View allAll Photos Tagged constraining
THIS SHORE LIGHTHOUSE GUARDS THE EAST SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE TO LOCH RYAN FROM A POINT JUST SOUTH EAST OF IT. IT STANDS ON CAIRN POINT WHICH PROJECTS INTO LOCH RYAN FROM A NARROW SHELF IN FRONT OF THE MAIN (A77) ROAD; A SOLID PORTION ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE LANTERN CONSTRAINS THE LIGHT TO SEAWARD. THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS BUILT BY ALAN STEVENSON AND FIRST LIT IN 1847. IT WAS CONVERTED TO OIL BURNING IN 1847, AND AUTOMATED (ELECTRIFIED AND MADE 'UNATTENDED') IN 1964.
'Direct Rail Services' Class 37/6 No.37609 is seen coasting into Loughborough Station working 1Q48, Derby R.T.C.(Network Rail) to Tyseley L.M.D. The train would reverse at Loughborough and continue on its journey to Tyseley. Having originated at Derby, the train would test various different lines around the midlands, including the rarely used Burton to Leicester Branch. I settled for a photo on the Midland Mainline, however the original planned location for the first shot of this train had to be binned due to time constrains, but It was nice to finally get a 'DRS' 37 in the new revised compass livery. Fellow classmate 37612 was on the rear.
I bet you thought I'd pick Weinerschnitzel. The most beautiful library in Los Angeles, the Central Library (the most beautiful and closest. Had I but world enough and time, I would have gone for the Hollydale library, the Fairview library and, best of all, the Leland R. Weaver library too.)
#3000 - 2016 Day 78: So what to do when your next big milestone day falls whilst spending eight hours on a cross-channel ferry? Well, why not bits of the boat ...
When I started this thing in 2008 I had absolutely no idea where it would take me, except that I made some pre-conditions for myself:
a) that I would not plan any shots; I would simply notice what I was seeing, staying spontaneous;
b) that I would throw away all preconceptions about what (I had previously understood) makes for "good" photography;
There have been planned shots, of course, although even this one was conceived in an instant after boarding the ferry. But, on the whole, 3000 days photography has woven a daily flow of observations and insights into the fabric of life and has changed substantially and forever the way I see the world. With no rules to constrain me I feel I am able to see without limits, both enabling and enabled by mindfulness. Which does much more than make pictures; it is a way of living that will probably never stop.
Many congrats to Caz Mockett as well and all other long-timers on the road to Project Infinity.
Wisconsin & Southern's Reedsburg bound freight, rolls through Lodi Wisconsin, with Old Glory waving in the breeze on this Independence Day, 2017
WSOR L463
WAMX 4177,4176
Lodi, WI.
July 4, 2017
Declaration of Independence
About the Document
The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. It was a list of grievances against the king of England intended to justify separation from British rule, and it expressed "self-evident truths" of liberty and equality.
Date
Approved by Congress on July 4, 1776, signed on August 2, 1776
Full Text
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained, and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For protecting them by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren.
We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here.
We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare.
That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown,
and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved;
and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce,
and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Self-isolation for an extended time places constrains on us as photographers. Painters can continue to paint whatever their imagination can conjure, but we photographers have to find things to photograph in the confined space we now live in. For years, I was saying that my imagination is my Iceland, my African Safari, my Antelope Canyon - you get the idea. Now I am constrained in terms of where me and my camera can go and so this is the put up or shut up time. I am now building up a series (code name Covid-19) that is shot exclusively from within my apartment building (mostly my apartment). Please consider looking at all images in the series and tell me what you think.
For those of you who need to know this is a glass lid of a wok with chrome handle photographed using faux slow shutter speed (Live ND) hand-held feature using Olympus EM-1 MK3. I just twisted the camera during exposure. That image was overlaid with a straight shot of the handle taken from the same vantage point.
This is not a great test, not a good test and yet maybe not a bad test. Two Cameras, well let us try that again,
Two Cameras, both alike in dignity
(From fair Tokyo, where we see the scene),
From ancient art breaks to new potential,
Where civil demand makes civil hands create.
From forth the fatal lineage of these Two Cameras
A pair of star-crossed developments show;
Whose true adventured brings lasting glory
Doth with their marked differences show progress.
The fateful passage of their brand brings love
And continuance of the ways of photography,
Which, but these mechanical offspring live on,
Is now the two photographs focus stacked;
The which, if you with patient eyes attend,
That here is a miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Please forgive me above is a quick transformation of THE PROLOGUE as delivered by Chorus at the very start of, “Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter,” oh no not the fictional working title of the play that needs a dog for the comedy, no not that from the 1998 film, “Shakespeare in Love,” rather it is from, “The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet,” or “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” or the shorter title that now in great esteem is, “Romeo and Juliet.” The use of Shakespeare here is to introduce a Camera Shoot-out Comparison as a High Noon Showdown which offers a quick think of, “Romeo and Juliet – The Western,”and links ideas of tropes and memes including those of Camera Reviews and Head to Head Tests.
The two cameras are further detailed below.
Camera 1 Horseman VH 6x9 Medium Format Technical Camera
Camera 2
Camera 3 both the above film cameras were then used to mount a modern digital camera.
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera, ILCE-7RM3, Sony Alpha A7R III ILCE7RM3.
The two lenses, marked as the same, but built years apart and they have small differences.
Newer Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
Older Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
A very good comparison could be entered into of these cameras and lenses. I took some pictures and focus stacked them. The first image included some errors so I thought of it as a Sick Rose. The second picture of the same Rose and lighting with a different perspective gives onlya little insight into a comparison. It has given me inspiration to create and share the following. I do not expect anyone to read through all this, I do hope that I can access it later on and that it might be the fuel to ignite further projects.
Everything has been put on hold to try to complete these images. I will find hydration and food soon. What follows was posted with corrections to Flickr on 02 / 09 / 2025. Today, 03 / 09 / 2025 I have the second image to share in three version. Yesterday was a focus stack of 8 photographs and today it is a focus stack of 7 photographs.
The nocturnal Invisible Worm cannot destroy the Crimson Bed of Joy. The Rose is The Rose and any visitation of either mortal malady, or momentous merriment is just the conditions, the ailments and the ebullience that make any Rose at anytime The Rose. Roses bloom and fade and become a part of the compost and the midden that fuels further burgeoning blossoms.
The redden crimson bed seems to be a target chosen by the Invisible Worm. Many roses last a season and are mulched back into the earth with their bright vibrant colours and deep rich heady perfumes being wondrous attractions and strong inspiration to those that will garden them in confined arrangements and to those that cut a bouquet, snip a corsages, trim out a boutonnière they are taking the flowering crowns to be pleasant for either the occasion, or the day and to those that take the heads to macerate them for perfume to all of those and those many, many more that draw and paint roses and make and wear them as garments and further still and more beyond to all those roses have a way in their display to bring a message of love and beauty in both sight and scent. The colour and fragrance, the blood the life force of The Rose can be the blood of adulthood that takes away the innocence of all of us delivering a new Rose with new adult perspective. William Blake in his views of delivered in Songs of Innocence and of Experience gives indications that the Innocence of Eden is lost to those that will not look for it and it is easily found by those that endeavour to cherish it, we are too easily deceived by the material engines working to constrain us into rigid life conventions allowing great harm to be delivered generation to generation as we stray from the goodly and godly way as he perceived it.
Having been a fan of William Blake and of wondering after and into his imaginings I have no wish to influence your own explorations. I believe that Blake saw society forming harsh rules and regulations that were to be mindlessly adhered to and also society was forming institutions that were to be revered with question. His notions of humans finding the path through creation to a return towards the Garden of Eden and of man building a world fulfilling his notions of humanity finding and following the intended ways of us as god’s creation.
I do not follow Blake’s visions as a guide to my life. His Poetry and his building of perception of divinity ready to receive us is not my way. The various enigmas in Blakian Divinity do lead me to Tokyo.
The Tōkyō Kōgaku Kikai K.K., (東京光学機械㈱, usually translated as Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd) are almost as much a source of research as is Blake. The Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN used here has had me looking at many records and returning more greatly confused than I had been before my pursuit of clarity about The TOPCON CORPORATION. Seiko
The 6x9cm Horseman Camera is stated as being introduced for Police use and then considered in further sales as a Press Camera. 120 film backs exist with several formats possible from 6x9cm, 6x8cm, 6x7cm, 6x6cm and 6x4.5cm. The 61mm wide 120 films can be held in light tight interchangeable backs each with their specific colour coded winding mechanism. The dark slide allows not just a change of emulsion from say either negative to positive, or monotone to colour and also a different frame format.
The 6x9cm camera back here held an adapter to connect to a Sony camera. The extension of the digital sensor from the position original film plane does bring issues especially for infinity focus. The small physical size of the digital sensor used here does open ideas of how much of the lens is being used and whether the digital sensor is testing the lens far beyond the original concept. I have ideas and answers that are still being challenged as I take more pictures.
Lens
Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
Tokyo Kogaku, TOPCON CORPORATION, Topcor.
Tōkyō Kōgaku Kikai K.K., (東京光学機械㈱, usually translated as Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd).
Camera 1
Horseman VH 6x9cm Medium Format Technical Camera, also called a Field Camera, Press Camera and further. Some sellers list items relating to this camera as a Large Format Camera. There are Topcon Lenses for their own and other 35mm film cameras, for 6x9cm cameras and with larger image circles for other formats. The intended differences and imagined purposes do give character as well as technical constraints.
Camera 2
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera, ILCE-7RM3, Sony Alpha A7R III ILCE7RM3.
Edit
There are Eight images stacked here in Adobe Photoshop.
The mysteries of Blake and the histories of cameras have brought a focus on dead rose. It has become mummified of sorts and that links to many more mysteries. I am still looking for more details in life, in literature, in history, in manufacture and in expression. I am glad to be involved in the experience of life and happy to think that an Eden of share and of care might be available and we can wander towards a better life for us all. That should be the last statement made, but I am adding that an Eden with Camera Libraries would be welcome.
If this and links do not answer questions then that is where I am continuing on from. On to more pictures and some research. On to enlightenment, that is the way open to us.
Scratch enlightenment just for now, instead maybe on to further edits and to trying to keep up with updates.
© PHH Sykes 2025
phhsykes@gmail.com
The Sick Rose, William Blake
www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/sick-rose/
The Sick Rose by William Blake, Summary & Analysis
www.litcharts.com/poetry/william-blake/the-sick-rose
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera with autofocus
ILCE-7RM3, Sony A7R III, Alpha, 7R III, ILCE-7RM3, ILCE7RM3,
www.sony.co.uk/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/i...
CAMERA REVIEW : HORSEMAN VH
www.bnphoto.org/bnphoto/LFN/CamProf_HorsemanVH.htm
Camera-Wiki, “Tōkyō Kōgaku, later Topcon...”
camera-wiki.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dky%C5%8D_K%C5%8Dgaku
Horseman VH-R PDF MANUAL
www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/horseman_vh-r.pdf
Horseman 985 – an earlier model
www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/horseman_985.pdf
Horseman 980
camera-wiki.org/wiki/Horseman_980
Camera Collecting and Restoration, Seikosha.
The Seikosha is a high quality, Japanese made shutter used on many Japanese rangefinder and TLR cameras. Minolta, Mamiya and Ricoh cameras often use this shutter or one of its variants. Several versions of the Seikosha and Seiko shutters were made.
pheugo.com/cameras/index.php?page=seikosha
Mamiya, yes but informative of Seikosha shitters.
www.cameramanuals.org/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_seiko_shutter.pdf
Seiko #0 Shutter in Bronica Lenses
learncamerarepair.com/product.php?product=948
Romeo and Juliet
www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/romeo-and-julie...
Shakespeare in Love - From Wikipedia
This image to me represents the relentless progression of nature while all the time man is trying to constrain it. I took this walking in the Barmah national park on the banks of the Murray river.
Thank you for taking the time to view my photo's. Feel free to comment or fave if you like.
The complied images here are from two cameras and lenses. There is a slight difference in perspective of the two sets of three pictures. I believe that forgot to mention f/11 as the aperture set for the images. These lenses have aperture set via a sliding lever without fixed clicked set positions. They are old lenses with potential to have a different response through time and usage, also there is the potential for user error in setting the aperture.
Three pictures from Newer Lens and Camera
O Rose thou art sick, yet the dark secret love does not thy life destroy, adapted from William Blake, links below
Three pictures from Older Lens and Camera
Also, O same Rose thou art still sick, yet the dark secret love does not thy life destroy, adapted from William Blake, links below, different Camera and Lens
This is not a great test, not a good test and yet maybe not a bad test. Two Cameras, well let us try that again,
Two Cameras, both alike in dignity
(From fair Tokyo, where we see the scene),
From ancient art breaks to new potential,
Where civil demand makes civil hands create.
From forth the fatal lineage of these Two Cameras
A pair of star-crossed developments show;
Whose true adventured brings lasting glory
Doth with their marked differences show progress.
The fateful passage of their brand brings love
And continuance of the ways of photography,
Which, but these mechanical offspring live on,
Is now the two photographs focus stacked;
The which, if you with patient eyes attend,
That here is a miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Please forgive me above is a quick transformation of THE PROLOGUE as delivered by Chorus at the very start of, “Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter,” oh no not the fictional working title of the play that needs a dog for the comedy, no not that from the 1998 film, “Shakespeare in Love,” rather it is from, “The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet,” or “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” or the shorter title that now in great esteem is, “Romeo and Juliet.” The use of Shakespeare here is to introduce a Camera Shoot-out Comparison as a High Noon Showdown which offers a quick think of, “Romeo and Juliet – The Western,”and links ideas of tropes and memes including those of Camera Reviews and Head to Head Tests.
The two cameras are further detailed below.
Camera 1 Horseman VH 6x9 Medium Format Technical Camera
Camera 2
Camera 3 both the above film cameras were then used to mount a modern digital camera.
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera, ILCE-7RM3, Sony Alpha A7R III ILCE7RM3.
The two lenses, marked as the same, but built years apart and they have small differences.
Newer Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
Older Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
A very good comparison could be entered into of these cameras and lenses. I took some pictures and focus stacked them. The first image included some errors so I thought of it as a Sick Rose. The second picture of the same Rose and lighting with a different perspective gives onlya little insight into a comparison. It has given me inspiration to create and share the following. I do not expect anyone to read through all this, I do hope that I can access it later on and that it might be the fuel to ignite further projects.
Everything has been put on hold to try to complete these images. I will find hydration and food soon. What follows was posted with corrections to Flickr on 02 / 09 / 2025. Today, 03 / 09 / 2025 I have the second image to share in three version. Yesterday was a focus stack of 8 photographs and today it is a focus stack of 7 photographs.
The nocturnal Invisible Worm cannot destroy the Crimson Bed of Joy. The Rose is The Rose and any visitation of either mortal malady, or momentous merriment is just the conditions, the ailments and the ebullience that make any Rose at anytime The Rose. Roses bloom and fade and become a part of the compost and the midden that fuels further burgeoning blossoms.
The redden crimson bed seems to be a target chosen by the Invisible Worm. Many roses last a season and are mulched back into the earth with their bright vibrant colours and deep rich heady perfumes being wondrous attractions and strong inspiration to those that will garden them in confined arrangements and to those that cut a bouquet, snip a corsages, trim out a boutonnière they are taking the flowering crowns to be pleasant for either the occasion, or the day and to those that take the heads to macerate them for perfume to all of those and those many, many more that draw and paint roses and make and wear them as garments and further still and more beyond to all those roses have a way in their display to bring a message of love and beauty in both sight and scent. The colour and fragrance, the blood the life force of The Rose can be the blood of adulthood that takes away the innocence of all of us delivering a new Rose with new adult perspective. William Blake in his views of delivered in Songs of Innocence and of Experience gives indications that the Innocence of Eden is lost to those that will not look for it and it is easily found by those that endeavour to cherish it, we are too easily deceived by the material engines working to constrain us into rigid life conventions allowing great harm to be delivered generation to generation as we stray from the goodly and godly way as he perceived it.
Having been a fan of William Blake and of wondering after and into his imaginings I have no wish to influence your own explorations. I believe that Blake saw society forming harsh rules and regulations that were to be mindlessly adhered to and also society was forming institutions that were to be revered with question. His notions of humans finding the path through creation to a return towards the Garden of Eden and of man building a world fulfilling his notions of humanity finding and following the intended ways of us as god’s creation.
I do not follow Blake’s visions as a guide to my life. His Poetry and his building of perception of divinity ready to receive us is not my way. The various enigmas in Blakian Divinity do lead me to Tokyo.
The Tōkyō Kōgaku Kikai K.K., (東京光学機械㈱, usually translated as Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd) are almost as much a source of research as is Blake. The Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN used here has had me looking at many records and returning more greatly confused than I had been before my pursuit of clarity about The TOPCON CORPORATION. Seiko
The 6x9cm Horseman Camera is stated as being introduced for Police use and then considered in further sales as a Press Camera. 120 film backs exist with several formats possible from 6x9cm, 6x8cm, 6x7cm, 6x6cm and 6x4.5cm. The 61mm wide 120 films can be held in light tight interchangeable backs each with their specific colour coded winding mechanism. The dark slide allows not just a change of emulsion from say either negative to positive, or monotone to colour and also a different frame format.
The 6x9cm camera back here held an adapter to connect to a Sony camera. The extension of the digital sensor from the position original film plane does bring issues especially for infinity focus. The small physical size of the digital sensor used here does open ideas of how much of the lens is being used and whether the digital sensor is testing the lens far beyond the original concept. I have ideas and answers that are still being challenged as I take more pictures.
Lens
Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
Tokyo Kogaku, TOPCON CORPORATION, Topcor.
Tōkyō Kōgaku Kikai K.K., (東京光学機械㈱, usually translated as Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd).
Camera 1
Horseman VH 6x9cm Medium Format Technical Camera, also called a Field Camera, Press Camera and further. Some sellers list items relating to this camera as a Large Format Camera. There are Topcon Lenses for their own and other 35mm film cameras, for 6x9cm cameras and with larger image circles for other formats. The intended differences and imagined purposes do give character as well as technical constraints.
Camera 2
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera, ILCE-7RM3, Sony Alpha A7R III ILCE7RM3.
Edit
There are Eight images stacked here in Adobe Photoshop.
The mysteries of Blake and the histories of cameras have brought a focus on dead rose. It has become mummified of sorts and that links to many more mysteries. I am still looking for more details in life, in literature, in history, in manufacture and in expression. I am glad to be involved in the experience of life and happy to think that an Eden of share and of care might be available and we can wander towards a better life for us all. That should be the last statement made, but I am adding that an Eden with Camera Libraries would be welcome.
If this and links do not answer questions then that is where I am continuing on from. On to more pictures and some research. On to enlightenment, that is the way open to us.
Scratch enlightenment just for now, instead maybe on to further edits and to trying to keep up with updates.
© PHH Sykes 2025
phhsykes@gmail.com
The Sick Rose, William Blake
www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/sick-rose/
The Sick Rose by William Blake, Summary & Analysis
www.litcharts.com/poetry/william-blake/the-sick-rose
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera with autofocus
ILCE-7RM3, Sony A7R III, Alpha, 7R III, ILCE-7RM3, ILCE7RM3,
www.sony.co.uk/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/i...
CAMERA REVIEW : HORSEMAN VH
www.bnphoto.org/bnphoto/LFN/CamProf_HorsemanVH.htm
Camera-Wiki, “Tōkyō Kōgaku, later Topcon...”
camera-wiki.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dky%C5%8D_K%C5%8Dgaku
Horseman VH-R PDF MANUAL
www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/horseman_vh-r.pdf
Horseman 985 – an earlier model
www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/horseman_985.pdf
Horseman 980
camera-wiki.org/wiki/Horseman_980
Camera Collecting and Restoration, Seikosha.
The Seikosha is a high quality, Japanese made shutter used on many Japanese rangefinder and TLR cameras. Minolta, Mamiya and Ricoh cameras often use this shutter or one of its variants. Several versions of the Seikosha and Seiko shutters were made.
pheugo.com/cameras/index.php?page=seikosha
Mamiya, yes but informative of Seikosha shitters.
www.cameramanuals.org/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_seiko_shutter.pdf
Seiko #0 Shutter in Bronica Lenses
learncamerarepair.com/product.php?product=948
Romeo and Juliet
www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/romeo-and-julie...
Shakespeare in Love - From Wikipedia
We've all seen photos which caused the reaction: "What WAS he thinking?" This might even be one of those. Ipso Facto, I'm going to run through exactly what I was thinking when I did this photo the way I did.
I could have done a much tighter crop on the Skipper, and just made it a macro shot of the little creature. But...I don't often see Skippers on Dianthus blossoms, so that made the SETTING more than usually important.
If I widened it out any more, though, the Skipper would have been lost in all of the red blossoms, and I didn't want to do that, so I cropped this way. The Skipper is clearly the center of attention, but the Dianthus field is represented.
Also, for this shot, there was no way at all to crop to put the eye on the intersection of horizontal and vertical thirds...wouldn't work well. Next best thing, put the focal point -- the eye -- on either a vertical or horizontal thirds line. That's how this one was done.
We like to have natural framing to our photos. This particular situation, though, was chaotic, with no natural frame for composition, no matter how I did it. So, to constrain the chaos, I used the transparent framing. It does provide a limit to the edge of the image without distracting from it.
The photo as presented is a bit wild, but that's how nature often is. This little skipper was not at all awed by the jungle around it.
(Interestingly, or not, this was the fourth different macro set up used in the last outings. Today was Tamron 180mm Macro. Previously, Nikkor 105mm Micro, Nikkor 200mm Micro, and Nikkor 105mm Micro + 1.4x TC III.)
www.khyber.org/places/2005/ZhobDistrict.shtml
Elevation: 7,500-10,000 feet
Area: 20,297 Sq Km
Zhob means oozing water, a reference perhaps to the spring which constitutes the source of Zhob River. Karez water can be seen everywhere when there is no drought situation. The Zhob district is located in the Balochistan Province in the north east of Pakistan. It lies close to the Afghanistan border. Zhob town is just east of Zhob river on an open plain. To the north is a ridge, about 150 ft high, on which is a castle from the time when the British colonized the area. In the winter, the weather is cold and the snow is normal. In the summer, although the temperature can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, there is little moisture, so it is not uncomfortable.
Zhob is a picturesque valley known for its beautiful mountains, treks and archeological sites. It starts from the Muslim Bagh (7500 feet) and ends at the Afghan border at Fort Sandeman (10000 feet). It expands to beautiful, breathtaking views throughout the valley. With an abundance of fruit orchards there is one dangerous little thing found amongst them, and that is the scorpion. In the month of April the flowers bloom and you'll be able to see an extraordinary site with flowers and snow together.
History:
The tribes inhabiting the area are indigenous to the land. Zhob is the cradle of the Afghan race. Qais Abdul Rashid, who is believed to be one of the progenitors of the Pashtoons or Afghans, lived in the Suleiman mountains near Zhob. He was born in 575 AD and died in 661 AD. Natives call the place where he is buried "Da Kase Ghar" (the mountain of Qais). He is buried near the Takht-e-Suleiman. The Chinese pilgrim Hiven Tsiang who visited India in 629 AD, described the Afghans as living in Zhob.
The inhabitants of Zhob valley gave tough resistance to Mehmood Ghazni, when he initiated his raids on India. Later, however they joined ranks with him. Subsequently the area came under the rule of Nadir Shah from 1736 to 1747 and later Ahmed Shah Abdali from 1747 to 1773. Zhob remained under the rule of Durranis and Barakzais till British captured it. Preceding this event was a period of fifty years of anarchy when Zhob was dubbed as 'Yaghistan" or the land of the rebels. A number of areas now in Zhob, Killa Saifullah, and Pishin districts were ceded to British India after signing of Durand Treaty in 1893. They soon became a district
Sir Robert Sandeman, the first Agent to the governor General in Balochistan occupied Zhob in 1889 extending his forward policy to the region with the subjugation of the tribes inhabiting the Suleman range and occupation and control of numerous passes through it to the south. He also secured the great Gomal pass and the carvanic routes to Ghazani and Kandhar. Captain Mac Ivor had been appointed the first political agent in Zhob with formation as the Political Agency in 1890. Zhob district is the second oldest existing district of Balochistan, after Quetta.
Zhob was formed as a Political Ageny under the British rule in 1890. The district and its town acquired the name of Zhob in 1975. Previously, it was known as Fort Sandeman after Sir Robert Sandeman; who was then Political Agent to the Governor General in Balochistan. It was Sir Robert Sandeman who extended British Rule into this region. The name was changed on July 30 1976 by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan; Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The hand written remarks inserted by him into the visitors book; preserved at the Zhob Militia Mess, says "Today we have taken a decision to eliminate the last vestige of colonialism in this historical place by changing the name to Zhob instead of Sandeman; the British conqueror and oppressor of Pathan and Baloch people and of the country." Traditionally, Fort Sandeman was called Appozai, named after a village situated two kilometres away.
Geography:
The district lies between 30 30 to 32 05 north latitudes and 67 26 to 70 00 east longitudes. It is bounded on the north by Afghanistan and South Waziristan agency of FATA, on the east by the tribal area adjoining Dera Ismail Khan district of NWFP and Musakhel district, on the south and south-west by Loralai and Killa Saifullah districts. Total area of district is 20297 square kilometers.
The district has an important geo-strategic location. It links Afghanistan, South Waziristan Agency, D.I.Khan district, Killa Saifullah, Loralai, and MusaKhel.
Topographically, the district is covered with mountains and hills intersected by the broad valley of Zhob and its tributaries. The Toba Kakar range covers the western half of the district extending from the boundary of Afghanistan up to the Zhob River. The Suleman range locally called as the Kasi Ghar lies on the eastern boundary of the district. The famous Takht-e-Sulaiman or Solomon's Throne is the highest peak of this range. It is about 3441 meters above sea level and located just outside the boundary. The Sindh Ghar, Tor Ghar and Sur Ghar ranges are also situated in the eastern side of the district. The two mountainous regions are of different character. The great part of the district, beyond the left bank of the Zhob, consists almost entirely beyond the district boundary. The general elevation of the district is 1500 to 3000 meters (7,500-10,000 feet)
On the south of Zhob valley, a succession of parallel ridges running from north-east to south-west divide the drainage of the Zhob from that of the Bori valley in the Loralai district.
RIVERS AND STREAMS
The two principal drainage channels of the district are the Zhob and the Kundar Rivers, both flow into the Gomal River. The Zhob river has a total length of about 410 kilometres. Zhob River is the only river in the country that follows a north eastern course. It springs from the Kan Metarzai range (Tsari Mehtarazai Pass), passes about 4 kilometre from Zhob city and finally flows into the Gomal river near Khajuri Kach. The broad plain of the Zhob River is occupied by the alluvial formation. The Kundar River rises from the central and highest point of the Toba Kakar range, a few kilometers northeast of the Sakir. It constitutes boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan territory for a considerable length.
The other subsidiary rivers or streams are the Baskan, Chukhan, Sri Toi, Sawar, Surab, etc.
CLIMATE
The climate of the district is hot and dry in summer and cold in winter. June is the hottest month with mean maximum and minimum temperature of about 37C and 23C respectively. January is the coldest month with mean maximum and minimum temperature of about 13C and -1C degree respectively. The dust storms occur in summer from July to September accompanied by thunderstorms. In winters the wind blows from the west and is very cold. The winds from the Southwest and east are also common, the later invariably brings rain. The wind from the north occasionally blows during September to April bring drought and damage standing crops. Rainfall is scanty and varies with the altitude. Most of the rainfall is received during winter seasons.
Flora & Fauna:
Principal trees and plants found in Zhob district are wild olive (shinay), pistachio, chilgoza or edible pine and wild almond in ghigh lands. Other trees include willow, tamarisk (along the beds of streams) pastawana (grewia oppositifolio) and spalnai (calotropis gigantea).
Wild animals are wolves, jackals, hyenas, foxes, deer, and porcupines. Leopards and black bear are occasionally found in the high hills in Suleman range. Wild pigs are seen along Zhob river while straight horned markhors, wild goats, are present in moderate numbers in Shinghar mountains. Among the game bird chakor, partridge and pigeon are numerous i n higher altitudes, Sand grouse, quails, and bustard are found in plains. Other birds are doves, hoopoe, starlings and vegetals, Jay black birds, wood pigeons, cuckoos and thrush live in high ranges while wild duck and pelican are seen along the Zhob river in winter. Snake and scorpion are common every where in Zhob. Fish (Mahsir) are found in every running stream and in Zhob river some of which weigh up to 8 pounds.
Agriculture
Most part the area is hilly and barren with every limited water resources for agriculture purposes. However, during recent years tube wells have become quite abundant with the result that agricultural activity has registered a rise and a total of 36170 acre of land is under cultivation in the district. Sowing and harvesting are still largely carried out in traditional manner but the use of agricultural machinery is increasing day by day. However, there is very little scope for a radical increase in the area under cultivation as the area is mostly "Barani". There are two cropping seasons, Kharif and Rabi. Rabi crops are sown between October and mid February and harvested in June. Kharif crops are sown from April to July and harvested by the end of October.
Forestry
The district has big potential for social and natural forestry and vegetation cover in the district is quite extensive. There are two forest reserves in the district. The total area under forest cover (including social forest) is around 10,010 hectares. Commercial forestry in the district is for the production of pine nut and timber. The pine- nut forests are very profitable. Commercial forestry or cutting of timber for commercial purposes exists in Sherani sub-division.
Horticulture
Grapes are grown in abundance on the foothills of the mountains. Other is almond, apricot and apple.
Livestock
Livestock raising is an important source of livelihood for the rural population and this has a great potential. There are four veterinary hospitals in the district, with 57 veterinary dispensaries. There is also one Artificial Insemination Center (A.I) and one Disease Investigation Laboratory (D.I.L).
Irrigation
Only 16,206 acres of land is irrigated throughout the district. Majority of the area in the district is irrigated by springs. The following forms of irrigation are found in the district:
•Perennial Irrigation Schemes - 35
•Flood Irrigation Schemes - 10
•Delay Action Dam/Storage Dam - 5
•Flood Protection Schemes - 6
Political Parties in Zhob
Two political parties play an active role in the district. They are Jamiat-e-Ullemah Islam (JUI) and Pakhtoon Milli Awami Party (PKMAP). However, the JUI is a stronger political group than the PKMAP. It is more disciplined and organised on ideological grounds. Since its establishment in 1947, the Pakistan Muslim League received only little support in Zhob district. However, since 1988, support for the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has increased, after its candidate Jaffar Khan Mandokhel started winning election. Still he is supported for tribal (Mandokhel) than for party-political reasons.
There are two Senators from the Zhob district, Zariff Khan Mandokhel and Subedar Khan Mandokhel; both are members of the PML-Nawaz. Previously there was another Senator, Rahim Khan Mandokhel from PKMAP, but he resigned after his election to the Provincial Assembly.
Trade & Industries
Trade and trading activity in the district is largely in the informal sector because of proximity with Afghanistan. Regular formal trade is relatively limited and mostly confined to consumable items.
Apart from two flourmills located in Zhob town, no industry worth the name exist in the district.
Communication:
Zhob is linked by air with major cities of the country. A fokker flight operate from Quetta linking Zhob with Multan, Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar and Islamabad. Zhob is 320kilometers from Quetta, 225 kilometer from Dera Ismail Khan. However, the road linking with Dera Ismail Khan is for most part a dirt track passing through water streams and only 48 kilometers is metalloid.
The poor condition of the road acts as a deterrent for an increase in inter-provincial transportation and commercial exploitation of the route. The narrow railway linking Quetta with Zhob became moribund in 1984 and the service is no longer available. While it functioned, the railway was a romantic reminder of yesteryears highest railway-station of the country, enroute namely Kan Mehtarzai (altitude 2800 meters). The total length of the track of the track was 295 kilometers with 11 railway stations on the way.
A radio station is functioning at Zhob, broadcast from which are widely listened to in the district to in the district. In the urban television sets are common. The signal is transmitted from the booster located at Loralai. The use of dish antennas is also growing.
Zhob is linked through the Nation Wide Dialing system to the country and other telecommunication facilities such fax and telegraph are also available.
Postal service in Zhob is based on departmental arrangements. There are three departmental post offices at Zhob City, Zhob GPO and Qamardin Karez respectively. There are nine extra-departmental branches one each at Killi Appozai, Killi Ibrahim Khel, Kili Gohar Appozai, Killi Lowara, Mani Kwa, Mir Ali Khel, Sambaza, Shinghar and Sharan Jogezai.
Ethnicity and Tribes
The district is inhabited by Mandokhels, Kakars, Sheranis, Haripals, Babars, Lawoons, Khosty and Syeds. Sulemankhels, Nasars, Kharots, and other tribes of Afghan origin are also present.
RELIGION
The population of the district is almost Muslim. They constitute 99.43 percent of the total population, with a breakup of 99.67 percent in rural and 98.15 percent in urban areas.The absolute majority of the muslims living in Zhob district belongs to the Sunni sect of Islam. A very small number of Shia people lives in the district. There are Syeds living in the district but they belong to Sunni sect as well. There is no "Imam Bara" found in the district. The two major festivals are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. They are occasions of great jubilation and joy. Other festivals are "Eid-Miladuld Nabi, and Sab-e-Barat". During these festivals alms are given to the poor and relatives give each other presents.
The population of Zhob district are religiously very conservative and strict. There is large attendance in mosques, routine prayers, and religious observance. The performing of "Hajj" (pilgrimage to Mecca) is common. Also poor people have performed Hajj. During the Ramzan, the observance of fasting is generally very strict.
The role of the "Mullah" (religious leader) is very important in the performance of rituals. The role of Mullahs is still strong in rural areas where literacy is low. A Mullah is respected for being the leader in prayers, profound knowledge of the Quran and performing rituals. Sick persons visit him to be healed.
There are very few Christians, Hindu, Qadiani/Ahmadi, Scheduled Caste and other communities which are only 0.58 percent of the total population. The district used to have a huge Hindu population, but since partition of the sub-continent most of them have migrated. The Hindu population left behind is not seen celebrating "Diwali" and "Holi".
MOTHER TONGUE
The predominant mother tongue of the population of the district is Pushto which is spoken by 96.82 percent of the total population followed by Saraki at 1.27 percent. The proportion of the population speaking Pushto is higher in rural areas at 99.65 percent as compared to 81.93 percent in urban areas. In contrast the proportion of Saraiki is higher in urban areas at 7.71 percent in comparison to that in rural areas at 0.05 percent. The proportion of the population speaking Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi and others is 1.91 percent.
Culture & Traditions:
The dominating life style is still nomadic. Scattered mud huts exist for seasonal habitation; summer is spent in highlands and winter in lower plains for feeding cattle in tribal reserved pastures. The people are deeply religious and their lives are marked by strict adherence to tribal norms and values.There are two major channels for conflict resolution in the district: namely the traditional/tribal and the government/ institutional. The traditional/tribal channel however has proved more effective than the latter. In the past jirga system operated in the region which was the traditional system where by tribal elders sat together to settle disputes and mete out justice to offenders. The system stands annulled by a decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1991. The government however, still forms informal jirgas (comprising of notables from the tribes) for conflict resolution, as they have proven to be very effective.
A high order of social cooperation exists among the people both on occasions of happiness and sorrow. In case of death of a relative neighbor or friend, food is supplied to the deceased's household for two to three days.
Majority of the people living in Zhob district belongs to the Sunni sect of Islam with a marginal number of people belonging to the Shia sect of Islam.
There are two major channels for conflict resolution in the district namely the traditional/tribal and the government/institutional. The traditional /tribal channel however, has proved more effective than the latter. In the past the jirga system operate in the region which was proved more effective than the latter. In the Past the Jirga system operated in the region which was the traditional system where by tribal elders sat together to settle disputes and mete out justice to offenders. The system stands annulled by a decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1991. The Government however, still forms informal jirgas (comprising notable's etc) for conflict resolution, as they have proven to be very effective.
Food
Majority of the people have two meals daily, one in the morning and other at sunset. Only well-to-do families have a third meal. An average meal consists of nan, locally called "marai" with pulses, vegetables/meat broth and butter milk (lassi). Consumption of landhi, or dried meat is common during winters. Sheep are specially fattened so that they may be more suitible for preparing "landhi"
Dress And Ornaments
The majority of the male population wears shalwar kameez and a turban to cover their heads both in summer and in winter with a chadder (piece of cloth) slung across the shoulders. The women wear a wrapper and a long shirt reaching to the knees. Women belonging to the middle and upper classes dress in the manner of other urban women in the province and also wear gold ornaments.
Marriages in Zhob
The marriage system is more or less the same for all tribes living in the district. Marriage is regarded as an important institution. The age for a man to marry is from 20 to 25 years. Women are 13 to 18 years old when they marry. The majority of marriages is pre-arranged and the bride and groom often come from the same family. Marriages within the family with first or second (paternal/maternal) cousins are common. The marriage is settled by the families of the bride and bride-groom. Compared to women, men have a bigger say in the selection of their brides than women have in the selection of their future husbands. Yet the mutual families play the biggest role. Polygamy is practised. A large number of men has two wives. Hardly any man has three or four wives. When the husband dies, the wife has little chance of remarrying. When the wife dies, the husband easily marries again, no matter how many children he has. Through a girl is valuable asset in an Afghanistan family by virtue of the bride price that she fetches yet no joy attends her birth while the birth of a baby boy is celebrated in a joyous manner with the offering of shots in the air.
The system of vulvar (bride-price) is widely practised in the district. Money is paid by the groom for a proposal to the guardians/parents of the girl. The amount varies from case to case. In case of close family marriages, the amount may be smaller or waived completely. The payment of vulvar is imputed at the time a proposal of marriage is made. There are no fixed rules about the amount of vulvar. The amount of vulvar may be paid by the bridegroom, his parents/guardians or relatives. The demanded price is usually raised when a proposal is repeated to the bride's side or when the one proposed to is very beautiful; or when the man proposing is very rich and already married.
The centuries old system of exchanging girls for marriage is commonly practised. It is called "tsarai". The system is strongly practised in semi-nomadic and the lower classes of society. In tsarai, a girl is married to a man in exchange for a bride for her brother. The system brings down marriage expenses as no vulvar has to be paid. Under the system girls are left with no choice. They are not asked for their consent. After their daughters are married, parents become almost indifferent towards their future welfare. The newly wedded wives remain at the mercy of their husband and in-laws. It is observed that under an exchange system of marriages, retaliation may be shown by the husband's side against his wife in case his sister is not happy with his wife's brother. A second marriage on the side may result in marriage break-up or ill treatment of the wife.
The major expenses involved in marriages, other than vulvar, are the arrangement of the wedding and the purchase of jewellery and dresses. Gifts are given by relatives and friends to bride and bride-groom. The bride is wearing a typical red bridal dress designed for the occasion, with her hands and feet dyed red with henna. In Zhob district, where society is close, a man marrying outside the family under an arranged marriage is not allowed to see his bride before the wedding night. Marriage proposals, vulvar arrangements are verbal agreements. Though nothing is on paper, they are respected by and large.
A marriage is regarded as a way to strengthen tribal or family relations. Marriages can be used to settle tribal or family disputes. Refusal of a marriage if proposed may result in the weakening of a family relationship. However, the spread of education and literacy are mitigating this kind of considerations. The educated class of Zhob society is less rigid in the following of traditional rules, though they are not totally free from them.
Role of Women Zhob
The entire society of Zhob district is male and tribally dominated. Men decide on politics and the fate of the family and tribe. Therefore, they assume a predominant role in both the community and family decision making. The rate of literacy amongst women is very low. Because of illiteracy and unawareness, women enjoy fewer civil amenities and fundamental rights. Human rights of women are frequently violated without any report.
Politically women are without any say. The women's seats of the Union Councils are filled, but they do not participate in meetings. Female participation in elections has increased since 1985. Previously, women were discouraged to vote.
Women play a minor role in decision-making, but they play an important role in the household and agricultural affairs of the district. Though a woman shares the economic burden of the family as she contributes to the household and productive work outside the house in fields, nonetheless, her household work is not considered an economic contribution, and seldom credit is given to her by husband or elders for her significant contribution to the family and society.
In rural areas, women are commonly observed to be involved in looking after horses, camels and sheep, assisting in cultivation and doing traditional embroidery work. Society constrains them to remain illiterate and to endure problems related to polygamy, vulvar and a generally low social status. In case of polygamy, the first wife's opinion is not considered when a man wants to marry a second wife. A change in the women's status is observed in areas with more female literacy. Educated women have more influence in decision making and have more authority. Interest in female education is rising, but there are not enough schools.
Cases of Siakari, or adultery, are very rarely reported. Because of the tribalism and Pashtoon code of honour, such an incident if happens is not reported. A number of females found suspected of having illegal relationship are believed to have been put to death (by shooting or beheading) without being reported officially. The man she was involved with may be killed as well. The discussion of the act is regarded as taboo.
Arms in Zhob
The population possess a large number of weapons. According to the Political Agent office report, both traditional and advanced weapons have been used in different situations. They include traditional rifles and 12-bore shot-guns, and advanced weapons. The use of rocket launchers and mortar gun has been reported as well.
In the tribal "B" area, the role of the police is limited. It is easy to obtain a licence for small arms, but there are many unlicensed arms in the district, particularly amongst tribes living close to the borders where many arms are smuggled in from Afghanistan. The frontier towns are believed to have stored arms and ammunition for supply into Pakistan during the Afghan revolution (1979 to 1994). The frontier town Kamardin Karez, at a distance of 224 kilometres from Zhob, had a famous arms market where one could buy a variety of arms including rocket launchers.
Housing in Zhob
Houses in the district are mostly solid buildings of stone-blocks and mud. In both urban and rural areas, the use of the stone is very frequent in the construction of houses. They are coated with thick mud. Well-off people coat their houses with cement or concrete. The use of clay bricks and baked bricks is common in the construction of houses in Zhob city and some other areas. The use of clay bricks is common for roofs, boundary walls and barns. The majority of the houses has roofs made of tin or iron, which are curved because of the snow fall in winter. The construction of double storey buildings is uncommon. There are a few in Zhob city. In rural areas a courtyard may enclose a number of the houses, both for reasons of safety and social affinity.
The housing characteristics are more or less similar all over the district. The houses are knit together in villages which may comprise few or many houses. Seventy-five percent of the houses in rural areas are without latrine and bath-room. Eighty-five percent of all houses in the district is without proper drainage, human waste disposal arrangements and sewerage system. However, because of the mountains and hills, the absence of drainage does not cause sewerage problems.
Eighty percent of the houses in the district are owned. The ratio of rented houses other than in Zhob city is 5 to 8 percent. The rest of the houses is let to tenants. The ratio of rented houses in the district is higher in Zhob city. In Zhob city, the ratio of rented houses is 35 to 40 percent, because of the large number of army, FC, and government officers.
In Zhob city and the surrounding area there are buildings constructed during the British period. In Zhob city the British built a huge airforce/military garrison, the Zhob Militia Mess and residences for Political Agent and Assistant Political Agents. Most of them were built during the period 1893 to 1910. Buildings which are important from an historical point of view are the Political Agent's Official residence known as "The Castle" and the Zhob Militia Mess the centennial of which was celebrated in 1989. All VIPs to Zhob can, if desired, stay overnight in one of these two buildings. There are a number of officers' bungalows, now under the occupation of army officers, situated on the VIP lane which are 80 to 100 years old. The APA house is also very old and nowadays accommodates the Assistant Commissioner.
At Shinghar, at a distance of 82 km from Zhob, at the height of 2850 metres above sea level, are a number of huts which were used by British officers. The place was the summer camp for the British Political Agent, the Assistant Political Agent, the Commandant Zhob militia, and other few officers. Arrangements were made for the pumping of water and transportation. The site is now abandoned because the present Pakistani district administrators do not seem to show the least of interest in the place. It appears a ghost town where occasionally people go for an adventurous over-night stay or a picnic.
A number of forts exist in the surrounding of the district which were built by the British for the deployment of militia troops. Some of them are abandoned and have collapsed. Others are in use by the Frontier Corps and Levy. The important ones are at Mir Ali Khel, Dana Sher and Mughalkot. There is one in Qamardin Kariz under the use of FC.
Construction Material Used in Housing:
As mentioned earlier, the houses in the district are made of stone, clay and baked bricks with thick clay or mud topping and iron or steel roofing. Doors, windows and ventilators are made of wood. Iron grills are rare. Most houses have a room with a ventilator. The use of cement is not common. It is mostly found in case of government buildings and upper class people housing. There are a number of houses which are over 100 years old. The height of the houses is usually not more than 3 metres.
Sources of Energy
Twenty-five percent of the area of the district is electrified. Gas is not available in the district except in cylinders by those who can afford buying them. For industrial and mechanical/agricultural purpose, the use of electricity is the only source. For the purpose of cooking and heating electricity, dung-cake and wood are used. The use of coal for heating is less common after the railway service was abandoned. In winter time, the rural population has difficulty finding sources of energy for heating. Therefore, they start storing wood in summer.
Drinking Water and Sanitation
The major source of drinking water in the district is spring water. The drinking water in urban area of Zhob is supplied through gravity source by storage tanks. There are six reservoirs with each 120,000 gallon capacity. There is no regular sanitation system except in Zhob city which is however not properly maintained. As mentioned, because of the hilly slop and lack of mud, the rain water is soon absorbed.
Places to See:
Zhob Town
Zhob situated at a distance of 320 kilometers from Quetta was previously called Fort Sandeman. It still contains relics that harkens back to its grand past, one is the Zhob Militia mess and the other is the officials residence of Political Agent, Zhob known as the "castle". The British cemetery at Zhob, which was another reminder of the "Raj", has been vandalized and lies in ruins.
Muslim Bagh
Muslim Bagh is the center of Chromate Mines and is located 96 kilometers north east of Quetta. Coming to Muslim Bagh and not visiting the chromate mines is a waste of a tour. The Muslim Bagh is known as an Oasis of Orchards. Yet another place to see in Muslim Bagh is Asia's highest Railway Station Kanmehtarzai Pass, which is on the road that connects Fort Sandeman with Bostan.
Qilla Saifullah
Qila Saifullah is the seat of the famous Jogezai family located on the ancient Carvan routes. It is famous for its Apples, Pistachio Nuts, and some beautiful scenery spots. Its community is known to be the earliest agricultural community in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent, which flourished at the beginning of 3000 BC. The climate here is heavy, but enthrallingly seductive for adventure travellers!
Fort Sandeman
Fort Sandeman is at the Afghan-Pakistan border and is sorrounded with beautiful scenery. Sheen Ghar (Green Mountain) at this height is covered with Pine forests and is the best area in the valley to shoot Chakor.
Shrines
There are two well-known shrines in the district. They are of Hazrat Nazar Nika at six km from Zhob and Hazrat Khostoo Baba 100 km from Zhob in the direction of Waziristan. Two other shrines are Zakoo Nika near Zhob and Palwand Baba in the Mughalkot area. Visits to shrines is not common in Zhob. There are no shrines in the district where regular "urs" (annual celebrations) are observed.
The tomb of Qais Rashid on the top of Suleiman mountain is also a place to visit. However, as the mountain is steep and high, visits are difficult to make. People who reach the top take goats for sacrifice for the fulfilment of their desires and for the sake of the saint.
Historical And Archeological Sites
A number of mounds, ruins, and caves dot the expanse of the district, which have historical and archeological importance. The general consensus among most experts is that they belong to the Mughal period.
The region is rife with many legends. One legend relates that on their way back to Palestine, Prophet Suleman was requested by his newly wed Indian bride who was a princess that she be allowed to take a last look at her ancestral land India and Soloman Landed his "takht" or flying throne on the mountains.
Paryano Ghundi
Paryan-o-Ghundi, which means a hill of fairies, is at two miles distance to the west of Zhob town. It was excavated by Sir Aural Syien in 1924. It was visited in 1950 by Fair resemblance with that found in Harapa. Unfortunately, the mound has been completely destroyed by the local people.
Rana Ghundi
Rana Ghundi is an archeological site having mounds from which remains of a culture have been found with affinities spread to the Hisar culture of North East Iran dating back to 3500 BC. Red Pottery has also been found, which is estimated to belong to a period earlier than the Indus valley civilization.
Occupations
Animal husbandry, small-scale farming and Government service are the major occupations. The Mandokkhels are an enterprising lot who dominate the realm of Government contractor-ship in Balochistan and as far away as Karachi and Islamabad, while numerous members of the Shirani tribe are serving in the Gulf countries, mostly as laborers.
Population Size and Growth
The population of Zhob district is 275.14 thousands in 1998 as compared to 213.29 thousands in 1981 recording an increase of 29.00 percent over the last 17 years i.e. 1981-98. The increase of 113.50 and 99.36 percent was observed during intercensal period 1972-81 (8.46 years) and 1961-72 (11.67 years) respectively. Overall the population of the district has increased rapidly showing substantial increase of 449.07 percent during the last 37 years i.e. 1961-98 which is five and a half times.
The total are of the district is 20297 square kilometers having population density 13.6 persons per square per square kilometer in March 1998.
Rural/Urban Distribution
The rural population of the district is 231.30 thousands constituting 84.07 percent of the total population. The average annual growth rate of rural population during 1981-98 is 1.44 percent which was 9.74 and 5.96 percents during 1972-81 and 1961-72 respectively. The urban population of the district is 43.84 thousands constituting 15.93 percent of the total population. The average annual growth rate of the urban population during 1981-98 is 1.88 percent which was 7.52 and 6.76 percent during 1972-81 and 1961-72 respectively
Literacy
A person was treated as literate in the 1998 census if he could read a newspaper and write a simple letter in any language. The literacy ration of the district among the population aged 10 years and above is 16.78 percent, 47.84 percent for urban areas, and 10.40 percent for rural areas.The literacy ratio of the district among the population aged 10 years and above is 16.78 percent, 47.84 percent is urban areas and 10.40 percent in rural areas. The male literacy ratio is 24.53 percent compared to 6.90 percent for female.
Education Attainment
During the 1990s, the enrollment of children in schools nearly doubled in the Zhob district. For boys, it went from 15136 in 1993 to 21841 in 1997. For girls, it more than doubled, from 3046 in 1993 to 6789 in 1997. A large variation exists in the ratio of educated persons by sex and area. The percentage of educated males is 23.72 percent and of females, 6.33 percent. It is 47.65 percent for urban areas as against 9.58 for rural areas.
Immunization
53.34 percent of the children under 10 years of age have been reported as vaccinated, while 21.01 percent have been reported as not vaccinated, leaving the rest 25.65 as not known.
Zhob in Comparison to Rest of Balochistan
The main objective of the series of District Profiles is to provide information on a wide range of sectors and subjects for each of the 26 districts in Balochistan. The result however creates the possibility to compare the districts among themselves and to compare the situation in each of them with the situation in Balochistan as a whole. To introduce this perspective, 32 indicators have been selected on which this comparison can take place. These indicators, and others, can be found on the following two pages. Each district can be ranked on each of the indicators. The relative position of Zhob district is reflected in the diagram on the third page. The diagram gives a bottom-up ranking: position nr.1 means the lowest score on that particular indicator, while position nr.26 implies the highest score.
An overall ranking of districts is not given, because that would mean attaching as certain weight to each of the indicators.
As far as Zhob district is concerned, the following observations can be made.
•With its 16,520 square kilometer, Zhob is about 3,000 square kilometer bigger than the average size of districts in Balochistan; the size of the area gives the district position nr.20, while the population (projected to be 344,122) puts it one position lower. The density of population is the same as the density for the whole of the province.
•The quantity of fruit production is comparatively high (fifth highest in the province), while the overall agricultural production puts the district in the middle category. The agricultural production value per hectare is the third highest, which might indicate a reasonably favourable productivity.
•Zhob district scores relatively high as far as the number of livestock units is concerned; it takes however a fairly low position in the ranking on pasture area and available pasture area per livestock unit. This would suggest that expansion of the livestock sector is only feasible through more intensive methods of production. The current value of livestock off-take per capita puts the district in the upper half of the ranking.
•The enrolment figures in primary education for both boys and girls belong to the middle category (position nr.13 and 10 respectively); while the pupils/teacher ratio is on the high side compared to the other districts (position nr.21 for boys and nr.17 for girls).
•All of the four health indicators fall in the middle category of rankings with the lowest score for the population per doctor ratio (position nr.9), although the number of population per bed is nearly twice the average in the province as a whole.
•Although exact figures on the coverage of water supply are not available, the impression is that also on this indicator the district takes a position in the middle.
•The density of metalled roads (length of road per square kilometer) is about 50% higher than the average in the province and gives Zhob district position nr.16. The situation with regard to shingle roads is less favourable: position nr.9 and a density which is 20% lower than the provincial average.
Kings Canyon national park is a history-laden institution borne of many conflicts, rancorous debates, political negotiations, and some crazy good photographs. The story is worth a listen; spare me a few of your minutes and lend me your ears.
1860-90s. The gold rush was long over, and a new fad had taken over California. Some hardheaded folks of the era turned their attention to logging ancient giant Californian tress, including millennia-old trees of 20-30 feet girth – the sequoias. The sequoia wood is of remarkable poor quality for human use and was only useful for making pencils and cheap memorabilia – truly frivolous reasons to chop down what took hundreds of years to grow. To protect these red giants in their narrow ecological optimum space, in 1890, the second and the third US national parks were born joined at the hips: The Sequoia national park and a week later, the General Grant national park. The idea around then was to eventually create a greater Sequoia National Park, that would provide shelter to every sequoia groove in the territory. Several bills, such as the Barbour’s ‘Roosevelt-Sequoia Park’ Bill were proposed; however, such plans invariably got trampled in corridors of Washington. But, not without a fight.
1918-26. To escape harsh Ohio winters, young Susan Priscilla Thew had moved to California in 1918. Smitten by these red primeval giants and the idea of a greater park to protect them, Thew – a conservationist at heart – threw her weight behind the cause. For next few years, she traveled extensively to roadless high Sierras and photographed, what she called, “wild loveliness”. She put together her photographs of the rugged land in the form of a gazetteer ("The Proposed Roosevelt-Sequoia National Park"), which was then distributed in congress. In 1926, influenced largely by the persuasive Thew gazetteer, Sequoia national park’s area was almost tripled, now including the Kern Canyon and Mount Whitney. However, the expansion excluded a significant northern portion of what critics called “barren inaccessible mountainland”. Also, nothing was added to Sequoia’s twin; General Grant park remained unaltered and inadequate.
1910s-1920s. To meet California’s ever-expanding population’s most essential demand – water, dams were built all across the state to retain seasonal mountain run-offs in reservoirs. Notoriously, mocking National Park Service’s motto to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects…”, a dam was constructed in 1913 within park limits of the neighboring Yosemite (Hetch Hetchy). In 1920s, proposals were floated to similarly flood and desecrate the Kings canyon and adjacent valleys. To foil these plans, creation of a new national park was necessary, but the eventual genesis of such a park – the Kings Canyon national park – would require two 'wars'; one, the local war in the central valley, and two, the national war in Washington D.C.
1930s-1940. Central valley, CA. Spurred by officials of the U.S. Forest Service in California, San Joaquin valley locals loathed the NPS. Central valley farmers and ranchers viewed park services as dictatorial land grabbers who had little concern for their agricultural water needs. After several personal campaigns by the Secretary of Interior, Harold Ickes, a compromise was reached between the NPS and local civic officials and chambers of commerce. As the most disappointing and bitter part of this compromise, Tehipite Valley and Kings Canyon – two majestic canyons of the Kings river middle and south fork respectively – were to be excluded from the park proposal. These two canyons, the heart of the proposed park, were the King’s ransom to political clout and human greed for the birth of a national park – albeit, a remarkably depleted national park.
1930s-1940. Washington DC. Ansel Adams, then an upcoming landscape photographer from San Francisco, had fallen in utter love with the “great earth gesture of the Sierra”. Incensed by the new national park-related olid politics at play, he took a page out of Susan Thew’s gazetteer and in 1938, published a collection of his finest Sierra photographs (“Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail”). With “arrogant modesty”, he sent a copy of this book to Ickes, who cleverly shared it with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Glancing through soul-stirring images in the book, as the story goes, the president promptly decided to do two things: 1) keep the copy for himself and 2) help create the park Adams advocated for. In 1940, after a fierce congressional battle, Roosevelt signed Gearhart’s bill, thereby creating the new Kings Canyon National Park, which subsumed the old General Grant park and protected half a million additional acres of pristine Sierra land, sans those two ransom canyons. To Adams, the NPS director wrote shortly after, “As long as that book is in existence, it will go on justifying the park.”
Present day. After several more attempts in later years to dam these valleys and severe governmental and local constrains on developing the park further, the Kings Canyon national park languishes today like a neglected book that holds a great story. The park was expanded in 1965 to include Cedar Grove and Tehipite Valley. However, of all visitors to Sequoia and Grants grove, a mere 10-15% take the time to drive down the scenic highway 180 to Cedar Grove, which is situated in the valley past the main and deepest section of the south fork canyon (shown above with the river at the very bottom). While driving through the canyon, Rishabh and I stopped at every opportunity to peer down and marvel at the deep solemn gash. Those sheer vertical canyon walls with myriad cracks and patterns were like a lucid hymn rising from the depths of the Kings river flowing peacefully at the canyon bottom. Here, standing at the edge of the changeless spectacle, one helplessly draws comparison of this stunning place with the black canyon of Gunnison, a beautiful national park in Colorado. Alas, this portion of the Kings canyon has only lent its name, beauty, and soul to a national park, but not its body.
On the day of our visit, there were not many visitors, and ones that were there, were busy looking at the canyon via their phones. I wondered, if they would look at those sculpted walls any differently if they knew the abhorring human history associated with their scenery. I stood there at the precipice and shuddered to imagine how this canyon would look, if they had been successful in damming this area. Collecting my melancholic thoughts, I noticed thunderstorms were rolling in. Sierra mountains are master cloud-makers, and on the day, I was glad to see them share my somberness. All was quiet, but someone was on a song. Later, recollecting our time in the canyon, Rishabh said, “Everything was on mute, except the scenery around us”.
THIS SHORE LIGHTHOUSE GUARDS THE EAST SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE TO LOCH RYAN FROM A POINT JUST SOUTH EAST OF IT. IT STANDS ON CAIRN POINT WHICH PROJECTS INTO LOCH RYAN FROM A NARROW SHELF IN FRONT OF THE MAIN (A77) ROAD; A SOLID PORTION ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE LANTERN CONSTRAINS THE LIGHT TO SEAWARD. THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS BUILT BY ALAN STEVENSON AND FIRST LIT IN 1847. IT WAS CONVERTED TO OIL BURNING IN 1847, AND AUTOMATED (ELECTRIFIED AND MADE 'UNATTENDED') IN 1964.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is sometimes considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually identified as a completely separate body of water.
The name Mediterranean is derived from the Latin mediterraneus, meaning "inland" or "in the middle of the land" (from medius, "middle" and terra, "land"). It covers an approximate area of 2.5 million km² (965,000 sq mi), but its connection to the Atlantic (the Strait of Gibraltar) is only 14 km (8.7 mi) wide. In oceanography, it is sometimes called the Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea or the European Mediterranean Sea to distinguish it from mediterranean seas elsewhere.[3][4]
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea.
It was an important route for merchants and travellers of ancient times that allowed for trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region. The history of the Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies.
Name
The term Mediterranean derives from the Latin word mediterraneus, meaning "in the middle of earth" or "between lands" (medi-; adj. medius, -um -a "middle, between" + terra f., "land, earth"): as it is between the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. The Greek name Mesogeios (Μεσόγειος), is similarly from μέσο, "middle" + γη, "land, earth").[5]
The Mediterranean Sea has historically had several names. For example the Romans commonly called it Mare Nostrum (Latin, "Our Sea"), and occasionally Mare Internum (Sallust, Jug. 17).
In the Bible, it was primarily known as הים הגדול (HaYam HaGadol), the "Great Sea", (Num. 34:6,7; Josh. 1:4, 9:1, 15:47; Ezek. 47:10,15,20), or simply "The Sea" (1 Kings 5:9; comp. 1 Macc. 14:34, 15:11); however, it has also been called the "Hinder Sea", due to its location on the west coast of the Holy Land, and therefore behind a person facing the east, sometimes translated as "Western Sea", (Deut. 11:24; Joel 2:20). Another name was the "Sea of the Philistines" (Exod. 23:31), from the people occupying a large portion of its shores near the Israelites.
In Modern Hebrew, it has been called HaYam HaTikhon (הַיָּם הַתִּיכוֹן), "the Middle Sea", reflecting the Sea's name in ancient Greek (Mesogeios), Latin (Mare internum) and modern languages in both Europe and the Middle East (Mediterranean, etc.). Similarly, in Modern Arabic, it is known as al-Baḥr [al-Abyaḍ] al-Mutawassiṭ (البحر [الأبيض] المتوسط), "the [White] Medium Sea", while in Islamic and older Arabic literature, it was referenced as Baḥr al-Rūm (بحر الروم), or "the Roman/Byzantine Sea." In Turkish, it is known as Akdeniz,[6] "the White Sea" since among Turks the white color (ak) represents the west.
History
Several ancient civilizations were located around its shores; thus it has had a major influence on those cultures. It provided routes for trade, colonization and war, and provided food (by fishing and the gathering of other seafood) for numerous communities throughout the ages.[7]
The sharing of similar climate, geology and access to a common sea led to numerous historical and cultural connections between the ancient and modern societies around the Mediterranean.
Two of the most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greek city states and the Phoenicians. When[citation needed] Augustus founded the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean Sea began to be called Mare Nostrum (literally:"Our Sea") by the Romans.
Darius I of Persia, who conquered Ancient Egypt, built a canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Darius's canal was wide enough for two triremes to pass each other with oars extended, and required four days to traverse.[8]
The western Roman empire collapsed around AD 476. Temporarily the east was again dominant as the Byzantine Empire formed from the eastern half of the Roman empire. Another power soon arose in the east: Islam. At its greatest extent, the Arab Empire controlled 75% of the Mediterranean region.
Europe was reviving, however, as more organized and centralized states began to form in the later Middle Ages after the Renaissance of the 12th century.
Ottoman power continued to grow, and in 1453, the Byzantine Empire was extinguished with the Conquest of Constantinople. Ottomans gained control of much of the sea in the 16th century and maintained naval bases in southern France, Algeria and Tunisia. Barbarossa, the famous Ottoman captain is a symbol of this domination with the victory of the Battle of Preveza. The Battle of Djerba marked the apex of Ottoman naval domination in the Mediterranean. However, as naval prowess of the European powers grew, they confronted Ottoman expansion in the region when the Battle of Lepanto checked the power of the Ottoman Navy. This was the last naval battle to be fought primarily between galleys.
The Barbary pirates of North Africa preyed on Christian shipping in the western Mediterranean Sea.[9] According to Robert Davis, from the 16th to 19th century, pirates captured 1 million to 1.25 million Europeans as slaves.[10]
The development of oceanic shipping began to affect the entire Mediterranean. Once, all trade from the east had passed through the region, but now the circumnavigation of Africa allowed spices and other goods to be imported through the Atlantic ports of western Europe.[11][12][13] The Malta president described the Mediterranean sea as a "cemetery" due to the large amounts of migrants who drown there.
Geography
With its highly indented coastline and large number of islands, Greece has the longest Mediterranean coastline.
The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar in the west and to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, by the Dardanelles and the Bosporus respectively, in the east. The Sea of Marmara is often considered a part of the Mediterranean Sea, whereas the Black Sea is generally not. The 163 km (101 mi) long man-made Suez Canal in the southeast connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
Large islands in the Mediterranean include Cyprus, Crete, Euboea, Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, Kefalonia, Corfu, Limnos, Samos, Naxos and Andros in the eastern Mediterranean; Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Cres, Krk, Brač, Hvar, Pag, Korčula and Malta in the central Mediterranean; and Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca (the Balearic Islands) in the western Mediterranean.
The typical Mediterranean climate has hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Crops of the region include olives, grapes, oranges, tangerines, and cork.
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Mediterranean Sea as follows:[15]
Stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar in the West to the entrances to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal in the East, the Mediterranean Sea is bounded by the coasts of Europe, Africa and Asia, and is divided into two deep basins:
Western Basin:
On the west: A line joining the extremities of Cape Trafalgar (Spain) and Cape Spartel (Africa).
On the northeast: The West Coast of Italy. In the Strait of Messina a line joining the North extreme of Cape Paci (15°42'E) with Cape Peloro, the East extreme of the Island of Sicily. The North Coast of Sicily.
On the east: A line joining Cape Lilibeo the Western point of Sicily (37°47′N 12°22′E), through the Adventure Bank to Cape Bon (Tunisia).
Eastern Basin:
On the west: The Northeastern and Eastern limits of the Western Basin.
On the northeast: A line joining Kum Kale (26°11'E) and Cape Helles, the Western entrance to the Dardanelles.
On the southeast: The entrance to the Suez Canal.
On the east: The coasts of Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Gaza Strip.
Oceanography
Being nearly landlocked affects conditions in the Mediterranean Sea: for instance, tides are very limited as a result of the narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean is characterized and immediately recognised by its deep blue colour.
Evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation and river runoff in the Mediterranean, a fact that is central to the water circulation within the basin.[16] Evaporation is especially high in its eastern half, causing the water level to decrease and salinity to increase eastward.[17] This pressure gradient pushes relatively cool, low-salinity water from the Atlantic across the basin; it warms and becomes saltier as it travels east, then sinks in the region of the Levant and circulates westward, to spill over the Strait of Gibraltar.[18] Thus, seawater flow is eastward in the Strait's surface waters, and westward below; once in the Atlantic, this chemically distinct Mediterranean Intermediate Water can persist thousands of kilometres away from its source.
Coastal countries
Twenty-two countries have a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. They are:
Northern shore (from west to east): Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Turkey.
Eastern shore (from north to south): Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Flag of Palestine.svg Palestine (limited recognition).
Southern shore (from west to east): Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt.
Island nations: Malta, Cyprus, Flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.svg Northern Cyprus (limited recognition).
Several other territories also border the Mediterranean Sea (from west to east): The British overseas territory of Gibraltar, the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla and nearby islands, and the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus
Major cities (municipalities) with populations larger than 200,000 people bordering the Mediterranean Sea are:
CountryCities
AlbaniaDurrës
AlgeriaAlgiers, Annaba, Oran
CroatiaSplit, Rijeka
EgyptAlexandria, Port Said
FranceMarseille, Nice
GreeceAthens, Patras, Thessaloniki
IsraelAshdod, Haifa, Tel Aviv
ItalyBari, Catania, Genoa, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Rome, Taranto, Trieste, Venice
LebanonBeirut, Tripoli
LibyaBenghazi, Khoms, Misrata, Tripoli, Zawiya, Zliten
MoroccoTétouan, Tangier
SpainAlicante, Badalona, Barcelona, Cartagena, Málaga, Palma, Valencia
State of PalestineGaza City
SyriaLatakia
TunisiaBizerte, Sfax, Tunis
TurkeyAntalya, İskenderun, İzmir, Mersin
Subdivisions
According to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the Mediterranean Sea is subdivided into a number of smaller waterbodies, each with their own designation (from west to east):[15]
the Strait of Gibraltar;
the Alboran Sea, between Spain and Morocco;
the Balearic Sea, between mainland Spain and its Balearic Islands;
the Ligurian Sea between Corsica and Liguria (Italy);
the Tyrrhenian Sea enclosed by Sardinia, Italian peninsula and Sicily;
the Ionian Sea between Italy, Albania and Greece;
the Adriatic Sea between Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania;
the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.
Other seas
Although not recognised by the IHO treaties, there are some other seas whose names have been in common use from the ancient times, or in the present:
the Sea of Sardinia, between Sardinia and Balearic Islands, as a part of the Balearic Sea
the Sea of Sicily between Sicily and Tunisia,
the Libyan Sea between Libya and Crete,
In the Aegean Sea,
the Thracian Sea in its north,
the Myrtoan Sea between the Cyclades and the Peloponnese,
the Sea of Crete north of Crete,
the Icarian Sea between Kos and Chios
the Cilician Sea between Turkey and Cyprus
the Levantine Sea at the eastern end of the Mediterranean
Other features
Many of these smaller seas feature in local myth and folklore and derive their names from these associations. In addition to the seas, a number of gulfs and straits are also recognised:
the Saint George Bay in Beirut, Lebanon
the Ras Ibn Hani cape in Latakia, Syria
the Ras al-Bassit cape in northern Syria.
the Minet el-Beida ("White Harbour") bay near ancient Ugarit, Syria
the Strait of Gibraltar, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain from Morocco
the Bay of Gibraltar, at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula
the Gulf of Corinth, an enclosed sea between the Ionian Sea and the Corinth Canal
the Pagasetic Gulf, the gulf of Volos, south of the Thermaic Gulf, formed by the Mount Pelion peninsula
the Saronic Gulf, the gulf of Athens, between the Corinth Canal and the Mirtoan Sea
the Thermaic Gulf, the gulf of Thessaloniki, located in the northern Greek region of Macedonia
the Kvarner Gulf, Croatia
the Gulf of Lion, south of France
the Gulf of Valencia, east of Spain
the Strait of Messina, between Sicily and the toe of Italy
the Gulf of Genoa, northwestern Italy
the Gulf of Venice, northeastern Italy
the Gulf of Trieste, northeastern Italy
the Gulf of Taranto, southern Italy
The Adriatic Sea contains over 1200 islands and islets.
the Gulf of Salerno, southwestern Italy
the Gulf of Gaeta, southwestern Italy
the Gulf of Squillace, southern Italy
the Strait of Otranto, between Italy and Albania
the Gulf of Haifa, northern Israel
the Gulf of Sidra, between Tripolitania (western Libya) and Cyrenaica (eastern Libya)
the Strait of Sicily, between Sicily and Tunisia
the Corsica Channel, between Corsica and Italy
the Strait of Bonifacio, between Sardinia and Corsica
the Gulf of İskenderun, between İskenderun and Adana (Turkey)
the Gulf of Antalya, between west and east shores of Antalya (Turkey)
the Bay of Kotor, in south-western Montenegro and south-eastern Croatia
the Malta Channel, between Sicily and Malta
the Gozo Channel, between Malta Island and Gozo
Sea temperature
Mean sea temperature (°C)
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecØ/Year
Marseille[21]13131314161821222118161416.6
Venice[22]11101113182225262320161417.4
Barcelona[23]13131314172023252320171517.8
Valencia[24]14131415172124262421181518.5
Málaga[25]16151516172022232220181618.3
Gibraltar[26]16151616172022222220181718.4
Naples[27]15141415182225272522191619.3
Athens[28]16151516182124242421191819.3
Heraklion[29]16151516192224252422201819.7
Malta[30]16161516182124262523211819.9
Larnaca[31]18171718202426272725221921.7
Limassol[32]18171718202426272725221921.7
Antalya17171718212427282725221921.8
Alexandria[33]18171718202325262625222021.4
Tel Aviv[34]18171718212426282726232022.1
Geology
The geologic history of the Mediterranean is complex. It was involved in the tectonic break-up and then collision of the African and Eurasian plates. The Messinian Salinity Crisis occurred in the late Miocene (12 million years ago to 5 million years ago) when the Mediterranean dried up. Geologically the Mediterranean is underlain by oceanic crust.
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. The coastline extends for 46,000 km (29,000 mi). A shallow submarine ridge (the Strait of Sicily) between the island of Sicily and the coast of Tunisia divides the sea in two main subregions (which in turn are divided into subdivisions), the Western Mediterranean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Western Mediterranean covers an area of about 0.85 million km² (0.33 million mi²) and the Eastern Mediterranean about 1.65 million km² (0.64 million mi²). A characteristic of the Mediterranean Sea are submarine karst springs or vruljas, which mainly occur in shallow waters[35] and may also be thermal.
Tectonic evolution
The geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean Sea was provided by the convergence of European and African plates and several smaller microplates. This process was driven by the differential seafloor spreading along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which led to the closure of the Tethys Ocean and eventually to the Alpine orogenesis. However, the Mediterranean also hosts wide extensional basins and migrating tectonic arcs, in response to its land-locked configuration.
According to a report published by Nature in 2009, some scientists think that the Mediterranean Sea was mostly filled during a time period of less than two years, in a major flood (the Zanclean flood) that happened approximately 5.33 million years ago, in which water poured in from the Atlantic Ocean and through the Strait of Gibraltar, at a rate three times the current flow of the Amazon River.[37] However, the sea basins had been filled for many millions of years before the prior closure of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Eastern Mediterranean
In middle Miocene times, the collision between the Arabian microplate and Eurasia led to the separation between the Tethys and the Indian oceans. This process resulted in profound changes in the oceanic circulation patterns, which shifted global climates towards colder conditions. The Hellenic arc, which has a land-locked configuration, underwent a widespread extension for the last 20 Ma due to a slab roll-back process. In addition, the Hellenic Arc experienced a rapid rotation phase during the Pleistocene, with a counterclockwise component in its eastern portion and a clockwise trend in the western segment.
Central Mediterranean
The opening of small oceanic basins of the central Mediterranean follows a trench migration and back-arc opening process that occurred during the last 30 Myr. This phase was characterised by the anticlockwise rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block, which lasted until the Langhian (ca.16 Ma), and was in turn followed by a slab detachment along the northern African margin. Subsequently, a shift of this active extensional deformation led to the opening of the Tyrrenian basin.
Western Mediterranean[edit]
The Betic-Rif mountain belts developed during Mesozoic and Cenozoic times, as Africa and Iberia converged. Tectonic models for its evolution include: rapid motion of Alboran Domain, subduction zone and radial extensional collapse caused by convective removal of lithospheric mantle. The development of these intramontane Betic and Rif basins led to the onset of two marine gateways which were progressively closed during the late Miocene by an interplay of tectonic and glacio-eustatic processes.
Paleoenvironmental analysis
Its semi-enclosed configuration makes the oceanic gateways critical in controlling circulation and environmental evolution in the Mediterranean Sea. Water circulation patterns are driven by a number of interactive factors, such as climate and bathymetry, which can lead to precipitation of evaporites. During late Miocene times, a so-called "Messinian Salinity Crisis" (MSC hereafter) occurred, where the Mediterranean entirely or almost entirely dried out, which was triggered by the closure of the Atlantic gateway. Evaporites accumulated in the Red Sea Basin (late Miocene), in the Carpatian foredeep (middle Miocene) and in the whole Mediterranean area (Messinian). An accurate age estimate of the MSC—5.96 Ma—has recently been astronomically achieved; furthermore, this event seems to have occurred synchronously. The beginning of the MSC is supposed to have been of tectonic origin; however, an astronomical control (eccentricity) might also have been involved. In the Mediterranean basin, diatomites are regularly found underneath the evaporite deposits, thus suggesting (albeit not clearly so far) a connection between their geneses.
The present-day Atlantic gateway, i.e. the Strait of Gibraltar, finds its origin in the early Pliocene. However, two other connections between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea existed in the past: the Betic Corridor (southern Spain) and the Rifian Corridor (northern Morocco). The former closed during Tortonian times, thus providing a "Tortonian Salinity Crisis" well before the MSC; the latter closed about 6 Ma, allowing exchanges in the mammal fauna between Africa and Europe. Nowadays, evaporation is more relevant than the water yield supplied by riverine water and precipitation, so that salinity in the Mediterranean is higher than in the Atlantic. These conditions result in the outflow of warm saline Mediterranean deep water across Gibraltar, which is in turn counterbalanced by an inflow of a less saline surface current of cold oceanic water.
The Mediterranean was once thought to be the remnant of the Tethys Ocean. It is now known to be a structurally younger ocean basin known as Neotethys. The Neotethys formed during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic rifting of the African and Eurasian plates.
Paleoclimate
Because of its latitudinal position and its land-locked configuration, the Mediterranean is especially sensitive to astronomically induced climatic variations, which are well documented in its sedimentary record. Since the Mediterranean is involved in the deposition of eolian dust from the Sahara during dry periods, whereas riverine detrital input prevails during wet ones, the Mediterranean marine sapropel-bearing sequences provide high-resolution climatic information. These data have been employed in reconstructing astronomically calibrated time scales for the last 9 Ma of the Earth's history, helping to constrain the time of past Geomagnetic Reversals.[38] Furthermore, the exceptional accuracy of these paleoclimatic records have improved our knowledge of the Earth's orbital variations in the past.
Ecology and biota
As a result of the drying of the sea during the Messinian salinity crisis,[39] the marine biota of the Mediterranean are derived primarily from the Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic is considerably colder and more nutrient-rich than the Mediterranean, and the marine life of the Mediterranean has had to adapt to its differing conditions in the five million years since the basin was reflooded.
The Alboran Sea is a transition zone between the two seas, containing a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic species. The Alboran Sea has the largest population of Bottlenose Dolphins in the western Mediterranean, is home to the last population of harbour porpoises in the Mediterranean, and is the most important feeding grounds for Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Europe. The Alboran sea also hosts important commercial fisheries, including sardines and swordfish. The Mediterranean monk seals live in the Aegean Sea in Greece. In 2003, the World Wildlife Fund raised concerns about the widespread drift net fishing endangering populations of dolphins, turtles, and other marine animals.
Environmental threats
Biodiversity
Invasive species
The Reticulate whipray is one of the species that colonised the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 created the first salt-water passage between the Mediterranean and Red Sea. The Red Sea is higher than the Eastern Mediterranean, so the canal serves as a tidal strait that pours Red Sea water into the Mediterranean. The Bitter Lakes, which are hyper-saline natural lakes that form part of the canal, blocked the migration of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean for many decades, but as the salinity of the lakes gradually equalized with that of the Red Sea, the barrier to migration was removed, and plants and animals from the Red Sea have begun to colonise the Eastern Mediterranean. The Red Sea is generally saltier and more nutrient-poor than the Atlantic, so the Red Sea species have advantages over Atlantic species in the salty and nutrient-poor Eastern Mediterranean. Accordingly, Red Sea species invade the Mediterranean biota, and not vice versa; this phenomenon is known as the Lessepsian migration (after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French engineer) or Erythrean invasion. The construction of the Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in the 1960s reduced the inflow of freshwater and nutrient-rich silt from the Nile into the Eastern Mediterranean, making conditions there even more like the Red Sea and worsening the impact of the invasive species.
Invasive species have become a major component of the Mediterranean ecosystem and have serious impacts on the Mediterranean ecology, endangering many local and endemic Mediterranean species. A first look at some groups of exotic species show that more than 70% of the non-indigenous decapods and about 63% of the exotic fishes occurring in the Mediterranean are of Indo Pacific origin,[40] introduced into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. This makes the Canal as the first pathway of arrival of "alien" species into the Mediterranean. The impacts of some lessepsian species have proven to be considerable mainly in the Levantine basin of the Mediterranean, where they are replacing native species and becoming a "familiar sight".
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature definition, as well as Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Ramsar Convention terminologies, they are alien species, as they are non-native (non-indigenous) to the Mediterranean Sea, and they are outside their normal area of distribution which is the Indo-Pacific region. When these species succeed in establishing populations in the Mediterranean sea, compete with and begin to replace native species they are "Alien Invasive Species", as they are an agent of change and a threat to the native biodiversity. In the context of CBD, "introduction" refers to the movement by human agency, indirect or direct, of an alien species outside of its natural range (past or present). The Suez Canal, being an artificial (man made) canal, is a human agency. Lessepsian migrants are therefore "introduced" species (indirect, and unintentional). Whatever wording is chosen, they represent a threat to the native Mediterranean biodiversity, because they are non-indigenous to this sea. In recent years, the Egyptian government's announcement of its intentions to deepen and widen the canal have raised concerns from marine biologists, fearing that such an act will only worsen the invasion of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean, facilitating the crossing of the canal for yet additional species.
Arrival of new tropical Atlantic species
In recent decades, the arrival of exotic species from the tropical Atlantic has become a noticeable feature. Whether this reflects an expansion of the natural area of these species that now enter the Mediterranean through the Gibraltar strait, because of a warming trend of the water caused by Global Warming; or an extension of the maritime traffic; or is simply the result of a more intense scientific investigation, is still an open question. While not as intense as the "lessepsian" movement, the process may be scientific interest and may therefore warrant increased levels of monitoring.
Sea-level rise
By 2100, the overall level of the Mediterranean could rise between 3 to 61 cm (1.2 to 24.0 in) as a result of the effects of climate change.[42] This could have adverse effects on populations across the Mediterranean:
Rising sea levels will submerge parts of Malta. Rising sea levels will also mean rising salt water levels in Malta's groundwater supply and reduce the availability of drinking water.[43]
A 30 cm (12 in) rise in sea level would flood 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) of the Nile Delta, displacing over 500,000 Egyptians.[44]
Coastal ecosystems also appear to be threatened by sea level rise, especially enclosed seas such as the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. These seas have only small and primarily east-west movement corridors, which may restrict northward displacement of organisms in these areas.[45] Sea level rise for the next century (2100) could be between 30 cm (12 in) and 100 cm (39 in) and temperature shifts of a mere 0.05-0.1°C in the deep sea are sufficient to induce significant changes in species richness and functional diversity.
Pollution
Pollution in this region has been extremely high in recent years.[when?] The United Nations Environment Programme has estimated that 650,000,000 t (720,000,000 short tons) of sewage, 129,000 t (142,000 short tons) of mineral oil, 60,000 t (66,000 short tons) of mercury, 3,800 t (4,200 short tons) of lead and 36,000 t (40,000 short tons) of phosphates are dumped into the Mediterranean each year.[47] The Barcelona Convention aims to 'reduce pollution in the Mediterranean Sea and protect and improve the marine environment in the area, thereby contributing to its sustainable development.'[48] Many marine species have been almost wiped out because of the sea's pollution. One of them is the Mediterranean Monk Seal which is considered to be among the world's most endangered marine mammals.[49]
The Mediterranean is also plagued by marine debris. A 1994 study of the seabed using trawl nets around the coasts of Spain, France and Italy reported a particularly high mean concentration of debris; an average of 1,935 items per km². Plastic debris accounted for 76%, of which 94% was plastic bags.
Shipping
Some of the world's busiest shipping routes are in the Mediterranean Sea. It is estimated that approximately 220,000 merchant vessels of more than 100 tonnes cross the Mediterranean Sea each year—about one third of the world's total merchant shipping. These ships often carry hazardous cargo, which if lost would result in severe damage to the marine environment.
The discharge of chemical tank washings and oily wastes also represent a significant source of marine pollution. The Mediterranean Sea constitutes 0.7% of the global water surface and yet receives seventeen percent of global marine oil pollution. It is estimated that every year between 100,000 t (98,000 long tons) and 150,000 t (150,000 long tons) of crude oil are deliberately released into the sea from shipping activities.
Approximately 370,000,000 t (360,000,000 long tons) of oil are transported annually in the Mediterranean Sea (more than 20% of the world total), with around 250-300 oil tankers crossing the Sea every day. Accidental oil spills happen frequently with an average of 10 spills per year. A major oil spill could occur at any time in any part of the Mediterranean.
Tourism
With a unique combination of pleasant climate, beautiful coastline, rich history and diverse culture the Mediterranean region is the most popular tourist destination in the world—attracting approximately one third of the world's international tourists.
Tourism is one of the most important sources of income for many Mediterranean countries. It also supports small communities in coastal areas and islands by providing alternative sources of income far from urban centres. However, tourism has also played major role in the degradation of the coastal and marine environment. Rapid development has been encouraged by Mediterranean governments to support the large numbers of tourists visiting the region each year. But this has caused serious disturbance to marine habitats such as erosion and pollution in many places along the Mediterranean coasts.
Tourism often concentrates in areas of high natural wealth, causing a serious threat to the habitats of endangered Mediterranean species such as sea turtles and monk seals. Reductions in natural wealth may reduce incentives for tourists to visit
Overfishing
Fish stock levels in the Mediterranean Sea are alarmingly low. The European Environment Agency says that over 65% of all fish stocks in the region are outside safe biological limits and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, that some of the most important fisheries—such as albacore and bluefin tuna, hake, marlin, swordfish, red mullet and sea bream—are threatened.[date missing]
There are clear indications that catch size and quality have declined, often dramatically, and in many areas larger and longer-lived species have disappeared entirely from commercial catches.
Large open water fish like tuna have been a shared fisheries resource for thousands of years but the stocks are now dangerously low. In 1999, Greenpeace published a report revealing that the amount of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean had decreased by over 80% in the previous 20 years and government scientists warn that without immediate action the stock will collapse.
Aquacultur
Aquaculture is expanding rapidly—often without proper environmental assessment—and currently accounts for 30% of the fish protein consumed worldwide. The industry claims that farmed seafood lessens the pressure on wild fish stocks, yet many of the farmed species are carnivorous, consuming up to five times their weight in wild fish.
Mediterranean coastal areas are already over exposed to human influence, with pristine areas becoming ever scarcer. The aquaculture sector adds to this pressure, requiring areas of high water quality to set up farms. The installation of fish farms close to vulnerable and important habitats such as seagrass meadows is particularly concerning.
Self-isolation for an extended time places constrains on us as photographers. Painters can continue to paint whatever their imagination can conjure, but we photographers have to find things to photograph in the confined space we now live in. For years, I was saying that my imagination is my Iceland, my African Safari, my Antelope Canyon - you get the idea. Now I am constrained in terms of where me and my camera can go and so this is the put up or shut up time. I am now building up a series (code name Covid-19) that is shot exclusively from within my apartment building (mostly my apartment). Please consider looking at all images in the series and tell me what you think.
The nocturnal Invisible Worm cannot destroy the Crimson Bed of Joy. The Rose is The Rose and any visitation of either mortal malady, or momentous merriment is just the conditions, the ailments and the ebullience that make any Rose at anytime The Rose. Roses bloom and fade and become a part of the compost and the midden that fuels further burgeoning blossoms.
The redden crimson bed seems to be a target chosen by the Invisible Worm. Many roses last a season and are mulched back into the earth with their bright vibrant colours and deep rich heady perfumes being wondrous attractions and strong inspiration to those that will garden them in confined arrangements and to those that cut a bouquet, snip a corsages, trim out a boutonnière they are taking the flowering crowns to be pleasant for either the occasion, or the day and to those that take the heads to macerate them for perfume to all of those and those many, many more that draw and paint roses and make and wear them as garments and further still and more beyond to all those roses have a way in their display to bring a message of love and beauty in both sight and scent. The colour and fragrance, the blood the life force of The Rose can be the blood of adulthood that takes away the innocence of all of us delivering a new Rose with new adult perspective. William Blake in his views of delivered in Songs of Innocence and of Experience gives indications that the Innocence of Eden is lost to those that will not look for it and it is easily found by those that endeavour to cherish it, we are too easily deceived by the material engines working to constrain us into rigid life conventions allowing great harm to be delivered generation to generation as we stray from the goodly and godly way as he perceived it.
Having been a fan of William Blake and of wondering after and into his imaginings I have no wish to influence your own explorations. I believe that Blake saw society forming harsh rules and regulations that were to be mindlessly adhered to and also society was forming institutions that were to be revered with question. His notions of humans finding the path through creation to a return towards the Garden of Eden and of man building a world fulfilling his notions of humanity finding and following the intended ways of us as god’s creation.
I do not follow Blake’s visions as a guide to my life. His Poetry and his building of perception of divinity ready to receive us is not my way. The various enigmas in Blakian Divinity do lead me to Tokyo.
The Tōkyō Kōgaku Kikai K.K., (東京光学機械㈱, usually translated as Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd) are almost as much a source of research as is Blake. The Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN used here has had me looking at many records and returning more greatly confused than I had been before my pursuit of clarity about The TOPCON CORPORATION. Seiko
The 6x9cmm Horseman Camera is stated as being introduced for Police use and then considered in further sales as a Press Camera. 120 film backs exist with several formats possible from 6x9cm, 6x8cm, 6x7cm, 6x6cm and 6x4.5cm. The 61mm wide 120 films can be held in light tight interchangeable backs each with their specific colour coded winding mechanism. The dark slide allows not just a change of emulsion from say either negative to positive, or monotone to colour and also a different frame format.
The 6x9cm camera back here held an adapter to connect to a Sony camera. The extension of the digital sensor from the position original film plane does bring issues especially for infinity focus. The small physical size of the digital sensor used here does open ideas of how much of the lens is being used and whether the digital sensor is testing the lens far beyond the original concept. I have ideas and answers that are still being challenged as I take more pictures.
Lens
Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
Tokyo Kogaku, TOPCON CORPORATION, Topcor.
Tōkyō Kōgaku Kikai K.K., (東京光学機械㈱, usually translated as Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd).
Camera 1
Horseman VH 6x9 Medium Format Technical Camera, also called a Field Camera, Press Camera and further. Some sellers list items relating to this camera as a Large Format Camera. There are Topcon Lenses for their own and other 35mm film cameras, for 6x9cm cameras and with larger image circles for other formats. The intended differences and imagined purposes do give character as well as technical constraints.
Camera 2
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera, ILCE-7RM3, Sony Alpha A7R III ILCE7RM3.
Edit
There are Eight images stacked here in Adobe Photoshop.
The mysteries of Blake and the histories of cameras have brought a focus on dead rose. It has become mummified of sorts and that links to many more mysteries. I am still looking for more details in life, in literature, in history, in manufacture and in expression. I am glad to be involved in the experience of life and happy to think that an Eden of share and of care might be available and we can wander towards a better life for us all. That should be the last statement made, but I am adding that an Eden with Camera Libraries would be welcome.
If this and links do not answer questions then that is where I am continuing on from. On to more pictures and some research. On to enlightenment, that is the way open to us.
Scratch enlightenment just for now, instead maybe on to further edits and to trying to keep up with updates.
© PHH Sykes 2025
phhsykes@gmail.com
The Sick Rose, William Blake
www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/sick-rose/
The Sick Rose by William Blake, Summary & Analysis
www.litcharts.com/poetry/william-blake/the-sick-rose
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera with autofocus
ILCE-7RM3, Sony A7R III, Alpha, 7R III, ILCE-7RM3, ILCE7RM3,
www.sony.co.uk/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/i...
CAMERA REVIEW : HORSEMAN VH
www.bnphoto.org/bnphoto/LFN/CamProf_HorsemanVH.htm
Camera-Wiki, “Tōkyō Kōgaku, later Topcon...”
camera-wiki.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dky%C5%8D_K%C5%8Dgaku
Horseman VH-R PDF MANUAL
www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/horseman_vh-r.pdf
Horseman 985 – an earlier model
www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/horseman_985.pdf
Horseman 980
camera-wiki.org/wiki/Horseman_980
Camera Collecting and Restoration, Seikosha.
The Seikosha is a high quality, Japanese made shutter used on many Japanese rangefinder and TLR cameras. Minolta, Mamiya and Ricoh cameras often use this shutter or one of its variants. Several versions of the Seikosha and Seiko shutters were made.
pheugo.com/cameras/index.php?page=seikosha
Mamiya, yes but informative of Seikosha shitters.
www.cameramanuals.org/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_seiko_shutter.pdf
Seiko #0 Shutter in Bronica Lenses
Sculpture represents a little girl kneeling, with butterflies fluttering around her. She is holding a pair of scissors in her hands and she is breaking it.
David Mesguich, an internationally renowned French artist delivers a monumental work of art full of poetry, based on the saying “to have butterflies in the stomach.” He is questioning the borders, the limits and their artefacts that constrain the freedom of movement in the public space. David travels through towns and develops an atypical cartography by focusing his interest on everything that separates and divides in these transit spaces.
The artist takes back ownership of some parts of these aseptic territories through his monumental sculptures and his drawings. David Mesguich’s first place of creation is numbers, alone in the immensity of code, he draws the first stages of these subjects. His sculptures will find life through the meeting between technical 3-D imagery and traditional modelling. The artist is fascinated by polygonal aesthetics, an element of the language of glitch art, the video games of the 80s and 90s, as well as by the dramaturgy of baroque art. He questions the place of man in the urban environment as a space of partitioning, separation, crossing. These conditioned places, made up of multiple markings and signs that compartmentalise and restrict both freedom of movement and freedom of thought. The sculptures question the human condition by transiting obsessively between real and numerical, between public places and non-places, between legal and illegal, between past and future.
Location: Square Roosevelt, Mons, Belgium
This image NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) finally completes a stereo pair with another observation acquired in 2007. It shows a fresh (well-preserved) landslide
scarp and rocky deposit off the edge of a streamlined mesa in Simud Valles, a giant outflow channel carved by ancient floods.
The stereo images can be used to measure the topography, which in turn constrains models for the strength of the mesa's bedrock.
Image credit: NASA
UPDATE: I'm truly honored and humbled by the interest shown by such amazingly talented individuals. So you know, I think I'm just going to remove the "few people" thing. It may have to happen later, but hey - if you want one, you got one, just let me know.
NOT UPDATE: I didn't proof-read my 4-word message. It says something, doesn't it?
_______________________________________________
Does that get anybody’s attention? I dunno. Cheap shot, I know. It was either that or NUDES, and that’s old news. Old Newds.
But I digress.
Over the past couple of years, and through the joys of the pandemic and lockdowns and shit, Flickr became one of my creative outlets. I enjoyed the journey of rediscovering my aesthetic, which apparently is the same as my RL aesthetic (Eh…). But more than that, I enjoyed the journey of exploring various aesthetics through the works of others and being exposed to all the different ways a person can approach the same object. I have always been tremendously appreciative of the kindness and support the people on Flickr extend. While I am absolute trash at responding in a timely manner, and even worse at reaching out most of the time, I would like to express my gratitude to this community through what means I do in fact have.
So. I’m offering a few free portraits in my usual aesthetic. You know, black and white, heavy on the shadow, that kind of thing. If this is something you would like to have, if this is something you would like to collaborate on somehow, or if it is something you would like to gift to a friend of yours who may like it, HMU in DMs. I would be happy to do it.
Note: Due to RL time constrains, I can only offer this to a few people, and I can only do it between 9AM and 2PM SLT with prior agreement. Hit me up and we can talk about it sometime after New Year.
Happy New Year!
No, the Furball dio has not been rebuilt. This is my unofficial contest tip line for the 2012 Military Building Competition, which I’m co-judging. Please note, there is no formula to guarantee a win in any contest. These are just a few tips that I have discovered through experience and/or observed in others’ successes. Some of these are generalized, while others are more specifically slanted to one category or another.
- Be patient! This seems to be especially problematic for the younger builders out there. Rarely does a masterpiece come together quickly. And don’t take this to mean only large MOCs. Minor details (or lack thereof) will shine all the brighter on a small build. It will not be perfect the first time around! In fact, even if it looks good to you after you finish, your thoughts might not be the same the next day. I recommend setting your MOC aside for a couple days after you complete it. Build on something unrelated, or read a book, or go for a hike. Then come back to your MOC and re-evaluate. Try to remember your goals from when you started. Did you meet them? Did you exceed them? Most of all, are you still satisfied? If so (and it may be precisely so) then take some pictures and post it! What we see too much of, however, are mediocre MOCs being posted mere days after the contest announcement, because people got over-excited to put it out there. You’ve got two months. Use em’!
- Quality over Quantity! We all admire someone who can build prolifically (I certainly wish I could), but your chances don’t improve merely because you enter every category. The devil is in the details, and detail can be hard to achieve if you’re rushing to build more entries than you’re able.
- Speaking of details, try to include details you don’t expect anyone will notice! I’m not joking here. Your viewers may indeed not detect them, but if they do, it will reinforce the fact that you worked hard and put a lot of thought into your build. How often do you see a note on some tiny feature of a MOC pointing out how amazed people are that it was included and/or achieved in Lego form? Often it is the minutest details that separate a great MOC from a good one.
- Don’t be afraid of new scales! You’ll notice that only four of the ten categories say they must be built at minifig scale. Middle-East Aircraft, Drawing Board Armor, and Forced Perspective can all use minifig scale or, if you so choose, abandon them entirely. You may notice my dio above includes nothing remotely near minifig scale. Nor (arguably) does –infomaniac-‘s recent masterpiece, while great builders like Ralph often go larger than fig-scale to maximize detail. Minifigs have a special place in all our hearts, but they can also be constraining. I’m not trying to discourage fig scale, but rather to encourage more variety and maybe a little outside-the-comfort-zone experience. I didn’t expect the feeling when first I tried microscale, but abandoning the minifig can be surprisingly liberating (yeah, yeah, insert bra joke here). So toss your figs aside and join the movement!
- Microscale doesn’t necessarily mean small! This is a common misconception for those still struggling to break the bonds of the minifig. A successful micro build often won't fit in a quaint 8x8 footprint - in fact it may not feel micro at all by the time you're done. It took me a while and some very mediocre micro MOCs before I actually internalized this lesson. The real trigger for me was building at a set scale. Now when I build a micro aircraft, I know I want it to conform to a 1:100 scale, which means my parts selection is dictated by the scale, rather than the scale being dictated by the parts I happen across. I know this sounds a little silly, but I think it’s a mindset that helped me. Note that I’m not trying to dictate a scale to others; I know some builders who are just as comfortable at 1:80. And if you’re going for a Spruce Goose, 1:150 may make it more manageable. Just realize, the smaller scale you work with, the harder it is to duplicate telltale details. Find what works for you.
- Don’t lean on your Brickarms! We all know and love the cute little weapons, but they net you precisely zilch if you try to center your MOC around them. This is a building competition, after all, not a display-custom-parts competition. Brickarms will do nothing to prop up a weak build.
- Hire a landscaper! No, I don’t mean someone to trim the hedges while you build. Diorama MOCs live and die by their terrain. Throwing a bunch of figs and mechs on a baseplate will not win you any acclaim. Lego is a visual medium, and when it comes to dioramas, the eye tends to be pleased by changes in elevation – especially changes of the not-so-rectangular variety. I know this can be parts intensive, and every time I build a dio, I feel like I’m scraping the bottom of my bins, but it’s always worthwhile. It also takes some planning, especially if you’re creating "negative elevation" (foxholes, trenches, etc. - Pepik’s MOCs always spring to mind), but again, this goes back to the note on detail – everyone will know you put a lot of work into that sloped landscape with a 4-brick-deep bomb crater blown in the middle.
Another way to look at it: try to beat the Castlers at their own game. Castle MOCs usually have to stand on the basis of their terrain and structures, rather than action. Build a dio on par with a great castle builder, and then add your action, and you know you’ve done something great!
- Don’t be afraid to rebuild! This is another habit I had to ease myself into. It seems to be especially true of vehicle MOCs. You’ll invariably notice some deficiency in your build that requires a change somewhere deep in its core (especially annoying when that’s a technic frame). You know the new detail (again with the details!) will necessitate an utter dismantling of the MOC to make room. So this time rather than just shrugging and saying “oh well,” take some reference photos (or if your collection allows, build a parallel core) and rebuild. 99% of the time, the result will be a markedly improved MOC.
Whew, all that sounds like a lot of work! Well, it probably should. After all, your fellow competitors are working hard to beat you. Sun Tzu wisely said, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” A winning builder sees his successful model in the early stages of building.
Ok, enough philosophy. Feel free to ask questions, either here or in the official FAQ thread. My last, and perhaps most important piece of advice – despite my tl;dr essay about hard work, frustration, and challenges – is to enjoy yourself! Lego building is about having fun!
Built with Processing
import noc.*;
import hipstersinc.sunflow.*;
import hipstersinc.sunflow.shader.*;
import hipstersinc.*;
void setup() {
size(600, 900, "hipstersinc.P5Sunflow");
noStroke();
}
void draw() {
setupCamera();
background(255);
translate(width/2, 50, 0);
rotateX(QUARTER_PI);
rotateZ(QUARTER_PI);
fill(255);
float scl = 30;
int time = minute();
for(int j =0; j<3; j++){
Vector3D pos = new Vector3D(random(-500,500),random(-1000,300),-1000);
Vector3D rot = new Vector3D(0,0,0);
for(int i=0; i<3000; i++) {
float boxSize = 386+random(200);
pushMatrix();
translate(pos.x,pos.y,pos.z);
rotateX(rot.x);
rotateY(rot.y);
rotateZ(rot.z);
scale(random(.1),random(.4),random(.1));
box(boxSize);
Vector3D add = new Vector3D(random(-1,1),random(-1,1),random(-1,1));
add.mult(scl);
pos.add(add);
pos.z = constrain(pos.z,-800,-1400);
add = new Vector3D(random(-1,1),random(-1,1),random(-1,1));
add.mult(.05);
rot.add(add);
popMatrix();
}
}
saveFrame(int(minute()-time)+"minutesRendering.png");
saveFrame(int(minute()-time)+"minutesRendering.tif");
}
void setupCamera() {
P5Sunflow sunflow = (P5Sunflow) g;
//sunflow.camera.setType(SunflowCamera.PINHOLE);
sunflow.camera.setType(SunflowCamera.THINLENS);
sunflow.camera.setFocalDistance(450);
sunflow.camera.setLensRadius(12f);
sunflow.scene.setAaSamples(12);
}
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is sometimes considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually identified as a completely separate body of water.
The name Mediterranean is derived from the Latin mediterraneus, meaning "inland" or "in the middle of the land" (from medius, "middle" and terra, "land"). It covers an approximate area of 2.5 million km² (965,000 sq mi), but its connection to the Atlantic (the Strait of Gibraltar) is only 14 km (8.7 mi) wide. In oceanography, it is sometimes called the Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea or the European Mediterranean Sea to distinguish it from mediterranean seas elsewhere.[3][4]
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea.
It was an important route for merchants and travellers of ancient times that allowed for trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region. The history of the Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies.
Name
The term Mediterranean derives from the Latin word mediterraneus, meaning "in the middle of earth" or "between lands" (medi-; adj. medius, -um -a "middle, between" + terra f., "land, earth"): as it is between the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. The Greek name Mesogeios (Μεσόγειος), is similarly from μέσο, "middle" + γη, "land, earth").[5]
The Mediterranean Sea has historically had several names. For example the Romans commonly called it Mare Nostrum (Latin, "Our Sea"), and occasionally Mare Internum (Sallust, Jug. 17).
In the Bible, it was primarily known as הים הגדול (HaYam HaGadol), the "Great Sea", (Num. 34:6,7; Josh. 1:4, 9:1, 15:47; Ezek. 47:10,15,20), or simply "The Sea" (1 Kings 5:9; comp. 1 Macc. 14:34, 15:11); however, it has also been called the "Hinder Sea", due to its location on the west coast of the Holy Land, and therefore behind a person facing the east, sometimes translated as "Western Sea", (Deut. 11:24; Joel 2:20). Another name was the "Sea of the Philistines" (Exod. 23:31), from the people occupying a large portion of its shores near the Israelites.
In Modern Hebrew, it has been called HaYam HaTikhon (הַיָּם הַתִּיכוֹן), "the Middle Sea", reflecting the Sea's name in ancient Greek (Mesogeios), Latin (Mare internum) and modern languages in both Europe and the Middle East (Mediterranean, etc.). Similarly, in Modern Arabic, it is known as al-Baḥr [al-Abyaḍ] al-Mutawassiṭ (البحر [الأبيض] المتوسط), "the [White] Medium Sea", while in Islamic and older Arabic literature, it was referenced as Baḥr al-Rūm (بحر الروم), or "the Roman/Byzantine Sea." In Turkish, it is known as Akdeniz,[6] "the White Sea" since among Turks the white color (ak) represents the west.
History
Several ancient civilizations were located around its shores; thus it has had a major influence on those cultures. It provided routes for trade, colonization and war, and provided food (by fishing and the gathering of other seafood) for numerous communities throughout the ages.[7]
The sharing of similar climate, geology and access to a common sea led to numerous historical and cultural connections between the ancient and modern societies around the Mediterranean.
Two of the most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greek city states and the Phoenicians. When[citation needed] Augustus founded the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean Sea began to be called Mare Nostrum (literally:"Our Sea") by the Romans.
Darius I of Persia, who conquered Ancient Egypt, built a canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Darius's canal was wide enough for two triremes to pass each other with oars extended, and required four days to traverse.[8]
The western Roman empire collapsed around AD 476. Temporarily the east was again dominant as the Byzantine Empire formed from the eastern half of the Roman empire. Another power soon arose in the east: Islam. At its greatest extent, the Arab Empire controlled 75% of the Mediterranean region.
Europe was reviving, however, as more organized and centralized states began to form in the later Middle Ages after the Renaissance of the 12th century.
Ottoman power continued to grow, and in 1453, the Byzantine Empire was extinguished with the Conquest of Constantinople. Ottomans gained control of much of the sea in the 16th century and maintained naval bases in southern France, Algeria and Tunisia. Barbarossa, the famous Ottoman captain is a symbol of this domination with the victory of the Battle of Preveza. The Battle of Djerba marked the apex of Ottoman naval domination in the Mediterranean. However, as naval prowess of the European powers grew, they confronted Ottoman expansion in the region when the Battle of Lepanto checked the power of the Ottoman Navy. This was the last naval battle to be fought primarily between galleys.
The Barbary pirates of North Africa preyed on Christian shipping in the western Mediterranean Sea.[9] According to Robert Davis, from the 16th to 19th century, pirates captured 1 million to 1.25 million Europeans as slaves.[10]
The development of oceanic shipping began to affect the entire Mediterranean. Once, all trade from the east had passed through the region, but now the circumnavigation of Africa allowed spices and other goods to be imported through the Atlantic ports of western Europe.[11][12][13] The Malta president described the Mediterranean sea as a "cemetery" due to the large amounts of migrants who drown there.
Geography
With its highly indented coastline and large number of islands, Greece has the longest Mediterranean coastline.
The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar in the west and to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, by the Dardanelles and the Bosporus respectively, in the east. The Sea of Marmara is often considered a part of the Mediterranean Sea, whereas the Black Sea is generally not. The 163 km (101 mi) long man-made Suez Canal in the southeast connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
Large islands in the Mediterranean include Cyprus, Crete, Euboea, Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, Kefalonia, Corfu, Limnos, Samos, Naxos and Andros in the eastern Mediterranean; Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Cres, Krk, Brač, Hvar, Pag, Korčula and Malta in the central Mediterranean; and Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca (the Balearic Islands) in the western Mediterranean.
The typical Mediterranean climate has hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Crops of the region include olives, grapes, oranges, tangerines, and cork.
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Mediterranean Sea as follows:[15]
Stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar in the West to the entrances to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal in the East, the Mediterranean Sea is bounded by the coasts of Europe, Africa and Asia, and is divided into two deep basins:
Western Basin:
On the west: A line joining the extremities of Cape Trafalgar (Spain) and Cape Spartel (Africa).
On the northeast: The West Coast of Italy. In the Strait of Messina a line joining the North extreme of Cape Paci (15°42'E) with Cape Peloro, the East extreme of the Island of Sicily. The North Coast of Sicily.
On the east: A line joining Cape Lilibeo the Western point of Sicily (37°47′N 12°22′E), through the Adventure Bank to Cape Bon (Tunisia).
Eastern Basin:
On the west: The Northeastern and Eastern limits of the Western Basin.
On the northeast: A line joining Kum Kale (26°11'E) and Cape Helles, the Western entrance to the Dardanelles.
On the southeast: The entrance to the Suez Canal.
On the east: The coasts of Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Gaza Strip.
Oceanography
Being nearly landlocked affects conditions in the Mediterranean Sea: for instance, tides are very limited as a result of the narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean is characterized and immediately recognised by its deep blue colour.
Evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation and river runoff in the Mediterranean, a fact that is central to the water circulation within the basin.[16] Evaporation is especially high in its eastern half, causing the water level to decrease and salinity to increase eastward.[17] This pressure gradient pushes relatively cool, low-salinity water from the Atlantic across the basin; it warms and becomes saltier as it travels east, then sinks in the region of the Levant and circulates westward, to spill over the Strait of Gibraltar.[18] Thus, seawater flow is eastward in the Strait's surface waters, and westward below; once in the Atlantic, this chemically distinct Mediterranean Intermediate Water can persist thousands of kilometres away from its source.
Coastal countries
Twenty-two countries have a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. They are:
Northern shore (from west to east): Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Turkey.
Eastern shore (from north to south): Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Flag of Palestine.svg Palestine (limited recognition).
Southern shore (from west to east): Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt.
Island nations: Malta, Cyprus, Flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.svg Northern Cyprus (limited recognition).
Several other territories also border the Mediterranean Sea (from west to east): The British overseas territory of Gibraltar, the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla and nearby islands, and the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus
Major cities (municipalities) with populations larger than 200,000 people bordering the Mediterranean Sea are:
CountryCities
AlbaniaDurrës
AlgeriaAlgiers, Annaba, Oran
CroatiaSplit, Rijeka
EgyptAlexandria, Port Said
FranceMarseille, Nice
GreeceAthens, Patras, Thessaloniki
IsraelAshdod, Haifa, Tel Aviv
ItalyBari, Catania, Genoa, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Rome, Taranto, Trieste, Venice
LebanonBeirut, Tripoli
LibyaBenghazi, Khoms, Misrata, Tripoli, Zawiya, Zliten
MoroccoTétouan, Tangier
SpainAlicante, Badalona, Barcelona, Cartagena, Málaga, Palma, Valencia
State of PalestineGaza City
SyriaLatakia
TunisiaBizerte, Sfax, Tunis
TurkeyAntalya, İskenderun, İzmir, Mersin
Subdivisions
According to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the Mediterranean Sea is subdivided into a number of smaller waterbodies, each with their own designation (from west to east):[15]
the Strait of Gibraltar;
the Alboran Sea, between Spain and Morocco;
the Balearic Sea, between mainland Spain and its Balearic Islands;
the Ligurian Sea between Corsica and Liguria (Italy);
the Tyrrhenian Sea enclosed by Sardinia, Italian peninsula and Sicily;
the Ionian Sea between Italy, Albania and Greece;
the Adriatic Sea between Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania;
the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.
Other seas
Although not recognised by the IHO treaties, there are some other seas whose names have been in common use from the ancient times, or in the present:
the Sea of Sardinia, between Sardinia and Balearic Islands, as a part of the Balearic Sea
the Sea of Sicily between Sicily and Tunisia,
the Libyan Sea between Libya and Crete,
In the Aegean Sea,
the Thracian Sea in its north,
the Myrtoan Sea between the Cyclades and the Peloponnese,
the Sea of Crete north of Crete,
the Icarian Sea between Kos and Chios
the Cilician Sea between Turkey and Cyprus
the Levantine Sea at the eastern end of the Mediterranean
Other features
Many of these smaller seas feature in local myth and folklore and derive their names from these associations. In addition to the seas, a number of gulfs and straits are also recognised:
the Saint George Bay in Beirut, Lebanon
the Ras Ibn Hani cape in Latakia, Syria
the Ras al-Bassit cape in northern Syria.
the Minet el-Beida ("White Harbour") bay near ancient Ugarit, Syria
the Strait of Gibraltar, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain from Morocco
the Bay of Gibraltar, at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula
the Gulf of Corinth, an enclosed sea between the Ionian Sea and the Corinth Canal
the Pagasetic Gulf, the gulf of Volos, south of the Thermaic Gulf, formed by the Mount Pelion peninsula
the Saronic Gulf, the gulf of Athens, between the Corinth Canal and the Mirtoan Sea
the Thermaic Gulf, the gulf of Thessaloniki, located in the northern Greek region of Macedonia
the Kvarner Gulf, Croatia
the Gulf of Lion, south of France
the Gulf of Valencia, east of Spain
the Strait of Messina, between Sicily and the toe of Italy
the Gulf of Genoa, northwestern Italy
the Gulf of Venice, northeastern Italy
the Gulf of Trieste, northeastern Italy
the Gulf of Taranto, southern Italy
The Adriatic Sea contains over 1200 islands and islets.
the Gulf of Salerno, southwestern Italy
the Gulf of Gaeta, southwestern Italy
the Gulf of Squillace, southern Italy
the Strait of Otranto, between Italy and Albania
the Gulf of Haifa, northern Israel
the Gulf of Sidra, between Tripolitania (western Libya) and Cyrenaica (eastern Libya)
the Strait of Sicily, between Sicily and Tunisia
the Corsica Channel, between Corsica and Italy
the Strait of Bonifacio, between Sardinia and Corsica
the Gulf of İskenderun, between İskenderun and Adana (Turkey)
the Gulf of Antalya, between west and east shores of Antalya (Turkey)
the Bay of Kotor, in south-western Montenegro and south-eastern Croatia
the Malta Channel, between Sicily and Malta
the Gozo Channel, between Malta Island and Gozo
Sea temperature
Mean sea temperature (°C)
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecØ/Year
Marseille[21]13131314161821222118161416.6
Venice[22]11101113182225262320161417.4
Barcelona[23]13131314172023252320171517.8
Valencia[24]14131415172124262421181518.5
Málaga[25]16151516172022232220181618.3
Gibraltar[26]16151616172022222220181718.4
Naples[27]15141415182225272522191619.3
Athens[28]16151516182124242421191819.3
Heraklion[29]16151516192224252422201819.7
Malta[30]16161516182124262523211819.9
Larnaca[31]18171718202426272725221921.7
Limassol[32]18171718202426272725221921.7
Antalya17171718212427282725221921.8
Alexandria[33]18171718202325262625222021.4
Tel Aviv[34]18171718212426282726232022.1
Geology
The geologic history of the Mediterranean is complex. It was involved in the tectonic break-up and then collision of the African and Eurasian plates. The Messinian Salinity Crisis occurred in the late Miocene (12 million years ago to 5 million years ago) when the Mediterranean dried up. Geologically the Mediterranean is underlain by oceanic crust.
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. The coastline extends for 46,000 km (29,000 mi). A shallow submarine ridge (the Strait of Sicily) between the island of Sicily and the coast of Tunisia divides the sea in two main subregions (which in turn are divided into subdivisions), the Western Mediterranean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Western Mediterranean covers an area of about 0.85 million km² (0.33 million mi²) and the Eastern Mediterranean about 1.65 million km² (0.64 million mi²). A characteristic of the Mediterranean Sea are submarine karst springs or vruljas, which mainly occur in shallow waters[35] and may also be thermal.
Tectonic evolution
The geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean Sea was provided by the convergence of European and African plates and several smaller microplates. This process was driven by the differential seafloor spreading along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which led to the closure of the Tethys Ocean and eventually to the Alpine orogenesis. However, the Mediterranean also hosts wide extensional basins and migrating tectonic arcs, in response to its land-locked configuration.
According to a report published by Nature in 2009, some scientists think that the Mediterranean Sea was mostly filled during a time period of less than two years, in a major flood (the Zanclean flood) that happened approximately 5.33 million years ago, in which water poured in from the Atlantic Ocean and through the Strait of Gibraltar, at a rate three times the current flow of the Amazon River.[37] However, the sea basins had been filled for many millions of years before the prior closure of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Eastern Mediterranean
In middle Miocene times, the collision between the Arabian microplate and Eurasia led to the separation between the Tethys and the Indian oceans. This process resulted in profound changes in the oceanic circulation patterns, which shifted global climates towards colder conditions. The Hellenic arc, which has a land-locked configuration, underwent a widespread extension for the last 20 Ma due to a slab roll-back process. In addition, the Hellenic Arc experienced a rapid rotation phase during the Pleistocene, with a counterclockwise component in its eastern portion and a clockwise trend in the western segment.
Central Mediterranean
The opening of small oceanic basins of the central Mediterranean follows a trench migration and back-arc opening process that occurred during the last 30 Myr. This phase was characterised by the anticlockwise rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block, which lasted until the Langhian (ca.16 Ma), and was in turn followed by a slab detachment along the northern African margin. Subsequently, a shift of this active extensional deformation led to the opening of the Tyrrenian basin.
Western Mediterranean[edit]
The Betic-Rif mountain belts developed during Mesozoic and Cenozoic times, as Africa and Iberia converged. Tectonic models for its evolution include: rapid motion of Alboran Domain, subduction zone and radial extensional collapse caused by convective removal of lithospheric mantle. The development of these intramontane Betic and Rif basins led to the onset of two marine gateways which were progressively closed during the late Miocene by an interplay of tectonic and glacio-eustatic processes.
Paleoenvironmental analysis
Its semi-enclosed configuration makes the oceanic gateways critical in controlling circulation and environmental evolution in the Mediterranean Sea. Water circulation patterns are driven by a number of interactive factors, such as climate and bathymetry, which can lead to precipitation of evaporites. During late Miocene times, a so-called "Messinian Salinity Crisis" (MSC hereafter) occurred, where the Mediterranean entirely or almost entirely dried out, which was triggered by the closure of the Atlantic gateway. Evaporites accumulated in the Red Sea Basin (late Miocene), in the Carpatian foredeep (middle Miocene) and in the whole Mediterranean area (Messinian). An accurate age estimate of the MSC—5.96 Ma—has recently been astronomically achieved; furthermore, this event seems to have occurred synchronously. The beginning of the MSC is supposed to have been of tectonic origin; however, an astronomical control (eccentricity) might also have been involved. In the Mediterranean basin, diatomites are regularly found underneath the evaporite deposits, thus suggesting (albeit not clearly so far) a connection between their geneses.
The present-day Atlantic gateway, i.e. the Strait of Gibraltar, finds its origin in the early Pliocene. However, two other connections between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea existed in the past: the Betic Corridor (southern Spain) and the Rifian Corridor (northern Morocco). The former closed during Tortonian times, thus providing a "Tortonian Salinity Crisis" well before the MSC; the latter closed about 6 Ma, allowing exchanges in the mammal fauna between Africa and Europe. Nowadays, evaporation is more relevant than the water yield supplied by riverine water and precipitation, so that salinity in the Mediterranean is higher than in the Atlantic. These conditions result in the outflow of warm saline Mediterranean deep water across Gibraltar, which is in turn counterbalanced by an inflow of a less saline surface current of cold oceanic water.
The Mediterranean was once thought to be the remnant of the Tethys Ocean. It is now known to be a structurally younger ocean basin known as Neotethys. The Neotethys formed during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic rifting of the African and Eurasian plates.
Paleoclimate
Because of its latitudinal position and its land-locked configuration, the Mediterranean is especially sensitive to astronomically induced climatic variations, which are well documented in its sedimentary record. Since the Mediterranean is involved in the deposition of eolian dust from the Sahara during dry periods, whereas riverine detrital input prevails during wet ones, the Mediterranean marine sapropel-bearing sequences provide high-resolution climatic information. These data have been employed in reconstructing astronomically calibrated time scales for the last 9 Ma of the Earth's history, helping to constrain the time of past Geomagnetic Reversals.[38] Furthermore, the exceptional accuracy of these paleoclimatic records have improved our knowledge of the Earth's orbital variations in the past.
Ecology and biota
As a result of the drying of the sea during the Messinian salinity crisis,[39] the marine biota of the Mediterranean are derived primarily from the Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic is considerably colder and more nutrient-rich than the Mediterranean, and the marine life of the Mediterranean has had to adapt to its differing conditions in the five million years since the basin was reflooded.
The Alboran Sea is a transition zone between the two seas, containing a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic species. The Alboran Sea has the largest population of Bottlenose Dolphins in the western Mediterranean, is home to the last population of harbour porpoises in the Mediterranean, and is the most important feeding grounds for Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Europe. The Alboran sea also hosts important commercial fisheries, including sardines and swordfish. The Mediterranean monk seals live in the Aegean Sea in Greece. In 2003, the World Wildlife Fund raised concerns about the widespread drift net fishing endangering populations of dolphins, turtles, and other marine animals.
Environmental threats
Biodiversity
Invasive species
The Reticulate whipray is one of the species that colonised the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 created the first salt-water passage between the Mediterranean and Red Sea. The Red Sea is higher than the Eastern Mediterranean, so the canal serves as a tidal strait that pours Red Sea water into the Mediterranean. The Bitter Lakes, which are hyper-saline natural lakes that form part of the canal, blocked the migration of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean for many decades, but as the salinity of the lakes gradually equalized with that of the Red Sea, the barrier to migration was removed, and plants and animals from the Red Sea have begun to colonise the Eastern Mediterranean. The Red Sea is generally saltier and more nutrient-poor than the Atlantic, so the Red Sea species have advantages over Atlantic species in the salty and nutrient-poor Eastern Mediterranean. Accordingly, Red Sea species invade the Mediterranean biota, and not vice versa; this phenomenon is known as the Lessepsian migration (after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French engineer) or Erythrean invasion. The construction of the Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in the 1960s reduced the inflow of freshwater and nutrient-rich silt from the Nile into the Eastern Mediterranean, making conditions there even more like the Red Sea and worsening the impact of the invasive species.
Invasive species have become a major component of the Mediterranean ecosystem and have serious impacts on the Mediterranean ecology, endangering many local and endemic Mediterranean species. A first look at some groups of exotic species show that more than 70% of the non-indigenous decapods and about 63% of the exotic fishes occurring in the Mediterranean are of Indo Pacific origin,[40] introduced into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. This makes the Canal as the first pathway of arrival of "alien" species into the Mediterranean. The impacts of some lessepsian species have proven to be considerable mainly in the Levantine basin of the Mediterranean, where they are replacing native species and becoming a "familiar sight".
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature definition, as well as Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Ramsar Convention terminologies, they are alien species, as they are non-native (non-indigenous) to the Mediterranean Sea, and they are outside their normal area of distribution which is the Indo-Pacific region. When these species succeed in establishing populations in the Mediterranean sea, compete with and begin to replace native species they are "Alien Invasive Species", as they are an agent of change and a threat to the native biodiversity. In the context of CBD, "introduction" refers to the movement by human agency, indirect or direct, of an alien species outside of its natural range (past or present). The Suez Canal, being an artificial (man made) canal, is a human agency. Lessepsian migrants are therefore "introduced" species (indirect, and unintentional). Whatever wording is chosen, they represent a threat to the native Mediterranean biodiversity, because they are non-indigenous to this sea. In recent years, the Egyptian government's announcement of its intentions to deepen and widen the canal have raised concerns from marine biologists, fearing that such an act will only worsen the invasion of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean, facilitating the crossing of the canal for yet additional species.
Arrival of new tropical Atlantic species
In recent decades, the arrival of exotic species from the tropical Atlantic has become a noticeable feature. Whether this reflects an expansion of the natural area of these species that now enter the Mediterranean through the Gibraltar strait, because of a warming trend of the water caused by Global Warming; or an extension of the maritime traffic; or is simply the result of a more intense scientific investigation, is still an open question. While not as intense as the "lessepsian" movement, the process may be scientific interest and may therefore warrant increased levels of monitoring.
Sea-level rise
By 2100, the overall level of the Mediterranean could rise between 3 to 61 cm (1.2 to 24.0 in) as a result of the effects of climate change.[42] This could have adverse effects on populations across the Mediterranean:
Rising sea levels will submerge parts of Malta. Rising sea levels will also mean rising salt water levels in Malta's groundwater supply and reduce the availability of drinking water.[43]
A 30 cm (12 in) rise in sea level would flood 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) of the Nile Delta, displacing over 500,000 Egyptians.[44]
Coastal ecosystems also appear to be threatened by sea level rise, especially enclosed seas such as the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. These seas have only small and primarily east-west movement corridors, which may restrict northward displacement of organisms in these areas.[45] Sea level rise for the next century (2100) could be between 30 cm (12 in) and 100 cm (39 in) and temperature shifts of a mere 0.05-0.1°C in the deep sea are sufficient to induce significant changes in species richness and functional diversity.
Pollution
Pollution in this region has been extremely high in recent years.[when?] The United Nations Environment Programme has estimated that 650,000,000 t (720,000,000 short tons) of sewage, 129,000 t (142,000 short tons) of mineral oil, 60,000 t (66,000 short tons) of mercury, 3,800 t (4,200 short tons) of lead and 36,000 t (40,000 short tons) of phosphates are dumped into the Mediterranean each year.[47] The Barcelona Convention aims to 'reduce pollution in the Mediterranean Sea and protect and improve the marine environment in the area, thereby contributing to its sustainable development.'[48] Many marine species have been almost wiped out because of the sea's pollution. One of them is the Mediterranean Monk Seal which is considered to be among the world's most endangered marine mammals.[49]
The Mediterranean is also plagued by marine debris. A 1994 study of the seabed using trawl nets around the coasts of Spain, France and Italy reported a particularly high mean concentration of debris; an average of 1,935 items per km². Plastic debris accounted for 76%, of which 94% was plastic bags.
Shipping
Some of the world's busiest shipping routes are in the Mediterranean Sea. It is estimated that approximately 220,000 merchant vessels of more than 100 tonnes cross the Mediterranean Sea each year—about one third of the world's total merchant shipping. These ships often carry hazardous cargo, which if lost would result in severe damage to the marine environment.
The discharge of chemical tank washings and oily wastes also represent a significant source of marine pollution. The Mediterranean Sea constitutes 0.7% of the global water surface and yet receives seventeen percent of global marine oil pollution. It is estimated that every year between 100,000 t (98,000 long tons) and 150,000 t (150,000 long tons) of crude oil are deliberately released into the sea from shipping activities.
Approximately 370,000,000 t (360,000,000 long tons) of oil are transported annually in the Mediterranean Sea (more than 20% of the world total), with around 250-300 oil tankers crossing the Sea every day. Accidental oil spills happen frequently with an average of 10 spills per year. A major oil spill could occur at any time in any part of the Mediterranean.
Tourism
With a unique combination of pleasant climate, beautiful coastline, rich history and diverse culture the Mediterranean region is the most popular tourist destination in the world—attracting approximately one third of the world's international tourists.
Tourism is one of the most important sources of income for many Mediterranean countries. It also supports small communities in coastal areas and islands by providing alternative sources of income far from urban centres. However, tourism has also played major role in the degradation of the coastal and marine environment. Rapid development has been encouraged by Mediterranean governments to support the large numbers of tourists visiting the region each year. But this has caused serious disturbance to marine habitats such as erosion and pollution in many places along the Mediterranean coasts.
Tourism often concentrates in areas of high natural wealth, causing a serious threat to the habitats of endangered Mediterranean species such as sea turtles and monk seals. Reductions in natural wealth may reduce incentives for tourists to visit
Overfishing
Fish stock levels in the Mediterranean Sea are alarmingly low. The European Environment Agency says that over 65% of all fish stocks in the region are outside safe biological limits and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, that some of the most important fisheries—such as albacore and bluefin tuna, hake, marlin, swordfish, red mullet and sea bream—are threatened.[date missing]
There are clear indications that catch size and quality have declined, often dramatically, and in many areas larger and longer-lived species have disappeared entirely from commercial catches.
Large open water fish like tuna have been a shared fisheries resource for thousands of years but the stocks are now dangerously low. In 1999, Greenpeace published a report revealing that the amount of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean had decreased by over 80% in the previous 20 years and government scientists warn that without immediate action the stock will collapse.
Aquacultur
Aquaculture is expanding rapidly—often without proper environmental assessment—and currently accounts for 30% of the fish protein consumed worldwide. The industry claims that farmed seafood lessens the pressure on wild fish stocks, yet many of the farmed species are carnivorous, consuming up to five times their weight in wild fish.
Mediterranean coastal areas are already over exposed to human influence, with pristine areas becoming ever scarcer. The aquaculture sector adds to this pressure, requiring areas of high water quality to set up farms. The installation of fish farms close to vulnerable and important habitats such as seagrass meadows is particularly concerning.
The James Webb Space Telescope has detected hints of water vapor while observing rocky exoplanet GJ 486 b, but a mystery remains. Researchers are puzzled over whether the water vapor could be due to cool starspots on the planet’s host star, or if it could indicate an atmosphere — which would be the first atmosphere definitively detected around a rocky exoplanet.
Planet GJ 486 b is very close to its red dwarf star. It completes an orbit in just under 1.5 Earth days, and it has a surface temperature of 800 degrees F (426.7 degrees C). If the water vapor is due to an atmosphere, that atmosphere would need to be continuously replenished due to harsh radiation from the active star. These findings could represent a major breakthrough for exoplanet science.
To get to the bottom of this mystery, astronomers are planning to observe this exoplanet with another Webb instrument. This will help ultimately determine if an atmosphere does exist for planet GJ 486 b. . This will help ultimately determine if an atmosphere does exist for planet GJ 486 b, as well as what the source of the water vapor may be. Stay tuned for more to come!
Dive into the details: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/webb-finds-water-vapor-...
This image: This graphic shows the transmission spectrum obtained by Webb observations of rocky exoplanet GJ 486 b. The science team’s analysis shows hints of water vapor; however, computer models show that the signal could be from a water-rich planetary atmosphere (indicated by the blue line) or from starspots from the red dwarf host star (indicated by the yellow line). The two models diverge noticeably at shorter infrared wavelengths, indicating that additional observations with other Webb instruments will be needed to constrain the source of the water signal.
Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
Image description: Graphic titled “Exoplanet GJ 486 b Transmission Spectrum.” The label at top right reads NIRSpec, Bright Object Time Series Spectroscopy. Spectrum is plotted on a graph with y- and x-axes. The graph shows two jagged lines with gradated shading on either side. The top line and shading are yellow while the bottom line and shading are blue. As you move right along the graph, the two lines converge and become overlapping around 3 microns. Dozens of data points scattered above and below the lines extend from just under 3 microns to more than 5 microns. An inset shows a legend with a yellow line labeled “starspots model,” a blue line labeled “water-rich atmosphere model,” and a white dot with gray, vertical error bar labeled “Webb data.”
Me.
Azrael.
Outside Arkham Asylum.
Ready to fight, in the name of Batman.
Dick, in chains.
Tim, desperately trying to free Dick.
Bruce, Dead.
Jason Todd, Dead.
Alfred, Dead.
The odds couldn’t be any worse for me, against this monster.
“Come, false knight. Come face the justice of Azrael”
“Blah blah blah. You’re insults are as lame as your armo-“
He almost catches me with a fist. He’s quicker than I thought. Far quicker.
My dodge allows me to attempt to sweep him. An attempt that fails. His armour is far too thick. He looks down, scoffs, and utters one phrase.
“You disappoint me.”
With that, he simply slaps me away, and approaches Tim and Dick.
Tim finally frees Dick, who falls to the ground. And slumps, silently, defeated.
Tim looks up, and instantly raises his bo-staff to Azrael, ready to fight.
This boy is brave, I’ll give him that. But bravery won’t protect him from the overshadowing foe, that is Azrael.
Tim makes a few good hits, but ultimately it means nothing.
Nothing with that damned armour. The worse part? It’s not even electronic, so I can’t use my EMP on it.
Azrael raises another one of his gauntleted fists to Tim’s head.
No one is going to save the city from Azrael.
No one but ME!
I activate my boosters, in a signature move, and tackle Azrael down. Mercilessly beating him into submission, the moment he loses his footing.
I manage to rip off the left arm and gauntlet of his armour, before he pushes me off and begins to march towards Tim again.
“Weak. The both of you are too weak to stand against me.”
He emits a beast-like yell at Tim, and lunges. Dick trips him up, and he falls flat first into the mud.
“Looks like the weak one here is you, Jean.”
Dick begins to get up, but is met by Azrael’s fist and instead returns to the floor.
Tim and I are on him immediately, constraining both of his arms in an arm lock.
“How dare you touch the champion of Saint Dumas!”
This time, his armour is his weakness. It’s slowing him down too much.
He realises this the same time we do, and slings around the arm which had the armour ripped off – throwing Tim to the ground, and catching me off balance.
Once my balance has regained, I prepare battle stance, ready to face him.
Azrael, instead, runs into the Asylum.
In return, I run to Tim and Dick, and check on them.
“It’s okay, Terry, I’m fine. Dick needs more help than me.”
I look at Dick, who is slumped against the wall. He flaps his hand at us.
“You two go. You said it yourself. He’s going down tonight.”
Tim tries to reason with him by uttering a simple:
“But-“
“But nothing. Go. And take him down.”
He looks at me, and I simply nod at him, get on my feet.
Tim goes to follow me, but I put my hand out to prevent him from following.
“Tim. Sit down. You two need to rest.”
“No. You can’t do this alone”
“I know. But I have to try.”
With that, I start to chase after Azrael.
Into the Asylum. Into darkness. Into insanity.
Tim’s words echo after me through Arkham’s halls:
“You need us Terry! He’ll kill you!”
For all I know… He’s right.
…
The Asylum is cold, and wet. All the hallmark signs of an abandoned building are here.
Rot. Ruin. Decay.
All made worse by Azrael’s presence. Commanding the atmosphere like an airborne disease.
His voice cuts through the unsettling silence:
“Come no further, demon. You are not welcome here.”
Instead I keep walking.
Past bloodied empty cells.
Past bloodied occupied cells. Cells that are occupied by the dead.
Each with their own hallmark of insanity.
Two Face’s cell is clean on one half, smeared with his blood and littered with his body parts on the other.
The Penguin has a small selection of dead birds adorning his cell, some even sewn onto his body, like sick version of an aviary.
Opposite that cell, Poison Ivy is suspended from the walls by vines of thorn. On her head sits a crown of thorns, which trails down each part of her body, digging into her skin, releasing blood upon the floor.
Only the Joker’s cell remains clean and empty.
At the end, is a door.
A door with a cross burned upon it.
There is no doubt about who resides here.
This is Azrael’s cell.
I open the door and step in.
I scoff.
This is some sad version of a Batcave. The room is littered with pieces of stolen equipment. Prototypes of various armours are placed on the ground. Tanks of green liquid, hooked up to microscopes. Further along, a Batmobile is parked on a turntable, leading out into the city.
“You should not have followed me here!”
I am knocked down, as he drops down on me. Must have been hiding in the rafters.
I roll to the side to get him off me and kick him down, while I launch myself up and regain my footing.
“It’s over Azrael.”
“It’s far from over, devil!”
Once up he lunges at me, and I sidestep him, causing him to lose his momentum.
A single swift kick, and he’s on the ground again.
“Your anger makes you clumsy, Azrael. Give it up. You can’t defeat me.”
He stops.
And looks up at me.
“Then Saint Dumas will give me the strength.”
Once upright, he lunges at me for the second time, and again I sidestep. But as I do so, he grabs me with his arm, and pulls me along using his momentum – throwing me against a batmobile.
I did not see that coming.
It’s his turn to have the beat down.
The flurry of punches comes at me like a whirlwind.
I will admit, the punches with his right fist hurt a lot more because of the gauntlet.
Amidst the strikes, I press my hand against his helmet and activate one of my last ditch efforts.
My entire arm emits a small explosion, destroying that section of the suit, leaving nothing but mesh to protect my skin.
As for Azrael, he’s visibly shaken with parts of his armour destroyed, but not enough to affect his onslaught.
I try to boost away, but his grapple wraps around my leg, and he grounds me. He then pulls me to him and rips out my boosters. Slag! I’ve lost one of my biggest assets. I come to my senses and throw a batarang to his helmet, taking out the vision of one visor.
But this doesn’t stop him at all, instead a barrage of batarangs from his gauntlet comes my way, I respond with my own, knocking them out of the air.
He takes this opportunity to activate his flamethrower, and I turn to the side, protecting my exposed arm. Thankfully it doesn’t affect the rest of the suit.
Focus alone isn’t going to defeat this guy. I put my hand to my belt for the thermite, but it doesn’t come out. I look down, and half the belt was impacted by the explosion. Could be easily fixed, but for now?
Azrael.
That’s all that matters right now.
Me. Versus him.
At that moment Tim joins us.
“I told you to stay back!”
“And I told you, you can’t do this alone. I’ve come to help.”
“You’ve come to die, little Robin. There is no defeating me.”
“We’ll see.”
All three of us get into our ready stances, and wait for who moves first.
I relax, shake my body off, and break the silence.
“So who moves first? Because I’m all for waiting. Catch my breath, you know?”
“Silence. I will not be poisoned by your words, false knight!”
As his words move through the air, as does he. Employing as much force as he can with each fist he aims at my face.
Each kick that comes my way.
All countered by Bruce’s teachings.
Tim joins in, offering his own counters, but Azrael is too strong for him. He goes down easily, granted he is still a boy. Nothing more.
Azrael ignores me for a moment, and sends Tim crashing through the windscreen of the nearest Batmobile. I hear a small moan come from him, as Azrael approaches me, and continues the fight.
His fighting style is impeccable. Whoever gets on his bad side would stand no chance against him. And the bodies strewn around Gotham play testament to his skill.
He’s good. But not as good as me.
I dodge under one fist, and bring one of my own to his stomach.
His bulk means that my blows don’t affect him.
My display of technique infuriates him, and causes his strikes to be even more forceful. I didn’t even know that was possible. One of my dodges sends his fist into the ground, and shards of rock fly everywhere.
I do a cartwheel kick, and pick up the rocks while doing so – using the momentum of the cartwheel to throw them at him.
No impact at all. Was worth a shot.
While he’s more vicious. He’s bigger than I am. Meaning he’ll fall down harder.
I go for his legs again, but instead he catches my leg with his arm and slams me down.
He gets on top, and pins me to the ground. Places his hands around my neck, and applies the pressure.
He taunts, as his hands begin to squeeze the life out of me.
“You’re weak. There is no room for your kind in this world!”
I am almost helpless to do anything. But there is one last thing I can do.
No boosters, no batarangs… Anything else will be needed in the future, and the dimension jump must be protected.
I rip off my belt and throw it away. Azrael thinks nothing of it, and continues to choke me.
This time, I’m not sure if I can take it. Discharging one arm is one thing. But my whole body, in this state, is another.
Sir, I'm not sure this is wise...
If I could speak, I would tell A.L.F.R.E.D to shut the hell up.
It’s now or never.
I clutch to Azrael.
And activate the full suit.
…
Azrael is thrown back, his armour all but destroyed. His bare arm, burnt. His helmet offering no protection at all. And his suit, ravaged, with no salvageable parts. He is bleeding severely.
But he won’t go down.
He looks right at me, with a bright green shining from his once-blue eyes, full of rage.
And prepares his gauntlet, the only thing that survived the blast.
I, on the other hand. Have nothing but the electronic mesh of the suit.
I am basically naked, covered in wires.
No protection from the inevitable attack.
“Clever trick, demon. A valiant effort. But now. YOUR TIME HAS COME!”
He raises his fist, and aims his clawed hand for my head.
He brings it down.
This is it… I’m sorry Bruce…
“GCPD! Freeze!”
Azrael is distracted enough for me to dodge what would be a final blow. His bladed fist hits the ground beside my head, barely nicking my cheek. The officers who have arrived at the scene begin to shoot at him, and I see him stumble back. The hellfire of bullets is too much for what remains of the armour, and his battered, bleeding, body. He looks up and see that a small army of GCPD, accompanied by Tim and Dick - all ready to fight him.
In typical villainous fashion, he swings his cape around him, and melodramatically proclaims:
“I’ll get you next time, demon.”
With that, he boosts over a nearby Batmobile, and desperately sprints down the turntable, leaving a trail of blood into the city. The GCPD move in, and surround me as I sit up. Several sniper’s lasers circle my head and chest.
“Are you guys f*cking stupid, or what? Did you not see him battle Azrael? Put the guns down.”
Barbara Gordon wheels her way onto the scene.
“You’re lucky you still have friends on the squad, Nightwing. Otherwise his steampunk looking ass would’ve been lit up.”
She nods at me. Dick takes no notice.
“Commissioner, good to see you again.”
“Likewise.”
She addresses the officers who have gathered at the scene.
“Create a perimeter around the building, get paramedics on the scene, we need this place to be ours. Come on people you know the drill, surely I don’t need to tell you how to do your job!”
The officers then spring into action immediately. A mumbled “clearly you do” comes from one of the officers, to which she shoots a sharp look at, silencing them. She then approaches us.
“I don’t care who this new guy is. But Azrael needs to be off the streets. Just look at what he is done here. He is a disease to this city, and he can’t be allowed to fester anymore. Either you take him down, or I’m asking for assistance from what’s left of the JL.”
Dick retorts back at her.
“Yeah, well us ordinary humans are more than capable of cleaning up our own mess. Besides… we have to. Given what happened to Superman.”
I look to Tim who quietly whispers to me:
“He’s dead.”
Barbara quickly brings things back to topic.
“Like I was saying. I don’t care who you do it with, or how you do it. Azrael is going down. Tonight.”
With that, she wheels back away, and starts to secure the Asylum.
Tim and Dick look to me, and in unison one simple question:
“What now?”
I give them one simple reply:
“Azrael goes down. Tonight.”
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is sometimes considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually identified as a completely separate body of water.
The name Mediterranean is derived from the Latin mediterraneus, meaning "inland" or "in the middle of the land" (from medius, "middle" and terra, "land"). It covers an approximate area of 2.5 million km² (965,000 sq mi), but its connection to the Atlantic (the Strait of Gibraltar) is only 14 km (8.7 mi) wide. In oceanography, it is sometimes called the Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea or the European Mediterranean Sea to distinguish it from mediterranean seas elsewhere.[3][4]
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea.
It was an important route for merchants and travellers of ancient times that allowed for trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region. The history of the Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies.
Name
The term Mediterranean derives from the Latin word mediterraneus, meaning "in the middle of earth" or "between lands" (medi-; adj. medius, -um -a "middle, between" + terra f., "land, earth"): as it is between the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. The Greek name Mesogeios (Μεσόγειος), is similarly from μέσο, "middle" + γη, "land, earth").[5]
The Mediterranean Sea has historically had several names. For example the Romans commonly called it Mare Nostrum (Latin, "Our Sea"), and occasionally Mare Internum (Sallust, Jug. 17).
In the Bible, it was primarily known as הים הגדול (HaYam HaGadol), the "Great Sea", (Num. 34:6,7; Josh. 1:4, 9:1, 15:47; Ezek. 47:10,15,20), or simply "The Sea" (1 Kings 5:9; comp. 1 Macc. 14:34, 15:11); however, it has also been called the "Hinder Sea", due to its location on the west coast of the Holy Land, and therefore behind a person facing the east, sometimes translated as "Western Sea", (Deut. 11:24; Joel 2:20). Another name was the "Sea of the Philistines" (Exod. 23:31), from the people occupying a large portion of its shores near the Israelites.
In Modern Hebrew, it has been called HaYam HaTikhon (הַיָּם הַתִּיכוֹן), "the Middle Sea", reflecting the Sea's name in ancient Greek (Mesogeios), Latin (Mare internum) and modern languages in both Europe and the Middle East (Mediterranean, etc.). Similarly, in Modern Arabic, it is known as al-Baḥr [al-Abyaḍ] al-Mutawassiṭ (البحر [الأبيض] المتوسط), "the [White] Medium Sea", while in Islamic and older Arabic literature, it was referenced as Baḥr al-Rūm (بحر الروم), or "the Roman/Byzantine Sea." In Turkish, it is known as Akdeniz,[6] "the White Sea" since among Turks the white color (ak) represents the west.
History
Several ancient civilizations were located around its shores; thus it has had a major influence on those cultures. It provided routes for trade, colonization and war, and provided food (by fishing and the gathering of other seafood) for numerous communities throughout the ages.[7]
The sharing of similar climate, geology and access to a common sea led to numerous historical and cultural connections between the ancient and modern societies around the Mediterranean.
Two of the most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greek city states and the Phoenicians. When[citation needed] Augustus founded the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean Sea began to be called Mare Nostrum (literally:"Our Sea") by the Romans.
Darius I of Persia, who conquered Ancient Egypt, built a canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Darius's canal was wide enough for two triremes to pass each other with oars extended, and required four days to traverse.[8]
The western Roman empire collapsed around AD 476. Temporarily the east was again dominant as the Byzantine Empire formed from the eastern half of the Roman empire. Another power soon arose in the east: Islam. At its greatest extent, the Arab Empire controlled 75% of the Mediterranean region.
Europe was reviving, however, as more organized and centralized states began to form in the later Middle Ages after the Renaissance of the 12th century.
Ottoman power continued to grow, and in 1453, the Byzantine Empire was extinguished with the Conquest of Constantinople. Ottomans gained control of much of the sea in the 16th century and maintained naval bases in southern France, Algeria and Tunisia. Barbarossa, the famous Ottoman captain is a symbol of this domination with the victory of the Battle of Preveza. The Battle of Djerba marked the apex of Ottoman naval domination in the Mediterranean. However, as naval prowess of the European powers grew, they confronted Ottoman expansion in the region when the Battle of Lepanto checked the power of the Ottoman Navy. This was the last naval battle to be fought primarily between galleys.
The Barbary pirates of North Africa preyed on Christian shipping in the western Mediterranean Sea.[9] According to Robert Davis, from the 16th to 19th century, pirates captured 1 million to 1.25 million Europeans as slaves.[10]
The development of oceanic shipping began to affect the entire Mediterranean. Once, all trade from the east had passed through the region, but now the circumnavigation of Africa allowed spices and other goods to be imported through the Atlantic ports of western Europe.[11][12][13] The Malta president described the Mediterranean sea as a "cemetery" due to the large amounts of migrants who drown there.
Geography
With its highly indented coastline and large number of islands, Greece has the longest Mediterranean coastline.
The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar in the west and to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, by the Dardanelles and the Bosporus respectively, in the east. The Sea of Marmara is often considered a part of the Mediterranean Sea, whereas the Black Sea is generally not. The 163 km (101 mi) long man-made Suez Canal in the southeast connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
Large islands in the Mediterranean include Cyprus, Crete, Euboea, Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, Kefalonia, Corfu, Limnos, Samos, Naxos and Andros in the eastern Mediterranean; Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Cres, Krk, Brač, Hvar, Pag, Korčula and Malta in the central Mediterranean; and Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca (the Balearic Islands) in the western Mediterranean.
The typical Mediterranean climate has hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Crops of the region include olives, grapes, oranges, tangerines, and cork.
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Mediterranean Sea as follows:[15]
Stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar in the West to the entrances to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal in the East, the Mediterranean Sea is bounded by the coasts of Europe, Africa and Asia, and is divided into two deep basins:
Western Basin:
On the west: A line joining the extremities of Cape Trafalgar (Spain) and Cape Spartel (Africa).
On the northeast: The West Coast of Italy. In the Strait of Messina a line joining the North extreme of Cape Paci (15°42'E) with Cape Peloro, the East extreme of the Island of Sicily. The North Coast of Sicily.
On the east: A line joining Cape Lilibeo the Western point of Sicily (37°47′N 12°22′E), through the Adventure Bank to Cape Bon (Tunisia).
Eastern Basin:
On the west: The Northeastern and Eastern limits of the Western Basin.
On the northeast: A line joining Kum Kale (26°11'E) and Cape Helles, the Western entrance to the Dardanelles.
On the southeast: The entrance to the Suez Canal.
On the east: The coasts of Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Gaza Strip.
Oceanography
Being nearly landlocked affects conditions in the Mediterranean Sea: for instance, tides are very limited as a result of the narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean is characterized and immediately recognised by its deep blue colour.
Evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation and river runoff in the Mediterranean, a fact that is central to the water circulation within the basin.[16] Evaporation is especially high in its eastern half, causing the water level to decrease and salinity to increase eastward.[17] This pressure gradient pushes relatively cool, low-salinity water from the Atlantic across the basin; it warms and becomes saltier as it travels east, then sinks in the region of the Levant and circulates westward, to spill over the Strait of Gibraltar.[18] Thus, seawater flow is eastward in the Strait's surface waters, and westward below; once in the Atlantic, this chemically distinct Mediterranean Intermediate Water can persist thousands of kilometres away from its source.
Coastal countries
Twenty-two countries have a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. They are:
Northern shore (from west to east): Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Turkey.
Eastern shore (from north to south): Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Flag of Palestine.svg Palestine (limited recognition).
Southern shore (from west to east): Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt.
Island nations: Malta, Cyprus, Flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.svg Northern Cyprus (limited recognition).
Several other territories also border the Mediterranean Sea (from west to east): The British overseas territory of Gibraltar, the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla and nearby islands, and the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus
Major cities (municipalities) with populations larger than 200,000 people bordering the Mediterranean Sea are:
CountryCities
AlbaniaDurrës
AlgeriaAlgiers, Annaba, Oran
CroatiaSplit, Rijeka
EgyptAlexandria, Port Said
FranceMarseille, Nice
GreeceAthens, Patras, Thessaloniki
IsraelAshdod, Haifa, Tel Aviv
ItalyBari, Catania, Genoa, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Rome, Taranto, Trieste, Venice
LebanonBeirut, Tripoli
LibyaBenghazi, Khoms, Misrata, Tripoli, Zawiya, Zliten
MoroccoTétouan, Tangier
SpainAlicante, Badalona, Barcelona, Cartagena, Málaga, Palma, Valencia
State of PalestineGaza City
SyriaLatakia
TunisiaBizerte, Sfax, Tunis
TurkeyAntalya, İskenderun, İzmir, Mersin
Subdivisions
According to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the Mediterranean Sea is subdivided into a number of smaller waterbodies, each with their own designation (from west to east):[15]
the Strait of Gibraltar;
the Alboran Sea, between Spain and Morocco;
the Balearic Sea, between mainland Spain and its Balearic Islands;
the Ligurian Sea between Corsica and Liguria (Italy);
the Tyrrhenian Sea enclosed by Sardinia, Italian peninsula and Sicily;
the Ionian Sea between Italy, Albania and Greece;
the Adriatic Sea between Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania;
the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.
Other seas
Although not recognised by the IHO treaties, there are some other seas whose names have been in common use from the ancient times, or in the present:
the Sea of Sardinia, between Sardinia and Balearic Islands, as a part of the Balearic Sea
the Sea of Sicily between Sicily and Tunisia,
the Libyan Sea between Libya and Crete,
In the Aegean Sea,
the Thracian Sea in its north,
the Myrtoan Sea between the Cyclades and the Peloponnese,
the Sea of Crete north of Crete,
the Icarian Sea between Kos and Chios
the Cilician Sea between Turkey and Cyprus
the Levantine Sea at the eastern end of the Mediterranean
Other features
Many of these smaller seas feature in local myth and folklore and derive their names from these associations. In addition to the seas, a number of gulfs and straits are also recognised:
the Saint George Bay in Beirut, Lebanon
the Ras Ibn Hani cape in Latakia, Syria
the Ras al-Bassit cape in northern Syria.
the Minet el-Beida ("White Harbour") bay near ancient Ugarit, Syria
the Strait of Gibraltar, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain from Morocco
the Bay of Gibraltar, at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula
the Gulf of Corinth, an enclosed sea between the Ionian Sea and the Corinth Canal
the Pagasetic Gulf, the gulf of Volos, south of the Thermaic Gulf, formed by the Mount Pelion peninsula
the Saronic Gulf, the gulf of Athens, between the Corinth Canal and the Mirtoan Sea
the Thermaic Gulf, the gulf of Thessaloniki, located in the northern Greek region of Macedonia
the Kvarner Gulf, Croatia
the Gulf of Lion, south of France
the Gulf of Valencia, east of Spain
the Strait of Messina, between Sicily and the toe of Italy
the Gulf of Genoa, northwestern Italy
the Gulf of Venice, northeastern Italy
the Gulf of Trieste, northeastern Italy
the Gulf of Taranto, southern Italy
The Adriatic Sea contains over 1200 islands and islets.
the Gulf of Salerno, southwestern Italy
the Gulf of Gaeta, southwestern Italy
the Gulf of Squillace, southern Italy
the Strait of Otranto, between Italy and Albania
the Gulf of Haifa, northern Israel
the Gulf of Sidra, between Tripolitania (western Libya) and Cyrenaica (eastern Libya)
the Strait of Sicily, between Sicily and Tunisia
the Corsica Channel, between Corsica and Italy
the Strait of Bonifacio, between Sardinia and Corsica
the Gulf of İskenderun, between İskenderun and Adana (Turkey)
the Gulf of Antalya, between west and east shores of Antalya (Turkey)
the Bay of Kotor, in south-western Montenegro and south-eastern Croatia
the Malta Channel, between Sicily and Malta
the Gozo Channel, between Malta Island and Gozo
Sea temperature
Mean sea temperature (°C)
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecØ/Year
Marseille[21]13131314161821222118161416.6
Venice[22]11101113182225262320161417.4
Barcelona[23]13131314172023252320171517.8
Valencia[24]14131415172124262421181518.5
Málaga[25]16151516172022232220181618.3
Gibraltar[26]16151616172022222220181718.4
Naples[27]15141415182225272522191619.3
Athens[28]16151516182124242421191819.3
Heraklion[29]16151516192224252422201819.7
Malta[30]16161516182124262523211819.9
Larnaca[31]18171718202426272725221921.7
Limassol[32]18171718202426272725221921.7
Antalya17171718212427282725221921.8
Alexandria[33]18171718202325262625222021.4
Tel Aviv[34]18171718212426282726232022.1
Geology
The geologic history of the Mediterranean is complex. It was involved in the tectonic break-up and then collision of the African and Eurasian plates. The Messinian Salinity Crisis occurred in the late Miocene (12 million years ago to 5 million years ago) when the Mediterranean dried up. Geologically the Mediterranean is underlain by oceanic crust.
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. The coastline extends for 46,000 km (29,000 mi). A shallow submarine ridge (the Strait of Sicily) between the island of Sicily and the coast of Tunisia divides the sea in two main subregions (which in turn are divided into subdivisions), the Western Mediterranean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Western Mediterranean covers an area of about 0.85 million km² (0.33 million mi²) and the Eastern Mediterranean about 1.65 million km² (0.64 million mi²). A characteristic of the Mediterranean Sea are submarine karst springs or vruljas, which mainly occur in shallow waters[35] and may also be thermal.
Tectonic evolution
The geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean Sea was provided by the convergence of European and African plates and several smaller microplates. This process was driven by the differential seafloor spreading along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which led to the closure of the Tethys Ocean and eventually to the Alpine orogenesis. However, the Mediterranean also hosts wide extensional basins and migrating tectonic arcs, in response to its land-locked configuration.
According to a report published by Nature in 2009, some scientists think that the Mediterranean Sea was mostly filled during a time period of less than two years, in a major flood (the Zanclean flood) that happened approximately 5.33 million years ago, in which water poured in from the Atlantic Ocean and through the Strait of Gibraltar, at a rate three times the current flow of the Amazon River.[37] However, the sea basins had been filled for many millions of years before the prior closure of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Eastern Mediterranean
In middle Miocene times, the collision between the Arabian microplate and Eurasia led to the separation between the Tethys and the Indian oceans. This process resulted in profound changes in the oceanic circulation patterns, which shifted global climates towards colder conditions. The Hellenic arc, which has a land-locked configuration, underwent a widespread extension for the last 20 Ma due to a slab roll-back process. In addition, the Hellenic Arc experienced a rapid rotation phase during the Pleistocene, with a counterclockwise component in its eastern portion and a clockwise trend in the western segment.
Central Mediterranean
The opening of small oceanic basins of the central Mediterranean follows a trench migration and back-arc opening process that occurred during the last 30 Myr. This phase was characterised by the anticlockwise rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block, which lasted until the Langhian (ca.16 Ma), and was in turn followed by a slab detachment along the northern African margin. Subsequently, a shift of this active extensional deformation led to the opening of the Tyrrenian basin.
Western Mediterranean[edit]
The Betic-Rif mountain belts developed during Mesozoic and Cenozoic times, as Africa and Iberia converged. Tectonic models for its evolution include: rapid motion of Alboran Domain, subduction zone and radial extensional collapse caused by convective removal of lithospheric mantle. The development of these intramontane Betic and Rif basins led to the onset of two marine gateways which were progressively closed during the late Miocene by an interplay of tectonic and glacio-eustatic processes.
Paleoenvironmental analysis
Its semi-enclosed configuration makes the oceanic gateways critical in controlling circulation and environmental evolution in the Mediterranean Sea. Water circulation patterns are driven by a number of interactive factors, such as climate and bathymetry, which can lead to precipitation of evaporites. During late Miocene times, a so-called "Messinian Salinity Crisis" (MSC hereafter) occurred, where the Mediterranean entirely or almost entirely dried out, which was triggered by the closure of the Atlantic gateway. Evaporites accumulated in the Red Sea Basin (late Miocene), in the Carpatian foredeep (middle Miocene) and in the whole Mediterranean area (Messinian). An accurate age estimate of the MSC—5.96 Ma—has recently been astronomically achieved; furthermore, this event seems to have occurred synchronously. The beginning of the MSC is supposed to have been of tectonic origin; however, an astronomical control (eccentricity) might also have been involved. In the Mediterranean basin, diatomites are regularly found underneath the evaporite deposits, thus suggesting (albeit not clearly so far) a connection between their geneses.
The present-day Atlantic gateway, i.e. the Strait of Gibraltar, finds its origin in the early Pliocene. However, two other connections between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea existed in the past: the Betic Corridor (southern Spain) and the Rifian Corridor (northern Morocco). The former closed during Tortonian times, thus providing a "Tortonian Salinity Crisis" well before the MSC; the latter closed about 6 Ma, allowing exchanges in the mammal fauna between Africa and Europe. Nowadays, evaporation is more relevant than the water yield supplied by riverine water and precipitation, so that salinity in the Mediterranean is higher than in the Atlantic. These conditions result in the outflow of warm saline Mediterranean deep water across Gibraltar, which is in turn counterbalanced by an inflow of a less saline surface current of cold oceanic water.
The Mediterranean was once thought to be the remnant of the Tethys Ocean. It is now known to be a structurally younger ocean basin known as Neotethys. The Neotethys formed during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic rifting of the African and Eurasian plates.
Paleoclimate
Because of its latitudinal position and its land-locked configuration, the Mediterranean is especially sensitive to astronomically induced climatic variations, which are well documented in its sedimentary record. Since the Mediterranean is involved in the deposition of eolian dust from the Sahara during dry periods, whereas riverine detrital input prevails during wet ones, the Mediterranean marine sapropel-bearing sequences provide high-resolution climatic information. These data have been employed in reconstructing astronomically calibrated time scales for the last 9 Ma of the Earth's history, helping to constrain the time of past Geomagnetic Reversals.[38] Furthermore, the exceptional accuracy of these paleoclimatic records have improved our knowledge of the Earth's orbital variations in the past.
Ecology and biota
As a result of the drying of the sea during the Messinian salinity crisis,[39] the marine biota of the Mediterranean are derived primarily from the Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic is considerably colder and more nutrient-rich than the Mediterranean, and the marine life of the Mediterranean has had to adapt to its differing conditions in the five million years since the basin was reflooded.
The Alboran Sea is a transition zone between the two seas, containing a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic species. The Alboran Sea has the largest population of Bottlenose Dolphins in the western Mediterranean, is home to the last population of harbour porpoises in the Mediterranean, and is the most important feeding grounds for Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Europe. The Alboran sea also hosts important commercial fisheries, including sardines and swordfish. The Mediterranean monk seals live in the Aegean Sea in Greece. In 2003, the World Wildlife Fund raised concerns about the widespread drift net fishing endangering populations of dolphins, turtles, and other marine animals.
Environmental threats
Biodiversity
Invasive species
The Reticulate whipray is one of the species that colonised the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 created the first salt-water passage between the Mediterranean and Red Sea. The Red Sea is higher than the Eastern Mediterranean, so the canal serves as a tidal strait that pours Red Sea water into the Mediterranean. The Bitter Lakes, which are hyper-saline natural lakes that form part of the canal, blocked the migration of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean for many decades, but as the salinity of the lakes gradually equalized with that of the Red Sea, the barrier to migration was removed, and plants and animals from the Red Sea have begun to colonise the Eastern Mediterranean. The Red Sea is generally saltier and more nutrient-poor than the Atlantic, so the Red Sea species have advantages over Atlantic species in the salty and nutrient-poor Eastern Mediterranean. Accordingly, Red Sea species invade the Mediterranean biota, and not vice versa; this phenomenon is known as the Lessepsian migration (after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French engineer) or Erythrean invasion. The construction of the Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in the 1960s reduced the inflow of freshwater and nutrient-rich silt from the Nile into the Eastern Mediterranean, making conditions there even more like the Red Sea and worsening the impact of the invasive species.
Invasive species have become a major component of the Mediterranean ecosystem and have serious impacts on the Mediterranean ecology, endangering many local and endemic Mediterranean species. A first look at some groups of exotic species show that more than 70% of the non-indigenous decapods and about 63% of the exotic fishes occurring in the Mediterranean are of Indo Pacific origin,[40] introduced into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. This makes the Canal as the first pathway of arrival of "alien" species into the Mediterranean. The impacts of some lessepsian species have proven to be considerable mainly in the Levantine basin of the Mediterranean, where they are replacing native species and becoming a "familiar sight".
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature definition, as well as Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Ramsar Convention terminologies, they are alien species, as they are non-native (non-indigenous) to the Mediterranean Sea, and they are outside their normal area of distribution which is the Indo-Pacific region. When these species succeed in establishing populations in the Mediterranean sea, compete with and begin to replace native species they are "Alien Invasive Species", as they are an agent of change and a threat to the native biodiversity. In the context of CBD, "introduction" refers to the movement by human agency, indirect or direct, of an alien species outside of its natural range (past or present). The Suez Canal, being an artificial (man made) canal, is a human agency. Lessepsian migrants are therefore "introduced" species (indirect, and unintentional). Whatever wording is chosen, they represent a threat to the native Mediterranean biodiversity, because they are non-indigenous to this sea. In recent years, the Egyptian government's announcement of its intentions to deepen and widen the canal have raised concerns from marine biologists, fearing that such an act will only worsen the invasion of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean, facilitating the crossing of the canal for yet additional species.
Arrival of new tropical Atlantic species
In recent decades, the arrival of exotic species from the tropical Atlantic has become a noticeable feature. Whether this reflects an expansion of the natural area of these species that now enter the Mediterranean through the Gibraltar strait, because of a warming trend of the water caused by Global Warming; or an extension of the maritime traffic; or is simply the result of a more intense scientific investigation, is still an open question. While not as intense as the "lessepsian" movement, the process may be scientific interest and may therefore warrant increased levels of monitoring.
Sea-level rise
By 2100, the overall level of the Mediterranean could rise between 3 to 61 cm (1.2 to 24.0 in) as a result of the effects of climate change.[42] This could have adverse effects on populations across the Mediterranean:
Rising sea levels will submerge parts of Malta. Rising sea levels will also mean rising salt water levels in Malta's groundwater supply and reduce the availability of drinking water.[43]
A 30 cm (12 in) rise in sea level would flood 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) of the Nile Delta, displacing over 500,000 Egyptians.[44]
Coastal ecosystems also appear to be threatened by sea level rise, especially enclosed seas such as the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. These seas have only small and primarily east-west movement corridors, which may restrict northward displacement of organisms in these areas.[45] Sea level rise for the next century (2100) could be between 30 cm (12 in) and 100 cm (39 in) and temperature shifts of a mere 0.05-0.1°C in the deep sea are sufficient to induce significant changes in species richness and functional diversity.
Pollution
Pollution in this region has been extremely high in recent years.[when?] The United Nations Environment Programme has estimated that 650,000,000 t (720,000,000 short tons) of sewage, 129,000 t (142,000 short tons) of mineral oil, 60,000 t (66,000 short tons) of mercury, 3,800 t (4,200 short tons) of lead and 36,000 t (40,000 short tons) of phosphates are dumped into the Mediterranean each year.[47] The Barcelona Convention aims to 'reduce pollution in the Mediterranean Sea and protect and improve the marine environment in the area, thereby contributing to its sustainable development.'[48] Many marine species have been almost wiped out because of the sea's pollution. One of them is the Mediterranean Monk Seal which is considered to be among the world's most endangered marine mammals.[49]
The Mediterranean is also plagued by marine debris. A 1994 study of the seabed using trawl nets around the coasts of Spain, France and Italy reported a particularly high mean concentration of debris; an average of 1,935 items per km². Plastic debris accounted for 76%, of which 94% was plastic bags.
Shipping
Some of the world's busiest shipping routes are in the Mediterranean Sea. It is estimated that approximately 220,000 merchant vessels of more than 100 tonnes cross the Mediterranean Sea each year—about one third of the world's total merchant shipping. These ships often carry hazardous cargo, which if lost would result in severe damage to the marine environment.
The discharge of chemical tank washings and oily wastes also represent a significant source of marine pollution. The Mediterranean Sea constitutes 0.7% of the global water surface and yet receives seventeen percent of global marine oil pollution. It is estimated that every year between 100,000 t (98,000 long tons) and 150,000 t (150,000 long tons) of crude oil are deliberately released into the sea from shipping activities.
Approximately 370,000,000 t (360,000,000 long tons) of oil are transported annually in the Mediterranean Sea (more than 20% of the world total), with around 250-300 oil tankers crossing the Sea every day. Accidental oil spills happen frequently with an average of 10 spills per year. A major oil spill could occur at any time in any part of the Mediterranean.
Tourism
With a unique combination of pleasant climate, beautiful coastline, rich history and diverse culture the Mediterranean region is the most popular tourist destination in the world—attracting approximately one third of the world's international tourists.
Tourism is one of the most important sources of income for many Mediterranean countries. It also supports small communities in coastal areas and islands by providing alternative sources of income far from urban centres. However, tourism has also played major role in the degradation of the coastal and marine environment. Rapid development has been encouraged by Mediterranean governments to support the large numbers of tourists visiting the region each year. But this has caused serious disturbance to marine habitats such as erosion and pollution in many places along the Mediterranean coasts.
Tourism often concentrates in areas of high natural wealth, causing a serious threat to the habitats of endangered Mediterranean species such as sea turtles and monk seals. Reductions in natural wealth may reduce incentives for tourists to visit
Overfishing
Fish stock levels in the Mediterranean Sea are alarmingly low. The European Environment Agency says that over 65% of all fish stocks in the region are outside safe biological limits and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, that some of the most important fisheries—such as albacore and bluefin tuna, hake, marlin, swordfish, red mullet and sea bream—are threatened.[date missing]
There are clear indications that catch size and quality have declined, often dramatically, and in many areas larger and longer-lived species have disappeared entirely from commercial catches.
Large open water fish like tuna have been a shared fisheries resource for thousands of years but the stocks are now dangerously low. In 1999, Greenpeace published a report revealing that the amount of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean had decreased by over 80% in the previous 20 years and government scientists warn that without immediate action the stock will collapse.
Aquacultur
Aquaculture is expanding rapidly—often without proper environmental assessment—and currently accounts for 30% of the fish protein consumed worldwide. The industry claims that farmed seafood lessens the pressure on wild fish stocks, yet many of the farmed species are carnivorous, consuming up to five times their weight in wild fish.
Mediterranean coastal areas are already over exposed to human influence, with pristine areas becoming ever scarcer. The aquaculture sector adds to this pressure, requiring areas of high water quality to set up farms. The installation of fish farms close to vulnerable and important habitats such as seagrass meadows is particularly concerning.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.
He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.
He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.
He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:
For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing taxes on us without our consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:
For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:
For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:
For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:
For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.
We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.
Best when viewed in LIGHTBOX.
If you like my photo(s), please add me as a Flickr contact!
I promise not to disappoint!
Follow Me (Elsewhere Across The Internet)
Twitter • Facebook • Digg • StumbleUpon • YouTube • Google Buzz • MySpace • Vimeo • Friendfeed • Mixx • Picasa • Yelp • Reddit • Newsvine • Netvibes • Flickr • Orkut • deviantART • Last .fm • LinkedIn • Blogger • SoundCloud
(Cloudscapes - Digital Artwork Blog)
(Geopolitics & Philosophy Blog)
(Electrosymphonic Music - Online Radio Station)
• Species Identification Group on Reddit
(A crowdsourced method of identifying unknown species of any organism through discussion with up or down votes and comments from tons of people including a bunch of biologists.)
• Artistic Photography Group on Reddit
(Showcase your favorite artistic photography from your peers, pros, amateurs, or even yourself.)
.
Clicking on the image will zoom it in larger.
I had created a b/w version and color version in Lightroom, then exported both of those into Ps as one file each as a layer.
I had masked the color layer out using a mask created from the Lights channel, and lowered the masks opacity a bit.
Then going upward in the layers panel is a curves layer with a mask created to only allow the effect on the image's mid tones.
Then there is a layer called saturation painting, in which certain areas can have saturation increased or decreased, painting through a selection from the luminosity based channels. Please google Tony Kuyper for learning about this.
The soft light blur and color glow layers are to create a bit of, you guessed it, color glow.
The Orton group is expanded, showing that a curves layer was created above all the layers. You can't see from the screen shot that it was set to screen mode. Then a new layer was created above it by merging all the layers up through and then changing its mode to multiply, and applying a gaussian blur. That curves layer and merged layer were grouped as Orton and again a mask created from the luminosity channels was applied to constrain the effect to certain pixels.
Another merged up layer was created and converted to a smart layer for smart filters where the find edges filter was applied, to increase edge contrast, and another curves adjustment layer was linked to it. Then both were grouped and masked, again with a mask created from the luminosity based channels.
And there you have it, my experimenting with lots of different stuff!
In Congress, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
Stars of all ages are on display in today’s NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope Picture of the Week. This sparkling spiral galaxy is called NGC 6000 and it is located 102 million light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.
This galaxy has a glowing yellow centre and glittering blue outskirts. The colours reflect differences in the average ages, masses and temperatures of the galaxy’s stars. In the heart of the galaxy, the stars tend to be older and smaller. Less massive stars are cooler than more massive stars, and somewhat counterintuitively, cooler stars are redder, while hotter stars are bluer. Farther out along NGC 6000’s spiral arms, brilliant star clusters host young, massive stars that appear distinctly blue.
Hubble collected the data for this image while surveying the sites of recent supernova explosions in nearby galaxies. NGC 6000 has hosted two recent supernovae: SN 2007ch in 2007 and SN 2010as in 2010. Using Hubble’s sensitive detectors, researchers are able to discern the faint glow of supernovae years after the initial explosion. These observations help to constrain the masses of supernova progenitor stars and can indicate if they had any stellar companions.
By zooming in to the right side of the galaxy’s disc in this image, you may see something else yellow and blue: a set of four thin lines. These are an asteroid in our Solar System, which was drifting across Hubble’s field of view as it gazed at NGC 6000. The four streaks are due to different exposures that were recorded one after another with slight pauses in between. These were combined to create this final image. The colours appear this way because each exposure used a filter to collect only very specific wavelengths of light, in this case around red and blue. Having these separate exposures is important to study and compare stars by their colours — but it also makes asteroid interlopers very obvious!
[Image Description: An oval-shaped spiral galaxy, of which only the centre and lower half is in frame. Its centre is mainly golden in colour with a white glowing core, while its thick spiral arms are mostly blue, particularly at the outskirts; the colours merge in between. Dark lanes of dust swirl through the centre, blocking some of its light. Stars and distant galaxies can be seen around the edges on a black background.]
Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Filippenko; CC BY 4.0
Acknowledgements: M. H. Özsaraç
The day we arrived my boyfriend and I began exploring the city. We started near the financial district of San Francisco and made our way down Columbia towards Fisherman's Wharf. As we walked I began to scan the skyline to my left. I was looking for the tallest structures to see where we might get an incredible and potential unique view of the city. A cylinder structure caught my eye right away. After many fruitless attempts to google this building, my boyfriend finds it in one hit, lol. We made our way there a few days into our trip. It was only a few blocks from where we were staying. This is a view from the Lillie Coit Memorial Tower.
This memorial was impressive for many reasons! For example, there were large scale Fresco murals inside the tower painted by over 26 artists. Most interesting to me was the women the memorial was created for, Lillie Coit. She was a very unique woman in the early 1900's she did not let gender constrain what she desired out of life. At times, it is said, she would even dress like a man if it meant she could get into a game of gambling when women were not allowed in the establishment. At the age of 15, Lillie fought her 1st fire. There was a fire on Telegraph Hill and she jumped right in to help! This sparked a passion which led her on a path to eventually being recognized as an honorary firefighter in San Francisco. This tower is 1 of 2 memorials for Lillie. The other memorial is of 3 firemen, 1 carrying a woman in his arms which is located in North Beach in Washington Square. Quite an interesting women.
It is interesting where breaking boundaries can potentially take you, with the right 'luck' ;-) or destiny perhaps... humm.
#ahphotog
The massive globular star cluster Omega Centauri has puzzled astronomers for decades. It should be filled with black holes left behind by exploding stars, yet evidence for them is scarce. Now, astronomers using archival data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and supportive observations from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have finally located their first stellar-mass black hole in this cluster. Discovering the first of this missing black hole population will help refine current theories on black hole formation within environments such as Omega Centauri.
Omega Centauri is composed of 10 million gravitationally bound stars. Though the astronomy community has previously found evidence with Hubble that an intermediate-mass black hole lurks at its centre, models suggest that this star cluster should contain about 10,000 smaller, stellar-mass black holes. This notable population of black holes has evaded detection in previous studies, which used the radial velocity method or looked for radio and X-ray emission from material falling onto the black holes.
A new discovery features a different approach, known as astrometry, to measure the very small movements of stars over time. By sifting through more than 20 years of Hubble archival data and pulling in recent Webb data to further refine the astrometric measurements, the team located a star orbiting an invisible object so hefty that it has to be a black hole. Dubbed oMEGACat BH-2, it is the first stellar-mass black hole detected within Omega Centauri, and it has some surprising qualities. oMEGACat BH-2 has a lower-than-expected mass and, with its visible star companion, the black hole-star duo has the longest orbital period of any black hole binary system known to date.
The team’s findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
“With the Hubble and Webb data, we were able to see the motion of the visible main sequence star that is part of this binary, which is about 18,000 light-years away in the dense environment of Omega Centauri,” said the paper’s lead author Matthew Whitaker of the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, in the United States. “The precision of these measurements is incredible, down to a fraction of a pixel on Hubble and Webb’s detectors. It would not have been possible to find this black hole without these two space telescopes.”
The team’s findings refine a past study by a different group of scientists suggesting that this binary system included a neutron star. By expanding the Hubble data analyzed so that it included astrometric measurements from 2002 to 2023, and pulling in Webb near-infrared data to improve precision, the University of Utah-led team was able to better constrain the mass of the visible star’s dark companion, ruling out the neutron star possibility.
“While we already knew that the star was 0.78 solar masses, we can now calculate the black hole’s mass, which is 4.46 solar masses and therefore too heavy to be a neutron star. However, its mass is actually much lower than would be expected in a metal-poor environment like Omega Centauri. This is surprising and exciting,” said Anil Seth of the University of Utah, a coauthor of the study. “We now know that a metal-poor star should be able to form a black hole like this, and we need to figure out how that happens. This detection is providing some data to those who do that kind of modeling.”
Long time coming
Based on the precise data from Hubble and Webb, the team could chart the star’s path over 20-plus years, which fortunately was during its closest approach to its black hole companion when it moved the fastest across the sky. From the extensive data, the team determined that the visible star orbits oMEGACat BH-2 once every 94 years, making it the longest period black hole binary ever known.
Its long orbital period also gives a clue to the origin of this binary system. It was probably dynamically formed, meaning the star and its black hole companion did not start out together but rather found each other in this cluster. The researchers calculated that a system like oMEGACat BH-2 will survive for less than a billion years before it is torn apart by encounters with nearby stars, much shorter than the age of the cluster (approximately 12 billion years old).
“It’s important to understand black hole populations in globular clusters because there’s uncertainty about their physics and formation,” said Seth. “More specifically, understanding the process of forming black holes and then dynamically forming binaries is vital, because it affects our ability to interpret and understand gravitational wave events. Environments like Omega Centauri are the primary places where we think binaries are merging and creating these waves.”
The team’s discovery of stellar-mass black hole oMEGACat BH-2 with the Hubble-Webb dataset is just the start of finding these evasive black hole populations in globular star clusters.
“This new discovery highlights the immense legacy value of the Hubble Space Telescope archive” said Maximilian Häberle, postdoctoral fellow at the European Southern Observatory, who led the data reduction for the Hubble and Webb data. “It marks the second breakthrough from our oMEGACat astrometric re-analysis, following the confirmation of the intermediate-mass black hole in Omega Centauri."
[Image description: Hubble image of globular star cluster Omega Centauri, which looks like a highly dense field of stars. Some appear a bit larger and brighter than others, with the majority of stars appearing blue, orange, and yellow. They are scattered mostly uniformly, like grains of sand. Toward the centre they gradually become closer, creating a more luminous area at the globular star cluster’s core. A small red square frame is near the centre. It connects to a square pullout in the top right corner, which shows the outlined area in greater detail. Among the blue- and orange-colored stars is a small blue-white dot that is highlighted by a small red circle.]
Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA, M. Häberle (MPIA), J. DePasquale (STScI); CC BY 4.0
For the first time, astronomers have used images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to identify a supernova progenitor that could not be seen by any other telescope: a red supergiant that was located in a nearby galaxy. The supergiant’s surroundings were surprisingly dusty - dusty enough to render it invisible to the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.
Forty million years ago, a star in a nearby galaxy exploded, spewing material across space and generating a brilliant beacon of light. That light traveled across the cosmos, reaching Earth on 29 June 2025, where it was detected by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae. Astronomers immediately turned their resources to this new supernova, designated 2025pht, to learn more about it. But one team of scientists instead turned to archives, seeking to use pre-supernova images to identify exactly which star among many had exploded. And they succeeded.
Images of galaxy NGC 1637 taken by the James Webb Space Telescope showed a single red supergiant star located exactly where the supernova now shines. This represents the first published detection of a supernova progenitor by Webb. The results were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
“We’ve been waiting for this to happen – for a supernova to explode in a galaxy that Webb had already observed. We combined Hubble and Webb data sets to completely characterize this star for the first time,” said lead author Charlie Kilpatrick of Northwestern University in the United States.
The case of the missing red supergiants
By carefully aligning Hubble and Webb images taken of NGC 1637, the team was able to identify the progenitor star in images taken by Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) and NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) in 2024. They found that the star appeared surprisingly red – an indication that it was surrounded by dust that blocked shorter, bluer wavelengths of light.
“It’s the reddest, most dusty red supergiant that we’ve seen explode as a supernova,” said graduate student and co-author Aswin Suresh of Northwestern University.
This excess of dust could help explain a long-standing problem in astronomy that could be described as the case of the missing red supergiants. Astronomers expect the most massive stars that explode as supernovas to also be the brightest and most luminous. So, they should be easy to identify in pre-supernova images. However, that hasn’t been the case.
One potential explanation is that the most massive aging stars are also the dustiest. If they’re surrounded by large quantities of dust, their light could be dimmed to the point of undetectability. The Webb observations of supernova 2025pht support that hypothesis.
“I’ve been arguing in favor of that interpretation, but even I didn’t expect to see it as extreme as it was for supernova 2025pht. It would explain why these more massive supergiants are missing because they tend to be more dusty,” said Kilpatrick.
Carbon “burps”
The team was not only surprised by the amount of dust, but also by its composition. Applying computer models to the Webb observations indicated that the dust is likely carbon-rich, when astronomers would have expected it to be more silicate-rich. The team speculates that this carbon might have been dredged up from the star’s interior shortly before it exploded.
“Having observations in the mid-infrared was key to constraining what kind of dust we were seeing,” added Suresh.
The team now is working to look for similar red supergiants that may explode as supernovas in the future.
[Image description: An image labeled “SN 2025pht in NGC 1637, Hubble WFC3 2024 + Webb NIRCam 2024”. The majority of the image shows a face-on spiral galaxy speckled with myriad blue and red stars. The yellowish core of the galaxy forms a fuzzy oval tilted to the upper right. About halfway from the core to the edge of the image at about 4 o’clock, a small region is outlined with a white box. A shaded, nearly transparent white triangle extends to a pullout at upper right labeled “before explosion”, with short lines forming a crosshair that points to a red star at the center. Below this are three more square images, all with crosshairs at the same location. 1) Hubble August 2024, with nothing visible in the crosshairs, 2) Webb October 2024, with a red star in the crosshairs, 3) Hubble July 2025, with a blue supernova in the crosshairs.]
Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, C. Kilpatrick (Northwestern), A. Suresh (Northwestern); Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI); CC BY 4.0
What is power? What exactly does it mean to be powerful? Power, or authority, is generally viewed as endemic to social beings, to humans. The nature of power can exist without coercion, keeping us safe and preventing riots and social instabilities, consequently making it legitimate in the social structures of society. Nevertheless, the nature of power also has the capability of creating evil, of constraining others, of being a force of pure domination. Power cannot be touched, it is not a physical entity and yet we cower from it, we hide from it, we obey it blindly. Power can, and will, corrupt if not exercised wisely. You see power can be created, it does not always have to be earned. For things like money can breed power. Influence can breed power. Looks can breed power and self glorification, illusion, can even breed power, and it is the people whom have acquired these things which we then allow to exercise dominance over us.
When power is striped from a figure of cultural dominance we either see them crumble under the loss, accept their fate as a fallen figure, or continue to stand, unmoving in the false impression of a supremacy to hold on to. It has been said that the most prevailing illusion created is that of power itself. Even in a world of chaos, where there is nothing left but ash, someone undoubtedly will stand up and claim it theirs. When a discussion of power takes place we must ask ourselves the fundamental question; who is it we should trust with such power?
“Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.” - Blaise Pascal
Copyright © 2013 Amy Morris. All Rights Reserved.
This is not a great test, not a good test and yet maybe not a bad test. Two Cameras, well let us try that again,
Two Cameras, both alike in dignity
(From fair Tokyo, where we see the scene),
From ancient art breaks to new potential,
Where civil demand makes civil hands create.
From forth the fatal lineage of these Two Cameras
A pair of star-crossed developments show;
Whose true adventured brings lasting glory
Doth with their marked differences show progress.
The fateful passage of their brand brings love
And continuance of the ways of photography,
Which, but these mechanical offspring live on,
Is now the two photographs focus stacked;
The which, if you with patient eyes attend,
That here is a miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
Please forgive me above is a quick transformation of THE PROLOGUE as delivered by Chorus at the very start of, “Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate’s Daughter,” oh no not the fictional working title of the play that needs a dog for the comedy, no not that from the 1998 film, “Shakespeare in Love,” rather it is from, “The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet,” or “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” or the shorter title that now in great esteem is, “Romeo and Juliet.” The use of Shakespeare here is to introduce a Camera Shoot-out Comparison as a High Noon Showdown which offers a quick think of, “Romeo and Juliet – The Western,”and links ideas of tropes and memes including those of Camera Reviews and Head to Head Tests.
The two cameras are further detailed below.
Camera 1 Horseman VH 6x9 Medium Format Technical Camera
Camera 2
Camera 3 both the above film cameras were then used to mount a modern digital camera.
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera, ILCE-7RM3, Sony Alpha A7R III ILCE7RM3.
The two lenses, marked as the same, but built years apart and they have small differences.
Newer Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
Older Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
A very good comparison could be entered into of these cameras and lenses. I took some pictures and focus stacked them. The first image included some errors so I thought of it as a Sick Rose. The second picture of the same Rose and lighting with a different perspective gives onlya little insight into a comparison. It has given me inspiration to create and share the following. I do not expect anyone to read through all this, I do hope that I can access it later on and that it might be the fuel to ignite further projects.
Everything has been put on hold to try to complete these images. I will find hydration and food soon. What follows was posted with corrections to Flickr on 02 / 09 / 2025. Today, 03 / 09 / 2025 I have the second image to share in three version. Yesterday was a focus stack of 8 photographs and today it is a focus stack of 7 photographs.
The nocturnal Invisible Worm cannot destroy the Crimson Bed of Joy. The Rose is The Rose and any visitation of either mortal malady, or momentous merriment is just the conditions, the ailments and the ebullience that make any Rose at anytime The Rose. Roses bloom and fade and become a part of the compost and the midden that fuels further burgeoning blossoms.
The redden crimson bed seems to be a target chosen by the Invisible Worm. Many roses last a season and are mulched back into the earth with their bright vibrant colours and deep rich heady perfumes being wondrous attractions and strong inspiration to those that will garden them in confined arrangements and to those that cut a bouquet, snip a corsages, trim out a boutonnière they are taking the flowering crowns to be pleasant for either the occasion, or the day and to those that take the heads to macerate them for perfume to all of those and those many, many more that draw and paint roses and make and wear them as garments and further still and more beyond to all those roses have a way in their display to bring a message of love and beauty in both sight and scent. The colour and fragrance, the blood the life force of The Rose can be the blood of adulthood that takes away the innocence of all of us delivering a new Rose with new adult perspective. William Blake in his views of delivered in Songs of Innocence and of Experience gives indications that the Innocence of Eden is lost to those that will not look for it and it is easily found by those that endeavour to cherish it, we are too easily deceived by the material engines working to constrain us into rigid life conventions allowing great harm to be delivered generation to generation as we stray from the goodly and godly way as he perceived it.
Having been a fan of William Blake and of wondering after and into his imaginings I have no wish to influence your own explorations. I believe that Blake saw society forming harsh rules and regulations that were to be mindlessly adhered to and also society was forming institutions that were to be revered with question. His notions of humans finding the path through creation to a return towards the Garden of Eden and of man building a world fulfilling his notions of humanity finding and following the intended ways of us as god’s creation.
I do not follow Blake’s visions as a guide to my life. His Poetry and his building of perception of divinity ready to receive us is not my way. The various enigmas in Blakian Divinity do lead me to Tokyo.
The Tōkyō Kōgaku Kikai K.K., (東京光学機械㈱, usually translated as Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd) are almost as much a source of research as is Blake. The Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN used here has had me looking at many records and returning more greatly confused than I had been before my pursuit of clarity about The TOPCON CORPORATION. Seiko
The 6x9cm Horseman Camera is stated as being introduced for Police use and then considered in further sales as a Press Camera. 120 film backs exist with several formats possible from 6x9cm, 6x8cm, 6x7cm, 6x6cm and 6x4.5cm. The 61mm wide 120 films can be held in light tight interchangeable backs each with their specific colour coded winding mechanism. The dark slide allows not just a change of emulsion from say either negative to positive, or monotone to colour and also a different frame format.
The 6x9cm camera back here held an adapter to connect to a Sony camera. The extension of the digital sensor from the position original film plane does bring issues especially for infinity focus. The small physical size of the digital sensor used here does open ideas of how much of the lens is being used and whether the digital sensor is testing the lens far beyond the original concept. I have ideas and answers that are still being challenged as I take more pictures.
Lens
Horseman Topcon Super ER 90mm f5.6 Seiko SLV Lens From JAPAN
Tokyo Kogaku, TOPCON CORPORATION, Topcor.
Tōkyō Kōgaku Kikai K.K., (東京光学機械㈱, usually translated as Tokyo Optical Company, Ltd).
Camera 1
Horseman VH 6x9cm Medium Format Technical Camera, also called a Field Camera, Press Camera and further. Some sellers list items relating to this camera as a Large Format Camera. There are Topcon Lenses for their own and other 35mm film cameras, for 6x9cm cameras and with larger image circles for other formats. The intended differences and imagined purposes do give character as well as technical constraints.
Camera 2
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera, ILCE-7RM3, Sony Alpha A7R III ILCE7RM3.
Edit
There are Eight images stacked here in Adobe Photoshop.
The mysteries of Blake and the histories of cameras have brought a focus on dead rose. It has become mummified of sorts and that links to many more mysteries. I am still looking for more details in life, in literature, in history, in manufacture and in expression. I am glad to be involved in the experience of life and happy to think that an Eden of share and of care might be available and we can wander towards a better life for us all. That should be the last statement made, but I am adding that an Eden with Camera Libraries would be welcome.
If this and links do not answer questions then that is where I am continuing on from. On to more pictures and some research. On to enlightenment, that is the way open to us.
Scratch enlightenment just for now, instead maybe on to further edits and to trying to keep up with updates.
© PHH Sykes 2025
phhsykes@gmail.com
The Sick Rose, William Blake
www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poem/sick-rose/
The Sick Rose by William Blake, Summary & Analysis
www.litcharts.com/poetry/william-blake/the-sick-rose
Sony α7R III 35mm full-frame camera with autofocus
ILCE-7RM3, Sony A7R III, Alpha, 7R III, ILCE-7RM3, ILCE7RM3,
www.sony.co.uk/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/i...
CAMERA REVIEW : HORSEMAN VH
www.bnphoto.org/bnphoto/LFN/CamProf_HorsemanVH.htm
Camera-Wiki, “Tōkyō Kōgaku, later Topcon...”
camera-wiki.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dky%C5%8D_K%C5%8Dgaku
Horseman VH-R PDF MANUAL
www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/horseman_vh-r.pdf
Horseman 985 – an earlier model
www.cameramanuals.org/prof_pdf/horseman_985.pdf
Horseman 980
camera-wiki.org/wiki/Horseman_980
Camera Collecting and Restoration, Seikosha.
The Seikosha is a high quality, Japanese made shutter used on many Japanese rangefinder and TLR cameras. Minolta, Mamiya and Ricoh cameras often use this shutter or one of its variants. Several versions of the Seikosha and Seiko shutters were made.
pheugo.com/cameras/index.php?page=seikosha
Mamiya, yes but informative of Seikosha shitters.
www.cameramanuals.org/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_seiko_shutter.pdf
Seiko #0 Shutter in Bronica Lenses
learncamerarepair.com/product.php?product=948
Romeo and Juliet
www.folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/romeo-and-julie...
Shakespeare in Love - From Wikipedia
www.khyber.org/places/2005/ZhobDistrict.shtml
Elevation: 7,500-10,000 feet
Area: 20,297 Sq Km
Zhob means oozing water, a reference perhaps to the spring which constitutes the source of Zhob River. Karez water can be seen everywhere when there is no drought situation. The Zhob district is located in the Balochistan Province in the north east of Pakistan. It lies close to the Afghanistan border. Zhob town is just east of Zhob river on an open plain. To the north is a ridge, about 150 ft high, on which is a castle from the time when the British colonized the area. In the winter, the weather is cold and the snow is normal. In the summer, although the temperature can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, there is little moisture, so it is not uncomfortable.
Zhob is a picturesque valley known for its beautiful mountains, treks and archeological sites. It starts from the Muslim Bagh (7500 feet) and ends at the Afghan border at Fort Sandeman (10000 feet). It expands to beautiful, breathtaking views throughout the valley. With an abundance of fruit orchards there is one dangerous little thing found amongst them, and that is the scorpion. In the month of April the flowers bloom and you'll be able to see an extraordinary site with flowers and snow together.
History:
The tribes inhabiting the area are indigenous to the land. Zhob is the cradle of the Afghan race. Qais Abdul Rashid, who is believed to be one of the progenitors of the Pashtoons or Afghans, lived in the Suleiman mountains near Zhob. He was born in 575 AD and died in 661 AD. Natives call the place where he is buried "Da Kase Ghar" (the mountain of Qais). He is buried near the Takht-e-Suleiman. The Chinese pilgrim Hiven Tsiang who visited India in 629 AD, described the Afghans as living in Zhob.
The inhabitants of Zhob valley gave tough resistance to Mehmood Ghazni, when he initiated his raids on India. Later, however they joined ranks with him. Subsequently the area came under the rule of Nadir Shah from 1736 to 1747 and later Ahmed Shah Abdali from 1747 to 1773. Zhob remained under the rule of Durranis and Barakzais till British captured it. Preceding this event was a period of fifty years of anarchy when Zhob was dubbed as 'Yaghistan" or the land of the rebels. A number of areas now in Zhob, Killa Saifullah, and Pishin districts were ceded to British India after signing of Durand Treaty in 1893. They soon became a district
Sir Robert Sandeman, the first Agent to the governor General in Balochistan occupied Zhob in 1889 extending his forward policy to the region with the subjugation of the tribes inhabiting the Suleman range and occupation and control of numerous passes through it to the south. He also secured the great Gomal pass and the carvanic routes to Ghazani and Kandhar. Captain Mac Ivor had been appointed the first political agent in Zhob with formation as the Political Agency in 1890. Zhob district is the second oldest existing district of Balochistan, after Quetta.
Zhob was formed as a Political Ageny under the British rule in 1890. The district and its town acquired the name of Zhob in 1975. Previously, it was known as Fort Sandeman after Sir Robert Sandeman; who was then Political Agent to the Governor General in Balochistan. It was Sir Robert Sandeman who extended British Rule into this region. The name was changed on July 30 1976 by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan; Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. The hand written remarks inserted by him into the visitors book; preserved at the Zhob Militia Mess, says "Today we have taken a decision to eliminate the last vestige of colonialism in this historical place by changing the name to Zhob instead of Sandeman; the British conqueror and oppressor of Pathan and Baloch people and of the country." Traditionally, Fort Sandeman was called Appozai, named after a village situated two kilometres away.
Geography:
The district lies between 30 30 to 32 05 north latitudes and 67 26 to 70 00 east longitudes. It is bounded on the north by Afghanistan and South Waziristan agency of FATA, on the east by the tribal area adjoining Dera Ismail Khan district of NWFP and Musakhel district, on the south and south-west by Loralai and Killa Saifullah districts. Total area of district is 20297 square kilometers.
The district has an important geo-strategic location. It links Afghanistan, South Waziristan Agency, D.I.Khan district, Killa Saifullah, Loralai, and MusaKhel.
Topographically, the district is covered with mountains and hills intersected by the broad valley of Zhob and its tributaries. The Toba Kakar range covers the western half of the district extending from the boundary of Afghanistan up to the Zhob River. The Suleman range locally called as the Kasi Ghar lies on the eastern boundary of the district. The famous Takht-e-Sulaiman or Solomon's Throne is the highest peak of this range. It is about 3441 meters above sea level and located just outside the boundary. The Sindh Ghar, Tor Ghar and Sur Ghar ranges are also situated in the eastern side of the district. The two mountainous regions are of different character. The great part of the district, beyond the left bank of the Zhob, consists almost entirely beyond the district boundary. The general elevation of the district is 1500 to 3000 meters (7,500-10,000 feet)
On the south of Zhob valley, a succession of parallel ridges running from north-east to south-west divide the drainage of the Zhob from that of the Bori valley in the Loralai district.
RIVERS AND STREAMS
The two principal drainage channels of the district are the Zhob and the Kundar Rivers, both flow into the Gomal River. The Zhob river has a total length of about 410 kilometres. Zhob River is the only river in the country that follows a north eastern course. It springs from the Kan Metarzai range (Tsari Mehtarazai Pass), passes about 4 kilometre from Zhob city and finally flows into the Gomal river near Khajuri Kach. The broad plain of the Zhob River is occupied by the alluvial formation. The Kundar River rises from the central and highest point of the Toba Kakar range, a few kilometers northeast of the Sakir. It constitutes boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan territory for a considerable length.
The other subsidiary rivers or streams are the Baskan, Chukhan, Sri Toi, Sawar, Surab, etc.
CLIMATE
The climate of the district is hot and dry in summer and cold in winter. June is the hottest month with mean maximum and minimum temperature of about 37C and 23C respectively. January is the coldest month with mean maximum and minimum temperature of about 13C and -1C degree respectively. The dust storms occur in summer from July to September accompanied by thunderstorms. In winters the wind blows from the west and is very cold. The winds from the Southwest and east are also common, the later invariably brings rain. The wind from the north occasionally blows during September to April bring drought and damage standing crops. Rainfall is scanty and varies with the altitude. Most of the rainfall is received during winter seasons.
Flora & Fauna:
Principal trees and plants found in Zhob district are wild olive (shinay), pistachio, chilgoza or edible pine and wild almond in ghigh lands. Other trees include willow, tamarisk (along the beds of streams) pastawana (grewia oppositifolio) and spalnai (calotropis gigantea).
Wild animals are wolves, jackals, hyenas, foxes, deer, and porcupines. Leopards and black bear are occasionally found in the high hills in Suleman range. Wild pigs are seen along Zhob river while straight horned markhors, wild goats, are present in moderate numbers in Shinghar mountains. Among the game bird chakor, partridge and pigeon are numerous i n higher altitudes, Sand grouse, quails, and bustard are found in plains. Other birds are doves, hoopoe, starlings and vegetals, Jay black birds, wood pigeons, cuckoos and thrush live in high ranges while wild duck and pelican are seen along the Zhob river in winter. Snake and scorpion are common every where in Zhob. Fish (Mahsir) are found in every running stream and in Zhob river some of which weigh up to 8 pounds.
Agriculture
Most part the area is hilly and barren with every limited water resources for agriculture purposes. However, during recent years tube wells have become quite abundant with the result that agricultural activity has registered a rise and a total of 36170 acre of land is under cultivation in the district. Sowing and harvesting are still largely carried out in traditional manner but the use of agricultural machinery is increasing day by day. However, there is very little scope for a radical increase in the area under cultivation as the area is mostly "Barani". There are two cropping seasons, Kharif and Rabi. Rabi crops are sown between October and mid February and harvested in June. Kharif crops are sown from April to July and harvested by the end of October.
Forestry
The district has big potential for social and natural forestry and vegetation cover in the district is quite extensive. There are two forest reserves in the district. The total area under forest cover (including social forest) is around 10,010 hectares. Commercial forestry in the district is for the production of pine nut and timber. The pine- nut forests are very profitable. Commercial forestry or cutting of timber for commercial purposes exists in Sherani sub-division.
Horticulture
Grapes are grown in abundance on the foothills of the mountains. Other is almond, apricot and apple.
Livestock
Livestock raising is an important source of livelihood for the rural population and this has a great potential. There are four veterinary hospitals in the district, with 57 veterinary dispensaries. There is also one Artificial Insemination Center (A.I) and one Disease Investigation Laboratory (D.I.L).
Irrigation
Only 16,206 acres of land is irrigated throughout the district. Majority of the area in the district is irrigated by springs. The following forms of irrigation are found in the district:
•Perennial Irrigation Schemes - 35
•Flood Irrigation Schemes - 10
•Delay Action Dam/Storage Dam - 5
•Flood Protection Schemes - 6
Political Parties in Zhob
Two political parties play an active role in the district. They are Jamiat-e-Ullemah Islam (JUI) and Pakhtoon Milli Awami Party (PKMAP). However, the JUI is a stronger political group than the PKMAP. It is more disciplined and organised on ideological grounds. Since its establishment in 1947, the Pakistan Muslim League received only little support in Zhob district. However, since 1988, support for the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) has increased, after its candidate Jaffar Khan Mandokhel started winning election. Still he is supported for tribal (Mandokhel) than for party-political reasons.
There are two Senators from the Zhob district, Zariff Khan Mandokhel and Subedar Khan Mandokhel; both are members of the PML-Nawaz. Previously there was another Senator, Rahim Khan Mandokhel from PKMAP, but he resigned after his election to the Provincial Assembly.
Trade & Industries
Trade and trading activity in the district is largely in the informal sector because of proximity with Afghanistan. Regular formal trade is relatively limited and mostly confined to consumable items.
Apart from two flourmills located in Zhob town, no industry worth the name exist in the district.
Communication:
Zhob is linked by air with major cities of the country. A fokker flight operate from Quetta linking Zhob with Multan, Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar and Islamabad. Zhob is 320kilometers from Quetta, 225 kilometer from Dera Ismail Khan. However, the road linking with Dera Ismail Khan is for most part a dirt track passing through water streams and only 48 kilometers is metalloid.
The poor condition of the road acts as a deterrent for an increase in inter-provincial transportation and commercial exploitation of the route. The narrow railway linking Quetta with Zhob became moribund in 1984 and the service is no longer available. While it functioned, the railway was a romantic reminder of yesteryears highest railway-station of the country, enroute namely Kan Mehtarzai (altitude 2800 meters). The total length of the track of the track was 295 kilometers with 11 railway stations on the way.
A radio station is functioning at Zhob, broadcast from which are widely listened to in the district to in the district. In the urban television sets are common. The signal is transmitted from the booster located at Loralai. The use of dish antennas is also growing.
Zhob is linked through the Nation Wide Dialing system to the country and other telecommunication facilities such fax and telegraph are also available.
Postal service in Zhob is based on departmental arrangements. There are three departmental post offices at Zhob City, Zhob GPO and Qamardin Karez respectively. There are nine extra-departmental branches one each at Killi Appozai, Killi Ibrahim Khel, Kili Gohar Appozai, Killi Lowara, Mani Kwa, Mir Ali Khel, Sambaza, Shinghar and Sharan Jogezai.
Ethnicity and Tribes
The district is inhabited by Mandokhels, Kakars, Sheranis, Haripals, Babars, Lawoons, Khosty and Syeds. Sulemankhels, Nasars, Kharots, and other tribes of Afghan origin are also present.
RELIGION
The population of the district is almost Muslim. They constitute 99.43 percent of the total population, with a breakup of 99.67 percent in rural and 98.15 percent in urban areas.The absolute majority of the muslims living in Zhob district belongs to the Sunni sect of Islam. A very small number of Shia people lives in the district. There are Syeds living in the district but they belong to Sunni sect as well. There is no "Imam Bara" found in the district. The two major festivals are Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. They are occasions of great jubilation and joy. Other festivals are "Eid-Miladuld Nabi, and Sab-e-Barat". During these festivals alms are given to the poor and relatives give each other presents.
The population of Zhob district are religiously very conservative and strict. There is large attendance in mosques, routine prayers, and religious observance. The performing of "Hajj" (pilgrimage to Mecca) is common. Also poor people have performed Hajj. During the Ramzan, the observance of fasting is generally very strict.
The role of the "Mullah" (religious leader) is very important in the performance of rituals. The role of Mullahs is still strong in rural areas where literacy is low. A Mullah is respected for being the leader in prayers, profound knowledge of the Quran and performing rituals. Sick persons visit him to be healed.
There are very few Christians, Hindu, Qadiani/Ahmadi, Scheduled Caste and other communities which are only 0.58 percent of the total population. The district used to have a huge Hindu population, but since partition of the sub-continent most of them have migrated. The Hindu population left behind is not seen celebrating "Diwali" and "Holi".
MOTHER TONGUE
The predominant mother tongue of the population of the district is Pushto which is spoken by 96.82 percent of the total population followed by Saraki at 1.27 percent. The proportion of the population speaking Pushto is higher in rural areas at 99.65 percent as compared to 81.93 percent in urban areas. In contrast the proportion of Saraiki is higher in urban areas at 7.71 percent in comparison to that in rural areas at 0.05 percent. The proportion of the population speaking Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Balochi and others is 1.91 percent.
Culture & Traditions:
The dominating life style is still nomadic. Scattered mud huts exist for seasonal habitation; summer is spent in highlands and winter in lower plains for feeding cattle in tribal reserved pastures. The people are deeply religious and their lives are marked by strict adherence to tribal norms and values.There are two major channels for conflict resolution in the district: namely the traditional/tribal and the government/ institutional. The traditional/tribal channel however has proved more effective than the latter. In the past jirga system operated in the region which was the traditional system where by tribal elders sat together to settle disputes and mete out justice to offenders. The system stands annulled by a decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1991. The government however, still forms informal jirgas (comprising of notables from the tribes) for conflict resolution, as they have proven to be very effective.
A high order of social cooperation exists among the people both on occasions of happiness and sorrow. In case of death of a relative neighbor or friend, food is supplied to the deceased's household for two to three days.
Majority of the people living in Zhob district belongs to the Sunni sect of Islam with a marginal number of people belonging to the Shia sect of Islam.
There are two major channels for conflict resolution in the district namely the traditional/tribal and the government/institutional. The traditional /tribal channel however, has proved more effective than the latter. In the past the jirga system operate in the region which was proved more effective than the latter. In the Past the Jirga system operated in the region which was the traditional system where by tribal elders sat together to settle disputes and mete out justice to offenders. The system stands annulled by a decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 1991. The Government however, still forms informal jirgas (comprising notable's etc) for conflict resolution, as they have proven to be very effective.
Food
Majority of the people have two meals daily, one in the morning and other at sunset. Only well-to-do families have a third meal. An average meal consists of nan, locally called "marai" with pulses, vegetables/meat broth and butter milk (lassi). Consumption of landhi, or dried meat is common during winters. Sheep are specially fattened so that they may be more suitible for preparing "landhi"
Dress And Ornaments
The majority of the male population wears shalwar kameez and a turban to cover their heads both in summer and in winter with a chadder (piece of cloth) slung across the shoulders. The women wear a wrapper and a long shirt reaching to the knees. Women belonging to the middle and upper classes dress in the manner of other urban women in the province and also wear gold ornaments.
Marriages in Zhob
The marriage system is more or less the same for all tribes living in the district. Marriage is regarded as an important institution. The age for a man to marry is from 20 to 25 years. Women are 13 to 18 years old when they marry. The majority of marriages is pre-arranged and the bride and groom often come from the same family. Marriages within the family with first or second (paternal/maternal) cousins are common. The marriage is settled by the families of the bride and bride-groom. Compared to women, men have a bigger say in the selection of their brides than women have in the selection of their future husbands. Yet the mutual families play the biggest role. Polygamy is practised. A large number of men has two wives. Hardly any man has three or four wives. When the husband dies, the wife has little chance of remarrying. When the wife dies, the husband easily marries again, no matter how many children he has. Through a girl is valuable asset in an Afghanistan family by virtue of the bride price that she fetches yet no joy attends her birth while the birth of a baby boy is celebrated in a joyous manner with the offering of shots in the air.
The system of vulvar (bride-price) is widely practised in the district. Money is paid by the groom for a proposal to the guardians/parents of the girl. The amount varies from case to case. In case of close family marriages, the amount may be smaller or waived completely. The payment of vulvar is imputed at the time a proposal of marriage is made. There are no fixed rules about the amount of vulvar. The amount of vulvar may be paid by the bridegroom, his parents/guardians or relatives. The demanded price is usually raised when a proposal is repeated to the bride's side or when the one proposed to is very beautiful; or when the man proposing is very rich and already married.
The centuries old system of exchanging girls for marriage is commonly practised. It is called "tsarai". The system is strongly practised in semi-nomadic and the lower classes of society. In tsarai, a girl is married to a man in exchange for a bride for her brother. The system brings down marriage expenses as no vulvar has to be paid. Under the system girls are left with no choice. They are not asked for their consent. After their daughters are married, parents become almost indifferent towards their future welfare. The newly wedded wives remain at the mercy of their husband and in-laws. It is observed that under an exchange system of marriages, retaliation may be shown by the husband's side against his wife in case his sister is not happy with his wife's brother. A second marriage on the side may result in marriage break-up or ill treatment of the wife.
The major expenses involved in marriages, other than vulvar, are the arrangement of the wedding and the purchase of jewellery and dresses. Gifts are given by relatives and friends to bride and bride-groom. The bride is wearing a typical red bridal dress designed for the occasion, with her hands and feet dyed red with henna. In Zhob district, where society is close, a man marrying outside the family under an arranged marriage is not allowed to see his bride before the wedding night. Marriage proposals, vulvar arrangements are verbal agreements. Though nothing is on paper, they are respected by and large.
A marriage is regarded as a way to strengthen tribal or family relations. Marriages can be used to settle tribal or family disputes. Refusal of a marriage if proposed may result in the weakening of a family relationship. However, the spread of education and literacy are mitigating this kind of considerations. The educated class of Zhob society is less rigid in the following of traditional rules, though they are not totally free from them.
Role of Women Zhob
The entire society of Zhob district is male and tribally dominated. Men decide on politics and the fate of the family and tribe. Therefore, they assume a predominant role in both the community and family decision making. The rate of literacy amongst women is very low. Because of illiteracy and unawareness, women enjoy fewer civil amenities and fundamental rights. Human rights of women are frequently violated without any report.
Politically women are without any say. The women's seats of the Union Councils are filled, but they do not participate in meetings. Female participation in elections has increased since 1985. Previously, women were discouraged to vote.
Women play a minor role in decision-making, but they play an important role in the household and agricultural affairs of the district. Though a woman shares the economic burden of the family as she contributes to the household and productive work outside the house in fields, nonetheless, her household work is not considered an economic contribution, and seldom credit is given to her by husband or elders for her significant contribution to the family and society.
In rural areas, women are commonly observed to be involved in looking after horses, camels and sheep, assisting in cultivation and doing traditional embroidery work. Society constrains them to remain illiterate and to endure problems related to polygamy, vulvar and a generally low social status. In case of polygamy, the first wife's opinion is not considered when a man wants to marry a second wife. A change in the women's status is observed in areas with more female literacy. Educated women have more influence in decision making and have more authority. Interest in female education is rising, but there are not enough schools.
Cases of Siakari, or adultery, are very rarely reported. Because of the tribalism and Pashtoon code of honour, such an incident if happens is not reported. A number of females found suspected of having illegal relationship are believed to have been put to death (by shooting or beheading) without being reported officially. The man she was involved with may be killed as well. The discussion of the act is regarded as taboo.
Arms in Zhob
The population possess a large number of weapons. According to the Political Agent office report, both traditional and advanced weapons have been used in different situations. They include traditional rifles and 12-bore shot-guns, and advanced weapons. The use of rocket launchers and mortar gun has been reported as well.
In the tribal "B" area, the role of the police is limited. It is easy to obtain a licence for small arms, but there are many unlicensed arms in the district, particularly amongst tribes living close to the borders where many arms are smuggled in from Afghanistan. The frontier towns are believed to have stored arms and ammunition for supply into Pakistan during the Afghan revolution (1979 to 1994). The frontier town Kamardin Karez, at a distance of 224 kilometres from Zhob, had a famous arms market where one could buy a variety of arms including rocket launchers.
Housing in Zhob
Houses in the district are mostly solid buildings of stone-blocks and mud. In both urban and rural areas, the use of the stone is very frequent in the construction of houses. They are coated with thick mud. Well-off people coat their houses with cement or concrete. The use of clay bricks and baked bricks is common in the construction of houses in Zhob city and some other areas. The use of clay bricks is common for roofs, boundary walls and barns. The majority of the houses has roofs made of tin or iron, which are curved because of the snow fall in winter. The construction of double storey buildings is uncommon. There are a few in Zhob city. In rural areas a courtyard may enclose a number of the houses, both for reasons of safety and social affinity.
The housing characteristics are more or less similar all over the district. The houses are knit together in villages which may comprise few or many houses. Seventy-five percent of the houses in rural areas are without latrine and bath-room. Eighty-five percent of all houses in the district is without proper drainage, human waste disposal arrangements and sewerage system. However, because of the mountains and hills, the absence of drainage does not cause sewerage problems.
Eighty percent of the houses in the district are owned. The ratio of rented houses other than in Zhob city is 5 to 8 percent. The rest of the houses is let to tenants. The ratio of rented houses in the district is higher in Zhob city. In Zhob city, the ratio of rented houses is 35 to 40 percent, because of the large number of army, FC, and government officers.
In Zhob city and the surrounding area there are buildings constructed during the British period. In Zhob city the British built a huge airforce/military garrison, the Zhob Militia Mess and residences for Political Agent and Assistant Political Agents. Most of them were built during the period 1893 to 1910. Buildings which are important from an historical point of view are the Political Agent's Official residence known as "The Castle" and the Zhob Militia Mess the centennial of which was celebrated in 1989. All VIPs to Zhob can, if desired, stay overnight in one of these two buildings. There are a number of officers' bungalows, now under the occupation of army officers, situated on the VIP lane which are 80 to 100 years old. The APA house is also very old and nowadays accommodates the Assistant Commissioner.
At Shinghar, at a distance of 82 km from Zhob, at the height of 2850 metres above sea level, are a number of huts which were used by British officers. The place was the summer camp for the British Political Agent, the Assistant Political Agent, the Commandant Zhob militia, and other few officers. Arrangements were made for the pumping of water and transportation. The site is now abandoned because the present Pakistani district administrators do not seem to show the least of interest in the place. It appears a ghost town where occasionally people go for an adventurous over-night stay or a picnic.
A number of forts exist in the surrounding of the district which were built by the British for the deployment of militia troops. Some of them are abandoned and have collapsed. Others are in use by the Frontier Corps and Levy. The important ones are at Mir Ali Khel, Dana Sher and Mughalkot. There is one in Qamardin Kariz under the use of FC.
Construction Material Used in Housing:
As mentioned earlier, the houses in the district are made of stone, clay and baked bricks with thick clay or mud topping and iron or steel roofing. Doors, windows and ventilators are made of wood. Iron grills are rare. Most houses have a room with a ventilator. The use of cement is not common. It is mostly found in case of government buildings and upper class people housing. There are a number of houses which are over 100 years old. The height of the houses is usually not more than 3 metres.
Sources of Energy
Twenty-five percent of the area of the district is electrified. Gas is not available in the district except in cylinders by those who can afford buying them. For industrial and mechanical/agricultural purpose, the use of electricity is the only source. For the purpose of cooking and heating electricity, dung-cake and wood are used. The use of coal for heating is less common after the railway service was abandoned. In winter time, the rural population has difficulty finding sources of energy for heating. Therefore, they start storing wood in summer.
Drinking Water and Sanitation
The major source of drinking water in the district is spring water. The drinking water in urban area of Zhob is supplied through gravity source by storage tanks. There are six reservoirs with each 120,000 gallon capacity. There is no regular sanitation system except in Zhob city which is however not properly maintained. As mentioned, because of the hilly slop and lack of mud, the rain water is soon absorbed.
Places to See:
Zhob Town
Zhob situated at a distance of 320 kilometers from Quetta was previously called Fort Sandeman. It still contains relics that harkens back to its grand past, one is the Zhob Militia mess and the other is the officials residence of Political Agent, Zhob known as the "castle". The British cemetery at Zhob, which was another reminder of the "Raj", has been vandalized and lies in ruins.
Muslim Bagh
Muslim Bagh is the center of Chromate Mines and is located 96 kilometers north east of Quetta. Coming to Muslim Bagh and not visiting the chromate mines is a waste of a tour. The Muslim Bagh is known as an Oasis of Orchards. Yet another place to see in Muslim Bagh is Asia's highest Railway Station Kanmehtarzai Pass, which is on the road that connects Fort Sandeman with Bostan.
Qilla Saifullah
Qila Saifullah is the seat of the famous Jogezai family located on the ancient Carvan routes. It is famous for its Apples, Pistachio Nuts, and some beautiful scenery spots. Its community is known to be the earliest agricultural community in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent, which flourished at the beginning of 3000 BC. The climate here is heavy, but enthrallingly seductive for adventure travellers!
Fort Sandeman
Fort Sandeman is at the Afghan-Pakistan border and is sorrounded with beautiful scenery. Sheen Ghar (Green Mountain) at this height is covered with Pine forests and is the best area in the valley to shoot Chakor.
Shrines
There are two well-known shrines in the district. They are of Hazrat Nazar Nika at six km from Zhob and Hazrat Khostoo Baba 100 km from Zhob in the direction of Waziristan. Two other shrines are Zakoo Nika near Zhob and Palwand Baba in the Mughalkot area. Visits to shrines is not common in Zhob. There are no shrines in the district where regular "urs" (annual celebrations) are observed.
The tomb of Qais Rashid on the top of Suleiman mountain is also a place to visit. However, as the mountain is steep and high, visits are difficult to make. People who reach the top take goats for sacrifice for the fulfilment of their desires and for the sake of the saint.
Historical And Archeological Sites
A number of mounds, ruins, and caves dot the expanse of the district, which have historical and archeological importance. The general consensus among most experts is that they belong to the Mughal period.
The region is rife with many legends. One legend relates that on their way back to Palestine, Prophet Suleman was requested by his newly wed Indian bride who was a princess that she be allowed to take a last look at her ancestral land India and Soloman Landed his "takht" or flying throne on the mountains.
Paryano Ghundi
Paryan-o-Ghundi, which means a hill of fairies, is at two miles distance to the west of Zhob town. It was excavated by Sir Aural Syien in 1924. It was visited in 1950 by Fair resemblance with that found in Harapa. Unfortunately, the mound has been completely destroyed by the local people.
Rana Ghundi
Rana Ghundi is an archeological site having mounds from which remains of a culture have been found with affinities spread to the Hisar culture of North East Iran dating back to 3500 BC. Red Pottery has also been found, which is estimated to belong to a period earlier than the Indus valley civilization.
Occupations
Animal husbandry, small-scale farming and Government service are the major occupations. The Mandokkhels are an enterprising lot who dominate the realm of Government contractor-ship in Balochistan and as far away as Karachi and Islamabad, while numerous members of the Shirani tribe are serving in the Gulf countries, mostly as laborers.
Population Size and Growth
The population of Zhob district is 275.14 thousands in 1998 as compared to 213.29 thousands in 1981 recording an increase of 29.00 percent over the last 17 years i.e. 1981-98. The increase of 113.50 and 99.36 percent was observed during intercensal period 1972-81 (8.46 years) and 1961-72 (11.67 years) respectively. Overall the population of the district has increased rapidly showing substantial increase of 449.07 percent during the last 37 years i.e. 1961-98 which is five and a half times.
The total are of the district is 20297 square kilometers having population density 13.6 persons per square per square kilometer in March 1998.
Rural/Urban Distribution
The rural population of the district is 231.30 thousands constituting 84.07 percent of the total population. The average annual growth rate of rural population during 1981-98 is 1.44 percent which was 9.74 and 5.96 percents during 1972-81 and 1961-72 respectively. The urban population of the district is 43.84 thousands constituting 15.93 percent of the total population. The average annual growth rate of the urban population during 1981-98 is 1.88 percent which was 7.52 and 6.76 percent during 1972-81 and 1961-72 respectively
Literacy
A person was treated as literate in the 1998 census if he could read a newspaper and write a simple letter in any language. The literacy ration of the district among the population aged 10 years and above is 16.78 percent, 47.84 percent for urban areas, and 10.40 percent for rural areas.The literacy ratio of the district among the population aged 10 years and above is 16.78 percent, 47.84 percent is urban areas and 10.40 percent in rural areas. The male literacy ratio is 24.53 percent compared to 6.90 percent for female.
Education Attainment
During the 1990s, the enrollment of children in schools nearly doubled in the Zhob district. For boys, it went from 15136 in 1993 to 21841 in 1997. For girls, it more than doubled, from 3046 in 1993 to 6789 in 1997. A large variation exists in the ratio of educated persons by sex and area. The percentage of educated males is 23.72 percent and of females, 6.33 percent. It is 47.65 percent for urban areas as against 9.58 for rural areas.
Immunization
53.34 percent of the children under 10 years of age have been reported as vaccinated, while 21.01 percent have been reported as not vaccinated, leaving the rest 25.65 as not known.
Zhob in Comparison to Rest of Balochistan
The main objective of the series of District Profiles is to provide information on a wide range of sectors and subjects for each of the 26 districts in Balochistan. The result however creates the possibility to compare the districts among themselves and to compare the situation in each of them with the situation in Balochistan as a whole. To introduce this perspective, 32 indicators have been selected on which this comparison can take place. These indicators, and others, can be found on the following two pages. Each district can be ranked on each of the indicators. The relative position of Zhob district is reflected in the diagram on the third page. The diagram gives a bottom-up ranking: position nr.1 means the lowest score on that particular indicator, while position nr.26 implies the highest score.
An overall ranking of districts is not given, because that would mean attaching as certain weight to each of the indicators.
As far as Zhob district is concerned, the following observations can be made.
•With its 16,520 square kilometer, Zhob is about 3,000 square kilometer bigger than the average size of districts in Balochistan; the size of the area gives the district position nr.20, while the population (projected to be 344,122) puts it one position lower. The density of population is the same as the density for the whole of the province.
•The quantity of fruit production is comparatively high (fifth highest in the province), while the overall agricultural production puts the district in the middle category. The agricultural production value per hectare is the third highest, which might indicate a reasonably favourable productivity.
•Zhob district scores relatively high as far as the number of livestock units is concerned; it takes however a fairly low position in the ranking on pasture area and available pasture area per livestock unit. This would suggest that expansion of the livestock sector is only feasible through more intensive methods of production. The current value of livestock off-take per capita puts the district in the upper half of the ranking.
•The enrolment figures in primary education for both boys and girls belong to the middle category (position nr.13 and 10 respectively); while the pupils/teacher ratio is on the high side compared to the other districts (position nr.21 for boys and nr.17 for girls).
•All of the four health indicators fall in the middle category of rankings with the lowest score for the population per doctor ratio (position nr.9), although the number of population per bed is nearly twice the average in the province as a whole.
•Although exact figures on the coverage of water supply are not available, the impression is that also on this indicator the district takes a position in the middle.
•The density of metalled roads (length of road per square kilometer) is about 50% higher than the average in the province and gives Zhob district position nr.16. The situation with regard to shingle roads is less favourable: position nr.9 and a density which is 20% lower than the provincial average.
THIS SHORE LIGHTHOUSE GUARDS THE EAST SIDE OF THE ENTRANCE TO LOCH RYAN FROM A POINT JUST SOUTH EAST OF IT. IT STANDS ON CAIRN POINT WHICH PROJECTS INTO LOCH RYAN FROM A NARROW SHELF IN FRONT OF THE MAIN (A77) ROAD; A SOLID PORTION ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE LANTERN CONSTRAINS THE LIGHT TO SEAWARD. THE LIGHTHOUSE WAS BUILT BY ALAN STEVENSON AND FIRST LIT IN 1847. IT WAS CONVERTED TO OIL BURNING IN 1847, AND AUTOMATED (ELECTRIFIED AND MADE 'UNATTENDED') IN 1964.
Self-isolation for an extended time places constrains on us as photographers. Painters can continue to paint whatever their imagination can conjure, but we photographers have to find things to photograph in the confined space we now live in. For years, I was saying that my imagination is my Iceland, my African Safari, my Antelope Canyon - you get the idea. Now I am constrained in terms of where me and my camera can go and so this is the put up or shut up time. I am now building up a series (code name Covid-19) that is shot exclusively from within my apartment building (mostly my apartment). Please consider looking at all images in the series and tell me what you think.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is sometimes considered a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually identified as a completely separate body of water.
The name Mediterranean is derived from the Latin mediterraneus, meaning "inland" or "in the middle of the land" (from medius, "middle" and terra, "land"). It covers an approximate area of 2.5 million km² (965,000 sq mi), but its connection to the Atlantic (the Strait of Gibraltar) is only 14 km (8.7 mi) wide. In oceanography, it is sometimes called the Eurafrican Mediterranean Sea or the European Mediterranean Sea to distinguish it from mediterranean seas elsewhere.[3][4]
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea.
It was an important route for merchants and travellers of ancient times that allowed for trade and cultural exchange between emergent peoples of the region. The history of the Mediterranean region is crucial to understanding the origins and development of many modern societies.
Name
The term Mediterranean derives from the Latin word mediterraneus, meaning "in the middle of earth" or "between lands" (medi-; adj. medius, -um -a "middle, between" + terra f., "land, earth"): as it is between the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe. The Greek name Mesogeios (Μεσόγειος), is similarly from μέσο, "middle" + γη, "land, earth").[5]
The Mediterranean Sea has historically had several names. For example the Romans commonly called it Mare Nostrum (Latin, "Our Sea"), and occasionally Mare Internum (Sallust, Jug. 17).
In the Bible, it was primarily known as הים הגדול (HaYam HaGadol), the "Great Sea", (Num. 34:6,7; Josh. 1:4, 9:1, 15:47; Ezek. 47:10,15,20), or simply "The Sea" (1 Kings 5:9; comp. 1 Macc. 14:34, 15:11); however, it has also been called the "Hinder Sea", due to its location on the west coast of the Holy Land, and therefore behind a person facing the east, sometimes translated as "Western Sea", (Deut. 11:24; Joel 2:20). Another name was the "Sea of the Philistines" (Exod. 23:31), from the people occupying a large portion of its shores near the Israelites.
In Modern Hebrew, it has been called HaYam HaTikhon (הַיָּם הַתִּיכוֹן), "the Middle Sea", reflecting the Sea's name in ancient Greek (Mesogeios), Latin (Mare internum) and modern languages in both Europe and the Middle East (Mediterranean, etc.). Similarly, in Modern Arabic, it is known as al-Baḥr [al-Abyaḍ] al-Mutawassiṭ (البحر [الأبيض] المتوسط), "the [White] Medium Sea", while in Islamic and older Arabic literature, it was referenced as Baḥr al-Rūm (بحر الروم), or "the Roman/Byzantine Sea." In Turkish, it is known as Akdeniz,[6] "the White Sea" since among Turks the white color (ak) represents the west.
History
Several ancient civilizations were located around its shores; thus it has had a major influence on those cultures. It provided routes for trade, colonization and war, and provided food (by fishing and the gathering of other seafood) for numerous communities throughout the ages.[7]
The sharing of similar climate, geology and access to a common sea led to numerous historical and cultural connections between the ancient and modern societies around the Mediterranean.
Two of the most notable Mediterranean civilizations in classical antiquity were the Greek city states and the Phoenicians. When[citation needed] Augustus founded the Roman Empire, the Mediterranean Sea began to be called Mare Nostrum (literally:"Our Sea") by the Romans.
Darius I of Persia, who conquered Ancient Egypt, built a canal linking the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Darius's canal was wide enough for two triremes to pass each other with oars extended, and required four days to traverse.[8]
The western Roman empire collapsed around AD 476. Temporarily the east was again dominant as the Byzantine Empire formed from the eastern half of the Roman empire. Another power soon arose in the east: Islam. At its greatest extent, the Arab Empire controlled 75% of the Mediterranean region.
Europe was reviving, however, as more organized and centralized states began to form in the later Middle Ages after the Renaissance of the 12th century.
Ottoman power continued to grow, and in 1453, the Byzantine Empire was extinguished with the Conquest of Constantinople. Ottomans gained control of much of the sea in the 16th century and maintained naval bases in southern France, Algeria and Tunisia. Barbarossa, the famous Ottoman captain is a symbol of this domination with the victory of the Battle of Preveza. The Battle of Djerba marked the apex of Ottoman naval domination in the Mediterranean. However, as naval prowess of the European powers grew, they confronted Ottoman expansion in the region when the Battle of Lepanto checked the power of the Ottoman Navy. This was the last naval battle to be fought primarily between galleys.
The Barbary pirates of North Africa preyed on Christian shipping in the western Mediterranean Sea.[9] According to Robert Davis, from the 16th to 19th century, pirates captured 1 million to 1.25 million Europeans as slaves.[10]
The development of oceanic shipping began to affect the entire Mediterranean. Once, all trade from the east had passed through the region, but now the circumnavigation of Africa allowed spices and other goods to be imported through the Atlantic ports of western Europe.[11][12][13] The Malta president described the Mediterranean sea as a "cemetery" due to the large amounts of migrants who drown there.
Geography
With its highly indented coastline and large number of islands, Greece has the longest Mediterranean coastline.
The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Strait of Gibraltar in the west and to the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, by the Dardanelles and the Bosporus respectively, in the east. The Sea of Marmara is often considered a part of the Mediterranean Sea, whereas the Black Sea is generally not. The 163 km (101 mi) long man-made Suez Canal in the southeast connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
Large islands in the Mediterranean include Cyprus, Crete, Euboea, Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, Kefalonia, Corfu, Limnos, Samos, Naxos and Andros in the eastern Mediterranean; Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Cres, Krk, Brač, Hvar, Pag, Korčula and Malta in the central Mediterranean; and Ibiza, Majorca and Minorca (the Balearic Islands) in the western Mediterranean.
The typical Mediterranean climate has hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Crops of the region include olives, grapes, oranges, tangerines, and cork.
Extent
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Mediterranean Sea as follows:[15]
Stretching from the Strait of Gibraltar in the West to the entrances to the Dardanelles and the Suez Canal in the East, the Mediterranean Sea is bounded by the coasts of Europe, Africa and Asia, and is divided into two deep basins:
Western Basin:
On the west: A line joining the extremities of Cape Trafalgar (Spain) and Cape Spartel (Africa).
On the northeast: The West Coast of Italy. In the Strait of Messina a line joining the North extreme of Cape Paci (15°42'E) with Cape Peloro, the East extreme of the Island of Sicily. The North Coast of Sicily.
On the east: A line joining Cape Lilibeo the Western point of Sicily (37°47′N 12°22′E), through the Adventure Bank to Cape Bon (Tunisia).
Eastern Basin:
On the west: The Northeastern and Eastern limits of the Western Basin.
On the northeast: A line joining Kum Kale (26°11'E) and Cape Helles, the Western entrance to the Dardanelles.
On the southeast: The entrance to the Suez Canal.
On the east: The coasts of Syria, Israel, Lebanon, and Gaza Strip.
Oceanography
Being nearly landlocked affects conditions in the Mediterranean Sea: for instance, tides are very limited as a result of the narrow connection with the Atlantic Ocean. The Mediterranean is characterized and immediately recognised by its deep blue colour.
Evaporation greatly exceeds precipitation and river runoff in the Mediterranean, a fact that is central to the water circulation within the basin.[16] Evaporation is especially high in its eastern half, causing the water level to decrease and salinity to increase eastward.[17] This pressure gradient pushes relatively cool, low-salinity water from the Atlantic across the basin; it warms and becomes saltier as it travels east, then sinks in the region of the Levant and circulates westward, to spill over the Strait of Gibraltar.[18] Thus, seawater flow is eastward in the Strait's surface waters, and westward below; once in the Atlantic, this chemically distinct Mediterranean Intermediate Water can persist thousands of kilometres away from its source.
Coastal countries
Twenty-two countries have a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea. They are:
Northern shore (from west to east): Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Turkey.
Eastern shore (from north to south): Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Flag of Palestine.svg Palestine (limited recognition).
Southern shore (from west to east): Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt.
Island nations: Malta, Cyprus, Flag of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.svg Northern Cyprus (limited recognition).
Several other territories also border the Mediterranean Sea (from west to east): The British overseas territory of Gibraltar, the Spanish autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla and nearby islands, and the Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus
Major cities (municipalities) with populations larger than 200,000 people bordering the Mediterranean Sea are:
CountryCities
AlbaniaDurrës
AlgeriaAlgiers, Annaba, Oran
CroatiaSplit, Rijeka
EgyptAlexandria, Port Said
FranceMarseille, Nice
GreeceAthens, Patras, Thessaloniki
IsraelAshdod, Haifa, Tel Aviv
ItalyBari, Catania, Genoa, Messina, Naples, Palermo, Rome, Taranto, Trieste, Venice
LebanonBeirut, Tripoli
LibyaBenghazi, Khoms, Misrata, Tripoli, Zawiya, Zliten
MoroccoTétouan, Tangier
SpainAlicante, Badalona, Barcelona, Cartagena, Málaga, Palma, Valencia
State of PalestineGaza City
SyriaLatakia
TunisiaBizerte, Sfax, Tunis
TurkeyAntalya, İskenderun, İzmir, Mersin
Subdivisions
According to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the Mediterranean Sea is subdivided into a number of smaller waterbodies, each with their own designation (from west to east):[15]
the Strait of Gibraltar;
the Alboran Sea, between Spain and Morocco;
the Balearic Sea, between mainland Spain and its Balearic Islands;
the Ligurian Sea between Corsica and Liguria (Italy);
the Tyrrhenian Sea enclosed by Sardinia, Italian peninsula and Sicily;
the Ionian Sea between Italy, Albania and Greece;
the Adriatic Sea between Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania;
the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey.
Other seas
Although not recognised by the IHO treaties, there are some other seas whose names have been in common use from the ancient times, or in the present:
the Sea of Sardinia, between Sardinia and Balearic Islands, as a part of the Balearic Sea
the Sea of Sicily between Sicily and Tunisia,
the Libyan Sea between Libya and Crete,
In the Aegean Sea,
the Thracian Sea in its north,
the Myrtoan Sea between the Cyclades and the Peloponnese,
the Sea of Crete north of Crete,
the Icarian Sea between Kos and Chios
the Cilician Sea between Turkey and Cyprus
the Levantine Sea at the eastern end of the Mediterranean
Other features
Many of these smaller seas feature in local myth and folklore and derive their names from these associations. In addition to the seas, a number of gulfs and straits are also recognised:
the Saint George Bay in Beirut, Lebanon
the Ras Ibn Hani cape in Latakia, Syria
the Ras al-Bassit cape in northern Syria.
the Minet el-Beida ("White Harbour") bay near ancient Ugarit, Syria
the Strait of Gibraltar, connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Spain from Morocco
the Bay of Gibraltar, at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula
the Gulf of Corinth, an enclosed sea between the Ionian Sea and the Corinth Canal
the Pagasetic Gulf, the gulf of Volos, south of the Thermaic Gulf, formed by the Mount Pelion peninsula
the Saronic Gulf, the gulf of Athens, between the Corinth Canal and the Mirtoan Sea
the Thermaic Gulf, the gulf of Thessaloniki, located in the northern Greek region of Macedonia
the Kvarner Gulf, Croatia
the Gulf of Lion, south of France
the Gulf of Valencia, east of Spain
the Strait of Messina, between Sicily and the toe of Italy
the Gulf of Genoa, northwestern Italy
the Gulf of Venice, northeastern Italy
the Gulf of Trieste, northeastern Italy
the Gulf of Taranto, southern Italy
The Adriatic Sea contains over 1200 islands and islets.
the Gulf of Salerno, southwestern Italy
the Gulf of Gaeta, southwestern Italy
the Gulf of Squillace, southern Italy
the Strait of Otranto, between Italy and Albania
the Gulf of Haifa, northern Israel
the Gulf of Sidra, between Tripolitania (western Libya) and Cyrenaica (eastern Libya)
the Strait of Sicily, between Sicily and Tunisia
the Corsica Channel, between Corsica and Italy
the Strait of Bonifacio, between Sardinia and Corsica
the Gulf of İskenderun, between İskenderun and Adana (Turkey)
the Gulf of Antalya, between west and east shores of Antalya (Turkey)
the Bay of Kotor, in south-western Montenegro and south-eastern Croatia
the Malta Channel, between Sicily and Malta
the Gozo Channel, between Malta Island and Gozo
Sea temperature
Mean sea temperature (°C)
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecØ/Year
Marseille[21]13131314161821222118161416.6
Venice[22]11101113182225262320161417.4
Barcelona[23]13131314172023252320171517.8
Valencia[24]14131415172124262421181518.5
Málaga[25]16151516172022232220181618.3
Gibraltar[26]16151616172022222220181718.4
Naples[27]15141415182225272522191619.3
Athens[28]16151516182124242421191819.3
Heraklion[29]16151516192224252422201819.7
Malta[30]16161516182124262523211819.9
Larnaca[31]18171718202426272725221921.7
Limassol[32]18171718202426272725221921.7
Antalya17171718212427282725221921.8
Alexandria[33]18171718202325262625222021.4
Tel Aviv[34]18171718212426282726232022.1
Geology
The geologic history of the Mediterranean is complex. It was involved in the tectonic break-up and then collision of the African and Eurasian plates. The Messinian Salinity Crisis occurred in the late Miocene (12 million years ago to 5 million years ago) when the Mediterranean dried up. Geologically the Mediterranean is underlain by oceanic crust.
The Mediterranean Sea has an average depth of 1,500 m (4,900 ft) and the deepest recorded point is 5,267 m (17,280 ft) in the Calypso Deep in the Ionian Sea. The coastline extends for 46,000 km (29,000 mi). A shallow submarine ridge (the Strait of Sicily) between the island of Sicily and the coast of Tunisia divides the sea in two main subregions (which in turn are divided into subdivisions), the Western Mediterranean and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Western Mediterranean covers an area of about 0.85 million km² (0.33 million mi²) and the Eastern Mediterranean about 1.65 million km² (0.64 million mi²). A characteristic of the Mediterranean Sea are submarine karst springs or vruljas, which mainly occur in shallow waters[35] and may also be thermal.
Tectonic evolution
The geodynamic evolution of the Mediterranean Sea was provided by the convergence of European and African plates and several smaller microplates. This process was driven by the differential seafloor spreading along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which led to the closure of the Tethys Ocean and eventually to the Alpine orogenesis. However, the Mediterranean also hosts wide extensional basins and migrating tectonic arcs, in response to its land-locked configuration.
According to a report published by Nature in 2009, some scientists think that the Mediterranean Sea was mostly filled during a time period of less than two years, in a major flood (the Zanclean flood) that happened approximately 5.33 million years ago, in which water poured in from the Atlantic Ocean and through the Strait of Gibraltar, at a rate three times the current flow of the Amazon River.[37] However, the sea basins had been filled for many millions of years before the prior closure of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Eastern Mediterranean
In middle Miocene times, the collision between the Arabian microplate and Eurasia led to the separation between the Tethys and the Indian oceans. This process resulted in profound changes in the oceanic circulation patterns, which shifted global climates towards colder conditions. The Hellenic arc, which has a land-locked configuration, underwent a widespread extension for the last 20 Ma due to a slab roll-back process. In addition, the Hellenic Arc experienced a rapid rotation phase during the Pleistocene, with a counterclockwise component in its eastern portion and a clockwise trend in the western segment.
Central Mediterranean
The opening of small oceanic basins of the central Mediterranean follows a trench migration and back-arc opening process that occurred during the last 30 Myr. This phase was characterised by the anticlockwise rotation of the Corsica-Sardinia block, which lasted until the Langhian (ca.16 Ma), and was in turn followed by a slab detachment along the northern African margin. Subsequently, a shift of this active extensional deformation led to the opening of the Tyrrenian basin.
Western Mediterranean[edit]
The Betic-Rif mountain belts developed during Mesozoic and Cenozoic times, as Africa and Iberia converged. Tectonic models for its evolution include: rapid motion of Alboran Domain, subduction zone and radial extensional collapse caused by convective removal of lithospheric mantle. The development of these intramontane Betic and Rif basins led to the onset of two marine gateways which were progressively closed during the late Miocene by an interplay of tectonic and glacio-eustatic processes.
Paleoenvironmental analysis
Its semi-enclosed configuration makes the oceanic gateways critical in controlling circulation and environmental evolution in the Mediterranean Sea. Water circulation patterns are driven by a number of interactive factors, such as climate and bathymetry, which can lead to precipitation of evaporites. During late Miocene times, a so-called "Messinian Salinity Crisis" (MSC hereafter) occurred, where the Mediterranean entirely or almost entirely dried out, which was triggered by the closure of the Atlantic gateway. Evaporites accumulated in the Red Sea Basin (late Miocene), in the Carpatian foredeep (middle Miocene) and in the whole Mediterranean area (Messinian). An accurate age estimate of the MSC—5.96 Ma—has recently been astronomically achieved; furthermore, this event seems to have occurred synchronously. The beginning of the MSC is supposed to have been of tectonic origin; however, an astronomical control (eccentricity) might also have been involved. In the Mediterranean basin, diatomites are regularly found underneath the evaporite deposits, thus suggesting (albeit not clearly so far) a connection between their geneses.
The present-day Atlantic gateway, i.e. the Strait of Gibraltar, finds its origin in the early Pliocene. However, two other connections between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea existed in the past: the Betic Corridor (southern Spain) and the Rifian Corridor (northern Morocco). The former closed during Tortonian times, thus providing a "Tortonian Salinity Crisis" well before the MSC; the latter closed about 6 Ma, allowing exchanges in the mammal fauna between Africa and Europe. Nowadays, evaporation is more relevant than the water yield supplied by riverine water and precipitation, so that salinity in the Mediterranean is higher than in the Atlantic. These conditions result in the outflow of warm saline Mediterranean deep water across Gibraltar, which is in turn counterbalanced by an inflow of a less saline surface current of cold oceanic water.
The Mediterranean was once thought to be the remnant of the Tethys Ocean. It is now known to be a structurally younger ocean basin known as Neotethys. The Neotethys formed during the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic rifting of the African and Eurasian plates.
Paleoclimate
Because of its latitudinal position and its land-locked configuration, the Mediterranean is especially sensitive to astronomically induced climatic variations, which are well documented in its sedimentary record. Since the Mediterranean is involved in the deposition of eolian dust from the Sahara during dry periods, whereas riverine detrital input prevails during wet ones, the Mediterranean marine sapropel-bearing sequences provide high-resolution climatic information. These data have been employed in reconstructing astronomically calibrated time scales for the last 9 Ma of the Earth's history, helping to constrain the time of past Geomagnetic Reversals.[38] Furthermore, the exceptional accuracy of these paleoclimatic records have improved our knowledge of the Earth's orbital variations in the past.
Ecology and biota
As a result of the drying of the sea during the Messinian salinity crisis,[39] the marine biota of the Mediterranean are derived primarily from the Atlantic Ocean. The North Atlantic is considerably colder and more nutrient-rich than the Mediterranean, and the marine life of the Mediterranean has had to adapt to its differing conditions in the five million years since the basin was reflooded.
The Alboran Sea is a transition zone between the two seas, containing a mix of Mediterranean and Atlantic species. The Alboran Sea has the largest population of Bottlenose Dolphins in the western Mediterranean, is home to the last population of harbour porpoises in the Mediterranean, and is the most important feeding grounds for Loggerhead Sea Turtles in Europe. The Alboran sea also hosts important commercial fisheries, including sardines and swordfish. The Mediterranean monk seals live in the Aegean Sea in Greece. In 2003, the World Wildlife Fund raised concerns about the widespread drift net fishing endangering populations of dolphins, turtles, and other marine animals.
Environmental threats
Biodiversity
Invasive species
The Reticulate whipray is one of the species that colonised the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 created the first salt-water passage between the Mediterranean and Red Sea. The Red Sea is higher than the Eastern Mediterranean, so the canal serves as a tidal strait that pours Red Sea water into the Mediterranean. The Bitter Lakes, which are hyper-saline natural lakes that form part of the canal, blocked the migration of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean for many decades, but as the salinity of the lakes gradually equalized with that of the Red Sea, the barrier to migration was removed, and plants and animals from the Red Sea have begun to colonise the Eastern Mediterranean. The Red Sea is generally saltier and more nutrient-poor than the Atlantic, so the Red Sea species have advantages over Atlantic species in the salty and nutrient-poor Eastern Mediterranean. Accordingly, Red Sea species invade the Mediterranean biota, and not vice versa; this phenomenon is known as the Lessepsian migration (after Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French engineer) or Erythrean invasion. The construction of the Aswan High Dam across the Nile River in the 1960s reduced the inflow of freshwater and nutrient-rich silt from the Nile into the Eastern Mediterranean, making conditions there even more like the Red Sea and worsening the impact of the invasive species.
Invasive species have become a major component of the Mediterranean ecosystem and have serious impacts on the Mediterranean ecology, endangering many local and endemic Mediterranean species. A first look at some groups of exotic species show that more than 70% of the non-indigenous decapods and about 63% of the exotic fishes occurring in the Mediterranean are of Indo Pacific origin,[40] introduced into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. This makes the Canal as the first pathway of arrival of "alien" species into the Mediterranean. The impacts of some lessepsian species have proven to be considerable mainly in the Levantine basin of the Mediterranean, where they are replacing native species and becoming a "familiar sight".
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature definition, as well as Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Ramsar Convention terminologies, they are alien species, as they are non-native (non-indigenous) to the Mediterranean Sea, and they are outside their normal area of distribution which is the Indo-Pacific region. When these species succeed in establishing populations in the Mediterranean sea, compete with and begin to replace native species they are "Alien Invasive Species", as they are an agent of change and a threat to the native biodiversity. In the context of CBD, "introduction" refers to the movement by human agency, indirect or direct, of an alien species outside of its natural range (past or present). The Suez Canal, being an artificial (man made) canal, is a human agency. Lessepsian migrants are therefore "introduced" species (indirect, and unintentional). Whatever wording is chosen, they represent a threat to the native Mediterranean biodiversity, because they are non-indigenous to this sea. In recent years, the Egyptian government's announcement of its intentions to deepen and widen the canal have raised concerns from marine biologists, fearing that such an act will only worsen the invasion of Red Sea species into the Mediterranean, facilitating the crossing of the canal for yet additional species.
Arrival of new tropical Atlantic species
In recent decades, the arrival of exotic species from the tropical Atlantic has become a noticeable feature. Whether this reflects an expansion of the natural area of these species that now enter the Mediterranean through the Gibraltar strait, because of a warming trend of the water caused by Global Warming; or an extension of the maritime traffic; or is simply the result of a more intense scientific investigation, is still an open question. While not as intense as the "lessepsian" movement, the process may be scientific interest and may therefore warrant increased levels of monitoring.
Sea-level rise
By 2100, the overall level of the Mediterranean could rise between 3 to 61 cm (1.2 to 24.0 in) as a result of the effects of climate change.[42] This could have adverse effects on populations across the Mediterranean:
Rising sea levels will submerge parts of Malta. Rising sea levels will also mean rising salt water levels in Malta's groundwater supply and reduce the availability of drinking water.[43]
A 30 cm (12 in) rise in sea level would flood 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) of the Nile Delta, displacing over 500,000 Egyptians.[44]
Coastal ecosystems also appear to be threatened by sea level rise, especially enclosed seas such as the Baltic, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. These seas have only small and primarily east-west movement corridors, which may restrict northward displacement of organisms in these areas.[45] Sea level rise for the next century (2100) could be between 30 cm (12 in) and 100 cm (39 in) and temperature shifts of a mere 0.05-0.1°C in the deep sea are sufficient to induce significant changes in species richness and functional diversity.
Pollution
Pollution in this region has been extremely high in recent years.[when?] The United Nations Environment Programme has estimated that 650,000,000 t (720,000,000 short tons) of sewage, 129,000 t (142,000 short tons) of mineral oil, 60,000 t (66,000 short tons) of mercury, 3,800 t (4,200 short tons) of lead and 36,000 t (40,000 short tons) of phosphates are dumped into the Mediterranean each year.[47] The Barcelona Convention aims to 'reduce pollution in the Mediterranean Sea and protect and improve the marine environment in the area, thereby contributing to its sustainable development.'[48] Many marine species have been almost wiped out because of the sea's pollution. One of them is the Mediterranean Monk Seal which is considered to be among the world's most endangered marine mammals.[49]
The Mediterranean is also plagued by marine debris. A 1994 study of the seabed using trawl nets around the coasts of Spain, France and Italy reported a particularly high mean concentration of debris; an average of 1,935 items per km². Plastic debris accounted for 76%, of which 94% was plastic bags.
Shipping
Some of the world's busiest shipping routes are in the Mediterranean Sea. It is estimated that approximately 220,000 merchant vessels of more than 100 tonnes cross the Mediterranean Sea each year—about one third of the world's total merchant shipping. These ships often carry hazardous cargo, which if lost would result in severe damage to the marine environment.
The discharge of chemical tank washings and oily wastes also represent a significant source of marine pollution. The Mediterranean Sea constitutes 0.7% of the global water surface and yet receives seventeen percent of global marine oil pollution. It is estimated that every year between 100,000 t (98,000 long tons) and 150,000 t (150,000 long tons) of crude oil are deliberately released into the sea from shipping activities.
Approximately 370,000,000 t (360,000,000 long tons) of oil are transported annually in the Mediterranean Sea (more than 20% of the world total), with around 250-300 oil tankers crossing the Sea every day. Accidental oil spills happen frequently with an average of 10 spills per year. A major oil spill could occur at any time in any part of the Mediterranean.
Tourism
With a unique combination of pleasant climate, beautiful coastline, rich history and diverse culture the Mediterranean region is the most popular tourist destination in the world—attracting approximately one third of the world's international tourists.
Tourism is one of the most important sources of income for many Mediterranean countries. It also supports small communities in coastal areas and islands by providing alternative sources of income far from urban centres. However, tourism has also played major role in the degradation of the coastal and marine environment. Rapid development has been encouraged by Mediterranean governments to support the large numbers of tourists visiting the region each year. But this has caused serious disturbance to marine habitats such as erosion and pollution in many places along the Mediterranean coasts.
Tourism often concentrates in areas of high natural wealth, causing a serious threat to the habitats of endangered Mediterranean species such as sea turtles and monk seals. Reductions in natural wealth may reduce incentives for tourists to visit
Overfishing
Fish stock levels in the Mediterranean Sea are alarmingly low. The European Environment Agency says that over 65% of all fish stocks in the region are outside safe biological limits and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, that some of the most important fisheries—such as albacore and bluefin tuna, hake, marlin, swordfish, red mullet and sea bream—are threatened.[date missing]
There are clear indications that catch size and quality have declined, often dramatically, and in many areas larger and longer-lived species have disappeared entirely from commercial catches.
Large open water fish like tuna have been a shared fisheries resource for thousands of years but the stocks are now dangerously low. In 1999, Greenpeace published a report revealing that the amount of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean had decreased by over 80% in the previous 20 years and government scientists warn that without immediate action the stock will collapse.
Aquacultur
Aquaculture is expanding rapidly—often without proper environmental assessment—and currently accounts for 30% of the fish protein consumed worldwide. The industry claims that farmed seafood lessens the pressure on wild fish stocks, yet many of the farmed species are carnivorous, consuming up to five times their weight in wild fish.
Mediterranean coastal areas are already over exposed to human influence, with pristine areas becoming ever scarcer. The aquaculture sector adds to this pressure, requiring areas of high water quality to set up farms. The installation of fish farms close to vulnerable and important habitats such as seagrass meadows is particularly concerning.
This astronomical portrait from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases an edge-on view of the majestic spiral galaxy UGC 11537. The infrared and visible light capabilities of Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 have captured the galaxy’s tightly wound spiral arms swirling around its heart. The image reveals the bright bands of stars and the dark clouds of dust threading throughout the galaxy.
UGC 11537 is 230 million light-years away in the constellation Aquila and lies close to the plane of the Milky Way. So close that foreground stars from our own galaxy have crept into the image – the two prominent stars in front of UGC 11537 are interlopers from within the Milky Way. The spikes surrounding these stars are imaging artifacts, called diffraction spikes. They are the result of starlight interacting with the structure that supports Hubble’s secondary mirror.
This image came from a set of observations designed to help astronomers weigh supermassive black holes in the centers of distant galaxies. Hubble’s sharp-eyed observations along with data from ground-based telescopes allowed astronomers to make detailed models of the mass and motions of stars in these galaxies, which in turn helps constrain the mass of supermassive black holes.
Text credit: European Space Agency (ESA)
Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Seth
For more information: www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2021/hubble-snaps-a-st...
Edited Hubble Space Telescope imager of the galaxy UGC 11537.
Original caption: This astronomical portrait from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases an edge-on view of the majestic spiral galaxy UGC 11537. Hubble’s Wide Field Camera 3 has captured the tightly wound spiral arms swirling around the heart of UGC 11537 at infrared and visible wavelengths, showing both the bright bands of stars and the dark clouds of dust threading throughout the galaxy. UGC 11537 is 230 million light-years away in the constellation Aquila, and lies close to the plane of the Milky Way. Being so close to the starry band of the Milky Way means that foreground stars from our own galaxy have crept into the image — the two prominent stars in front of UGC 11537 are interlopers from within the Milky Way. These bright foreground stars are surrounded by diffraction spikes — imaging artifacts caused by starlight interacting with Hubble’s inner structure. This image came from a set of observations designed to help astronomers weigh supermassive black holes in distant galaxies. The combination of Hubble’s sharp-eyed observations and data from ground-based telescopes allowed astronomers to make detailed models of the mass of stars in these galaxies, which in turn helps constrain the mass of supermassive black holes.
Never been here before, but went with Zain to Lower Largo - really good spot, and got a nice bit of colour just before dawn too. Tried a few compositions but this was the most pleasing I think. Took about 40 shots at different exposures and shutter speeds but this is the one I liked the most.
Another good day for the reverse grad - definitly proving its worth for the winter dawns.
Camera // Sony DSLR-A900
Exposure // 0.3
Aperture // f/7.1
Focal Length // 17 mm
ISO Speed // 100
Exposure Bias // 0 EV
Filters // hitech 100mm reverse ND grad 0.9
Explored at number #57 - really pleased - have not been explored for ages and now two in a few days - many thanks!
Wonder Woman: His politeness to the contrary, Grandizer's not happy we're here.
Batman: They don't want us involved. We get in the way of their bloodshed.
Wonder Woman: You know that's not how they think. I admit, they do view the League as trying to constrain them, and much of the disagreement comes through condoning or prohibiting the use of lethal force, but they simply want to defeat Unger. Just like us.
Batman: They can't win without us. They hate that.
Wonder Woman: I like your arm around me.
Batman: Hrn.
Pembroke the County Town of Pembrokeshire, in South Wales.
Pembroke Castle, the substantial remains of a stone medieval fortress founded by the Normans in 1093, stands at the Western tip of the peninsular surrounded by water on three sides. The castle was the seat of the powerful Earls of Pembroke and the birthplace of King Henry VII of England.
Gerald de Windsor was the first recorded Constable of Pembroke. Pembroke town and castle and its surroundings are linked with the early Christian church. Following the final extension of the Castle about 1254 the town was extended, and defensive perimeter walls erected around the edge of the town. The walls survive on their medieval foundations, although much rebuilt over the centuries. A great many of the town's original medieval burgage plots survive and are divided by early stone walls that are of significant national importance.
Monkton Priory, sited on a hill across the river from the castle, founded in 1098 by Arnulf de Montgomery and granted by him to the Benedictine order, has very early foundations and retains much of the Norman walls of the nave. The choir and sanctuary were renovated in the 19th Century. Monkton Hall, close by the Priory church, is regarded as the oldest domestic building in Pembrokeshire and possibly Wales and is thought to have been the guesthouse for visitors to the Priory.
The first stone building in the town was a defensive tower, now known as the Medieval Chapel, at 69a Main Street, built on a cliff edge between 950 AD and 1000 AD. There are the remains of a great hall to the north and recently filled-in arched cellars. The building was thought to have been later used as an early church as the layout is the same as St. Govan's Chapel and was used by John Wesley in 1764 to preach Methodism. In 1866 it became the brewery for the York Tavern which was briefly Oliver Cromwell's headquarters at the end of the Siege of Pembroke during the English Civil War.
The town's main bridge across the River Pembroke, which also acts as a dam, crosses and constrains the millpond. The first bridge was constructed to house a tide mill, originally granted to the Knights Templar in 1199. The last mill building was destroyed by fire in 1956.
On both banks of the Pembroke River to the west of the castle are many remains of early activities. The North Shore Quarries are relatively complete as are the remains of medieval and Elizabethan slipways where wooden vessels were built before the industrial dockyard and admiralty town was built on the grid pattern of Pembroke Dock. There is a very early complete graving dock in what was Hancock's Yard.
At Pennar Flats there was an early submarine base used for experiments in submarine warfare. Three of the houses on the then foreshore, part of the shipyard before the Admiralty Dock Yard was built, are still standing but are heavily altered.
Information Source: