View allAll Photos Tagged differences
the other sides of those two models. looking at the triangular-ish hexagons and their arrangement it's clear how these patterns are basically the same :-)
RENAULT Avantime 2.0 16V Turbo 2001 - 2003. FORGET Ferraris or Aston Martins - the classic car of the future could be a humble Renault Avantime. Experts say the Renault Avantime top a list of motors which are cheap now but might be worth a bob in years to come.
Renault Avantime has always been regarded as one of the biggest Renault failures when it comes to new models because it recorded very low sales and was kept in production for only two years. The design of the car was made by Matra, a French manufacturer which partnered with Renault, and represented the first 2-door MPV coupe ever produced. The first concept was unveiled in 1999 at the Geneva Auto Show but the production started after about two years. Since it was released, Avantime was criticized for its design which obviously attracted extremely low sales all around the world. The global production hardly reached 8,500 units by 2003, the same year when the French parent company Renault decided to discontinue the model. In terms of engines, the Avantime could be found in three engine configurations, ranging between 2.0- and 3.0-liter, developing up to 210 horsepower.
The Avantime is a future classic. Its eccentric styling put buyers off when it was launched in 2001. Auto Express said: 'Few were made, so if you find one, snap it up, as interest in these unusual cars is magnifying.'
This is no illusion ... as with all stories some deserve there own moment of glory, and this is a glorious story. We will never forget the day Tiny was truly lost. On that day, Mr P got thinking ... he knew that Tiny was familiar with the process of cloning but he also knew from personal experience that there was a phenomenon called identical twins ... so Mr P went on a psychic induced secret mission to find Tiny's cloned twin. Lo and behold, by the time Tiny had arrived in Chicago to finally meet the adorable, and handsome and unbelievably generous Mr P, Teny had arrived there as well. In a joyous reunion, Teny tagged along with the the ever growing Palo phalanx. However, the question remains ... what are the differences?
294365 Toy Project
294365 One Object 365 Project
submitted to www.flickr.com/groups/monthlyscavengerhunt/ September #4 (seeing double)
© Milan Cvetanovic
All rights reserved!
I rarely do posed shots at events, I make exception when the subjects ask for a photo themselves, ask to be photographed. This is such an occasion, captured at the opening day of the 2025 Ballinasloe Horse Fair (County Galway, Ireland), the oldest horse fair in Europe, held since the first half of the 1700s. All horse owners and buyers, horse riders and lovers of horses from the region and the whole island gather during this week in Ballinasloe. It is a traditional meeting place of the Irish Travellers as well, who resemble in their lifestyle to the Roma (Gypsies), yet there are not genetically connected with them. The Travellers diverged from the Irish about 500 years ago. www.nature.com/articles/srep42187
Much thanks for your kind support!
Participants asks questions at the Annual Meeting 2017 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 19, 2017
Copyright by World Economic Forum / Walter Duerst
'You may not be able to change them, but you can always change your reaction to them. Your energy is your choice. ' -- Brendon Burchard
Four kinds/qualities of cinnamon.
From left to right: cassia, then cheap cinnamon (probably from Indonesia), pretty decent supermarket cinnamon (probably from Sri Lanka) and the 3 big cigarlike sticks on the right were imported for me, directly from Sri Lanka. So that is supposed to be the top quality of cinnamon.
The difference is that the better quality, the more subtile the taste. The cheap cinnamon (second from the left) is actually the most aromatic, but probably a little bit too strong for delicate desserts and cakes.
If you like to re-use this photo on your website you can if you link it to: www.aziatische-ingredienten.nl/kaneel-kassia as the source.
Meer weten over het verschil tussen kaneel en kassia? Surf naar www.aziatische-ingredienten.nl
(ccc 6-12-11)
Show me the way,
not to fortune and fame,
Not how to win laure's
or praise for my name-
But Show Me The Way
to spread "The Great Story"
That "Thine is the Kingdom and Power and Glory."
By Helen Steiner Rice
“A great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It is when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.”
. . . people are surching their whole life for the paradise. The difference: I found it and I have been there 17 times . . .
_____________________________________________
Bali is an island and province of Indonesia. The province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nusa Ceningan. It is located at the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. Its capital of Denpasar is located at the southern part of the island.
With a population of 3,890,757 in the 2010 census, and 4,225,000 as of January 2014, the island is home to most of Indonesia's Hindu minority. According to the 2010 Census, 83.5% of Bali's population adhered to Balinese Hinduism, followed by 13.4% Muslim, Christianity at 2.5%, and Buddhism 0.5%.
Bali is a popular tourist destination, which has seen a significant rise in numbers since the 1980s. It is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking, and music. The Indonesian International Film Festival is held every year in Bali.
Bali is part of the Coral Triangle, the area with the highest biodiversity of marine species. In this area alone over 500 reef building coral species can be found. For comparison, this is about 7 times as many as in the entire Caribbean. There is a wide range of dive sites with high quality reefs, all with their own specific attractions. Many sites can have strong currents and swell, so diving without a knowledgeable guide is inadvisable. Most recently, Bali was the host of the 2011 ASEAN Summit, 2013 APEC and Miss World 2013.
HISTORY
ANCIENT
Bali was inhabited around 2000 BC by Austronesian people who migrated originally from Southeast Asia and Oceania through Maritime Southeast Asia. Culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are closely related to the people of the Indonesian archipelago, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Oceania. Stone tools dating from this time have been found near the village of Cekik in the island's west.
In ancient Bali, nine Hindu sects existed, namely Pasupata, Bhairawa, Siwa Shidanta, Waisnawa, Bodha, Brahma, Resi, Sora and Ganapatya. Each sect revered a specific deity as its personal Godhead.
Inscriptions from 896 and 911 don't mention a king, until 914, when Sri Kesarivarma is mentioned. They also reveal an independent Bali, with a distinct dialect, where Buddhism and Sivaism were practiced simultaneously. Mpu Sindok's great granddaughter, Mahendradatta (Gunapriyadharmapatni), married the Bali king Udayana Warmadewa (Dharmodayanavarmadeva) around 989, giving birth to Airlangga around 1001. This marriage also brought more Hinduism and Javanese culture to Bali. Princess Sakalendukirana appeared in 1098. Suradhipa reigned from 1115 to 1119, and Jayasakti from 1146 until 1150. Jayapangus appears on inscriptions between 1178 and 1181, while Adikuntiketana and his son Paramesvara in 1204.
Balinese culture was strongly influenced by Indian, Chinese, and particularly Hindu culture, beginning around the 1st century AD. The name Bali dwipa ("Bali island") has been discovered from various inscriptions, including the Blanjong pillar inscription written by Sri Kesari Warmadewa in 914 AD and mentioning "Walidwipa". It was during this time that the people developed their complex irrigation system subak to grow rice in wet-field cultivation. Some religious and cultural traditions still practised today can be traced to this period.
The Hindu Majapahit Empire (1293–1520 AD) on eastern Java founded a Balinese colony in 1343. The uncle of Hayam Wuruk is mentioned in the charters of 1384-86. A mass Javanese emigration occurred in the next century.
PORTUGUESE CONTACTS
The first known European contact with Bali is thought to have been made in 1512, when a Portuguese expedition led by Antonio Abreu and Francisco Serrão sighted its northern shores. It was the first expedition of a series of bi-annual fleets to the Moluccas, that throughout the 16th century usually traveled along the coasts of the Sunda Islands. Bali was also mapped in 1512, in the chart of Francisco Rodrigues, aboard the expedition. In 1585, a ship foundered off the Bukit Peninsula and left a few Portuguese in the service of Dewa Agung.
DUTCH EAST INDIA
In 1597 the Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman arrived at Bali, and the Dutch East India Company was established in 1602. The Dutch government expanded its control across the Indonesian archipelago during the second half of the 19th century (see Dutch East Indies). Dutch political and economic control over Bali began in the 1840s on the island's north coast, when the Dutch pitted various competing Balinese realms against each other. In the late 1890s, struggles between Balinese kingdoms in the island's south were exploited by the Dutch to increase their control.
In June 1860 the famous Welsh naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, travelled to Bali from Singapore, landing at Buleleng on the northcoast of the island. Wallace's trip to Bali was instrumental in helping him devise his Wallace Line theory. The Wallace Line is a faunal boundary that runs through the strait between Bali and Lombok. It has been found to be a boundary between species of Asiatic origin in the east and a mixture of Australian and Asian species to the west. In his travel memoir The Malay Archipelago, Wallace wrote of his experience in Bali:
I was both astonished and delighted; for as my visit to Java was some years later, I had never beheld so beautiful and well-cultivated a district out of Europe. A slightly undulating plain extends from the seacoast about ten or twelve miles inland, where it is bounded by a fine range of wooded and cultivated hills. Houses and villages, marked out by dense clumps of coconut palms, tamarind and other fruit trees, are dotted about in every direction; while between them extend luxurious rice-grounds, watered by an elaborate system of irrigation that would be the pride of the best cultivated parts of Europe.
The Dutch mounted large naval and ground assaults at the Sanur region in 1906 and were met by the thousands of members of the royal family and their followers who fought against the superior Dutch force in a suicidal puputan defensive assault rather than face the humiliation of surrender. Despite Dutch demands for surrender, an estimated 200 Balinese marched to their death against the invaders. In the Dutch intervention in Bali, a similar massacre occurred in the face of a Dutch assault in Klungkung.
AFTERWARD THE DUTCH GOVERNORS
exercised administrative control over the island, but local control over religion and culture generally remained intact. Dutch rule over Bali came later and was never as well established as in other parts of Indonesia such as Java and Maluku.
n the 1930s, anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, artists Miguel Covarrubias and Walter Spies, and musicologist Colin McPhee all spent time here. Their accounts of the island and its peoples created a western image of Bali as "an enchanted land of aesthetes at peace with themselves and nature." Western tourists began to visit the island.
Imperial Japan occupied Bali during World War II. It was not originally a target in their Netherlands East Indies Campaign, but as the airfields on Borneo were inoperative due to heavy rains, the Imperial Japanese Army decided to occupy Bali, which did not suffer from comparable weather. The island had no regular Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) troops. There was only a Native Auxiliary Corps Prajoda (Korps Prajoda) consisting of about 600 native soldiers and several Dutch KNIL officers under command of KNIL Lieutenant Colonel W.P. Roodenburg. On 19 February 1942 the Japanese forces landed near the town of Senoer [Senur]. The island was quickly captured.
During the Japanese occupation, a Balinese military officer, Gusti Ngurah Rai, formed a Balinese 'freedom army'. The harshness of war requisitions made Japanese rule more resented than Dutch rule. Following Japan's Pacific surrender in August 1945, the Dutch returned to Indonesia, including Bali, to reinstate their pre-war colonial administration. This was resisted by the Balinese rebels, who now used recovered Japanese weapons. On 20 November 1946, the Battle of Marga was fought in Tabanan in central Bali. Colonel I Gusti Ngurah Rai, by then 29 years old, finally rallied his forces in east Bali at Marga Rana, where they made a suicide attack on the heavily armed Dutch. The Balinese battalion was entirely wiped out, breaking the last thread of Balinese military resistance.
INDIPENDENCE FROM THE DUTCH
In 1946, the Dutch constituted Bali as one of the 13 administrative districts of the newly proclaimed State of East Indonesia, a rival state to the Republic of Indonesia, which was proclaimed and headed by Sukarno and Hatta. Bali was included in the "Republic of the United States of Indonesia" when the Netherlands recognised Indonesian independence on 29 December 1949.
CONTEMPORARY
The 1963 eruption of Mount Agung killed thousands, created economic havoc and forced many displaced Balinese to be transmigrated to other parts of Indonesia. Mirroring the widening of social divisions across Indonesia in the 1950s and early 1960s, Bali saw conflict between supporters of the traditional caste system, and those rejecting this system. Politically, the opposition was represented by supporters of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI), with tensions and ill-feeling further increased by the PKI's land reform programs. An attempted coup in Jakarta was put down by forces led by General Suharto.
The army became the dominant power as it instigated a violent anti-communist purge, in which the army blamed the PKI for the coup. Most estimates suggest that at least 500,000 people were killed across Indonesia, with an estimated 80,000 killed in Bali, equivalent to 5% of the island's population. With no Islamic forces involved as in Java and Sumatra, upper-caste PNI landlords led the extermination of PKI members.
As a result of the 1965/66 upheavals, Suharto was able to manoeuvre Sukarno out of the presidency. His "New Order" government reestablished relations with western countries. The pre-War Bali as "paradise" was revived in a modern form. The resulting large growth in tourism has led to a dramatic increase in Balinese standards of living and significant foreign exchange earned for the country. A bombing in 2002 by militant Islamists in the tourist area of Kuta killed 202 people, mostly foreigners. This attack, and another in 2005, severely reduced tourism, producing much economic hardship to the island.
GEOGRAPHY
The island of Bali lies 3.2 km east of Java, and is approximately 8 degrees south of the equator. Bali and Java are separated by the Bali Strait. East to west, the island is approximately 153 km wide and spans approximately 112 km north to south; administratively it covers 5,780 km2, or 5,577 km2 without Nusa Penida District, its population density is roughly 750 people/km2.
Bali's central mountains include several peaks over 3,000 metres in elevation. The highest is Mount Agung (3,031 m), known as the "mother mountain" which is an active volcano rated as one of the world's most likely sites for a massive eruption within the next 100 years. Mountains range from centre to the eastern side, with Mount Agung the easternmost peak. Bali's volcanic nature has contributed to its exceptional fertility and its tall mountain ranges provide the high rainfall that supports the highly productive agriculture sector. South of the mountains is a broad, steadily descending area where most of Bali's large rice crop is grown. The northern side of the mountains slopes more steeply to the sea and is the main coffee producing area of the island, along with rice, vegetables and cattle. The longest river, Ayung River, flows approximately 75 km.
The island is surrounded by coral reefs. Beaches in the south tend to have white sand while those in the north and west have black sand. Bali has no major waterways, although the Ho River is navigable by small sampan boats. Black sand beaches between Pasut and Klatingdukuh are being developed for tourism, but apart from the seaside temple of Tanah Lot, they are not yet used for significant tourism.
The largest city is the provincial capital, Denpasar, near the southern coast. Its population is around 491,500 (2002). Bali's second-largest city is the old colonial capital, Singaraja, which is located on the north coast and is home to around 100,000 people. Other important cities include the beach resort, Kuta, which is practically part of Denpasar's urban area, and Ubud, situated at the north of Denpasar, is the island's cultural centre.
Three small islands lie to the immediate south east and all are administratively part of the Klungkung regency of Bali: Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan and Nusa Ceningan. These islands are separated from Bali by the Badung Strait.
To the east, the Lombok Strait separates Bali from Lombok and marks the biogeographical division between the fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of Australasia. The transition is known as the Wallace Line, named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who first proposed a transition zone between these two major biomes. When sea levels dropped during the Pleistocene ice age, Bali was connected to Java and Sumatra and to the mainland of Asia and shared the Asian fauna, but the deep water of the Lombok Strait continued to keep Lombok Island and the Lesser Sunda archipelago isolated.
CLIMATE
Being just 8 degrees south of the equator, Bali has a fairly even climate year round.
Day time temperatures at low elevations vary between 20-33⁰ C although it can be much cooler than that in the mountains. The west monsoon is in place from approximately October to April and this can bring significant rain, particularly from December to March. Outside of the monsoon period, humidity is relatively low and any rain unlikely in lowland areas.
ECOLOGY
Bali lies just to the west of the Wallace Line, and thus has a fauna that is Asian in character, with very little Australasian influence, and has more in common with Java than with Lombok. An exception is the yellow-crested cockatoo, a member of a primarily Australasian family. There are around 280 species of birds, including the critically endangered Bali myna, which is endemic. Others Include barn swallow, black-naped oriole, black racket-tailed treepie, crested serpent-eagle, crested treeswift, dollarbird, Java sparrow, lesser adjutant, long-tailed shrike, milky stork, Pacific swallow, red-rumped swallow, sacred kingfisher, sea eagle, woodswallow, savanna nightjar, stork-billed kingfisher, yellow-vented bulbul and great egret.
Until the early 20th century, Bali was home to several large mammals: the wild banteng, leopard and the endemic Bali tiger. The banteng still occurs in its domestic form, whereas leopards are found only in neighbouring Java, and the Bali tiger is extinct. The last definite record of a tiger on Bali dates from 1937, when one was shot, though the subspecies may have survived until the 1940s or 1950s. The relatively small size of the island, conflict with humans, poaching and habitat reduction drove the Bali tiger to extinction. This was the smallest and rarest of all tiger subspecies and was never caught on film or displayed in zoos, whereas few skins or bones remain in museums around the world. Today, the largest mammals are the Javan rusa deer and the wild boar. A second, smaller species of deer, the Indian muntjac, also occurs. Saltwater crocodiles were once present on the island, but became locally extinct sometime during the last century.
Squirrels are quite commonly encountered, less often is the Asian palm civet, which is also kept in coffee farms to produce Kopi Luwak. Bats are well represented, perhaps the most famous place to encounter them remaining the Goa Lawah (Temple of the Bats) where they are worshipped by the locals and also constitute a tourist attraction. They also occur in other cave temples, for instance at Gangga Beach. Two species of monkey occur. The crab-eating macaque, known locally as "kera", is quite common around human settlements and temples, where it becomes accustomed to being fed by humans, particularly in any of the three "monkey forest" temples, such as the popular one in the Ubud area. They are also quite often kept as pets by locals. The second monkey, endemic to Java and some surrounding islands such as Bali, is far rarer and more elusive is the Javan langur, locally known as "lutung". They occur in few places apart from the Bali Barat National Park. They are born an orange colour, though by their first year they would have already changed to a more blackish colouration. In Java however, there is more of a tendency for this species to retain its juvenile orange colour into adulthood, and so you can see a mixture of black and orange monkeys together as a family. Other rarer mammals include the leopard cat, Sunda pangolin and black giant squirrel.
Snakes include the king cobra and reticulated python. The water monitor can grow to at least 1.5 m in length and 50 kg and can move quickly.
The rich coral reefs around the coast, particularly around popular diving spots such as Tulamben, Amed, Menjangan or neighbouring Nusa Penida, host a wide range of marine life, for instance hawksbill turtle, giant sunfish, giant manta ray, giant moray eel, bumphead parrotfish, hammerhead shark, reef shark, barracuda, and sea snakes. Dolphins are commonly encountered on the north coast near Singaraja and Lovina.
A team of scientists conducted a survey from 29 April 2011 to 11 May 2011 at 33 sea sites around Bali. They discovered 952 species of reef fish of which 8 were new discoveries at Pemuteran, Gilimanuk, Nusa Dua, Tulamben and Candidasa, and 393 coral species, including two new ones at Padangbai and between Padangbai and Amed. The average coverage level of healthy coral was 36% (better than in Raja Ampat and Halmahera by 29% or in Fakfak and Kaimana by 25%) with the highest coverage found in Gili Selang and Gili Mimpang in Candidasa, Karangasem regency.
Many plants have been introduced by humans within the last centuries, particularly since the 20th century, making it sometimes hard to distinguish what plants are really native.[citation needed] Among the larger trees the most common are: banyan trees, jackfruit, coconuts, bamboo species, acacia trees and also endless rows of coconuts and banana species. Numerous flowers can be seen: hibiscus, frangipani, bougainvillea, poinsettia, oleander, jasmine, water lily, lotus, roses, begonias, orchids and hydrangeas exist. On higher grounds that receive more moisture, for instance around Kintamani, certain species of fern trees, mushrooms and even pine trees thrive well. Rice comes in many varieties. Other plants with agricultural value include: salak, mangosteen, corn, kintamani orange, coffee and water spinach.
ENVIRONMENT
Some of the worst erosion has occurred in Lebih Beach, where up to 7 metres of land is lost every year. Decades ago, this beach was used for holy pilgrimages with more than 10,000 people, but they have now moved to Masceti Beach.
From ranked third in previous review, in 2010 Bali got score 99.65 of Indonesia's environmental quality index and the highest of all the 33 provinces. The score measured 3 water quality parameters: the level of total suspended solids (TSS), dissolved oxygen (DO) and chemical oxygen demand (COD).
Because of over-exploitation by the tourist industry which covers a massive land area, 200 out of 400 rivers on the island have dried up and based on research, the southern part of Bali would face a water shortage up to 2,500 litres of clean water per second by 2015. To ease the shortage, the central government plans to build a water catchment and processing facility at Petanu River in Gianyar. The 300 litres capacity of water per second will be channelled to Denpasar, Badung and Gianyar in 2013.
ECONOMY
Three decades ago, the Balinese economy was largely agriculture-based in terms of both output and employment. Tourism is now the largest single industry in terms of income, and as a result, Bali is one of Indonesia's wealthiest regions. In 2003, around 80% of Bali's economy was tourism related. By end of June 2011, non-performing loan of all banks in Bali were 2.23%, lower than the average of Indonesian banking industry non-performing loan (about 5%). The economy, however, suffered significantly as a result of the terrorist bombings 2002 and 2005. The tourism industry has since recovered from these events.
AGRICULTURE
Although tourism produces the GDP's largest output, agriculture is still the island's biggest employer; most notably rice cultivation. Crops grown in smaller amounts include fruit, vegetables, Coffea arabica and other cash and subsistence crops. Fishing also provides a significant number of jobs. Bali is also famous for its artisans who produce a vast array of handicrafts, including batik and ikat cloth and clothing, wooden carvings, stone carvings, painted art and silverware. Notably, individual villages typically adopt a single product, such as wind chimes or wooden furniture.
The Arabica coffee production region is the highland region of Kintamani near Mount Batur. Generally, Balinese coffee is processed using the wet method. This results in a sweet, soft coffee with good consistency. Typical flavours include lemon and other citrus notes. Many coffee farmers in Kintamani are members of a traditional farming system called Subak Abian, which is based on the Hindu philosophy of "Tri Hita Karana". According to this philosophy, the three causes of happiness are good relations with God, other people and the environment. The Subak Abian system is ideally suited to the production of fair trade and organic coffee production. Arabica coffee from Kintamani is the first product in Indonesia to request a Geographical Indication.
TOURISM
The tourism industry is primarily focused in the south, while significant in the other parts of the island as well. The main tourist locations are the town of Kuta (with its beach), and its outer suburbs of Legian and Seminyak (which were once independent townships), the east coast town of Sanur (once the only tourist hub), in the center of the island Ubud, to the south of the Ngurah Rai International Airport, Jimbaran, and the newer development of Nusa Dua and Pecatu.
The American government lifted its travel warnings in 2008. The Australian government issued an advice on Friday, 4 May 2012. The overall level of the advice was lowered to 'Exercise a high degree of caution'. The Swedish government issued a new warning on Sunday, 10 June 2012 because of one more tourist who was killed by methanol poisoning. Australia last issued an advice on Monday, 5 January 2015 due to new terrorist threats.
An offshoot of tourism is the growing real estate industry. Bali real estate has been rapidly developing in the main tourist areas of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak and Oberoi. Most recently, high-end 5 star projects are under development on the Bukit peninsula, on the south side of the island. Million dollar villas are being developed along the cliff sides of south Bali, commanding panoramic ocean views. Foreign and domestic (many Jakarta individuals and companies are fairly active) investment into other areas of the island also continues to grow. Land prices, despite the worldwide economic crisis, have remained stable.
In the last half of 2008, Indonesia's currency had dropped approximately 30% against the US dollar, providing many overseas visitors value for their currencies. Visitor arrivals for 2009 were forecast to drop 8% (which would be higher than 2007 levels), due to the worldwide economic crisis which has also affected the global tourist industry, but not due to any travel warnings.
Bali's tourism economy survived the terrorist bombings of 2002 and 2005, and the tourism industry has in fact slowly recovered and surpassed its pre-terrorist bombing levels; the longterm trend has been a steady increase of visitor arrivals. In 2010, Bali received 2.57 million foreign tourists, which surpassed the target of 2.0–2.3 million tourists. The average occupancy of starred hotels achieved 65%, so the island is still able to accommodate tourists for some years without any addition of new rooms/hotels, although at the peak season some of them are fully booked.
Bali received the Best Island award from Travel and Leisure in 2010. The island of Bali won because of its attractive surroundings (both mountain and coastal areas), diverse tourist attractions, excellent international and local restaurants, and the friendliness of the local people. According to BBC Travel released in 2011, Bali is one of the World's Best Islands, ranking second after Santorini, Greece.
In August 2010, the film Eat Pray Love was released in theatres. The movie was based on Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling memoir Eat, Pray, Love. It took place at Ubud and Padang-Padang Beach at Bali. The 2006 book, which spent 57 weeks at the No. 1 spot on the New York Times paperback nonfiction best-seller list, had already fuelled a boom in Eat, Pray, Love-related tourism in Ubud, the hill town and cultural and tourist center that was the focus of Gilbert's quest for balance through traditional spirituality and healing that leads to love.
In January 2016, after music icon David Bowie died, it was revealed that in his will, Bowie asked for his ashes to be scattered in Bali, conforming to Buddhist rituals. He had visited and performed in a number of Southest Asian cities early in his career, including Bangkok and Singapore.
Since 2011, China has displaced Japan as the second-largest supplier of tourists to Bali, while Australia still tops the list. Chinese tourists increased by 17% from last year due to the impact of ACFTA and new direct flights to Bali. In January 2012, Chinese tourists year on year (yoy) increased by 222.18% compared to January 2011, while Japanese tourists declined by 23.54% yoy.
Bali reported that it has 2.88 million foreign tourists and 5 million domestic tourists in 2012, marginally surpassing the expectations of 2.8 million foreign tourists. Forecasts for 2013 are at 3.1 million.
Based on Bank Indonesia survey in May 2013, 34.39 percent of tourists are upper-middle class with spending between $1,286 to $5,592 and dominated by Australia, France, China, Germany and the US with some China tourists move from low spending before to higher spending currently. While 30.26 percent are middle class with spending between $662 to $1,285.
SEX TOURISM
In the twentieth century the incidence of tourism specifically for sex was regularly observed in the era of mass tourism in Indonesia In Bali, prostitution is conducted by both men and women. Bali in particular is notorious for its 'Kuta Cowboys', local gigolos targeting foreign female tourists.
Tens of thousands of single women throng the beaches of Bali in Indonesia every year. For decades, young Balinese men have taken advantage of the louche and laid-back atmosphere to find love and lucre from female tourists—Japanese, European and Australian for the most part—who by all accounts seem perfectly happy with the arrangement.
By 2013, Indonesia was reportedly the number one destination for Australian child sex tourists, mostly starting in Bali but also travelling to other parts of the country. The problem in Bali was highlighted by Luh Ketut Suryani, head of Psychiatry at Udayana University, as early as 2003. Surayani warned that a low level of awareness of paedophilia in Bali had made it the target of international paedophile organisations. On 19 February 2013, government officials announced measures to combat paedophilia in Bali.
TRANSPORTATION
The Ngurah Rai International Airport is located near Jimbaran, on the isthmus at the southernmost part of the island. Lt.Col. Wisnu Airfield is found in north-west Bali.
A coastal road circles the island, and three major two-lane arteries cross the central mountains at passes reaching to 1,750m in height (at Penelokan). The Ngurah Rai Bypass is a four-lane expressway that partly encircles Denpasar. Bali has no railway lines.
In December 2010 the Government of Indonesia invited investors to build a new Tanah Ampo Cruise Terminal at Karangasem, Bali with a projected worth of $30 million. On 17 July 2011 the first cruise ship (Sun Princess) anchored about 400 meters away from the wharf of Tanah Ampo harbour. The current pier is only 154 meters but will eventually be extended to 300–350 meters to accommodate international cruise ships. The harbour here is safer than the existing facility at Benoa and has a scenic backdrop of east Bali mountains and green rice fields. The tender for improvement was subject to delays, and as of July 2013 the situation remained unclear with cruise line operators complaining and even refusing to use the existing facility at Tanah Ampo.
A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by two ministers, Bali's Governor and Indonesian Train Company to build 565 kilometres of railway along the coast around the island. As of July 2015, no details of this proposed railways have been released.
On 16 March 2011 (Tanjung) Benoa port received the "Best Port Welcome 2010" award from London's "Dream World Cruise Destination" magazine. Government plans to expand the role of Benoa port as export-import port to boost Bali's trade and industry sector. The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry has confirmed that 306 cruise liners are heading for Indonesia in 2013 – an increase of 43 percent compared to the previous year.
In May 2011, an integrated Areal Traffic Control System (ATCS) was implemented to reduce traffic jams at four crossing points: Ngurah Rai statue, Dewa Ruci Kuta crossing, Jimbaran crossing and Sanur crossing. ATCS is an integrated system connecting all traffic lights, CCTVs and other traffic signals with a monitoring office at the police headquarters. It has successfully been implemented in other ASEAN countries and will be implemented at other crossings in Bali.
On 21 December 2011 construction started on the Nusa Dua-Benoa-Ngurah Rai International Airport toll road which will also provide a special lane for motorcycles. This has been done by seven state-owned enterprises led by PT Jasa Marga with 60% of shares. PT Jasa Marga Bali Tol will construct the 9.91 kilometres toll road (totally 12.7 kilometres with access road). The construction is estimated to cost Rp.2.49 trillion ($273.9 million). The project goes through 2 kilometres of mangrove forest and through 2.3 kilometres of beach, both within 5.4 hectares area. The elevated toll road is built over the mangrove forest on 18,000 concrete pillars which occupied 2 hectares of mangroves forest. It compensated by new planting of 300,000 mangrove trees along the road. On 21 December 2011 the Dewa Ruci 450 meters underpass has also started on the busy Dewa Ruci junction near Bali Kuta Galeria with an estimated cost of Rp136 billion ($14.9 million) from the state budget. On 23 September 2013, the Bali Mandara Toll Road is opened and the Dewa Ruci Junction (Simpang Siur) underpass is opened before. Both are ease the heavy traffic congestion.
To solve chronic traffic problems, the province will also build a toll road connecting Serangan with Tohpati, a toll road connecting Kuta, Denpasar and Tohpati and a flyover connecting Kuta and Ngurah Rai Airport.
DEMOGRAPHICS
The population of Bali was 3,890,757 as of the 2010 Census; the latest estimate (for January 2014) is 4,225,384. There are an estimated 30,000 expatriates living in Bali.
ETHNIC ORIGINS
A DNA study in 2005 by Karafet et al. found that 12% of Balinese Y-chromosomes are of likely Indian origin, while 84% are of likely Austronesian origin, and 2% of likely Melanesian origin. The study does not correlate the DNA samples to the Balinese caste system.
CASTE SYSTEM
Bali has a caste system based on the Indian Hindu model, with four castes:
- Sudra (Shudra) – peasants constituting close to 93% of Bali's population.
- Wesia (Vaishyas) – the caste of merchants and administrative officials
- Ksatrias (Kshatriyas) – the kingly and warrior caste
- Brahmana (Bramhin) – holy men and priests
RELIGION
Unlike most of Muslim-majority Indonesia, about 83.5% of Bali's population adheres to Balinese Hinduism, formed as a combination of existing local beliefs and Hindu influences from mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. Minority religions include Islam (13.3%), Christianity (1.7%), and Buddhism (0.5%). These figures do not include immigrants from other parts of Indonesia.
Balinese Hinduism is an amalgam in which gods and demigods are worshipped together with Buddhist heroes, the spirits of ancestors, indigenous agricultural deities and sacred places. Religion as it is practised in Bali is a composite belief system that embraces not only theology, philosophy, and mythology, but ancestor worship, animism and magic. It pervades nearly every aspect of traditional life. Caste is observed, though less strictly than in India. With an estimated 20,000 puras (temples) and shrines, Bali is known as the "Island of a Thousand Puras", or "Island of the Gods". This is refer to Mahabarata story that behind Bali became island of god or "pulau dewata" in Indonesian language.
Balinese Hinduism has roots in Indian Hinduism and Buddhism, and adopted the animistic traditions of the indigenous people. This influence strengthened the belief that the gods and goddesses are present in all things. Every element of nature, therefore, possesses its own power, which reflects the power of the gods. A rock, tree, dagger, or woven cloth is a potential home for spirits whose energy can be directed for good or evil. Balinese Hinduism is deeply interwoven with art and ritual. Ritualizing states of self-control are a notable feature of religious expression among the people, who for this reason have become famous for their graceful and decorous behaviour.
Apart from the majority of Balinese Hindus, there also exist Chinese immigrants whose traditions have melded with that of the locals. As a result, these Sino-Balinese not only embrace their original religion, which is a mixture of Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism and Confucianism, but also find a way to harmonise it with the local traditions. Hence, it is not uncommon to find local Sino-Balinese during the local temple's odalan. Moreover, Balinese Hindu priests are invited to perform rites alongside a Chinese priest in the event of the death of a Sino-Balinese. Nevertheless, the Sino-Balinese claim to embrace Buddhism for administrative purposes, such as their Identity Cards.
LANGUAGE
Balinese and Indonesian are the most widely spoken languages in Bali, and the vast majority of Balinese people are bilingual or trilingual. The most common spoken language around the tourist areas is Indonesian, as many people in the tourist sector are not solely Balinese, but migrants from Java, Lombok, Sumatra, and other parts of Indonesia. There are several indigenous Balinese languages, but most Balinese can also use the most widely spoken option: modern common Balinese. The usage of different Balinese languages was traditionally determined by the Balinese caste system and by clan membership, but this tradition is diminishing. Kawi and Sanskrit are also commonly used by some Hindu priests in Bali, for Hinduism literature was mostly written in Sanskrit.
English and Chinese are the next most common languages (and the primary foreign languages) of many Balinese, owing to the requirements of the tourism industry, as well as the English-speaking community and huge Chinese-Indonesian population. Other foreign languages, such as Japanese, Korean, French, Russian or German are often used in multilingual signs for foreign tourists.
CULTURE
Bali is renowned for its diverse and sophisticated art forms, such as painting, sculpture, woodcarving, handcrafts, and performing arts. Balinese cuisine is also distinctive. Balinese percussion orchestra music, known as gamelan, is highly developed and varied. Balinese performing arts often portray stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana but with heavy Balinese influence. Famous Balinese dances include pendet, legong, baris, topeng, barong, gong keybar, and kecak (the monkey dance). Bali boasts one of the most diverse and innovative performing arts cultures in the world, with paid performances at thousands of temple festivals, private ceremonies, or public shows.
The Hindu New Year, Nyepi, is celebrated in the spring by a day of silence. On this day everyone stays at home and tourists are encouraged to remain in their hotels. On the day before New Year, large and colourful sculptures of ogoh-ogoh monsters are paraded and finally burned in the evening to drive away evil spirits. Other festivals throughout the year are specified by the Balinese pawukon calendrical system.
Celebrations are held for many occasions such as a tooth-filing (coming-of-age ritual), cremation or odalan (temple festival). One of the most important concepts that Balinese ceremonies have in common is that of désa kala patra, which refers to how ritual performances must be appropriate in both the specific and general social context. Many of the ceremonial art forms such as wayang kulit and topeng are highly improvisatory, providing flexibility for the performer to adapt the performance to the current situation. Many celebrations call for a loud, boisterous atmosphere with lots of activity and the resulting aesthetic, ramé, is distinctively Balinese. Often two or more gamelan ensembles will be performing well within earshot, and sometimes compete with each other to be heard. Likewise, the audience members talk amongst themselves, get up and walk around, or even cheer on the performance, which adds to the many layers of activity and the liveliness typical of ramé.
Kaja and kelod are the Balinese equivalents of North and South, which refer to ones orientation between the island's largest mountain Gunung Agung (kaja), and the sea (kelod). In addition to spatial orientation, kaja and kelod have the connotation of good and evil; gods and ancestors are believed to live on the mountain whereas demons live in the sea. Buildings such as temples and residential homes are spatially oriented by having the most sacred spaces closest to the mountain and the unclean places nearest to the sea.
Most temples have an inner courtyard and an outer courtyard which are arranged with the inner courtyard furthest kaja. These spaces serve as performance venues since most Balinese rituals are accompanied by any combination of music, dance and drama. The performances that take place in the inner courtyard are classified as wali, the most sacred rituals which are offerings exclusively for the gods, while the outer courtyard is where bebali ceremonies are held, which are intended for gods and people. Lastly, performances meant solely for the entertainment of humans take place outside the walls of the temple and are called bali-balihan. This three-tiered system of classification was standardised in 1971 by a committee of Balinese officials and artists to better protect the sanctity of the oldest and most sacred Balinese rituals from being performed for a paying audience.
Tourism, Bali's chief industry, has provided the island with a foreign audience that is eager to pay for entertainment, thus creating new performance opportunities and more demand for performers. The impact of tourism is controversial since before it became integrated into the economy, the Balinese performing arts did not exist as a capitalist venture, and were not performed for entertainment outside of their respective ritual context. Since the 1930s sacred rituals such as the barong dance have been performed both in their original contexts, as well as exclusively for paying tourists. This has led to new versions of many of these performances which have developed according to the preferences of foreign audiences; some villages have a barong mask specifically for non-ritual performances as well as an older mask which is only used for sacred performances.
Balinese society continues to revolve around each family's ancestral village, to which the cycle of life and religion is closely tied. Coercive aspects of traditional society, such as customary law sanctions imposed by traditional authorities such as village councils (including "kasepekang", or shunning) have risen in importance as a consequence of the democratisation and decentralisation of Indonesia since 1998.
WIKIPEDIA
Both a mix of wheat meal, white flour, and bran.
On left: made with store-bought powdered yeast.
On right: made with homemade sourdough starter mixture (wet).
I thought the difference in texture and crumb, as well as color and crust, was interesting. The store-yeast one was definitely lighter, more elastic, stringier and sweeter (no sugar added). The sourdough one was denser, more crumbly, much more full-flavored, and with a more pronounced crust, and, of course, a more sour--and rich--taste.
I needed some new speakers for my desktop computer system at home. I've been tolerating JBL creature 2.1 system for a couple of years now and I'd finally had enough. The JBLs suffered from a depressing lack of critical midrange detail. This, coupled with the fact that the kids now hog the main system in the front room, means that I can't get access to my iTunes library readily.
A few years ago I was doing some research into speakers and I came across the Quad 11l actives. They were very well reviewed in a couple of Australian and New Zealand hi-fi publications. From what I could gather at the time they were not widely available in the UK. When I did eventually track them down their price tag was £600 for a pair. Prohibitively expensive for a desktop audio system. These things are marketed as pro-level near field monitors. They have their own build in amps. Two per speaker. 60W for the bass driver and 40W for the treble driver.
Anyway a couple of weeks ago I decided to have a casual squint at eBay and see if I could pick up a second hand pair at a vastly reduced price. There were none available. One seller was selling individual speakers new for £250. apiece. Still too expensive. Crestfallen, I gave up. A couple of days later I had another look. Another seller was offering a pair of Quad actives for £229. Stunned, I had a closer look. Apart from a different badge, Quad Industrial, these looked identical to the Quad 11l actives. Plus, they were brand new, in unopened boxes.
After a few hours of research I discovered that IAG, Quad's parent company, has an Industrial division that market audio equipment for hotels, conference centres, lecture theatres, and the like. Hence the different branding. The speaker also goes by another name, the Quad QPM1. Other than that it is identical in every way to the Quad 11l active monitor.
This was a game changer. Prior to this I was considering the Audioengine 2 model as my desktop speaker replacement. I phoned the supplier to check that there was no mistake in their pricing in the advert. They confirmed that they were on sale for £229 for the pair. I placed my order immediately.
I was very excited to hear these speakers given the reviews I'd read. I'm also a big fan of the Quad sound. My front room consists of the Quad 12l2s as main speakers in my 5.1 kit, Quad Centre, Quad l-ite satellites for rear and Quad l-ite subwoofer. Now I could have the Quad sound as part of my desktop system at a fraction of the price.
Quad speakers are known for being extremely neutral. In other words they take nothing away from or add anything to the original recording or source. Although my Quads were all very well reviewed at the time of their release, around 2004-2007, there are other great speakers out there. For me I liked the cachet associated with being a Quad owner. I clearly liked the sound and most importantly I got all the kit at bargain prices. Most of it was ex-dem so I saved at least 20% on the normal retail price. Another important factor was matching the speakers across the whole 5.1 kit. All of them should work well together. The 5.1 kit is driven by an Arcam AVR 300 that again was ex-dem. The front speakers are bi-amped and bi-wired. This affords them 120 watts per channel and per driver.
Being a hi-fi enthusiast makes you a bit picky about what you’ll listen to. So how do the Quad actives sound? Well put it this way... I've not stopped playing them since the minute they arrived in the house. I've thrown everything at them. From Led Zepp to Beethoven. Alison Krauss through to Prokofiev. Unbelievable! If anything the Quad actives may sound better than the 12l2s in my front room due to the fact that their bi-amp design is perfectly matched to the drivers in a way that any other amp would struggle to better. There is plenty of power and the signal path is not compromised by additional cabling and junction points. So the sound could be characterised as being clean, clear with tight bass control and a surprising amount of depth considering the cabinet size. However being nearfield monitors they are very revealing! If the recording is poor it sounds poor through these. You are very conscious of it. Also after a few days I became very aware of the deficiencies of the iMac's sound card. There was a constant low hum and other nasties such as buzzing and clicks. Hissing too. Another issue was that I wanted to run an old radio tuner through these. All I could lay my hands on at short notice was a phono switchbox. This worked but it was difficult to control the volume of the tuner other than messing around at the back of the monitors. Not really ideal.
I realised I need to look for some kind of preamp. Nothing suitable for desktop audio seemed immediately available. Initially I started looking at pro audio solutions. Mixers and the like. Not only were these really expensive but they also took up a lot of desk space. The other thing that seemed clear was that some kind of external signal processing solution would improve on the sound the iMac was capable of producing. Looked like a DAC was required. This took me into a whole new ballpark. It came down to two companies in the end. Cambridge Audio’s Dacmagic or NuForce’s uDac or Icon products. Fundamentally it came down to my need to switch sources easily and the ability to control volume at the turn of a dial or via an installed remote app on an iPhone. The Dacmagic looked very tempting but there was no preamp function or headphone amplifier. This left me with the NuForce products.
NuForce’s website information is confusing. Being new to the world of DACs and desktop audio I knew little about using USB as a means of feeding an external digital to analogue converter with a digital signal. I was familiar with toslink optical links from the Arcam processor but USB was new to me. So I started reading about jitter and the degrading effect is has on sound quality and the technology used by NuForce to take correct these issues. I also read some astonishing reviews on their uDac, Icon 2 and Icon HDP products. Turns out NuForce are an American company that specialises in really high end digital amplifiers and DACs. We’re talking thousands of pounds. Their ‘desktop’ range is much more affordable however. The uDac was offered to me for £55 for example. In the end I got a fantastic deal on the Icon HDP. I had to make a couple of phone calls at this point. I can’t say how much I saved but I got a better bargain on this than I got on the Quads! The Icon HDP is a combined class A headphone, preamp and top quality DAC rolled into one. Perfect for my needs.
Now we have the combined effect of the iMac and its ability to feed a purely digital signal from iTunes or Spotify Premium to the NuForce Icon HDP via USB and then onto the Quad QPMs. The effect the Icon HDP had on the system was staggering. This truly is a phenomenal product. Undoubtedly the most accomplished, best sounding and most useful piece of hi-fi equipment I’ve ever bought. The whole soundstage opened right up. Subtle nuances present in the recordings were revealed in extraordinary detail. A truly three dimensional space is presented to the listener. Given I’m used to the full Quad/Arcam experience in the front room it’s amazing how lifelike and articulate my bargain desktop audio solution really is. The Quads in themselves are remarkable for the price but the Icon HDP is literally a revelation.
As you’ll see from the photos I’ve experimented with this system in all sorts of combinations. At one point I even hooked up the Quad sub to hear the difference it made. I concluded it’s really not required the system is already capable of producing almost terrifying levels of deep controlled bass without it. Midrange too is superb. Treble crisp and smear free. I’ve been particularly enjoying the albums below. I’ve pretty much moved into the backroom! All in all, a pretty good October week…
Trentemøller – The Very Last Resort
Mercan Dede – 800
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Rachmaninov
Alison Krauss – Lonely Runs Both Ways
John Hiatt – Hiatt Comes Alive At Budokan?
Booka Shade – Memento
Avishai Cohen – Aurora
By the way the Quads are still available on eBay, last few remaining. Other speakers shown for comparison.
It was a lazy afternoon. I was just strolling on the steeets of my beloved city with my camera. Saw these three persons on M G Road. They are in identical positions at the same time. But the difference of their activities show us their views and responsibilities of life.
With 1 old go ahead london general seat, on a preserved WVL of ex Go Ahead london.
©️ Francis Wadsworth
James Ottice Neill, Jr., was Josephine’s younger brother. Although it doesn’t seem like much of a difference, in the early 20th century, the eight years between the time Josephine was born in 1908 to 1915, when J.O. (as he was always called) was born saw a big change in the landscape and attitudes in America.
Josephine was born in the last years of Teddy Roosevelt’s vigorous presidency in a pivotal and almost magical year when so many facets of American life seemed to change almost overnight. It was the year that Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet toured the world’s oceans, making America’s power known in the distant lands of the Far East and beyond. It was the year that man finally mastered the skies with Wright Brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk. It was the year that Ford invented the Model T, that Robert Peary reached the North Pole, that the Giants and Cubs had one of the most incredible baseball seasons in history. It was the dawn of a new, exciting era full of hope and promise for the future, and Josephine’s birth on January 5, 1908 got the whole ball rolling!
By 1915 when J.O. was born, the world had become a much more ominous and frightening place, indeed. The previous year, a Bosnian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austro-Hungary and his wife, Sophie, on the streets of Sarajevo, toppling the fragile house of cards that comprised the political alliances throughout Europe. Some say that WWI was really a fight between the cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, fathers, sons, and mothers of the ruling houses of Europe. It is true that few in the family cared for the pompous, spoiled, military-obsessed Willie (as Kaiser Wilhem II of Germany was known within the family), who was born with a withered arm and who, some say, may have acted in such a grandiose, erratic, and obnoxious way to compensate for his deformity. And, although he was Queen Victoria’s very own grandson, Willie certainly had no love for his English cousin, George V, or George’s recently deceased father, Edward VII. So, perhaps it was a family squabble gone too far, but if that’s the case, few came out winners in the deal because, by the end of the war, every monarchy but the Windsors of England would be history.
It was in this time of fear and mistrust that J.O. was born in 1915, a few months after the sinking of the Lusitania. By the time that little J.O. was toddling across his parents’ wood floor at the farm in Bradley, OK, the United States was sending her sons across the ocean to fight in a war that many said was none of our business to begin with. It was a warring world that J.O. was born into, and it was a warring world that would define, and nearly destroy, him as a man.
J.O. grew up on the farm in Bradley with his mother (his dad died when he was nine) and brothers and sisters and friends and animals. He attended the old Bradley school and graduated in the early 30’s. After graduation, he may have stayed on the farm awhile, or he may have decided that he wanted a little adventure and to see the world. All I know is that sometime as the clouds of war were once again looming on the horizon in Europe, J.O. became a U.S. Marine, married a woman named Nan, and had a son.
He likely left his new family stateside for the sandy beaches and salty air of Hawaii aboard the 10,000 ton heavy cruiser, U.S.S. New Orleans, in 1939. Eighteen months later on a beautiful December morning, it was aboard ship, which was docked in the Navy Yard repair basin next to the cruiser, San Francisco, that 26-year-old J.O. probably first heard the steady hum of engines off in the distance. The sound deepened and grew deafeningly loud until he could no longer hear himself breathe … then the hum became a quiet whisper as the roaring thunder of the first torpedoes exploded into nearby ships, including the battleship Pennsylvania, which was also in for repairs nearby.
The New Orleans was moored in the repair basin to get engine work done and was taking power and light when the attack began. “With yard power out during the attack, New Orleans’ engineers fought to raise steam, working by flashlight, while on deck men fired on the Japanese attackers with rifles and pistols. Though guns had to be worked by hand, within 10 minutes all her AA batteries were in action. A number of her crew were injured when a fragmentation bomb exploded close aboard.”
After hearing family stories about J.O., I’m sure that he was one of the brave men on deck firing like a Wild West desperado at the swarm of Japanese planes flying low to drop death on the doomed Oklahoma and her sisters directly across the bay in Battleship Row. Although he would have been a good aim after spending years hunting jackrabbits and small game on the farm back home in Bradley, I doubt that J.O. or any of his shipmates did much damage to the enemy until the New Orleans' big guns were ready to go.
I can't even imagine how frustrated the men aboard the ship must have felt seeing the attack going on and not being able to do much to fight back in those first moments of America's involvement in WWII. It was a frustration that the crew of the New Orleans would have ample opportunity to remedy.
So, for the second time since J.O. was born, the United States was once again sending her sons across the ocean to fight in a war that, until Pearl Harbor, many, including national hero Charles Lindberg, said was none of our business to begin with. Well, now it was our business, and J.O. was right in the thick of things.
Over the next two years, he and the New Orleans found themselves embroiled in over a dozen battles in the Pacific theater, but it was the Battle of Tassafaronga on the evening of November 30, 1942 that would haunt J.O.’s dreams for the rest of his life.
“When flagship Minneapolis was struck by two torpedoes, New Orleans, next astern, was forced to sheer away to avoid collision, and ran into the track of a torpedo which ripped off her bow. Bumping down the ship’s port side, the severed bow punched several holes in New Orleans’ hull. A fifth of her length gone, slowed to 2 knots, and blazing forward, the ship fought for survival.”
What the official history doesn’t say, and what kept J.O. up at night long after the war was over, was that, in order to keep the ship afloat, the command was given to close off all the bulkheads to the ship’s broken and leaking section. This meant that dozens of men were locked inside flooding rooms with no hope of escape.
The New Orleans limped to the safety of Australia two weeks later for repairs. I can only imagine the scene J.O. and his surviving shipmates found when they opened up those bulkheads. It was one of the events that his family says turned J.O. from a happy, carefree person into a forlorn, tortured soul. But, that didn’t stop him from fighting in 13 major battles aboard the famous New Orleans before he returned to the U.S. in late 1943 or early 1944.
When the battle weary J.O. finally came home, he went back home to quiet Bradley for a brief visit. I believe it was during this time that Dr. Jerry Nye, a 4th grader at the Bradley School at the time, recalls a visit J.O. made to the students. “Once, J.O. Neill, a Marine sergeant who had fought in the vicious battles in the Pacific, visited our school. We were stunned by this handsome warrior in his Marine uniform with his campaign ribbons and combat awards on his chest.”
A dashing figure he must have been, but, sadly, not to Nan. J.O. came home expecting to find his wife and son waiting with open arms, but he had been gone for so long, changed so much that Nan didn’t know him anymore, and she wanted out. She took their son and left the state, never to return.
Alone in a still, quiet house with his nightmares and demons, J.O. couldn’t cope, so he checked himself into a V.A. hospital for treatment. I don’t know how long he remained, but he must have been well enough to leave by June of 1944 because, when his little brother, Sam, was lost over France, J.O. was a gunnery instructor in New River, N.C.
The years after the war were lonely ones for J.O. He lived for a time with his aging mother on the farm in Bradley, then, as she got older, she moved into nearby Lindsay, and he followed. Once there, he became a Deputy Sheriff and lived the quiet life of an aged bachelor.
J.O.’s nephew and namesake, James, recalls that, if no one talked to him for awhile at family gatherings, J.O. would get very quiet and even ghost like, and no amount of cajoling could get him to snap out of his trancelike quiet. Maybe he was thinking about his lost shipmates back on the New Orleans. Maybe he was thinking of his son, whom he saw infrequently because the child lived in another state with Nan and her new husband. Or maybe he was thinking of simpler days on the farm in the years between the wars … between the time he was born and the time in November of 1942 that some say he really died.
J.O. is buried in the family plot in Erin Springs Cemetery, which is just outside Lindsay, OK. RIP, J.O., you deserve it.
Acknowledgements:
Quotes regarding the New Orleans: www.acepilots.com/ships/new_orleans.html
Quote from Dr. Jerry Nye was taken from the December 2007 edition of the Lindsay, OK News
For more information about the events of 1908, I recommend reading America: 1908, which is a compelling and utterly fascinating book about this incredible year in history.
Here's a photo of the U.S.S. New Orleans as she looked after Tassafaronga:
We are back...
Spot the difference. Be in the spotlight!
Here's your chance to show us how good an eye you have for fashion.
Former West Midlands MCW Metrobuses C891FON and ROX661Y with Beaver Bus. C891FON had suffered rear end damage whilst in service in Coventry and was later rebuilt by Beaver Bus, who also pannelled over the lower deck window.
Just a rose with a little twist. Take a closer look!
The barbed wire is supposed to be a contrast to the rose. One is there to keep you on a distance, the other to get closer.
Katja Stock helped me with making the "new roses". Thanks for that!
Nur eine Rose mit einem kleinen Twist! Sieh etwas genauer hin.
Der Stacheldraht soll ein Kontrast zu Rose darstellen. Das eine schaft Distanz, das andere schaft Nähe.
Katja Stock hat mir beim basteln der Rosen und allem anderen geholfen, vielen Dank!
APPROXIMATE RELEASE DATE: 2017-2018
PERSONAL FUN FACT: It's impressive how many separates came with this Rehearsal Outfit. With all these items laid out, they remind me of Isabelle's collection. The main difference is that Izzy's stuff was marketed as separates. You'd think that is a nice idea for people who just like say a sweater or skirt. But it actually is MORE expensive to buy each piece on its own. Seriously, their clothes cost as much as a human being's! Likewise, Isabelle's collection lacks a lot of shoes because she was meant to recycle the same ones for each outfit (or not wear any at all). Colleen's Courtney doll has the same problem with too few shoes. Anyways, I'm so glad that Gabriela's collection was formatted in the more traditional way. She actually got an EXTRA pair of shoes, since they made her a set of separately sold Tap Shoes. Each outfit is given its own coordinating footwear. However, you could definitely still mix and match these pieces if you wanted. I accidentally put these shorts over her Sparkling Sequins Outfit, and they looked cool. I do have to wonder how rehearsing in so many layers could be comfortable. Granted, this heart printed tank top is so light it barely counts as a layer. But imagine wearing a leotard, leggings, AND shorts all at once!!! How do dancers do it?!!
A rampant ridge side tore apart Cleator for the second time in weeks with goals from Hart (2), Allen and Melling. Truth be told that the score could have been double figures but chances were wasted and the Moors keeper was excellent. Ridge remain at the top with a large points difference with Avro two games behind.
Giannina Caviezel, Founder, Student Impact, Switzerland, speaking at the Annual Meeting 2017 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, January 19, 2017
Copyright by World Economic Forum / Walter Duerst
Well, I split the difference today. My size Y11 small child's slippers. Fun to wear like this.
I used to see a guy with much larger feet than mine wearing equally small or smaller slippers from time to time. So I decided to emulate him.
It is common to see people with large feet wearing slippers that are several sizes "too small", but I wanted to push the limit.
Worn with the difference split is fine as shown here. Worn with the strap tight so the toes are on the sole and the heel is on the ground works also, kind of an interesting sensation. Loosening the strap so the heel is completely on the sole and the forefoot hangs over the front is problematical. Unless one keeps his/her toes bent to the ground, the slipper will slide right off as one walks.
Today in Ireland and in the US new regulations relating to drones has been introduced [effective from the 21st of December 2015]. There are many similarities in the regulations but there is one major differences in that here in Ireland they have not mention the penalties for failure to register but in the US the cost of failure to register appears to be rather extreme … “civil penalties up to $27,500, or criminal penalties up to 3 years in prison and $250,000.” According to the minister the aim here in Ireland is to encourage drone users to be responsible citizens.
I have included the press releases from both administrations, have a read and see what you think.
Thursday, 17th December 2015: The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) today announced a new drone regulation which includes the mandatory registration of all drones weighing 1kg or more from Monday, 21st December 2015.
The use of drones worldwide is expanding rapidly and there are estimated to be between 4,000 – 5,000 drones already in use in Ireland. Ireland has taken a proactive role in this fast emerging area and is currently one of only a handful of EU Member states that has legislation governing the use of drones.
The new legislation is intended to further enhance safety within Ireland and specifically addresses the safety challenges posed by drones.
From 21st December 2015, all drones weighing 1kg or more must be registered with the IAA via www.iaa.ie/drones. Drone registration is a simple two-step process. To register a drone, the registrant must be 16 years of age or older (Drones operated by those under 16 years of age must be registered by a parent or legal guardian). A nominal fee will apply from February 2016 but this has been initially waived by the IAA in order to encourage early registration.
Mr Ralph James, IAA Director of Safety Regulation, said
“Ireland is already recognised worldwide as a centre of excellence for civil aviation and the drone sector presents another major opportunity for Ireland. We’re closely working with industry to facilitate its successful development here. At the same time, safety is our top priority and we must ensure that drones are used in a safe way and that they do not interfere with all other forms of aviation.
Mr James explained that drone registration has been made a mandatory requirement as this will help the IAA to monitor the sector in the years ahead. The IAA encourages all drone operators to take part in training courses which are available through a number of approved drone training organisations.
“We would strongly encourage drone operators to register with us as quickly as possible, to complete a training course and to become aware of their responsibilities. People operating drones must do so in safe and responsible manner and in full compliance with the new regulations”, he said.
Welcoming the introduction of drone regulation, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD highlighted the importance of the new legislation and commended the IAA for the efficient manner to have the new registration system in place so quickly.
“The core safety message promoted today advocates the safe use of drones in civilian airspace. The development of drone technology brings opportunities as well as challenges for businesses and services in Ireland. I expect hundreds if not thousands of drones to be bought as presents this Christmas so getting the message to ensure that new owners and operators are aware of their responsibilities and the requirement to register all drones over 1 kg from 21st December 2015 is key. Tremendous potential exists for this sector and Ireland is at the forefront of its development. The speedy response by the IAA to this fast developing aviation area will make sure that drones are properly regulated and registered for use. As a result, Ireland is well placed to exploit the drone sector and to ensure industry growth in this area,” he said.
The new legislation prohibits users from operating their drones in an unsafe manner. This includes never operating a drone:
• if it will be a hazard to another aircraft in flight
• over an assembly of people
• farther than 300m from the operator
• within 120m of any person, vessel or structure not under the operator’s control
• closer than 5km from an aerodrome
• in a negligent or reckless manner so as to endanger life or property of others
• over 400ft (120m) above ground level
• over urban areas
• in civil of military controlled airspace
• in restricted areas (e.g. military installations, prisons, etc.)
• unless the operator has permission from the landowner for takeoff and landing.
For further information please visit www.iaa.ie/drones and see the IAA’s detailed Q&A sheet.
The Federal Aviation Administration has officially launched the drone registration program first reported in October. Drone operators are required to register their UAVs with the Unmanned Aircraft System registry starting December 21. Failure to register could result in criminal and civil penalties.
Under the new system, all aircraft must be registered with the FAA including those 'operated by modelers and hobbyists.' Once registered, drone operators must carry the registration certificate during operation. This new system only applies to drones weighing more than 0.55lbs/250g and less than 55lbs/25kg. The only exception to the registration requirement is indoor drone flights.
Required registration information includes a mailing address and physical address, email address, and full names; however, no information on the drone's make, model, or serial number is required from recreational users. Non-recreational users will need to provide drone information, including serial number, when that particular registration system goes live.
Failure to register could result in civil penalties up to $27,500, or criminal penalties up to 3 years in prison and $250,000. A $5 registration charge is applied, but will be refunded to those who register before January 20. The registration certificate is sent in an email to be printed at home.
There Is Really No Difference From Last Week. Workers Are Still Putting More Stay Cables On The Span Towers. Photo Taken Saturday March 25, 2017.
DSC0326
St Mary, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
This is Suffolk's great urban church. Well, that's not strictly true; Lavenham, Southwold and Mildenhall are also great urban churches, but St Mary has the town to go with it, and that makes a difference; the west door here opens directly onto the busy road, as does the one at St James a hundred metres north. Ipswich can only gape in envy.
It was the early spring of 2004. I had come here on the train from Ipswich on one of those glorious January days when the sky is crystal blue and the air full of ice. It had been two months since I had completed my quest of visiting every single Anglican and Catholic church in Suffolk, but St Mary was the last one that remained unphotographed. In a way, it was the real end of it all.
From the train, I gazed out on high Suffolk. The line threaded through spare winter fields. Not far off, the silhouette of Creeting St Mary church brooded on its ancient hill. Beyond, Phipson's mutant spire at Woolpit pierced the haze.
I thought back to starting at Thornham Parva four years before. It didn't seem very long. I got my camera out and fiddled with it, finally working out how to set the autofocus properly. Well, it was about time. I was also playing with my favourite Christmas present, a zen audio jukebox; no bigger than a pack of cards, but with 30Gb of storage on it. I'd already put 300 CDs on it, and there was room for another 1000. Soon, nobody will buy CDs any more, we'll just plug into each others record collections and download them. It is the death of recorded music as we know it. Having seen Lost in Translation for the second time the previous evening, I had the Jesus and Mary Chain on shuffle; gazing out at Suffolk unfolding, recognising distant towers, listen to the girl as she takes on half the world...
I wandered out across Angel Hill and past the former St James, now the Anglican cathedral. But St Mary is very different, and although the hand of the Victorians fell heart-breakingly hard here, this is above all else a great medieval church, one of three built by the wealthiest abbey in England during the 14th century.
St James was another, of course, and there was also St Margaret, now gone; but its charnel house survives in what is now St Mary's rambling graveyard. At one time, the graveyards of all three met to the north of St Mary, but that of St James was shamefully cleared to create a cathedral close after Diocesan status was achieved in the early 20th century.
From the graveyard you will see the Notyngham porch of the mid-15th century. As with much of this church, it was paid for with the new money of the time; like Lavenham, St Mary is a monument to Mammon as much as it is to God. Curiously, it retains features of a hundred years earlier that were presumably part of an earlier porch. At one time, there was a south porch too; but this was removed as part of the 1840s restoration, and still stands as a folly today in nearby Nowton park.
The graveyard may distract you, but you must still return to the busy street to enter this church from the west. You step into an internal box porch familiar from continental Catholic churches, and then into this vast building; in terms of volume, it is one of the biggest parish churches in England. It was almost entirely rebuilt during the course of the 15th century as a result of numerous bequests, giving it a more organic feel than Southwold or Lavenham.
I have to say that I am used to wandering around big churches on my own. But that was not my experience at St Mary. It was a cleaning day, and the church was full of helpers. They were just ordinary Bury people, not medieval historians, but as I wandered about, they were extremely helpful, and all of them seemed to know a lot about their church. This is not my usual experience. They also allowed me to go anywhere I liked, pretty much, including up into the sanctuary and onto the ledges of the great memorials. One of them illuminated the 15th century roof for me. I put more money in the box at the end of it than I have in any English church before. Thank you to all of them.
These are the longest, finest, highest arcades in Suffolk. It is like walking through a forest. I thought of something Simon Schama wrote in Landscape and Memory, when he was still pretentious and before he became a TV star; he argued that the great cathedrals deliberately echoed the great forests. It was humbling to think that St Mary had once been just a tiny corner of the great abbey complex; on the painting at the end of the entry for Bury Abbey, St Mary is dwarfed by the great building beside it.
The Notyngham porch was inaccessible on the day of my visit because of a scaffolding tower, so I shall have to go back and photograph the boss in the roof. Angels surround foliage out of which an old man is peeping. Perhaps he is a green man, or more likely at such a late date it is a rare image of God the Father.
I said before that St Mary was built by trade, and apart from John Notyngham the two most significant 15th century donors were Jankyn Smith and John Baret. Smith lengthened the church eastwards with chancel chapels to south and north and a projecting sanctuary. The altar pieces here are modern and splendid: to the south, a representation of the incarnation above a simple wooden altar, and to the north an embroidered screen in the Sarum tradition.A brass of Smith and his wife can be found in the south chancel chapel, although his chantry was actually a parclosed screened area at the east end of the north aisle.
But it is Baret we remember today. Before Smith built the south chancel chapel, Baret carved out for himself a chantry chapel at the east end of the aisle. In it he put a cadaver memorial which is generally considered the best in England. Far more remarkable than Baret's corpse is England's finest surviving 15th century church ceiling. It sits above the former chantry chapel, and is stunning. The legend Grace me Governe is worked across the ceilure panels with illuminated capitals and tiny stars that have real mirrors at their centres. it was sensitively restored in 1968.
As if this wasn't enough, the nave roof is also the gift of Baret, and Mortlock thought it the finest in England (Cautley goes for Mildenhall). The most easterly brace forms the now repainted canopy of honour to the original rood. Because St Mary is so vast, the roof is a less intimate experience than Mildenhall, but they will illuminate it if you ask nicely, and binoculars will find many of the details. As well as the angels, there are figures representing the heirarchy of the Catholic church, and the wallposts contain Apostles, Saints and Prophets. I found the one which has been identified as my old friend St Walstan.
The historian Clive Paine, in the church guidebook, suggests that an intriguing detail of the roof is the pair of figures to the west. They could possibly be interpreted as Christ in Majesty and Mary Queen of Heaven. However, as the female figure is holding her crown rather than wearing it, it may very well be that it is Margaret of Anjou, who was engaged to marry Henry VI (who in turn may be the figure wearing a crown). If this is so, then it may be that the roof was planned and begun between the betrothal of October 1444 and the enthronement of May 1445. Mortlock suggests that it may have been completed in time for Henry's parliament which was held here in Bury in February 1447. It may be that the religious iconography of the royal couple was intentional; enthusiasm for the Assumption as a Church festival was at its height in the mid-15th century (it is entirely expunged from official Anglican doctrine today) and Paine records that the Abbey poet John Lidgate compared Margaret of Anjou's entry into London with the bodily assumption and coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven.
But St Mary doesn't have just two amazing roofs. There is also the chancel roof, which is ceilured, and although it has been extensively repainted it is largely to its medieval integrity. Angels carry verses of the Te Deum, and there are musical instruments and mythical beasts. It is a delight.
The roodscreen is an elegant one of the early 20th century, and if you pause and look back you will see the great west window, believed to be the largest in any church in England. The mawkish glass in it was given in thanksgiving for the bumper harvest of 1854. Indeed, if you like sentimental 19th century glass then the south aisle at least will be a feast for you. I can take a little, but tend to think that, as with Schubert's lieder, Ibsen's dramas and chicken liver paté, Victorian glass is best served in small portions.
East of the screen, flanking Smith's extension, are two grand memorials, both topped by couples. To the south are the Drurys, familiar from Hawstead, and to the north are the Carewes. Both monuments have been knocked about a bit, losing their canopies in the process. The best faces are the male Carewe and the female Drury.
The most famous person buried here is neither Drury or Carewe, or indeed Baret or Smith. It is Mary Rose Tudor, sister of Henry VIII, who was married off to the King of France in the hope of cementing peace between the two kingdoms (pragmatically, Henry married his other sister off to the King of Scotland). Unfortunately, the French King put a spoke in the wheel by dying shortly after the ceremony, so Mary came back to England and married Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. They lived at Westhorpe, and she is remembered in the church there. When she died, she was buried in Bury Abbey, and at the dissolution her tomb was moved here. It appears to have been dismantled in the 18th century, and has been replaced by a rather mundane floor monument; but above it on the wall are an 18th century plaque and a modern plaque like the one at Westhorpe. Rather neatly, the cusping of Smith's blank arcades above ends in Tudor roses.
In the South chancel chapel there is a 19th century window by Clayton & Bell, supposedly paid for by Queen Victoria, which tells the story of Mary Tudor's life. The panels are sombre, although not without interest; I rather liked the final one of Mary's funeral Mass in Bury Abbey. The officiating Abbot would join Mary here in the chancel floor after his death.
Elsewhere, there is much of interest, lots of little details that alone would make a visit to a smaller church worthwhile. The Suffolk Regiment chapel in the north aisle is entirely the work of Ninian Comper, including a rare survival by him, the altar frontal and riddel screen. Although the panels of the font bowl were destroyed by the reformers, the shaft is a nice one with lions flanking men carrying swords. At the west end of the north aisle is the so-called St Walstan chapel, which is now full of the paraphernalia of remembrance, and to the east of this the Victorian restoration reset all the wall monuments, which make a rather impressive piece together. Tucked around the corner is the monument to Peter Gedge, who published Bury's first newspaper and died in 1818: like a worn out Type he is Returned to the Founder, in hopes of being recast in a better and more perfect Mould. Did early 19th century Burians believe in reincarnation, I wonder?
I thanked the nice people, and headed out into the Saturday traffic.
So, that was it. I had now photographed every single Anglican and Catholic Parish church in Suffolk, as well as all the redundant ones. I'd done most of the ruins and even photographed a dozen or so empty fields where churches had once been. St Mary was the 641st. I had taken about 7000 photographs and written over a million words. God knows how many miles I had cycled - thousands. I had visited every village in the county, some of them several times. The website had had more than 80,000 visitors through the front door alone, and had been featured in the national press and on television in Britain, the US and Australia. It had spun off into a six part radio series (with a second series to come this summer, if you are in East Anglia). It had generated about 6000 e-mails from people offering or asking for information.
I wandered back up to Angel Hill, William Reid's breathy voice and those bottom-of-the-liftshaft drums resonating in my head. The hardest walk you will ever take is the walk you take from A to B... It was time to go and do something else.
(c) Simon Knott, March 2004
Four women ascending on a mountain in Manakamana, Nepal. The are carrying heavy packs on their backs and it will take about two hours to reach to their destination. The cable cars are passing by them just above them, some of which are even empty. The cable cars are not affordable for many poor locals.
Deviating mold on the right throughout; it's supposed to be a factory reject but I'm not sure. The other two are Simply Love Me and Petit Dejeuner.
I don't even know why I spend any energy on this. Maybe I'm just too curious about the entire factory doll concept and why there are so many of them... and whether I should feel bad for buying them.
I mean, the differences above hardly matter.
Make up your Mind to Make a Difference
We’ve made up our mind to make a difference and unleashing human potential is our mission. Here’s how we do it…The Philanthropy of TheDOJO through Project Based Leadership Training. If someone is looking to make a difference in our world a simple start is performing an act of kindness for a child (most likely it will be remember throughout their life). Donate a toy with us this holiday season, see how below.
20,000 Smiles
Last year TheDOJO Toy Drive raised 230 toys for Toys for Tots, a military organization who distributes the toys to children who are without. Last year 20,000 toys were handed out, that equates to 20,000 smiles of children. What better way to instill a sense of hope in a child’s heart than through compassion? Toys for Tots also donates, all throughout the year, toys to children in our locality that are victims of disasters such as storms and house fires.
A martial arts education of intelligent curriculum curated by Sensei Dan Rominski at his martial art school located in Rutherford NJ. Visit our website www.thedojo.org Self-Defense for children at (201) 933-3050 or email SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org
Visit our website www.thedojo.org
Children Learn Focus, Discipline, Self-Control, Concentration, Fitness, Confidence, Respect, Have Better Self-Esteem, Healthy Eating and Self-Defense.
Adults Learn How to get and stay in shape, Stress Release, Fitness, Healthy Eating, Slow start program (come as you are), a coach in every class, Confidence, Focus, Self-Discipline, Positive Peer Group and it’s Fun!
Parents, Download your FREE Report The 7 Steps for Parents: Preventing Childhood Sexual Abuse Click HERE to visit our website
danrominski.squarespace.com/c...|/sexual-abuse-prevention
Sensei Dan is available for Scheduled TALKS & PRESENTATIONS.
Get more information about our Martial Arts Education of Intelligent Curriculum involving Everything Self-Defense at TheDOJO located in Rutherford NJ.
Contact Chief Instructor: Owner Sensei Dan Rominski at (201) 933-3050 or email SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org
Visit our website www.TheDOJO.org
TheDOJO - 52 Park Avenue, Rutherford, NJ 07070 - Phone: (201) 933-3050 - Text us for info here: (201) 838-4177
Our e-mail address: SenseiDan@TheDOJO.org - Our Facebook page: Like us at TheDOJO or Friend us DanRominski
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/user/DanRominski - Our Twitter www.twitter.com/danrominski
Instagram: www.instagram.com/danrominski
A link to where our school is on Google Maps: www.google.com/maps/place/TheD......
If you live in the Rutherford, NJ area and would like to inquire about our programs, reach out to us at the phone and/or e-mail or text addresses above. -Sensei Dan
Read our Blog at senseidanromisnki.blogspot.com...
Read our blog at www.DanRominski.Tumblr.com
We Teach Children, Teens and Adults from Rutherford, NJ; East Rutherford, NJ; Carlstadt, NJ; Kearny, NJ; Lyndhurst, NJ; Woodridge, NJ; Hackensack, NJ; Belleville, NJ; Bloomfield, NJ; Nutley, NJ; Clifton, NJ; Montclair, NJ; and surrounding areas.
No Matter The Martial Art we’ll help you accomplish your goals through our expertise or help you find a school that will best suit you.
Karate, Judo, Jujutsu, Juijitsu, Jiu-jitsu, Goju Ryu, Shorin Ryu, Kendo, Iaido, Aikido, Mixed Martial Arts, Grappling, Daito Ryu Aiki Jujutsu, Ryukyu Okinawa Kobudo, Shorin Ryu, TKD, Tae Kwon Do