a good fight but once he wins the election, taking the oath of office will be the only real accomplishment of his entire administration. If voting for those lying, double-dealing, two-faced, back-stabbing bastards for forty-plus years has taught me anything, it's that Richard Nixon was not only the first of them I ever voted for, he's still the best of them. And even he wimped out in the end. As the saying goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and Republicans only have one: roll over and play dead.

 

More importantly, I believe the most serious problem confronting the United States today is our shrinking middle class and their even-more-rapidly-shrinking real income. There is a reason "bourgeois" is the F-bomb equivalent in commie lexicon, and why so much commie agit-prop hammers at and attempts to discredit, destabilize, demoralize and destroy the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie, the middle class, are the backbone of the civilized world, and no Christian democracy can survive without them. They are most certainly what The Greatest Generation, who won WW II and then came home to make America the world power and Middle Class Heaven on Earth it was in the twenty years after, were. They're dying out, the number of their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren who have remained in their socioeconomic strata are becoming fewer and fewer every year, and those who remain find ourselves paying higher and higher prices to stay there, while working longer and longer hours at jobs that provide less and less real income to pay for the privilege. We have hit the point where we in the middle can no longer do a proper job of taking care of the poor, and certainly can't enjoy the dubious luxury of tolerating an increasingly self-indulgent wealthy class--especially an increasingly self-centered and unpatriotic CEO class. And I don't see The Donald as the man to do anything about it, unless it's everything in his power to make the situation even worse. As his supporters like to point out, he's a successful businessman. They are 100% right, of course, but they seem incapable of grasping the obvious, that that's precisely 100% the danger: he IS a successful businessman, and no successful businessman ever became a billionaire by giving a fat rat's ass about the working class, or failing to screw 'em over any way he could, every chance he got.

 

It's not that I don't understand his appeal to the party base. It's obviously symptomatic of our growing frustration with the unrelenting failure of the GOP to represent us in a meaningful way, to whine and bleat and blather incessantly about the problems but never, ever get them solved like we elected them to do, and in comparison to the others he does SEEM to be saying what needs to be said. I mean, after all those years hearing all that phony sincerity about "my respected colleague, my closest friend and esteemed opponent" being jabber-babbled on the debate stage, it IS kind of refreshing to hear The Donald make it plain that Carly Fiorina is so damned ugly he wouldn't do her with Jeb Bush's erectile dysfunction, nor would he piss up the rest of 'em's asses even if the sorry bastards' guts were on fire. But...if you listen between the lines, it's just the same old Crapola - Breakfast of Losers with a new picture on the box. Just like all the others, he's got his favorite Scripture passage, as if he wasn't a business man whose god is The Almighty Dollar and he worships no other (or as if you didn't have a better chance of finding a Christian child pornographer than a Christian politician), and, yes--rah-rah-rah it's a grand old flag!--him and his third or fourth or seventeenth or whichever mail order Bolshevik babushka he's on now love America with all their Red, White and Blue hearts. It's not a wall, it's a smokescreen, the same old hypocritical Bible Thumping and Flag Waving and Fear Mongering to keep us from seeing that we're getting the business as usual, and the only difference between him and the other betrayers is that he managed to finagle considerably more than thirty pieces of silver for his soul.

 

Presidents don't create jobs, businesses create jobs, and we only need to ask ourselves a few questions about The Donald's record as a "successful businessman"--and view the answers in light of the old business law, "The boss is always right", and its corollary, "Since the boss is incapable of error, if things are screwed up it must be because the boss wants them to be screwed up"--to know just how much we can expect out of a President Trump. So, how many steel workers have good jobs at the rolling mills of Trump Steel in Pittsburgh? How many engineers, stylists and assembly line workers are on the massive payroll at that massive Trump Motors plant in Detroit? How many pilots, mechanics, dispatchers, ticket agents and what have you are pocketing fat pay envelopes for keeping all those Boeing Triple-7s flying in Trump Airways International's scheduled service? How many engineers and machinists and sheet metal workers are making the big bucks at Trump Aerospace? How many train crews and track gangs and yard and backshop hands does the Trump Pacific R.R. have getting a good paychecks every week and looking forward to a comfortable pension--and how many crack passenger trains do they have in service? Once upon a time in America we had industries like that, industries that made us The Arsenal of Democracy and The Envy of the World, with millions of Americans having secure, and securely middle class, jobs in them, because American--that is, REAL American--Captains of Industry wanted things that way. We don't have them anymore, we have minimum wage plus tips service jobs instead, because The Donald and all his breed of Corporate Thugs found out they could maximize their personal profits by simply selling off--and selling out--their country. And now he wants us to reward his treason by giving him the most prestigious job in the world?

 

Because regulations prohibit the carrying of weapons in polling places, I may have to turn a one-off incident into a Family Tradition this time around. My great grandmother voted in every single election she could vote in from the time women got the vote until she died in the 1970s, except for one. In 1960, being a good Baptist she couldn't bring herself to vote for that papist Kennedy, but, being an Eleanor Roosevelt clone right down to the klunky toes of her sensible shoes, she sure as hell couldn't vote for "that snake in the grass Republican Nixon". I now have a much more sympathetic appreciation of her predicament. I sure as hell can't vote for that snake in the grass Republican Trump, and thanks to those aforementioned weapons laws, I can't hold a gun to my head and force myself to vote for Hillary.

 

On an artistic and historical note, those of you familiar with military history, and with the life of George S. Patton, Jr., in particular, may have looked at the helmet of our LUCKY (REEEEEEALLY) FORWARD heroine here and thought that, ever the stickler for uniform regulations, Patton wouldn't have tolerated a brigadier general (or a major general or a lieutenant general, for that matter) running around with the chin strap unhooked like that. But in this case he couldn't have said anything, because, if you'll look again, she's NOT a brigadier general. Altogether, she's wearing as many stars as Georgie had (although one of them IS a bit smaller, due to the limited room for maneuver in the area of operations, so to speak). Whatever his misgivings about her chin strap might have been, however, I'm pretty sure Old Blood'n'Guts would have looked favorably upon the kind of kick-ass pole dancing moves she could make in her spit-shined M1940 3-buckle cavalry boots!

Toyota Motor Company launched their luxury car brand 'Lexus' in 1989. They formed a separate sales channel to deliver the kind of sales and service experience to impress the most particular of customers.

 

Their first car, the XF10 LS400 launched that year was a further testimony to the dedicated focus of the team in delivering excellence. The basic specification was impressive enough - 4.0 L V8 DOHC TwinCam, producing 190 kW. The magic was in the attention to detail of every part and function. The car was near silent, smooth and refined. Everything worked perfectly, consistently and with finesse.

 

Their were many early critics of both the brand experiment and the car. When the vehicle was disassembled by competitors, they found exactly what was stated - near perfect execution of every detail.

 

Further models were added to the lineup over time - each with the same ethos, if not the near perfection of the top-line LS. The 'experiment' did, however, force all other competitors to lift their game.

 

Nissan followed suit with their own luxury brand 'Infiniti', Honda with 'Acura' and Mazda was to follow with 'Amati' - the Asian financial recession arrived before that plan could be executed.

 

Lexus was by far the most successful, and still sets quality benchmarks for its products. This can be seen in the US JD Power quality surveys.

North Pier is the most northerly of the three coastal piers in Blackpool, England. Built in the 1860s, it is also the oldest and longest of the three. Although originally intended only as a promenade, competition forced the pier to widen its attractions to include theatres and bars. Unlike Blackpool's other piers, which attracted the working classes with open air dancing and amusements, North Pier catered for the "better-class" market, with orchestra concerts and respectable comedians. Until 2011, it was the only Blackpool pier that consistently charged admission.

 

The pier is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building, due to its status as the oldest surviving pier created by Eugenius Birch. As of 2012 it is still in regular use, despite having suffered damage from fires, storms and collisions with boats. Its attractions include bars, a theatre, a carousel and an arcade. One of the oldest remaining Sooty glove puppets is on display commemorating Harry Corbett buying the original puppet there.

  

North Pier was built at the seaward end of Talbot Road, where the town's first railway station, Blackpool North, was built. Its name reflects its location as the most northerly of Blackpool's three piers. It is about 450 yards (410 m) north of Blackpool Tower, which is roughly the midpoint of Blackpool's promenade. The sea front is particularly straight and flat on this stretch of coastline, and the 1,650 feet (500 m) pier extends at right angles into the Irish Sea, more or less level with the promenade.

 

History: The construction of Blackpool Pier (eventually North Pier) started in May 1862, in Layton-cum-Warbreck, part of the parish of Bispham. In October 1862 severe storms suggested that the planned height of the pier was insufficient, and it was increased by 3 feet (0.91 m) North Pier was the second of fourteen piers designed by Eugenius Birch, and since Margate Pier was destroyed by a storm in 1978, it is the oldest of the remaining examples of his work still in use. It was the first of Birch's piers to be built by Glasgow engineering firm Richard Laidlaw and Son.

 

The pier, which cost £11,740 to build, originally consisted of a promenade 1,405 feet (428 m) long and 28 feet (8.5 m) wide, extending to 55 feet (17 m) wide at the pier-head. The bulk of the pier was constructed from cast iron, with a wooden deck laid on top. The cast iron piles on which the structure rests were inserted using Birch's screw pile process; the screw-tipped piles were twisted into the sand until they hit bedrock. This made construction much quicker and easier, and guaranteed that the pier had a solid foundation. The cast iron columns, 12 inches (300 mm) in diameter, were filled with concrete for stability at intervals of 60 feet (18 m), and supported by struts that were on average were slightly more than 1 inch (25 mm) thick.The pier's promenade deck is lined with wooden benches with ornamental cast iron backs. At intervals along the pier are hexagonal kiosks built around 1900 in wood and glass with minaret roofs topped with decorative finials. On opening two of the kiosks were occupied by a bookstall and confectionery stall and the kiosks near the ends of the pier were seated shelters. The pier-head is a combination of 420 tons of cast iron and 340 tons of wrought iron columns; standing 50 feet (15 m) above the low water line, it sees a regular 35 feet (11 m) change in sea level due to the tide.

 

The pier was officially opened in a grand ceremony on 21 May 1863, even though the final 50 yards (46 m) had not yet been completed. All the shops in the area were closed and decorated with flags and streamers for the ceremony, which included a procession and a cannon salute, and was attended by more than 20,000 visitors. Although the town only had a population of approximately 4,000, more than 200,000 holiday makers regularly stayed there during the summer months; this included 275,000 admissions in 1863, 400,000 in 1864 and 465,000 the following year. The pier was officially opened by Major Preston, and he and 150 officials then travelled to the Clifton Hotel for a celebratory meal.

 

The pier was intended primarily for leisure rather than seafaring; for the price of 2d (worth approximately £4.90 in 2012) the pier provided the opportunity for visitors to walk close to the sea without distractions.This fee was insufficient to deter "trippers'", which led to Major Preston campaigning for a new pier to cater for the 'trippers'. In 1866, the government agreed that a second pier could be built, despite objections from the Blackpool Pier Company that it was close to their pier and therefore unnecessary

  

As permitted by the original parliamentary order, a landing jetty was built at the end of North Pier in incremental stages between 1864 and 1867. The full length of the jetty was 474 feet (144 m), and the extensions increased the pier's total length to its current 1,650 feet (500 m). The Blackpool Pier Company used the jetty to operate pleasure steamers that made trips to the surrounding areas. In 1871 swimming and diving lessons were added to the pier.

  

In 1874, the pier-head was extended to allow Richard Knill Freeman to incorporate a pavilion, which opened in 1877. The interior decoration led it to be known as the "Indian Pavilion", and it was Blackpool's primary venue for indoor entertainment until the Winter Gardens opened in 1879.

 

To differentiate itself from the new pier, North Pier focused on catering for the "better classes", charging for entry and including attractions such as an orchestra and band concerts, in contrast to the Central Pier (or the "People's pier"), which regularly had music playing and open-air dancing. The pier owners highlighted the difference, charging at least a shilling (worth approximately £19.90 in 2012) for concerts and ensuring that advertisements for comedians focused on their lack of vulgarity. Sundays were given over to a church parade.

 

On 8 October 1892, a storm-damaged vessel, Sirene, hit the southern side of the pier, causing four shops and part of the deck to collapse onto the beach below. Several columns were also dislodged, and the ship's bowsprit hit the pier entrance. All eleven crew members were rescued when they were hauled onto the pier. Damage to the pier was estimated to be £5,000 and was promptly repaired.

 

Nelson's former flagship, HMS Foudroyant, was moored alongside North Pier for an exhibition, but slipped anchor and was wrecked on the shore in a violent storm on 16 June 1897, damaging part of the jetty. The wreck of the ship broke up during December storms.

 

The pier was closed for the winter during 1895–6 as it unsafe; as a result, the pier was widened as electric lighting was added.

 

An Arcade Pavilion was added in 1903 at the entrance to the pier and contained a wide range of amusements to suit all tastes. Further alterations were made to the pier in 1932-3 when the open air stand was replaced with a stage and sun lounge.

 

In 1936, a pleasure steamer returning from Llandudno crashed into the pier. The collision left a 10 feet (3.0 m) gap, and stranded a number of people at the far end.

 

The 1874 Indian Pavilion was severely damaged by fire in 1921. It was refurbished, but was then destroyed by a second fire in 1938. In 1939 it was replaced by a theatre, built in an Art Deco style. At around the same time, the bandstand was removed and replaced with a sun lounge.

 

In the 1960s, the Merrie England bar and an amusement arcade were constructed at the end of the pier nearest to the shore. The 1939 theatre, which is still in use, narrowly escaped damage in 1985 when the early stages of a fire were noticed by performer Vince Hill. In the 1980s, a Victorian-styled entrance was built. In 1991 the pier gained the Carousel bar as an additional attraction, and a small tramway to ease access to the pier-head. By this point, the pier had ceased to have any nautical use, but the jetty section was adapted for use as a helicopter pad in the late 1980s. Storms on 24 December 1997 destroyed the landing jetty, including the helipad.

 

The North Pier is one of the few remaining examples of Birch's classic pier architecture and is a Grade II Listed building, the only Blackpool pier to hold that status. It was recognised as "Pier of the Year" in 2004 by the National Piers Society.

 

North Pier's attractions include a Gypsy palm reader and an ice cream parlour, the North Pier Theatre, a Victorian tea room, and the Carousel and Merrie England bars. The arcade, built in the 1960s, has approximately eleven million coins pass through its machines each year.

 

One of the earliest Sooty bear puppets used by Harry Corbett is on display on the pier. Corbett bought the original Sooty puppet on North Pier for his son, Matthew. When Corbett took the puppet on BBC's Talent Night programme, he marked the nose and ears with soot so that they would show up on the black and white television, giving the puppet its name.

 

The Carousel bar on the pier-head has a Victorian wrought iron canopy, and its outdoor sun-lounge is classified as the largest beer garden in Blackpool. Next to the bar is a two tier carousel, the "Venetian Carousel", which is protected from sand and spray by a glass wall.

 

After the fire in 1938, the pavilion was replaced with a 1,564 seat theatre which has since hosted a number of acts including; Frankie Vaughan, Frank Randle, Tessie O'Shea, Dave Morris, Bernard Delfont, Morecambe and Wise, Paul Daniels, Freddie Starr, Russ Abbott, Bruce Forsyth, Des O'Connor, Joe Longthorne, Lily Savage, Brian Conley and Hale and Pace.

 

In 2002 a heritage room with photographs was opened up, the foyer entrance was refurbished and a disabled lift added. By 2005, there was no longer a live organist playing in the sun lounge although other live entertainment continues. In 2013, the live organist was brought back into the sun lounge.

 

The pier was built and owned by the Blackpool Pier Company, created with three thousand £5-shares in 1861 (worth approximately £2,990 in 2012). The same firm operated the pier in 1953, and the company was incorporated in 1965. The Resorts Division of First Leisure, including the pier, was sold to Leisure Parks for £74 million in 1998. In 2009, the pier was sold to the Six Piers group, which owns Blackpool's other two piers, and hoped to use it as a more tranquil alternative to them. The new owners opened the Victorian-themed tea room, and built an eight-seat shuttle running the length of the pier.

 

In April 2011, the pier was sold to a Blackpool family firm, Sedgwick's, the owners of amusement arcades and the big wheel on Blackpool's Central Pier. Peter Sedgwick explained that he proposed to his wife on North Pier forty years ago, and promised to buy it for her one day. He said that he wants to restore the Victorian heritage of the pier and re-instate the pier's tram. An admission charge of fifty pence to access the board-walk section of the pier was abolished by the Sedgewicks.

 

A petition to wind up the Northern Victorian Pier Limited (the company used by the Sedgwick family to manage Blackpool North Pier) was presented on 17 September 2012 by Carlsberg UK Limited, a creditor of the Company, and this was to be heard at Blackpool County Court on 15 November 2012.

 

At the 11th hour, an agreement to pay the outstanding balance owed to Carlsberg was made and Peter Sedgwick's company escaped liquidation.

 

[Wikipedia]

MADRID RIO

  

Madrid Río es un parque de la ciudad española de Madrid, consistente en una zona peatonal y de recreo construida entre los años 2006 a 2012 en los dos márgenes del río Manzanares, en buena parte sobre el trazado soterrado de la vía de circunvalación M-30,1​ desde el nudo Sur hasta el enlace con la A-5. En 2016, el proyecto se hizo con el galardón Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design de la Universidad de Harvard por su diseño e impacto social y cultural en la transformación del río

Entre 2003 y 2007 se llevó a cabo la obra de soterramiento del arco oeste de la M-30 en el ámbito del río, obra que hizo posible la eliminación del tráfico en superficie y la consiguiente liberación de más de cincuenta hectáreas de terreno ocupado anteriormente por las calzadas. A esta superficie se sumaron otras casi cien hectáreas correspondientes a los diferentes suelos infrautilizados adyacentes a la autopista.

 

Tras la construcción de los túneles afloró una herida vacía formada por un rosario de espacios desocupados, que atesoraban la potencia latente de convertirse en nexo de unión de un corredor ambiental de casi tres mil hectáreas dentro del término municipal, que se extiende desde El Pardo hasta Getafe y que enlaza importantísimas áreas verdes de la ciudad como la Casa de Campo, el Parque de la Arganzuela o el Parque del Manzanares Sur.

 

Por tanto, los beneficios obtenidos al enterrar la antigua autopista, obviamente, no han quedado reducidos a la mejora de ciertos aspectos de la movilidad urbana, ni siquiera a la rehabilitación local de los barrios, sino que pueden adquirir en un futuro próximo, una dimensión de gran escala que necesariamente deberá repercutir en las relaciones entre la ciudad y el territorio, entendidas en su mayor alcance. La enorme trascendencia para la ciudad de los espacios liberados como consecuencia del soterramiento de la M-30, llevó al Ayuntamiento de Madrid a convocar un Concurso Internacional de Ideas para concebir y proyectar los nuevos espacios libres en el entorno del río. El concurso lo ganó el equipo de arquitectos dirigido por Ginés Garrido y formado por Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos, Porras & La Casta y Rubio & Álvarez-Sala y West8, con la solución para la construcción de un parque urbano de más de ciento veinte hectáreas, que ocupa la superficie liberada por el soterramiento de la autopista. Los inicios del proyecto pasaron por el intento de comprender en su totalidad las cualidades geográficas de la cuenca fluvial. Las características del territorio y la diversidad de sus elementos naturales constituyen un conjunto de claves que han sustentado muchas de las ideas contenidas en el proyecto.

 

Sumariamente, la estrategia del éste se basa en la convicción de que, a través del río es posible conectar la ciudad, expresión máxima de la acción artificial, con los territorios del norte y el sur de Madrid, en los que aún perviven los elementos naturales propios de la cuenca fluvial. El río se convierte en puerta o enlace entre interior urbano y exterior territorial y, a través de sus márgenes, se establece la continuidad y la permeabilidad, hasta hoy aniquiladas por los sucesivos anillos concéntricos, hollados por los cinturones viarios, M-30, M-40, M-45, M-50 …, que fueron el resultado de aplicar a la red circulatoria los modelos de movilidad propios de mediados del siglo XX.

 

El proyecto se ha concebido en sucesivas aproximaciones o escalas a partir de las que se ha aplicado la reflexión sobre el campo de juego, obteniendo respuestas o soluciones diversas, desde el ámbito territorial o estratégico al local o específico.

 

En la escala territorial se han establecido los parámetros de partida para que, en el medio plazo, sea posible la regeneración de las márgenes del río en toda su longitud, como verdaderas áreas de integración entre el paisaje y la actividad humana, bajo un entendimiento contemporáneo capaz de superar el antagonismo implícito en el binomio urbano-rural.

 

En la escala metropolitana, a través del proyecto y de su concepción como gran infraestructura, se lleva a cabo la incorporación del corredor que se extiende sobre los bordes fluviales a su paso por la ciudad como parte del GR 124 (Gran Recorrido de la Red de Senderos Europeos) que ya, en 2011 se podrá transitar en toda su extensión, desde Manzanares el Real hasta Aranjuez.

 

En la escala urbana, el proyecto incorpora el río como doble línea de fachada inédita y configura un conjunto enlazado de espacios verdes que se infiltra en la ciudad; establece en la superficie un nuevo sistema de movilidad y accesibilidad; incrementa la integración y calidad urbana de los barrios limítrofes al río; protege y revaloriza el patrimonio histórico y detecta áreas de oportunidad que, sobre este ámbito de nueva centralidad, serán capaces de generar un cambio potencial del conjunto de la ciudad en el largo plazo.

 

En la escala local, la propuesta se ejecuta como una operación radicalmente artificial, materializada sin embargo con instrumentos eminentemente naturales. No se debe olvidar que se actúa mayoritariamente sobre una infraestructura bajo tierra. El proyecto se implanta sobre un túnel o, más bien, sobre la cubierta de un conjunto complejísimo de instalaciones al servicio del viario enterrado. Un edificio de hormigón de más de seis kilómetros de longitud, con enormes y determinantes servidumbres y con una topografía cuya lógica obedece exclusivamente a la construcción de la infraestructura, que emerge inopinadamente sobre el suelo y con la que ha sido necesario negociar. Sobre esta edificación subterránea, la solución adoptada se ha basado en el uso de la vegetación como principal material de construcción. El proyecto establece como estrategia general la idea de implantar una densa capa vegetal, de carácter casi forestal, allá donde sea posible, es decir, fabricar un paisaje con materia viva, sobre un sustrato subterráneo inerte, modificado y excavado para el automóvil, sobre una construcción que expresa por sí misma el artificio máximo.

 

Las familias, formas y asociaciones de especies vegetales seleccionadas provienen de la extrapolación del estudio de la cuenca del río y su adaptación, en cada caso, al medio urbano específico. La ordenación de los distintos entornos y su caracterización como lugares de uso público se ha producido teniendo en cuenta, por un lado, las funciones requeridas y las necesidades detectadas en cada distrito y por otro, la capacidad de conformar espacios habitables, inherente a los conjuntos organizados de vegetación de distinto porte.

La solución se concreta en tres unidades de paisaje principales. Primero, el Salón de Pinos, o corredor verde que discurre por la margen derecha del río. Es la estructura que permite la continuidad de los recorridos y reacciona en su encuentro con los puentes existentes dando lugar a distintos tipos de jardines de ribera (Jardines bajos de Puente de Segovia, Jardines del Puente de San Isidro, Jardines del Puente de Toledo y Jardines del Puente de Praga). Segundo, el enlace definitivo del centro histórico (representado por la imagen imponente del Palacio Real y la cornisa elevada de la ciudad), con la Casa de Campo, parque de más de mil setecientas hectáreas. En este entorno se incluyen la Avenida de Portugal, la Huerta de la Partida, la Explanada del Rey y los Jardines de la Virgen del Puerto. Tercero, la ancha franja sobre la ribera izquierda donde se sitúa el conjunto del Parque de la Arganzuela que incluye el centro de creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, y que representa la mayor superficie de espacio verde unitario de la propuesta.

 

Además de estas tres grandes operaciones paisajísticas coherentes entre sí, el proyecto propone ciento cincuenta intervenciones de diferente carácter, entre las que destaca el sistema puentes que dotan de un inédito grado de permeabilidad al cauce. Se han desarrollado soluciones sobre más de veinte puentes o pasarelas sobre el río, rehabilitando las siete presas, reciclando algunos puentes existentes y creando nuevos pasos, unas veces con un lenguaje silencioso y otras, intencionadamente expresivo. Como en una acción microquirúrgica el proyecto incorpora, eslabón por eslabón, una cadena de fórmulas de integración del río en la ciudad y de la ciudad en el río. Son elementos que garantizarán el contagio de los nuevos valores de las orillas regeneradas sobre los ámbitos y barrios cercanos. Con este efecto de resonancia, se prevé una sucesión de operaciones que aseguren una renovación de gran alcance. Desde ahora y de manera irreversible, se está fraguando una radical metamorfosis, sin precedentes para la ciudad de Madrid.

La superestructura lineal del Salón de Pinos es el elemento que organiza la continuidad de recorridos a lo largo de la ribera derecha del río. Está construida sobre los túneles en su práctica totalidad y tiene un ancho medio de treinta metros. Sobre la losa de hormigón que cubre el paso de los automóviles se han plantado más de 9.000 unidades de diferentes especies de pinos, de diversos tamaños, formas y agrupaciones con un marco de plantación forestal. Los ejemplares han sido seleccionados fundamentalmente en campos en los que hubiese posibilidad de extraer plantas con morfologías naturales (troncos no lineales, troncos dobles, troncos inclinados, etc.) De este modo se obtiene una prolongación controlada de los pinares de la sierra situada al norte de Madrid que parecen extenderse hasta el confín de la ciudad. Estos árboles han sido anclados a la losa de los túneles mediante cables de acero y bridas biodegradables, para potenciar su estabilidad y el crecimiento de sus raíces en horizontal sobre el paquete de tierras disponible. No obstante, este paseo se encuentra frecuentemente con estructuras de gran valor urbano o patrimonial.

 

Dos ejemplos simbólicos de esta intersección son los puentes históricos de Segovia (1582) y de Toledo (1732). En estos enclaves el salón reacciona como espacio de estancia, ampliando sus límites y ofreciendo un diseño específico, con árboles de ribera de hoja caduca y alineaciones de setos y bancos de piedra. Las actividades integradas en el salón se incorporan con un lenguaje coherente con su carácter forestal. Un claro ejemplo de este procedimiento lo forma el conjunto de áreas de juegos infantiles, diseñado específicamente como un sistema completo de formas naturales.

 

Jardines del Puente de Segovia

 

El puente de Segovia está declarado Bien de Interés Cultural. Fue construido a finales del siglo XVI por el arquitecto Juan de Herrera, por encargo de Felipe II. El proyecto de ajardinamiento de su entorno conforma una excepción en el ámbito del Salón de Pinos, constituyendo un ensanchamiento de éste y ofreciendo un modo diferente de aproximación al río. Los jardines se ordenan mediante una serie de líneas de traza orgánica que modelan sucesivas terrazas que descienden hacia el río. Estas líneas están construidas con unas piezas de granito de gran formato que sirven también de bancos. Entre ellos se extiende una superficie de hierba de bajo consumo hídrico arbolada con diferentes especies de árboles frondosos de ribera de la familia de los populus. En las inmediaciones de la fábrica almohadillada del puente se han construido dos estanques de agua limpia sobre los cuales, por un lado alza una fuente monumental de 16 chorros con forma de ciprés y por otro se extiende un pequeño jardín de lirios acuáticos. Los estanques son accesibles mediante unas gradas de piedra que se acercan a ellos hasta sumergirse.

 

Jardines del Puente de Toledo

 

Los jardines del Puente de Toledo constituyen una de las áreas más significativas del Proyecto Madrid Río, ya que se están situados en un enclave de excepcional importancia en el que el Salón de Pinos se encuentra con uno de los puentes monumentales de Madrid, el puente de Toledo, construido entre 1718 y 1732. El proyecto aprovecha dicho monumento en un doble sentido: Por un lado se compone un espacio concebido para ser visto desde lo alto del puente que se convierte así en un mirador privilegiado. De este modo los jardines ofrecen una nueva e inédita panorámica de Madrid ya que sus trazados dibujan un enorme tatuaje que se extiende como una alfombra sobre la superficie, reproduciendo un motivo figurativo vegetal. Por otro lado, los jardines incorporan el Puente de Toledo, que es una estructura barroca diseñada por el arquitecto Pedro de Ribera, como un objeto al que admirar, al que tocar y bajo el que pasar. La disposición de los setos está organizada de modo que conforma una serie de líneas que toman como referencia los jardines barrocos de la época borbónica, aunque están trazadas con un lenguaje contemporáneo. Asimismo en este punto se ha construido un graderío que permite la máxima aproximación a la lámina de agua del río, y la mejor contemplación de los arcos del antiguo puente.

 

Segunda unidad de paisaje: La Escena Monumental

 

La vinculación del centro histórico y el barrio de La Latina con la Casa de Campo ha estado vedada a los peatones de forma secular. El nuevo contacto, que ya es posible por la desaparición de los automóviles bajo tierra, ha sido resuelto con diversas intervenciones que asumen el carácter monumental y panorámico de esta zona, en la que el zócalo elevado del Palacio Real (germen primigenio del nacimiento de la ciudad) contacta con el río. Se han propuesto diferentes soluciones afrontando con extremada atención el contexto en el que se sitúan: La “Explanada del Rey”, explanada abierta pavimentada con un gran patrón figurativo y que sirve de gran atrio ante la Casa de Campo. La huerta de la partida, que es un recinto cerrado en el que se han plantado diferentes retículas de árboles frutales (perales, manzanos, moreras, granados, higueras, nogales, avellanos, etc) acoge un extraordinario mirador de la cornisa. La avenida de Portugal, convertida en un bulevar pavimentado por calceteiros portugueses y poblado por cuatro especies de cerezos (Prunus avium, P. avium ‘Plena’, P.yedoensis y P.padus ‘Watereii’ ) permite la contemplación de una espectacular floración que se alarga más de un mes en primavera. Por último, los jardines de La Virgen del Puerto, en la otra margen del río, estructurados mediante la disposición de parterres orientados según los ejes de los principales acontecimientos urbanos del área: el puente de Segovia, el puente del Rey, la avenida de Portugal y la puerta del Rey que ha sido restaurada y resituada según los datos disponibles en la cartografía histórica de Madrid.

 

Plataforma del Rey

 

En el acceso monumental que enlaza el centro histórico de Madrid con la Casa de Campo, antiguo cazadero real, destaca la Explanada o Plataforma del Rey, que es un espacio abierto de una superficie aproximada de 14.000 m2 y un frente paralelo al río de poco menos de 250 m. El destino de este espacio es el de formar un escenario capaz de acoger diferentes manifestaciones cívicas (conciertos, celebraciones oficiales, actividades culturales, etc.) en un entorno de extraordinaria calidad ambiental, que permite contemplar la Cornisa Histórica de la Ciudad. Este lugar está conectado con el Salón de Pinos y forma parte de él, aunque por exigencias de su uso, sea un área casi desprovista de arbolado. En ella el principal elemento organizador es el pavimento que, de forma muy suave, se adapta a una topografía que integra todas las emergencias de los túneles hasta hacerlas imperceptibles. En este pavimento las pequeñas piezas de granito y basalto forman un patrón que desciende desde la Avenida de Portugal y se esparce sobre la superficie del suelo a una escala en aumento progresivo. Dicho patrón vincula la plataforma con el pavimento proyectado en la avenida. De este modo la Plataforma es un elemento que liga de manera natural importantes piezas del escenario monumental que se produce en este punto, como son el Puente del Rey, la Casa de Campo, la Avenida de Portugal y el Salón de Pinos.

 

Huerta de la Partida

  

Se trata de un espacio recuperado que en las pasadas décadas se dedicó a albergar uno de los principales nudos de la autopista. La propuesta de regeneración de este lugar incluye varias operaciones: En primer lugar la construcción de una tapia, a veces opaca, a veces permeable que constituye un cierre que confiere al recinto el carácter de huerto cerrado. En segundo lugar, el modelado artificial del terreno, regularizando su superficie y tallando un único plano inclinado de suave pendiente que se desliza hacia el río. En tercer lugar la plantación de diferentes agrupaciones de árboles frutales (granados, moreras, manzanos, perales, avellanos, almendros, higueras, olivos y nogales) que se incorporan en el entorno describiendo cuadrantes reticulados con sutiles variaciones de orientación. Por último, se ha proyectado una ría húmeda que describe la trayectoria del Arroyo Meaques, actualmente entubado y oculto. Este proyecto ha sido fruto del estudio minucioso de la historia del lugar, ya que en el pasado, cuando Felipe II adquirió esta finca después de establecer la capitalidad de Madrid, en esta posición se plantaron algunas huertas que producían el alimento necesario para los trabajadores de la Casa de Campo.

 

Tercera unidad de paisaje: La Ribera del Agua. Arganzuela y Matadero

 

En la margen izquierda del cauce la ciudad se separa del río. El ejemplo más importante de la propuesta en esta orilla es el nuevo Parque de la Arganzuela, construido sobre antiguas dehesas de pasto de uso comunal. En este entorno se construyó el Matadero Municipal, notable ejemplo de arquitectura posindustrial de la segunda década del siglo XX. Con el soterramiento de la autopista, Madrid dispone ahora en este punto de 33 hectáreas de espacios libres que forman el mayor parque del proyecto. Éste se ha concebido como un gran espacio en el que el río se ha retirado dejando su huella ancestral. Está organizado con diferentes líneas que se entrecruzan, como surcos por los que pasó el agua, dejando entre sí espacios para distintos usos. Estas líneas, de carácter marcadamente longitudinal, son los caminos de distinta especie que recorren el espacio de norte a sur.

 

Paseo junto al matadero

 

Un camino más plano y ancho (el Camino Rápido), otro más sinuoso y de pendiente variable (el Camino Lento) y una franja empedrada de márgenes frondosos (el Arroyo Seco), que vertebra el centro del parque. La construcción del espacio se plantea como una gran arboleda que contiene varios paisajes, algunos más naturales y otros más construidos, configurados por una variación de especies, alturas, densidades y texturas. De este modo el parque, concebido como un retazo de la cuenca del río, incorpora tres áreas botánicas: bosque mediterráneo, bosque atlántico y fronda de ribera. El carácter de estos paisajes interiores está relacionado con los trazados longitudinales del parque, con árboles que siguen los caminos y las sendas, con sotos y bosques que emergen sobre la topografía. La textura boscosa se intercala con las superficies plantadas de aromáticas entre los caminos y el Arroyo Seco. Siguiendo la orilla izquierda del río, se dispone una franja húmeda y verde, con una pradera de césped que se inclina hacia el agua. Una constelación de fuentes ornamentales y un conjunto de tres láminas elípticas de agua pura introducen este elemento como materia narrativa que relaciona las distintas asociaciones de vegetación. Cada fuente presenta un distinto juego sonoro y visual y se rodea de pequeñas laderas plantadas de frutales que remiten a la imagen de los jardines de las leyendas o del Paraíso. Las líneas entrelazadas que estructuran el parque permiten la formación de recintos en los que se han situado importantes instalaciones para el recreo al servicio de los usuarios de todas las edades. En él se incluye un campo de fútbol , dos pistas de patinaje y tres importantes conjuntos de juegos infantiles. El parque así mismo incorpora el conjunto dedicado a la creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, como una gran dotación cultural que vive dentro de él. A través de los caminos se accede a las naves del antiguo complejo, cuya rehabilitación está a punto de finalizar. El diseño de los trazados permite entender la relación entre Matadero y el parque como un continuo entre el río y la ciudad.

 

El sistema de puentes sobre el río

 

La implantación de puentes sobre el Manzanares se lleva a cabo como una estrategia global, es decir, como un conjunto en que cada elemento resuelve problemas puntuales detectados en el entorno próximo, pero también forma parte a su vez de un sistema integral de conectividad transversal de acuerdo con la relación entre la ciudad y el río. Las unidades de este conjunto son de diferente carácter: puentes y presas rehabilitados o reciclados, puentes rodados existentes acondicionados al nuevo sistema de tráfico ciclista y peatonal, puentes singulares que constituyen hitos en el recorrido del río, pasarelas funcionales situadas en los nodos de máximo tránsito transversal y puentes de grandes luces que enlazan los recorridos del parque con los territorios exteriores a la ciudad al norte y al sur, haciendo realidad la principal aspiración territorial del proyecto.

 

Entre los puentes existentes destaca la operación llevada a cabo con las siete presas que han sido convertidas en pasarelas peatonales a través de su restauración integral y la incorporación de un tablero de madera accesible. En segundo lugar dentro de esta serie, se debe destacar el reciclaje del puente rodado de la M-30 que cruzaba el río al sur del Puente de Segovia, reconvertido en un puente peatonal y ciclista que incorpora un talud plantado con pinos. Entre los puentes singulares cabe mencionar el puente con forma de Y construido con cajones de perfiles metálicos, que evoca el lenguaje de los puentes ferroviarios del s. XIX colgados sobre los desfiladeros forestales y los puentes gemelos de hormigón que se dan acceso al complejo Matadero, proyectados como elementos de paso capaces también de configurar un espacio al que se ingresa, como pabellones que gravitan sobre el río, pero que verdaderamente pertenecen al parque.

 

Pasarela de Almuñécar

 

Fabricada de una sola pieza con fibra de carbono, para salvar una luz de algo más de 40 metros. Se sitúa sobre el único tramo del cauce que carece de cajero de hormigón. Su diseño final responde a las capacidades del material con que está fabricada, extremadamente ligero y resistente.

 

Restauración de Presas

 

Las siete presas que regulan el río a su paso de la ciudad han sido restauradas y puestas al servicio del nuevo sistema de pasos transversales. Sus mecanismos y exclusas han sido reparados y se les ha incorporado un tablero accesible de madera y una escala de peces para favorecer la continuidad de la fauna subacuática a lo largo del río.

 

Puente Oblicuo

 

Esta estructura viaria coetánea de la M-30 se ha reciclado para incorporarla al Salón de Pinos como un paso privilegiado a través del cual los peatones, los ciclistas y los árboles pasan de una a otra orilla. La losa aligerada que componía el tablero de hormigón postesado se cortó y apeó reforzándose para soportar las cargas debidas a su nuevo uso.

 

Puente del Principado de Andorra

 

Es uno de los nuevos puentes singulares del proyecto. Está construido por jaulas de perfiles abiertos, de expresividad algo arcaica, que toma como referencia las estructuras ferroviarias sobre los desfiladeros boscosos que se construyeron en Europa y Estados Unidos a finales de siglo XIX. Antes conocido como Puente Y, en julio de 2011 se le cambió de nombre al actual de Principado de Andorra, para agradecer al gobierno de Andorra la construcción del Puente de Madrid en Andorra la Vieja.​ Se escogió este puente para nombrarlo como Principado de Andorra porque representa también la geografía de Andorra: el país pirenaico está formado por dos valles, el del Valira del Norte y el del Valira de Oriente, los cuales confluyen en Escaldes-Engordany y se convierten en uno solo, de nombre Gran Valira. Esta disposición de los valles y sus ríos es similar a una Y.

 

Puentes Cáscara

 

Son dos puentes gemelos construidos con una lámina de 15 cm de hormigón autonivelante que forma una superficie con doble curvatura, de la que cuelga el tablero. Se conciben como dos pabellones a los que acceder para cruzar el río. Su bóveda se ha ornamentado con un mosaico creado por el artista Daniel Canogar.

 

Pasarela de la Princesa

 

El canto necesario para el funcionamiento de la pasarela se incorpora en las barandillas que en realidad conforman una pareja de vigas de alma llena y rigidizadores verticales. El lenguaje de la pasarela es intencionadamente sobrio.

  

I am regularly asked for more railway images, which is most gratifying. I enjoy producing them and they consistently attract a high level of hits, favourites and comments. The problems are twofold: I have very few suitable source images and there is a finite number of plausible liveries, as others have found. A few liveries have defeated me, such as Stobart Rail and WH Malcolm Logistics; and there are a few gaps in my traction coverage, most notably Class 58, which is awaiting a suitable base image. I am always open to suggestions but must stress the need for good quality, high resolution base images.

 

Meanwhile, here is an old image in a couple of new colours. I recall a request for this version on one of the forums but can't trace the original message. The poster mentioned that ScotRail had inspected a couple of Class 50s with a view to further use, but found them beyond redemption. The source image of Indomitable was taken at Oxenhope on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Ignore the 501xx series number, which is a hangover from a previous version (25-Aug-13).

 

See my complete set of sectorisation-era rail image here:

www.flickr.com/photos/northernblue109/sets/72157626267865...

 

Strictly Copyright: You are encouraged to provide links to this image but it would be an offence to post it elsewhere (or to publish or distribute it by any other means) without the express permission of the copyright owner

Graz 2014.

I'd like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who regularly (or occasionally) visits my photo-stream to view and comment on my photographs!

 

Although I’ve been passionate about panoramic landscape photography for many years already (I started off by sticking 35mm prints together with magic-tape), I feel that ever since I joined Flickr (late last year), the compositions and quality of my photographs has improved tremendously!

 

You are all responsible for inspiring me to take better pictures… whether your specialty is portraits, macro flower-shots, sport and action scenes, or landscape photography (like me), you are all helping me to continually challenge my own sense of beauty and perfection!!

 

However, I would like to thank three people who have inspired me more than anyone else, and who are mostly responsible for the improvements in the quality of my images.

 

Firstly (and most inspirationally) there’s AndreinAfrica! Not only did he sponsor my Flickr Pro account, but his photo-stream is so gobsmackingly beautiful that anyone who isn’t inspired by what they see there… is dead!! Andre was also directly responsible for helping me to kick my HDR habit, and for changing my processing objectives from trying to recreate the scene as it could appear (at some time), to how it did appear (at that time). Thanks Andre, for everything!!

 

Then, the next most influential person for me at Flickr is a guy called Barkeater. This crazy dude hails from Saranac Lake, New York, and his specialty is cinemascape-format panoramas! You only have to see them to realize that I still have a long way to go before I reach that level of excellence!! Some months ago, he posted a tutorial that described the steps he takes to achieve his consistently awesome results, and when he mentioned layers and masks, semi-transparent brushes, burning and dodging… he inspired me to finally read the Paint Shop Pro manual and to learn about all these cool processing techniques! Thanks Aaron for helping me to take that step!!

 

Then last but not least, there’s Daniel Cheong from Mauritius. As far as I’m concerned, he consistently produces the best photographs that I have ever seen on Flickr!! Although he has quite a number of HDR processed images on his stream, most of his latest work has been processed using a new technique called DRI (Dynamic Range Increase) – which gives a much more natural result than can be achieved with HDR! Thanks Daniel for all the inspiration that your images have provided me with over the last couple of weeks!!

  

Is this consistent with your idea of automotive perfection? Robert’s gorgeous '69 Camaro was built by our friends at Detroit Speed! It's powered by a Mast Motorsports LS7 with a 6-speed Bowler Performance transmission and rides on DSE's Hydroformed Subframe, DSE minitubs, DSE QUADRALINK rear suspension, DSE/JRi double-adjustable coilovers, Baer brakes, 275/35ZR18 & 335/30ZR18 BFGoodrich Rival S tires, and 18x10/18x12 Forgeline CR3 wheels finished with Satin Gunmetal centers, Polished outers, & tall center caps! See more at: www.forgeline.com/customer_gallery_view.php?cvk=1807

I've donated so consistently to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation that I was invited to their Evening of Gratitude gala recently. I went alone, not knowing anyone there beforehand, as a non-Ukrainian. At first it felt a bit awkward, but soon it became clear that I wouldn't be the only Oriental/ Asian supporter there. This couple showed up and soon the ice was broken. We became friends soon after!

 

Cheffry's Bistro, 33 Powerhouse Street, Toronto

Print from homemade instant film with Fomapan 100 as the negative and fixed Ilford Ilfospeed as the receiver.

The negative: www.flickr.com/photos/155901311@N04/51129020161

Further information: www.flickr.com/photos/155901311@N04/albums/72157712562738173

 

New developer paste (version 0.5) with increased amount of developer:

Thickened water: 20cm³ methyl cellulose in 200ml water

Developer paste:

- 8ml of Kodak HC-110

- 0,8ml of Ilford Rapid Fixer

- 4ml of sodium hydroxide solution with a pH of ~13

- 10ml of the thickened water

- 0,2 cm³ of Na2SO3

(More info: www.flickr.com/photos/155901311@N04/49790368893/)

Also the rails which set the distance between negative and print during development are now only 0,12mm thick (compared to 0,2mm with the older paste).

These changes improve the contrast of the print and the negative, so for the first time my film _consistently_ produces a recognisable print.

I will make some tests to increase the contrast of the print even more, but this will probably result in a negative with to much contrast.

  

Homemade 4x5 camera

Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 4,5/150

I am interrupting my photos from my Vietnam trip to share some thoughts on the new Panasonic S1R camera that will start shipping in about a week.

 

Caution: this is primarily for people interested in shooting with manual focus M mount lenses (made by Leica, Zeiss, Voigtlander, et al), and within that group, especially people like me who think the rangefinder is a brain dead relic of the past, and have been looking for years for a modern camera to use with their M lenses.

 

For everyone else interested in these new cameras, I would recommend seeing the dozens of reviews that will be popping up all over the place very soon.

 

Background

 

At Photokina at Cologne, Germany, in 2018, Leica, Panasonic and Sigma announced an L-mount alliance that sounded more fluff than reality, but I thought there was a real chance something big could come out of it.

 

Fast forward to a couple of months ago, and Panasonic announced two new full-frame cameras in the L mount, a 24MP S1 entry-level body and a high-end 47MP S1R. This is consistent with the trend that Sony set, with the A7 and A7R, followed by Nikon with its Z7 and Z7R, then Canon with its R and RP, etc., and now we have the S1 and S1R.

 

I am pretty much committed to Sony and I have no intention of abandoning it any time soon. But since I dumped my Leica M9 in 2011 and dumped my Leica M240 in 2013, I have been waiting for a competent, high-res camera that was good enough for use with my M lenses.

 

Although the Sony cameras have been reasonable proxies, unfortunately Sony put a 2.3mm thick glass plate over the sensor in its camera. The Leica M lenses, which were all designed originally for film, required a glass plate that was as close to zero thickness as possible. This made Sony cameras sub-optimal for M lenses, especially wide angle lenses. Even 50mm lenses barely work with Sony cameras, showing heavy vignetting and loss of edge and corner sharpness at max aperture.

 

The Leica M cameras use a glass plate that is 0.85mm thick, and the Leica SL camera also used a thin glass plate. The new Panasonic cameras (designed in close collaboration with Leica) have both a thin glass plate as well as an entirely new micro lens array that make it possible for M lenses to be used effectively.

 

So to make a long story short, within a couple of days after the L mount alliance was announced, I started looking for a used M lens to L mount adapter on eBay, and found one virtually new for a throwaway price. Since then, I've been waiting for the first L mount camera to be announced.

 

Finally, a competent camera for M mount lenses!

 

When I saw the specs of the Panasonic S1R, I was very pleased with what I saw, and since then, I've been pretty happy with the handful of spotty reviews of the S1R, which has mostly focused on autofocusing, the new 24-105mm f/4 and 70-200mm f/4 lenses, etc., none of which I care about. My interest has been and at least for the time being, remains its usability with M mount lenses.

 

So finally, I got a chance to see and play with the Panasonic S1R today at a local dealer in the San Francisco Bay Area. There were two Panasonic reps on hand, with a couple of S1 and S1R bodies and some lenses, including the Panasonic 24-105/4 and 70-200/4, and I think they also had an Leica 50/1.4.

 

I went over to the store with my hitherto untested M to L adapter and four M lenses: Leica 21mm f/1.4 Summilux, Leica 28mm f/1.4 Summillux, Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux, and Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Distagon ZM. I figured if these lenses worked reasonably well, pretty much all M mount lenses would likely work well, too.

 

Bottom line: the S1R impresses. I can’t recall seeing this level of performance from my M mount lenses from any Leica M camera, let alone Sony bodies. One of the reps told me they (Panasonic working with Leica) built a completely new micro lens array for the S1R that delivers a far superior IQ than the M or SL cameras. They even had big posters illustrating this new design – it shows a thinner glass plate and also taller micro lenses that look more like LEDs than lenses.

 

Whatever, the darned thing seems to work very well for my use case, which is to use this as a camera for my M lenses. The live view and loupe zoom works exactly as I was hoping, and focus peaking works very well, too. In fact, the focus peaking is so good that live view is almost (but not entirely) unnecessary.

 

The S1R is physically quite big (5.9 x 4.3 x 3.8" / 148.9 x 110.0 x 96.7 mm), which is 75% bigger in volume than a Sony A7R III (5.0 x 3.8 x 2.9" / 126.9 x 95.6 x 73.7 mm). But it is quite comfortable to hold and handle.

 

The S1R is also 55% heavier (1020 g vs. 657 g), which is a pain, for sure. And as of March 30, 2019, the S1R is also 32% more expensive in the U.S. ($3700 vs. $2800).

 

The price is a little misleading – Sony is likely getting ready an A7R IV with a 72 MP sensor and a bunch of new features that leapfrogs the S1R, and its price will likely be in the $3500 range at introduction, and the S1R will likely come down a little over the next few months. The price always equalizes – it is impossible to maintain a big discrepancy (unless you are Leica, but then you don't sell much).

 

For now, the Panasonic S1R appears to have jumped ahead of the Sony A7R III in a lot of areas, including resolution, a superb EVF, a high res LCD back that seems to articulate in more ways than in the Sony, pixel shifting, focus stacking, XQD memory support, etc.

 

The pixel shifting sounds very innovative, going well beyond what Pentax did in the K-1. It is done with a capture of eight shots, four to essentially offset the Bayer filtering and the other four to boost resolution. The claim is, they can crank out 180+ MP images that are near-medium-format.

 

They also have an automated focus stacking that can start from a specified location in the frame and take a specified number of steps in a specified step size. So you could combine pixel shifting + focus stacking to get very high res and very sharp images. The firmware has some motion sensing algorithm that is supposed to compensate for detected movements.

 

In theory, you could combine both pixel shifting and focus stacking to produce very sharp and very high res images.

 

The Panasonic rep also bragged that their AF lenses have almost no focus breathing, which makes the focus stacking even more effective.

 

It looks like there are a lot of other feature / function innovations. E.g., image review steps through some 4-5 different views that includes RGB and overall histograms.

 

I have no idea how autofocusing, focus tracking, eye AF, face recognition, video, etc, work. I was not testing the camera for any of those things.

 

But as a replacement for the brain-dead rangefinder, finally here is a camera that can really work well with M mount lenses to deliver an image quality that no Leica rangefinder or any other camera could ever deliver.

 

Test shots

 

In my brief handful of test shots, given the limitations of a busy store, sub-optimal lighting, limited availability of the S1R, etc. I came away very pleased with my test shots. I have enough confidence that with a little more breathing room, I can crank out images that I will be pleased with, and really enjoy shooting with my M lenses that I kept, after dumping my Leia M9 and M240 in 2011 and 2013, respectively.

 

The camera store had a female model, so that helped a bit. I took a few test shots of her, as well as a few other things in the store, mostly focusing on placing my subject in a corner of the frame.

 

I have uploaded a few of these shots to Flickr, as 100% magnification views in Capture One, saved as screen captures. This makes it easy to see exactly where they came from in the frame. These are hardly exhaustive, but I hope these provide a feel for what the S1R can do. In time, I expect to be uploading a lot more images from the S1R / M-lens combination.

 

As of right now, there are now RAW converters for the S1R in either LightRoom or Capture One. I do have the RAW files, but I also saved JPEGs, so what I have uploaded are SOOC JPEGs with no post processing. The in-camera JPEGs are not great – there is too much posterization. But they are looking good enough that I think the S1R will work very well with M lenses. I have no doubt that the raw files will be far better.

 

I did not get to test the sensor for high ISO and dynamic range. It is what it is, and it can't be too bad. I avoid shooting at very high ISOs, anyway. The colors look accurate.

 

So net-net, I’m pretty excited that I now have a camera that I can really use with my M lenses, and I’m planning to get the S1R. I just haven't decided if I'm going to buy it right away, or wait for the initial excitement to die down a little, then get one after the inevitable first price drop in a few months.

 

The new leadership in photography

 

More profoundly, after a decade of sleep walking by Canon and Nikon, the leadership in photography is now firmly in the grip of Sony and Panasonic, I think. From the D100/D1X through the D850/D5, (and similar progression of model numbers from Canon), apart from resolution and faster processing (both of which came from Moore’s Law), there has been very little innovation in cameras in the past nearly 20 years. In the past ten years, we have seen one dramatic new paradigm after another from the mirrorless guys that the DSLR users had no idea about.

 

I look at what Sony has done with its A7R III and A9, and now Panasonic with the S1R, and inevitably, what Sony will have to and will likely do in the A7R IV and A9 II, and with Sigma likely jumping in with a FF Foveon L-mount camera, there’s going to be a lot of excitement. Maybe this will be the golden age of photography…

 

Nikon and Canon are simply not culturally set up to innovate like this, and I wonder how they’re going to play this. The DSLR parade they were leading is rolling over a cliff, and the new parade is led by Sony, Panasonic, Fuji, Olympus, and even Leica and Sigma after the L mount alliance, not to forget the medium format guys.

This plant consistently blooms every year. Most of the flowers bloom on the old stalks. The plant is growing in a 6-inch plastic basket and is grown outside under 50 percent shade cloth. I grew this plant from a small seedling purchased from H&R Nurseries several years ago.

Singapore Zoo ranks consistently (after San Diego Zoo) as one of the best in the world.

 

There are currently about 300 species of animals across 28 hectares of lush rainforest. This is possible without a feeling of crowding because of the layering, with lemurs wandering freely, and orangutans and gibbons swinging high above the ground while the visitors watch from below.

 

For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/teeth-claws-and-colou...

-Backdrops are an easy way to add personality, visual interest, and uniformity to doll photos. Whether you have a dolly guide and want a consistent background, or you want to add realism to a doll set, backdrops make a world of difference! It's a way to give photos a mood and a unique vibe, and can be a fun way to express your creativity!

 

-Cardboard is a fabulous and inexpensive medium for creating dolly backdrops. You can recycle boxes that you already have, and they also come in a wide variety of sizes. Boxes also have folds in them when cut into one sheet, which is great for wrapping backdrops around your photo. I prefer to use the 18" x 18" x 24" size boxes since I photograph 18" dolls as well as smaller dollies, in addition to large pieces of furniture and playsets. However you can use whatever size works for your project. Tri-fold boards also work. Also keep in mind that you will want extra head room and side space around the photo for cropping, so it's better to have a slightly too big backdrop than a slightly too small one. It can look squished and less aesthetically pleasing if the doll literally reaches the top of the backdrop or is touching the very side of a panel (and sometimes the angle can make it so a bit of the room behind the backdrop shows).

 

-The boxes can be folded along their pre-existing folds for storage. This helps compact them so they can be stored under a bed, on top of a shelf, in a narrow space, etc.

 

-I like to cover all my backdrops with clear contact paper to protect the paper/decorations from staining and moisture (and it helps them last longer). It also adds uniform glossiness to the background and helps saturate photos.

 

-Wrapping paper and wallpaper make fabulous coverings for a doll backdrop. They come in rolls, which makes it easy to cut and cover and entire sheet of cardboard. Wrapping paper is very inexpensive and comes in a wide variety of patterns and colors depending on your needs.

 

-Scrapbook paper is also great for backdrops--you can get realistic kinds of paper or more playful kinds. I personally like to alternate different sheets of paper to make a collage effect (especially since scrapbook paper pads typically only come with two of each sheet). However you can of course buy individual sheets that are all identical so the background is uniform. It takes 12 sheets of standard scrapbook paper (the 12" x "12 size) to cover the size of cardboard I like to use. I find that stores like Wal-Mart sell very inexpensive pads for $5 (50 sheet pads) and Michael's often runs sales so the pads equate to around $6 each (the quality of this paper is usually much better).

 

-Recycled materials are fabulous for backdrops! Greeting cards, doll pamphlets, magazine cutouts, old calendars, doll boxes, coloring book pages, etc are inexpensive ways to personalize a backdrop! It's also a fun way to preserve box art, pamphlets, and cards while giving them functional purposes.

 

-Backdrops can also be painted and decorated with stencils or stickers. Sometimes you can't find paper or other mediums that are what you are looking for in a backdrop. This is where paint comes in handy!

 

-Test out ideas on the panels of cardboard you cut off the box. This way you can get a feel for how some colors work with dolls. The color, finish, and pattern of a backdrop can affect how a photo looks. Sometimes it can hinder the quality by making the photo have an orange, green, etc hue. Other times the medium might be too busy so your camera can't focus on the dolls. The finish can reflect to much light creating glare, or it can absorb the camera flash too much so that the photo isn't as crisp looking. Once you have a feel for what does and doesn't work for your needs, it will be easier and you won't need to test all your ideas out. Some backdrops might work fantastically for one type of doll, but might look abysmal with others! It is all about trial and error.

 

-Mounting putty is an easy way to temporarily add things to a backdrop. For instance, if you are shooting a doll art gallery, you can mount various doll sized paintings. But when you are done, the paintings can be easily pulled off, without causing damage to your backdrop (this is also why clear contact paper is handy, however you don't need it to do this).

 

-Depending on how you glue things down, your backdrop can be reversible. For instance, if you glue calendar pictures so the skies meet in the center, you will be able to flip the board around so either scene can be used with smaller scale dolls (for larger scale dolls, this won't work, but it makes a neat surreal effect).

 

-The backdrops can be dual sided, meaning one box makes two scenes. This cuts down on the number of boxes you will need to acquire, and saves space. However if you are concerned about one side of the backdrop wrinkling because of how it is folded, then you can choose to only cover one side and keep the other bare.

 

-You can also always hang sheets, pillow cases, and fabric up to use as a backdrop. I find though that the fabric absorbs the camera's flash creating a fuzzier, less sharp background and it also shows wrinkles, pilling, etc making a less aesthetically pleasing backdrop. But sometimes it can be cute!

 

-Sometimes it is fun to create special "flooring" for a photograph. For example, if you are setting up a doll beach scene, you can use sheets of blue paper to cover the floor and sprinkle shells around (see "My Story: The Little Mermaid" photo for reference). It's also good to keep in mind the flooring even if you aren't customizing it. I like how hardwood/laminate flooring or tabletops reflect the light and they are easier to keep clean. Carpeting absorbs light and can often show stains, hair, etc in the finished photo (although it creates a cozy vibe for certain pictures). If the floor and backdrop are the same pattern, it can take away the depth from a photo, but other times it can create a studio like affect (so it's good to keep this in mind depending on your needs).

  

Video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXmNSKKjMqY&feature=youtu.be

Glee bath and water play Consistent with cheerful colors and nature

I've been working consistently on my TC10 contest entry, which should be done soon. During these kind of builds, I find it helpful to take a break, and work on something else for a little bit.

 

I figured it was about time for me to use these Fischertechnic tires, and it's been a while since I have build a Unimog, so here we go.

 

Here you can see the basic axles and chassis, though it's early. 4x4, with live axles front and rear, with PF drive. There are portal axles on the rear, and I'll add them to the front.

 

It will be a U90, U500, or U5000 (pick one, right?). I welcome votes.

 

From The Queue.

This is the unmistakable hand of Albert, one of the most remarkable people I know (and his soon-to-be wife, Sasha; a lady of equal amazingness). An accomplished metal fabricator and talented artist who works mainly in steel, Al is known to be a man of unfailing affableness who, due to his profession, is perpetually encased in a gritty layer of black sooty dirt.

 

His metalshop is wondrous place that has been a constant source of inspiration for me, its proprietor always quick with encouragement and guidance regarding the daunting task entrepreneurship (generally followed by an enthusiastic, yet extraordinarily dirty high-five), which has been an unending comfort since I decided two years ago to strike out on my own to work for myself. So it is with great pride and excitement that I am anticipating his impending wedding. As with everything he does, be it a cloud of flames, the defiance of the force of gravity, the (pretend) devouring of human flesh, or the design and production of sailboats, architectural details, giant metal spiders, or minor home repairs, Albert tackled the creation of his own wedding rings with a an unrivaled vigor, thoughtfulness, wit, and originality.

 

Inspired by characteristics of the materials that have shaped his life and his career, Al created a unique pair of rings designed to age and transform along with their wearers. The future two-person husband-wife team are destined to bear symbols of their union formed by a combination of two contrasting materials; the first of which is gold: a metal traditionally used in wedding rings due to its inherent preciousness and ability to maintain a consistent color, shine, and surface. Though in these atypical rings, the gold exists only on the inside. Mostly hidden against the skin, the precious metal serves as a shared secret, revealing itself only at the very edges for others to glimpse. Though they may seem thin, these edges are hand-hammered for a texture designed to reflect the greatest possible amount of light, causing them to exude a humble yet powerful underlying strength and beauty.

 

The second material is hand-forged steel. Forging, one of the oldest known metalworking processes, consists of combining two types of steel with slightly different qualities. By heating them until they are white-hot and continuously folding them together and pounding them out flat again, they are kneaded into a new material that is distinctively robust due to the manner in which it was created (this is the process used by medieval weaponsmiths to make legendary swords). The steel in the rings is treated to have a muted finish known to alter in color, texture and sheen. Over time these rings will develop a handsome patina, serving as a literal representation of the all the experiences that the hands of their wearers will share together; forever changing, adapting and developing, becoming wiser and more refined.

 

My most heartfelt congratulations to Albert and Sasha on their engagement. I'm looking forward to noticing this exceptional ring on this exceptionally dirty hand for many years to come!

Visita nuestro Blog de Semana Santa en:

asociacionredobles.blogspot.com

 

Actos que se van a desarrollar durante la conmemoración del 200º aniversario del

rescate del Cristo de la Cama, consistente en el traslado de la Imagen desde la Iglesia

de Santa Isabel de Portugal (vulgo San Cayetano) a la Basílica del Pilar.

El rescate se produjo el 17 de febrero de 1809 del Convento de San Francisco, lo que

actualmente es la Diputación Provincial. El día 10 los franceses volaron el Convento,

que era defendido por unos cuantos aragoneses y por los voluntarios de Valencia. El

día 17, María Blánquez entro en el convento y vio que todos los pasos que

procesionan en Semana santa, quince en total, estaban destruidos, salvo el Santísimo

Cristo de la Cama, que estaba indemne en su Capilla de la Hermandad. Salió a la

calle, cogió a cuatro hombres, volvió a entrar al convento y todos ellos cogieron al

Cristo de la cama. Lo llevaron primero a la parroquia de la santa Cruz, después a la

de Santiago y finalmente al Palacio Arzobispal, lugar en donde vivía el general

Palafox, que enfermo lo venero y ordeno fuera llevado al interior de la Basílica del

Pilar, siendo colocado en el Altar de los convertido mirando a su Madre, la virgen del

Pilar.

Este hecho es el que conmemoramos.

A las 18´00 horas se oirá en la Ciudad de Zaragoza a los Artilleros de Aragón

anunciando el comienzo de la procesión cívico religiosa.

Con la salida desde San Cayetano de la Bandera de la Hermandad de la Sangre de

Cristo dará comienzo la procesión, encontrándose el resto de participantes ubicados

en la plaza. Seguidamente saldrá la peana, portada a varal, del Cristo de la Cama. Lo

hará con un toque preparado para la ocasión por la Sección de Tambores de la

Hermandad de San Joaquín y Virgen de los Dolores. Una vez que nuestro Cristo de la

Cama este en la plaza sonara el Himno Nacional interpretado al órgano por Ignacio

Navarro Gil.

Finalizado el himno, se descubrirá una placa en cerámica de Muel, promovida por la

Asociación Cultural Redobles. Dicha placa será descubierta por el Ilmo. Sr. D.

Francisco Javier Lambán Montañés, o persona en quien en delegue, acompañado por

el Hermano Mayor de la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo. A la vez que se descubre

la placa, don José Antonio Armillas, Comisario del Bicentenario glosara brevemente

la figura de María Blánquez y lo que ella significo.

Finalizado este acto, dará comienzo en sí el desfile.

Por la calle Manifestación, calle Alfonso y calle Coso, nos dirigiremos a la plaza de

España, en donde se realiza el segundo acto del desfile. Este consiste en depositar dos

coronas de laurel. La primera en la placa que recuerda al Convento de San Francisco

y la segunda en el monumento a los Mártires.

La del Convento de San Francisco será portada por mujeres ataviadas con el traje

regional, en recuerdo y homenaje a María Blánquez. Entregada por don Francisco

Javier Lambán Montañés (o persona en quién delegue), le acompañaran el

Comandante Militar de Zaragoza, General Juan Pinto y el Hermano Mayor de la

Sangre de Cristo. La recibirán dos soldados del Batallón Pardos de Aragón.

La segunda corona, la entregara don Juan Alberto Belloch Julve (o persona en quién

delegue), acompañado también por el Comandante Militar y el Hermano Mayor,

siendo recibida por dos soldados del Batallón de Infantería Voluntarios de Aragón.

Durante este acto sonara en la plaza el Carillón de la Diputación Provincial con

marchas alusivas a los Sitios.

Finalizado el acto, continuaremos el desfile en dirección a la Plaza de la Seo por calle

don Jaime, calle Mayor, calle Dormer, calle Cisne y calle Cuellar.

En la plaza de la Seo se realiza el tercer y último acto. Consiste en una breve

alocución del General Pinto, Comandante Militar de Zaragoza y Teruel, en recuerdo

y homenaje del General Palafox. A Su conclusión, el Batallón de Infantería

Voluntarios de Aragón hará una descarga de fusilería.

Ya para finalizar, nos encaminaremos a la plaza del Pilar, finalizando el desfile,

alrededor de las 20´30 horas, con la entrada del Cristo de la Cama en la Basílica, en

donde permanecerá hasta el miércoles 25 de febrero.

Finalizado el desfile y por lo tanto el traslado, la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo

realizara una ofrenda a la Virgen del Pilar.

La Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo, con el fin de dar mayor realce a este

acontecimiento histórico, ha invitado a participar a todos aquellos Ayuntamientos e

Instituciones galardonados con la Medalla del Bicentenario “Defensor de Zaragoza”,

distinción que también ha obtenido la propia Hermandad. Han confirmado su

asistencia una representación de los Ayuntamientos de Alcañiz, Barbastro, Calatayud,

Cariñena, Chelva, Huesca, Jaca, monzón y Valencia. También han confirmado su

participación los Artilleros de Aragón, Batallón Pardos de Aragón, Batallón de

Infantería Ligera Voluntarios de Aragón, la Asociación Cultural Royo del Rabal

(ronda y escenificación de personajes históricos de la época), la Asociación Cultural

Los Sitios (personajes históricos de la época), la Hermandad de San Juan de la Peña,

la Cofradía del Santo Sepulcro, la Hermandad del santo Refugio, la Real Ilustre

Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Madrid y la Real Maestranza de

Caballería.

La parte musical durante el desfile correrá a cargo de la Banda de Guerra de la

Brigada de Caballería Castillejos II, de la Banda Música de la Academia General

Militar y la Ronda de jotas de la Asociación Cultural el Rabal. Durante el desfile y

con el fin de que los peaneros lleven el ritmo adecuado, les acompaña un piquete de

diez instrumentos, cuyos miembros son de la cofradía de la Institución de la Sagrada

Eucaristía, que lo harán sin los distintivos propios de la Cofradía.

Cabe destacar el estreno de una marcha procesional en las calles de Zaragoza. La

primera y ultima pieza que interprete la Banda de Música será la Marcha al Cristo de

la Cama, cuyo autor es don Abel Moreno y que fue donada a la Hermandad por la

Asociación para el Estudio de la Semana Santa.

Ernesto Millán Lázaro

Hermano Mayor

Hermandad Sangre de Cristo