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Trying to make the most out of this waterfall that we stopped off at in the Peak District. After getting this shot I moved on upwards to a dangerous spot where this waterfall begins to break, only just big enough for my tripod, and secured a more solid shot.
New Frontiers of Nutrition
Michael Stroka, Chief Executive Officer, American Nutrition Association, USA; Zara Ingilizian, Head of Shaping the Future of Consumption; Member of the Executive Committee, World Economic Forum
Copyright: World Economic Forum/Jeffery Jones
Sustainable Development Impact Meetings, New York, USA 19 - 23 September
This is Bruce, he has been kind enough to let me photograph him and his bookstore a number of times.
When I first went into the bookstore, I was struck with the irony of meeting a legally blind bookstore owner yet Bruce knows exactly where every book is located in his store.
I finally broke out a roll of Efke R50 120 film an loaded it into the Mamiya RB67. I shot this with the Mamiya-Sekor 180mm f4.5 lens.
In hindsight, I probably should have used a bit faser film for this shoot as the lighting in the bookstore is quite dim.
I developed the Efke R50 as follows ...
1. Rodinal 1:100 @ 20'C
2. Agitate for two minutes
3. Let stand for remainder of the 60 minutes
I am impressed with the Efke & Rodinal combo !
As early as the 1950s, IBM programmers were working on software for things like submarine control systems and missile tracking systems, which were so complex that they could not be conceived and built in one go. Programmers had to evolve them over time, like cities, starting with a simple working system that could be tested by users, and then gradually adding more function and detail in iterative cycles that took one to six months to complete. In a 1969 IBM internal report called simply “The Programming Process,” IBM computer scientist M.M. Lehman described the approach:
“The design process is… seeded by a formal definition of the system, which provides a first, executable, functional model. It is tested and further expanded through a sequence of models, that develop an increasing amount of function and an increasing amount of detail as to how that function is to be executed. Ultimately, the model becomes the system.”
This iterative approach to software development, where programmers start by creating a simple, working seed system and expand it in subsequent cycles of user testing and development, has become a common approach in software design, known under a variety of names such as iterative development, successive approximation, integration engineering, the spiral model and many others, but in 2001, when a group of prominent developers codified the core principles in a document they called the Agile Manifesto, they gave it the name “agile” which seems to have stuck.
Agile is about small teams that deliver real, working software at all times, get meaningful feedback from users as early as possible, and improve the product over time in iterative development cycles. Developing software in an agile way allows developers to rapidly respond to changing requirements. Agile developers believe that where uncertainty is high there is no such thing as a perfect plan, and the further ahead you plan, the more likely you are to be wrong.
German company Developments in Eurostar's monopoly Channel Tunnel draws closer on a high-speed German train that could provide direct links between London and Germany pictured at St Pancas International station in London trains row may move to EU Commission DB services through the Tunnel, but is reserving most of its ammunition for Eurostar's plan to buy ten Siemens Velaro-D sets for a reported 525 million Euros. services to Germany through the Channel Tunnel, challenging Eurostar’s monopoly and Alstom trains,with plans to introduce it to the market by 2013, Two tests were conducted over the weekend on its Siemens AG-built ICE 3 trains assengers will be able to travel direct from London to Germany and the Netherlands from 2013 under plans unveiled by Germany's state monopoly Channel Tunnel.
EU Commission: Deutsche Bahn is claiming that a test run ICE through the Tunnel and a trial evacuation successful.
DAVOS/SWITZERLAND, 25JAN08 - Bono (R), William H. Gates III, Chairman, Microsoft Corporation, USA (2R), H.M. Queen Rania (3R) Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, Gordon Brown (4R), Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Yar' Adua, President of Nigeria (5R) and other participants stand together to 'Call to Action on the Millenium Development Goals' during the Annual Meeting 2008 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 25, 2008.
Copyright World Economic Forum (www.weforum.org)
www.swiss-image.ch/Photo by Andy Mettler
Jeremiah Yancy is an active member of many NGOs and a large part of his businesses is contributed to social services for the sake of humanity and well fare of the society.To know more visit here: medium.com/@Jeremiahyancy
The Postcard
A postally unused postcard published by the Success Post Card Co. of New York. In the space for the stamp they state:
'Place Stamp Here.
Domestic
Canada
Great Britain
Germany
ONE CENT
Foreign
TWO CENTS'
This postal rate was in force in the United States from the 1st. July 1919 to the 6th. July 1932.
The card has a divided back.
Irving Underhill
The photography was by Irving Underhill (1872 - 1960) of New York. Irving was one of the most notable commercial photographers in New York City during the first half of the 20th. century.
Irving produced work that was frequently featured on postcards and in numerous publications while he was alive, and his work continues to be exhibited and receive recognition long after his death.
The Manhattan Municipal Building
The David N. Dinkins Municipal Building (originally the Municipal Building and later known as the Manhattan Municipal Building) is a 40-storey, 560-foot (170 m) building at 1 Centre Street in Manhattan, near Centre Street's intersection with Chambers Street in New York City.
The structure was built to accommodate increased governmental space demands after the 1898 consolidation of the city's five boroughs. Construction began in 1909 and continued through 1914 at a total cost of $12 million (equivalent to $230,068,000 in 2019).
Designed by McKim, Mead & White, the Manhattan Municipal Building was among the last buildings erected as part of the 'City Beautiful' movement in New York.
Its architectural style has been characterised as Roman Imperial, Italian Renaissance, French Renaissance, or Beaux-Arts.
The Municipal Building is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world, with about 1 million square feet (93,000 m2) of office space. This amounts to 23 acres, or a square with sides 333 yards long. The base incorporates a subway station, while the summit includes the gilded 'Civic Fame' statue (just about visible at the top of the photograph).
The Municipal Building was erected after three previous competitions to build a single municipal building for New York City's government had failed. In 1907, the city's Commissioner of Bridges held a competition to design the building in conjunction with a subway and trolley terminal at the Brooklyn Bridge, of which McKim, Mead & White's plan was selected.
The first offices in the Municipal Building were occupied by 1913. In later years, it received several renovations, including elevator replacements in the 1930's and restorations in the mid-1970's and late 1980's. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the building a landmark in 1966, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
The Site of the Municipal Building
The Manhattan Municipal Building occupies a site bounded by Chambers Street, Duane Street, and Park Row. The building is located on the eastern side of Centre Street, in the Civic Center of Manhattan.
It occupies the length of two city blocks. Near the Municipal Building are the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse and St. Andrew's Church to the northeast; 1 Police Plaza and the Metropolitan Correctional Center to the east; Surrogate's Courthouse and Tweed Courthouse to the west; and New York City Hall to the southwest.
Prior to the Municipal Building's construction, several streets passed through the building site, which had been located at the south end of the Five Points neighbourhood.
The Municipal Building's site was occupied by buildings including the old headquarters of the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung. Immediately to the south were two elevated railway stations: the Park Row Terminal of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (closed 1944) and the City Hall station of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (closed 1953).
After the Municipal Building was finished, New Chambers Street ran through the building's central archway. Park Row bounded the building to the southeast, and Duane Street abutted it to the northeast. Park Row was re-routed in the mid-20th century, and New Chambers and Duane Streets were closed in 1971 as part of 1 Police Plaza's construction. The streets subsequently became part of a pedestrian plaza surrounding the Municipal Building and 1 Police Plaza.
Design of the Municipal Building
The Municipal Building is one of the largest governmental buildings in the world, with about 2,000 employees.
William M. Kendall of the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White designed the Municipal Building. Two of the firm's other partners, Burt L. Fenner and Teunis J. van der Bent, were tasked with leading construction, while the city's Department of Bridges supervised the project.
Alexander Johnson was chief engineer. The Mount Waldo Construction Company provided the granite, while Robert Wetherill & Co. installed the original elevators. The foundations were dug by the Foundation Company.
Enormously influential in the civic construction of other American cities, the building's architectural style has been variously described as Roman Imperial, Italian Renaissance, French Renaissance, or Beaux-Arts. The Municipal Building was the first of several ornately-designed civic office buildings, influencing other structures in the U.S. such as the Terminal Tower in Cleveland, the Fisher Building in Detroit, the Wrigley Building in Chicago, and the Helmsley Building in Midtown Manhattan.
Form of the Municipal Building
The building is shaped like a ten-sided "C", although the lot that it occupies is an irregular hexagon. The main façade, along Centre Street to the west, is 381 feet (116 m) long. The wings of the "C" face west - this floor plan ensured that all of the building's windows would be able to receive direct sunlight, and eliminated the need for an interior courtyard.
It's not obvious from the photograph, but the building's two wings (each with three arches at ground level) stand forward of the main structure to form the "C".
The Manhattan Municipal Building is 34 stories tall; the main structure consists of 26 stories, and a tower rises eight additional stories above the centre of the structure.
The main cornice is 349 feet (106 m) above ground level, while the tower rises to 560 feet (170 m) above ground level. Atop the northern and southern wings of the "C" are pavilion roofs, which are connected to the central tower with roof decks and a stone cornice.
The Municipal Building was the first in New York City to incorporate a subway station, the Chambers Street station, below its base. The approved building plans in 1909 also called for three basement levels within the volume not occupied by the subway station.
Façade of The Municipal Building
The façade is made of ashlar granite, except for the details above the 23rd. floor, which are made of terracotta. A three-story-tall colonnade of Corinthian columns runs across the base along Centre Street, with the rest of the building set back behind the colonnade.
There is also a false colonnade on the façade above the 22nd floor. The 1939 WPA Guide to New York City stated that:
"The facade gains dignity through the bold
treatment of the intermediate stories, despite
the poorly related tower and the disturbing
character of the Corinthian colonnade at the
base".
Structural Features of the Municipal Building
While the layer of bedrock under the Municipal Building was quite close to the surface underneath the southern part of the building, the bedrock dropped to a depth of about 180 feet (55 m) under the northern portion of the site, where it would be extremely difficult to dig caissons. A layer of sand was present to a depth of 130 feet (40 m), while the average depth of the bedrock under the building was about 144 feet (44 m).
The contract for the foundations was the largest to be awarded for a single building in the United States, with 140,000 cubic yards (110,000 m3) being excavated at a cost of $1.5 million. The foundations incorporated 50,000 cubic yards (38,000 m3) of concrete for the piers, as well as 70,000 barrels of cement. The foundations also included 125 caissons extending to an average depth of 130 feet (40 m).
The maximum depth of the caissons was 145 feet (44 m), and for the northern part of the site, the Foundation Company built larger caissons resting on sand at a depth of 74 feet (23 m).
The Municipal Building's frame had 24,000 tons of steel, which required 20 derricks to erect.
Interior of the Municipal Building
There were four staircase shafts that extended the height of the building, and in addition, 33 elevators were provided in the initial construction, although this number was later expanded to 37.
The interior was decorated with 160,000 square feet (15,000 m2) of Yule marble. Other types of marble, such as Tennessee marble, were used for decorative elements such as the baseboards of the rooms. Steel was painted to resemble wood, while wooden elements were only used for door and window frames.
History of the Municipal Building
By the late 19th. century, New York City governmental functions had outgrown New York City Hall. At the time, the city government's agencies rented space in various buildings from Downtown Manhattan up to Midtown Manhattan, with the number of such arrangements increasing by the year.
In the 1884 annual report of the City of New York, mayor Franklin Edson declared that more space was urgently needed for governmental functions. He also noted that:
"City Hall's style of architecture is such
that without marring its present symmetry,
it couldn't be enlarged to the required extent."
Edson suggested buying 280 Broadway, at the corner with Chambers Street, for use by the city government.
The government, desiring to cut down the huge amount of rent paid to private landlords, ultimately held four design competitions for a new, massive building that would be suitable to house many agencies under one roof.
As early as 1885, a commission was empowered to look for plots of land where such a structure could be built, and by 1887, authorities were considering erecting a structure adjacent to City Hall itself, in City Hall Park.
Mayor Abram Hewitt appointed a commission to study suitable plans and plots of land in 1888, although Hewitt opposed putting such a building anywhere except City Hall Park. The commissioners of the Sinking Fund initially approved a municipal building east of the Tweed Courthouse, at the park's north-eastern corner.
An architectural design competition was commenced for this new building, and seven architects submitted plans. Charles B. Atwood's winning proposal called for a pair of seven-story pavilions flanking City Hall. The public however generally opposed the idea of development in the park, and the plan was voted down by the New York State Senate in February 1890.
The law authorising the new building was modified in 1890 so that the new structure would be able to house other city agencies as well. Mayor Hugh J. Grant proposed a large municipal office building in early 1890, and in July, a committee was created to look for alternate sites.
The committee published a report in October 1890, outlining three possible sites on Chambers Street. The committee recommended the third option (northeast of Chambers and Centre Streets), which would be the cheapest, and would offer the most floor area, as well as provide an opportunity for redevelopment at that location.
However, the city government decided in March 1893 that the municipal building would instead replace City Hall, with two wings extending north to flank the Tweed Courthouse, despite the committee's recommendation and public objections to a City Hall site.
The committee ultimately received 134 plans for such a new building, with six of these being selected as finalists. In response to opposition to City Hall's demolition, the New York governor signed a law in 1894 that once again prohibited the municipal building's construction.
The six finalist submissions were supposed to receive monetary prizes, but ran into difficulty even collecting their awards, since the city had never formally accepted the committee's report on the finalists.
In 1899, architect George B. Post proposed a municipal office tower to be built at the northeast corner of Chambers and Centre Streets, while preserving City Hall, as part of a greater plan to rearrange Lower Manhattan's streets.
The following March, state senator Patrick H. McCarren proposed a bill that would construct the municipal building on the blocks bounded by Broadway and Reade, Centre, and Chambers Streets, north of the Tweed Courthouse and west of the current building's site.
The proposed structure would replace 280 Broadway and the old Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank Building. It would also incorporate the then-under-construction Hall of Records, and would also entail destroying the Tweed Courthouse.
Several architects submitted proposals, the most elaborate of which was by McKim, Mead & White. Additionally, in 1903, the city's bridge commissioner Gustav Lindenthal hired George Post and Henry Hornbostel as architects for a planned trolley hub at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, just east of City Hall.
This plan also involved constructing a 45-story municipal office tower with a campanile at Chambers and Centre Streets. The municipal building and trolley hub plans were deferred by the administration of mayor Seth Low when he left office at the end of 1903.
Planning and Construction of the Municipal Building
(a) Planning
By early 1907, the Hall of Records had been completed, but there was still not enough space for the city's important files; furthermore, the city was still paying large amounts to rent office space in private buildings.
Officials pointed out that the cramped quarters of the city government's departments posed a fire hazard, and legislation had been proposed for a new municipal building.
In July 1907, Lindenthal - who had already secured a new plot of land for the Brooklyn Bridge trolley hub - was authorised by the state legislature to host a fourth and final design competition for the municipal building.
The Brooklyn loop line, a four-track subway line, was planned to be built under the site as well, passing through a large five-platform station at Chambers Street.
Thirteen architects were invited to compete, and they would in turn elect a jury of three architects, whose names would not be published in advance. The Commissioner of Bridges would make a final decision based on the jury's recommendation.
The plans had to meet several criteria:
- The building had to be at least 20 stories.
- The superstructure could not block train
tracks, stairways, or platforms.
- The route of Chambers Street under the
building had to be preserved.
- The first floor, to be used for transit and
building entrances, had to be completely
covered, with a ceiling of at least 20 ft. (6.1 m).
- The commissioner also recommended that
the first story of each level be at ground level,
and that an above-ground level be provided
for mechanical equipment and building systems.
The contestants were otherwise given considerable freedom for the building's design.
Twelve architectural firms ultimately entered the competition, while Cass Gilbert withdrew. The jury selected McKim, Mead & White's proposal as the winning entry in April 1908.
The firm's design had been chosen because it provided the most space for the city government, even though it was less elaborate than some of the other submissions. McKim, Mead & White had entered the contest under the encouragement of mayor George B. McClellan Jr.
William Mitchell Kendall was the principal architect named in the submission. The firm had submitted plans for a 559-foot-tall (170 m) building to the New York City Department of Buildings.
(b) Construction
By late 1908, the site was being cleared. Bids for foundation work were opened in December 1908, with the contract being awarded to the J. H. Gray Company.
However, the original building plans were rejected by the city's buildings superintendent the same month because he felt that the underlying layer of soil and sand was not strong enough to carry the building. This resulted in delays in the construction of the proposed Brooklyn loop line under the building.
Ultimately, the Foundation Company was contracted to dig the foundations, with caissons under a very high air pressure of 47 pounds per square inch (320 kPa). Work was done in 20 shifts of five men working for forty minutes each day; only two workers developed decompression sickness, and neither of them died.
In a January 1909 speech, McClellan praised the project as:
"One of the most important projects
the City has ever undertaken".
At the time, he predicted that the building would cost $8 million.
Work on the Municipal Building officially started on the 17th. July 1909. One observer predicted that the building's construction would result in an increase in real-estate values, similar to the financial boost that the Flatiron Building had given to the Flatiron District.
Foundation work was completed in October 1909. and revised building plans were approved by the Board of Estimate that November.
Bids for the construction of the superstructure were opened on the 21st. December, but an injunction against the awarding of the contract was placed less than an hour after the bidding process started, after a lawsuit was filed over the fireproofing material that was supposed to be used in the building.
Furthermore, the presence of the sand posed issues for the superstructure, though McClellan said that he believed it was safe to build on sand.
The building's 3.6 ton cornerstone was laid a week later, and the injunction was dropped. Unlike at other projects, the ground-breaking ceremony was private, and the cornerstone only had the year "1907" inscribed in Roman numerals.
During construction in 1911, a fire broke out on the 25th floor; at the time, it was the highest fire that the New York City Fire Department had fought. In another construction incident, three workers were buried when temporary bracing in the foundation collapsed, though all survived.
Steel frame construction took place between June 1910 and July 1911, followed by the installation of exterior walls between March 1911 and November 1912. There were delays in installing the granite facade because the original materials were found to be inferior. By 1913, the superstructure was topped out with the unveiling of the Civic Fame statue at the top of the Municipal Building's tower.
Usage of the Municipal Building
(i) 1910's to 1920's
The first sections of the Municipal Building were occupied in mid-1913. The building had not been ready at the beginning of the year as intended, forcing some city departments to renew the leases at their existing quarters.
Mayor John Purroy Mitchel, after taking office in 1914, criticized the usage of space in the Municipal Building as "wasteful".
Some of the city departments that were scheduled to move into the building had found space elsewhere, and other city departments had been allotted less space in the building than in their previous quarters.
Two years later, the New York City Board of Estimate commenced an investigation into office vacancies at the Municipal Building, after the New York Public Service Commission leased floors in other buildings.
The building had cost $12 million (equivalent to $230,068,000 in 2019), which was not repaid with interest until 1964; the interest was more than twice the original cost. The land alone had cost $6 million.
Nevertheless, the structure was expected to save the city from paying $800,000 a year in rent. Upon opening, the Municipal Building housed 4,200 city employees. It was patrolled by a private police force, which monitored the building 24 hours a day, as well as a cleaning crew of 135 people.
There were also telephone switchboards for inter-departmental communication, which at the time of completion were described as state-of-the-art. A non-profit organization established a cafeteria on the 26th. floor in 1918; although the city provided no subsidies to the cafeteria, the cafeteria did not have to pay rent.
Radio station WNYC (AM) started broadcasting from the 24th. floor in 1924, remaining there for 85 years, and a small hospital was established on the third floor in 1929.
(ii) 1930's to 1950's
By 1934, Manhattan Borough President Samuel Levy called the elevators "unsafe", given that all of the elevators needed twice-daily inspections, and that their manufacturer had gone out of business soon after installing them.
The city had to make its own replacement parts for the elevators, which had been described as "old and wheezy", and acting like "Coney Island roller coasters". Fourteen of the elevators had to be taken out of service in late 1934.
All of the elevators were replaced between 1935 and 1937. While the elevators were being replaced, city employees in the building worked in three staggered shifts. The elevator project also shortened several elevator shafts: within the north and south wings, some of the shafts above the 14th. floor were removed to make way for office space. Civic Fame at the top of the Municipal Building was also refurbished during the 1930's.
By 1939, the building could not accommodate all of the city government's agencies, several of which were located in alternate quarters surrounding Foley Square to the north. The offices in the Municipal Building included the Municipal Reference Library on the 22nd. floor, and the Marriage Chapel on the 2nd floor.
In 1949, the city's commissioner of public works announced that four floors would be renovated and modernised in the first phase of a planned multi-stage overhaul.
The next year, the city began installing a dial-telephone system at the Municipal Building, replacing the fourteen old telephone switchboards. At the time, the 20 city agencies in the building had a collective 1,264 telephones. The new switchboards were activated in 1951, and every line in the Municipal Building was given the same 10-digit phone number with 1,426 four-digit extensions.
(iii) 1960's to Present
In 1974, Wank (yes, really) Adams Slavin was hired to undertake a $24 million renovation of the building's interior. As part of the renovation, corridors were narrowed and partitions between offices were removed to create more office space; vinyl floor tiles and recessed lighting were installed; and the outdated plumbing system was replaced.
The project increased interior capacity to 6,500 employees. During this time, the Civic Fame statue was renovated. The building had also been cleaned by 1975 at a cost of $300,000.
A piece of granite fell from the Municipal Building in 1987, landing on a ramp of the Brooklyn Bridge, although no one was injured. However, a subsequent investigation found other loose rocks on the façade, and as a result, netting was placed on the façade.
In 1988, workers began placing scaffolding along the building's entire façade in preparation for the first large-scale restoration of the outer surface, which was to begin the following year. The renovation was expected to cost $58 million, and required 39 miles (63 km) of steel scaffolding.
Another restoration of Civic Fame took place during this time. On the 14th. October 2015, the building was re-named after David N. Dinkins, New York City's first African-American mayor.
The Civic Fame Statue
At the top of the Municipal Building is Civic Fame, a 25-foot-tall (7.6 m) statue installed in March 1913. The statue is a gilded figure, made from about 500 pieces of hammered copper. Civic Fame has been variously described as the largest or second-largest statue in Manhattan, depending on whether the larger Statue of Liberty is considered as being in Manhattan. It is similar in style to the Statue of Liberty.
The statue was designed by Adolph Weinman (1870–1952). It was commissioned by New York City at a cost of $9,000 (equivalent to $233,000 in 2019) to celebrate the consolidation of the five boroughs into the City of New York.
The figure - described as graceful and unusually charming, is barefoot, and balances upon a globe. She carries various symbolic items: a shield bearing the New York City coat of arms, a branch of leaves, and a mural crown, which she holds aloft.
The mural crown has five crenellations or turrets, which evoke city walls and represent the five boroughs. The crown also includes dolphins as a symbol of New York's maritime setting.
Audrey Munson posed for the figure; she had also posed for a very large number of other important allegorical Beaux-Arts sculptures in New York, including those at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, New York Public Library, Manhattan Bridge Colonnade, and the USS Maine National Monument at Columbus Circle.
The left arm was repaired in 1928 after cracks were detected on that side.
Civic Fame's 150-pound (68 kg) left arm broke off, fell through a skylight, and landed in the 26th.-floor cafeteria in February 1935. The statue was renovated, with metal rods being used to hold up the left arm.
The sculpture was refurbished and re-gilded starting in July 1974 at a cost of $294,500, as part of the interior renovations of the Municipal Building.
In early 1991, while the façade was undergoing renovations, Civic Fame was removed for six months and re-gilded in a New Jersey metalwork shop at a cost of $900,000. Civic Fame was placed back on the roof in October 1991 using a helicopter.
Other Ornamentation on the Municipal Building
In addition to Civic Fame, Weinman sculpted the rectangular allegorical bas-relief panels at the base of the building. 'Civic Duty' shows a female representation of the city alongside a child holding the city seal. 'Civic Pride' depicts the city as a woman receiving tribute from her citizens.
There are heroic-scaled winged figures above the spandrels of the side arches: 'Guidance', a depiction of a female on the left arch, and 'Executive Power', a depiction of a male on the right arch.
These are respectively topped by medallions representing 'Progress', a nude kneeling man with a torch in one hand and a winged sphere in the other, and 'Prudence', a half-nude kneeling woman holding a mirror while a serpent is curled around her right arm.
Shields relating to Manhattan's historical and current governance were also designed for the façade above the ground-story colonnade, 22nd.-floor false colonnade, and elevators.
Accidents Within the Municipal Building
Numerous accidents have occurred at the Municipal Building. In 1921, an elevator overturned, killing its two occupants.
A pile of coal stored in bunkers underneath the building caught fire in 1942, and a 2005 fire slightly injured six firefighters.
Additionally, a flood on the fourth floor in 1959 destroyed brand-new machinery that processed the pay checks for the building's workers.
The Municipal Building In Popular Culture
The Manhattan Municipal Building appears in several films, such as a key scene of the 1996 film 'One Fine Day', in which Jack Taylor (George Clooney) spots Manny Feldstein (Joe Grifasi) and chases him to the roof.
In 'The Professional' (1994), antagonist Stansfield, played by actor Gary Oldman, works for the DEA at the building, in office 1402.
Additionally, in the music video for the song 'Not Afraid', rapper Eminem is depicted standing on the edge of the building's roof in multiple shots.
'Crocodile Dundee'
In 'Crocodile Dundee' (1986), muggers inside the Municipal Building entrance to the subway station pull a knife on the title character (Paul Hogan) and his girlfriend Sue (Linda Kozlowski). In response, Crocodile Dundee laughs and says:
"You call that a knife?"
He then pulls out a huge hunting knife:
"THIS is a knife".
Mobilizing Blue Carbon Markets
Sustainable Development Impact Meetings, New York, USA 19 - 23 September 2022
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019 WASHINGTON DC. 2019 ANNUAL MEETINGS. Development Committee
World Bank Group President David Malpass, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Photo: World Bank / Simone D. McCourtie
Photo ID: 101919-DevCommittee-0067F
One person's home is another person's urban infill. This expansion of the Wingra Shores development at Knickerbocker and Arbor Drive will triple the population density in the area formerly occupied by three apartment buildings.
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Spanish Language Arts Classroom Poster.
Created by The Writing Doctor.
Visit "The Write Prescription" dot com.
プロット 15-019_20
analog stuff | argentique
Parmi les tours de bureaux, certains immeubles d'habitation s'ennuient, surtout durant les weekends désertés.
À cette fenêtre, bien au centre, une petite boule végétale tente de lutter contre l'omniprésence des panneaux vitrés qui se reflètent à l'infini. Cette mise en abyme des lignes me fait d'autant plus apprécier ce simple petit pot.
Numérisation du négatif au X10 pour lecture.
delta400 @800ISO self development HC-110 dil. 1:49 15' 20°.
This was amazing. Both Peter and this guy Joey showed up as Tobias - with cutoffs and all. AND both ceremonially de-pantsed upon walking in the door to Cassie's house saying, "do these effectively hide my thunder?"
April 12, 2014 - WASHINGTON DC. 2014 IMF / World Bank Group Spring Meetings. Development Committee Meeting. Development Committee Chair Marek Belka; World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim; IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde. Photo: Eugenio Salazar / World Bank
Während die Hersteller versuchen, das genaue Aussehen dieser Fahrzeuge geheim zu halten, wird ihnen von Fotojournalisten, sogenannten Erlkönig-Jägern, nachgestellt, die danach die gemachten Fotos an Fachmagazine oder die Boulevardpresse verkaufen.
While the manufacturers try to keep the exact appearance of these vehicles secret, they are readjusted by photojournalists, so-called Erlkönig hunters, who then sell the photos taken to specialist magazines or the tabloid press.
GP500.Org Part # 71100 Triumph motorcycle windshields
Triumph Motorcycle History
Triumph is a privately-owned British company with over 100 years of history. Triumph has always had its own distinctive character and a history of creating bikes that become design classics since they first came to market in the 1900s. Like the rest of the British motorcycle industry, Triumph went out of business by the 1980s. But the brand was resurrected in the 1990s by British industrialist John Bloor who has built a lineup of cutting-edge sportbikes to nostalgia-themed throwbacks. .1883
Siegfried Bettmann moves to Coventry, England from Nuremberg, Germany. 1884
Bettmann starts an import-export company. He imports German sewing machines and also sells bicycles badged with the name “Bettmann.” 1887
Bettmann changes the name of his company to New Triumph Co. Ltd. (Later it will be changed again to Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd.) His principal investor is John Dunlop, a Scottish veterinarian who, albeit briefly, holds the patent for the pneumatic tire. Nice idea, too bad he didn’t really have it first! (Another Scot, R. W. Thompson, was the real inventor.) In any case, Dunlop is the first to successfully commercialize the invention.
A German engineer, Mauritz Schulte, joins Triumph. He convinces Bettmann that Triumph should design and produce its own products.
1888
The company buys an old ribbon-making factory in Coventry and sets it up to make bicycles. 1895
Schulte imports one of the first “practical” motorcycles, made by Hildebrand and Wolfmuller, to study the machine. Triumph considers making it under license, but under English law, powered vehicles are subject to a 4-mph speed limit. A man must walk ahead of each vehicle waving a red flag. This is bound to limit commercial appeal, and Triumph chooses not to get into the motorcycle business. 1902
With the repeal of those onerous sections of the Locomotive Act at the end of the 19th century, Schulte sets out to design his own motorcycle. First Triumph is produced – known as No. 1. This is basically one of the company’s bicycles, fitted with a 2-hp Minerva engine made in Belgium. 1903
Triumph opens a subsidiary in Germany to build and sell motorcycles there. Better engines are sourced from JAP (the initials of James A. Prestwich.) 1905
Triumph produces its first motorcycle completely in-house. It’s powered by a 3-hp engine and has a top speed of 45 mph. 1907
Annual production reaches 1,000 units. A new 450cc motor makes 3.5 hp. 1908
A new model comes with a variable pulley to help with difficult inclines. To change gears, the rider comes to a complete stop, gets off the bike and moves the belt by hand. Jack Marshall wins the single-cylinder class at the TT (on the old Peel course) averaging about 45 mph. It’s not known if he stopped to change gears or just pedaled his ass off, too. 1910
Triumph makes a big advance with the ‘free engine’ device (basically, the first practical clutch), which allows the user to start the engine with the bike on its stand and ride away from a standing start. There are two models in the lineup, and sales hit 3,000 units! 1911
Most bikes are fitted with footpegs only, not pedals. 1913
Schulte builds a prototype 600cc vertical Twin. 1914
Despite its strong connection to Germany, Triumph is chosen by Col. Claude Holbrook to supply the Type H motorcycle for military Allied military service. Triumph will sell 30,000 motorcycles to the military over the course of WWI. 1919
Schulte leaves the company, with a (very!) generous severance package. He’s replaced by none other than Col. Holbrook. 1920
Triumph produces the 550cc Type SD, the company’s first bike to feature a chain-driven rear wheel. SD stands for Spring Drive – it’s an early version of a cush drive. 1921
Bicycle-style rim brakes are replaced by drum brakes. The new bikes need better brakes, as they now make a lot more power – especially the prototype 20-hp Model R, with four-valve head. It is known as the “Riccy” after one of its designers, Frank Ricardo. 1923
The 350cc Model LS is the first Triumph with an oil pump driven by the motor. (Until then, the rider had to pump oil by hand.) 1925
The 500cc Model P is affordable and a commercial success – at first. Triumph sells a heck of a lot of them, but owners are disappointed by poor build quality and the company’s reputation is harmed. Towards the end of the year, Triumph improves things. 1927
Production hits 30,000 units. 1929
Wall Street stock market crashes. Triumph sells its German subsidiary. 1930
Under pressure from creditors, Bettmann is deposed as head of the company. A small two-stroke, the Model X, is the first Triumph with unit construction. 1932
The noted engine designer Val Page joins the firm. Page quickly creates several new motors, including a 150cc two-stroke and 250, 350 and 500cc four-strokes. 1933
Page’s first attempt at a 650cc Twin is a commercial failure; the public seems to want V-Twins. 1935
A foot-change gearshift is available as an option on 650 Twins. 1936
Triumph’s car and motorcycle businesses are split. Jack Sangster, who had owned Ariel, buys the motorcycle business and immediately hires Edward Turner (who had previously created the Ariel Square Four) as chief designer. Sangster reinstitutes Bettmann as the company chairman. 1937
Turner unveils the 498cc Speed Twin (T100) that has a top speed of over 90 mph. It is the definitive British motorcycle and establishes a pattern for Triumph bikes that will last more than 40 years. 1938
Bill Johnson buys an interest in British and American Motors, a bike shop in Pasadena. (Johnson Motors will later distribute Triumph motorcycles across the American West.) 1940
All motorcycle production is geared towards the war effort. With a new bike in the works, the Triumph factory is demolished in the blitz of Coventry. 1942
A new plant opens in Meriden, England. 1945
Over the course of the war, Triumph has sold 50,000 motorcycles to the military. With the return of peace, the company focuses on three models, the Tiger 100, the Speed Twin and the smaller touring 349cc 3T. All models feature a telescopic front fork. 1946
Ernie Lyons wins the Manx Grand Prix on a redesigned Tiger 100, using a lightweight all-alloy motor that Triumph designed for use on aircraft during the war. (The motor powered a radio generator.) 1947
A rear “sprung hub” is optional. 1949
The off-road 500cc TR5 “Trophy” and big-bore 649cc Thunderbird are released. The Trophy is named in honor of the British team that uses the bike to win the ISDT. It’s powered by a version of the “aircraft” motor. 1950
Triumph sells more bikes in the U.S. than any other market, including Britain. 1951
Jack Sangster sells Triumph to BSA for £2.5 million. 1953
The 149cc OHV Terrier is released. 1954
The Tiger 110 is released, which is basically a tuned (40+hp) version of the Thunderbird, with a rear swingarm.
Marlon Brando rides a ’50 Thunderbird in the film “The Wild One.”
1955
Johnny Allen goes 193 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in a streamliner powered by a tuned 650cc T-bird motor.
The TR6 “Trophy” is the first Triumph built expressly for the U.S. market. It will prove popular with desert racers.
1957
The exquisitely styled 350cc “Twenty one” may be an aesthetic success, but it proves a commercial failure. 1958
Mike Hailwood teams with Dan Shorey to win the Thruxton 500, which is one of the most important races in the UK, from a commercial perspective. 1959
The very popular T120 Bonneville 650 is introduced. It’s an evolution of the Tiger, fitted with twin carbs – something American dealers have long been asking for. It will remain in production until 1983. 1961
Bert Hopwood moves from AMC to Triumph, where he conceives a three-cylinder motor. 1962
Triumph design staff is further strengthened with the arrival of Doug Hele, from Norton. He finalizes the design of the Triple motor (though it will not appear for several years). Hele also designs a stiffer, double-cradle frame for the Bonneville, but it was not adopted. 1963
All the 650 Twins now feature unit construction. With the encouragement of Johnson Motors, a stripped-for-racing version of the Bonneville is produced for the U.S. market only. The T120C “TT” will become one of the most sought-after Triumphs of the period. 1966
Buddy Elmore wins the Daytona 200 on a factory-prepped 500cc Tiger. The Gyronaut X-1, a streamliner powered by two Triumph 650cc motors, goes 245 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats. 1967
Gary Nixon proves that last year’s Daytona 200 win was no fluke by repeating the feat. 1968
The 750cc Triple finally makes an appearance, powering both the Triumph Trident and the BSA Rocket 3. Although the motor is powerful by the standards of the day, it is too little, too late. Within weeks, the world will be buzzing with news of the Honda 750-Four, which has overhead cams, a front disc brake and electric start to boot. 1969
Malcolm Uphill wins the Production TT on a Bonneville. In the process he puts in the first-ever lap over 100 mph on a production motorcycle.
Rob North, an expatriate Englishman based in San Diego, designs a stiffer frame for the Triples, just in time for Daytona.
1970
Uphill wins the proddie TT on a Triple, which is nicknamed “Slippery Sam.” Not because of its well-designed fairing, but because it leaked oil all over Uphill’s boots. 1971
A new frame appears for the Bonneville. It is a Rob North design based on the Trackmaster dirt-track frame and it carries the oil in the large-diameter top tube. 1973
The BSA group, which includes Triumph, posts a huge financial loss. The decision is made to shut down BSA and focus resources and energy on Triumph. Craig Vetter’s freelance “American hotrod” design for the Triple, which was to be a BSA model, is produced as the Triumph X75 Hurricane.
Bert Hopwood designs a modular engine based on an overhead-cam, 200cc Single that can be produced as a 1,000cc across-the-frame Five. It will never see the light of day.
By the end of the year, the writing is on the wall for the British motorcycle industry. Triumph merges with Norton and is put under the control of financier Dennis Poore.
1975
This is the final year of production for the Trident. Bonneville production continues after the workers form a co-op to keep the Meriden factory going. 1977
NVT goes bankrupt. The Meriden Co-op introduces the Bonneville Jubilee Special in honor of the Queen’s 50th birthday. It’s 750cc and has cast wheels. 1980
Although the British government is willing to write off a substantial debt, the Meriden factory is still deep in the hole. There are a few interesting bikes on the drawing boards but no capital to develop them, nor is there any reason to think the work force could or would produce machines capable of rivaling the ascendant Japanese manufacturers, which are going from strength to strength. 1983
After some lean years, the Meriden factory closed its doors. English property developer John Bloor bought the remains later that year, saving the Triumph name. Bloor licensed the Triumph name to a small shop that continued to assemble a couple of Bonnevilles a day until 1985. 1985
Bloor, an unlikely savior, builds a subdivision on the site of the old Meridan factory, but he also acquires a new site, in nearby Hinckley. There, he outfits a new factory with new prototyping tools. 1987
The first “new Triumph” motor, a 1200cc Four, runs on the test bench. 1989
Bloor stakes at least $60 million of his own money on new mass-production tooling for the Hinckley plant. 1990
Triumph unveils six new models at the Cologne Show in September: The unfaired Trident 750 and 900 Triples, the touring Trophy 900 Triple and 1200 Four and the sports-oriented Daytona 750 Triple and 1000 Four. The machines are, by and large, better than most industry pundits expected. That said, they’re a step or two behind the best that Japan has to offer. 1994
The Speed Triple is introduced. It’s not trying to be a Japanese bike, and it’s the first of the new Triumphs to earn several unqualified positive reviews. The under-rated Tiger “adventure bike” also appears this year. Triumph Motorcycles of America is founded. 1995
Exports of new Triumphs to America begins. 1997
The 50,000th new Triumph is produced. 1998
The fine Sprint ST sports-touring bike is launched. 1999
Triumph serves notice that it will enter the ultra-competitive 600cc supersport market by creating the TT600. It will be good, but not quite good enough. 2002
A massive fire guts the main Hinckley assembly plant. The smoke clouds definitely have a silver lining, however. The company’s insurance claim funds a “do over.” The design and R&D shops are undamaged and continue new-bike development while the factory is rebuilt and refitted with state-of-the-art tooling. Triumph releases the four-cylinder Daytona 600 supersports bike. 2004
The Triumph Rocket III is released, which is the first production motorcycle to displace over 2000cc. It works better than most test riders expect it will. Still, it’s an answer to a question that few real motorcyclists are asking. 2005
Triumph bores out the Daytona 600 to 650cc. The change bars the bike from competition in the 600 Supersport class, but it was not having success there, anyway, despite a popular win at the Isle of Man in 2003.) The change makes the bike a great “real world middleweight,” especially for taller riders. 2006
The Daytona is re-released as an all-new 675cc triple. It’s class-legal in European supersport racing (and in Formula Xtreme here in the U.S.). With this bike, the new Triumph company has truly come of age. 2007
A “mini Speed Triple” is introduced in the Street Triple. Powered by the same 675cc three-cylinder in the Daytona 675, the Street Triple provides Speed Triple-type entertainment in a smaller package. Though the similarity in names leads to much confusion. 2008
The Bonneville lineup finally receives fuel injection — one year after Europe. 2010
In a bid to challenge the market normally dominated by a certain brand from Milwaukee, the Thunderbird cruiser is launched. Powered by a 1600cc parallel-Twin, it’s the largest production engine in this layout.
The Tiger 800, featuring a bored-out Daytona 675 engine, harkens back to the Tiger’s roots as a dual-purpose motorcycle.
FBI Stolen motorcycles
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I never knew that the dead-looking tree in the house we recently moved in was a fig tree. Imagine how excited I was to find out it could give fruits. it even never blossomed!
Varanasi, also known as Benares, or Kashi is an Indian city on the banks of the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, 320 kilometres south-east of the state capital, Lucknow. It is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism, and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Buddhism. Some Hindus believe that death at Varanasi brings salvation. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Varanasi is also known as the favourite city of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva as it has been mentioned in the Rigveda that this city in older times was known as Kashi or "Shiv ki Nagri".
The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi, and an essential part of all religious celebrations. The culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the Ganges. The city has been a cultural centre of North India for several thousand years, and has a history that is older than most of the major world religions. The Benares Gharana form of Hindustani classical music was developed in Varanasi, and many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians live or have lived in Varanasi. Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath, located near Varanasi.
Varanasi is the spiritual capital of India. It is often referred to as "the holy city of India", "the religious capital of India", "the city of Shiva", and "the city of learning". Scholarly books have been written in the city, including the Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas. Today, there is a temple of his namesake in the city, the Tulsi Manas Mandir. The current temples and religious institutions in the city are dated to the 18th century. One of the largest residential universities of Asia, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), is located here.
ETYMOLOGY
The name Varanasi possibly originates from the names of the two rivers: Varuna, still flowing in Varanasi, and Asi, a small stream near Assi Ghat. The old city does lie on the north shores of Ganges River bounded by its two tributaries Varuna and Asi. Another speculation is that the city derives its name from the river Varuna, which was called Varanasi in olden times.[11] This is generally disregarded by historians. Through the ages, Varanasi has been known by many names including Kāśī or Kashi (used by pilgrims dating from Buddha's days), Kāśikā (the shining one), Avimukta ("never forsaken" by Shiva), Ānandavana (the forest of bliss), and Rudravāsa (the place where Rudra/Śiva resides).
In the Rigveda, the city is referred to as Kāśī or Kashi, the luminous city as an eminent seat of learning. The name Kāśī is also mentioned in the Skanda Purana. In one verse, Shiva says, "The three worlds form one city of mine, and Kāśī is my royal palace therein." The name Kashi may be translated as "City of Light".
HISTORY
According to legend, Varanasi was founded by the God Shiva. The Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahabharata are also stated to have visited the city in search of Shiva to atone for their sins of fratricide and Brāhmanahatya that they had committed during the climactic Kurukshetra war. It is regarded as one of seven holy cities which can provide Moksha:
The earliest known archaeological evidence suggests that settlement around Varanasi in the Ganga valley (the seat of Vedic religion and philosophy) began in the 11th or 12th century BC, placing it among the world's oldest continually inhabited cities. These archaeological remains suggest that the Varanasi area was populated by Vedic people. However, the Atharvaveda (the oldest known text referencing the city), which dates to approximately the same period, suggests that the area was populated by indigenous tribes. It is possible that archaeological evidence of these previous inhabitants has yet to be discovered. Recent excavations at Aktha and Ramnagar, two sites very near to Varanasi, show them to be from 1800 BC, suggesting Varanasi started to be inhabited by that time too. Varanasi was also home to Parshva, the 23rd Jain Tirthankara and the earliest Tirthankara accepted as a historical figure in the 8th century BC.
Varanasi grew as an important industrial centre, famous for its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and sculpture. During the time of Gautama Buddha (born circa 567 BC), Varanasi was the capital of the Kingdom of Kashi. Buddha is believed to have founded Buddhism here around 528 BC when he gave his first sermon, "Turning the Wheel of Law", at nearby Sarnath. The celebrated Chinese traveller Xuanzang, who visited the city around 635 AD, attested that the city was a centre of religious and artistic activities, and that it extended for about 5 kilometres along the western bank of the Ganges. When Xuanzang, also known as Hiuen Tsiang, visited Varanasi in the 7th century, he named it "Polonisse" and wrote that the city had some 30 temples with about 30 monks. The city's religious importance continued to grow in the 8th century, when Adi Shankara established the worship of Shiva as an official sect of Varanasi.
In ancient times, Varanasi was connected by a road starting from Taxila and ending at Pataliputra during the Mauryan Empire. In 1194, the city succumbed to Turkish Muslim rule under Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who ordered the destruction of some one thousand temples in the city. The city went into decline over some three centuries of Muslim occupation, although new temples were erected in the 13th century after the Afghan invasion. Feroz Shah ordered further destruction of Hindu temples in the Varanasi area in 1376. The Afghan ruler Sikander Lodi continued the suppression of Hinduism in the city and destroyed most of the remaining older temples in 1496. Despite the Muslim rule, Varanasi remained the centre of activity for intellectuals and theologians during the Middle Ages, which further contributed to its reputation as a cultural centre of religion and education. Several major figures of the Bhakti movement were born in Varanasi, including Kabir who was born here in 1389 and hailed as "the most outstanding of the saint-poets of Bhakti cult (devotion) and mysticism of 15th-Century India"; and Ravidas, a 15th-century socio-religious reformer, mystic, poet, traveller, and spiritual figure, who was born and lived in the city and employed in the tannery industry. Similarly, numerous eminent scholars and preachers visited the city from across India and south Asia. Guru Nanak Dev visited Varanasi for Shivratri in 1507, a trip that played a large role in the founding of Sikhism.
In the 16th century, Varanasi experienced a cultural revival under the Muslim Mughal emperor Akbar who invested in the city, and built two large temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. The Raja of Poona established the Annapurnamandir and the 200 metres Akbari Bridge was also completed during this period. The earliest tourists began arriving in the city during the 16th century. In 1665, the French traveller Jean Baptiste Tavernier described the architectural beauty of the Vindu Madhava temple on the side of the Ganges. The road infrastructure was also improved during this period and extended from Kolkata to Peshawar by Emperor Sher Shah Suri; later during the British Raj it came to be known as the famous Grand Trunk Road. In 1656, emperor Aurangzeb ordered the destruction of many temples and the building of mosques, causing the city to experience a temporary setback. However, after Aurangazeb's death, most of India was ruled by a confederacy of pro-Hindu kings. Much of modern Varanasi was built during this time by the Rajput and Maratha kings, especially during the 18th century, and most of the important buildings in the city today date to this period. The kings continued to be important through much of the British rule (1775–1947 AD), including the Maharaja of Benares, or Kashi Naresh. The kingdom of Benares was given official status by the Mughals in 1737, and continued as a dynasty-governed area until Indian independence in 1947, during the reign of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh. In the 18th century, Muhammad Shah ordered the construction of an observatory on the Ganges, attached to Man Mandir Ghat, designed to discover imperfections in the calendar in order to revise existing astronomical tables. Tourism in the city began to flourish in the 18th century. In 1791, under the rule of the British Governor-General Warren Hastings, Jonathan Duncan founded a Sanskrit College in Varanasi. In 1867, the establishment of the Varanasi Municipal Board led to significant improvements in the city.
In 1897, Mark Twain, the renowned Indophile, said of Varanasi, "Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together." In 1910, the British made Varanasi a new Indian state, with Ramanagar as its headquarters but with no jurisdiction over the city of Varanasi itself. Kashi Naresh still resides in the Ramnagar Fort which is situated to the east of Varanasi, across the Ganges. Ramnagar Fort and its museum are the repository of the history of the kings of Varanasi. Since the 18th century, the fort has been the home of Kashi Naresh, deeply revered by the local people. He is the religious head and some devout inhabitants consider him to be the incarnation of Shiva. He is also the chief cultural patron and an essential part of all religious celebrations.
A massacre by British troops, of the Indian troops stationed here and of the population of the city, took place during the early stages of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Annie Besant worked in Varanasi to promote theosophy and founded the Central Hindu College which later became a foundation for the creation of Banaras Hindu University as a secular university in 1916. Her purpose in founding the Central Hindu College in Varanasi was that she "wanted to bring men of all religions together under the ideal of brotherhood in order to promote Indian cultural values and to remove ill-will among different sections of the Indian population."
Varanasi was ceded to the Union of India on 15 October 1948. After the death of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh in 2000, his son Anant Narayan Singh became the figurehead king, responsible for upholding the traditional duties of a Kashi Naresh.
MAIN SIGHTS
Varanasi's "Old City", the quarter near the banks of the Ganga river, has crowded narrow winding lanes flanked by road-side shops and scores of Hindu temples. As atmospheric as it is confusing, Varanasi's labyrinthine Old City has a rich culture, attracting many travellers and tourists. The main residential areas of Varanasi (especially for the middle and upper classes) are situated in regions far from the ghats; they are more spacious and less polluted.
Museums in and around Varanasi include Jantar Mantar, Sarnath Museum, Bharat Kala Bhawan and Ramnagar Fort.
JANTAR MANTAR
The Jantar Mantar observatory (1737) is located above the ghats on the Ganges, much above the high water level in the Ganges next to the Manmandir Ghat, near to Dasaswamedh Ghat and adjoining the palace of Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur. Compared to the observatories at Jaipur and Delhi, it is less well equipped but has a unique equatorial sundial which is functional and allows measurements to be monitored and recorded by one person.
RAMNAGAR FORT
The Ramnagar Fort located near the Ganges River on its eastern bank, opposite to the Tulsi Ghat, was built in the 18th century by Kashi Naresh Raja Balwant Singh with creamy chunar sandstone. It is in a typically Mughal style of architecture with carved balconies, open courtyards, and scenic pavilions. At present the fort is not in good repair. The fort and its museum are the repository of the history of the kings of Benares. It has been the home of the Kashi Naresh since the 18th century. The current king and the resident of the fort is Anant Narayan Singh who is also known as the Maharaja of Varanasi even though this royal title has been abolished since 1971. Labeled "an eccentric museum", it has a rare collection of American vintage cars, sedan chairs (bejeweled), an impressive weaponry hall and a rare astrological clock. In addition, manuscripts, especially religious writings, are housed in the Saraswati Bhawan. Also included is a precious handwritten manuscript by Goswami Tulsidas. Many books illustrated in the Mughal miniature style, with beautifully designed covers are also part of the collections. Because of its scenic location on the banks of the Ganges, it is frequently used as an outdoor shooting location for films. The film titled Banaras is one of the popular movies shot here. However, only a part of the fort is open for public viewing as the rest of the area is the residence of the Kashi Naresh and his family. It is 14 kilometres from Varanasi.
GHATS
Ghats are embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank where pilgrims perform ritual ablutions. Ghats in Varanasi are an integral complement to the concept of divinity represented in physical, metaphysical and supernatural elements. All the ghats are locations on "the divine cosmic road", indicative of "its manifest transcendental dimension" Varanasi has at least 84 ghats. Steps in the ghats lead to the banks of River Ganges, including the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat and the Harishchandra Ghat (where Hindus cremate their dead). Many ghats are associated with legends and several are now privately owned.
Many of the ghats were built when the city was under Maratha control. Marathas, Shindes (Scindias), Holkars, Bhonsles, and Peshwas stand out as patrons of present-day Varanasi. Most of the ghats are bathing ghats, while others are used as cremation sites. A morning boat ride on the Ganges across the ghats is a popular visitor attraction. The extensive stretches of ghats enhance the river front with a multitude of shrines, temples and palaces built "tier on tier above the water’s edge".
The Dashashwamedh Ghat is the main and probably the oldest ghat of Varansi located on the Ganges, close to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It is believed that Brahma created it to welcome Shiva and sacrificed ten horses during the Dasa -Ashwamedha yajna performed here. Above the ghat and close to it, there are also temples dedicated to Sulatankesvara, Brahmesvara, Varahesvara, Abhaya Vinayaka, Ganga (the Ganges), and Bandi Devi which are part of important pilgrimage journeys. A group of priests perform "Agni Pooja" (Worship to Fire) daily in the evening at this ghat as a dedication to Shiva, Ganga, Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire), and the whole universe. Special aartis are held on Tuesdays and on religious festivals.
The Manikarnika Ghat is the Mahasmasana (meaning: "great cremation ground") and is the primary site for Hindu cremation in the city. Adjoining the ghat, there are raised platforms that are used for death anniversary rituals. It is said that an ear-ring (Manikarnika) of Shiva or his wife Sati fell here. According to a myth related to the Tarakesvara Temple, a Shiva temple at the ghat, Shiva whispers the Taraka mantra ("Prayer of the crossing") in the ear of the dead. Fourth-century Gupta period inscriptions mention this ghat. However, the current ghat as a permanent riverside embankment was built in 1302 and has been renovated at least three times.
TEMPLES
Among the estimated 23000 temples in Varanasi, the most worshiped are: the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva; the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple; and the Durga Temple known for the band of monkeys that reside in the large trees nearby.
Located on the outskirts of the Ganges, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple – dedicated to Varanasi's presiding deity Shiva (Vishwanath – "Lord of the world") – is an important Hindu temple and one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shiva temples. It is believed that a single view of Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is worth more than that of other jyotirlingas. The temple has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times. The Gyanvapi Mosque, which is adjacent to the temple, is the original site of the temple. The temple, as it exists now, also called Golden Temple, was built in 1780 by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. The two pinnacles of the temple are covered in gold, donated in 1839 by Ranjit Singh, the ruler of the Punjab and the remaining dome is also planned to be gold plated by the Ministry of Culture & Religious Affairs of Uttar Pradesh. On 28 January 1983, the temple was taken over by the government of Uttar Pradesh and its management was transferred to a trust with then Kashi Naresh, Vibhuti Narayan Singh, as president and an executive committee with a Divisional Commissioner as chairman. Numerous rituals, prayers and aratis are held daily, starting from 2:30 am till 11:00 pm.
The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple is one of the sacred temples of the Hindu god Hanuman situated by the Assi River, on the way to the Durga and New Vishwanath temples within the Banaras Hindu University campus. The present temple structure was built in early 1900s by the educationist and freedom fighter, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, the founder of Banaras Hindu University. It is believed the temple was built on the very spot where the medieval Hindu saint Tulsidas had a vision of Hanuman. Thousands flock to the temple on Tuesdays and Saturdays, weekdays associated with Hanuman. On 7 March 2006, in a terrorist attack one of the three explosions hit the temple while the Aarti was in progress when numerous devotees and people attending a wedding were present and many were injured. However, normal worship was resumed the next day with devotees visiting the temple and reciting hymns of Hanuman Chalisa (authored by Tulidas) and Sundarkand (a booklet of these hymns is provided free of charge in the temple). After the terrorist incident, a permanent police post was set up inside the temple.
There are two temples named "Durga" in Varanasi, Durga Mandir (built about 500 years ago), and Durga Kund (built in the 18th century). Thousands of Hindu devotees visit Durga Kund during Navratri to worship the goddess Durga. The temple, built in Nagara architectural style, has multi-tiered spires[96] and is stained red with ochre, representing the red colour of Durga. The building has a rectangular tank of water called the Durga Kund ("Kund" meaning a pond or pool). Every year on the occasion of Nag Panchami, the act of depicting the god Vishnu reclining on the serpent Shesha is recreated in the Kund.
While the Annapurna Temple, located close to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, is dedicated to Annapurna, the goddess of food, the Sankatha Temple close to the Sindhia Ghat is dedicated to Sankatha, the goddess of remedy. The Sankatha temple has a large sculpture of a lion and a nine temple cluster dedicated to the nine planets.
Kalabhairav Temple, an ancient temple located near the Head Post Office at Visheshar Ganj, is dedicated to Kala-Bhairava, the guardian (Kotwal) of Varanasi. The Mrithyunjay Mahadev Temple, dedicated to Shiva, is situated on the way to Daranagar to Kalbhairav temple. A well near the temple has some religious significance as its water source is believed to be fed from several underground streams, having curative powers.
The New Vishwanath Temple located in the campus of Banaras Hindu University is a modern temple which was planned by Pandit Malviya and built by the Birlas. The Tulsi Manas Temple, nearby the Durga Temple, is a modern temple dedicated to the god Rama. It is built at the place where Tulsidas authored the Ramcharitmanas, which narrates the life of Rama. Many verses from this epic are inscribed on the temple walls.
The Bharat Mata Temple, dedicated to the national personification of India, was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. It has relief maps of India carved in marble. Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta and Durga Prasad Khatri, leading numismatists, antiquarians and nationalist leaders, donated funds for its construction.
RELIGION
HINDUISM
Varanasi is one of the holiest cities and centres of pilgrimage for Hindus of all denominations. It is one of the seven Hindu holiest cities (Sapta Puri), considered the giver of salvation (moksha). Over 50,000 Brahmins live in Varanasi, providing religious services to the masses. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. Thus, many Hindus arrive here for dying.
As the home to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Jyotirlinga, it is very sacred for Shaivism. Varanasi is also a Shakti Peetha, where the temple to goddess Vishalakshi stands, believed to be the spot where the goddess Sati's earrings fell. Hindus of the Shakti sect make a pilgrimage to the city because they regard the River Ganges itself to be the Goddess Shakti. Adi Shankara wrote his commentaries on Hinduism here, leading to the great Hindu revival.
In 2001, Hindus made up approximately 84% of the population of Varanasi District.
ISLAM
Varanasi is one of the holiest cities and centres of pilgrimage for Hindus of all denominations. It is one of the seven Hindu holiest cities (Sapta Puri), considered the giver of salvation (moksha). Over 50,000 Brahmins live in Varanasi, providing religious services to the masses. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges remits sins and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. Thus, many Hindus arrive here for dying.
As the home to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Jyotirlinga, it is very sacred for Shaivism. Varanasi is also a Shakti Peetha, where the temple to goddess Vishalakshi stands, believed to be the spot where the goddess Sati's earrings fell. Hindus of the Shakti sect make a pilgrimage to the city because they regard the River Ganges itself to be the Goddess Shakti. Adi Shankara wrote his commentaries on Hinduism here, leading to the great Hindu revival.
In 2001, Hindus made up approximately 84% of the population of Varanasi District.
OTHERS
At the 2001 census, persons of other religions or no religion made up 0.4% of the population of Varanasi District.
Varanasi is a pilgrimage site for Jains along with Hindus and Buddhists. It is believed to be the birthplace of Suparshvanath, Shreyansanath, and Parshva, who are respectively the seventh, eleventh, and twenty-third Jain Tirthankars and as such Varanasi is a holy city for Jains. Shree Parshvanath Digambar Jain Tirth Kshetra (Digambar Jain Temple) is situated in Bhelupur, Varanasi. This temple is of great religious importance to the Jain Religion.
Sarnath, a suburb of Varanasi, is a place of Buddhist pilgrimage. It is the site of the deer park where Siddhartha Gautama of Nepal is said to have given his first sermon about the basic principles of Buddhism. The Dhamek Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas still in existence, though only its foundation remains. Also remaining is the Chaukhandi Stupa commemorating the spot where Buddha met his first disciples in the 5th century. An octagonal tower was built later there.
Guru Nanak Dev visited Varanasi for Shivratri in 1507 and had an encounter which with other events forms the basis for the story of the founding of Sikhism. Varanasi also hosts the Roman Catholic Diocese of Varanasi, and has an insignificant Jewish expatriate community. Varanasi is home to numerous tribal faiths which are not easily classified.
Dalits are 13% of population Of Varanasi city. Most dalits are followers of Guru Ravidass. So Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan is important place of pilgrimage for Ravidasis from all around India.
RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS
On Mahashivaratri (February) – which is dedicated to Shiva – a procession of Shiva proceeds from the Mahamrityunjaya Temple to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Dhrupad Mela is a five-day musical festival devoted to dhrupad style held at Tulsi Ghat in February–March.
The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple celebrates Hanuman Jayanti (March–April), the birthday of Hanuman with great fervour. A special puja, aarti, and a public procession is organized. Starting in 1923, the temple organizes a five-day classical music and dance concert festival titled Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh in this period, when iconic artists from all parts of India are invited to perform.
The Ramlila of Ramnagar is a dramatic enactment of Rama's legend, as told in Ramacharitamanasa. The plays, sponsored by Kashi Naresh, are performed in Ramnagar every evening for 31 days. On the last day, the festivities reach a crescendo as Rama vanquishes the demon king Ravana. Kashi Naresh Udit Narayan Singh started this tradition around 1830.
Bharat Milap celebrates the meeting of Rama and his younger brother Bharata after the return of the former after 14 years of exile. It is celebrated during October–November, a day after the festival of Vijayadashami. Kashi Naresh attends this festival in his regal attire resplendent in regal finery. The festival attracts a large number of devotees.
Nag Nathaiya, celebrated on the fourth lunar day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Kartik (October–November), that commemorates the victory of the god Krishna over the serpent Kaliya. On this occasion, a large Kadamba tree (Neolamarckia cadamba) branch is planted on the banks of the Ganges so that a boy acting the role of Krishna can jump into the river on to the effigy representing Kaliya. He stands over the effigy in a dancing pose playing the flute; the effigy and the boy standing on it is given a swirl in front of the audience. People watch the display standing on the banks of the river or from boats.
Ganga Mahotsav is a five-day music festival organized by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department, held in November–December culminating a day before Kartik Poornima (Dev Deepawali). On Kartik Poornima also called the Ganges festival, the Ganges is venerated by arti offered by thousands of pilgrims who release lighted lamps to float in the river from the ghats.
Annually Jashne-Eid Miladunnabi is celebrated on the day of Barawafat in huge numbers by Muslims in a huge rally coming from all the parts of the city and meeting up at Beniya Bagh.
WIKIPEDIA
Contemporary builder’s model of the Town Group, Bristol Class Light Cruiser HMS Gloucester at the Glasgow Transport Museum, 2 March 2007.
The early years of the 20th Century saw rapid developments in warship design and this was especially so in regard to cruisers. Armoured cruisers had been rendered obsolete by battlecruisers whilst the development of destroyers into true ocean-going ships able to work with battle fleets created a requirement for a type of ship to lead flotillas of them. Moreover, the need for trade protection across the oceans meant there was a continuing need for ships similar to but more up-to-date than existing protected cruisers to fulfil those duties.
The large, cumbersome and costly, 1st Class Protected Cruisers had been abandoned with the Diadem Class. The small 3rd Class Protected Cruiser gradually evolved into the Scout Cruiser type to work with, and lead, destroyer flotillas with the Grand Fleet, whilst the 2nd Class Protected Cruiser was replaced by what eventually were described as Light Cruisers – the Town Group of classes – although they were initially described as 2nd Class Protected Cruisers themselves. The Towns were intended for both trade protection and for working with the fleet.
Designed by Sir Philip Watts, 21 Towns were completed in 1909-22 comprising the following classes, each being a gradual improvement over the previous class:
5 Bristol Class (4,800 tons) completed 1910-11
4 Weymouth Class (5,250 tons) completed 1911-12
3 Chatham Class (5,400 tons) completed 1912
3 Australian Chatham Class (5,400 tons) completed 1913-15
3 Birmingham Class (5,440 tons) completed 1914
1 Australian Birmingham Class (5,440 tons) completed 1922 (due to long delays caused by WWI in sending out material from the UK to the Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney building the vessel)
2 Birkenhead Class (5,185 tons) completed 1915-16
The 5 Bristol Class were the very first of the Town group, being launched in 1909-11 and completed 1910-11. They had 22,000 ihp mixed coal/oil-fired turbine engines, had a maximum speed of 25 kts (26-27 kts on trials), measured 453 ft x 47 ft x 15.6 ft and had a displacement of 4,800 tons. As built, they were armed with 2x6” (2x1), 10x4” (10x1), 4x3 pdrs (4x1) guns and 2x18” TT (fixed singles). However, a mixed main armament of 6” and 4” was unsatisfactory. Their successor Towns were armed with a uniform main armament of 8 (Weymouth and Chatham Classes) or 9 (Birmingham Class) x 6” guns or 10x5.5” of a new type of gun on the Birkenhead Class.
Whilst the later Towns survived until 1926-34 (apart from 2 lost in WWI), the Bristols were scrapped in all scrapped in 1921 except HMS Glasgow which had been converted to a stokers’ training ship in 1920 and wasn’t scrapped until 1927. The one great exception of the later Towns was the late-completing HMS Adelaide which, because of its comparative youth, lasted long enough to fight in WWII, largely on escort duties, and was not broken up until 1949.
HMS Gloucester was built by John Brown, Clydebank, being launched in 1909 and completed in 1910. She was involved in the chase of the German battlecruiser Goeben and light cruiser Breslau in the Mediterranean in 1914, the search for the raider Kronprinz Wilhelm in 1914-15 and captured the German supply ship Macedonia in 1915. She was broken up in 1921.
Naomi walked more than 200 miles to reach the hospital in Lodwar, northern Kenya, with her ten-month-old daughter Kinyonga, who was badly malnourished. The hospital has recently been refurbished with British support.
"When I was referred here I was given treatment", she says. "I was given blood and food, and so was my baby. Before admission my child couldn’t eat but now if she sees someone else eating she will eat as well. I am pleased that my child is doing so well."
British aid is feeding more than 2.4 million people such as Naomi, in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa, according to new figures released today.
Three months after famine was declared in Somalia, 13m people are now caught up in the effects of the drought. Lodwar, in Kenya's nothern Turkana county has been badly affected, but UK aid is also providing a long-term Hunger Safety Net programme here, which is helping mitigate the impact of the drought for some 60,000 families.
British aid is reaching vast numbers of people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, including:
1.3 million people who are being vaccinated against measles and 680,00 against polio;
1.2 million people who are being provided with clean water and sanitation equipment such as latrines;
Nearly 500,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers who are receiving supplementary nutritional packages;
400,000 doses of UK-funded anti-malarial medication are currently en route to Somalia; and,
More than 200,000 people who are being given seeds to plant when conditions have improved.
To find out more, please visit: www.dfid.gov.uk/eastafricafoodcrisis
Picture: Marisol Grandon/Department for International Development
Terms of use
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Sierra, a 261.3 TeraFLOP/s Dell system, is dedicated to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s unclassified Grand Challenge and Laboratory Directed Research and Development programs. Research areas include: bioscience; materials science; energy; astrophysics; and environment.
AS Coursework 'Fairy Tale' Corset Project. Development of techniques to create a tree bark like outcome to my corset.
December 2015
Sunrise over Hallandale Beach and Sunny Isles in South Florida.
This picture is © Copyrighted. None of these photos may be reproduced and/or used in any form of publication, print or the internet without my written permission.
Bikaner is a city in the northwest of the state of Rajasthan in northern India. It is located 330 kilometres northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. Bikaner city is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division.
Formerly the capital of the princely state of Bikaner, the city was founded by Rao Bika in 1486 and from its small origins it has developed into the fifth largest city in Rajasthan. The Ganges Canal, completed in 1928, and the Indira Gandhi Canal, completed in 1987, facilitated its development.
HISTORY
Prior to the mid 15th century, the region that is now Bikaner was a barren wilderness called Jangladesh. In 1488 Rao Bika established the city of Bikaner. According to James Tod, the spot which Bika selected for his capital, was the birthright of a Nehra Jat, who would only concede it for this purpose on the condition that his name should be linked in perpetuity with its surrender. Naira, or Nera, was the name of the proprietor, which Bika added to his own, thus composing that of the future capital, Bikaner. Rao Bika was the first son of Maharaja Rao Jodha of the Rathor clan, the founder of Jodhpur and conquered the largely arid country in the north of Rajasthan. As the first son of Jodha he wanted to have his own kingdom not inheriting Jodhpur from his father or the title of Maharaja. He therefore decided to build his own kingdom in what is now the state of Bikaner in the area of Jungladesh. Though it was in the Thar Desert, Bikaner was considered an oasis on the trade route between Central Asia and the Gujarat coast as it had adequate spring water. Bika’s name was attached to the city he built and to the state of Bikaner ("the settlement of Bika") that he established. Bika built a fort in 1478, which is now in ruins, and a hundred years later a new fort was built about 1.5 km from the city centre, known as the Junagarh Fort.
Around a century after Rao Bika founded Bikaner, the state's fortunes flourished under the sixth Raja, Rai Singhji, who ruled from 1571 to 1611. During the Mughal Empire’s rule in the country, Raja Rai Singh accepted the suzerainty of the Mughals and held a high rank as an army general at the court of the Emperor Akbar and his son the Emperor Jahangir. Rai Singh's successful military exploits, which involved winning half of Mewar kingdom for the Empire, won him accolades and rewards from the Mughal emperors. He was given the jagirs (lands) of Gujarat and Burhanpur. With the large revenue earned from these jagirs, he built the Chintamani durg (Junagarh fort) on a plain which has an average elevation of 230 m. He was an expert in arts and architecture, and the knowledge he acquired during his visits abroad is amply reflected in the numerous monuments he built at the Junagarh fort.
Maharaja Karan Singh, who ruled from 1631 to 1639, under the suzerainty of the Mughals, built the Karan Mahal palace. Later rulers added more floors and decorations to this Mahal. Anup Singh ji, who ruled from 1669 to 1698, made substantial additions to the fort complex, with new palaces and the Zenana quarter, a royal dwelling for women and children. He refurbished the Karan Mahal with a Diwan-i-Am (public audience hall) and called it the Anup Mahal.Maharaja Gaj Singh, who ruled from 1746 to 1787 refurbished the Chandra Mahal (the Moon palace).
During the 18th century, there was internecine war between the rulers of Bikaner and Jodhpur and also amongst other thakurs, which was put down by British troops.
Following Maharaja Gaj Singh, Maharaja Surat Singh ruled from 1787 to 1828 and lavishly decorated the audience hall (see illustration) with glass and lively paintwork. Under a treaty of paramountcy signed in 1818, during Maharaja Surat Singh's reign, Bikaner came under the suzerainty of the British, after which the Maharajas of Bikaner invested heavily in refurbishing Junagarh fort.
Dungar Singh, who reigned from 1872 to 1887, built the Badal Mahal, the 'weather palace', so named in view of a painting of clouds and falling rain, a rare event in arid Bikaner.
General Maharaja Ganga Singh, who ruled from 1887 to 1943, was the best-known of the Rajasthan princes and was a favourite of the British Viceroys of India. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Star of India, served as a member of the Imperial War Cabinet, represented India at the Imperial Conferences during the First World War and the British Empire at the Versailles Peace Conference. His contribution to the building activity in Junagarh involved separate halls for public and private audiences in the Ganga Mahal and a durbar hall for formal functions. He also built the Ganga Niwas Palace, which has towers at the entrance patio. This palace was designed by Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, the third of the new palaces built in Bikaner. He named the building Lalgarh Palace in honour of his father and moved his main residence there from Junagarh Fort in 1902. The hall where he held his Golden Jubilee (in 1938) as Bikaner's ruler is now a museum.
Ganga Singh's son, Lieutenant-General Sir Sadul Singh, the Yuvaraja of Bikaner, succeeded his father as Maharaja in 1943, but acceded his state to the Union of India in 1949. Maharaja Sadul Singh died in 1950, being succeeded in the title by his son, Karni Singh (1924-1988).[6] The Royal Family still lives in a suite in Lalgarh Palace, which they have converted into a heritage hotel.
TRANSPORT
The internal transport system in Bikaner consists of autorickshaws and city buses. Bikaner railway station is on the Jodhpur-Bathinda line. Bikaner is connected to some of major Indian cities via broad gauge railway. The city has direct rail connections to Sri Ganganagar, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Alwar, Bhubaneswar, Sambalpur, Bilaspur, Kanpur, Agra, Jalandhar, Baroda, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Jaipur, Surat, Gurgaon, Jalandhar, Puri, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram, Chandigarh, Kota, Kollam, Jammu, Jodhpur and Ahmedabad, Pune, Indore, Vijayawada. However, there is no rail connectivity for other major Indian cities like Silchar, Indore,[clarification needed] Jhansi, Ranchi, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Kurukshetra, Faridabad.
Bikaner is well served with roads and is linked directly to Delhi, Jaipur , Agra , Alwar, Ludhiana, Sri Ganganagar , Bhatinda, Ambala, Ahmedabad, Haridwar, Jodhpur, and many other cities. National highways 11, 15, and 89 meet at Bikaner.
CLIMATE
Bikaner is situated in the middle of the Thar desert and has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh) with very little rainfall and extreme temperatures. In summer temperatures can exceed 45 °C, and during the winter they may dip below freezing.
The climate in Bikaner is characterised by significant variations in temperature. In the summer season it is very hot when the temperatures lie in the range of 28–48.5 °C. In the winter, it is fairly cold with temperatures lying in the range of 5–23.2 °C. Annual rainfall is in the range of 260–440 millimetres.
JUNAGARH FORT
The Junagarh Fort and its temples and palaces are preserved as museums and provide insight into the grandiose living style of the past Maharanas of Rajasthan.
LAXMI NIWAS PALACE
The Laxmi Niwas Palace is a former residential palace built by Maharajah Ganga Singh, the ruler of the former state of Bikaner. It was designed by the British architect, Col Samuel Swinton Jacob in the year 1902. The style of architecture is Indo-Saracenic. It is now a luxury Heritage hotel owned by Golden Triangle Fort & Palace P. Ltd. The magnificent structure in red sandstone is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Bikaner. The Shri ram heritage a unit of Rao Bikaji Groups home stay owend / heritage hotel by Brigadier Jagmal singh rathore VrC, VsM descendant of Rao Bika ji Founder of Bikaner, Rao Bikaji Camel safari a unit of Rao Bikaji Groups.
KARNI MATA TEMPLE
The world famous shrine of Karni Mata can be found in the town of Deshnoke 30 km south from Bikaner on the road to Jodhpur. Karni Mata is worshiped as an incarnation of Goddess Durga.
WIKIPEDIA
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
The origins of the Turbo Fury reach back to 1943, when the piston-driven Hawker Sea Fury's development was formally initiated in response to a wartime requirement of the RAF.
As the Second World War drew to a close, the RAF cancelled their order for the aircraft. However, the Royal Navy saw the type as a suitable carrier aircraft to replace a range of increasingly obsolete or poorly suited aircraft being operated by the Fleet Air Arm. Development of the Sea Fury proceeded, and the type began entering operational service in 1947.
The Sea Fury had many design similarities to Hawker's preceding Tempest fighter, but the Sea Fury was a considerably lighter aircraft. Both the Sea Fury's wings and fuselage originated from the Tempest but were significantly modified and redesigned.
The Sea Fury attracted international orders as both a carrier and land-based aircraft; it was operated by countries including Australia, Burma, Canada, Cuba, Egypt, West Germany, Iraq, and Pakistan. The Sea Fury was retired by the majority of its military operators in the late 1950s in favour of jet-propelled aircraft. One of the largest export customers for the type, Pakistan, went a different way.
A total of 87 new-build Sea Furies were purchased and delivered to Pakistan between 1950 and 1952, but some ex-FAA and Iraqi Sea Furies were also subsequently purchased.
The Sea Fury began to be replaced by the jet-powered North American F-86 Sabre in 1955, but it became quickly clear that the Sabre was primarily a fighter, not a ground attack aircraft. It also lacked adequate performance in 'hot and high' operation theatres, and the PAF's B-57 bombers were too big for certain CAS tasks, and their number highly limited.
Hence the decision was taken to modernize a part of the PAF Sea Fury fleet for the ground attack role. This was to be achieved with a better engine that would deliver more power, a better overall performance as well as an extended range for prolonged loiter times close to the potential battlefield.
Engine choice fell on the Allison T56 turboshaft engine, which had originally been developed for the C-130 Hercules transporter (later also installed in the P-3 and E-2) - the type had just been bought by the PAF, so that low maintenance cost due to parts and infrastructure commonality was expected. Pakistan Aeronautical Complex (commonly abbreviated 'PAC') was tasked to develop a suitable update, and this lead to the integration of a turboprop engine into the Sea Fury airframe.
For the relatively small Sea Fury airframe the T56 was downrated to 3.000 hp, to which approximately 750 lbs of thrust from its exhaust could be added. The latter was bifurcated and ran along the fuselage flanks, ending in fairings at the wings' trailing edge. In order to cope with the additional power, the original five-bladed propeller had to be replaced by a six-bladed, indigenously developed propeller. Together with the more pointed spinner and the raised propeller position, the Sea Fury's profile changed dramatically, even though the good field of view for the pilot was retained. Officially, the modified machines were just called 'Sea Fury FB.61', inofficially they were called 'Turbo Furies' or 'وایلار' (Urdu: Wailer), for their characteristic, penetrating engine and propeller sound.
Internally, structural reinforcements had to be made and new wing spars were introduced. These allowed higher g forces for low level maneuvers and also carried additional ordnance hardpoints under the outer wings - these enabled the aircraft to carry HVARs of American origin and/or several small caliber bombs instead of only a single pair of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) caliber.
The last piston engine Sea Furies in Pakistani service were ultimately retired in 1960, while the Turbo Fury fleet was used throughout the 1965 India-Pakistan War. After the end of hostilities, the 'Turbo Furies' were quickly phased out since it had become clear that they had become too vulnerable in battlefield conditions.
Some of these machines were sold to Thailand, though, where it served with the Royal Thai Marine Corps (นาวิกโยธินแห่งราชอาณาจักรไทย) in the CAS role and saw frequent use: The Chanthaburi and Trat borders with Cambodia gave the Marine Corps Department its first assignment, safeguarding the coastline and southeastern border. Since 1970 the Marine Corps' Chanthaburi-Trat Task Force had been officially assigned the defense of this area.
During 1972 and 1973, Thai Marines were involved in the "Sam-Chai" anti-communist operations in Phetchabun Province and the "Pha-Phum" anti-communist operations in Chiang Rai Province. In 1973 and 1974, they took part in anti-communist operations in the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. After ten years of frequent and successful use, the end of the Thai TurBo Furies came - the type was retired in late 1975. Two specimen were sold into the USA to Flight Systems Inc., where the machines were de-militarized and modified to be used as fast low-level target tugs.
Still, the aircraft would see a late career for the USAF, even though only an indirect one - and ironically against another WWII veteran reincarnation! In 1971 Piper Aircraft Corp. at Lakeland, Florida, built for the USAF's PAVE COIN programm (calling for a simple aircraft tailored to the ground attack role for small armies) two Piper Enforcers by heavily modifying two existing P-51 Mustang aircraft and fitting them with Lycoming T55-L9A turboprop engines, along with numerous other significant modifications.
Prior to the PAVE COIN evaluation, N202PE was lost in a crash off the Florida Coast. Although the Enforcer performed well in PAVE COIN, Piper failed to secure a United States Air Force contract. Anyway, Piper kept on lobbying Congress for another 8 years to force the USAF to officially re-evaluate the Enforcer.
Eventually in the 1979 defense bill $11.9 million was allocated for Piper to build two new prototypes and for the USAF to perform another flight evaluation. Since the Enforcer was never in the Air Force inventory, it was not given an official military designation and did not receive an Air Force serial number. Instead, it carries the Piper designation PA-48 and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) registration numbers N481PE and N482PE.
During 1983 and 1984 the PA-48s were pitted against several "modern" jets at 1984 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida and Edwards Air Force Base, California. Beyond 'state of the art' competirion, the USAF wanted a direct competitor - and found Flight Systems Inc's Turbo Furies. One of these, aircraft N287FS, was leased in 1981 and revamped to military status in order to act as a further benchnmark and as aggressor.
By the time the machine had already undergone some major modifications, including an ejection seat for the pilot and a new five-bladed propeller plus exhaust dampers in order to minimize the machine's distinctive, penetrating noise.
Further modifications saw the re-installment of armament, including wing hardpoints and the respective wiring, as well as adding four 20mm cannon, this time domestic Pontiac M39A1 revolver cannon - easily recognizable through the longer gun barrels that protruded from the wings' leading edge.
During the two years of evaluation the revamped Turbo Fury fared well, while its sister ship remained in the target tug role - and it was the only machine to survive, since N287FS crashed on 8th of August 1984 at Eglin AB due to hydraulic failure, with the pilot escaping securely thanks to the new ejection seat.
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 36 ft 2 in (11.05 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 43⁄4 in (11.69 m)
Height: 15 ft 101⁄2 in (4.84 m)
Wing area: 280 ft2 (26.01 m2)
Empty weight: 10.500 lb (4.767 kg)
Loaded weight: 14,100 lb (6.400 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 15,650 lb (7.105 kg)
Powerplant:
1× Allison T56 turboshaft engine rated at 2.206 kW (3.000 hp) plus 750 lbs of residual thrust
Performance:
Maximum speed: 490 mph (427 knots, 790 km/h) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Range: 700 mi (609 nmi, 1,126 km) with internal fuel;
1,040 mi (904 nmi, 1,674 km) with two drop tanks
Service ceiling: 35,800 ft (10,910 m)
Rate of climb: 4,320 ft/min (21.9 m/s)
Armament:
4× 20 mm (0.787 in) Pontiac M39A1 revolver cannon
Eight underwing hardpoints for an external load of 4.000 lb (1.814 kg),
including bombs, unguided rockets, napalm tanks or drop tanks
The kit and its assembly:
Turbo Fury V3.0, spinning forth the initial fictional background story of this whif conversion. The combination of a WWII figher design and a C-130 Hercules sounds unlikely, but that's what I built. The idea of revamped piston-engine aircraft for a post-WWII-use has its charm and continually brings forth impressive designs, like the real world Piper PA-48.
Inspiration came with a set of 1:72 aftermarket C-130J resin engine nacelles from OzMods, which I had bunkered a while ago. This time the engine was mated again to the single seater kit from Pioneer2/PM Models. The Hercules engines are an almost perfect fit - the original fuselage just had to be cut away behind the original exhaust reflectors. Some sculpting had to be done on both sides, and the wing roots filled up in order to match the new, more narrow engine, but things went really smoothly.
This time, the Turbo Fury was to have a more modern touch - we are in the 80ies now. So I decided to use the original C-130 sickle blades that come with the OzMods conversion kit, even though I only used five of them instead of six (the spinner was modified accordingly). Another idea was to conceal the original exhaust pipes under the cockpit - I scratched dampers with intakes that would muffle engine sound and mix the hot gases with fresh air. These break up the sleek lines of the Fury, but I think that this installation makes sense, also as a potential survival measure that reduces the aircraft's IR signature?
Otherwise, only little things were changed. In the cockpit a new seat and a dashboard cover were added. The underwing hardpoints were new, too, and I added some antennae for a more modern and purposeful look. All pylons are new, and the bomb ordnance was puzzled together from the spares box, including four Rockeye CBUs from an Italeri F-16, an camera pod (from an Italeri F-18, IIRC) and a single ACMI pod from an Italeri F-21.
Painting and markings:
Piper's PA-48 was a bit of inspiration for this build, and I wanted the final Turbo Fury to be an American aircraft. USAF use would have been unlikely, though, but a private operator like Flight Systems Inc. (Which also operated F-86 as target tugs!) opened a new opportunity, as well as the historic trials of the PA-48 in the early 80ies.
Well, how to paint the Turbo Fury? An early idea had been a simple, all Gunship Grey aircraft with low-viz markings, but I eventually settled for the contemporary "USMC Land Scheme", applied to helicopters (AH-1, CH-46) and some of the USMC's OA-10. On a classic airframe like the Sea Fury's it would look totally anachronistic - but for an aggressor and test aircraft? Why not?
This wraparound scheme consists of grey, green and black - I used FS 35237 (Humbrol 145), FS 34097 (Humbrol 105) and FS 37038 (Humbrol 85, slightly lightened with some Humbrol 32 Dark Grey). The cockpit interior was kept in dark gray, the landing gear is in Aluminum, just like on the former builds of this series.
As per usual the kit received a light black ink wash and some dry painting that emphasizes the panel lines.
Decals were puzzled together from the scrap box, with some typical US markings and modern stencils.
Even though the paint finish turned out to look a bit more worn than initially intended, I am very happy with the result of this "Final Turbo Fury", esp. with its modern details. It looks rather odd and purposeful! And there's still one Hercules engine left... maybe a forth Turbo Fury might come forth, in the hands of another obscure operator's hands. ;)