M336 heads south at Highway Y

Continuing in the theme of stormy sky at sunset over these local trees.

for Mohd Shahid Ali .. a cab driver who hails from Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh and has been plying taxi 5 years now ...

 

Whenever i have bought a new lens ... First thing i hav done is to take a portrait shot of a cab driver ... When i bought 50mm and a fish eye i did the same nd now whn i bought tilt shift lens i shot Shahid .... Wanted this to feature in the 365 but for some reason it remained unprocessed

..recently added a black scratchplace, and repositioned the middle pickup (Tex-Mex Strat) closer to the neck.

copyright stuff continue

 

This time the examiner.com stole my pageant photo and cropped it. how come people they did not ask and try to steal the photos? it is sharing but it is not free to use it. :(

  

that is their URL

www.examiner.com/holidays-in-san-francisco/the-2010-miss-...

for 365

 

and the continued tour of my house.

 

Also note that this dress makes me look like an OaM stalker.... which i totally am.... but I swear I owned this dress prior to it showing up in her stream. I might have done a little over-the-top fan-grrrrl scream along the lines of "OHMIGAWD! I have that EXACT SAME DRESS! *SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE*"

  

The sea level continues to rise - so far it has been possible to build dikes and water barriers - and the former pavements have been replaced by large floating structures - all basements are filled with water. Damp and rot attack all buildings - the first old buildings have collapsed - when will entire districts collapse?

Yep and by the time we had walked back up, had an ice cream the day was changing xx

Continuing the sporting theme, we were recently commissioned to shoot a bank of imagery to be used for Greens Health & Fitness for their up coming ad campaigns.

 

Shot on the new Hasselblad H4D50.

 

High Contrast

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Guelph, Ontario, Canada

This picture is attributed to a dear friend of mine, a friend that further ignited the spark of traveling dwelling inside of me.

Thank you for an amazing trip :) — with Dragana Todić.

   

Continuing collaboration for industrial design team, Katie and Trevis of Inch and Mile. Stay tuned for their latest creations....

 

inchandmile.com

 

A winter tour of the St.Clair Parkway.

Our favourite sites are still there to behold in all their beauty.

Aspens and Sage Brush, Evening. Eastern Sierra Nevada, California. October 1, 2016. © Copyright 2016 G Dan Mitchell - all rights reserved.

 

High desert aspen groves on sage-covered eastern Sierra hills

 

I'm continuing with one more characteristic eastern Sierra autumn photograph, though perhaps not the most common sort of view of the subject. The photograph does include some small groves of aspen trees in fall colors, but they are dwarfed by the immense scale of the rolling eastern Sierra foothills, covered by high desert sage brush, and cut with valleys containing creeks draining the eastern slopes of the range. I made this photograph in the early evening, just before sunset, as the low angle sun was sweeping across the crest and casting light and shadow almost parallel to the slope of the hills.

 

We usually look for fall aspen color in country that is higher and/or wetter — often somewhere up one of the great eastern Sierra canyons or perhaps along a ridge near the crest. But aspens grow in many places, some of which are unexpected or even surprising. They grow a good distance from the Sierra itself, sometimes far out in the high desert, and in areas that hardly seem alpine at all. Sometimes these are smaller trees, seeming to get by on less water and perhaps in a harsher climate, but occasionally they manage to form decent sized groves.

  

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, "California's Fall Color: A Photographer's Guide to Autumn in the Sierra" is available from Heyday Books and Amazon.Blog | About | Flickr | Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | LinkedIn | Email

  

All media © Copyright G Dan Mitchell and others as indicated. Any use requires advance permission from G Dan Mitchell.

Up by Box Canyon, the path back to main road. Washington

Continuing with the "Things that children play with" set. This is an experiment and a social comment, what comment I don't know yet. Any thoughts and ideas most welcome.

 

Got inundated by new translations today that is why I am somewhat absent, please forgive me.

Drakk continued to become more and more renowned amongst the magical isles as tales of his magic abounded. While not studying books of magic, he was traveling the free realm in search of more arcane knowledge. It was on one such excursion where he found himself outmatched…

 

Drakk was on his way back to his lair after taking a contract to rid a nearby town of some bandits. Tired and hungry, he was looking forward to taking a nice nap on his comfortable gold. Before he could decide on what to cook for dinner, he stumbled across a trio of humans in his way. They held a huge standard bearing a foriegn sigil and two wore armor and carried axes made of a metal he had never seen. The third stood behind them in the shadows wearing only leather armor and carrying a dark sword. It was he who spoke: “Drakk the sorcerer, for practicing the profane act of magic, we have come for your head. Surrender and I promise it will be painless.”

 

Snarling, Drakk began casting a fireball to incinerate the ignorant fools. Didn’t they know where they were? As soon as the ball of arcane fire left his hand, it seemed to shrink and by the time it struck the men it disappeared entirely. The man in the shadows let loose a humorless laugh and spoke again. “Our armaments are a gift from the heavens to vanquish those who defy nature! Your magics are no use to you. Kill him!” Drakk was shocked, he had never heard of such an item! As the two soldiers came towards him he summoned an invisible barrier to halt their advance. The soldeirs did not slow as the passed right through the shield. In desperation, Drakk summoned a sword made of flame as the warriors came within striking distance. As he swung at the strange warrior, the axe shattered Drakk's blade effortlessly. For the first time since he was a boy, Drakk felt fear...

 

Suddenly a voice erupted in his head. “Flee, you stubborn lizard!” Drakk decided it was as good advice as any and ran in the opposite direction of the foreign soldiers. “After him!” yelled the shadowy man. Drakk was able to gain a slight lead from the soldiers, but he was tired from his previous battle with the bandits. He would not be able to keep up his speed for long. The voice spoke in his head again, “Turn left at this tree. Now quickly, duck into this cleft.” Obeying, Drakk took refuge in a shallow nook in a rock wall. Hearing his pursuers near, he began to ready himself for a final confrontation. However before he could face his would-be-killers, the wall behind him opened and he suddenly found himself in a hidden cave!

 

The muffled sounds of the soldiers passed quickly as he sighed in relief. “What marvelous armor! I must get myself a suit someday,” he thought to himself. His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark and he saw animals of all kinds lounging around the small cave. Drakk then noticed a man with his eyes closed sitting cross legged by a small fire. He was hovering a few inches of the ground and had a fierce looking falcon sitting next to him. With a deep breath, the man opened his eyes, unwound his legs and stood on the ground. He spoke in a deep voice, “Greetings Drakk. I have wanted to meet you for a long time now…”

VIDEO: (Coming when it does)

 

••• SCRIPT/LYRICS: •••

(Continued from: www.deviantart.com/molemanninethousand/art/MERB-43-B-Soni...)

 

Darth Plagueis:

I'm a Munn of wealth and taste who needn't be self-introduced,

Repping the reemergence of ways a millennium reclused!

Manipulating midi-chlorians? I've maximized the biz,

So let me educate you on my origins, and all that jizz:

Ol' Tenebrous may not have been my father, but he was my daddy;

Even so, I silenced him, and now he yearns for screaming badly.

No malady you can bring, though, could so much as shut my mouth up:

What I spit is Venemis; that, I leave rivals with no doubt of.

Although not exactly old, my legend's legacy's eternal:

Look to Tarkin; call me Darth Da Vinci, so dope are my journals!

Not delaying, I'll show what wicked wisdom's held behind Damask;

Your group couldn't take me down with more than FourDee arms' combined attacks!

For my foes' ancient prophecy's hijacking, I've been vying lots,

But as for your alleged "Chosen One", I give no flying fox!

These beats go by the Rule of One; I'd hardly call it irony

That you could save yourselves from death by others' hands, but not from me!

 

Sonic the Hedgehog:

Your mind is surely Plagued by something; why the long face, Darth BoJack?

Rotor: We won't forgive you, anyway, so get the fuck out Knothole, hack!

Bunnie Rabbot: Don't you come touting "immortality" in our town, you old meanie!

Antoine D'Coolette: We'll go Tale of the Three Brothers on you, striking far less cleanly!

 

Darth Plagueis:

What in San Hill are you thinking, fighting back? You cannot thwart me;

I'll be chosen winner, fair and square: the votes are due in shortly… (*BLAM!*)

Freedom Fighters: AW, SHIT!

Darth Plagueis: …Oh, drop the feigned surprise; there's no need for pretending.

What did you expect based on the opera scene; a happy ending? (*BOOM!*)

 

Palpatine:

It seems your Qin-esque quest for life eternal was in vain,

But fret not, "master"; I'll take in your stead the new Empire's reins!

You should have settled for possession; I know well that power's merits,

Case in point: my evil essence's transference to these lyrics!

Hitting woodland critters far worse than some droids attacking Wookiees,

One could say death spared a great deal of distress for Master Mundi!

Snuffing Sal like Spidey's Stacy, orders left unexecuted,

But Count on it, Dookie-heads, that I won't hesitate to do it!

 

Sally Acorn:

Our spy network's got your number, Dawg; it doesn't take a Sleuth,

You all-bark, lying, far-side Dark Side douchebag, self-orphaned as a youth!

Sonic the Hedgehog: We're turning your own words against you, for with ours, we're flowing hate,

And screw the senate: this sick cypher will be what decides your fate!

 

Emperor Palpatine:

I am this cypher! As for senates, Sonic, let me tell you something:

You remind me of Jar Jar; one fool got played, and one's a Gungan!

They staved off 'Twan's planned demise with fan-outcry and cosmic waves,

But once I'm fed up with him, he's a goner no reboot could save!

Don't go 'round dissing me tonight: it's bound to take your whole world's lives,

And it's no mere bad moon I speak of: there's a Death Star on the rise!

Match your dumb dash against my spinning lunge? I'd like to see you try;

Now, thunderously and to mass-applause, young hedgehog, you will die…

 

Doctor Eggman:

Zapping as usual, I see; go eat my Crocodile's gun!

I'm highest of the Overlanders, and there can be only one,

Cross-zone encounters notwithstanding; that's what saved me way back when:

I nuked the world, then hopped dimensions just to do it all again!

I've heard rotund robotic folks excel at ending you for good;

Clean Sweeping floors with you, you Sheevposted in the wrong neighborhood!

Though twenty-plus post-EndGame issues passed before I would arrive,

This'll be over faster than your reign, had you said "Sixty-Five"!

Check out my Legion: we are many, and above discrimination;

Kukkus flock beneath my wing, while I annex echidna nations!

I possess a magic touch, and my big brother knows it well.

My Death-ship's one tough Egg to crack; yours takes one shot to blow to Hell!

 

Emperor Palpatine:

Oh, don't bring up your puny parody of my great superweapon,

For compared, you'll find it pales, just like my face upon arresting!

Although I'm the old man here, try throwing off the Emperor's groove,

And get dropped harder than the ARK with your granddaddy's dying move!

 

Doctor Eggman:

I'll take control of my whole horde, press on with alternating tactics,

And D.E.L.ete your sorry ass; you'll be devoured by my Badniks!

It's my most triumphant moment since issue one-seven-five:

Brace for a fall no form of Emerald could allow you to survive…

(*Palpatine is sent plummeting to his death and explodes for no reason…*)

 

Palpatine, Emperor Reborn:

Did you think hatching that old hat hatch-trick would truly do me in?

You seem to be confusing me with he who taught me, Julian,

For when it comes to saving my own self from death, I can and have:

Back with my Empire's Darkness up twofold, and wrinkles down by half!

I have no time for naming heirs; I'm an eternal autocrat!

You'll never hold such power; not again: those Bem freaks saw to that.

I'm brewing up a Forceful storm, Eclipsing your Egg Fleet by far;

You'll fall to madness as I squash you like the wretched bug you are!

Returned by Byss from the abyss, watch me tear Mon Cala to bits,

Springing a trap so devastating, Ackbar's warning won't do shit!

I needn't share my son's defects to see through all your ploys blindfolded;

Just take it from my apprentice, in my image newly-molded…

 

Luke Skywalker:

You know what they say, and I ain't talking more being merrier:

If you can't beat them, join them; my new master couldn't be scarier,

And so I'm fighting for the strongest side, dark though it clearly is!

Don't underestimate its power, as I quite severely did!

I've got this covered, going deep like Quinlan Vos for Shadow Hand;

Ask Endor's vets: there's strength in simply acting under his command!

Now, summoned once more from far, far away to carry out his bidding,

I'll be crashing Carriers; smashing through barriers with spitting!

…Also: kidding! (*SLASH!*)

Yo, Hideous: how's that for sabotage?

As if I'd ever… crap, it's that blue butthole and his entourage;

I'm not about to start with you again!

 

Doctor Eggman:

…Then try his nemesis,

And get served with Mobian bacon; think my namesakes, Benedict!

I'm Warlord-Doctor Julian Ivo Eggman Robo-Kintobor,

And I'm gonna be a rapping star before this battle's over!

Neither your arch-foe's rebirth nor my own Prime-self's lasted long,

But I'm like Hamill's other tour de force: immune to staying gone! (*BOOM!*)

 

Snively Robotnik:

It's just been revoked, dear uncle; now, at last, I see your heart,

And it's my turn, for reals this time: can't cancel this before it starts!

While his fat ass fills up the Void, I'll fill the void left, taking power:

Bay's Starscream, but to survive here, I don't have to be a coward!

You'll soon share my cousin's fate: G.U.N.ned down with cruel efficiency;

My rhymes are programmed for annihilating you specifically!

Long live me four times over, for both Emperors are double-dead;

There's fewer out there who could stop me now than hairs left on my head!

 

Palpatine, Reborn Again:

Did you ever hear of the tragedy wrought by my resurrection?

It's not a story Disney would tell you; it's a Star Wars Legend!

Palpatine is no mere Pac-Man; past three lives, I have loads more!

Take on them all, and I'll need no grand plan for winning that Clone War.

I see just what you're made of, Colin, and you shouldn't pose a problem:

You're a bit of Grimer Wormtongue mixed with twice as much of Gollum!

While your sister-kinship's Hopeless, you'll find me still less forgiving:

Get out of this battle, my Empire, and this realm of living!

 

Snively Robotnik:

Oh, I won't be cucked again by you and your decaying cells:

I'll feed you to your rank Rancors; chop down your flimsy citadel!

You'll find I've been preparing for this like you should have for the Vong,

For I'm DYNAMAC, and I've waited long…

?????????: Yes, I'll bet you have!

Luke Skywalker: Han; what are you doing here?!

 

Han Solo:

In Oscar's words, a very brief cameo:

Think The Lego Movie; dropping by real quick, I'll soon have to go.

Thankfully, all that I need deliver here's a single blast,

'Cause Palpatine's no Greedo; I'll be proud to say I shot him last! (*KA-BANG!*)

 

Snively Robotnik:

…Well, that's just perfect! Now, his very soul is sealed away,

And the Empire entire's in a dire state of disarray,

With many warlords out there, feuding over territories, splintered;

Rising up, I'll claim the mantle as the one and only victor!

(*Glowing red eyes appear in the foreground…*)

 

?????????:

HERE COMES THE ADMIRAL!

Ladies and gentlemen…

HERE COMES THE ADMIRAL!

…The moment you've been waiting for…

HERE COMES THE ADMIRAL!

…The pride of Mount Tantiss…

HERE COMES THE ADMIRAL!

…Mitth'raw'nuruodo!

 

Grand Admiral Thrawn:

Seeing Sheev's shortsightedness as to succession, I'm his Heir apparent:

The exception to perceptions against aliens' "aberrance"!

Failure's fatal under Vader; with manpower, I don't squander it:

You're kriffing with the living Mitth behind the whole Triumvirate!

I am the very model of an Imperial Admiral,

Who studies matters cultural, artistic and behavioral

To form psychological profiles of my foes for masterful

Strategic tactics carried out with minimal collateral

Damages; I can manage shit! Abandon ship, you Muppet:

I'm as Far Outside your scope as those who'd slaughter the Republic!

Lessers of my rank are best remembered for creating memes;

When I see traps, they're neutralized with tact: no need of making scenes!

The Force can Chiss my ass; I'm more than just another silly wizard

Villain: chilling in my ship with trick-resisting kitty-lizards!

You should catch an Outbound Flight from here: get out the path of Thrawn,

The mighty menace never met by the main cast; think Wrath of Khan!

The aftermath of Zahn's post-Endor event-chronicling creation

Paved the way for countless tales; indeed, my very reputation

Carried sequels even following my own untimely slaying!

Thus, I borrow back from Saw: game over, Snively; thanks for playing.

 

Snively Robotnik:

Bah! I'll end your Flimsy legacy; abort your every clone!

You ought to know: this little bastard's next up for the Iron throne,

But unlike Joffrey, once with my love, I'll be far less choking-prone,

For though the red-eyed one's against me here, I still am not alone…

 

Iron Queen Regina Ferrum:

Let me be Frank: a Storm's a-brewing, per this Iron Maiden's will:

A Beastly bitch, I've got your Number; Troopers, best Run to the Hills!

Wanna compare yourself to Khan? I'll make a Monkey out of you,

And you'll be never seen again, as it seemed I would post-debut,

But I'm a real-deal comeback queen there can be no impersonating;

Didn't come here to make fans: I'll need but one to douse your flaming!

Like Lien-Da, your resistance will blow right up in your face;

A padded cell will be your home as I usurp and take your place!

I wedded that Old Iron King, but I rule over more than Ash:

Have my own posse of dark brides; for you, each one of them's a match!

You'd better keep a Constant Vigil once I've started hatching plans:

My Reach is Endless; check my Conquests, forces Storming clashing clans!

I couldn't hold NICOLE's control? I'm glad: we cut our weakest lynx!

I got exiled? Need you be reminded what your species thinks?

What you found admirable in that brute's backstabbing is a mystery;

I'll show you what it truly means to be done in artistically!

 

Grand Admiral Thrawn:

Oh, quit your badgering; you're dumber than Natasi Daala,

And as queens go, you're about as threatening as Amidala!

You chose midget over minotaur? Well, love can be surprising;

Step to me, though, and your ass will see a second huge downsizing!

 

Snively Robotnik:

Bullcrap, as when you "returned" before! I won't abide being lied to:

Like Honoghr's "restoration", we'll be coming back to bite you!

Iron Queen Regina Ferrum: Don't you underestimate the sway my Magitek can grant;

Just ask the Freedom Fighters of my kingdom! Oh, that's right: you can't!

 

Grand Admiral Thrawn:

Listen, Maleficent: you're merely an interim enemy;

A temporary threat at best, fleeting in your relevancy.

I built a legacy! Intent on ending me tonight? That's rich;

I'll throw you down a well, ensuring that you suffer with my wish!

Sparing your life based on your youth was a mistake; beyond erroneous,

And you talk of taking my place, yet you failed to even notice

When your love was left to rot, swapped out for his own wack invention!

One need not be a Shinobi to get shit past your attention,

So if your Dominion's Iron, my Empire's Durasteel:

The Hand of Thrawn just bitch-smacked Regina Repulsa; left her sealed,

For my regime's unrivaled throughout this entire lame dimension!

?????????: Well, then, let me up the Anti with a lesson in Suppression!

 

TO BE CONTINUED…

Continue...

Continuing from my previous shot...More incredible shot from the top of St Pauls and now looking North...The centrepiece is Christ Church Greyfriars another Christopher Wren beauty and it was severely damaged during the Blitz in 1940....The steeple still standing after the wartime damage, was disassembled in 1960 and put back together using modern construction methods. The surviving east wall was demolished in 1962 seen in the top photo.....The Tower is now used as a private residence.....The former HQ for the Post Office stands behind it was completed in 1911, it closed in 1996 and is now the Merrill Lynch HQ.....The roof of Smithfield market can also be seen in both photos..........

Continuing back through past shoots again with the stunning Alicia. This time (our 4th shoot together) we went downtown St. John's and walked around finding different nooks and locations to shoot in. Alicia looks amazing as always and I think we got a nice variety of poses and backdrops that I tend to miss when shooting in the studio with a simple blank wall (and sometimes the wind really adds some dynamics to the hair!). More to come!

 

Strobist: SB910 into 26" Rapidbox on a 6' monopod (handheld), fired by Nikon CLS (D7100 as master)

5x7 watercolor

I'm continuing this exercise with complementary colors and shadows

Continuing the Scottish trip, parked under the depot clock, a shape like this, almost space-age, I had never seen before. The Clayton Type 1 was fairly new, concentrated in Scotland, and Polmadie had 15 of them. 3rd April 1964

 

This proved to be a fleeting glimpse for, the second most unreliable loco ever supplied to BR, they were all scrapped within half a dozen years. More class 20s were built in their place.

 

Techy stuff: Zorki 6 and FP3, 35mm negative scan. Full list of locos on shed: link

        

The Antiques Roadshow continues, and today we're at the Maritime Museum in Santos, Brazil.

 

This isn't just any old life ring. No, I was amazed to see it hanging in an out-of-the-way place because we were traveling on another Monte Rosa, the direct descendant of the vessel that once carried this life ring.

 

The venerable German shipping line Hamburg-Súd now only carries passengers such as us on an ad-hoc basis, but our vessel's namesake was a marvelous passenger liner seen here:

 

static.akpool.de/images/cards/37/371659.jpg

 

Wikipedia's piece on the Monte Rosa is so comprehensive that only the total number of rivets used in her construction is missing.

 

Here is her early history:

 

{The] MV Monte Rosa was the last of five almost-identical Monte-class passenger ships that were built by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg between 1924 and 1931 for Hamburg Süd (Hamburg South American Steam Shipping Company).

 

During the 1920s, Hamburg Süd believed there would be a lucrative business in carrying German immigrants to South America and the first two ships were built for that purpose, passenger accommodation was single-class, with space for 1150 in cabins and 1350 in dormitories.

 

In the event, the immigrant trade never materialized and the two ships were re-purposed as cruise ships, operating in Northern European waters, the Mediterranean and around South America.

 

This proved to be a great success. Until then, cruise holidays had been the preserve of the rich. But by providing modestly-priced cruises, Hamburg Süd were able to profitably cater to a large new clientele.

 

Another ship was commissioned to cater for the demand – the MV Monte Cervantes. However she struck an uncharted rock and sank after only two years in service. Despite this, Hamburg Süd remained confident in the design and quickly ordered two more ships, the MV Monte Pascoal and the MV Monte Rosa.

 

Monte Rosa was launched on 4 December 1930.

 

Monte Rosa was 500 ft 3 in (152.48 m) long, with a beam of 65 ft 7 in (19.99 m). She had a depth of 37 ft 8 in (11.48 m). The ship was assessed at 13,882 GRT, 7,788 NRT

 

The five Monte-class vessels were diesel-powered motor ships, with four 1,436 nhp four-stroke diesel engines driving two propellers. At the time, the use of diesel engines was highly unusual in ships of this size, which would have been typically steam-powered, and their use reflected the experience Blohm & Voss had gained by building Diesel-powered U-boats during World War II.

 

Their top speed was 14 knots (26 km/h) (around half the speed of the large trans-Atlantic ocean liners of the era) but this was considered adequate for both the immigrant and cruise business.

 

The Monte Rosa was delivered to Hamburg Süd in 1931, who operated her as a cruise ship, traveling to Norway, the United Kingdom and the Mediterranean.[

 

After the Nazi regime came to power in Germany in 1933, she was operated as part of the Strength Through Joy programme, which provided leisure activities and cheap holidays as a means of promoting the party's ideology. She ran aground off Thorshavn, Faroe Islands, on 23 July 1934, but was refloated the next day.

 

At the start of World War II, Monte Rosa was allocated for military use. She was used as a barracks ship at Stettin, then as a troopship for the invasion of Norway in April 1940.

 

She was later used as an accommodation and recreational ship attached to the battleship Tirpitz, stationed in the north of Norway, from where Tirpitz and her flotilla attacked the Allied convoys en route to Russia.

 

In November 1942, she was one of several ships used for the deportation of Norwegian Jewish people, carrying a total of 46 people from Norway to Denmark, including the Polish-Norwegian businessman and humanitarian Moritz Rabinowitz. Of the 46 deportees carried on Monte Rosa, all but two died in Auschwitz concentration camp.

 

At the end of March 1944, Monte Rosa was attacked by Royal Air Force Bristol Beaufighters, of 144 Squadron and 404 Squadron. The attack was mounted for the explicit purpose of sinking her after British Intelligence had obtained details of the ship's movements. The RAF crews claimed two torpedo hits and eight hits with RP-3 rockets.

 

In June 1944, members of the Norwegian resistance movement attempted, but failed to sink her by attaching Limpet mines to her hull.

 

Later in 1944, Monte Rosa served in the Baltic Sea, rescuing Germans trapped in Latvia, East Prussia and Danzig by the advance of the Red Army. In May 1945, she was captured by advancing British forces at Kiel and taken as a prize of war.

=====================

What a history. But wait, there's more, but you'll need to read it at:

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Empire_Windrush

   

Continuing my series from earlier this week.

 

This view looks southwest along the Norfolk Southern line which though not officially abandoned was paved over at this grade crossing and others by an overly zealous City of South Bend that wanted the ROW for utility lines and a bike trail.

 

The car on the trailer appears to be a 1941 Studebaker Commander built right in South Bend.

 

At the date this photo was taken this line was in play as Bob Harris attempted to revive service on its as the South Bend Railway shortline despite fierce opposition from the city, Holy Cross College, and St. Mary's College. He was successful at the STB but ultimately gave up and the line is now the Coal Line Trail.

 

At one time this line was the busy New York Central Michigan Connecter which connected the NYC mainline to Chicago with Niles, Michigan. Into at least the 1950s charter trains carried football fans to Notre Dame over this line. Trains would lay over at either ND or the adjacent St. Mary's College campus to be cleaned, provisioned and await the return trips while the games took place.

 

The bridge in the distance over Portage Avenue replaced an earlier wooden trestle that carried both vehicles and streetcars of the Northern Indiana Railway up into 1940.

 

In its final years of operation in the 1990s it was used by Conrail to deliver coal to Notre Dame. Once NS took it over NS forced ND to truck coal to campus from a transload facility on the southwest side of South Bend.

 

Rescan of an earlier print at much higher resolution and quality.

(Continued from previous photo)

 

After the crowning of King John Balliol, there followed a number of years of political and military tumult, during which the different factions fought each other when they weren’t busy fighting the English, and everyone tried to manipulate poor John Balliol for their own gain. Essentially, it was all about the different factions fighting for their own gain. It was largely not about nationalism, and therefore to side with England when it suited was considered to be quite justifiable.

 

Meanwhile English interests thrived in a country they had effectively divided and conquerored. It was only when William Wallace appeared on the scene that nationalism rose above self interest for a while, and the reason that Wallace eventually lost, was that generally throughout Scottish history, self interest has been more important to the (ruling class of) Scots than nationalism, and in this instance self interest eventually won out!

 

Following the death of Wallace and the irreconcilable differences that their support for an independant Scotland had placed between the Bruces and Comyns on the one hand, and Edward of England on the other, an uneasy truce emerged between the last two serious contenders for King John Balliol’s empty throne. Balliol had abdicated in 1296 and retired to his estates in France and it was clear he was not going to return.

 

On February 10th 1306, one of those single events that changes the course of history occurred at Dumfries in Galloway. Up until that point, it is reasonable to assume that the Comyns might eventually have become kings of Scotland, which would have changed the subsequent history of the British Isles. However, when Robert Bruce and John the ‘Red Comyn’ met at Dumfries to attempt to settle their differences, things went awry and Bruce, for reasons not fully known, stabbed Comyn, who died at the altar of the church in which they met.

 

Robert Bruce, whatever else he may have been, was a decisive man, and grabbing the initiative he had created (probably unintentionally), he promptly had himself crowned King of Scots. His next priority, before dealing with the English, was to remove any counterclaims from the likes of the Comyns, and while he had already removed the head of the family at Dumfries, John Earl of Buchan had just as much royal blood in him as his cousin the ‘Red Comyn’ had (or used to have!).

 

King Robert I invaded the North-east in late 1307 and in May 1308 The Bruce defeated John Comyn’s army near Old Meldrum in a decisive battle. Comyn fled to England, where he died later that year. Following the battle, Bruce subjected the earldom of Buchan to systematic devastation, in what has since been known as the “Harrying of Buchan”. It is probable that the Castle of King-Edward was destroyed as part of this process and was never rebuilt. Bruce's men proceeded to kill those loyal to the Comyns, destroying their homes, farms, crops and slaughtering their cattle. The lands of Buchan were subsequently granted by the king to those that had principally supported him, such as the Hays and the Keiths. Much of Badenoch, which had belonged to the Red Comyn, was given to a little known family from the Borders that had also supported Bruce, the Gordons!

 

So ended the power of a family, of whom, the Scottish historian Buchanan says in his History of Scotland, "the power of this family has never been equalled in Scotland, either before or since." John Comyn, Earl of Buchan’s heir was his niece Alice, who married Henry Beaumont, a Norman English nobleman, and his efforts to claim the earldom of Buchan in the name of his wife played a large part in bringing about the Second War of Scottish Independence 25 years later.

 

338/365

High rises at Nelson and Bennett Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Continued practice from Kim Klassen's Beyond Layers e-Course. Very little set up needed for this still. Just a table next to my sage green walls. These flowers were next to the house and my overly zealous Edster (gotta love him) chopped them off with the weed wacker...and here they are. For more people to see than they ever would have dared hope for.

 

Out my door, out my window, Mogadore, Summit County, Ohio

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Le terrain devient plus plat et nous pouvons avancer un peu plus vite.

Portrait in red

木更津, Japan.

 

SIGMA SD15

SIGMA 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aswan_Dam

 

The Aswan Dam, or more specifically since the 1960s, the Aswan High Dam, is the world's largest embankment dam, which was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. Its significance largely eclipsed the previous Aswan Low Dam initially completed in 1902 downstream. Based on the success of the Low Dam, then at its maximum utilization, construction of the High Dam became a key objective of the government following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952; with its ability to better control flooding, provide increased water storage for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity, the dam was seen as pivotal to Egypt's planned industrialization. Like the earlier implementation, the High Dam has had a significant effect on the economy and culture of Egypt.

 

Before the High Dam was built, even with the old dam in place, the annual flooding of the Nile during late summer had continued to pass largely unimpeded down the valley from its East African drainage basin. These floods brought high water with natural nutrients and minerals that annually enriched the fertile soil along its floodplain and delta; this predictability had made the Nile valley ideal for farming since ancient times. However, this natural flooding varied, since high-water years could destroy the whole crop, while low-water years could create widespread drought and consequently famine. Both these events had continued to occur periodically. As Egypt's population grew and technology increased, both a desire and the ability developed to completely control the flooding, and thus both protect and support farmland and its economically important cotton crop. With the greatly increased reservoir storage provided by the High Aswan Dam, the floods could be controlled and the water could be stored for later release over multiple years.

 

The Aswan Dam was designed by the Moscow-based Hydroproject Institute.

 

The earliest recorded attempt to build a dam near Aswan was in the 11th century, when the Arab polymath and engineer Ibn al-Haytham (known as Alhazen in the West) was summoned to Egypt by the Fatimid Caliph, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, to regulate the flooding of the Nile, a task requiring an early attempt at an Aswan Dam. His field work convinced him of the impracticality of this scheme.

 

The British began construction of the first dam across the Nile in 1898. Construction lasted until 1902 and the dam was opened on 10 December 1902. The project was designed by Sir William Willcocks and involved several eminent engineers, including Sir Benjamin Baker and Sir John Aird, whose firm, John Aird & Co., was the main contractor.

 

In 1952, the Greek-Egyptian engineer Adrian Daninos began to develop the plan of the new Aswan Dam. Although the Low Dam was almost overtopped in 1946, the government of King Farouk showed no interest in Daninos's plans. Instead the Nile Valley Plan by the British hydrologist Harold Edwin Hurst was favored, which proposed to store water in Sudan and Ethiopia, where evaporation is much lower. The Egyptian position changed completely after the overthrow of the monarchy, led by the Free Officers Movement including Gamal Abdel Nasser. The Free Officers were convinced that the Nile Waters had to be stored in Egypt for political reasons, and within two months, the plan of Daninos was accepted. Initially, both the United States and the USSR were interested in helping development of the dam. Complications ensued due to their rivalry during the Cold War, as well as growing intra-Arab tensions.

 

In 1955, Nasser was claiming to be the leader of Arab nationalism, in opposition to the traditional monarchies, especially the Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq following its signing of the 1955 Baghdad Pact. At that time the U.S. feared that communism would spread to the Middle East, and it saw Nasser as a natural leader of an anticommunist procapitalist Arab League. America and the United Kingdom offered to help finance construction of the High Dam, with a loan of $270 million, in return for Nasser's leadership in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict. While opposed to communism, capitalism, and imperialism, Nasser identified as a tactical neutralist, and sought to work with both the U.S. and the USSR for Egyptian and Arab benefit.[8] After the UN criticized a raid by Israel against Egyptian forces in Gaza in 1955, Nasser realized that he could not portray himself as the leader of pan-Arab nationalism if he could not defend his country militarily against Israel. In addition to his development plans, he looked to quickly modernize his military, and he turned first to the U.S. for aid.

 

American Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and President Dwight Eisenhower told Nasser that the U.S. would supply him with weapons only if they were used for defensive purposes and if he accepted American military personnel for supervision and training. Nasser did not accept these conditions, and consulted the USSR for support.

 

Although Dulles believed that Nasser was only bluffing and that the USSR would not aid Nasser, he was wrong: the USSR promised Nasser a quantity of arms in exchange for a deferred payment of Egyptian grain and cotton. On 27 September 1955, Nasser announced an arms deal, with Czechoslovakia acting as a middleman for the Soviet support. Instead of attacking Nasser for turning to the Soviets, Dulles sought to improve relations with him. In December 1955, the US and the UK pledged $56 and $14 million, respectively, toward construction of the High Aswan Dam.

 

Though the Czech arms deal created an incentive for the US to invest at Aswan, the UK cited the deal as a reason for repealing its promise of dam funds. Dulles was angered more by Nasser's diplomatic recognition of China, which was in direct conflict with Dulles's policy of containment of communism.

 

Several other factors contributed to the US deciding to withdraw its offer of funding for the dam. Dulles believed that the USSR would not fulfil its commitment of military aid. He was also irritated by Nasser's neutrality and attempts to play both sides of the Cold War. At the time, other Western allies in the Middle East, including Turkey and Iraq, were resentful that Egypt, a persistently neutral country, was being offered so much aid.

 

In June 1956, the Soviets offered Nasser $1.12 billion at 2% interest for the construction of the dam. On 19 July the U.S. State Department announced that American financial assistance for the High Dam was "not feasible in present circumstances."

 

On 26 July 1956, with wide Egyptian acclaim, Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal that included fair compensation for the former owners. Nasser planned on the revenues generated by the canal to help fund construction of the High Dam. When the Suez War broke out, the United Kingdom, France, and Israel seized the canal and the Sinai. But pressure from the U.S. and the USSR at the United Nations and elsewhere forced them to withdraw.

 

In 1958, the USSR proceeded to provide support for the High Dam project.

 

In the 1950s, archaeologists began raising concerns that several major historical sites, including the famous temple of Abu Simbel were about to be submerged by waters collected behind the dam. A rescue operation began in 1960 under UNESCO

 

Despite its size, the Aswan project has not materially hurt the Egyptian balance of payments. The three Soviet credits covered virtually all of the project's foreign exchange requirements, including the cost of technical services, imported power generating and transmission equipment and some imported equipment for land reclamation. Egypt was not seriously burdened by payments on the credits, most of which were extended for 12 years with interest at the very low rate of 2-1/2%. Repayments to the USSR constituted only a small net drain during the first half of the 1960s, and increased export earnings derived from crops grown on newly reclaimed land have largely offset the modest debt service payments in recent years. During 1965–70, these export earnings amounted to an estimated $126 million, compared with debt service payments of $113 million.

 

A central pylon of the monument to Arab-Soviet Friendship. The memorial commemorates the completion of the Aswan High Dam. The coat of arms of the Soviet Union is on the left and the coat of arms of Egypt is on the right.

The Soviets also provided technicians and heavy machinery. The enormous rock and clay dam was designed by the Soviet Hydroproject Institute along with some Egyptian engineers. 25,000 Egyptian engineers and workers contributed to the construction of the dams.

 

Originally designed by West German and French engineers in the early 1950s and slated for financing with Western credits, the Aswan High Dam became the USSR's largest and most famous foreign aid project after the United States, the United Kingdom, and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) withdrew their support in 1956. The first Soviet loan of $100 million to cover construction of coffer dams for diversion of the Nile was extended in 1958. An additional $225 million was extended in 1960 to complete the dam and construct power-generating facilities, and subsequently about $100 million was made available for land reclamation. These credits of some $425 million covered only the foreign exchange costs of the project, including salaries of Soviet engineers who supervised the project and were responsible for the installation and testing of Soviet equipment. Actual construction, which began in 1960, was done by Egyptian companies on contract to the High Dam Authority, and all domestic costs were borne by the Egyptians. Egyptian participation in the venture has raised the construction industry's capacity and reputation significantly.

 

On the Egyptian side, the project was led by Osman Ahmed Osman's Arab Contractors. The relatively young Osman underbid his only competitor by one-half.

 

1960: Start of construction on 9 January

1964: First dam construction stage completed, reservoir started filling

1970: The High Dam, as-Sad al-'Aali, completed on 21 July[18]

1976: Reservoir reached capacity.

 

Specifications

The Aswan High Dam is 3,830 metres (12,570 ft) long, 980 m (3,220 ft) wide at the base, 40 m (130 ft) wide at the crest and 111 m (364 ft)[ tall. It contains 43,000,000 cubic metres (56,000,000 cu yd) of material. At maximum, 11,000 cubic metres per second (390,000 cu ft/s) of water can pass through the dam. There are further emergency spillways for an extra 5,000 cubic metres per second (180,000 cu ft/s), and the Toshka Canal links the reservoir to the Toshka Depression. The reservoir, named Lake Nasser, is 500 km (310 mi) long[20] and 35 km (22 mi) at its widest, with a surface area of 5,250 square kilometres (2,030 sq mi). It holds 132 cubic kilometres (1.73×1011 cu yd) of water.

 

Due to the absence of appreciable rainfall, Egypt's agriculture depends entirely on irrigation. With irrigation, two crops per year can be produced, except for sugar cane which has a growing period of almost one year.

 

The high dam at Aswan releases, on average, 55 cubic kilometres (45,000,000 acre⋅ft) water per year, of which some 46 cubic kilometres (37,000,000 acre⋅ft) are diverted into the irrigation canals.

 

In the Nile valley and delta, almost 336,000 square kilometres (130,000 sq mi) benefit from these waters producing on average 1.8 crops per year. The annual crop consumptive use of water is about 38 cubic kilometres (31,000,000 acre⋅ft). Hence, the overall irrigation efficiency is 38/46 = 0.826 or 83%. This is a relatively high irrigation efficiency. The field irrigation efficiencies are much less, but the losses are reused downstream. This continuous reuse accounts for the high overall efficiency.

 

The following table shows the distribution of irrigation water over the branch canals taking off from the one main irrigation canal, the Mansuriya Canal near Giza.

 

Branch canalWater delivery in m3/feddan *

Kafret Nasser4,700

Beni Magdul3,500

El Mansuria3,300

El Hammami upstream2,800

El Hammami downstream1,800

El Shimi1,200

* Period 1 March to 31 July. 1 feddan is 0.42 ha or about 1 acre.

* Data from the Egyptian Water Use Management Project (EWUP)

The salt concentration of the water in the Aswan reservoir is about 0.25 kilograms per cubic metre (0.42 lb/cu yd), a very low salinity level. At an annual inflow of 55 cubic kilometres (45,000,000 acre⋅ft), the annual salt influx reaches 14 million tons. The average salt concentration of the drainage water evacuated into the sea and the coastal lakes is 2.7 kilograms per cubic metre (4.6 lb/cu yd). At an annual discharge of 10 cubic kilometres (2.4 cu mi) (not counting the 2 kilograms per cubic metre [3.4 lb/cu yd] of salt intrusion from the sea and the lakes, see figure "Water balances"), the annual salt export reaches 27 million ton. In 1995, the output of salt was higher than the influx, and Egypt's agricultural lands were desalinizing. Part of this could be due to the large number of subsurface drainage projects executed in the last decades to control the water table and soil salinity.

 

Drainage through subsurface drains and drainage channels is essential to prevent a deterioration of crop yields from waterlogging and soil salinization caused by irrigation. By 2003, more than 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi) have been equipped with a subsurface drainage system and approximately 7.2 square kilometres (2.8 sq mi) of water is drained annually from areas with these systems. The total investment cost in agricultural drainage over 27 years from 1973 to 2002 was about $3.1 billion covering the cost of design, construction, maintenance, research and training. During this period 11 large-scale projects were implemented with financial support from World Bank and other donors.

 

Effects

The High Dam has resulted in protection from floods and droughts, an increase in agricultural production and employment, electricity production, and improved navigation that also benefits tourism. Conversely, the dam flooded a large area, causing the relocation of over 100,000 people. Many archaeological sites were submerged while others were relocated. The dam is blamed for coastline erosion, soil salinity, and health problems.

 

The assessment of the costs and benefits of the dam remains controversial decades after its completion. According to one estimate, the annual economic benefit of the High Dam immediately after its completion was LE 255 million, $587 million using the exchange rate in 1970 of $2.30 per LE 1): LE 140 million from agricultural production, LE 100 million from hydroelectric generation, LE 10 million from flood protection, and LE 5 million from improved navigation. At the time of its construction, total cost, including unspecified "subsidiary projects" and the extension of electric power lines, amounted to LE 450 million. Not taking into account the negative environmental and social effects of the dam, its costs are thus estimated to have been recovered within only two years. One observer notes: "The impacts of the Aswan High Dam have been overwhelmingly positive. Although the Dam has contributed to some environmental problems, these have proved to be significantly less severe than was generally expected, or currently believed by many people." Another observer disagreed and he recommended that the dam should be torn down. Tearing it down would cost only a fraction of the funds required for "continually combating the dam's consequential damage" and 500,000 hectares (1,900 sq mi) of fertile land could be reclaimed from the layers of mud on the bed of the drained reservoir. Samuel C. Florman wrote about the dam: "As a structure it is a success. But in its effect on the ecology of the Nile Basin – most of which could have been predicted – it is a failure".

 

Periodic floods and droughts have affected Egypt since ancient times. The dam mitigated the effects of floods, such as those in 1964, 1973, and 1988. Navigation along the river has been improved, both upstream and downstream of the dam. Sailing along the Nile is a favorite tourism activity, which is mainly done during the winter when the natural flow of the Nile would have been too low to allow navigation of cruise ships.[clarification needed] A new fishing industry has been created around Lake Nasser, though it is struggling due to its distance from any significant markets. The annual production was about 35 000 tons in the mid-1990s. Factories for the fishing industry and packaging have been set up near the Lake.

 

According to a 1971 CIA declassified report, Although the High Dam has not created ecological problems as serious as some observers have charged, its construction has brought economic losses as well as gains. These losses derive largely from the settling in dam's lake of the rich silt traditionally borne by the Nile. To date (1971), the main impact has been on the fishing industry. Egypt's Mediterranean catch, which once averaged 35,000-40,000 tons annually, has shrunk to 20,000 tons or less, largely because the loss of plankton nourished by the silt has eliminated the sardine population in Egyptian waters. Fishing in high dam's lake may in time at least partly offset the loss of saltwater fish, but only the most optimistic estimates place the eventual catch as high as 15,000-20,000 tons. Lack of continuing silt deposits at the mouth of the river also has contributed to a serious erosion problem. Commercial fertilizer requirements and salination and drainage difficulties, already large in perennially irrigated areas of Lower and Middle Egypt, will be somewhat increased in Upper Egypt by the change to perennial irrigation.

 

The dams also protected Egypt from the droughts in 1972–73 and 1983–87 that devastated East and West Africa. The High Dam allowed Egypt to reclaim about 2.0 million feddan (840,000 hectares) in the Nile Delta and along the Nile Valley, increasing the country's irrigated area by a third. The increase was brought about both by irrigating what used to be desert and by bringing under cultivation of 385,000 hectares (950,000 acres) that were previously used as flood retention basins. About half a million families were settled on these new lands. In particular the area under rice and sugar cane cultivation increased. In addition, about 1 million feddan (420,000 hectares), mostly in Upper Egypt, were converted from flood irrigation with only one crop per year to perennial irrigation allowing two or more crops per year. On other previously irrigated land, yields increased because water could be made available at critical low-flow periods. For example, wheat yields in Egypt tripled between 1952 and 1991 and better availability of water contributed to this increase. Most of the 32 km3 of freshwater, or almost 40 percent of the average flow of the Nile that were previously lost to the sea every year could be put to beneficial use. While about 10 km3 of the water saved is lost due to evaporation in Lake Nasser, the amount of water available for irrigation still increased by 22 km3. Other estimates put evaporation from Lake Nasser at between 10 and 16 cubic km per year.

 

Electricity production

The dam powers twelve generators each rated at 175 megawatts (235,000 hp), with a total of 2.1 gigawatts (2,800,000 hp). Power generation began in 1967. When the High Dam first reached peak output it produced around half of Egypt's production of electric power (about 15 percent by 1998), and it gave most Egyptian villages the use of electricity for the first time. The High Dam has also improved the efficiency and the extension of the Old Aswan Hydropower stations by regulating upstream flows.

 

All High Dam power facilities were completed ahead of schedule. 12 turbines were installed and tested, giving the plant an installed capacity of 2,100 megawatts (MW), or more than twice the national total in 1960. With this capacity, the Aswan plant can produce 10 billion kWh of energy yearly. Two 500-kilovolt trunk lines to Cairo have been completed, and initial transmission problems, stemming mainly from poor insulators, were solved. Also, the damage inflicted on a main transformer station in 1968 by Israeli commandos has been repaired, and the Aswan plant is fully integrated with the power network in Lower Egypt. By 1971 estimation, Power output at Aswan, won't reach much more than half of the plant's theoretical capacity, because of limited water supplies and the differing seasonal water-use patterns for irrigation and power production. Agricultural demand for water in the summer far exceeds the amount needed to meet the comparatively low summer demand for electric power. Heavy summer irrigation use, however, will leave insufficient water under Egyptian control to permit hydroelectric power production at full capacity in the winter. Technical studies indicate that a maximum annual output of 5 billion kWh appears to be all that can be sustained due to fluctuations in Nile flows.

 

Resettlement and compensations

In Sudan, 50,000 to 70,000 Sudanese Nubians were moved from the old town of Wadi Halfa and its surrounding villages. Some were moved to a newly created settlement on the shore of Lake Nasser called New Wadi Halfa, and some were resettled approximately 700 kilometres (430 mi) south to the semi-arid Butana plain near the town of Khashm el-Girba up the Atbara River. The climate there had a regular rainy season as opposed to their previous desert habitat in which virtually no rain fell. The government developed an irrigation project, called the New Halfa Agricultural Development Scheme to grow cotton, grains, sugar cane and other crops. The Nubians were resettled in twenty five planned villages that included schools, medical facilities, and other services, including piped water and some electrification.

 

In Egypt, the majority of the 50,000 Nubians were moved three to ten kilometers from the Nile near Edna and Kom Ombo, 45 kilometers (28 mi) downstream from Aswan in what was called "New Nubia". Housing and facilities were built for 47 village units whose relationship to each other approximated that in Old Nubia. Irrigated land was provided to grow mainly sugar cane.

 

In 2019–20, Egypt started to compensate the Nubians who lost their homes following the dam impoundment.

 

Archaeological sites

Twenty-two monuments and architectural complexes that were threatened by flooding from Lake Nasser, including the Abu Simbel temples, were preserved by moving them to the shores of the lake under the UNESCO Nubia Campaign. Also moved were Philae, Kalabsha and Amada.

 

These monuments were granted to countries that helped with the works:

 

The Debod temple to Madrid

The Temple of Dendur to the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York

The Temple of Taffeh to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden of Leiden

The Temple of Ellesyia to the Museo Egizio of Turin

These items were removed to the garden area of the Sudan National Museum of Khartoum:

 

The temple of Ramses II at Aksha

The temple of Hatshepsut at Buhen

The temple of Khnum at Kumma

The tomb of the Nubian prince Djehuti-hotep at Debeira

The temples of Dedwen and Sesostris III at Semna

The granite columns from the Faras Cathedral

A part of the paintings of the Faras Cathedral; the other part is in the National Museum of Warsaw.

The Temple of Ptah at Gerf Hussein had its free-standing section reconstructed at New Kalabsha, alongside the Temple of Kalabsha, Beit el-Wali, and the Kiosk of Qertassi.

 

The remaining archaeological sites, including the Buhen fort and the cemetery of Fadrus have been flooded by Lake Nasser.

 

Loss of sediments

Before the construction of the High Dam, the Nile deposited sediments of various particle size – consisting of fine sand, silt and clay – on fields in Upper Egypt through its annual flood, contributing to soil fertility. However, the nutrient value of the sediment has often been overestimated. 88 percent of the sediment was carried to the sea before the construction of the High Dam. The nutrient value added to the land by the sediment was only 6,000 tons of potash, 7,000 tons of phosphorus pentoxide and 17,000 tons of nitrogen. These amounts are insignificant compared to what is needed to reach the yields achieved today in Egypt's irrigation. Also, the annual spread of sediment due to the Nile floods occurred along the banks of the Nile. Areas far from the river which never received the Nile floods before are now being irrigated.

 

A more serious issue of trapping of sediment by the dam is that it has increased coastline erosion surrounding the Nile Delta. The coastline erodes an estimated 125–175 m (410–574 ft) per year.

 

Waterlogging and increase in soil salinity

Before the construction of the High Dam, groundwater levels in the Nile Valley fluctuated 8–9 m (26–30 ft) per year with the water level of the Nile. During summer when evaporation was highest, the groundwater level was too deep to allow salts dissolved in the water to be pulled to the surface through capillary action. With the disappearance of the annual flood and heavy year-round irrigation, groundwater levels remained high with little fluctuation leading to waterlogging. Soil salinity also increased because the distance between the surface and the groundwater table was small enough (1–2 m depending on soil conditions and temperature) to allow water to be pulled up by evaporation so that the relatively small concentrations of salt in the groundwater accumulated on the soil surface over the years. Since most of the farmland did not have proper subsurface drainage to lower the groundwater table, salinization gradually affected crop yields.[31] Drainage through sub-surface drains and drainage channels is essential to prevent a deterioration of crop yields from soil salinization and waterlogging. By 2003, more than 2 million hectares have been equipped with a subsurface drainage system at a cost from 1973 to 2002 of about $3.1 billion.

 

Health

Contrary to many predictions made prior to the Aswan High Dam construction and publications that followed, that the prevalence of schistosomiasis (bilharzia) would increase, it did not. This assumption did not take into account the extent of perennial irrigation that was already present throughout Egypt decades before the high dam closure. By the 1950s only a small proportion of Upper Egypt had not been converted from basin (low transmission) to perennial (high transmission) irrigation. Expansion of perennial irrigation systems in Egypt did not depend on the high dam. In fact, within 15 years of the high dam closure there was solid evidence that bilharzia was declining in Upper Egypt. S. haematobium has since disappeared altogether. Suggested reasons for this include improvements in irrigation practice. In the Nile Delta, schistosomiasis had been highly endemic, with prevalence in the villages 50% or higher for almost a century before. This was a consequence of the conversion of the Delta to perennial irrigation to grow long staple cotton by the British. This has changed. Large-scale treatment programmes in the 1990s using single-dose oral medication contributed greatly to reducing the prevalence and severity of S. mansoni in the Delta.

 

Other effects

Sediment deposited in the reservoir is lowering the water storage capacity of Lake Nasser. The reservoir storage capacity is 162 km3, including 31 km3 dead storage at the bottom of the lake below 147 m (482 ft) above sea level, 90 km3 live storage, and 41 km3 of storage for high flood waters above 175 m (574 ft) above sea level. The annual sediment load of the Nile is about 134 million tons. This means that the dead storage volume would be filled up after 300–500 years if the sediment accumulated at the same rate throughout the area of the lake. Obviously sediment accumulates much faster at the upper reaches of the lake, where sedimentation has already affected the live storage zone.

 

Before the construction of the High Dam, the 50,000 km (31,000 mi) of irrigation and drainage canals in Egypt had to be dredged regularly to remove sediments. After construction of the dam, aquatic weeds grew much faster in the clearer water, helped by fertilizer residues. The total length of the infested waterways was about 27,000 km (17,000 mi) in the mid-1990s. Weeds have been gradually brought under control by manual, mechanical and biological methods.

 

Mediterranean fishing and brackish water lake fishery declined after the dam was finished because nutrients that flowed down the Nile to the Mediterranean were trapped behind the dam. For example, the sardine catch off the Egyptian coast declined from 18,000 tons in 1962 to a mere 460 tons in 1968, but then gradually recovered to 8,590 tons in 1992. A scientific article in the mid-1990s noted that "the mismatch between low primary productivity and relatively high levels of fish production in the region still presents a puzzle to scientists."

 

A concern before the construction of the High Dam had been the potential drop in river-bed level downstream of the Dam as the result of erosion caused by the flow of sediment-free water. Estimates by various national and international experts put this drop at between and 2 and 10 meters (6.6 and 32.8 ft). However, the actual drop has been measured at 0.3–0.7 meters (0.98–2.30 ft), much less than expected.[30]

 

The red-brick construction industry, which consisted of hundreds of factories that used Nile sediment deposits along the river, has also been negatively affected. Deprived of sediment, they started using the older alluvium of otherwise arable land taking out of production up to 120 square kilometers (46 sq mi) annually, with an estimated 1,000 square kilometers (390 sq mi) destroyed by 1984 when the government prohibited, "with only modest success," further excavation. According to one source, bricks are now being made from new techniques which use a sand-clay mixture and it has been argued that the mud-based brick industry would have suffered even if the dam had not been built.

 

Because of the lower turbidity of the water sunlight penetrates deeper in the Nile water. Because of this and the increased presence of nutrients from fertilizers in the water, more algae grow in the Nile. This in turn increases the costs of drinking water treatment. Apparently few experts had expected that water quality in the Nile would actually decrease because of the High Dam.

 

Appraisal of the Project

Although it is moot whether the project constitutes the best use of the funds spent, the Aswan Dam project unquestionably is and will continue to be economically beneficial to Egypt. The project has been expensive and it took considerable time to complete, as is usually the case with large hydroelectric developments, But Egypt now has a valuable asset with a long life and low operating costs. Even so, the wisdom of concentrating one-third of domestic saving and most of available foreign aid on a slow growth project is questionable. Since 1960, GNP has grown 50%, but mainly as a result of other investment.

 

Egyptian authorities were well aware that equivalent gains in output could have been achieved more quickly and more cheaply by other means. A series of low dams, similar to the barrages now contemplated, was suggested by Egyptian engineers as a more economical means of achieving up to 2,000 mW of additional generating capacity, US and WorldBank agricultural experts had long recommended improved drainage, introduction of hybrid seeds, and other such low-cost alternatives to land reclamation as a means of increasing agricultural output, In other areas, most notably the once efficient cotton textile industry, investment was needed to forestall an output decline, Implementation of these and other alternatives has been postponed rather than precluded by the High Dam project.

 

However, the decision to concentrate Egyptian savings and energies on the Aswan project for a decade was heavily based on non-economic factors. Nasser undoubtedly believed that a project of considerable symbolic appeal was needed to mobilize the population behind the government's economic goals, He also apparently felt that the East and West would be more easily persuaded to bid against each other for a project of this scope.

 

The Aswan High Dam made an appreciable contribution to Egyptian GNP, however the returns were well below what the planners had anticipated. The principal limiting factors on the High Dam's contribution to Egyptian output are a shortage of land suitable for reclamation, the high cost and long time required to bring reclaimed land to full productivity, and an inadequate water supply to meet power and irrigation goals simultaneously. The last limitation arises in part from the allocation in a 1959 agreement of more water to Sudan than was originally foreseen and in part from differences in the seasonal demand pattern of agriculture and the hydroelectric plant for the water. Irrigation requires very heavy use of water during summer months, while power generation needs peak during the winter. Ecological problems created by the dam, most of which were anticipated, have not seriously harmed the economy, although a few minor industries have been damaged.

 

The dam is, nonetheless, a viable project. Eventually the contribution to GNP equals as much as 20% of total investment. Moreover, the dam and associated projects provided returns that at least offset the cost of operation, repayment of foreign loans and amortisation of domestic loans.

This is a continueing project in which I will shoot smokers. If they smoke in public they will be shot. There are groups of smokers gathering outside their workplace. There are solitary smokers, there are proud smokers and secretive smokers and those who are ashamed to smoke.

by folkmagazine ift.tt/1WJr2dU

Continuing with the flow of some arty pics at the moment!

Surfer waiting for waves as the incredible pink sunrise lit up the morning sky & reflected across the vast ocean...

 

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At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour is powered up for one of the final times as workers continue to prepare the orbiter for display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, CA.

Continued From here

 

"Now I'll Just sit here and be cute"

 

The End

We are now in mid-November 2022 and much work continues at Mineola Station. Most of it is electrical work, and work around the restored Mineola Station building. Perhaps the largest project underway is the new Pedestrian overpass and Kiss-n-Ride facility at Main Street. The old Nassau Tower and Substation area.

I'm not sure what the plan is for this area in the future. This part of the town has been long empty of retail use with even newly built shops standing empty.

 

A large green park would be much better, but I suspect a Car park will be the answer.

 

this is the rear of the old ABC / Cannon cinema

The story continues...