We see : Caffè Florian

Caffè Florian is a coffee house situated in the Procuratie Nuove of Piazza San Marco, Venice. It was established in 1720, and is a contender for the title of the oldest coffee house in continuous operation.

-

San Marco, Venice

By an incredible coincidence an airplane passes in front of the Moon at the same time when I take 4 photos in continuous shooting mode.

Par une incroyable coïncidence un avion passe devant la Lune au moment même où je prends 4 photos en rafale.

DSC_3121.NEF Date de prise de vue :26/09/2023 20:45:35.74

DSC_3122.NEF Date de prise de vue :26/09/2023 20:45:35.94

DSC_3123.NEF Date de prise de vue :26/09/2023 20:45:36.15

DSC_3124.NEF Date de prise de vue :26/09/2023 20:45:36.34

Modèle :Nikon D500

Objectif :VR 150-600mm f/5-6.3G

Focale :600mm

Vitesse d'obturation :1/320s

Ouverture :f/11

Sensibilité :ISO 320

Talus MB-H is a continuous track launch tractor which was specifically designed for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), to launch and recover lifeboats from beach-launched lifeboat stations. The tractor was built by Clayton Engineering Limited in Knighton, Powys. The vehicle has been designed to work over varying beach environments and can easily launch and recover lifeboats of up to 15 tonnes in weight. It will comfortably work at full power into up to 2.44 metres (8.0 ft)[1] of calm water. The 3208 V8 Caterpillar diesel engine will generate power simultaneously for drive and for winching during its launch and recovery procedure. Control of the vehicle is achieved using a single joystick controller which controls the hydraulic transmission functions and has the added safety feature of a dead man pedal.

The tractor has a fully enclosed, waterproof, protective cockpit and has duplicated controls front and back for use when facing in either direction. In the event of the tractor becoming inoperable whilst in the water, it can be battened down and left on the sea bed in up to a depth of 9.0 metres (29.5 ft) without the entry of sea water. The tractor has been designed with extensive corrosion protection to protect from the very aggressive working environment of the sea water and beach conditions the tractor has to endure. The tractor when tethered to a lifeboat carriage has the capability of towing and pulling such carriages at a top speed of up to 12.0 kilometres (7.5 mi).[1] In addition to its original design intent, the tractor has the advantages of having a varied performance range and can be used for hauling, winching and heavy recovery operations either on dry land or in flood conditions. There are 30 Talus MB-H machines in the RNLI fleet in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland

Samarkand is a city in southeastern Uzbekistan and among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Central Asia. Samarkand is the capital of the Samarkand Region and a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlements Kimyogarlar, Farhod and Khishrav. With 551,700 inhabitants (2021), it is the third-largest city in Uzbekistan.

There is evidence of human activity in the area of the city dating from the late Paleolithic Era. Though there is no direct evidence of when Samarkand was founded, several theories propose that it was founded between the 8th and 7th centuries BC. Prospering from its location on the Silk Road between China, Persia and Europe, at times Samarkand was one of the largest cities in Central Asia, and was an important city of the empires of Greater Iran. By the time of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, it was the capital of the Sogdian satrapy. The city was conquered by Alexander the Great in 329 BC, when it was known as Markanda, which was rendered in Greek as Μαράκανδα. The city was ruled by a succession of Iranian and Turkic rulers until it was conquered by the Mongols under Genghis Khan in 1220.

The city is noted as a centre of Islamic scholarly study and the birthplace of the Timurid Renaissance. In the 14th century, Timur made it the capital of his empire and the site of his mausoleum, the Gur-e Amir. The Bibi-Khanym Mosque, rebuilt during the Soviet era, remains one of the city's most notable landmarks. Samarkand's Registan square was the city's ancient centre and is bounded by three monumental religious buildings. The city has carefully preserved the traditions of ancient crafts: embroidery, goldwork, silk weaving, copper engraving, ceramics, wood carving, and wood painting. In 2001, UNESCO added the city to its World Heritage List as Samarkand – Crossroads of Cultures.

Modern Samarkand is divided into two parts: the old city, which includes historical monuments, shops, and old private houses; and the new city, which was developed during the days of the Russian Empire and Soviet Union and includes administrative buildings along with cultural centres and educational institutions. On 15 and 16 September 2022, the city hosted the 2022 SCO summit.

Samarkand has a multicultural and plurilingual history that was significantly modified by the process of national delimitation in Central Asia. Many inhabitants of the city are native or bilingual speakers of the Tajik language, whereas Uzbek is the official language and Russian is also widely used in the public sphere, as per Uzbekistan's language policy.

Wimpole has been continuously occupied for at least 2,000 years with evidence from Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval times. It has been owned by a number of different families. The earliest maps show a four-gabled manor house surrounded by a moat.

Captain and Mrs George Bambridge first rented Wimpole in 1937 and had bought it by 1942.

The house was largely empty of contents, so they set out buying pictures and furniture to fill the house. During the war the household moved into the basements. The house itself was not requisitioned by the War Office due to lack of mains electricity and the primitive drainage and water supply.

Captain Bambridge died in 1943 as a result of a chill caught whilst out shooting. Elsie Bambridge was the only surviving child of Rudyard Kipling. She was able to use the substantial royalties from his books to refurbish the house.

Mrs Bambridge bequeathed the house to the National Trust on her death aged 80 in 1976.

Continuous Light in a light box.

Volterra, known to the ancient Etruscans as Velathri, to the Romans as Volaterrae, is a town and comune in the Tuscany region of Italy.

(Wikipedia)

-----

I returned to Tuscany after several years during a prolonged August weekend to explore famous hilltop settlements and enjoy Chianti & Montepulciano red wines.

During the second day in the area, we visited the hilltop town of Volterra - a really beautiful place to walk around, explore and admire.

To view more of my images, of aircraft, please click "here" !

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries during and after the Second World War. The Spitfire was built in many variants, using several wing configurations, and was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft. It was also the only British fighter to be in continuous production throughout the war. The Spitfire continues to be a popular aircraft, with approximately 53 Spitfires being airworthy, while many more are static exhibits in aviation museums all over the world. The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928). In accordance with its role as an interceptor, Mitchell designed the Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing to have the thinnest possible cross-section; this thin wing enabled the Spitfire to have a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane. Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith took over as chief designer, overseeing the development of the Spitfire through its multitude of variants. During the Battle of Britain (July–October 1940), the Spitfire was perceived by the public to be the RAF fighter, though the more numerous Hawker Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe. However, because of its higher performance, Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes. After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire superseded the Hurricane to become the backbone of RAF Fighter Command, and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber and trainer, and it continued to serve in these roles until the 1950s. The Seafire was a carrier-based adaptation of the Spitfire which served in the Fleet Air Arm from 1942 through to the mid-1950s. Although the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030 hp (768 kW), it was strong enough and adaptable enough to use increasingly powerful Merlin and, in later marks, Rolls-Royce Griffon engines producing up to 2,340 hp (1,745 kW); as a consequence of this the Spitfire's performance and capabilities improved, sometimes dramatically, over the course of its life. R. J. Mitchell's 1931 design to meet Air Ministry specification F7/30 for a new and modern fighter capable of 250 mph (400 km/h), the Supermarine Type 224, was an open-cockpit monoplane with bulky gull-wings and a large fixed, spatted undercarriage powered by the 600 horsepower (450 kW) evaporatively cooled Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine. This made its first flight in February 1934. The Type 224 was a big disappointment to Mitchell and his design team, who immediately embarked on a series of "cleaned-up" designs, using their experience with the Schneider Trophy seaplanes as a starting point. Of the seven designs tendered to F7/30, the Gloster Gladiator biplane was accepted for service. Mitchell had already begun working on a new aircraft, designated Type 300, with a retractable undercarriage and the wingspan reduced by 6 ft (1.8 m). This was submitted to the Air Ministry in July 1934, but was not accepted. The design then went through a series of changes, including the incorporation of a faired, enclosed cockpit, oxygen-breathing apparatus, smaller and thinner wings, and the newly developed, more powerful Rolls-Royce PV-XII V-12 engine, later named the "Merlin". In November 1934 Mitchell, with the backing of Supermarine's owner, Vickers-Armstrong, started detailed design work on this refined version of the Type 300 and, on 1 December 1934, the Air Ministry issued contract AM 361140/34, providing £10,000 for the construction of Mitchell's improved F7/30 design. On 3 January 1935, the Air Ministry formalised the contract and a new specification, F10/35, was written around the aircraft.

Turin, Italia

20160509.USA.©JO.SS.00093

Photo captured via Minolta MD Zoom Rokkor-X 24-50mm F/4 lens. At the Cedar Creek Cabin's private loop trail near the Bogachiel River. Coast Range. Olympic Peninsula. Near the Clallam County line. Jefferson County, Washington. Early April 2018.

Exposure Time: 1/10 sec. * ISO Speed: ISO-100 * Aperture: F/11 * Bracketing: None * Color Temperature: 5750 K * Film Plug-In: Kodak Portra 160 VC

*Truly have a passion for unique landscape and thought provoking shots?? Please be sure to check out my partner Slick 406's work at: www.flickr.com/photos/156943980@N03

@Museo Reina Sofia

I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to "industrial art" and this, from 1939, is a corker of one. Prior to the widespread introduction of successful reproduction of color photographs many advertisers commissioned an artist to capture a scene such as this of the Ebbw Vale continuous strip mill at the works of Richard Thomas. Baldwin's had only taken over the Ebbw Vale Steel Iron and Coal Company in 1936 and they made a massive investment in the plant as seen here. They would merge with Baldwin's in 1948, another company with an English background who had moved into the South Wales metals industries, in this case specialising in tin plating.

The artist is also of interest. It is by the American Lawrence Sterne Stevens (1884 - 1960) who had been working in the UK and on the Continent since 1914 but who would return to the US at about the time this advert was issued. Back in the States he would become known as one of the greatest illustrators and cartoonists working in the field of science fiction. The advert appears as the back cover of the Illustrated London News for 29 April 1939.

Hope V2 - Issue #8 "Despair"

The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history. During more than 60 years of service, the family has participated in military, civilian, and humanitarian aid operations. The Hercules has outlived several planned successor designs, most notably the Advanced Medium STOL Transport contestants.

The C-130J is the newest version of the Hercules and the only model still in production. Externally similar to the classic Hercules in general appearance, the J-model features considerably updated technology. These differences include new Rolls-Royce AE 2100 D3 turboprop engines with Dowty R391 composite scimitar propellers, digital avionics (including head-up displays (HUDs) for each pilot), and reduced crew requirements. These changes have improved performance over its C-130E/H predecessors, such as 40% greater range, 21% higher maximum speed, and 41% shorter takeoff distance.

As a cargo and airlift aircraft, the C-130J's crew includes two pilots and one loadmaster (no navigator or flight engineer), while specialized USAF variants (e.g., AC-130J, EC-130J, MC-130J, HC-130J, WC-130J) may have larger crews, such as navigators/Combat Systems Officers or other specialized officer and enlisted air crew. The U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J uses a crew chief for expeditionary operations. The C-130J's cargo compartment is approximately 41 feet (12.5 m) long, 9 feet (2.74 m) high, and 10 feet (3.05 m) wide, and loading is from the rear of the fuselage. The aircraft can also be configured with the "enhanced cargo handling system". The system consists of a computerized loadmaster's station from which the user can remotely control the under-floor winch and also configure the flip-floor system to palletized roller or flat-floor cargo handling. Initially developed for the USAF, this system enables rapid role changes to be carried out and so extends the C-130J's time available to complete taskings.

Canon Powershot SX70 HS IS

Metering Mode - Spot

C1 M

IS

Image stabilizer

very snappy Bridgecamera

Schnappschuss Kamera

●

art meets Photography

effiart 2021

################

1365 mm

Canon Powershot SX70 HS

-

Yes, Zoomer (bridge-cameras) need ample Light.

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

Excellent IBIS -

5.0 stops

Super Bildstabilisierung (5 Stufen besser für die verwacklungsfreie Belichtung)

Enhanced basic functionality for quicker, easier Shooting

with Dual Sensing IS* aka DS.

Intelligent IS mit Dual Sensing IS und 5-achsigem Advanced Dynamic IS

up to five stops better

(SX70 5.0 stops)

(SX60 3.5 stops)

IBIS, In Body image stabilizer,

-

With the addition of a new eye sensor,

the camera automatically switches to the EVF display simply by bringing the camera up to the eye.

The PowerShot SX70 HS is capable of continuous shooting at up to

10 fps with One Shot AF

and Servo AF up to 7,4 fps,

ensuring that you will not miss picture-perfect moments in sports, wildlife, or any other scenes with fast-moving subjects.

With improved Contrast AF, focus is established quickly even in dark scenes.

Zoom Framing Assist: Supports setting of angle-of-view during telephoto shooting

On the PowerShot SX70 HS, telephoto shooting is supported by three Zoom Framing Assist functions:

Zoom Framing Assist – Lock

Reduces camera shake at the telephoto end. On the PowerShot SX70 HS, this function has been enhanced with Support for subject tracking, allowing you to shoot at the intended angle-of-view.

Zoom Framing Assist – Seek

Helps you to reacquire lost subjects by temporary zooming out, finding the subject, and then zooming in onto it at the original angle-of-view.

Zoom Framing Assist – Auto

Detects an approaching face and automatically adjusts the zoom to keep the face at a constant size on the screen.

Hersteller:

Canon

PowerShot SX70 HS

Die neue Premium-Bridge-Kamera von Canon

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

Kameratyp:

Bridge

Markteinführung:

11 / 2018

Gewicht:

608g (betriebsbereit)

UVP:

549,00 Euro

-

Serienbilder pro Sekunde:

10,0 Bilder pro Sekunde

-

Sucher:

Ja

Suchertyp:

elektronisch

Sucherauflösung:

2.360.000 Bildpunkte

100%

Dioptrienausgleich möglich:

Ja

-

ISO Empfindlichkeit:

100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200

Auto ISO: 100 - 800

Featuring DSLR-style looks and handling, a 7.5 Vari-Angle LCD screen, 20.3 Megapixel sensor and 4K Ultra High Definition video, the

Canon PowerShot SX70 HS is an ideal all-in-one camera,

capable of handling all types of shooting scenario, without the need to carry multiple lenses.

Bessere haptische Bedienung: wie DSLR EOS Bedienung

Am leistungsfähigen Sucher orientiert +

Zoom-Wippe auf dem Objektiv

The PowerShot SX70 HS inherits the

design of EOS cameras and features a button layout optimised for EVF shooting.

Controls such as the shutter button, electronic dials and zoom button on the lens barrel have also been designed to ensure optimum ease-of-use during viewfinder shooting.

-

In addition to sharp JPEGs, the Canon PowerShot SX70 HS can capture images in

RAW or compact RAW format,

opening a world of professional post-production techniques, providing limitless ways to impress with optimised photographs.

CMOS-Sensor 1/2,3" 6,2 x 4,6 mm (Cropfaktor 5,6)

This is the Yates Cider Mill in Rochester Michigan. It is a mill that has been in continuous operation since 1863. The day I stopped here, there were a gazillion people!

St Albans Cathedral, officially the Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban but often referred to locally as "the Abbey", is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain. It stands over the place where Alban, the first martyr, was buried after giving his life for his faith over 1700 years ago – more than 200 years before St Augustine arrived in Canterbury.

At some time in the third century Alban was martyred for his christian faith and buried on a hill top over looking the city of Verulamium. Eventually a shrine or church was built over his grave and the historian Bede, writing c.730 implies that this was done in Roman times and states that miracles still took place there. The Gallic Bishop, St. Germanus of Auxerre visited the shrine in 429. The Abbeys own historians recorded that the Abbey was founded by the great King Offa of Mercia in 793, after the saints resting place had been revealed to him in a dream. However it is unlikely that this had been forgotten by the two generations since Bede's time and it seems likely that Offa reorganised an existing religious community and probably imposed the rule of St. Benedict. He also endowed the house with extensive lands.

Little is known about the Anglo-Saxon Abbey but it seems to have had two churches and was a mixed house with both monks and nuns.

Eleven years after the Norman Conquest, in 1077, Paul of Caen was appointed Abbot and set about rebuilding not only the Church but also the conventual buildings. The great church was finally completed and dedicated in the presence of king Henry I in 1115. Most of the building materials were quarried from the ruins of Roman city of Verulamium that lies just across the small river Ver to the south.

The great abbey was a victim of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and most of its buildings were demolished. However, the Abbey Church survived and was sold to the town for £400 in 1553 by King Edward VI to be the church of the parish.

The upkeep of this vast and already ancient building fell on the small town and it became increasingly derelict. In the 1770s the Abbey came close to demolition; the expense of repairs meant a scheme to destroy the Abbey and erect a smaller church almost succeeded. In the 19th century various repair schemes were put in place. George Gilbert Scott was working on the Abbey until his death. His plans were partially completed by his son, John Oldrid Scott, but the remaining work fell into the hands of Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe, an extremely rich amateur, whose efforts have attracted much controversy — Nikolaus Pevsner calling him a "pompous, righteous bully." However, he donated much of the immense sum of £130,000 the work cost. His work however is often eye-poppingly inappropriate and some, like the great north transept window has to be seen to be believed.

The Abbey was designated as a Cathedral in 1877.

There's an colourful and eccentric description of the architectural vicissitudes of the abbey at; stainedglassattitudes.wordpress.com/2017/09/19/the-tragic...

After 5 days of continuous rain due to cyclone we saw Sun today. This insect is basking in the morning Sun rays.

Got selected for www.nikonstunninggallery.com

Continuous Drive - Continuous, Low

Focus Mode - Manual Focus - here infinity

Record Mode - JPEG

Focus Range - Manual

Canon Exposure Mode - Manual

Manuelle Belichtung

-

Measured EV2 - 11.75

Camera Type - EOS High-end

-

Tone Curve - Standard

Sharpness - 4

Color Temperature - 5200

hier zu kalte Farben - 13:13 Uhr

Picture Style - 4,0,0,0

C2

WB custom

WBShift AB - 1

WBShift GM - -1

Era qui

using Sony A7ii and Nikkor 105F1.4 E ED with Commlite Pro AF adapter (firmware V.05) @F2.8 1/640 ISO 100,continuous shot.

at Bangpoo,Thailand.

the one popular sightseeing in Samutprakarn ,Thailand. For Thai Language “Bang” mean city or town and “Poo” mean Crab ,so the meaning of Bangpoo is city of crab or area of crab .Because Bangpoo has a long beach along Thai gulf with a plenty of natural wetland ,mangrove forest and small fish & crab .But it’s a mud beach no golden sand .

Seagull is a one of highlight there ,they fly from Thibet and Mongolia in November and leave at Bangpoo about 5 Month .They will be fly back in May ,this is a natural of them .You can see and feed the seagull about 4.00 PM .There is a small kios to service a bird food on the bridge .

Henk Visch, 2011

München

Favolus spatulatus. Another very clean & bright looking group after 5 continuous days of light rain & drizzle. The Rocks, Cairns.

Located near the busy intersection of Georgia and Granville Streets, the Vancouver Block is a striking fifteen-storey Edwardian Commercial building topped by a large clock tower and finished with ornamental terra cotta.

Constructed between 1910 and 1912 on the highest point of land in downtown Vancouver, the building is valued as an example of the city’s pre-war economic expansion and building boom. Rapid population growth during this period stimulated widespread construction in Vancouver. In the late 1890s, Canadian Pacific Railway executives encouraged business leaders to settle on company land, putting its stamp on Granville Street as the most prestigious location in the city for commercial buildings. As the centre of city activity shifted from Pender and Hastings Streets to Granville Street, the Vancouver Block helped to establish the intersection at Georgia and Granville as the commercial core of early Vancouver.

Pre-war construction changed the face of downtown Vancouver through the erection of several landmark buildings, among which the Vancouver Block was prominent due to its height, white terra cotta cladding and central clock tower. As well as reflecting the confidence of the Edwardian era, the building is associated with one of the pioneer businessmen of the time. Dominic Burns, part of the Burns meat packing establishment, managed to weather the financial depression of the decades after 1913 and possessed one of the largest estates left by pre-1914 business leaders upon his death in 1933. The building has had continuous use over time as a retail establishment on the ground level and offices on the floors above. LINK to the complete article - www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=10821...

The earliest Canadian postcards published by Valentine & Sons were uncoloured collotypes of scenery along the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway north of Lake Superior and in the Rocky Mountains. Typically, Valentine postcards have a 6-digit serial number (###,###) on the view side with the initials “J.V.” in a circle adjacent to that number. The main series of numbering begins with a Halifax card as no. 100,000 and ends (as far as we know) with a postcard of Toronto as no. 115,981. There are also two short runs of numbers in the 400,000 range that are found on some cards from the Yukon Territory and a longer run of views from various parts of Canada that begins at 600,000 and continues past 602,000.

108,000 – 1912 (August)*

109,000 – 1913 (January)

110,000 – 1913 (October)

Link to everything you wanted to know about the - Valentine & Sons Publishing Co. - torontopostcardclub.com/canadian-postcard-publishers/vale...

To view more of my images, of aircraft, please click

"here" !

I would be most grateful if you would refrain from inserting images, and/or group invites; thank you!

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries during and after the Second World War. The Spitfire was built in many variants, using several wing configurations, and was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft. It was also the only British fighter to be in continuous production throughout the war. The Spitfire continues to be a popular aircraft, with approximately 53 Spitfires being airworthy, while many more are static exhibits in aviation museums all over the world. The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928). In accordance with its role as an interceptor, Mitchell designed the Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing to have the thinnest possible cross-section; this thin wing enabled the Spitfire to have a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane. Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith took over as chief designer, overseeing the development of the Spitfire through its multitude of variants. During the Battle of Britain (July–October 1940), the Spitfire was perceived by the public to be the RAF fighter, though the more numerous Hawker Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe. However, because of its higher performance, Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes. After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire superseded the Hurricane to become the backbone of RAF Fighter Command, and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber and trainer, and it continued to serve in these roles until the 1950s. The Seafire was a carrier-based adaptation of the Spitfire which served in the Fleet Air Arm from 1942 through to the mid-1950s. Although the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030 hp (768 kW), it was strong enough and adaptable enough to use increasingly powerful Merlin and, in later marks, Rolls-Royce Griffon engines producing up to 2,340 hp (1,745 kW); as a consequence of this the Spitfire's performance and capabilities improved, sometimes dramatically, over the course of its life. R. J. Mitchell's 1931 design to meet Air Ministry specification F7/30 for a new and modern fighter capable of 250 mph (400 km/h), the Supermarine Type 224, was an open-cockpit monoplane with bulky gull-wings and a large fixed, spatted undercarriage powered by the 600 horsepower (450 kW) evaporatively cooled Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine. This made its first flight in February 1934. The Type 224 was a big disappointment to Mitchell and his design team, who immediately embarked on a series of "cleaned-up" designs, using their experience with the Schneider Trophy seaplanes as a starting point. Of the seven designs tendered to F7/30, the Gloster Gladiator biplane was accepted for service. Mitchell had already begun working on a new aircraft, designated Type 300, with a retractable undercarriage and the wingspan reduced by 6 ft (1.8 m). This was submitted to the Air Ministry in July 1934, but was not accepted. The design then went through a series of changes, including the incorporation of a faired, enclosed cockpit, oxygen-breathing apparatus, smaller and thinner wings, and the newly developed, more powerful Rolls-Royce PV-XII V-12 engine, later named the "Merlin". In November 1934 Mitchell, with the backing of Supermarine's owner, Vickers-Armstrong, started detailed design work on this refined version of the Type 300 and, on 1 December 1934, the Air Ministry issued contract AM 361140/34, providing £10,000 for the construction of Mitchell's improved F7/30 design. On 3 January 1935, the Air Ministry formalised the contract and a new specification, F10/35, was written around the aircraft.

The Astoria-Megler Bridge is a continuous truss bridge that spans the mouth of the Columbia River between Astoria, Oregon and Point Ellice near Megler, Washington, in the United States. The span was the last segment of U.S. Route 101 between Olympia, Washington and Los Angeles, California. It is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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

Those traveling to the Peninsula via Astoria and Portland have the opportunity to cross the spectacular Astoria-Megler Bridge, just 20 miles from the Long Beach Peninsula. Spanning the mighty Columbia River, the Astoria-Megler Bridge links the Oregon and Washington sections of the Pacific Coast Highway (U.S.101). The bridge stretches 4.1 miles from Astoria, Oregon, across the mouth of the Columbia River to Point Ellice, Washington, and contains the longest continuous three-span through-truss in the world.

JBP> Visitors Bureau.

Continuous rain today so time to take an autumn leaf indoors and photograph it!

The continuous ringing of an ungated crossing is silenced by the roar of a passing NS 296 pulled by a duo of KCS ACes. I know, bad editing, I will re-edit and replace this photo.

My little solar power prayer wheel, turns with the prayer Om Mani Padme Om on it.

For Our Daily Challenge topic - 'Isolation'

Continuously honking ET Twins WDM-3A #16779 + WDM-3A #14109 Overtaking WDM-3A #16526 hauled ET-ALD Passenger @ flat 110 kmph through SOHAGPUR charging on time running CSTM-BSB Mahanagri Express.

On branching and continuous integration

continuously calling

Just north of the headland featured in yesterday’s Coolum shot, is the “real” Coolum Beach. The Surf Life Saving Club is on the left and its volunteer lifesavers who do such wonderful work are on the beach in front, keeping an eye on those people doing the right thing and “Swimming Between the Flags”. As you can see, this beautiful stretch of beach runs north until it starts meeting the headlands around Noosa. At this point, it’s full Pacific Ocean of course, creating surf conditions. This pretty well typifies most ocean beaches along Australia’s east coast south of the Great Barrier Reef.

Coolum, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.

Expedition 57 is at full count now. Welcome to the International Space Station, Soyuz MS-11 crew! And congrats to all international partners for preserving continuous human presence on Earth's embassy in space, for more than 18 years now.

Expedition 57 ist nun vollzählig. Willkommen an Bord der ISS, Soyuz MS-11 Crew! Und Gratulation an alle internationalen Partner - 18 Jahre ununterbrochene menschliche Präsenz im Erdorbit ist eine große Leistung, die allen Menschen auf der Erde zu Gute kommt.

ID: 84R0682

Credit: ESA/NASA

A cúpula (o Domo), no interior do Panteão, em Roma.

The Dome, at Pantheon's Interior, in Rome.

A text, in english, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Pantheon, Rome.

The Pantheon (Latin: Pantheon, from Greek: Πάνθειον, meaning "Temple of all the gods") is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome, and rebuilt circa 126 AD during Hadrian's reign. The intended degree of inclusiveness of this dedication is debated. The generic term pantheon is now applied to a monument in which illustrious dead are buried. It is the best preserved of all Roman buildings, and perhaps the best preserved building of its age in the world. It has been in continuous use throughout its history. The design of the extant building is sometimes credited to Trajan's architect Apollodorus of Damascus, but it is equally likely that the building and the design should be credited to Emperor Hadrian's architects, though not to Hadrian himself as many art scholars once thought. Since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic church. The Pantheon is the oldest standing domed structure in Rome. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 metres (142 ft).

n the aftermath of the Battle of Actium (31 BC), Agrippa built and dedicated the original Pantheon during his third consulship (27 BC). Agrippa's Pantheon was destroyed along with other buildings in a huge fire in 80 AD. The current building dates from about 126 AD, during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian, as date-stamps on the bricks reveal. It was totally reconstructed with the text of the original inscription ("M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS·TERTIVM·FECIT", standing for Latin: Marcus Agrippa, Lucii filius, consul tertium fecit translated to "'Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, Consul for the third time, built this") which was added to the new facade, a common practice in Hadrian's rebuilding projects all over Rome. Hadrian was a cosmopolitan emperor who travelled widely in the East and was a great admirer of Greek culture. He might have intended the Pantheon, a temple to all the gods, to be a kind of ecumenical or syncretist gesture to the subjects of the Roman Empire who did not worship the old gods of Rome, or who (as was increasingly the case) worshipped them under other names. How the building was actually used is not known.

Cassius Dio, a Graeco-Roman senator, consul and author of a comprehensive History of Rome, writing approximately 75 years after the Pantheon's reconstruction, mistakenly attributed the domed building to Agrippa rather than Hadrian. Dio's book appears to be the only near-contemporary writing on the Pantheon, and it is interesting that even by the year 200 there was uncertainty about the origin of the building and its purpose:

Agrippa finished the construction of the building called the Pantheon. It has this name, perhaps because it received among the images which decorated it the statues of many gods, including Mars and Venus; but my own opinion of the name is that, because of its vaulted roof, it resembles the heavens. (Cassius Dio History of Rome 53.27.2)

The building was repaired by Septimius Severus and Caracalla in 202 AD, for which there is another, smaller inscription. This inscription reads "pantheum vetustate corruptum cum omni cultu restituerunt" ('with every refinement they restored the Pantheon worn by age').

In 609 the Byzantine emperor Phocas gave the building to Pope Boniface IV, who converted it into a Christian church and consecrated it to Santa Maria ad Martyres, now known as Santa Maria dei Martiri.

The building's consecration as a church saved it from the abandonment, destruction, and the worst of the spoliation which befell the majority of ancient Rome's buildings during the early medieval period. Paul the Deacon records the spoliation of the building by the Emperor Constans II, who visited Rome in July 663:

Remaining at Rome twelve days he pulled down everything that in ancient times had been made of metal for the ornament of the city, to such an extent that he even stripped off the roof of the church [of the blessed Mary] which at one time was called the Pantheon, and had been founded in honor of all the gods and was now by the consent of the former rulers the place of all the martyrs; and he took away from there the bronze tiles and sent them with all the other ornaments to Constantinople.

Much fine external marble has been removed over the centuries, and there are capitals from some of the pilasters in the British Museum. Two columns were swallowed up in the medieval buildings that abbutted the Pantheon on the east and were lost. In the early seventeenth century, Urban VIII Barberini tore away the bronze ceiling of the portico, and replaced the medieval campanile with the famous twin towers built by Maderno, which were not removed until the late nineteenth century. The only other loss has been the external sculptures, which adorned the pediment above Agrippa's inscription. The marble interior and the great bronze doors have survived, although both have been extensively restored.

Since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used as a tomb. Among those buried there are the painters Raphael and Annibale Carracci, the composer Arcangelo Corelli, and the architect Baldassare Peruzzi. In the 15th century, the Pantheon was adorned with paintings: the best-known is the Annunciation by Melozzo da Forlì. Architects, like Brunelleschi, who used the Pantheon as help when designing the Cathedral of Florence's dome, looked to the Pantheon as inspiration for their works.

Pope Urban VIII (1623 to 1644) ordered the bronze ceiling of the Pantheon's portico melted down. Most of the bronze was used to make bombards for the fortification of Castel Sant'Angelo, with the remaining amount used by the Apostolic Camera for various other works. It is also said that the bronze was used by Bernini in creating his famous baldachin above the high altar of St. Peter's Basilica, but according to at least one expert, the Pope's accounts state that about 90% of the bronze was used for the cannon, and that the bronze for the baldachin came from Venice. This led the Roman satirical figure Pasquino to issue the famous proverb: Quod non fecerunt barbari, fecerunt Barberini ("What the barbarians did not do, the Barberinis [Urban VIII's family name] did")

In 1747, the broad frieze below the dome with its false windows was “restored,” but bore little resemblance to the original. In the early decades of the twentieth century, a piece of the original, as could be reconstructed from Renaissance drawings and paintings, was recreated in one of the panels.

Also buried there are two kings of Italy: Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, as well as Umberto's Queen, Margherita. Although Italy has been a republic since 1946, volunteer members of Italian monarchist organizations maintain a vigil over the royal tombs in the Pantheon. This has aroused protests from time to time from republicans, but the Catholic authorities allow the practice to continue, although the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage is in charge of the security and maintenance.

The Pantheon is still used as a church. Masses are celebrated there, particularly on important Catholic days of obligation, and weddings.

The building is circular with a portico of three ranks of huge granite Corinthian columns (eight in the first rank and two groups of four behind) under a pediment opening into the rotunda, under a coffered, concrete dome, with a central opening (oculus), the Great Eye, open to the sky. A rectangular structure links the portico with the rotunda. Though often still drawn as a free-standing building, there was a building at its rear into which it abutted; of this building there are only archaeological remains.

In the walls at the back of the portico were niches, probably for statues of Caesar, Augustus and Agrippa, or for the Capitoline Triad, or another set of gods. The large bronze doors to the cella, once plated with gold, still remain but the gold has long since vanished. The pediment was decorated with a sculpture — holes may still be seen where the clamps which held the sculpture in place were fixed.

The 4,535 metric ton (5,000 tn) weight of the concrete dome is concentrated on a ring of voussoirs 9.1 metres (30 ft) in diameter which form the oculus while the downward thrust of the dome is carried by eight barrel vaults in the 6.4 metre (21 ft) thick drum wall into eight piers. The thickness of the dome varies from 6.4 metres (21 ft) at the base of the dome to 1.2 metres (4 ft) around the oculus. The height to the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same, 43.3 metres (142 ft), so the whole interior would fit exactly within a cube (alternatively, the interior could house a sphere 43.3 metres (142 ft) in diameter). The Pantheon holds the record for the largest unreinforced concrete dome. The interior of the roof was possibly intended to symbolize the arched vault of the heavens. The Great Eye at the dome's apex is the source of all light in the interior. The oculus also serves as a cooling and ventilation method. During storms, a drainage system below the floor handles the rain that falls through the oculus.

The interior features sunken panels (coffers), which, in antiquity, may have contained bronze stars, rosettes, or other ornaments. This coffering was not only decorative, but also reduced the weight of the roof, as did the elimination of the apex by means of the Great Eye. The top of the rotunda wall features a series of brick-relieving arches, visible on the outside and built into the mass of the brickwork. The Pantheon is full of such devices — for example, there are relieving arches over the recesses inside — but all these arches were hidden by marble facing on the interior and possibly by stone revetment or stucco on the exterior. Some changes have been made in the interior decoration.

It is known from Roman sources that their concrete is made up of a pasty hydrate of lime, with pozzolanic ash (Latin pulvis puteolanum) and lightweight pumice from a nearby volcano, and fist-sized pieces of rock. In this, it is very similar to modern concrete. No tensile test results are available on the concrete used in the Pantheon; however Cowan discussed tests on ancient concrete from Roman ruins in Libya which gave a compressive strength of 2.8 ksi (20 MPa). An empirical relationship gives a tensile strength of 213 psi (1.5 MPa) for this specimen. Finite element analysis of the structure by Mark and Hutchison found a maximum tensile stress of only 18.5 psi (0.13 MPa) at the point where the dome joins the raised outer wall. The stresses in the dome were found to be substantially reduced by the use of successively less dense concrete in higher layers of the dome. Mark and Hutchison estimated that if normal weight concrete had been used throughout the stresses in the arch would have been some 80% higher.

The 16 gray granite columns Hadrian ordered for the Pantheon's pronaos were quarried at Mons Claudianus in Egypt's eastern mountains. Each was 39 feet (11.8 m) tall, five feet (1.5 m) in diameter, and 60 tons in weight. These were dragged on wooden sledges when transporting on land. They were floated by barge down the Nile and transferred to vessels to cross the Mediterranean to the Roman port of Ostia where they were transferred back onto barges and up the Tiber to Rome.

As the best-preserved example of an Ancient Roman monumental building, the Pantheon has been enormously influential in Western Architecture from at least the Renaissance on; starting with Brunelleschi's 42-meter dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, completed in 1436 – the first sizeable dome to be constructed in Western Europe since Late Antiquity. The style of the Pantheon can be detected in many buildings of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; numerous city halls, universities and public libraries echo its portico-and-dome structure. Examples of notable buildings influenced by the Pantheon include: the Panthéon in Paris, the Temple in Dartrey, the British Museum Reading Room, Manchester Central Library, Thomas Jefferson's Rotunda at the University of Virginia, the Rotunda of Mosta, in Malta, Low Memorial Library at Columbia University, New York, the domed Marble Hall of Sanssouci palace in Potsdam, Germany, the State Library of Victoria, and the Supreme Court Library of Victoria, both in Melbourne, Australia, the 52-meter-tall Ottokár Prohászka Memorial Church in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, Holy Trinity Church in Karlskrona by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, Sweden, The National Gallery of Art West Building by John Russell Pope, located in Washington, D.C, as well as the California State Capitol in Sacramento.

The present high altar and the apse were commissioned by Pope Clement XI (1700-1721) and designed by Alessandro Specchi. In the apse, a copy of a Byzantine icon of the Madonna is enshrined. The original, now in the Chapel of the Canons in the Vatican, has been dated to the 13th century, although tradition claims that it is much older. The choir was added in 1840, and was designed by Luigi Poletti.

The first niche to the right of the entrance holds a Madonna of the Girdle and St Nicholas of Bari (1686) painted by an unknown artist. The first chapel on the right, the Chapel of the Annunciation, has a fresco of the Annunication attributed to Melozzo da Forli. On the left side is a canvas by Clement Maioli of St Lawrence and St Agnes (1645-1650). On the right wall is the Incredulity of St Thomas (1633) by Pietro Paolo Bonzi.

The second niche has a 15th century fresco of the Tuscan school, depicting the Coronation of the Virgin. In the second chapel is the tomb of King Victor Emmanuel II (died 1878). It was originally dedicated to the Holy Spirit. A competition was held to decide which architect should be given the honor of designing it. Giuseppe Sacconi participated, but lost — he would later design the tomb of Umberto I in the opposite chapel. Manfredio Manfredi won the competition, and started work in 1885. The tomb consists of a large bronze plaque surmounted by a Roman eagle and the arms of the house of Savoy. The golden lamp above the tomb burns in honor of Victor Emmanuel III, who died in exile in 1947.

The third niche has a sculpture by Il Lorenzone of St Anne and the Blessed Virgin. In the third chapel is a 15th-century painting of the Umbrian school, The Madonna of Mercy between St Francis and St John the Baptist. It is also known as the Madonna of the Railing, because it originally hung in the niche on the left-hand side of the portico, where it was protected by a railing. It was moved to the Chapel of the Annunciation, and then to its present position some time after 1837. The bronze epigram commemorated Pope Clement XI's restoration of the sanctuary. On the right wall is the canvas Emperor Phocas presenting the Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV (1750) by an unknown. There are three memorial plaques in the floor, one conmmemorating a Gismonda written in the vernacular. The final niche on the right side has a statue of St. Anastasio (1725) by Bernardino Cametti.

On the first niche to the left of the entrance is an Assumption (1638) by Andrea Camassei. The first chapel on the left, is the Chapel of St Joseph in the Holy Land, and is the chapel of the Confraternity of the Virtuosi at the Pantheon. This refers to the confraternity of artists and musicians that was formed here by a 16th-century Canon of the church, Desiderio da Segni, to ensure that worship was maintained in the chapel. The first members were, among others, Antonio da Sangallo the younger, Jacopo Meneghino, Giovanni Mangone, Zuccari, Domenico Beccafumi and Flaminio Vacca. The confraternity continued to draw members from the elite of Rome's artists and architects, and among later members we find Bernini, Cortona, Algardi and many others. The institution still exists, and is now called the Academia Ponteficia di Belle Arti (The Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts), based in the palace of the Cancelleria. The altar in the chapel is covered with false marble. On the altar is a statue of St Joseph and the Holy Child by Vincenzo de Rossi. To the sides are paintings (1661) by Francesco Cozza, one of the Virtuosi: Adoration of the Shepherds on left side and Adoration of the Magi on right. The stucco relief on the left, Dream of St Joseph is by Paolo Benaglia, and the one on the right, Rest during the flight from Egypt is by Carlo Monaldi. On the vault are several 17th-century canvases, from left to right: Cumean Sibyl by Ludovico Gimignani; Moses by Francesco Rosa; Eternal Father by Giovanni Peruzzini; David by Luigi Garzi and finally Eritrean Sibyl by Giovanni Andrea Carlone.

The second niche has a statue of St Agnes, by Vincenco Felici. The bust on the left is a portrait of Baldassare Peruzzi, derived from a plaster portrait by Giovanni Duprè. The tomb of King Umberto I and his wife Margherita di Savoia is in the next chapel. The chapel was originally dedicated to St Michael the Archangel, and then to St. Thomas the Apostle. The present design is by Giuseppe Sacconi, completed after his death by his pupil Guido Cirilli. The tomb consists of a slab of alabaster mounted in gilded bronze. The frieze has allegorical representations of Generosity, by Eugenio Maccagnani, and Munificence, by Arnaldo Zocchi. The royal tombs are maintained by the National Institute of Honour Guards to the Royal Tombs, founded in 1878. They also organize picket guards at the tombs. The altar with the royal arms is by Cirilli.

The third niche holds the mortal remains — his Ossa et cineres, "Bones and ashes", as the inscription on the sarcophagus says — of the great artist Raphael. His fiancée, Maria Bibbiena is buried to the right of his sarcophagus; she died before they could marry. The sarcophagus was given by Pope Gregory XVI, and its insription reads ILLE HIC EST RAPHAEL TIMUIT QUO SOSPITE VINCI / RERUM MAGNA PARENS ET MORIENTE MORI, meaning "Here lies Raphael, by whom the mother of all things (Nature) feared to be overcome while he was living, and while he was dying, herself to die". The epigraph was written by Pietro Bembo. The present arrangement is from 1811, designed by Antonio Munoz. The bust of Raphael (1833) is by Giuseppe Fabris. The two plaques commemorate Maria Bibbiena and Annibale Carracci. Behind the tomb is the statue known as the Madonna del Sasso (Madonna of the Rock) so named because she rests one foot on a boulder. It was commissioned by Raphael and made by Lorenzetto in 1524.

In the Chapel of the Crucifixion, the Roman brick wall is visible in the niches. The wooden crucifix on the altar is from the 15th century. On the left wall is a Descent of the Holy Ghost (1790) by Pietro Labruzi. On the right side is the low relief Cardinal Consalvi presents to Pope Pius VII the five provinces restored to the Holy See (1824) made by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. The bust is a portrait of Cardinal Agostino Rivarola. The final niche on this side has a statue of St. Rasius (S. Erasio) (1727) by Francesco Moderati.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

William Wordsworth

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The GCR tried a new event last weekend running trains continuously overnight Saturday to Sunday. I was rostered to sign on at 04.00am on BR Standard 5 4-6-0 73156.

We headed the 05.00 Loughborough to Leicester North service but after running since Saturday morning the fire was clinkered and 73156 didn't steam as well as it normally does. There was no real problem though and here we are at Leicester North. I'm waiting for Ashley to squeeze the coupling before going inside.

Casa meva 2013