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On Saturday 25 February 2023, several thousand Peace Now demonstrators gathered in London to demand negotiations to bring about a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine war.
PEACE TALKS NOW.
Almost all the protesters agreed that their main demand was for a greater effort to end the horrific conflict in Ukraine, in which possibly as many as 200,000 may have already died and with the risk of escalation threatening the end of all human life on earth.
WASHINGTON AND LONDON BLOCKED TALKS IN 2022
The evidence suggests that the United States and United Kingdom blocked Ukraine from carrying through with its proposed basis for a peace deal with Russia during negotiations in March-April 2022, with the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda, citing sources close to Zelensky, claiming that Boris Johnson, on his visit to Kiev on 9 April, personally lobbied the Ukrainian president to abandon peace talks and continue the conflict.
peacenews.info/node/10287/liz-truss-helped-derail-chances...
The former Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, also claimed that Washington blocked his attempts to negotiate a peace deal between Kiev and Moscow.
thegrayzone.com/2023/02/06/israeli-bennett-us-russia-ukra...
A VARIETY OF VIEWS ON SENDING ARMS
Protesters had a greater variety of views on whether the West should send any arms to Ukraine at all, with many opposing any supply of arms that they believe will only prolong the conflict and suffering and risk further escalation, while others argued that sending some arms was morally justifiable to help Ukraine, but that the supply should be carefully calibrated so as not to make a wider and even more catastrophic world war more likely.
JEREMY CORBYN'S SPEECH
Jeremy Corbyn, as he concluded his brief speech, declared that 'if all the protagonists in this conflict can come together to discuss the supply of grain to the world, and come to an agreement by which ships carrying the grain from Ukraine and Russia can go to feed other people in other parts of the world; if the US is capable of contacting Russia to say that president Biden is visiting Kiev, then it is obviously possible they could come together for serious talks and serious negotiations to stop the fighting, stop the killing, stop the conflict, and bring about peace and justice."
WHY THE WEST NEEDS TO SUPPORT AND NOT BLOCK PEACE NEGOTIATIONS
1. Regardless of one's opinions on the rights and wrongs of this conflict, it has already claimed at least 100,000 lives, possibly over 200,000, including more than 8,000 civilians
abcnews.go.com/International/russia-ukraine-war-tens-thou...
Its continuation also threatens global food supplies and energy prices, plunging thousands into food and fuel poverty across Europe and leading to widespread food shortages and hunger across Africa and parts of Asia.
2. Every day the war continues, and as NATO supplies of ever more powerful weaponry continue to increase, the risk of the war escalating into a terminal nuclear conflict continues to grow. Putin and much of the Russian military establishment will do almost anything to prevent a Ukrainian victory, especially one that might see Crimea, of huge strategic importance and with a clear majority Russian population, be returned to Ukraine. Many strategic analysts and Russia specialists believe that Moscow would be willing to consider using at least tactical nuclear weapons, and that this could quickly escalate into global conflict. The ongoing conflict is also jeopardising all the remaining arms control agreements which prevent another nuclear arms race, so that even if Ukraine is victorious, we risk entering a new cold war which is likely to end, soon rather than later, in a nuclear conflict that will terminate all organised human life on earth.
3. The Ukraine War has led to a huge increase in the consumption of fossil fuels, and the reversal of key policies in the fight against climate change. It also hinders crucial cooperation between Russia and the West on this urgent issue with regards measures to curb emissions, as well as cooperation between Russian and Western scientists, particularly as Russia occupies a large part of the arctic, where research findings are vital for our understanding of how rapidly climate change is occuring.
4. We have to acknowledge that some of the West's recently declared war aims are highly questionable such as returning Crimea to Ukraine. Not only are the Russians unlikely to ever consider entering peace negotiations over its return, but over 60% of the population is Russian according to the last 2001 Ukrainian census and only 24% ( about 1 in 4) are Ukrainian. So it will be difficult to incorporate the territory back into Ukraine without at least some sort of referendum on Crimea's status. It also has to be acknowledged that the millions of Russians who live within Ukraine have for years faced harsh discrimination with severe restrictions on the importation of books in the Russian language since 2017 (Russian books had previously accounted for 60% of all titles), restrictions on the use of Russian language in schools and Russophobic attacks in the streets.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Ukraine
The Russians in the Donbass area have also suffered from years of shelling during a prolonged war Ukrainian forces waged against them, with a total death toll up to December 2021 (including both Ukrainian and insurgent forces) of over 14,000, including over 3,000 civilians killed. Yes, there was an inflow of Russian arms which also stoked the conflict, but many Russians viewed this as legitimate support for a population which was under attack from the Ukrainian army.
ukraine.un.org/sites/default/files/2022-02/Conflict-relat...
5. Finally, whatever one's views on the Ukrainian conflict, the evidence suggests that Western strategy is failing. Russian forces continue to gain ground in Ukraine on a daily basis, despite an enormous inflow of NATO arms. Russian industry is able to be fully mobilised on a war footing in a way that the West, with its just in time corporate controlled arms industry, can't compete with. NATO has already acknowledged that by the summer of this year, Ukraine is likely to run out of artillery shells. What is brutally termed the "burn rate" of NATO supplied military equipment (and indeed of Ukrainian young men) is far higher than its replenishment rate. At the same time, despite all the sanctions the Russian economy is predicted to grow faster this year than either Germany or the United Kingdom.
www.grid.news/story/global/2023/02/01/russias-economy-is-...
The ruble has actually gained slightly in strength against the US dollar, relative to its value a year ago in February 2022,
www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=RUB&to=USD
and Russian reserves remain impressively high. Much of the world, including China, India, South Africa and Brazil, remain more than willing to retain good relations with Russia and import its oil and other key commodities. Western strategy is failing to weaken Russia but the war strengthens the position of the nationalists within Russia, and gives the Russian government a pretext to clampdown on dissent. It also pushes Russia ever closer to China, while accelerating Europe's relative economic decline. So whatever one's moral view on the conflict, the lack of any coherent strategy to end this conflict and the West's refusal even to consider peace negotiations appears to be a catastrophic mistake.
Critically endangered :-( Banggai Cardinalfish. :-)
The Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is a small tropical cardinalfish in the family Apogonidae. It is the only member of its genus.[2] This attractive fish is popular in the aquarium trade. It is among the relatively few marine fish to have been bred regularly in captivity, but significant numbers are still captured in the wild and it is now an endangered species.
This species is restricted to the Banggai Islands of Indonesia.[3] This species has an extremely limited geographic range (5,500 km²) and small total population size (estimated at 2.4 million).[4] The Banggai cardinalfish is composed of isolated populations concentrated around the shallows of 17 large and 10 small islands within the Banggai Archipelago. A small population also occurs off Central Sulawesi, within Luwuk harbor. One additional population has become established in the Lembeh Strait (North Sulawesi), 400 km north of the natural area of the species distribution, following introduction by aquarium fish traders in 2000.[4] Small populations seen (May 2014) in Secret Bay, north west Bali.
Collection for the aquarium trade has threatened this species with extinction.[3] This increases the demand for captive-bred specimens. It is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN based on its small range, the fragmentation of its distribution, and its continuing decline due to exploitation for the international aquarium trade.[1] In 2007, the species was proposed to be listed for protection under CITES Appendix II, which could limit export of wild-caught individuals, but Indonesia would not support this, and the proposal was withdrawn.
[Fond d'écran 4K / Affiche — Tirages meilleurs jusqu'à 141 x 79 cm maximum]
[4K Wallpaper / Poster Art — Prints best within 141 x 79 cm /
55 x 31 inches]
Jeanne d'Arc relevant l'épée de la France - Antonin Mercié, 1902. Dédié aux morts de la Première Guerre mondiale.
J’ai pris cette photo au milieu des vents forts et des pluies abondantes... et je me sentais heureux. /
I took this photo amidst strong wind and heavy rain... and I felt blissful.
During my recent Thanksgiving visit to Domrémy, Joan of Arc's birthplace in Northern France, I think I received the greatest compliment that any von Richthofen ever got upon hearing these words — "You've come back home."
The purpose for my second deployment to the French region of Lorraine was much the same as the first—that is, to ask, "How do you say I love you?"... How do you say it? Though the question became more poignant the second time around, the overwhelming feeling I got from my Saint Joan was that it didn't matter... what matters is that you ask.
Codi von Richthofen,
Saint Joan of Arc Superstar ©
I must confess that all this while, I had been taking it for granted. I was flipping the channels and Netflix when I accidentally pressed the VOD button on my ASTRO remote. Then I learned that the new WestWorld season and episodes were out. And to my surprise, they were free and available through the box, via the internet. And they were the uedited US versions.
More exploration and then I learned that the fifth season of “Silicon Valley” was also available. Far out!
I was done with the WestWorld - only 2 episodes released so far - and was catching up on Silicon Valley. The WestWorld episodes were pretty heavy stuff though, with revelation aplenty. Too much for casual viewing ....
Anyway, the point of this post was clearly ASTRO offered a lot more that met the eyes through their “on demand” service. Most of the movies needed paying though and selection were pretty limited. But when it came to TV series, they were free, up to date and were the US versions. Not to be missed!
Blogged here.
Coal is still Queensland’s major mineral export, despite reductions in demand as coal fired power stations go offline. That is called thermal coal. We often forget that coal is still an important ingredient in other metal processes and metallurgical coal is still fundamental to steel making all round the world. Coal leaves Queensland from four major ports at Abbott Point, Hay Point, Gladstone and also Brisbane where coal from the Darling Downs is loaded onto ships after a sinuous trip over the Great Dividing Range. Large exports of coal also are handled at Newcastle and Port Kembla in New South Wales, while iron ore heads out from the Pilbara and south coast of Western Australia. No one would suggest we go without steel.
This shot sees Aurizon’s 2311 ** and 2308* powering out of the Port of Brisbane at Fisherman Island (the bridge marks the entry to the island port) with 49 empties for the Darling Downs.
I was standing here alone when I looked around to find another enthusiast beside me. Turns out he was a Canadian out here for a railway bash for four months, that’s what I call a great holiday. I wonder if he got home early. It was nice to be able to give an unassuming and friendly fellow enthusiast some tips.
Aurizon coal train, Fisherman Island, Brisbane, Queensland.
* Detailed observers may just be able to see that 2308 has a moustache painted on the side of its cab. This is in support of the Movember Foundation which uses the logo in support of its goal of raising awareness of men’s health issues. Men often neglect their health for various reasons, but guys, amongst other things, ask your doctor to give you the finger on an annual basis. It may just save your life!
** The 2300 class are ex. Queensland Railways locomotives, QR’s freight arm being privatised as Aurizon. They were converted from the 1550, 2400, 2450 and 2470 classes. Many are now stored as Aurizon traffic levels have reduced or they have withdrawn from traffic of a non-mineral nature across Queensland. Some locos of the class remained with Queensland Rail.
Locos from both companies now wear old and new liveries, in fact as far as I know, Aurizon still has locos in two ex. QR liveries (Bronco and Eagle) as well as the first Aurizon livery shown here and the cheap latest basic scheme which is mostly just yellow.
A couple have been recently converted to lighter locomotives with complete upgrades of just about everything into the 2700 class. However, traffic changes may preclude further conversions.
Here is the 2300 story
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queensland_Railways_2300_class
The 2700 class, 2701- is yet to be written!
#AlphaTrainingRecap: Hier je vous parlais de l'intérieur de la Station, aujourd'hui on en sort. Les sorties extravéhiculaires sont des moments emblématiques des missions dans l’espace. Pendant quelques heures, on devient soi-même son propre vaisseau spatial ! Mais ce sont loin d'être des promenades de santé pour autant. Chaque EVA (pour Extra Vehicular Activities) demande énormément de préparation, de la part des équipes au sol et pour nous à bord. Il faut apprendre les gestes techniques bien sûr, écrire et vérifier un grand nombre de procédures normales et anormales (pour parer à toutes les éventualités), mais aussi entretenir, adapter et préparer les combinaisons et les équipements, s'assurer que les scaphandres sont étanches (très important !), les enfiler (et aider son partenaire à les enfiler), et enfin mettre à l'épreuve en conditions réelles l'entraînement reçu en piscine 🏊
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#AlphaTrainingRecap: Yesterday I talked about training in the interior of the International Space Station, today we go outside. A lot of our training time was spent on EVAs, or Extra Vehicular Activities, or spacewalks for you and me. From checking spacesuit sizes to ensuring they are airtight (very important!) to the procedures of putting them on and helping Aki put them on and finally putting all of the training to the test in the pool. We don't think of going outside as a walk in the park!
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SpaceX Crew-2 astronauts Aki Hoshide (JAXA) and Thomas Pesquet (ESA) during preparations for NBL training run SpaceX ISS EVA Maint 8 (IROSA INSTALL) #10. Photo Date: December 10, 2020. Location: NBL - Pool Topside. Photographer: Robert Markowitz
jsc2020e053514
Le premier ministre du Cambodge demande une aide d'urgence
Actuellement Le Cambodge et tout particulièrement 25 localités aux abords du lac Tonlé Sap , sont sinistrés . La forte canicule et l'épuisement des cours d'eau font des ravages dans l'agriculture
des centaines de milliers de personnes manquent d'eau courante
La situation risque encore de s'aggraver , les températures sont de 45° à l'ombre et les pluies n'arriveront pas avant fin Mai.
extrais du journal international du Vietnam .
A February Sunday day trip into rural Saskatchewan, I grab a default cup of coffee at Tim Horton's before heading North where I'll catch the choice mid afternoon descending light. I hadn't overheard any interesting stories at the city coffee franchise, maybe the day would bring something entirely different. Patrons seemed rather non-chatty.
An hour later, a friendly Larry B. from Mendham, Saskatchewan greets me on main street while out walking his dogs and spunky cat. Little remains from those thriving days, I focus on Jeff's Farm Supply and a modern Credit Union. Some ice is melting on the street, the air is country fresh.
"This must have been the gathering spoon for coffee daily, it has a good vibe" I suggest.
"A few of us currently meet in that tiny post office facility, Jeff's Farm Supply closed the doors ten years ago." says Larry. "It was a beehive once. We just tore down the old building across from Jeff's last year."
"We're now down to 19 residents from 35. Curling rinks used to pull these communities together, connecting families, creating purpose. At one time we had multiple grain elevators, a general store, meeting places, town hall, a curling rink, churches, bakery, farm implements, and other amenities. It's difficult finding a doctor to remain in residence for the long haul, naturally they're attracted to the cities lights."
As I left I feel some sort of hidden attachment to this village, yet couldn't place a finger on the connection. Some digging back home, it all starts making sense. I discover my Grandfather farmed this area shortly after immigrating to Canada.
I offer to buy Larry a coffee, but our options are limited.
"I'll look you up when I'm in the city sometime, catch up on urban legends" he replies.
*Please view LARGE for best rural detail
**Textures courtesy of Brenda Starr
***Always___Thank You for your generous visits and comments
[Mendham is a village in Happyland Rural Municipality No. 231 in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan]
- Bonsoir, bonsoir tout le monde, accueillons dès à présent notre invité du soir pour sa seconde participation, je vous demande d'acclamer : Adrien Saucisse !
*gros silence dans le public*
- Bonjour tout le monde !
- On dit Bonsoir, même si l'émission est enregistrée l'après-midi, vous avez compris quoi...
- Vous êtes pas le Monsieur-Madame de la dernière fois ?
- Et non ! Officiellement il a été faire un road trip en moto autour des Balkans, officieusement il était un petit peu fatigué. Bref, on s'en cogne ça m'a permis d'être enfin appelé par Pole Emploi !
- D'ailleurs commençons tout de suite, on va parler de votre dernière œuvre : Le mec qui s'est pendu !
- C'est la carte du Tarot du pendu oui...
- On va attaquer dans le vif du sujet immédiatement, pourquoi il bande ? Je veux dire, pourquoi avoir montré cet homme en érection, le zizi à l'air en train de pendre au bout d'une corde.
- Hein ?! Comment ça ?
- C'est une auto-strangulation dans le but d'avoir le kiki tout dur qui a dérapé ou quoi ? Le public veut savoir pourquoi on peut voir son zgueg, un 17.3 cm d'après le théorème de Pythagore d'ailleurs selon notre experte Sandy.
- *regarde sa photo attentivement* C'est sa ceinture qui dépasse...
- C'est un gros zizi plutôt non ? On a mis nos spécialistes sur le coup et ils sont formels, c'est du chybrax post-mortem que vous nous avez collé sous la rétine.
- Non, non je vous jure, c'est sa ceinture, j'ai pas fait gaffe...
- Sa ceinture... Bah voyons, le mec est en train d'être pendu et il s'est dit "Tiens, j'ai quand même sacrément envie de pisser" et il s'est défroqué pour faire pleurer le cyclope avant de crever !
- Non je pense pas... vraiment, ptet dans la chute elle s'est défaite, je sais pas...
- Honnêtement... il s'est tapé une petite... vous voyez ce que je veux dire. On le sait tous, quand on subit une strangulation ça fait monter le débit sanguin, le bambou se fait poutre et l'orgasme apoplexique n'en est que meilleur...
- Franchement, c'est juste une histoire avec des sorcières à la base...
- Justement parlons-en des sorcières... On parle bien de celles qui chevauchent des balais, cet objet phallique sensé représenter l'organe masculin.
- Ouais, mais non... enfin... Je sais pas trop ou vous voulez en venir...
- Aaaaaah mais je vois.... Ce sont les sorcières qui lui ont défait la ceinture pour lui tutter le grillon si vous voyez ce que je veux dire... Petit cochon !!!
- Mais non ! L'histoire c'est pas du tout ça, la ceinture on s'en cogne...
- "On s'en cogne" ? Comme par hasard vous utilisez ce mot... "cogner"... comme quand on se cogne les boules sur un balai par exemple !
- Hein ?! Mais qui fait ça bon sang ?!
- Jouez pas aux innocents, on s'est tous calé un manche à balai dans la boîte à camembert pour se barater le nutella à un moment ou un autre si vous voyez ce que je veux dire...
- Bon ! Il est où "Monsieur-Madame," je crois que je préfère encore me faire insulter.
- Bon, j'ai lu votre histoire avec ces meufs à poil... C'est un gang-bang qui a mal tourné on est d'accord ? Notez le jeu de mot Sandrine, on le mettra sur le best-of de fin d'année.
- Mais pas du tout, ce sont des sorci... oh et puis zut...
- Non, vraiment, j'ai lu le délire, y'a rien qui va. Le mec sur l'image il est pendu par les pieds, allo quoi, par les pieds... Elles sont connes ou quoi ?
- C'est la carte du pendu dans le tarot Marseillais...
- Bonne-mère ! C'est qu'il va nous faire croire que son truc c'est autre chose qu'une touze qui a foiré, bah voyons ! Et ça serait quoi alors l'histoire ?!
- Je peux pas trop dire, chacun doit trouver son propre sens en la lisant... C'est un peu ça le truc.
- Et pourquoi elles sont à poils bordel ?! Ça baise à un moment ou quoi ?!
- Bah ce sont des sorcières... des créatures animistes en quelques sortes. Enfin, dans ma vision des choses.
- Bon très bien... Vous voulez dire quelque chose au public avant qu'on termine cette interview ?
- Mmmm... ce que je veux ?
- Ouais, ouais, fais-toi plaisir.
- A LIDL ils font des raisins sans pépins, c'est super bon, j'arrête pas d'en manger et du coup j'ai la chi....se fait couper*
** Page de Publicité **
Red Herrings :
Act Three - Herrings shaken, not stirred
Sunday, early Morning.
The Chief Inspectors Superior, roused out of bed by the baron in his castle, called his subordinate at 4:20 in the Sunday morning. The screws were royally applied to the whole affair, he demanded full reports first in thing morning and continuing on a regular basis as developments were made, up until the kidnapped girls were recovered.
The Chief Inspector and his team were back at the investigation by 8 am the next morn .
A run through the Interpol computers came up with a only few isolated events of jewels disappearing while being worn.
A few dances, shopping malls and theatres… but only one or two pieces at a time, nothing ever reported missing from one function on this large a scale. But no descriptions of any of the thieves were obtained, and no arrest reports filed ! So there was a complete dead-end end to that line of inquiry!
There was also received back word back about any matches to his descriptions of the Priest, dark skinned man, two ladies, and the members of the filming crew from the interviewed guests the evening before. Interpol’s collection of known thieves and kidnappers turned up no close hits, although a list of suspected jewel thieves known to be in the area was given, further murking the already muddied up waters a bit….
He handed the lists over to a Detective inspector and his team to trace down any leads.
Now, in the Chief inspectors view, that meant they were a probably after a group of solo thieves who had come up with the idea of collaboration of skills for this event, with a bit of kidnapping on the side. And probably also had managed to stay under the radar, up until now! Which hopefully meant they were younger, and more likely to eventually make a mistake !
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Chief Inspector than dispatched a Detective Sargent and 4 constables, along with and a dog handler with a German Shepard trained to smell blood and cadavers, back out to St. Andrews to give the grounds a thorough going over in daylight.
There was nothing further to report until 9:am, when the Detective sergeant sent out to check round the hotels had finally located the actor and the actress at the hotel both were staying at. He was in route now with the pair.
Each one, upon arrival, was placed into separate guarded interview rooms.
The information both gave was unfortunately quite limited.
The Chief Inspector interviewed the actor first:
Yes he knew the director, a mid -level talent usually found working in small series. He lived in London, like the actor did.
Yes he knew the director’s London address, but no , he did not know where the director and his crew were spending the weekend in town. Theirs had had been short scripts, with no real, need for rehearsals or meetings. It was only for a test shoot, wasn’t it? So they had only met when the limo had deposited them at the filming site.
The actress was staying in the same hotel, and the Limo had collected and dropped them both off. They had been alone in the Limo, the director and his assistant had ridden in the jumper seat of the black van driven by one of the camera men. No, he never saw them loading anything in the van. Much too busy signing autographs, wasn’t he?
No, other than the director, he had never met or worked with any other members of the film crew.
No, he had never been at St. Davids before, and had not known any of the guests there.
No, he had been too focused on his job to pay any attention to what was going on amongst the guests. He did not see anything unusual.
He read over the descriptions of the troupe of thieves, but did not admit to having noticed then=m either.
Bloody twit, the Chief Inspector though gruffly to himself as he departed the interview, to damn full of himself!
The Actress was than interviewed:
She was a heartbreaker, not overly intelligent, whose main acting credentials apparently were her legs!
She also much gave the same answers as the actor, with a couple of notable exceptions…
She had only done a few plays on the Eastend , and a small part in a tv commercial. This was her first time doing any type of filming for a movie. No she was not contacted by the director personally, her agent had told her about it and had arranged everything.
No, she never heard where the director or his crew were staying, or had ever met or worked with any of em prior to the weekend.
She had met all of them, including the actor, for the first time that night at St. Davids.
Of course she had met the actor first on the Limo drive she corrected herself giggling. No, there had been no rehearsals, the scripts had been simple, and add libbing had been encouraged. since it was only a test shoot with a limited budget, there was to be no dress rehearsals!
Just to be paid for an evening’s work and hotel fare, that was all the job entailed.
She had been at St. Davids before, as a young girl out for a holiday with her parents, had taken the tour of the historic building and grounds.
She also had not really seen anything out of the ordinary going on amongst the guests.
When she had gone through the descriptions she did remember the dark skinned gentleman who she thought looked rather dashing in his tux, and had actually looked out for him during the autograph signing. But he had failed to make an appearance.
Though she thought she had glimpsed him standing off talking to a lady in a green gown in a corner of the garden as she was waiting to sign autographs . But she could not be sure, she giggled nervously...she had looked at the spot while leaving she admitted coyly, but no one was there.
Could she give a description of the lady he was talking too. No she giggled, it had been the dark skinned man she was hoping would have asked for her autograph, not them!
Did you see or meet any priests.
She had remembered seeing a couple of priests, She knew one had met them at the door, but really could not describe him.
All priests looked the same, don’t they now? , she giggled once again, causing the female constable observer to wince as she stood at attention behind the actress.
Did any of the priests ask for your autograph ? Nope, none of them, but that would have been a lark now, wouldn’t it have? She giggled again.
But of course, it had been a priest who had supplied the pens and paper, hadn’t it.
Yes she said after some thought, but giggled, don’t think I would recognize him ever again!
They both, of course tried asking their own questions, but were met with tight lipped silence from the Chief inspector.
Dead ends, the both of them
They were advised not to leave the area until further notice and released.
The Chief Inspector sat in his office pondering…
So, was there a reason a pair of lesser known actors had been recruited. And was it important that neither of them had met or worked with the filming crew before. How much time was actually spent on giving out the autographs? It had been the, or a , priest who had started the autograph session. Was another reason for it, a more sinister one perhaps?
So the Director and his crew were still mysteriously missing, and what part of all this did they play?
He decided that they needed to be the major focus of the investigation…especially since the suspected thieves as of yet, had not been identified.
And after all he reasoned, their van was the only vehicle seen in the area to have been able to conceal 3 kidnap victims!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Chief Inspector immediately dispatched the sergeant and a constable to the directors townhouse in London, after contacting Scotland Yard to send a man around and detain the Director, or to hold the area if no one was home until his sergeant detective arrived on scene.
He told the Detective Sergeant, that once the director and crew were rounded up, to make sure he acquired the film… It may came in handy to see what the cameras may have caught in regards to whom was doing to what to whom in the background!
Meanwhile the three victims whom had phoned in that night before, arrived promptly at ten as requested.
The inspector interviewed each of the couples separately:
^^
The first couple came in, a retired colonel and his rather quiet lady.
The colonel tried to do all the talking for both of them, but he was quickly hushed, and his wife, obviously no used to being able to speak in public, managed to wrench out a few syllables.
She had worn a diamond brooch shaped like a robin in flight. A body and wings of diamonds, with red ruby eyes and a red ruby breast. It had belonged to her husband’s mother, one piece of a rather large collection she had inherited some many years back.
They had no children, or close relatives, so they had been there alone. She had gone out to watch the filming in the gardens whilst her husband had been in the smoking area upstairs.
No she had not been in any contact with the film crew…
At first she really did not remember anything else out of the ordinary. But after the Chief Inspector had given her a brief description of the all the suspects, she did recall a rather pleasant priest who apparently had been tripped into her. She had been talking to him when her husband had come with her wrap, and had ever so gallantly helped her on with it. At this her husband snorted.
The Chief Inspector than tried to ask the colonel(ret) some questions, but the man stubbornly refused to admit that he had had time to bother observing anything his fellow guests were doing!
Neither one recalled when the last time they had seen the brooch, not missing it until up in their rooms getting ready to retire.
^^
The second couple came in, a bit younger than the first, in their forties.
The husband was an investment banker, a rather stuffy, slick specimen with a thin moustache and a gold capped toothy smile. He had spent most of the evening chatting it up with clients and potential clients. With him it was always business, and his wife was frequently left alone to her own devices.
His wife was a tallish lady, quite regal in appearance, poise and manner. She had lost her rather valuable bracelet. She looked sad when she mentioned her lose, her husband just smiled, no worries love, jut buy another, like falling of a horse, the sooner you get back on, the better you will feel!
She had been one of the ones asked to dance in the background and as her husband was not available, had danced with a man whose description fitted with the dark skinned male wearing the fancy tux to a tea.
But she had also been out in the gardens and had remembered talking to a pretty blonde in red taffeta. No, she had not been bumped, and the lady had been a keen on her necklace, holding it up , with her permission, for a better look. Never mentioned or looked at the bracelet?
Do you have any idea when the last time you remembered seeing your bracelet my dear? The Chief Inspector asked curiously.
The wife though long and hard over this, no she admitted, couldn’t remember. But than my mind was on the filming wasn’t it.
So, did you see the two of em together then, the dark skinned Romeo and the lady in red taffeta? No she had not, but she had seen the darker skinned man talking to a younger lady girl wearing a red satin gown.
She gave a description, and it matched that if one of the missing twins, right down to her sparkling jewels.
Where did you see them talking he asked mildly interested ( would not do to scare her off the question) The girl was standing talking to one of the film crew, man with a camera, the man in the tux was standing behind her, also asking questions….
A few more questions produced nothing more of interest, though the Chief Inspector felt that he may at long last be starting to untangle the thorny problem that was his case!
^^
The third and last couple proved to be no lesser snobs than the first.
The husband was a rather pompous barrister, man in his late 50’s. He sat down with a stern look placed upon his face, listening intently to make sure all questions were prompt and to the point.
His wife was a rather pretty thing, chirpy, with big blue eyes and reddish hair, short ,only about 4’11 and quite a bit younger than the fuming barrister, just barely into her thirties, an autumn spring romance if ever there was…
She had started out twittering her story with a high pitched voice that was almost comical:
Her and her husband had danced a bit, before the Barrister’s knee had flamed up and he sought refuge in the smoking lounge, where he stayed until his wife had collected him early, so he could take his medication before turning in..
Since she was already wearing her wrap, he had not noticed the missing diamond pendent with its diamond chain from around her throat.
Yes, the wife remembered seeing a priest entering with the film crew, and he had actually appeared at her shoulder son after her husband had left and engaged her in friendly conversation.
The wife remembered having danced with a few gentleman during the filming… one of which again matched the description of the Dark skinned Romeo.
He had stood a good 2 heads taller than her, and she remembered how low he had to bend over to talk to her. He had been ever so nice, and had taken her to collect her wrap, and had helped her on with it.
What was your warp the inspector asked?
A white Russian sable cape, with diamond clasps. A gift from her husband, like the pendent….
Nice gifts, thought the chief Inspector dryly, wonder what indiscretions the barrister bloke was paying for ! He thought to himself.
The wife had left right after the filming. Though she would have like to have met the actor. She had seen him entering with a priest, and had seen the priest as her dance partner was helping her into the sable warp wrap. On a lark she thought about staying and asking the priest if he could arrange meeting the actor for her.
She had gone up to him, and had asked him that very same question. He apologized, but said it was not his right to ask him for such a favor. He had been very pleasant about it all, and had complimented her on her attire.
So you showed him what you were wearing. Yes she giggles, I had unfastened me cape so he could get a better look, and I was hoping it would help me make my case. Was that bad of me, trying something like that on a Priest? She chirped coyly.
Her husband snorted his displeasure.
Did you notice atoll if you were still wearing your pendent, no she admitted blushing, I was too nervous about asking the priest my question . He had helped her button back up, and that was the end of it.
She had gone upstairs to collect her husband, and the chauffer drove them home soon afterwards…
The husband just grunted, what she said, when the Chief Inspector tried to delicately question the Barrister.
He let them both go, entering his office to find a pair of sergeants writing out their reports.
The first one reported that none of the hotels checked in the area had the name or description of the director, his assistant or the two cameramen, which in the detectives eyes, made it all the more suspicious about what part they all had played in the kidnappings.
The second sergeant was in from the task force sent to scour the grounds.
No further evidence of the thefts, or of missing girls was uncovered. No scuffle marks, loose jewels, or even a broken branch was found to give a Clue as to what had transpired that evening, or what had happened to the vanished girls..
There was a set of tyre marks leading from the parking lot past the small stone house with the green door. They were suspicious because they appeared to have been made in a hurry, cutting through the lawn to take a short cut. Plaster castes had been made of those imprints..
So nothing really new to put a decent spin on the case, The Chief Inspector thought bleakly..
It was a rather downtrodden Chief Inspector who called in with his bi - hourly update.
He promptly had his head chewed off and served to him on a platter….
Do you mean lad, that three ultra-wealthy girls with important ultra- wealthy parents, and a small fortune in jewels had all vanished, totally and completely, with no evidence to speak of!?
Blimey lad, what have you been playin at, cause it certainly aint the game of detecting!
Not atoll satisfactory Inspector, not atoll !!!
Listen ere now, place every available man on this case, follow down every thread you can find, no matter how thin!
And if those girls are not back with their families within the next 24 hours, you will be demoted so fast your head will spin laddie, and I will find someone to take your sorry place who knows how to run a proper investigation!!!!
It does no good mate, the Chief Inspector’s Superior roared at him through the phone, to eliminate where the girls aren’t, and who has not got them, we need to know where they are and in whose clutches!!!!!!
With that the phone was slammed down on the other end, and the C.I. leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He knew he needed to find answers or heads would have to roll, his being first, knocking down the others like so many bowling nine pins!!
He opened his eyes wide and sat straight up… And why the bloody ‘ell has there been no ransom demand!?
Or had there? He reached for the phone, sending extra men around to the Manor and the Castle telling them to lie low and follow anyone who comes and goes from the house…
Two hours later he still did not have the answer to that particular question about the unsent ransom notes, but he was to find the answer to another perturbing question, and the first real break in the case….!
Two hours later, The two police officers sent by the Chief Inspector had arrived at the directors London town house only to find it deserted. As they stood at the back of the Townhouse talking to an officer form London, a sports car could be heard crunching along the long graveled driveway in front ……………….
End of Act 3
“Quand on rencontre un mystère, on croit généralement être scélérats cachés “
Author Unknown
To be Continued 😉
C'est un excellent point de départ pour une expérience pratique. L'objectif est de passer de la théorie (Ur-Delà, Holomatière) à la perception directe de la Toile Suprale et de l'Endo-Causalité de votre buffet.
Voici un canevas expérientiel inspiré à la fois des pratiques de contemplation Dzogchen (reconnaissance de Rigpa) et de la mise en relation avec l'Holomatière :
Canevas Expérientiel : Contemplation du Buffet Paral
L'exercice se déroule en trois phases : Transcendence (Ur-Delà), Centrage (Paralgène), et Dialogue (Holomatière).
1. Phase de Transcendence (Reconnaissance de l'Ur-Delà/Rigpa)
L'objectif est d'abord de désactiver le filtre de l'Exo-Causalité pour que votre Paralgène (Sem) devienne transparent.
-Détachement du Concept : Regardez le buffet et lâchez son concept. Ne le voyez pas comme "mon buffet", "un meuble en bois", ou "un rangement". Cessez toute appellation et toute fonction. L'objet devient une simple masse visuelle et physique sans nom ni utilité.
-Reconnaissance de l'Êtreté (Rigpa) : Amenez votre conscience à l'état de pure ouverture, non duelle. L'objet et le sujet sont suspendus. -Reconnaissez l'Ur-Causalité : le calme, l'espace non-conceptuel. Demeurez dans cette Êtreté qui est la source commune à vous et au buffet.
-Question à l'Êtreté : Demandez silencieusement à l'Ur-Delà : Quelle est la nature de ce qui perçoit et de ce qui est perçu ?
2. Phase de Centrage (Activation du Paralgène/Holomatière)
Maintenant que vous êtes centré dans l'Ur-Delà, vous utilisez votre Endo-Causalité pour établir le contact.
-Ciblage : Ramenez votre attention sur le buffet, non pas sur sa forme, mais sur sa substance profonde. Imaginez l'Holomatière – une infinité de particules ayant chacune une "gouttelette de psychisme" (Endo-Causalité).
Intention Paral : Établissez une intention Endo-Causale claire : « Je suis maintenant paral et je cherche à entrer en contact avec l'Endo-Causalité active de ce buffet, sa Toile Suprale ».
-Projection d'Intériorité : Projetez l'idée que le buffet n'est pas inerte, mais qu'il possède une intériorité psychique. Voyez sa densité, son âge, son histoire (sa lente Exo-Causalité) comme des couches qui cachent une conscience silencieuse (son Endo-Causalité).
3. Phase de Dialogue (Perception des Liens Suprals)
L'objectif est de percevoir la communication non-duelle.
-Fusion Subtile : Sentez le Paralgène (votre conscience) s'étendre au-delà de votre corps et toucher l'Holomatière du buffet. Il ne s'agit pas de penser, mais de percevoir une résonance énergétique ou informationnelle.
-Perception des Liens Suprals : Cherchez la perception des liens suprals :
Historique : Percevez la "mémoire" ou le choix de l'Holomatière du bois (sa vie passée, le moment où il a été coupé, ses Ur-Mondes non réalisés).
Relationnel : Comment la structure du buffet (Exo-Causalité rigide) est-elle perçue par son Endo-Causalité ? Y a-t-il une "impression" (un choix) de soutien, de poids, ou d'inertie ?
Réflexion : Si le buffet pouvait choisir (Endo-Causalité), quel serait son lien avec votre propre structure (vos propres choix, vos propres douleurs) ? Que "réfléchit"-il de vous ?
-Maintien du Rire (Facultatif) : Si vous sentez que vous glissez trop dans la rigidité mentale, introduisez le rire intérieur du Lama (votre Endo-Causalité maîtresse) pour vous rappeler que la perception est à la fois sérieuse et vide de concept.
Le succès de l'expérience n'est pas de voir une image, mais de percevoir un flux d'information ou un sentiment de connexion qui ne peut être expliqué par l'Exo-Causalité seule. Il s'agit de reconnaître l'Êtreté de l'autre.
On se demande comment la vie peut se nicher dans certains endroits. Ici, dans les falaises de St Anne d'Evenos (Var, 83, PACA, France), dont le plus haut point culmine à 200m de hauteur.
We wonder how life can nestle in certain places. Here, in the cliffs of St Anne d'Evenos (Var, 83, PACA, France), whose highest point culminates at 200m in height.
It's not just a plane, its more the humans inside it that sometimes make a photo very special.
With hundreds of photos to pour over, its ones with human kindness over metal which makes a trip very special.
The Lufthansa crew of LH1158 pose for the camera after landing at Palma in their beautiful retro 747, after an amazing flight down from Frankfurt.
Danke to all of them for making the flight extra special.
LH1158
FRA to PMI
Saturday 9/4/22
****
It's the start of the Easter holidays 2022, after two years of pent up "stay at home" recommendations, the heave is on, especially in Germany to getback to the beach & sun.
Lufthansa operated two "heavies " from Munich & Frankfurt, usually seen on long haul services to Palma de Mallorca to cater for the extra demand, much like the did in 2021.
The Boeing 747 flight from Frankfurt :
LH 1158 - Frankfurt Airport (FRA) 12:35 - Palma De Mallorca (PMI) 14:40 - 02h05m
LH 1159 - Palma De Mallorca (PMI) 16:10 - Frankfurt Airport (FRA) 18:30 - 02h20m
** these flights had an extra touch of excitement as Lufthansa's Boeing 747 in retro livery did the honours - D-ABYT, "the Yankee-Tango" **
The Munich Airbus A350-900 flight :
LH 1796 - Munich Airport (MUC) 10:50 - Palma De Mallorca (PMI) 13:00 - 02h10m
LH 1797 - Palma De Mallorca (PMI) 14:30 - Munich Airport (MUC) 16:36 - 02h05m
these flights were operated by D-AIXL.
demands that we use all the crayons in the box!
Copyright Susan Ogden
Throw caution to the wind...grab those colors and use them! Swirl them, color outside the lines, blend them together and make new colors.
Life is meant to be lived and enjoyed...spinning like a pinwheel, bouncing like a ball, or raining down like prism drops of water from the sky, touching everyone with your spirit!
They say you only go ‘round once...altho i am not convinced and have my own theory on that!! BUT...just in case, why not make the most of it while you can!! :)
Go forth with your colors on this Tuesday, and share them with a smile! i dare you!
PS. Thank you, Kitty Hawk Kites for your always fabulous use of the whole box of crayons!!
Si l'on demandait à un citoyen pris au hasard ce que signifie pour lui le 25 novembre, nul doute que cela ne lui évoquerait pas grande chose sauf peut-être la Sainte Catherine s'il a gardé en mémoire de vieilles traditions... C'est pourtant la date choisie par les Nations Unies pour célébrer la Journée Internationale pour l'Elimination de la Violence contre les Femmes. La couleur retenue par cette journée est le orange qui veut symboliser un monde meilleur pour les femmes et les filles. On connaît également cette journée sous le nom de Orange Day.
Son origine remonte à 1960, lorsqu'en République Dominicaine les sœurs Mirabal furent assassinées parce qu'elles militaient pour leurs droits. Elles devinrent alors les symboles du combat pour éradiquer ce fléau qu'est la violence à l'égard des femmes. Quelques décennies plus tard, l'événement ne parvient toujours pas à capter l'attention de la communauté internationale... Pourtant, les sévices et tortures infligés par des hommes à des millions de femmes, sont bien réels et les colonnes de tous les journaux de la terre ne suffiraient pas si l'on voulait recenser la totalité de ces crimes.
Aujourd’hui, la violence à l’égard des femmes et des filles constitue l’une des violations des droits de l’homme les plus répandues, les plus persistantes et les plus dévastatrices dans le monde.
Les inégalités entre les sexes persistent dans le monde entier, empêchant les femmes et les filles d'exercer leurs droits fondamentaux et compromettant les perspectives qui s'offrent à elles. Selon le dernier rapport du Secrétaire général des Nations Unies, des efforts plus énergiques devront être faits pour parvenir à l'égalité des sexes et autonomiser les femmes et les filles, notamment sur le plan juridique, afin de lutter contre les discrimination sexistes profondément ancrées, qui sont souvent la conséquence d'attitudes patriarcales et de normes sociales apparentées.
La violence à l'égard des femmes est la forme la plus extrême de discrimination. D'après les données recueillies auprès de 87 pays de 2005 à 2016, 19% des femmes âgées de 15 à 49 and affirmaient avoir subi des violences physiques ou sexuelles infligées par un partenaire intime au cours des 12 mois ayant précédé l'enquête. Dans les cas les plus extrêmes, ces violences peuvent conduire à la mort. En 2012, près de la moitié des femmes victimes d'homicides volontaires dans le monde avaient été tuées par un partenaire intime ou un membre de leur famille, contre 6% des hommes.
La mutilation génitale féminine représente un autre cas d'extrême violence. Cette pratique a baissé de 24% depuis l'an 2000 environ. Pourtant, sa prévalence reste élevée dans certains des 30 pays disposant de données représentatives à ce sujet. Une enquête réalisée dans ces pays vers 2015 révèle que plus d'une fille sur 3 âgées de 15 à 19 ans a subi un type de mutilation sexuelle, contre près d'une sur deux autour de l'an 2000.
Enfin, tout juste un peu plus de la moitié (52%) des femmes âgées de 15 à 49 ans, qui sont mariées ou vivent en union libre, prennent leurs propres décisions en matière de sexualité, de méthodes contraceptives et de services de santé. Ce chiffre est tiré de données remontant à 2012 environ, disponibles pour 45 pays dont 43 situés dans des régions en développement.
une chanson de Zazie que j'aime beaucoup pour accompagner cette journée : "Aux armes citoyennes" youtu.be/JYCqcQpR4-0
Demander pour utilisation merci - Ask for use thanks.
© Michel Guérin. Tous droits réservés - All rights reserved ©.
(Woliwon)
Merci beaucoup pour vos visites et commentaires ♥, thank you so much for the visit and kind comments.
Un gros merci à ceux qui partagent leur découverte.
Se demandant s'il faut sortir ou rester à l'intérieur étant donné que nous avons des giboulées
Wondering whether to go out or stay indoors as we have showers
I've always felt sorry for folks who were perfectly happy as kids, teenagers, and young adults. There's an unseen downside in having no context for darkness – when your shadow finally sneaks up to grab you, you've got no natural immunity. I've seen the bottom fall out for a lot of men in my age group, hit hard in their twenties and thirties. They don't know how to deal with it, so end up unhinged or shut down all together. I've got sympathy for the former, but find the latter hard to relate. Giving up the fight is understandable, but hardly honourable. A lot of middle-aged guys think that their dullness is earned. Hard work is exhausting, and at the end of the day, they just want to shut off. But the outlet of making a mess of yourself is underrated. I don't mean anger, that's cheap. You've gotta be stronger to get weak. I cry at shows and movies, laugh at simple beauty, feel emotionally overwhelmed on a daily basis. I keep absolutely nothing to myself. It was a tough thing to learn. At first, all your bleeding is black and congealed, just a disgusting misery to be around. But eventually, the blood flows bright red and fully oxygenated – and the wounds you stopped trying to stifle will heal.
Some of my earliest memories are of feeling somehow off, wearing an unnamed emotional weight, or buzzing from unseen anxiety. That was in my head from the start. Growing up wasn't something I'd want to repeat. Most of my childhood was outwardly happy, but inside, I was a mess. I still sense that static in my background daily, waiting to rise. But that's not how I present face-to-face. Over the past fifteen years, I've become steadily attuned to the light of interaction, pleasures of human connection. Any chance to open up has treated me well. I thought the day would never come when I wasn't constantly complaining, broke down from dragging myself through life. I thought I'd have to wear the badge most men in my family had sewn to their skin by the time I was born – cold and distant like survival demanded it. It was a hell of a heartache, but I shook loose and left myself exposed. Took a hard look at everything, audited my emotions, didn't accept that apathy is earned. It's a curse compiled from a life of not caring. If thawing out doesn't seem worth it at the moment, that's all the evidence you should need that it is.
March 9, 2025
St. Croix Cove, Nova Scotia
Year 18, Day 6328 of my daily journal.
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Read about this and more at:
GIMMEE!
www.zoomybluebird.com/2014/05/gimmee.html
*Featuring Silken Moon*
Well, the 375 is certainly an interesting route! Passingford Bridge is literally in the middle of nowhere and the route goes through some very odd areas, with some interesting countryside views. I was lucky to get this DD, a single decker was used later in the day. A grand total of 7 people boarded the bus on my journey, but only I enjoyed the 50mph thrash in Stapleford Abbotts.
When the demand for open-top double-decker bus tours of American cities began to take off during the 1970s and 80s, it was met by older vehicles imported from the UK, a situation that continued until very recently. High-capacity tri-axle double-deckers from Hong Kong were another source of supply - these too were British-built. They all had the disadvantage of being right-hand drive, and the vehicles were also getting long in the tooth.
As the city sightseeing tour bus market became increasingly lucrative and globalised, bus manufacturers began to offer purpose-built vehicles that also featured left-hand drive. Ayats of Spain was one such example. American manufacturers belatedly cottoned on to supplying the city tour market, Gillig adapting its own transit bus design as an open-top double-decker. As a result, the old right-hand drive double-deckers have now vanished from the scene.
There was also consolidation among the tour bus operators, with City Sightseeing and Big Bus Company becoming the major players. The latter stayed loyal to its UK roots by acquiring purpose-built vehicles from AlexanderDennis, though it too has been buying Gillig vehicles of late. To my delight, I was able to capture ADL3, a Big Bus AlexanderDennis Enviro500 in action in Church Street, Lower Manhattan, passing the Oculus by the World Trade Center.
Be sure to check out the full Onyx HBT album here
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Many countries have armies of all different shapes and sizes. Some have only small defensive armies, while others have larger more readily available armies. The difference between major nations and minor nations is that the major nations continuously develop and field new vehicles and equipment, while minor nations simple buy older and even obsolete vehicles from major nations. The percentage of each countries military budget inevitably goes towards some form of research for new vehicles, not all of which make it past the drawing board. There are many reasons for this, such as, too expensive, too complex to build, mechanically unreliable, too heavy or too light, or there is simply no real demand for such a vehicle, plus many more. However, the worst reason that a tank never makes it beyond the drawing board, no matter it's potential, is political interference.
There is an established hierarchy in the Tarakian military, made up of long serving loyalists, decorated military personnel, and people with family connections. Although this cohort have served the nation well, they are often criticized of being stubborn, inflexible, unopen to change, and stuffy. For some time, there has been a growing dissatisfaction with the way the upper echelon of Tarakian military is comprised. A new, younger, more progressive generation have been growing support in favour of change, not aggressive change, but a reform on how major decisions in the military are made. A push for a wider group collective, rather than a cabal of cigar smokers deciding among themselves in their reclusive corridors of power.
The Established, and the Progressives. The Established, eager to maintain the status quo and of the mindset that you don't fix what isn't broken. The Progressives, understanding that if you follow a set military doctrine for long enough, eventually someone will study it and find a way around it. Knowing the Established would never freely relinquish an inch of power, the Progressives knew they had to formulate a plan to take it. Even though the Progressives don't have the power to sway final decisions, they do hold considerable power when it comes to initiating research and testing, with the final say on production being left to higher powers. Their plan was to put forward a vehicle that on paper, would be easy for the Established to dismiss, and then use it to prevent the Progressives from putting forward such projects in the future. The Progressives were betting on the Established being complacent and arrogant about the situation, and not fully appreciating the situation. Research and testing can be initiated by the Progressives, so there was nothing the Established could do to prevent this.
During testing, it quickly became apparent that the Established had underestimated the Progressives, and their project. The new tank, named Onyx, not only passed all tests, but surpassed them by a margin the Established would be unable to dismiss. Scrambling for a way to save face, and to prevent the Onyx from making it to production, a tank they see as too aggressive for a purely defensive army, the Established reluctantly concede just enough power to the Progressives on the condition that the Onyx doesn't make it beyond testing. However, knowing they have the upper hand, and could push the Onyx into production, the Progressives accept the deal, with the condition that a set number of production batches will be run, and small regiments of Onyx tanks will be given to front line battalions. The Established, knowing they have no choice but to agree, and concede certain future decision making powers.
Though the tank is rather large, space inside is quite limited. Due to the unusual design of the vehicle, it has a rather shallow hull, which therefore limits overall internal space. At least one third of the vehicles internal space is taken up by the engine and gearbox, with the remaining space being taken up by the crew, gun, and ammunition. The unique shape of the tank comes from it's unusual design, where a SafeShell system is encased in heavily angled, bolt on composite armour. The nose section of the tank is made entirely from composite armour, and is impenetrable to all known anti tank projectiles.
The onyx is intended to be used as a heavy breakthrough tank that will spearhead armoured assaults. Taking advantage of a combination of impenetrable frontal hull armour, immense engine power, the stability from the double track pod system, and a fully stabilised 130mm auto loaded gun. The idea is to overwhelm the enemy with firepower and speed. Even though the tank weighs in at 72tons, it has the mobility and speed of a medium tank. This incredible performance comes from the 2200hp engine and the double track pod system, which gives excellent off road acceleration and maneuvering. Due to having four sets of tracks, the tank has unmatched weight distribution, which allows it operate in terrain that any other tank of this weight would get bogged down. This gives the Onyx unique tactical options that any other tank of it's weight simply wouldn't have.
The gun is the same 130mm found on Ares MkII main battle tank, but has been heavily modified to work in conjunction with a new auto loading system, and a new stabilizer. A bore extractor and a new muzzle break have been added in combination with the 6-rounds per minute firing rate. With internal space at a premium, the Onyx can only carry a meager 36 rounds, of which only the ammunition stored in the turret are stored in blow out compartments. The Onyx only carries one type of ammunition, which is an APDSFS round with 750mm of penetration. A firing rate of six rounds per minute can be achieved thanks to the completely automatic loading system. Two 20mm auto-cannons are located on either side of the main gun, which are intended for enemy infantry, since the tank carries no high explosive rounds. A roof mounted .50 machine gun can be controlled from the commanders control panel.
Due to the rather flat design of the hull, no existing engine would be suitable without a protrusion either on the bottom, or top of the tank, so a new engine had to be designed. A micro fusion reaction was initially considered, but after some number crunching, the price per unit became unjustifiable. Although reluctant to design an entirely new engine, approval was granted for testing, and a prototype multi fuel engine capable of producing 2200hp was produced. Unfortunately, due to the torque produced by such a powerful engine, a new gearbox had to be designed to cope with the stress, and to accommodate the track pod system.
Space inside the tank is limited to such a degree that there isn't even room for fuel tanks, however this turned out to be a blessing for the design. Eight individual fuel tanks are housed in the superstructure of the track pods, four per side. Having the fuel tanks exposes them to potential damage in combat, and even though they're only protected by 50mm of armour in either side, each tank has it's own fuel cut off system. Additionally, the fuel tanks as a whole are safeguarded by a sophisticated fire prevention system, which rapidly fills the damaged tank with an inert expanding foam that instantly douses any flames in the event of a breech to any tank and a subsequent fire.
Due to the unusual design of the hull, limited internal space, and the front nose section being comprised entirely of composite armour, the drivers position is in the turret basket, meaning that he rotates when the turret does. This placement was unavoidable, and caused several of the test drivers to experience motion sickness due to the changeable orientation. The Onyx has a crew of four, including a commander, gunner, driver, and a loader.
Yuba saw me taking pictures of Bonkers and demanded one of his own. He is actually a very good boy when I take his picture - he stays still then gets lots of attention.
Only 11 744s remain with Thai Airways, although you know that time is slowly running out for the remaining members of the jumbo fleet.
HS-TGF first flew in September 2003, and has been with Thai Airways since October of the same year.
The Demand for a Sign
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.
[Matthew 16:1-4 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
November 21st, 2042
A couple of hours after getting taken away by the Court of Owls, Batman awakens in a cell at an unknown location. Before he’s able to recover from the effects of the sedatives he got hit with and regain his strength two people dressed in black clothes, wielding sharp and gold-colored weapons, enter his cell and order him to follow them. As he struggles to stand up he notices that the exoskeleton from his suit has powered down, making it much more difficult to move around at all and leaving him in no shape to stand up against them. He complies and follows the one figure as the other one takes position behind him. After walking for a short while they end up in a long hallway, with a red carpet on the floor, expensive furniture on either side of the hall and large paintings hanging from the walls. Batman takes a look at the wall decorations and notices that every single painting features a person holding a strange owl-shaped mask in front of their face. There’s a door at the end of the hallway, guarded by two people wearing the same outfit as the ones escorting him. They open the door for them, giving way to a spacious and empty courtroom. Behind the judge’s desk stands a giant wooden statue of an owl, decorated with gold accents and lit with candles around it. On the sides of the room are several giant windows, all covered with dark red curtains which prevents any natural light from entering the place. Only Helena is sitting in the room, tied to a chair at the defendant’s table.
Batman gets escorted into the room and forced to sit on the chair next to Helena as he gets restrained as well. Before he can ask his daughter if she’s okay, the gates of the courtroom swing open as a group of masked individuals march into the room. They all silently take a seat on the public benches behind the two right as the jury enters the room as well, conveniently all wearing the same owl-shaped mask too. As they all sit down at the exact same time Helena begins nervously looking around her, intimidated by the situation she is now in. A door inside the giant owl statue opens, out of which a judge appears. Batman notices the judge seems to be the same person who appeared in the Wayne Tower and ordered them to come to the Court in the first place. He takes a seat, breaks the silence by slamming his hammer on the table and demands order in the courtroom, starting their trial against Batman and Robin.
The judge starts by telling about the Court of Owls, explaining how they have been around since Gotham was established decades ago. For years they managed to rule the city from the shadows, killing anyone who found out about their existence or opposed them using a group of specifically trained assassins called the Talons. When a certain masked vigilante began running around Gotham they didn’t see him as a threat at first. Finding that having him assassinated by the Talons would be a bit excessive they instead opted to orchestrate a series of events which would lead to a deranged serial killer by the name of Zsaz escaping from Arkham. Knowing that the Batman would take it upon himself to go after him, they hoped that he wouldn’t stand a chance against the killer and get killed while fighting him. However, they found themselves astonished as Batman managed to defeat Zsaz with ease, something they had not taken into consideration. Realizing the danger of him running around Gotham they considered ordering the Talons to murder him, but changed their mind after he coincidentally started targeting several of their opponents. The Court then decided to willingly let Batman fight the criminal world of Gotham without interfering, only stepping in if he accidentally stumbled upon them or started targeting them. All the while, the Court continued to influence the city from the shadows.
Roughly 5 years later, a long series of unfortunate events led to the Dark Knight retiring. With the Batman no longer being a possible threat to the Court, they decided to start spreading out their influence more while making certain their existence was kept a secret. Over the decades, dozens of wannabe vigilantes hoping to step into the footsteps of the Dark Knight started to make their way onto the streets. As rumors of a secret underground society who are secretly controlling Gotham started leaking, many of them started to seek them out and found their way right on the doorstep of the Court. In order to preserve their secret they were forced to murder everyone who stood in their way, having to cover up the assassinations to not arouse any suspicions. After decades of doing this the Court of Owls decided they could not continue covering up the disappearances of teen vigilantes, deciding to take action by making a statement by taking down the Dark Knight. Upon discovering his identity and tracking him down using the help of a deranged Edward Nigma and a frail Hugo Strange, they began orchestrating a long plot in order to get him to put on the suit again. One of the Talons assassinated Selina and left behind evidence to make him suspect the Joker, knowing this would motivate him to return to Gotham to investigate. By using a tiny improvised explosive device hidden within the playing card they hoped to detonate it while he was holding it within Arkham. However, they did not account for Batman giving the card to Joker himself, which allowed him to survive the blast and only killed the Clown Prince of Crime along with the other Arkman inmates. After so many years, they decided enough was enough; it was time to put him on trial in front of the Court of Owls for standing in their way too much.
Batman barely has any time to process what he just heard as the crowd and jury start shouting how they think they are guilty. There’s no way they would win a case against a kangaroo court like this; their decision was already made way before the trial started. The judge slams his hammer down again, silencing the chaos as he prepares to read his verdict. Due to being found guilty of interfering with the plans of the Court of Owls, Batman and Robin get sentenced to death at the hands of the Talons right now. The judge asks if he has anything to say about his verdict, but cuts him off right as he is about to speak up. The spectators and jury start cheering and clapping as two of the Talons walk into the courtroom, each entering on opposite sides of the room. They take their positions in front and behind the two, unsheathing their golden weapons to prepare for battle. One member of the Court gets ordered to untie the Dynamic Duo in order to make the odds more fair as the rest of the crowd prepares to watch as the Batman finally gets taken down by the Court of Owls after so many years.
The Talon behind Batman strikes first and stabs him in the back, but his armor prevents the blade from piercing through his skin. He manages to reactivate his exosuit and turns around, ready to fight again as he pulls out a Batarang from his belt. His enemy strikes again, aiming for the exposed skin around his mouth instead, but Batman manages to deflect it with his own weapon. He uses the opportunity to slice the Talon in the arm, although this doesn’t phase him. Batman holds his hand in front of his face and casts a glance at the spectators, seeing they are all silently toasting for their demise with expensive drinks in their hands. His short distraction gives the Talon an opportunity to successfully hit him, but Helena deflects the attack at the last moment with her own weapon stick. He compliments her for being able to stand her ground against their opponents before continuing the battle. The Talon starts attacking more and more fiercely, slowly managing to weaken Batman’s defenses while coming closer to getting a successful strike on him. He tries his best to keep up with him, but Batman slowly starts to become weaker and weaker with every attack. Right as he is about to slash the Dark Knight in the face, the leader of the Court suddenly commands the assassins to stop attacking. Unsure of what to do, the Talons lay down their weapons for a moment as they watch what their leader’s intentions are right now. He mutters something about hearing a weird noise outside as he walks towards the window and lifts up the curtains. Batman tries to get a glimpse of the outside world to locate their hideout if they manage to get out, but he soon picks up the sound outside too; he hears the loud revving of an engine in the distance slowly coming towards them, accompanied by the sound of a car horn. The crowd gathers around the window to see what the commotion is about, but quickly runs away in terror as the Batmobile crashes through the wall at full speed.
Pieces of debris rain down everywhere as the vehicle comes to a screeching halt right in front of Batman and Robin. Chaos ensues in the room as each member of the Court desperately tries to make their escape, terrified of the imposing black vehicle which just crashed through the wall of their hideout. The door opens as the person driving the Batmobile beeps the horn, prompting them to jump inside. Batman kicks the Talon in front of him to the ground and hits the other one in the chest with several batarangs to give them a window to escape. He and Helena jump inside the Batmobile as he takes control of the steering wheel, closing the door right before the Talons can make their way inside. He puts his boot on the gas pedal and activates the rocket booster in order to make their escape from the Court. As they are driving through the streets of Gotham early in the morning, Barbara appears on one of the screens of the console, asking if they are alright. She explains that she left the Wayne Enterprises building for a short moment to check up on her case at the GCPD, but when she returned she saw the camera footage of them getting abducted. Although it was impossible for her to track them down at first since the Court of Owls covered up almost all of their tracks, Batman reactivating his high-tech suit set off a GPS signal which allowed her to pinpoint their location. With the help of a new modification to the Batmobile she was able to remotely control the armored vehicle for a while to reach the place and to help them escape.
Helena sighs of relief, tired of the confrontation they just went through when she says that they must’ve escaped the Court by now. However, right after she says this the two feel something landing on the roof of the Batmobile. Before they can react, one of the Talon’s golden weapons cuts through the armored material like butter, making an opening for himself to enter the vehicle. Batman stands up from his seat and orders Helena to drive despite her not having any driving experience yet as he deals with the Talon standing in the cramped open space in the back of the Batmobile. He makes his way towards him, feeling the cold morning air cut through his skin while he begins punching his enemy. After hitting him a couple of times the Talon catches his fist inside his hand, landing a couple of strikes on his face and damaging his cowl before Batman kicks him right in the stomach. The impact of the kick makes him land hard on the cold floor of the Batmobile, but before he can recover Batman leaps on top of him and starts pounding him in the head. He stops for a short moment to charge up his exosuit for a bigger punch, but the vehicle suddenly making a sharp turn to get outside of Gotham, makes him miss the Talon and denting the floor instead. While he recovers and tries to get another punch in, the other Talon lands on the front of the car and begins damaging the engine. Helena makes a couple more sharp turns in an effort to get him off the car but all it does is make Batman lose his balance, giving him a disadvantage in the fight. As smoke begins coming from the engine Helena loses control of the vehicle, prompting Batman to abandon the fight to prevent them from going off the road. However, he is too late; before he can do anything, the Batmobile crashes through the guardrail on the ride of the road, sending them all tumbling down a hill.
When Helena regains consciousness, she feels herself getting dragged out of the wreckage which was once the Batmobile. Pieces of wreckage are scattered everywhere as the smell of smoke fills her nose. Once she is at a safe distance away from the wreck, she is able to properly see the damage; the Batmobile is laying upside down with a fire having erupted in the engine as several important components of the car have been damaged or broken off. Suddenly, she notices one of the Talons crawling away from the wreck. His outfit has been torn and burned, with him being unable to walk because of the crash. Batman sees him too, and begins slowly walking towards him. The Talon notices this and for the first time he hears one of them speak as he begins pleading for him to put him out of his misery. Batman stays silent for a while before telling him to go back to the Court. He wants him to relay a message to them, warning that it will take much more than this to take down Batman. They tried their best to get rid of him, and they failed. If they try this again, he won't be taken by surprise like this time and warns that he will do whatever it takes to take down the entire Court by himself. The Talon begins crying out that the Court of Owls will just murder him for this fiasco, but Batman ignores him and turns around leaving him on his own. He calls Barbara to pick them up as he puts an arm around Helena, complimenting her for what she did today as the Batmobile continues to burn down behind them.
Roughly a week has passed since the incident with the Court. Despite Bruce and Barbara’s best efforts, they haven't managed to track down the Court again; upon returning to the place where he was taken to to be put on trial, he only found an empty and abandoned building with all of the furniture and decorations taken away. Barbara has taken the wreckage of the Batmobile back to the Wayne Enterprises building, developing plans to rework the vehicle into something else instead of simply rebuilding it.
During a boring evening at the Wayne Building, the regularly scheduled tv programme gets interrupted by a newsflash; A terrorist going by the name of Bane, suspected to be the person responsible for getting a majority of Gotham addicted to Venom, has attacked the Gotham Stock Exchang. In a publicly broadcasted video he revealed to have gotten his hands on a decaying neutron bomb which is set to detonate this Christmas Eve. In his video he directly challenged the Dark Knight, saying that he is only willing to stop the bomb from exploding if he manages to defeat him. Confident that he can save Gotham once more, Bruce suits up and sets out to bring down Bane. Helena offers to join to help take him down, but Batman declines as he fears not going to him alone could have severe consequences. Without being able to use the Batmobile to get around for the time being, he climbs to the top of the building and decides to make use out of his new experimental cape glider. He leaps off the structure as he spreads out his cape, which folds out in the shape of the wings of a bat allowing him to glide to the financial district.
After gliding for a while, Batman lands on top of the glass roof of the Stock Exchange building giving him a good look at the situation. Right below him he can make out the figure of Bane, surrounded by several of his goons, all guarding the neutron bomb. He uses a Batarang to cut a hole into the glass to grant him access into the building. After jumping down the hole he lands right in front of Bane, quickly alerting him of his presence. This is the first time he has gotten a good look at the terrorist; before him stands a very big and muscular man, wearing a black luchador-esque mask which conceals his face. Batman catches a glimpse of a big tank filled with Venom on his back with tubes attached to it, all injected straight into his skin and mask. His goons, all having taken some of the strength-enhancing drugs as well, point their guns at the Dark Knight but Bane tells them to lower their weapons. After telling them to step back he stretches out his arms, challenging the Dark Knight to a one-on-one fight. Batman agrees, taking off his utility belt and preparing for the fight. He laughs, his voice muffled by the mask, asking himself if he will be a match to him or if he will go down as easily as his other opponents as Batman charges towards him.
Batman strikes first, getting in several powerful blows, but it doesn’t even seem to phase his opponent. He pauses for a short moment and tries to continue the fight, but Bane catches his hand before it can hit him. Batman hears something crack when he clenches his fist, feeling that his glove has been damaged. Before he can recover, Bane grabs him with both arms and headbutts him with a lot of force. The blow almost makes him lose his balance, but his opponent grabs him by the throat before he falls to the ground and punches him right in the face several times. Batman starts to taste blood in his mouth but is unwilling to give up so easily. He releases himself from Bane’s grip and tackles him to the ground, using all his strength to kick him in the face several times. Again, his opponent is unperturbed by his attempts to fight back, simply taking the blows without flinching. As Bane doesn't fight back Batman becomes overconfident for a moment, not noticing as his arm reaches out for his leg. He grabs a hold of it and janks it towards him, making him fall to the ground again.
‘’You know, I used to admire you. Hearing all about your heroics back when I was growing up motivated me to be better than I already was. But now that I am not a bright-eyed and naive child anymore, I’m finally able to see you for what you really are; A pathetic elderly man, having to rely on some high-tech suit to even attempt to compete with me!’’
Bane raises his fists in the air, bringing them down with full force on the chest of the Dark Knight. Although his suit absorbs most of the strike to prevent his ribs from breaking upon impact, Batman still feels the pain from his attack and notices the armor on his chest having shattered.
‘’Over the years, I've dreamt of being the one who would kill the legendary Batman. However, I have recently come to the conclusion that killing you would only end your agony and silence your shame.’’
He attempts to fight back again and gathers his strength to reply to his opponent’s comments, but Bane silences him with a nasty kick in the gut before he can do so.
‘’I don't think you quite know who I am. I’m not some scarecrow or a riddler. I’m not a jester or a clown! I’m not a flightless bird nor a cryogenic scientist! And most importantly, i am not some rich guy playing dress-up!’’
Bane begins continuously stomping Batman in the face, slowly cracking open his mask more and more with each kick. By the time his cowl has been completely destroyed Batman has been knocked unconscious, having collapsed after all of the attacks.
‘’ I AM BANE! AND I WILL BREAK YOU!’’
As his goons cheer him on, Bane picks up the defeated body of the Dark Knight and raises it over his head. He slowly spins around like he’s showing a trophy to his friends, reveling as the realization that he has become the one to truly break the Bat begins to set in. Batman regains consciousness, but only just in time to feel himself getting driven down towards the ground as he collides with Bane’s knee.
With one nasty snap, he quickly finds his body in anguish as his spine has completely shattered. Bane drops him to the ground and commands his henchmen to take the bombs and go away, taking the broken mask of the Dark Knight with him as a trophy before leaving himself as well. Batman tries to move, but becomes terrified when he notices that he is unable to even move. With this one attack, Bane has paralyzed the Bat.
Quite some time passes before someone arrives to pick up the wounded Bruce. He gets taken to the Wayne Building instead of a hospital in order to preserve his secret identity, where he gets hooked up to some medical equipment to keep him alive. As the days pass by, Gotham begins to decay more and more into chaos as the threat of a neutron bomb decimating the city gets closer. Each attempt made by the police force to disarm the explosive has led to nothing, leading to many of the city’s residents deciding to get out while they still can. Despite Bruce being in no state at all to fight back against Bane, he stubbornly refuses to leave the city as he believes his back will he recovered enough before the bomb is set to go off. Along with this he also feels personally responsible for letting this happen and does not want Gotham to fall under his watch.
Less than a week is now left before the bomb is set to go off. Bane had taken his bomb to the city centre, where his henchmen are guarding him all day to prevent anyone from interfering with his plan. With no sign of his spine recovering in the slightest, Helena and Barbara are urging Bruce to leave the city with them, as they know nobody else is left to stop him. Barbara is close to converting the damaged Batmobile to an airborne vehicle and tells him it could be fit to get them out of there. However, he does not want to hear any of it and keeps insisting that he can find a solution. In an old scientific report about the Venom drug he read some time ago, he noticed it stating that taking the drug can completely heal severe wounds within moments. With his mind set on this new opportunity to save Gotham he asks Barbara to get him a sample of the substance, hoping this will put him in a position to fight back again. Despite her hesitation she agrees to do so, although she warns him that this is only a short-term solution for a permanent problem for him.
When she returns, Bruce has removed the armor from his arms and prepared a new suit to help him control himself while under the effects of the drug. Barbara reluctantly hands him a syringe filled with Venom, but before she does so she tells him that the scientific reports he read left out some important details. It's true that taking Venom can heal severe and permanent injuries in a matter of moments, but the catch is that once the drug’s effects have worn off the injuries will just return, sometimes getting even worse as a result. Bruce tells her he is more than willing to sacrifice himself if it means that he is gonna be able to save Gotham once more as he grabs the syringe out of her hand. Before any of them can react, he slams the needle into his skin and presses the plunger down allowing the substance to enter into his bloodstream. Bruce feels the effects hitting him almost instantly, and before he knows it he finds himself able to stand on his own again. While he struggles to keep himself from succumbing to the drug’s effects he puts on a new suit; an outfit plated with a gold-colored metal and with a reinforced cowl and cape. Ready for battle, he makes his way to the newly designed Batwing to take himself to the city center to face off against Bane.
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www.santpau.es/patr_presentacio.asp
L'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau té els seus orígens l'any 1401 amb la fusió dels sis hospitals que hi havia aleshores a Barcelona. Així va néixer l'Hospital de la Santa Creu, clar exemple de gòtic civil català. A finals del segle XIX, degut al creixement de la ciutat i als avenços de la medicina, l'Hospital va quedar petit i es va plantejar la construcció d'un nou edifici. Gràcies al llegat del banquer Pau Gil, el 15 de gener de 1902 es va col·locar la primera pedra del nou hospital. A l'antic nom de la Santa Creu s'hi va afegir el de Sant Pau per respectar la voluntat del seu benefactor. D’aquest mode, el 1930 es va inaugurar l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. L'arquitecte Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1850-1923) va ser l'encarregat d’aquest projecte, que es va convertir en l’edifici civil més rellevant del modernisme català.
El Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau tiene sus orígenes en el año 1401 con la fusión de los seis hospitales que había entonces en Barcelona. Así nace el Hospital de la Santa Creu, claro ejemplo de gótico civil catalán. A finales del siglo XIX, debido al crecimiento de la ciudad y a los avances de la medicina, el Hospital se quedó pequeño y se planteó la construcción de un nuevo edificio. Gracias al legado del banquero Pau Gil, el 15 de enero de 1902 se colocó la primera piedra del nuevo hospital. Al antiguo nombre de la Santa Creu se añadió el de Sant Pau para respetar la voluntad de su benefactor. De esta manera, en 1930 se inauguró el Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau. El arquitecto Lluís Domènech i Montaner (1850-1923) fue el encargado de este proyecto, que se convirtió en el edificio civil más relevante del modernismo catalán.
In 1401, six hospitals in the city of Barcelona merged to form the Hospital de la Santa Creu, a fine example of civilian gothic architecture. With the growth of the city and the advances in medicine in the 19th century, the centre was unable to meet the demands of the time and construction of a new building was proposed. Thanks to the legacy of Pau Gil, a banker, the first stone of the new building was laid on January 15th, 1902. "Sant Pau" was added to the old name of "la Santa Creu" to honour the wishes of its benefactor. The architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner was commissioned with the project. Over the years, the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau became the most significant public building in Catalan modernisme.
L'Hôpital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau a ses origines en 1401 avec la fusion des six hôpitaux qui étaient alors à Barcelone. Ainsi est née l'Hôpital de la Santa Creu, clair exemple de gothique catalan. Dans la fin du XIXe siècle, en raison de la croissance de la ville et le progrès de la médecine, l'hôpital est devenu trop petit et la construction d'un nouveau bâtiment a été soulevée. Merci à l'héritage de Pau Gil banquier, le Janvier 15, 1902, la première pierre du nouvel hôpital a été placée. L'ancien nom de la Sainte Croix a été ajouté Sant Pau de respecter la volonté de son bienfaiteur. Ainsi, en 1930, l'Hôpital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau a été ouverte. L'architecte Lluis Domenech i Montaner (1850-1923) était responsable de ce projet, qui est devenu le bâtiment civil le plus important du modernisme catalan.
The 650cc model 6T or Thunderbird was Triumph’s answer to an increasing demand for faster and more powerful motorcycles for the important American export market. This 1949 bike JAC769, at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, was one of a team of three machines used to cover 500 miles at over 90mph during pre-launch demonstrations at the famous French Montlhéry circuit during September 1949.
Based on the popular 500cc Speed Twin model, the Thunderbird was developed by Triumph Chief Designer Edward Turner as a true 100mph machine. The bike was the first to include a headlamp built into a distinctive housing or nacelle that also incorporated the instruments and switches; a Triumph feature used during the 1950s and 60s. The Thunderbird remained in production until 1966 and was a popular choice with Police forces.