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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to everyone who celebrates this special day today!
What a mess Flickr was last night! I had difficulty adding titles to my uploaded images, comments didn't save and, after I had added a description to each of the 20 photos, the descriptions all disappeared. When I opened Flickr this morning, there was still no sign of them. Then, suddenly, they re-appeared.
My photos taken at the National Butterfly Centre, Mission, South Texas, have now come to an end, so you can sigh a huge sigh of relief : ) After that, I have just a few photos taken at another place that we called in at later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, we only had an hour there before closing time, but how glad we were that we found this place. The highlight there was watching 25 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons coming in to roost for the night in the trees, right where we were standing! What a great sight this was, and we were lucky enough to have a good, close view of these gorgeous birds. We also saw some Purple Martins and their circular, hanging nest "gourds".
On Day 6 of our birding holiday in South Texas, 24 March 2019, we left our hotel in Kingsville, South Texas, and started our drive to Mission, where we would be staying at La Quinta Inn & Suites for three nights. On the first stretch of our drive, we were lucky enough to see several bird species, including a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Hooded Oriole, Red-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Harris's Hawk, Pyrrhuloxia male (looks similar to a Cardinal) and a spectacular Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. I'm not sure if this stretch is called Hawk Alley.
We had a long drive further south towards Mission, with only a couple of drive-by photos taken en route (of a strangely shaped building that turned out to be a deserted seed storage building). Eventually, we reached our next planned stop, the National Butterfly Centre. This was a great place, my favourite part of it being the bird feeding station, where we saw all sorts of species and reasonably close. Despite the name of the place, we only saw a few butterflies while we were there. May have been the weather or, more likely, the fact that I was having so much fun at the bird feeding station. We also got to see Spike, a giant African Spurred Tortoise. All the nature/wildlife parks that we visited in South Texas had beautiful visitor centres and usually bird feeding stations. And there are so many of these parks - so impressive!
nationalbutterflycenter.org/nbc-multi-media/in-the-news/1...
"Ten years ago, the North American Butterfly Association broke ground for what has now become the largest native plant botanical garden in the United States. This 100-acre preserve is home to Spike (who thinks he is a butterfly) and the greatest volume and variety of wild, free-flying butterflies in the nation. In fact, USA Today calls the National Butterfly Center, in Mission, Texas, 'the butterfly capitol of the USA'." From the Butterfly Centre's website.
The Centre is facing huge challenges, as a result of the "Border Wall". The following information is from the Centre's website.
www.nationalbutterflycenter.org/about-nbc/maps-directions...
"No permission was requested to enter the property or begin cutting down trees. The center was not notified of any roadwork, nor given the opportunity to review, negotiate or deny the workplan. Same goes for the core sampling of soils on the property, and the surveying and staking of a “clear zone” that will bulldoze 200,000 square feet of habitat for protected species like the Texas Tortoise and Texas Indigo, not to mention about 400 species of birds. The federal government had decided it will do as it pleases with our property, swiftly and secretly, in spite of our property rights and right to due process under the law."
"What the Border Wall will do here:
1) Eradicate an enormous amount of native habitat, including host plants for butterflies, breeding and feeding areas for wildlife, and lands set aside for conservation of endangered and threatened species-- including avian species that migrate N/S through this area or over-winter, here, in the tip of the Central US Flyway.
2) Create devastating flooding to all property up to 2 miles behind the wall, on the banks of the mighty Rio Grande River, here.
3) Reduce viable range land for wildlife foraging and mating. This will result in greater competition for resources and a smaller gene pool for healthy species reproduction. Genetic "bottlenecks" can exacerbate blight and disease.
IN ADDITION:
4) Not all birds can fly over the wall, nor will all butterfly species. For example, the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, found on the southern border from Texas to Arizona, only flies about 6 ft in the air. It cannot overcome a 30 ft vertical wall of concrete and steel.
5) Nocturnal and crepuscular wildlife, which rely on sunset and sunrise cues to regulate vital activity, will be negatively affected by night time flood lighting of the "control zone" the DHS CBP will establish along the wall and new secondary drag roads. The expansion of these areas to vehicular traffic will increase wildlife roadkill.
6) Animals trapped north of the wall will face similar competition for resources, cut off from native habitat in the conservation corridor and from water in the Rio Grande River and adjacent resacas. HUMANS, here, will also be cut off from our only source of fresh water, in this irrigated desert.
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to everyone who celebrates this special day today!
What a mess Flickr was last night! I had difficulty adding titles to my uploaded images, comments didn't save and, after I had added a description to each of the 20 photos, the descriptions all disappeared. When I opened Flickr this morning, there was still no sign of them. Then, suddenly, they re-appeared.
My photos taken at the National Butterfly Centre, Mission, South Texas, have now come to an end, so you can sigh a huge sigh of relief : ) After that, I have just a few photos taken at another place that we called in at later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, we only had an hour there before closing time, but how glad we were that we found this place. The highlight there was watching 25 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons coming in to roost for the night in the trees, right where we were standing! What a great sight this was, and we were lucky enough to have a good, close view of these gorgeous birds. We also saw some Purple Martins and their circular, hanging nest "gourds".
On Day 6 of our birding holiday in South Texas, 24 March 2019, we left our hotel in Kingsville, South Texas, and started our drive to Mission, where we would be staying at La Quinta Inn & Suites for three nights. On the first stretch of our drive, we were lucky enough to see several bird species, including a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Hooded Oriole, Red-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Harris's Hawk, Pyrrhuloxia male (looks similar to a Cardinal) and a spectacular Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. I'm not sure if this stretch is called Hawk Alley.
We had a long drive further south towards Mission, with only a couple of drive-by photos taken en route (of a strangely shaped building that turned out to be a deserted seed storage building). Eventually, we reached our next planned stop, the National Butterfly Centre. This was a great place, my favourite part of it being the bird feeding station, where we saw all sorts of species and reasonably close. Despite the name of the place, we only saw a few butterflies while we were there. May have been the weather or, more likely, the fact that I was having so much fun at the bird feeding station. We also got to see Spike, a giant African Spurred Tortoise. All the nature/wildlife parks that we visited in South Texas had beautiful visitor centres and usually bird feeding stations. And there are so many of these parks - so impressive!
nationalbutterflycenter.org/nbc-multi-media/in-the-news/1...
"Ten years ago, the North American Butterfly Association broke ground for what has now become the largest native plant botanical garden in the United States. This 100-acre preserve is home to Spike (who thinks he is a butterfly) and the greatest volume and variety of wild, free-flying butterflies in the nation. In fact, USA Today calls the National Butterfly Center, in Mission, Texas, 'the butterfly capitol of the USA'." From the Butterfly Centre's website.
The Centre is facing huge challenges, as a result of the "Border Wall". The following information is from the Centre's website.
www.nationalbutterflycenter.org/about-nbc/maps-directions...
"No permission was requested to enter the property or begin cutting down trees. The center was not notified of any roadwork, nor given the opportunity to review, negotiate or deny the workplan. Same goes for the core sampling of soils on the property, and the surveying and staking of a “clear zone” that will bulldoze 200,000 square feet of habitat for protected species like the Texas Tortoise and Texas Indigo, not to mention about 400 species of birds. The federal government had decided it will do as it pleases with our property, swiftly and secretly, in spite of our property rights and right to due process under the law."
"What the Border Wall will do here:
1) Eradicate an enormous amount of native habitat, including host plants for butterflies, breeding and feeding areas for wildlife, and lands set aside for conservation of endangered and threatened species-- including avian species that migrate N/S through this area or over-winter, here, in the tip of the Central US Flyway.
2) Create devastating flooding to all property up to 2 miles behind the wall, on the banks of the mighty Rio Grande River, here.
3) Reduce viable range land for wildlife foraging and mating. This will result in greater competition for resources and a smaller gene pool for healthy species reproduction. Genetic "bottlenecks" can exacerbate blight and disease.
IN ADDITION:
4) Not all birds can fly over the wall, nor will all butterfly species. For example, the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, found on the southern border from Texas to Arizona, only flies about 6 ft in the air. It cannot overcome a 30 ft vertical wall of concrete and steel.
5) Nocturnal and crepuscular wildlife, which rely on sunset and sunrise cues to regulate vital activity, will be negatively affected by night time flood lighting of the "control zone" the DHS CBP will establish along the wall and new secondary drag roads. The expansion of these areas to vehicular traffic will increase wildlife roadkill.
6) Animals trapped north of the wall will face similar competition for resources, cut off from native habitat in the conservation corridor and from water in the Rio Grande River and adjacent resacas. HUMANS, here, will also be cut off from our only source of fresh water, in this irrigated desert.
I had difficulty taking a good picture because the cat was constantly moving. I ended up taking many shots. Cats can be quite silly at times. This picture is perfect, with a clear shot that I took, and the pose is nice too😄😃😘.
(The picture has been edited)
Day two of our trip down to Wanaka Central Otago. February 20, 2018 New Zealand.
We didn't get accommodation in Wanaka last night and they were all booked out until the 25th. We went on to Cromwell .. some there but we did book for today. We finally found a place to stay in the camping ground in Alexandra. Now we are making our way back to Cromwell for the next two nights.
Mt Difficulty Wines is located in Bannockburn, well within an hour's drive of both Queenstown and Wanaka. The Cellar Door is known as much for its dramatic views of rugged rock and thyme landscapes as it is for its stylish wine.
www.newzealand.com/ie/plan/business/mt-difficulty-wines-c...
PM Netanyahu met on Monday, 13.2.12, at the Knesset with 14-year-old Tal Hajaj who told him about the difficulties her family has experienced since her father came to the State of Israel after having served in the South Lebanon Army. Photo: Moshe Milner, GPO
Ursula has been fully deboxed, and placed sitting down with her tentacles spread out around her. I like her alot, I think more than the LE Ursula. But she is by no means a perfect Ursula. The build in stand for her is a smaller version of the one for the LE doll. It is a metal pole with a flat disk that fits into a pocket on the underside of Ursula. Unlike the LE doll stand, this one is not portable. Only her front four tentacles are articulated. The two rear ones are just stuffed, so don't really help support Ursula. However she can still free stand, with her tentacles stretched out. Her arms are fully articulated, a big improvement over the LE Ursula, but her hands don't have much freedom of movement forward or backward. Her neck is VERY stiff, so I moved her head will great difficulty, and I was afraid to damage her head or neck if I applied any more force. Perhaps it will become looser with over time. As with LE Ursula, her top is removable (although I haven't done so yet), and the lower portion of her torso is stuffed with her leather like skin permanently sewn on. With her sitting down with her tentacles spread out, she looks like a starfish, and she is very stable. With her tentacles upright, she can free stand, but isn't very stable. It would have helped greatly if her two rear tentacles were articulated, to help support her standing pose. Standing up, she comes up to about Ariel's height, so is far smaller than the animated character. While deboxing and posing her, one rhinestone and one sequin fell off, but I don't miss them since there are hundreds of those on her body and tentacles.
I got the Ariel and Ursula Doll Set on Tuesday October 20, 2015, at my local Disney Store's raffle. I was 17th of 18 called, so I'm very glad I was able to get her in store. There was about the same amount of people who were there for the Snow/Hag set, so about 10 people missed out today. My set is #4185 of 6000. I will show this set boxed, during deboxing, and fully deboxed. I took the set I was given. I noticed that Ariel's eyelashes were not at the same angle between her two eyes, but it didn't bother me enough to ask for another set. There were no other noticeable defects in the set.
I have deboxed Ariel, and found to my surprise that the pile of rocks is totally separate from the display case, and is free standing. Ariel is supposed to free sit on the rock stand, and stay in position just by the friction of her sequined tail on the uneven surface of the top rock. It also helps if the floor of is rough (like a carpet) rather than the smooth surface that I was using for the photoshoot. Next, I was pleasantly surprised is that she has the old Designer Princess body, so rubber legs and swivel waist joint. As I expected, her hair is heavily gelled to keep her curls, but not as heavily as the 17'' LE Ariel from 2013. So only the bottom third of her curls are stiff. There were a couple of stray hairs stuck in her neck joint (ouch!) and some short hairs (like trimmings) that I had to remove from her face and chest. She is pretty, but not drop dead gorgeous as were the previous two Designer Ariel dolls (from 2011 and 2013). I also don't like her see through top. It has a rough surface, so her hairs kept on getting caught in it.
Her sequins making up her tail are iridescent, so it appears to be different colors (various shades of green, blue and purple) depending on the angle of the light and angle of viewing. That is similar to how the scales of an actual fish appear. This was an unexpected feature of her tail that makes me like it much more than I did from the stock photos, or even from viewing her in person in the display dolls before I bought her and deboxed her. I also really like her fins, which are wired to stiffen them, and are posable.
I also compare Designer Ariel side by side with the OOAK Ariel made by a fellow collector, who used the 2014 Classic Ariel as the base.
Fourth release of the 2015 Disney Fairytale Designer Collection is Ariel in mermaid form and Ursula in sea witch form. She sold out online a few hours after the release.
Ariel and Ursula Doll Set - Disney Fairytale Designer Collection
US Disney Store
Released In Store 2015-10-20
Released Online 2015-10-21
Sold Out Online 2015-10-21
$129.95
Item No. 6003040901260P
Tail of wonder
Ariel is paired with the wicked sea witch Ursula in this limited edition The Little Mermaid set. Part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection's heroes and villains series, the finely detailed duo feature exquisite costumes.
Magic in the details...
Please Note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Guest.
As part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection's heroes and villains series, Ariel and Ursula were carefully crafted by artists inspired by Disney's The Little Mermaid. Reimagined in exquisite detail, these limited edition dolls were brought to life with thoughtful attention, and uniquely capture the essence of the fairytale characters, creating a one-of-a-kind set that will be a treasured keepsake of collectors and Disney fans.
• Global Limited Edition of 6000
• Includes Certificate of Authenticity
• Ariel's diaphanous bodice is adorned with intricate embroidery and sparkling rhinestones
• Tail features iridescent sequins with translucent fins accented with glitter
• Rooted red hair
• Dramatic make-up and rooted eyelashes
• Ursula's black faux leather bodice and outer tentacles are studded with black rhinestones
• Purple underside of tentacles are accented with sequins
• Gold shell earrings and gold shell necklace
• Rooted white hair
• Rock accessory
• Dolls sold in a special keepsake display case with intricate details on the base, including a golden plate with the names of Ariel and Ursula
• Includes special Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Gift Bag
• Part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection
* Intended for adult collectors -- Not a child's toy.
The bare necessities
• Plastic / polyester
• Ariel: 16'' H
• Ursula: 11'' H
• Imported
The Postcard
A Colourmaster International postcard that was produced by Photo Precision Limited of St. Ives, Huntingdon.
The card was posted in Bridlington using a 3p stamp on Tuesday the 2nd. October 1973 to:
Miss M. Smith,
44, Richmond Park Avenue,
Bournemouth,
Hants.
The message on the divided back was as follows:
"Dear Maggie,
We are enjoying our
holiday. We spent four
nights at the motel at
Teesside.
At the moment we are
staying at Bridlington
and sitting by the harbour.
This afternoon we are
going to Hornsea Pottery.
The weather is much
better this week.
Queenie & Arthur."
Hornsea Pottery
Hornsea Pottery was a business located in the coastal town of Hornsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hornsea is 14 miles from Bridlington.
Hornsea Pottery specialized in tableware with elegant contemporary designs.
The pottery was founded in 1949, in a small terraced house, by brothers Colin and Desmond Rawson with funding from local business man, Philip Clappison.
The factory's earliest pieces were mostly designed by Colin Rawson. The products sold well, and the pottery moved to larger premises, and took on its first employee in 1950.
Expansion of the business in the 1950's brought moves to larger sites in Hornsea. A second factory in Lancaster opened in 1974.
At its height in 1981 the company had over 700 employees. However the ceramic tableware market was witnessing a great change, with Japanese imports flooding the American market, and cheaper tableware coming into Europe.
By 1984, the company was struggling, and was bought out. Despite its difficulties, the factory continued to produce tableware and ornaments until April 2000, when it went into receivership.
As part of the asset sales during receivership the design rights to the successful Taunton range of table wares was acquired by Poole Pottery.
The remainder of the designs, patterns and Intellectual Property rights were sold to Mainscore Ltd., and are now owned by Hornsea Potteries Intellectual Properties USA LLC.
In 2008, Hornsea Museum opened a permanent exhibition of Hornsea Pottery.
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London has numerous Hornsea Pottery items in its permanent collection.
Peasholm Park
Peasholm Park is an oriental-themed municipal park located in the seaside town of Scarborough, North Yorkshire. It opened in 1912, and became a venue for galas, displays and exhibitions.
In 1924 the park was extended to include Peasholm Glen, a natural ravine. Attractions include an artificial boating lake, where mock naval battles are staged, a putting green and a champion tree walk.
The park suffered a decline in use from the 1970's as the number of holidaymakers visiting Scarborough decreased, but it has been restored using Heritage Lottery Funding.
The Setting of Peasholm Park
Peasholm Park is sited on the north side of the town of Scarborough in a mainly residential area. The site is about 14-hectares, and takes in a narrow steep-sided valley running north-east towards North Bay. The valley gradually broadens until it opens out on to low-lying ground closer to the sea.
The south-west tip of the site adjoins a cemetery which was opened in the late 19th. century. There is iron fencing on the perimeter of the park in some places, but most of the park boundary is defined just by pavements or grass verges alongside the perimeter roads.
The History of Peasholm Park
The park is on the site of the medieval manor house of Northstead which was part of the Crown Estate from the 14th. century. By the beginning of the 20th. century, the area was open land used for farming and public allotments.
In 1911, Scarborough Corporation bought some land called Tuckers Field from the Duchy of Lancaster to create a public park.
It was the borough engineer, Harry W Smith, who had the idea of setting out the gardens with a Japanese theme. Japanese style statues in the park were purchased from Killerby Hall, and exotic shrubs and flowers were imported from the home of a local retired banker who was living on the French Riviera.
In 1924, the park was extended south-westwards along Peasholm Glen following the purchase of more land from the Duchy of Lancaster in 1921. Parts of the east side of the Glen were in private ownership, and these were donated to the Corporation.
The park was used for aquatic displays, musical performances and evening firework displays. It became immensely popular in the immediate pre- and post-Second World War era.
After a period of decay a programme of restoration was initiated. Improvement works were made possible by a £300,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and additional funds from Scarborough Borough Council.
Following the draining of the lake, work was undertaken to remove the large amount of silt on the lake bottom.
The park was Grade II listed in 1999.
Peasholm Park was closed in 1999, following a fire at the pagoda started by vandals. Heritage lottery funding has since allowed the restoration of the pagoda itself, the Half-Moon Bridge and the gardens.
Features of Peasholm Park
The Peasholm Glen Tree Trail has rare and unusual trees. The lottery-funded project there aims to conserve the trees, and provides a leafleted trail identifying the most interesting and important species. The leaflet is free, and is also available to download from the Internet.
During restoration of the site, the Dicksonian Elm, a tree that was previously believed to be extinct, was discovered alive and well in Peasholm Glen.
Japanese-themed gardens and lake with a pagoda said to be based on the Willow Pattern pottery design, are a central feature of the park. The lake has an island which is accessible from a Japanese-style bridge during school holidays and tourist seasons in the daytime when the gate is unlocked.
There are also waterfalls and wildlife in the more tranquil wooded areas.
Peasholm Park Events
The Naval Warfare event, the Battle of Peasholm, has been played out for half an hour three times a week during the summer season for over 80 years.
The model boats used are mostly man-powered, earning the fleet the title of "The smallest manned navy in the world".
All the boats were man powered until 1929, when electricity was introduced, and now only the larger boats need to be steered by council employees. In the early days, the models were First World War battleships and a U-boat. Then, after the Second World War, the fleet was replaced with new vessels, and the battle that was recreated was the Battle of the River Plate.
Other events staged in the park include silver and brass band concerts, party in the park, proms in the park and lantern displays.
Remedial Work at Peasholm Park
A grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund has enabled the Scarborough Borough Council to rebuild the Pagoda in its original form using fire retardant wood. The Half-moon Bridge connecting the Island to the mainland has been replaced, the cascade renovated and the gardens restored and upgraded.
Scarborough
Scarborough is a town on the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire. The town lies between 10–230 feet (3–70 m) above sea level, rising steeply northward and westward from the harbour on to limestone cliffs. The older part of the town lies around the harbour, and is protected by a rocky headland.
With a population of just over 61,000, Scarborough is the largest holiday resort on the Yorkshire coast. The town has fishing and service industries, including a growing digital and creative economy, as well as being a tourist destination. People who live in the town are known as Scarborians.
The Development of Scarborough as a Resort
In 1626, Mrs Thomasin Farrer discovered a stream of acidic water running from one of the cliffs to the south of the town. This gave birth to Scarborough Spa, and Dr. Robert Wittie's book about the spa waters published in 1660 attracted a flood of visitors to the town.
Scarborough Spa became Britain's first seaside resort, though the first rolling bathing machines were not noted on the sands until 1735. It was a popular getaway destination for the wealthy of London.
The coming of the Scarborough-York railway in 1845 increased the tide of visitors. Scarborough railway station claims to have the world's longest platform seat. From the 1880's until the First World War, Scarborough was one of the regular destinations for The Bass Excursions, when fifteen trains would take between 8,000 and 9,000 employees of Bass's Burton brewery on an annual trip to the seaside.
The Grand Hotel
When the Grand Hotel was completed in 1867 it was one of the largest hotels in the world, and one of the first giant purpose-built hotels in Europe.
Four towers represent the seasons, 12 floors represent the months, 52 chimneys represent the weeks, and originally 365 bedrooms represented the days of the year. A blue plaque outside marks where the novelist Anne Brontë died in 1849. She was buried in the graveyard of St. Mary's Church by the castle.
Maritime Events Associated With Scarborough
During the Great War, the town was bombarded by German warships. Scarborough Pier Lighthouse, built in 1806, was damaged in the attack.
In 1929 the steam drifter Ascendent caught a 560-pound (250 kg) tunny (Atlantic bluefin tuna), and a Scarborough showman awarded the crew 50 shillings so he could exhibit it as a tourist attraction.
Big-game tunny fishing off Scarborough effectively started in 1930 when Lawrie Mitchell-Henry landed a tunny caught on rod and line weighing 560 pounds (250 kg).
A gentlemen's club, the British Tunny Club, was founded in 1933, and set up its headquarters in the town at the place which is now a restaurant with the same name.
Sir Edward Peel landed a world-record tunny of 798 pounds (362 kg), capturing the record by 40 pounds (18.1 kg) from one caught off Nova Scotia by American champion Zane Grey. The British record, which still stands, is for a fish weighing 851 pounds (386 kg) caught off Scarborough in 1933 by Lawrie Mitchell-Henry.
On the 5th. June 1993 Scarborough made headlines around the world when a landslip caused part of the Holbeck Hall Hotel, along with its gardens, to fall into the sea.
Verka Serduchka
So what else happened on the day that Queenie and Arthur posted the card?
Well, the 2nd. October 1973 marked the birth in Poltava, Ukrainian SSR of Andriy Danylko.
Andriy, whose stage name is Verka Serduchka, is a Ukrainian drag queen comedian.
Proof
Also born on that day, in Detroit, was DeShaun Holton, whose stage name was Proof. He was a close childhood friend of rapper Eminem, who also lived in Detroit.
Proof was an American rapper and actor who died at the age of 32 in 2006.
The Shooting and Death of Proof
On the 11th. April 2006, Proof was shot three times by Mario Etheridge, once in the head and twice in the chest, after a dispute broke out during a game of billiards at the CCC Club on 8 Mile Road in Detroit.
A pool game between Proof and Keith Bender turned into a heated argument, and then escalated into a physical altercation. Etheridge, who was Bender's cousin, fired a warning shot into the air.
There have been many conflicting reports about Proof and Keith Bender's roles in the shooting, but it was reported that Proof then shot Bender in the head during the altercation.
Bender was not immediately killed by the gunshot, but died a week later from his injuries. In response to Proof shooting Bender, Etheridge then shot Proof three times, once in the head and twice in the chest, killing him at the scene. At the time of his death, Proof's blood alcohol content was 0.32.
Proof's lawyer, David Gorosh, accused the police and the media of being "reckless" for suggesting that his client fired the first shots without having any hard evidence.
A few weeks after both men's death, Bender's family began a wrongful death suit against Proof's estate. Authorities determined that Etheridge was acting lawfully in defense of another; however, he was found guilty of carrying a concealed weapon and discharging a firearm inside of a building.
On the 19th. April 2006, a service for Proof was held in the Fellowship Chapel in Detroit to a full house of 2,660 people, including life-long friends Eminem, Royce Da 5'9, 50 Cent, and thousands more mourning outside. He was then laid to rest in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Paavo Nurmi
The 2nd. October also marked the death at the age of 76 of Paavo Nurmi, the Finnish runner nicknamed "The Flying Finn."
Paavo won nine Olympic gold medals.
'Eye Level'
Also on the 2nd. October 1973, the Number One chart hit record in the UK was 'Eye Level' by the Simon Park Orchestra.Eye Level
still can't resist (although very poor lighting - difficulty with colors - will try post improved versions)
vicinity Deception Pass - interesting that this keeps appearing in the same small area (say 5m square)
The fungus (P. britannica) and the green alga (Coccomyxa) combine to form this lichen's green (particularly so when wet) lobes, which are speckled with dark "cephalodia" containing the cyanobacterium (Nostoc). In this "individual" cephalodia have escaped and formed the purplish lobes, which in turn are sprouting pure green lobes. So we have two versions (photomorphs) of the same lichen.
(The name Peltigera britannica refers only to the mycobiont. This fungus can be associated with a green alga (in this case a Coccomyxa) and/or a cyanobacteria (in this case a Nostoc) to form a lichen, which in this case has been given the common name "Flacky freckle pelt". (In my opinion the use of common names for lichens, most of which have been coined very recently, only makes things more difficult.) Although the lichen itself does not have a scientific name, depending upon context the name of the fungus is often used to refer to the entire lichen. This seems to work fine. There are on the order of 16,000 to 28,000 species of fungi which are obligate lichenized www.researchgate.net/publication/258485014_One_hundred_ne... They combine with 100 or so species of algal and cyanobacterial partners. It now appears that many more fungi are found within lichens, which might better be thought of as mini-ecosystems.)
of interest - www.anbg.gov.au/lichen/form-structure-sticta.html
wales-lichens.org.uk/species-account/sticta-canariensis
my lichen photos arranged by genus www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections/7215762439...
my photos arranged by subject www.flickr.com/photos/29750062@N06/collections
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to everyone who celebrates this special day today!
What a mess Flickr was last night! I had difficulty adding titles to my uploaded images, comments didn't save and, after I had added a description to each of the 20 photos, the descriptions all disappeared. When I opened Flickr this morning, there was still no sign of them. Then, suddenly, they re-appeared.
My photos taken at the National Butterfly Centre, Mission, South Texas, have now come to an end, so you can sigh a huge sigh of relief : ) After that, I have just a few photos taken at another place that we called in at later in the afternoon. Unfortunately, we only had an hour there before closing time, but how glad we were that we found this place. The highlight there was watching 25 Yellow-crowned Night-Herons coming in to roost for the night in the trees, right where we were standing! What a great sight this was, and we were lucky enough to have a good, close view of these gorgeous birds. We also saw some Purple Martins and their circular, hanging nest "gourds".
On Day 6 of our birding holiday in South Texas, 24 March 2019, we left our hotel in Kingsville, South Texas, and started our drive to Mission, where we would be staying at La Quinta Inn & Suites for three nights. On the first stretch of our drive, we were lucky enough to see several bird species, including a Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Hooded Oriole, Red-tailed Hawk, Crested Caracara, Harris's Hawk, Pyrrhuloxia male (looks similar to a Cardinal) and a spectacular Scissor-tailed Flycatcher. I'm not sure if this stretch is called Hawk Alley.
We had a long drive further south towards Mission, with only a couple of drive-by photos taken en route (of a strangely shaped building that turned out to be a deserted seed storage building). Eventually, we reached our next planned stop, the National Butterfly Centre. This was a great place, my favourite part of it being the bird feeding station, where we saw all sorts of species and reasonably close. Despite the name of the place, we only saw a few butterflies while we were there. May have been the weather or, more likely, the fact that I was having so much fun at the bird feeding station. We also got to see Spike, a giant African Spurred Tortoise. All the nature/wildlife parks that we visited in South Texas had beautiful visitor centres and usually bird feeding stations. And there are so many of these parks - so impressive!
nationalbutterflycenter.org/nbc-multi-media/in-the-news/1...
"Ten years ago, the North American Butterfly Association broke ground for what has now become the largest native plant botanical garden in the United States. This 100-acre preserve is home to Spike (who thinks he is a butterfly) and the greatest volume and variety of wild, free-flying butterflies in the nation. In fact, USA Today calls the National Butterfly Center, in Mission, Texas, 'the butterfly capitol of the USA'." From the Butterfly Centre's website.
The Centre is facing huge challenges, as a result of the "Border Wall". The following information is from the Centre's website.
www.nationalbutterflycenter.org/about-nbc/maps-directions...
"No permission was requested to enter the property or begin cutting down trees. The center was not notified of any roadwork, nor given the opportunity to review, negotiate or deny the workplan. Same goes for the core sampling of soils on the property, and the surveying and staking of a “clear zone” that will bulldoze 200,000 square feet of habitat for protected species like the Texas Tortoise and Texas Indigo, not to mention about 400 species of birds. The federal government had decided it will do as it pleases with our property, swiftly and secretly, in spite of our property rights and right to due process under the law."
"What the Border Wall will do here:
1) Eradicate an enormous amount of native habitat, including host plants for butterflies, breeding and feeding areas for wildlife, and lands set aside for conservation of endangered and threatened species-- including avian species that migrate N/S through this area or over-winter, here, in the tip of the Central US Flyway.
2) Create devastating flooding to all property up to 2 miles behind the wall, on the banks of the mighty Rio Grande River, here.
3) Reduce viable range land for wildlife foraging and mating. This will result in greater competition for resources and a smaller gene pool for healthy species reproduction. Genetic "bottlenecks" can exacerbate blight and disease.
IN ADDITION:
4) Not all birds can fly over the wall, nor will all butterfly species. For example, the Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, found on the southern border from Texas to Arizona, only flies about 6 ft in the air. It cannot overcome a 30 ft vertical wall of concrete and steel.
5) Nocturnal and crepuscular wildlife, which rely on sunset and sunrise cues to regulate vital activity, will be negatively affected by night time flood lighting of the "control zone" the DHS CBP will establish along the wall and new secondary drag roads. The expansion of these areas to vehicular traffic will increase wildlife roadkill.
6) Animals trapped north of the wall will face similar competition for resources, cut off from native habitat in the conservation corridor and from water in the Rio Grande River and adjacent resacas. HUMANS, here, will also be cut off from our only source of fresh water, in this irrigated desert.
The more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be.
Hi my flickr friends, I am back..I sure missed all of you.. hope to get back in the circle.
I lost a wonderful sister in law to Breast cancer...and we have had some awful tornados in our part of the country..
I will try and get around to all of the photos.. God Bless everyone.. and God Bless America!
It's so hard to take good pictures of her, but I'll get the hang of it as soon as I get to know her a little better. She's even cuter in person.
The Peugeot 604 of 1975 was an entry into the European Executive market. This was the first large car from Peugeot for 40 years, and was based on the earlier 504.
At this point parent company had purchased Citroen, and so had two entries in this vehicle segment, and strangely, went on to purchase Chrysler France's assets, and introduced a third market segment competitor, the Talbot Tagora.
The 604 was available initially with V6 petrol engine only, though later introduced a turbocharged four-cylinder diesel (the first sold in Europe). Because of the low bonnet line, the tall diesel engine had to be canted over to the side.
The late 1970s fuel crisis precipitated a decline in the sales of vehicle with large engines, compounding the 604's somewhat uncomfortable market position. Peugeot introduced the 504 replacement (the 505) at this point, with both I4 and V6 engines. The 604 was not directly replaced until 1990, with the 605 - a car that also struggled to find traction with the segment buyers.
The 604 is a handsome car, styled by Pininfarina, and somewhat reminiscent of their work on the large FIAT 130 (again, a large market entrant from a maker of generally smaller cars that found difficulty in finding buyers). The styling sits slightly askew of the period Peugeot look, in part due to the 604's added width, but also due to the very wide format front lights.
Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui
Chino Planes Of Fame
The J8M1 was intended to be a licence-built copy of the Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet. Difficulties in shipping an example to Japan meant that the aircraft eventually had to be reverse-engineered from a flight operations manual and other limited documentation. A single prototype was tested before the end of World War II.
The Japanese were quite aware of the results of the strategic bombing of Germany, and knew that the B-29 Superfortress would be bombing Japan and the resultant problems which would arise from trying to combat this. Japanese military attachés had become aware of the Komet during a visit to the Bad Zwischenahn airfield of Erprobungskommando 16, the Luftwaffe evaluation squadron charged with service test of the revolutionary rocket-propelled interceptor. They negotiated the rights to licence-produce the aircraft and its Walter HWK 509A rocket engine. The engine license alone cost the Japanese 20 million Reichsmarks.[1]
The agreement was for Germany to provide the following by spring 1944:
Complete blueprints of the Me 163B Komet and the HWK 509A engine.
One complete Komet; two sets of sub-assemblies and components.
Three complete HWK 509A engines.
Inform Japan of any improvements and developments of the Komet.
Allow the Japanese to study the manufacturing processes for both the Komet and the engine.
Allow the Japanese to study Luftwaffe operational procedures for the Komet.
The broken-down aircraft and engine were sent to Kobe, Japan in early 1944. It is probable that the airframe was on the Japanese submarine RO-501 (ex-U-1224), which left Kiel, Germany on 30 March 1944 and was sunk in the mid-Atlantic on 13 May 1944 by the hunter-killer group based on the escort carrier USS Bogue. Plans and engines were on the Japanese submarine I-29, which left Lorient, France on 16 April 1944 and arrived in Singapore on 14 July 1944, later sunk by the submarine USS Sawfish on 26 July 1944, near the Philippines, after leaving Singapore.
The Japanese decided to attempt to copy the Me 163 using a basic instructional manual on the Komet in the hands of naval mission member Commander Eiichi Iwaya who had travelled to Singapore in the I-29 and flown on to Japan when the submarine docked.
From its inception, the project was a joint Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (JAAF)/Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (JNAF) venture. The JAAF wanted a new design to be drawn up. The JNAF, on the other hand, felt the design should mimic the German Komet because it had already proven to be a stable aerodynamic body. It was the JNAF which won and issued the 19-shi specification in July 1944 for the design of the rocket-powered defence fighter. The contract went to Mitsubishi Jukogyo KK, which would produce both the JNAF version the J8M1 Shu-sui and the JAAF version Ki-200.
The project was headed by Mijiro Takahashi. The JAAF, however decided to undertake their own design to meet the 19-shi specifications, working at their Rikugun Kokugijitsu Kenkyujo (JAAF Aerotechnical Institute) in secret.
At the 1st Naval Air Technical Arsenal in Yokosuka, in association with Mitsubishi and Yokosuka Arsenal, work began to adapt the Walter HWK 509A engine to Japanese manufacturing capabilities and techniques. This was also where efforts were underway to produce a glider version of the J8M to provide handling data. While working on this glider, the MXY8 Akigusa (??, "Autumn Grass"), Mitsubishi completed a mock-up of the J8M1 in September 1944.
Both the JAAF and JNAF approved its design and construction and a prototype was built. In December 1944, the MXY8 was completed and, on 8 December 1944, at the Hyakurigahara Airfield, Lieutenant-Commander Toyohiko Inuzuka took the controls of the MXY8. Once in the air, Inuzuka found the MXY8 almost perfectly emulated the handling characteristics of the Komet. Two additional MXY8 gliders were constructed in the naval yard at Yokosuka, one being delivered to the Rikugun Kokugijitsu Kenkyujo (JAAF Aerotechnical Institute) at Tachikawa for evaluation. The JNAF initiated the construction another prototype, production designation Ku-13. This was to use water ballast to simulate the weight of an operational J8M complete with engine and weapons. This variant was to be built by Maeda Aircraft Institute, while the JAAF version was to be constructed by Yokoi Koku KK (Yoki Aircraft Co). The JNAF also proposed a more advanced trainer, designated the MXY9 Shu-ka (??, "Autumn Fire") which would be powered by a 441 lbf (1.96 kN) thrust Tsu-11 ducted-fan engine. The war, however, ended before this model could be built.
Mitsubishi and partners Nissan and Fuji proceeded with development of the airframe and Yokosuka Arsenal was adapting the engine for Japanese production, designated the Ro.2. The Japanese succeeded in producing prototypes that outwardly looked very much similar to the Komet. The J8M1 had a wet weight that was 900 lb (410 kg) lighter, the aircraft having a plywood main spar and wooden vertical tail. The designers had also dispensed with the armoured glass in the cockpit and the aircraft carried less ammunition and slightly less fuel.
The Ki-200 and the J8M1 differed only in minor items, but the most obvious difference was the JAAF's Ki-200 was armed with two 30 mm (1.18 in) Type 5 cannon (with a rate of fire of 450 rounds per minute and a muzzle velocity of 2,350 ft/s (720 m/s), while the J8M1 was armed with two 30 mm (1.18 in) Ho-105 cannon (rate of fire 400 rounds per minute, muzzle velocity 2,460 ft/s (750 m/s). The Ho-105 was the lighter of the two and both offered a higher velocity than the MK 108 cannon of the Me 163 (whose muzzle velocity was 1,705 ft/s (520 m/s). The Toko Ro.2 (KR10) rocket motor did not offer the same thrust rating as the original, and Mitsubishi calculated that the lighter weight of the J8M1 would not offset this. Performance would not be as good as that of the Komet, but was still substantial.[2]
The engine still used the German propellants of T-Stoff oxidizer and C-Stoff fuel (hydrogen peroxide/methanol-hydrazine), known in Japan as Ko and Otsu respectively.
A total of 60 of the training version (Ku-13, Ki-13, MXY-8, MXY-9) were produced by Yokosuka, Yokoi[disambiguation needed] and Maeda[disambiguation needed]. Seven of the operational version (J8M1/Ki-200) were built by Mitsubishi.
Operational history
J8M-17[clarification needed]
In 8 January 1945, one of the two J8M1 prototypes was towed aloft, water ballast added in place of the fuel tank and rocket engine to test its aerodynamics. The test flights confirmed the design. Training courses for JAAF and JNAF pilots began on the Ku-53 glider, which shared a similar configuration to the J8M1. The 312th Naval Air Group was selected to operate the first J8M1. Mitsubishi, Fuji Hikoki, and Nissan Jidosha all had tooling for mass production well into the advanced stages, ready to produce both the J8M1 and the J8M2 variant, which differed from the J8M1 in sacrificing one of the Type 5 cannon for a small increase in fuel capacity. The first J8M1 prototype to be equipped with the Toko Ro.2 (KR10) was ready in June 1945. They were then transferred from the Nagoya plant to Yokoku for final checks before powered flight testing, after final glide tests with the engine installed.
The J8M took to the air for its first powered flight on 7 July 1945,[3] with Lieutenant Commander Toyohiko Inuzuka at the controls; after his "sharp start" rocket-powered takeoff, Inuzuka successfully jettisoned the dolly upon becoming airborne and began to gain speed, climbing skywards at a 45° angle. At an altitude of 396 m (1,300 ft), the engine stopped abruptly and the J8M1 stalled. Inuzuka managed to glide the aircraft back, but clipped a small building at the edge of the airfield while trying to land, causing the aircraft to burst into flames. Inuzuka died the next day.[4] While Mitsubishi and naval technicians sought to find the cause of the accident, all future flights were grounded. The engine cutout had occurred because the angle of climb, coupled with the fuel tanks being half-filled for this first flight, caused a shifting of the fuel, which in turn caused an auto cutout device to activate because of an air lock in the fuel line. Requests to continue flight testing were denied pending the modification of the fuel pumps in the aircraft. The sixth and seventh prototypes were to be fitted with the modified Ro.2 engine.
Full scale production readiness was almost at hand and in fact, component construction was already underway. Flight testing was to resume, despite another explosion of the fuel mixture during a ground test days after the crash, in late August 1945 and the J8M2 design was finalized. But on 15 August 1945, the war ended for the Japanese and all work on the J8M ceased. The end of the war also spelled the end of the JAAF's Ki-202 Shu-sui-Kai (Modified Shusui), whose design had begun in secret months before. The Ki-202 was to offer improved flight endurance over the Ki-200 and was slated to be the priority fighter for the JAAF in 1946, but no metal was cut before Japan's surrender.
Germany tried to send another Komet in U-864, but the submarine was sunk near Bergen by British submarine HMS Venturer in February 1945.
Variants
J8M1
J8M2 Shu-sui Model 21(?)
Long-range version for Navy, identical to J8M1, but armament reduced to a single 30 mm (1.18 in) cannon.
J8M3 Shu-sui Model 22 (Rikugun Ki-202 Shu-sui-kai)
Long-range version for Army and Navy, with fuselage and wingspan lengthened to 7.10 m (23 ft 3 in) and 9.75 m (32 ft 0 in) respectively. Powered by 19.6 kN (4,410 lbf) Tokuro-3, projected maximum speed 900 km/h (560 mph).
Yokosuka MXY-8 "Akigusa" (Yokoi Ku-13)
Training glider using J8M airframe for Navy and Army.
Yokosuka MXY-9 "Shuka"
Training version using J8M airframe, powered by Tsu-11 thermojet engine.
Operators
Japan
Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
Survivors
The J8M1 at the Planes of Fame Museum.
In November 1945, two aircraft were taken from Yokosuka to the United States for evaluation aboard USS Barnes. FE-300/T2-300 (USA ident) (Japanese ident 403) is now exhibited at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, California. The other was at NAS Glenview in October 1946 (identity unknown), but was scrapped.
In the 1960s, a nearly complete (but badly damaged) fuselage was discovered in a cave in Japan. This was on display at a Japanese Air Self Defense Forces base near Gifu until 1999, when it was restored and completed by Mitsubishi for display in the company's internal Komaki Plant Museum.[5]
Specifications (J8M1/Ki-200)
Data from [6]
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 6.03 m (19 ft 9 in) ;;;Ki 200
5.88 m (19 ft)
Wingspan: 9.47 m (31 ft 1 in)
Height: 2.68 m (8 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 17.72 m2 (190.7 sq ft) ;;;Ki 200
17.69 m2 (190.41 sq ft)
Empty weight: 1,445 kg (3,186 lb) ;;;Ki 200
1,505 kg (3,318 lb)
J8M2
1,510 kg (3,329 lb)
Gross weight: 3,000 kg (6,614 lb) ;;;J8M2
3,650 kg (8,047 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 3,870 kg (8,532 lb) ;;;J8M2
3,900 kg (8,598 lb)
Fuel capacity: ;;;Ko
1,181 l (260 imp gal) (T-Stoff = 80% Hydrogen Peroxide + 20% Oxyquinoline and Pyrophosphates)
O-tsu
522 l (115 imp gal) (C-Stoff = 30% Hydrazine Hydrate + 70% Methanol, Water and Potassium-Copper Cyanides)
Powerplant: 1 × Toku Ro.2 a.k.a. KR10 liquid-fuelled rocket engine, 14.71 kN (3,307 lbf) thrust
Performance
Maximum speed: 900 km/h (559 mph; 486 kn) at 10,000 m (32,808 ft)
Cruising speed: 699 km/h (434 mph; 377 kn) ;;;Ki 200
351 km/h (218 mph)
Stall speed: 150 km/h (93 mph; 81 kn)
Endurance: ;;;J8M1
5 minutes 30 seconds of powered flight
Ki 200
max - 7 minutes, full throttle - 2 minutes 30 seconds of powered flight,
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
Rate of climb: 50 m/s (9,800 ft/min)
Time to altitude: ;;;J8M1
2,000 m (6,562 ft) in 40 seconds
4,000 m (13,123 ft) in 2 minutes 8 seconds
8,000 m (26,247 ft) in 3 minutes 8 seconds
10,000 m (32,808 ft) in 3 minutes 50 seconds
Ki 200
10,000 m (32,808 ft) in 3 minutes 40 seconds
Wing loading: 219.22 kg/m² (44.90 lb/sq ft) ;;;J8M2
219.7kg/m² (44.998 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.388
Armament
Guns: ;;;J8M1
2x Type 5 30mm cannon with 53 rounds per gun
J8M2
1x Type 5 30mm cannon with 53 rounds
Ki 200
2x Ho-155 30mm cannon or 2x Type 5 30mm cannon
Source Wikipedia
Difficulty in shooting this place is never lacking. Wide dynamic range and with hundreds of tourists going in and out of the canyon, you will need to muscle your way through the narrow pathway so an hour is like just 5-10mins of shooting. But then I realized, a magical place like this is more than capable of producing great images at any given situation. Taken in Antelope Canyon, in Page Arizona.
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EXPLORE : August 1, 2008 # 413
(Highest position)
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Make your dream comes true...
Determining to reach your goal...
Never give up when facing hardship..
Devoting your whole self to fight...
The difficulties would turn aside...
By the power of strong mind...
If you fear that your sun is dying...
And you need the strength to keep trying...
I will reach out and take your hand :-)..
Like the sun that keep on shining...
My best wishes and love for you will always be remaining :-)..
Have a great Sunday and sweet dream tonight! :-)..
I will always send you nice sunshine, sweet smile and warm love from Thailand, my Dearest :-)..
Ich liebe dich..I LOVE YOU now and forever...
J-A-S-M-I-N-E..
A little pretty girl in Thailand..
Chonburi Province, Thailand
Had some difficulties with diverticulitis (damn awful pain.OUCH!) earlier in the week, so it was a broth diet for a few days... but I'm all better now (thanks Dr. Hartenstein!) so I fixed this for dinner last night, yay!
What it is:
4 ounces of cheap ass steak (forget the cut)
Delicious fried Brussel sprouts
Delectable mashed cauliflower (you've got to try it to believe it, Flickr mail me if you want the how-to)
Some low carb bread 1-minute bread and a spinach salad.
Soooo good!
Have a great week ahead my friends!
School bus junkyard in Alto, GA.
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National Express SR136 (FJ12 FYL) is helped to back off the bus stop at Woking station by a member of South West Trains staff (wearing a National Express hi-viz the driver had lent him!).
It was unable to depart forwards and drive around the front of the car park as there had been a collision.
Station Approach, Woking railway station, Woking, Surrey.
While I was re-reading (aloud this time to Ontario Wanderer),
"One of the difficulties with talking to the very old was that one always underestimated their awareness_and their sense of humour.The mind so often outlasted the body: ..."
An incredibly loud crash interrupted the reading. We went to one of the eastern windows and saw two floors down, the body of a yellow-shafted flickr, its wings outspread. OW thought it was dead but noticed a movement. Was it a death throw?
I had read within recent memory what to do when a bird came crashing into a window: pick up the bird and cover it with a soft cloth or towel, place it in a box and leave in a closet for a couple of hours. The idea of keeping it in the dark was to prevent swelling of its brain.
I got a clean soft rag (a thin cotton shirt of mine) and my camera. One quick photo:no movement detected. Then I layed the cloth on. It seemed very little so I went back inside and got a cut-open cotton sock and layed it over the other cloth. I had no box so there was no question of bringing it in. On second thought, I thought some protection was needed from a wandering cat. I inverted a small empty garbage can over it.
Hoping for the best, we went back to our reading:
"The mindso often outlasted the body: he had seen it on a hundred death-beds: one could accept it as a blessing of God, or a cruel jest, or as some absolute guarantee that the sould would outlive the flesh, if only for a few heartbeats, which meant for eternity.
He had always remembered, for ever afterwards, his very first death_that was how he had phrased it, as with trembling hands and the great doubt of a novice he had anointed the lips of an old woman slipping away from life as if from a family party which had gone on long enough. He knew her to be eighty-five years old, and himself sixty years younger.
He had thought that she was already dead, so calm was the grey-white face, so peaceful and relaxed the wasted body after months of pain. Then the anointed lips had opened, andhe bent his head to hear what she might say. Some holy thought?_some last confession?_some confused memory of a life of travail? Not so...
Her eyes remained shut, but her lips were smiling. 'You did that very well... for a young chap...'
On which brave and blessed farewell, she died.
At that moment he knwe that he had lost a friend, and gained an advocate in heaven. After twenty years, he still prayed for the soul of one Anna Caruna, of the village of Santa Lucia beyond Tarxien: mother of eight, daughter of God, teacher of courage to the very threshold."
Nicholas Monsarrat, The Kapillan of Malta (1973)
Ontario Wanderer had a commitment, and he worried that the air would grow to warm on this sunny & yet cool morning. So I offered that we go have a look though it had only been an hour or so, since the bird had flown into the window at great speed.
I tilted the garbage can back, and before we had time to reach down and lift the cloths, the flicker flew up and away with strong and rapid wing beats.
Our worst fears had vanished as the woodpecker had, and left us with jubilant hearts!
In Ithaca, Penelope was having difficulties. Her husband had been gone for twenty years, and she did not know for sure whether he was alive or dead. She was beset with numerous men who thought that a (fairly) young widow and queen of a small but tidy kingdom was a great prize: they pestered her to declare Odysseus dead and choose a new husband from among them. Meanwhile, these suitors hung around the palace, ate her food, drank her wine, and consorted with several of her maidservants. Penelope was despondent by her husband's long absence and especially the mystery about his fate. He could come home at any time — or never. Temporizing, she fended them off for years, using stalling tactics that were wearing thin. Meanwhile, Odysseus' mother, Anticlea, had died of grief; and his father, Laërtes, was nearly so.
Odysseus arrived alone. Upon landing, he was disguised as an old man or a beggar by Athena, and was welcomed by his old swineherd, Eumaeus, who did not recognize him but still treated him well. Odysseus' faithful dog Argos was the first to recognize him in his rags; he had waited twenty years to see his master. Aged and decrepit, he did his best to wag his tail, but Odysseus did not want to be found out, and had to maintain his cover, so the weary dog died in peace. The first human to recognize him was his old wet nurse, Euryclea, who knew him well enough to see through the rags, recognizing him by an old scar on his leg received when hunting boar with Iphitus. His son Telemachus didn't see through the disguise, but Odysseus revealed his identity to him.
Odysseus learned that Penelope had remained faithful to him. She pretended to weave a burial shroud for Odysseus' father, Laërtes, and claimed she would choose one suitor when she finished. Every day she wove a length of shroud, and every night she unwove the same length of shroud, until one day a maid of hers betrayed this secret to the suitors and they demanded that she finally choose one of them to be her new husband. When Odysseus arrived to his house, disguised as a beggar, he sat in the hall and observed the suitors, and was repeatedly humiliated by them.
Still in his disguise, Odysseus went to Penelope and told her that he had met Odysseus and told a tale of how Odysseus was a brave solider and bragged about himself. Penelope, still unknowing of this beggar's identity, started to cry in hearing of her husband. Penelope went to the suitors and said whoever can string Odysseus' bow and shoot an arrow through 12 axe-handles, would marry her. This was to Odysseus' advantage, as only he could string his own bow. (It is believed that Odysseus' bow was a composite bow, requiring great skill and leverage to string, rather than mere brute strength.) Penelope then announced what Odysseus had said.
The suitors each tried to string the bow, but in vain. Odysseus then took the bow, strung it, lined up twelve axe-handles, and shot an arrow through all twelve. Athena then took off his disguise and, with the help of his son Telemachus, a cattleherd, and Eumaeus, the swineherd, Odysseus killed all. Antinous is the first of the suitors to be killed, being slain by an arrow to the throat by Odysseus in the Great Hall while drinking. At first, Odysseus shot as many as he could with his bow, but when out of arrows he reached for spears. Caught by surprise and unarmed by Telemachus, the suitors were easy prey, but later on during the conflict they started arming themselves. This, however, did not save their lives.
When all the suitors were killed, the goatherd Melanthius, who had provided the suitors with arms but had been strung up by Eumaeus, was taken into the courtyard where his nose, ears, hands and feet were cut off, and his genitals pulled out and fed to the dogs. Telemachus hung the female servants who were availing themselves to the suitors.
Penelope, still not quite sure that the beggar was indeed her husband, tested him. She ordered her maid to make up Odysseus' bed and move it from their bedchamber into the hall outside his room. Odysseus was initially furious when he heard this because one of the bed posts was made from a living olive tree - he himself had designed it this way, and thus it could not be moved unless done by a god; he told her this, and since only Odysseus and Penelope knew this, Penelope accepted that he was her husband. She came running to him, hoping that he would forgive her. He forgave her, because he could understand why she had tested him and because he had passed the test.
To avenge the death of his son Antinous, his father Eupeithes tried to kill Odysseus. Laërtes killed him, and Athena thereafter required the suitors' families and Odysseus to make peace; this ends the story of the Odyssey.
Odysseus had been told (by the shade of Tiresias) that he had one more journey to make after he had re-established his rule in Ithaca and also that his death would come from the sea and would be peaceful and pleasant.
This were one of the hardest sets of cookies I have ever made.......not in difficulty.......but in a college rivalry sort of way!! Being a graduate of the University of Oklahoma, making these went against every I stand for. The Texas Longhorns are our biggest out of state rivalry.......such a rivalry that the game is played on neutral territory half way between the universities in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. But I made these for a really good friend, thanks to Callye who sent the official Texas Longhorn cutter to me!
I think I upset the balance of nature while piping these as two storms collided over Oklahoma City producing up to baseball size hail, high winds and lightning!! Thankfully the worst of the storms missed our house, but five miles down the road it is a disaster zone! I may never make these again!!
Coachwork by Touring Superleggera
By the end of the 1950s Maserati was facing a bleak future. Its parent company's financial difficulties forced a withdrawal from racing, and Maserati's survival strategy henceforth centred on establishing the company as a producer of road cars. The Modena marque's new era began in 1957 with the launch of the Touring Superleggera-bodied 3500 GT, its first road car built in significant numbers. A luxury 2+2, the 3500GT drew on Maserati's competition experience. A tubular chassis frame was used and the suspension was independent at the front by wishbones and coil springs, while at the back there was a conventional live axle/semi-elliptic arrangement. The 3500 GT's designer was none other than Giulio Alfieri, creator of the immortal Tipo 60/61 'Birdcage' sports-racer and the man responsible for developing the 250F into a World Championship winner. The twin-overhead-camshaft, six-cylinder engine was a close relative of that used in the 250F and developed around 220 bhp initially, later examples producing 235 bhp on Lucas mechanical fuel injection. Built initially with drum brakes and four-speed transmission, the 3500 GT was progressively updated, gaining five speeds, front disc brakes and, finally, all-disc braking. By the time the 3500GT was discontinued in 1964, around 2,200 of all types had been made.
The 2nd Series example offered here represents the pinnacle of the model's development, leaving the factory equipped with the five-speed ZF gearbox, twin-plug ignition, and Lucas mechanical fuel injection, hence the name change to '3500 GTI', the first time the now common 'GTI' appellation had ever been used. Chassis number '2716' was delivered new to Gianvico Saccardo of Schio near Vicenza, Italy, a local industrialist. Prominent collectors of historic vehicles, Gianvico and his brother, Gianluigi, were founders of the Monza Italian Bugatti Register. Saccardo's Maserati was subsequently exported to New England, USA where it has spent most of its life. Henry Cabot Lodge Jr, the former Massachusetts Senator and Republican Vice Presidential Candidate in 1960, is believed to have been its second owner. During the 1970s, Cabot Lodge served occasionally as US envoy to the Holy See in Rome, and it is believed that he imported the car from Italy to the USA.
Since his death in 1985, the Maserati has had four owners: Anthony D Paglia (1986-1998), John Drew (1998-2003), Christopher Derricott (2003-2014), and the current vendor. Mr Drew commissioned Spencer Restorations of Natick, Massachusetts to carry out a comprehensive restoration. Completed in 2003, the latter included a mechanical rebuild, bare-metal re-spray, and a full interior re-trim in the original colour. Borrani wire wheels, a stainless steel exhaust system, and polished stainless steel bumpers and trim were fitted at the same time. The quality of this restoration has been recognised at the Lars Anderson 'Tutto Italiano' meeting in Massachusetts, where '2716' won the 'Best Maserati in Show' award on each occasion it was entered following the restoration.
During Mr Derricott's ownership in the UK, the restoration process was extended to include all mechanicals including the engine, transmission, brakes, and suspension together with an overhaul of the electrical components and installation of a new wiring loom. These works were undertaken by two specialist companies: Prestige Restoration and CGP Auto Engineers, and there are related invoices on file totalling some £ 76.000 (approximately € 91.000). The total spent between July 2010 and July 2014 was in excess of £85,700 (approximately € 102.600).
It should be noted that this car is equipped with a non-original but correct Maserati 3500 GT engine that has been re-stamped with the original's number. It is fitted with three Weber 42 DCOE carburettors, a common upgrade considered superior to the original Lucas fuel injection system.
Accompanying paperwork consists of a Maserati Certificate of Origin; copies of the original factory documentation; and all restoration invoices relating to works carried out in both the USA and UK. Offered with a UK V5C registration document and current MoT certificate, this beautiful Maserati would make a stunning addition to any private collection.
Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais
Bonhams
Sold for € 178.250
Estimated : € 180.000 - 220.000
Parijs - Paris
Frankrijk - France
February 2017
A little difficulty getting this shot as I was told by a lady leaving an establishment nearby that I had strayed 20 yards across the grass from the public footpath and was now on private land. Definitely a jobs-worth experience!
Pentax K-3
Tamron 17-50mm
Hoya ND400 9 stop filter
Aperture ƒ/16.0
Focal length 17.0 mm
Shutter 10 secs
ISO 100
DESCRIPTION
The difficulty of making and cutting through soft meringue in this classic bar has been eliminated ! Try this variation and see.
INGREDIENTS
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1 cup lemon curd (from 11 1/4- to 12-oz jar)
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup marshmallow creme
1 container (6 oz) Yoplait® Original 99% Fat Free French vanilla yogurt
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
DIRECTIONS
1.Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan with shortening or cooking spray. In pan, break up cookie dough. With floured fingers, press dough evenly in bottom of pan to form crust.
2.Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown and center is set. Cool 30 minutes.
3.Spread lemon curd over cooled crust. In large bowl, beat cream cheese, marshmallow creme and yogurt with wooden spoon until well blended. Fold in whipped topping. Spread over lemon curd, swirling to resemble meringue topping. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until serving time. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store in refrigerator.
High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): No change.
The old castle, a Scheduled Monument, was built possibly on the site of an earlier fort in the late 16th early 17th century by George 5th Earl of Caithness (1582-1643). It seems the castle was in existence in 1623 when James I commissioned Sir Robert Gordon to enter Caithness with an armed force. The 7th Earl died in the castle in 1698 but it is reported that the castle was ruinous in 1700 and in 1726 as being in repair with 'at the side of it a convenient house lately built'. The estate was purchased by Sir William Sinclair, 2nd Baronet of Dunbeath early in the 18th century and in 1752 Keiss became his family seat.
The current house was built about 1755 but had to be sold in 1765 because of financial difficulties to the Sinclairs of Ulbster. This Category B Listed Baronial mansion was altered to its current form on the instructions of Col. K Macleay by David Bryce in 1860, during which it was extended in the Scottish baronial style. It was then sold to the Duke of Portland in 1866. Also included in the listing is the Walled garden to the NE of the house and the gate lodge and gate piers with cast-iron carriage gates installed in the 1860 alterations.
Well that's a big fail. I started this project 1 year ago, and to my disappointment I found out my meager amount of 156 photos out of the total 365 that were to be taken. This really made me feel sad. I felt terrible. I started this project to bring the love and joy of Legos and photography together. My study life has kept me so busy because of my country's curriculum. It makes it so hard to come back after the day ends to take a picture and edit, with exams one after the other and continuous non stop homework. I'm sorry about that. So I'll be continuing this project until it finishes (asap) so we can end happily and start another great one. Thanks to you all for your continued support. You guys rock, and I still wouldn't be doing this if you weren't there to see my work. You came to see my work, and I shall deliver. No promise breaking this time. I promise. :-)
After our lunch at Mt Difficulty we went up the Felton Road to Felton Road Winery. March 6, 2014 Central Otago, Bannockburn, South Island, New Zealand.
Felton Road Winery. is situated on warm, north facing slopes of glacial loess soils in Bannockburn, in the heart of Central Otago. The modern gravity fed winery receives 100% estate grown fruit from its three vineyards that are all farmed biodynamically and are fully certified by Demeter. Minimal intervention in the winemaking with such practices as wild yeast, no fining or filtration, allow the unique vineyard characters to further express their considerable personality.
Since the first vintage in 1997, Felton Road has acquired a formidable worldwide reputation.
Zero waste By-products:
Winery waste is, probably more than any other substance, lees. Lees are a mixture of sediments left over from winemaking, and consist mainly of dead yeast and tartaric and malic acid. It isn’t particularly hostile stuff, but acids are a problem in any waste system, so winery waste management systems are designed to deal with this mixture. It takes a lot of money to build a waste management system and a lot of energy to run it so, in a perfect world, we’d do without one. But is it possible to do that? We have demonstrated that it is. Our solution is simple: don’t throw anything away. Nothing whatsoever goes down our drains unless we have failed to find a better use for it. And since almost all waste has some form of value, there is a better use out there. Lees, for example, get separated into fine lees (the more liquid stuff) and the solid gunk. The solids are composted. It might be tricky to compost something this acidic for some wineries, but as we make well over 100 tonnes of compost a year anyway, the lees solids are literally a drop in the manure heap. That leaves the more liquid stuff to deal with. Each year it goes to a beautiful wood fired copper still and is distilled into “Fine”: the term for brandy distilled from wine lees. Roughly a thousand litres of lees yields about 100 litres of wonderful brandy. After 5 years of aging in French oak using a “solera” type system, it is ready to bottle.
What better way to recycle something that most regard as an industrial waste product?
Taken from and for more info: www.nzwine.com/winery/felton-road/
There are some modest difficulties in making portraits of pure strangers but perhaps a little laziness too. I rarely do more than five or six clicks. I have tried a few times to make portraits in a single take. Don’t try this if you do not have a reference screen to judge the result of that lonely click before saying goodbye to you subject. My biggest difficulty is often is to start writing. The second is to keep the text short.
I have already written that one stranger can lead to another, so there is not always a need to search very hard. In the case of Charlie, it was Christian (see photo # 101 of my first series) who introduced me to her.
In the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough of Montréal, there is an old bus terminal that has been disused. Its land, which belonged to the Société de Transport de Laval (STL), would be ideally suitable to house buildings for social services. It is central to the borough and has a direct existing access to the busiest metro station in the north of the city. Unfortunately, this public property was sold for one dollar to a state agency, which then put it up for sale in the most opaque possible way to private interests in accordance with the policies of our current provincial administration.
I had noted with astonishment in the middle of the winter that, perhaps on its very coldest day, some homeless people had settled outdoors in its parking lot sheltered from public view, but not the cold, by walls along Lajeunesse Street.
A few weeks ago, when it seemed that the summer had finally arrived to Montreal, I went back there. When I got off my bike, I crossed Christian who was heading towards the old terminus too. He had a beat up acoustic guitar under his arm and some friends with him. He explained that they were squatting here since a few days and introduced me to Charlie. We discussed a little. Christian told me that he had lost his harmonicas and his old guitar during one altercation too much with a police officer who keeps an eye peeled for him. As a bonus, he spent the winter in various detention centers. His arrest constituted a breach of conditions in some judicial administrations in Greater Montreal.
Why this long preamble to tell you about Charlie? Christian told her I am a good guy and a good photographer. This was how I found myself doing her portrait. Behind the sunglasses of the first photo, there was a bit of our mutual embarrassment. We eventually chatted a bit together. Not that much, but enough still to make the second photo without the shades. Christian is seated in the background of both shots.
Homelessness is not an easy thing to live. I often hope that it can be a transitory state for people who live on the streets. For Christian, it seems to have become an assumed lifestyle. For Charlie, I do not know. She seemed a bit novice in this universe and let on that she was easily influenced. There were at least two other people who spent their nights here with them. Charlie told me that another girl was looking for money for the bus fare to join friends living in Trois-Rivières, a little over a hundred kilometers from Montreal. Her project, however, seemed uncertain.
I do not have the baggage of a psychologist or the stuff of a street worker to make myself a clear idea of Charlie's situation. I would have preferred to wait until I saw her again and get talk to her some more before making this publication. That's actually what I had done in the case of Christian. The few minutes that my meetings last are very little to take the measure of a life. I just wish for her that this squat is a summer fling and that she gets on with her life in some other way.
It was an external event that finally decided to write this word and publish her photos. I read a few days after our meeting that all indicates the terminus has been sold to a condo developer who has already made a bundle from a public building turned in more condos across the street from another metro station in Villeray.
Doesn’t it tell you something about homelessness?
Il y a quelques modestes difficultés à faire des portraits de purs inconnus mais peut-être un peu de paresse aussi. Je fais rarement plus de cinq ou six clics. J’ai quelques fois essayé d’en réussir en une seule prise. Ce n’est pas une bonne idée si vous n’avez pas un écran de référence pour juger le résultat de ce seul petit clic avant de dire adieu à votre sujet. La plus grande difficulté est cependant souvent de me décider à écrire.
J’ai déjà écrit qu’un inconnu peut mener à un autre, donc pas toujours besoin de chercher bien fort. Dans le cas de Charlie, c’est Christian (voir a photo # 101 de ma première série) qui me l’a présenté.
Il y a dans l’arrondissement Ahuntsic-Cartierville de Montréal un ancien terminus de bus désaffecté. Ce terrain qui appartenait à la Société de Transport de Laval (STL) serait idéal de par sa location pour abriter des immeubles destinés aux services sociaux. Il est central pour l’arrondissement et comporte un accès direct à la station de métro la plus achalandée du nord de la ville. Malheureusement, cette propriété publique été vendue pour un dollar à une agence d’état qui l’a ensuite mis-en en vente de la manière la plus opaque possible à des intérêts privés en accordance avec les politiques de la présente administration provinciale.
J’avais noté avec étonnement au cœur de l’hiver, possiblement exactement le jour le plus glacial de l’année, que quelques itinérants avaient établis domicile dans le stationnement à l’abri des regards, mais pas du froid, derrière les murs qui longent la rue Lajeunesse.
Il y a deux semaines, au moment où il m’a semblé que l’été était enfin réellement arrivé à Montréal, je suis repassé par là. En débarquant de mon vélo, j’ai croisé Christian qui se dirigeait vers l’ancien terminus avec une vieille guitare sous le bras et quelques amis. Il m’a expliqué qu’ils squattaient ici ces jours-ci et m’a présenté Charlie. Nous avons discuté un peu. Christian m’a raconté qu’il avait perdu ses harmonicas et son ancienne guitare lors d’une altercation de trop avec un officier de police qui l’a à l’œil. En prime, il a passé l’hiver en tôle dans différents centre de détention. Son arrestation constituait un bris de conditions dans quelques administrations judiciaires du Grand Montréal.
Pourquoi ce long préambule pour vous parler de Charlie? Christian lui a dit que j’étais un bon gars et un bon photographe, c’est ainsi que je me suis retrouvé à faire son portrait. Derrière les lunettes fumées de la première photo, il y avait un peu de notre gêne mutuelle. Nous avons ensuite causé un peu d’elle. Pas tant que ça, mais assez tout de même pour faire une seconde photo à visage découvert. Christian apparaît assis à l'arrière-plan des deux photos
L’itinérance n’est pas une chose facile. J’espère souvent qu’elle puisse être un état transitoire pour les personnes qui vivent dans la rue. Pour ce qui est de Christian, ça semble être devenu un mode de vie assumé. Pour Charlie, je ne sais pas. Elle m’a semblé un peu novice dans cet univers et m’as admis être influençable. Il y avait au moins deux autres personnes qui passaient leurs nuits ici avec eux. Charlie m’a dit qu’une autre fille cherchait de sous pour aller rejoindre des amis à Trois-Rivières, à un peu plus d’une centaine de kilomètres de Montréal. Son projet semblait cependant incertain.
Je n’ai pas le bagage d’un psychologue ou l’étoffe d’un travailleur de rue pour me faire une idée de la situation de Charlie. J’aurais préféré attendre de la revoir une autre fois et de lui reparler avant de faire cette publication. C’est d’ailleurs ce que j’avais fait dans le cas de Christian. Les quelques minutes que durent mes rencontres sont bien peu pour prendre la mesure d’une vie. Je lui souhaite simplement que ce squat soit une passade estivale et qu’elle s’en tire autrement.
C’est un événement externe qui m’a finalement décidé à écrire ce mot et à publier sa photo. J’ai lu quelques jours après notre rencontre que le terminus semble avoir été vendu à un promoteur de condos qui a déjà fait main basse sur un immeuble public en face d’une station de métro dans Villeray.
Cela en dit long sur l'expression sans domicile fixe.
This photo is part of my second 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at the 100 Strangers Flickr Group page
Occurred to you to have a kid although you might be young age? Possibly, however it is frequent for modern day females, young sense here needless to say refers towards the age of two decades, specifically right after marriage, college, or already effectively established and have a steady job. Yes, about two dozen up. howtogetpregnanteasy.webs.com/apps/blog/show/19113167-pro...
The Brisbane Courier
Wed 28 Nov 1888
Brisbane Tramway Company
[...] Since the printing of the report the company had sold to the Townsville Omnibus Company a considerable number of light horses which were unfit for the Brisbane traffic, and had formerly been used on the "feeders." They had also disposed of four waggons and three omnibus, the lot coming to nearly £700. This had relieved the company of a considerable number of animals and vehicles for which they had no present use, and they had agreed to take payment for this rolling-stock and these horses in shares in the Townsville company. He [the chairman] had looked into the matter very carefully when he visited Townsville, and he believed the little 'bus company there would be an extremely remunerative investment. The town was so laid out that there were no hills on the routes, and the wear and tear would be but small. At any rate, the board was convinced that they had done the right thing in getting rid of these 'busses on the terms agreed to, and had experienced considerable difficulty in getting rid of them.
He could not allow the opportunity to pass without mentioning the point that was casually mooted at the last annual meeting - namely, the possibility of substituting electricity for horses as their traction power. During the twelve months that had elapsed since that meeting there had been an immense development in the phase of electical science. There was now in Richmond City, Virginia, USA, an electrical street railway that had been running for a number of months with absolute success at a cost of less than half of what the same company had previously expended for the propulsion of their cars by horses or mules. The result of the success of this new system had been very marked in America, and one of the most important effects was that the West End Boston Company had absolutely determined to adopt the system.
Queensland State Archives Item ID 436348, Photographic material
The Brisbane tramway network served the city of Brisbane, Australia, between 1885 and 1969. It ran on standard gauge track. The electric system was originally energised to 500 volts, and subsequently increased to 600 volts. All tramcars built in Brisbane up to 1938 had an open design. This proved so popular, especially on hot summer nights, that the trams were used as fundraisers and often chartered right up until the last service by social groups.
Most trams operated with a two-person crew – a driver (or motorman) and a conductor, who moved about the tram collecting fares and issuing tickets. The exceptions to this arrangement were on the Gardens line (Lower Edward Street) where the short duration of the trip meant it was more effective for passengers to simply drop their fare into a fare box as they entered the tram; and the "one man cars" which operated in the early 1930s.
The peak year for patronage was in 1944–45 when almost 160 million passengers were carried. The system route length reached its maximum extent of 109 kilometres (68 mi) in 1952. The total track length was 199 kilometres (124 mi), owing to many routes ending in single, rather than double, track. Single track segments of the track were protected by signalling which operated off the trolley wire. By 1959 more than 140 kilometres (87 mi) of track were laid in concrete, a method of track construction pioneered in Brisbane.
The last track opened was in O'Keefe Street Woolloongabba, in May 1961. However, this track was not used in normal passenger service and was merely used to reduce dead running from Logan Road back to Ipswich Road Depot.
Of the Australian capital cities which closed their networks between the 1950s and 1970s (only Melbourne and Adelaide retained trams, although Adelaide only had one line in operation), Brisbane was the last capital city to close its tram network. Despite the decision to shut down the network, Brisbane's trams were held with great affection by locals, and one commentator described their removal "one of the most appalling urban planning mistakes in the city’s history". There have been ongoing proposals since the early 1990s to reinstate a functional tram network.
Brisbane expanded to become one of the most dispersed cities in the world by the 1870s. In the early years of Brisbane's settlement walking was the most convenient way to get around as most people choose to live close to their workplace. In 1875, the railway line to Ipswich opened up some areas in western and southern districts, however fares were expensive, as was owning a horse.
By 1885 an omnibus service reached almost every part of Brisbane. Omnibuses consisted of a strongly constructed wooden wagon with seating for males on the roof and a back-door entrance to the interior.
On 10 August 1885 the Metropolitan Tramway and Investment Company began official horse-drawn tramway services for the public. The 18 tramcars were built from highly polished cedar and mahogany in the United States by JG Brill Company and John Stephenson Company. Fares were expensive, with the typical patron belonging to the middle class. Some even used the services to go home for lunch. Depression struck in 1893 and combined with 1893 Brisbane floods the horse-drawn tramway services saw large drops in patronage.
The first electric tramway ran along Stanley Street, in South Brisbane on 16 June 1897. Horse-drawn carriages were still being used in 1899.
In 1900 local residents were agitating to have the Kelvin Grove tramway extended along Enoggera Road to the Newmarket Hotel in Newmarket. However, a new bridge over Enoggera Creek would be required.[5] Also there were concerns that the close proximity of the proposed tramway would take revenue away from the railway line. However these concerns were resolved and the tramway extension to the Newmarket Hotel was opened on Monday 27 July 1903.
Up until the end of World War I, Brisbane's trams were the primary method used for travelling within the city.
Between 1923 and 1934 tram services in Brisbane were greatly expanded. Brisbane's tramway system came under the control of the newly merged Brisbane City Council (BCC) in 1925.
After seven years of agitation, Brisbane's tram service was extended to Grange in July 1928. The opening ceremony was attended by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, William Jolly, and two Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, James Stevingstone Kerr and Charles Taylor. The mayor had threatened not to attend any ceremony for the opening of the tram service because two rival groups were organising separate celebrations; he would only attend if there was a single ceremony.
Until 1934, the trams carried mail between the Brisbane General Post Office and suburban post office branches, and also acted as mobile postboxes
Through the 1940s and 1950s the tram system enjoyed strong political support within the council, which continued to expand the tram network and upgrade its fleet with some of the most advanced trams in Australia. Trolleybuses were introduced in 1951. The last tramway to open was in March 1961. Clem Jones became Lord Mayor of Brisbane the same year, and all new route construction was cancelled.
By 1948 Brisbane's trams failed to return a profit as they could not compete with the more efficient bus services. Urban development, often well away from public transport, the rise of suburban shopping centres and the relative decline in the cost of motorcars meant that as elsewhere, Brisbane's public street transport system increasingly had to compete with the private motor car and patronage slowly declined from a post war peak of 148 million passenger journeys in 1946, to approximately 64 million passenger journeys in 1968.
Political support for the tram system waned in the 1960s, particularly so after the Paddington tram depot fire on 28 September 1962. 67 trams were destroyed, which represented 20% of the entire fleet. Brisbane's Lord Mayor Alderman Clem Jones was pro-freeway and private car. The Kalinga, Toowong, Rainworth and Bulimba ferry routes closed in December 1962.
In common with many other cities, Brisbane converted its remaining tram lines between 1968 and 1969 to all bus operation. The last trolley buses ran on 13 March 1969 and the final trams ran on 13 April 1969. Photographs of this last tram ride, organised by Grahame Garner and other tramways workers are in the University of Queensland Fryer Library collection. The tramway closure was notable for the speed with which it was carried out. Over 300 replacement Leyland Panther buses were purchased, at the time the largest single bus purchase in the world. Most older, wooden trams were stripped of metal parts and then burnt at the City Council's yard at Cribb Street, Milton (adjacent to the tramway workshops). The bodies of later, all-metal cars were sold as sheds and playground equipment.
The Brisbane Tramway Museum Society was formed in 1968 to preserve some of Brisbane's trams. At present the museum has 24 Brisbane trams in its collection, with 6 operational; California type tram 47, Ten Bench tram 65, Baby Dreadnought tram 99, Dropcentre tram 341, Four Motor tram 429, and the last tram built and officially operated in Brisbane, Four Motor Phoenix tram 554. Tramway operations commenced at the museum at Ferny Grove in 1980.
There have been several proposals from both the Brisbane City Council and state government to return a tram or light rail system to Brisbane since the 1990s. The most prominent of these include the ambitious 1997 Brisbane Light Rail Transit proposal. The plans escalated to a Queensland government tender for four company consortia to purchase new trams, construct and operate the system in 1 the project was projected to cost A$235 million but was subsequently vetoed in favour of expanding the existing bus network.
These various proposed options included a line from Roma Street station to Queensland University of Technology’s CBD campus along George Street, CBD to West End and University of Queensland via Victoria Bridge and Melbourne Street and CBD to Fortitude Valley via Wickham Terrace.
In 2007, following several failed road and tunnel projects and based on the recommendations of the Brisbane City Council's 2006 CBD masterplan, Premier Peter Beattie announced $250 million of state government funding for an extensive light rail system to rival Melbourne's and significantly larger than those of Sydney or Adelaide. The plan, at the centre of the government's "Smart City" plan, was to link South Brisbane to New Farm and Bowen Hills with future extensions down the newly created South Eastern and Inner Northern Busways, bridges and pedestrian spines.[14] In the March 2008 Brisbane city elections, the Queensland Greens campaigned on a more comprehensive plan. However, by June 2008 progress had stalled, without an official project announcement, the Brisbane City Council once again distancing itself from the plan due to cost of the investment (estimated at $600 million for the New Farm link) and instead giving consideration of diverting the funds to enhancing the bus and CityCat ferry systems.
Types of trams
Unlike many other systems, Brisbane never adopted an alphabetical or numerical system for classifying its trams (cf Melbourne trams), preferring instead to use official descriptions, such as "standard centre aisle car", or "drop-centre saloon car”.
Horse trams
- single deck saloon
- single deck cross bench
- double deck - open top deck, lower saloon
Electric trams
Converted electric trams
Delivery of early combination cars was delayed and as a result the tramway company decided to convert many of the horse tram to electric operation, as a temporary expedient. Despite this, many of these converted cars remained in passenger service well into the 1930s.
California Combination car
The prototype Brisbane electric tram (No 1) was built at the Melbourne cable tram workshops from the body of a horse tram, and had 5 saloon windows instead of the usual 4 windows on the new-built Combination cars, with one fixed and one tip-over seat on each end platform.
Large Combination cars
These three trams were built in 1904 from three single deck horse trams, similar to the new-built California Combination trams but with 6 saloon windows as opposed to 4 on the new trams, and a single fixed cross-bench seat on each end platform instead of 2 tip-over seats each end. Withdrawn from service 1925 to 1930s.
Saloon cars
Each tram in this class was constructed by joining two single deck saloon horse trams together on a single motorised chassis. Their long, enclosed bodies gave rise to their nickname of "coffin cars". They were built in 1897, when delivery of new electric trams was delayed. 6 cars in this class. They were all withdrawn from service by 1930.
"Summer" cars
The 6 bench horse trams were motorised and later most were lengthened to accommodate 10 cross benches. One car was to remain in service until 1958 as an advertising car.
New-built electric trams
California Combination
Officially referred to as "Standard Combination" trams, but more popularly referred to as "matchboxes". They had a central 4 window saloon with 2 tip-over cross-bench seats on each end platform. There were 62 trams in this class, built between 1897 and 1904, with the last one withdrawn from passenger service in 1952. Two, (nos 14 and 15), were converted into "scrubber" cars (track maintenance cars). Several were used as advertising cars, with 47 and 53 being used as one man cars on the Gardens shuttle route.
Nine Bench Cars
These 4 trams were constructed in 1897 and 1898 by the Brisbane Tramways Company. They were cross bench cars with no centre aisle. Two of the benches (those attached to the end bulkheads) were fixed and the other seven benches were tip-over. They could carry 45 seated passengers, plus standees. Two were withdrawn from service in 1938, the other two were probably withdrawn in 1943.
Brills
These 20 cars were officially "bogie open tip-over cross-bench cars". They were a standard design tram built by JG Brill Company of Philadelphia, although two were built by the Brisbane Tramways Company, presumably under licence from the Brill Company. They each had 4 fixed back-to-back benches and 8 tip-over benches. The first 8 had clerestory roofs, the remainder had plain roofs. The first 8 were also fitted with couplings for trailers, but the trailers were eventually motorised (see "light twelve bench cars" below.) As these trams only had hand brakes, operating a coupled set was physically demanding on drivers. In later years these workhorses were very dilapidated and had diagonal cross bracing on each bulkhead to reduce body sway. One tram was involved in a bad accident in 1944 and was converted to centre aisle design (see Special Dreadnoughts). They were gradually withdrawn from service between 1937 and 1952.
Light Twelve Bench Cars
These eight cars were originally built as trailers between 1901 and 1903, but were motorised in 1912. They had 12 fixed back-to-back benches and could carry 66 passengers. They were all withdrawn from service between 1948 and 1951.
Standard Ten Bench Cars
There were 32 of these sturdy little single truck trams constructed in Brisbane. 28 were built by the Brisbane Tramways Company between 1907 and 1921 and a further 4 were built by the Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1923 and 1925. They had fixed, back-to-back bench seating carrying 50 seated passengers (plus standees). They were commonly called "toastracks" or "jumping jacks". In 1936 4 of these cars were converted to Baby Dreadnoughts (see below); another two were converted to this class in 1944. Apart from one car converted to an advertising car and another retained for historical purposes, they were all withdrawn from service between 1952 and 1955.
Dreadnoughts
Officially referred to as standard centre-aisle trams, 65 trams in this class built between 1908 and 1925. These trams could carry 90 passengers. The last 21, which were built for the Brisbane Tramways Trust between 1924 and 1925, had 12 windows, remainder built with 6 windows. Originally they were built with open end platforms, but these were enclosed in the 1930s. Some received "streamlining" with oval windows and skirting around their bogies. The attached picture illustrates the differences between various members of this class. The tram in the foreground is a 12 window Dreadnought (built by the Tramways Trust), still with seats on its end platforms and no streamlining. The tram ahead of it is an older, 6 window Dreadnought (built by the Tramways Company), but with its end seats removed and streamlining around its windows and skirting below the body of the tram.
"Special" Dreadnoughts
Each of these four cars was unique in their own way. Two were outwardly like the Dreadnoughts. Tram 100 was built in 1903 as the Tramway Company Manager's personal "Palace" car, fitted with carpets, plush seat covers and further interior decorations. Converted to regular passenger use in 1918 and was withdrawn from service in 1958. Tram 110 was built in 1906 as the prototype for the Dreadnoughts, but it had different trucks, which resulted in high steps. It was withdrawn from service in 1952. Tram 101 was built in 1899 originally with no solid roof, just a canvas awning suspended from a lightweight frame. It was withdrawn from service around 1935. Tram 104 was converted in 1943 from a Brill 12 bench car that had been badly damaged in an accident. In its converted form this tram had design features derived from the Four Motor, Dropcentre and Baby Dreadnought tram designs. It was withdrawn from service in 1958.
Stepless Car
Known as "big Lizzie", also sometimes referred to as a "New York type tram", tram 301 was intended to be the first of a fleet of inter-urban trams. It was built by JG Brill Company in 1912 and imported in 1914. It was unusual for a Brill stepless car in that it was partially made of timber, rather than the normal all-metal construction. It was the first fully enclosed tram in Brisbane. Heavy and troubled by poor road clearance, it usually only saw service on the West End – Ascot line and was withdrawn from service in 1935.
"One man" trams
Between 1929 and 1930, 9 Dreadnoughts were converted to "one-man" operation, as a cost-saving measure. These trams were operated with drivers only and without conductors. They were only used on the Rainworth and Red Hill routes. Passengers were required to enter the tram from the front entrance and pay the driver as they entered. For this reason these trams had a distinctive colour scheme which included red and white diamonds on their front aprons. In May 1934 one man operation was abandoned and these trams were repainted in normal colours.
Two combination trams were also converted to one man operation for use on the Gardens route. The first tram was converted in 1925, the second in 1930.
"Baby" Dreadnoughts
Sometimes called "small centre-aisle" or "single truck saloon" cars, the 6 trams in this class were built primarily for the hilly Spring Hill route. They were built in two batches: the first four in 1936 were converted from 10 bench trams, the last two were built in 1943 using the underframes from 10 bench trams, making the last two trams in this class the non-bogie cars built in Australia. These trams were fitted with special sanders allowing sand to be dropped not only in front, but also behind, their wheels, in case the trams slipped backwards on the steep section of the Spring Hill line. They were withdrawn from service in 1958–1959, one car was preserved.
Dropcentres
The most numerous of Brisbane's trams, there were 191 trams of this class built between 1925 and 1938. Officially called "bogie drop centre combination cars", (usually shortened to "dropcentre" or "droppie") these trams' distinctive drop centre compartment was open to the elements, with only canvas blinds to provide protection for passengers in cold or wet weather. Although designed to be operated using airbrakes, most cars in this class were instead built with rheostatic brakes and hand brakes. However, the last 17 cars (Nos 370–386) were built with airbrakes. Subsequently, many of the older cars in this class were retrofitted with airbrakes and had their rheostatic braking systems removed. Early cars were built with open ends (meaning the drivers were unprotected from the elements) but later cars were built with enclosed ends (or "vestibules"). The ends of all the earlier cars of this class were enclosed by 1934. These trams were last used in regular service in December 1968.
Four Motor (FM) trams
Officially referred to as "drop centre saloon cars", or "four motor cars", they were popularly referred to as "400s", "FM's" or "silver bullets". They were the first class of trams built in Brisbane with airbrakes. 155 were constructed by the Brisbane City Council between 1938 and 1964, with a maximum carrying capacity of 110 passengers. Trams 400–472 were built with wide centre doors, 407 was altered to narrow centre doors and renumbered 473 (and the tram to be numbered 473 entered service as 407), trams 474–554 built with narrow centre doors. Through the 28 years during which they were built, many innovations were introduced, such as fluorescent lighting, helical gears, resilient wheels, remote controlled controllers and streamlined construction techniques. Early versions had canvas blinds in the doorways, while later versions had sliding doors. The last 8 trams were built from components salvaged from the Paddington tram depot fire and were painted light blue with phoenix emblems below the motorman's windows, to symbolise that the trams had risen from the ashes of the fire.
Workshops, power houses and administration
Workshops and administration for the electric tram system were initially located in cramped quarters at Countess Street, at the western side of the Roma Street railway yards (now the site of the Roma Street Parkland), but in 1927 were relocated to Milton. Access to the workshops was from Boomerang Street in Milton, off Milton Road. Head Office was accessed from Coronation Drive (then known as River Road).
Power for the electric trams was originally drawn from a power station operated by the tramway company adjacent to its Countess Street depot and workshops. As the tramway company increased both the number of trams and the length of routes, the power supply rapidly became inadequate. Additional power generating units were installed at Light Street depot and a further powerhouse was built on Logan Road, Woolloongabba, adjacent to the Woolloongabba railway line. Inadequate power supply was to remain a problem while the tramways remained in private hands. With the takeover of the system in 1922 by the Brisbane Tramways Trust (and subsequently the City Council) considerable investment was made in many areas including power generation and distribution. A larger powerhouse was built in New Farm which commenced generation in 1928 and was sufficient for both the needs of the tram system and other consumers.
The original Countess Street powerhouse was demolished and material from it was used to construct the new Tramways headquarters.
Focus on Eldercare's response to COVID-19
At the purpose when the noxious impacts of COVID-19 showed first in Wuhan, the entire city and therefore the entire of Hubei Province ground to a halt. The lockdown of Wuhan brought remarkable torment and threatening difficulties for several individual occupants therein first focus. Presently, COVID-19 represents those equivalent difficulties for individuals and social welfare frameworks all-inclusive. Especially, it tests our aggregate endeavors to believe one another, particularly the foremost defenseless among us.
As a populace, individuals quite 70 will generally have more fragile insusceptible frameworks and progressively fundamental conditions that obstruct their capacity to battle the infection. They're likewise sure to dwell on bunch day to day environments, nearby people. Floods of COVID-19 passings in nursing homes — first within the Seattle territory, at that time on the brink of Sacramento and now during the country — have underscored this inauspicious reality. Up until now, Californians quite 65 have made up, at any rate, a fourth of the state's affirmed instances of COVID-19.
Be that because it may, guidelines, especially for helping living offices, are unsafely failing to satisfy the expectations in protecting California's older folks from this infection. Luck, Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan on Aging activity, as of now ongoing, presents an opportunity to forcefully address this peril and find how to secure an enormous number of more seasoned Americans.
Helped living focuses are an aid to the Eldercare business and therefore the enormous corporate proprietors that currently command the market. Simultaneously, in any case, an absence of guideline and oversight of staffing levels and capabilities — particularly prerequisites for on-location doctors and much prepared clinical experts — has left the business defenseless against misuse and unfortunate results. One glaring issue that has got to be tended to: helped living focuses are directed by the state Department of Social Services rather than the Department of Public Health.
In any case, it helped to measure maybe a piece of social welfare and clinical consideration conveyance framework, not only a direction for living. Propelled a year ago, Newsom's plan on Aging has framed a warning advisory group, is holding open gatherings and within the fall is planned to offer a 10-year plan which will address issues from lodging and vagrancy to crisis readiness to manhandle and disrespect. The venture has made a "Value Committee" to urge a contribution from a progressively differing gathering of residents and associations, including agents of the crippled network, Native Americans and other ethnic minorities.
Considering the spreading coronavirus general wellbeing emerging, it's basic that the representative's plan on Aging takes on an expansive and genuine open arrangement job. We weren't bothered with elevated level clichés for tending to the wants of the old. We'd like solid arrangements, solid guidelines with implementation teeth and a guarantee to continued oversight.
The Age of COVID-19
Older people who get themselves out of the blue alone without authority over their conditions are at specific hazards for an assortment of serious, even hazardous, physical and psychological well-being conditions, including a subjective decrease. Limitations on the opportunity of development ought to be proportionate and not founded solely on age.
COVID-19, as different irresistible melodies, represents a higher hazard to populaces that live in nearness. This hazard is especially intense in nursing or matured consideration offices, where the infection can spread quickly and has just brought about numerous passings. About 1.5 million older people individuals live in the nursing homes in the US, barring helped living offices and different settings making nearness.
Twenty-three individuals kicked the bucket in a flare-up at an office in Washington State in February and March, and the US Centers for Disease Control detailed 400 additional cases in offices as of April 1. On March 31, wellbeing experts in the Grand East district of France detailed 570 passings of older people in nursing homes.
Older people often end up in nursing homes due to governments' inability to offer adequate social types of assistance for individuals to live freely in the network, approaches that have put millions at included danger of getting the infection as a result of their organization. Governments ought to guarantee the progression of network-based administrations with the goal that individuals don't wind up in organizations without different alternatives.
Expound now on the roles played via care laborers in continuing the lives of the old during that emergency, and who, however dreadful themselves, by and by remain day in and outing inside the bounds of their wards to offer fundamental consideration.
Care supervisor Chang, the woman in charge of the consideration laborers among whom I led my hands-on work, coordinated the change of her ward into a self-sufficient fixed of a unit of care. The passage to her floor is carefully monitored; just fundamental conveyances are permitted, for instance, nourishment and clothing. Since nobody can enter or leave the structure, the flask for the older was transformed into a dozing region for care laborers. Despite the very fact that a lot of consideration laborers have their circle of relatives to require care of, they put that piece of their life under the control of others. Care specialist Lin, whose spouse died at the start of the pandemic, did not have the chance to completely grieve his passing due to incessant understaffing at Sunlight. She came back to figure following the burial service, despite realizing that she not, at now expected to figure at Sunlight to hide her significant other's clinical costs. Lin's arrival says much regarding her promise to her calling, to her colleagues, and to the old she had come to understand so well. My examination with care laborers recommends that it's an enthusiastic association and an awareness of other's expectations that propels them to remain the end of the day in care work. This is often borne out immediately.
Carefully add China is often seen as being grimy and unfortunate, thanks to an excellent extension to its nearby hook up with the realistic consideration required by slight, skilled bodies. Chinese consideration laborers are for the foremost part provincial to urban transients or urban specialists laid far away from previous state-claimed processing plants. In any case, direct consideration is intricate. In any case, its unpredictability goes unrecognized, or maybe disregarded by institutional powers that organize benefits and generalize the old as bodies to chip away at, to the disregard of their social-passionate necessities. As is valid with Sunlight, things which might typically undermine the keenness of care laborers, for instance, the absence of institutional acknowledgment for his or her enthusiastic work, are required to be postponed. Care specialists are currently centered around a shared objective: ensuring the gift assistance of the older. COVID-19 propels care laborers to consider what kind of care is required and the way to offer that care. It fills in as a channel through which the elemental beliefs of care are observed. Care is about common human weakness and our intrinsic association. Care laborers at Sunlight, in their aggregate every minute of everyday endeavors to secure the older, typify this ethic through their consideration. May the respectful regard, they hold of the older in their consideration redound on them and everyone consideration laborers overall who are fighting this pandemic on the bleeding edge!
Like the consideration laborers at Sunlight, the laborers in numerous nations are regarded human life so that we cannot be embarrassed to return clean with the leading edge about ourselves. Salute the spearheading staff who salutes our purposeful endeavors to handle the pandemic in numerous settings around the globe, within the daylight, yet additionally to ensure that veterans are appropriately treated, took care of and washed.
We all hope and pray that the coronavirus will soon be controlled and subdued. And that when the crisis is behind us, that we continue the important work of protecting the elderly and other vulnerable segments of our citizenry.
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View from Mt Difficulty winery and restaurant where we had lunch. March 6, 2014 South Island, New Zealand.
Mt Difficulty Wines is located in Bannockburn and the Cellar Door at Mt Difficulty Wines is known as much for its dramatic views of rugged rock and thyme landscapes as it is for its stylish wine and food.
All wines that carry the Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Estate label are subject to two strict criteria: they have to be sourced from vineyards situated in a very specific area – Bannockburn, south of the Kawarau River – and they are to be under the umbrella of the Mt Difficulty management team. The reasons for these self-imposed constraints are that we believe this to be an area with very special qualities for growing grapes, and that the management of the vineyard is reflected in the quality of the ultimate product.
For More Info: www.mtdifficulty.co.nz/vineyards/bannockburn-map.html
After our lunch at Mt Difficulty we went up the Felton Road to Felton Road Winery. March 6, 2014 Central Otago, Bannockburn, South Island, New Zealand.
Felton Road Winery. is situated on warm, north facing slopes of glacial loess soils in Bannockburn, in the heart of Central Otago. The modern gravity fed winery receives 100% estate grown fruit from its three vineyards that are all farmed biodynamically and are fully certified by Demeter. Minimal intervention in the winemaking with such practices as wild yeast, no fining or filtration, allow the unique vineyard characters to further express their considerable personality.
Since the first vintage in 1997, Felton Road has acquired a formidable worldwide reputation.
Zero waste By-products:
Winery waste is, probably more than any other substance, lees. Lees are a mixture of sediments left over from winemaking, and consist mainly of dead yeast and tartaric and malic acid. It isn’t particularly hostile stuff, but acids are a problem in any waste system, so winery waste management systems are designed to deal with this mixture. It takes a lot of money to build a waste management system and a lot of energy to run it so, in a perfect world, we’d do without one. But is it possible to do that? We have demonstrated that it is. Our solution is simple: don’t throw anything away. Nothing whatsoever goes down our drains unless we have failed to find a better use for it. And since almost all waste has some form of value, there is a better use out there. Lees, for example, get separated into fine lees (the more liquid stuff) and the solid gunk. The solids are composted. It might be tricky to compost something this acidic for some wineries, but as we make well over 100 tonnes of compost a year anyway, the lees solids are literally a drop in the manure heap. That leaves the more liquid stuff to deal with. Each year it goes to a beautiful wood fired copper still and is distilled into “Fine”: the term for brandy distilled from wine lees. Roughly a thousand litres of lees yields about 100 litres of wonderful brandy. After 5 years of aging in French oak using a “solera” type system, it is ready to bottle.
What better way to recycle something that most regard as an industrial waste product?
Taken from and for more info: www.nzwine.com/winery/felton-road/
After our lunch at Mt Difficulty we went up the Felton Road to Felton Road Winery. March 6, 2014 Central Otago, Bannockburn, South Island, New Zealand.
Felton Road Winery. is situated on warm, north facing slopes of glacial loess soils in Bannockburn, in the heart of Central Otago. The modern gravity fed winery receives 100% estate grown fruit from its three vineyards that are all farmed biodynamically and are fully certified by Demeter. Minimal intervention in the winemaking with such practices as wild yeast, no fining or filtration, allow the unique vineyard characters to further express their considerable personality.
Since the first vintage in 1997, Felton Road has acquired a formidable worldwide reputation.
Zero waste By-products:
Winery waste is, probably more than any other substance, lees. Lees are a mixture of sediments left over from winemaking, and consist mainly of dead yeast and tartaric and malic acid. It isn’t particularly hostile stuff, but acids are a problem in any waste system, so winery waste management systems are designed to deal with this mixture. It takes a lot of money to build a waste management system and a lot of energy to run it so, in a perfect world, we’d do without one. But is it possible to do that? We have demonstrated that it is. Our solution is simple: don’t throw anything away. Nothing whatsoever goes down our drains unless we have failed to find a better use for it. And since almost all waste has some form of value, there is a better use out there. Lees, for example, get separated into fine lees (the more liquid stuff) and the solid gunk. The solids are composted. It might be tricky to compost something this acidic for some wineries, but as we make well over 100 tonnes of compost a year anyway, the lees solids are literally a drop in the manure heap. That leaves the more liquid stuff to deal with. Each year it goes to a beautiful wood fired copper still and is distilled into “Fine”: the term for brandy distilled from wine lees. Roughly a thousand litres of lees yields about 100 litres of wonderful brandy. After 5 years of aging in French oak using a “solera” type system, it is ready to bottle.
What better way to recycle something that most regard as an industrial waste product?
Taken from and for more info: www.nzwine.com/winery/felton-road/
Those who do not live in Scotland may be unaware that this YES sign indicates an affirmative response to the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?".
In a referendum to be held on 18 September 2014 this issue will be decided by those who are registered to vote in Scotland.
In my view, the underlying belief of those on the YES side is that it is right and proper for a nation to aspire to govern itself, that it may experience difficulties in doing so but in working through those difficulties it will develop the maturity required to hold its head high in the community of nations. The YES side believes that now is the time to "grasp the thistle".
The NO side appears to hold the view either (i) that a 'mature nation' status is not worth working for or (ii) that, while it might be desirable to become a mature nation, the inevitable difficulties could not be overcome.
I listened live to the 2 hours and 40 minutes of this parliamentary debate and thought that Mike Russell's ten minute winding-up speech (transcript below) characterised by its positive approach, exemplified that contrast with the negative approach of his opponents during that debate.
THE PARLIAMENT OF SCOTS (12 AUGUST 2014)
DEBATE ON THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES OF INDEPENDENCE
WINDING UP SPEECH FROM MIKE RUSSELL
Official report:-
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Thank you. I call Michael Russell to wind up the debate. Cabinet secretary, you have until 5 o’clock.
16:49
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning (Michael Russell):
Let me give the chamber a revelation: I think that on the evidence of this afternoon’s debate there are no votes in this chamber that are up for grabs in the referendum and that it is pretty clear that there are no undecideds on these benches.
However, there might be some undecideds watching at home. I suspect that they might well have turned off by now, particularly after Jenny Marra’s speech, but if they are still watching I suggest to them that, if they are trying to come to a judgment on the basis of this debate—there are people in the gallery who might want to make such a judgment—they should do so on the basis of what has been the positive view and what has been the negative view.
Look at the positive view that all my colleagues in the chamber have expressed and at the endless, destructive negativity that we have heard from Labour, the Liberals and the Tories.
I will start with the clearest view of the currency issue. As ever, the First Minister got it right in the chamber last week. I will repeat his exact words. He said:
“It is our pound, and we are keeping it.”
There are no ifs and no buts. That is the guarantee. That is plan A to Z. For the benefit of those who are still trying to frighten people out of what is theirs—people such as Mr Henry, who asserted that Scots will not be able to buy food or go on holiday after independence, and Mr Fraser, who tellingly referred—
Hugh Henry:
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Michael Russell:
No, I will not. I am sorry; one contribution from Mr Henry in an afternoon is more than enough.
Mr Fraser referred to the currency belonging to someone else, which was very interesting. I will repeat what the First Minister said so that there can be no doubt. He said:
“It is our pound, and we are keeping it.”—[Official Report, 7 August 2014; c 33159.]
Hugh Henry:
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Mr Russell has just made a statement in which he attributed words to me that I did not say. Is it in order for members to fabricate words that were not said during the debate and attribute them to other members? [Interruption.]
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Order, please. What members say in their speeches is entirely up to them. It is not for me to decide what they should and should not say. However, the Official Report undoubtedly shows every word that has been said in the chamber.
Michael Russell:
I am sure that Mr Henry will reflect on that when he looks at what he has said about me and my writings. I am sure that he will think about that carefully. Mr Henry’s words speak for themselves, as does his depressing demeanour.
The debate has been one of great contrasts. I go back to positivity and negativity. My friend Mr Swinney talked about ambition, achievement, resources, potential and raising the eyes of Scotland to what can be achieved. In my area of special interest, he talked about the need for transformative childcare and the world-leading position of Scottish higher education. What was the result? [Interruption.]
The Deputy Presiding Officer:
Order, please.
Michael Russell:
The result was that, 10 minutes in, Mr Rennie gave the knee-jerk plan B its first outing. Mr Brown then leapt back in. Project fear was in there working hard.
The other side of the unionist coin then showed itself. It was quite stunning. Alex Johnstone chuntered on from a sedentary position about the fact that everything that was mentioned was a product of the wonderful union, but he was interrupted by Jenny Marra, who said that everything was the result of the failed SNP. There we have it: that is a contrast. Labour hates the SNP more than anybody else, and the Tories love the union more than anything else. Neither of those is a prescription for a safe future.
Believing that a Labour Government will remove weapons of mass destruction is also not a prescription for a safe future. There is no evidence for that whatsoever. How else are we to get rid of weapons of mass destruction, except by independence? That is the reality.
It was telling that, when Mr Swinney mentioned Trident and what we need to do, the reaction from Labour and the Tories and even from the sole Lib Dem who was there was derision. They want to put bombs before bairns and Trident before teachers. That is their shame.
Let me carry on.
Neil Bibby (West Scotland) (Lab):
Will the cabinet secretary take an intervention?
Michael Russell:
No, I will not take an intervention. I am sorry.
The reality of the debate was shown clearly. It was about that negative view. Nothing could be done. We had to ask what that was about. Maureen Watt got it 100 per cent right. She analysed the debate early on. The great fear that exists in project fear is the could-should-must progression. If any member on the Labour benches could admit that Scotland could be independent—I will come to Elaine Murray in a moment, as she did that momentarily—the whole fantasy will collapse.
The reason why it collapses is that that leads to the argument that Scotland should be independent, which is the argument that my colleagues made this afternoon. It goes a step further to the argument that Scotland must be independent.
The biggest illustration of that was given by Malcolm Chisholm. Yet again, I was saddened by a speech by Malcolm Chisholm. I have admiration and time for Malcolm Chisholm; he is laughing, but I do. I do not think that he and I differ very much in some of the things that we want to see, but here is the difference. [Interruption.]
The Presiding Officer (Tricia Marwick):
Order.
Michael Russell:
Labour members want to laugh at this, because it is beginning to strike home.
The difference is that I and my colleagues have a plan for how to achieve those things. We know how poverty can be eliminated in Scotland. We know—
Iain Gray:
Will the minister give way?
Michael Russell:
No—I want to finish my point.
I know that it is annoying to Iain Gray, but the truth of the matter is that it is possible to have a plan to change Scotland and to do those things. We can set out with those intentions and we can work hard to meet them, or we can—as Labour members would have us do—simply keep our fingers crossed that we get a Labour Government that could possibly pursue the things that they want to see in Scotland rather than the things that Ed Balls and Miliband want to see south of the border. I say to Malcolm Chisholm that that is not a plan: that is keeping your fingers crossed and putting party before principle.
Malcolm Chisholm:
The cabinet secretary may have a plan, but the whole point of all the Labour speeches has been to point out that it is not a plan that can be delivered without an economic foundation. Before he gives us any more claptrap about the negativity of Labour members, will he reflect on the fact that by far the biggest and most disgraceful scare of the referendum campaign is what the yes side is saying about the NHS? [Interruption.]
The Presiding Officer:
Order! Order!
Michael Russell:
How interesting. Mr Chisholm is being wildly applauded by Jackson Carlaw, who—
The Presiding Officer:
Sit down, Mr Russell.
That is quite enough. There is far too much heckling and far too much noise. The minister is speaking, so allow him to do so. This is a Parliament; it is not a public meeting or a hustings. There are people in Scotland who are listening to the debate. Make it worthy of them.
Michael Russell:
Why was Jackson Carlaw—the person who got so agitated about the issue of the NHS last week—applauding so much? Because we have hit the nail on the head. If the financial power lies outside Scotland, the decision on the priorities of Scotland and how to deliver those priorities will always lie outside Scotland, too. For every £100 by which expenditure is reduced south of the border through privatisation of the health service—privatisation that was started by Labour—£10 is lost from the Scottish budget.
Neil Findlay:
Will the cabinet secretary give way?
Michael Russell:
No.
For every £100 that is removed from public expenditure through privatisation of higher education south of the border, we lose £10. That is the reality. That is the nub of the debate. We can choose to make our decisions in Scotland, to take our responsibilities in Scotland and to have opportunities in Scotland, or we can always dance to someone else’s tune.
Malcolm Chisholm wants to see the progress in Scotland that I want to see. I repeat what I said earlier: the SNP has the plan to do that. It puts its confidence—[Interruption.] We can hear the Tories laughing; we can always hear the Tories laughing when the people of Scotland want to progress.
Here is the choice: we can say to the people of Scotland, “Take responsibility, and then you will have the opportunity to change this country for the better”; or we can tell them to listen to those who will not accept the reality and who will always keep their fingers crossed that England votes the same way that they do. Those voices will always disappoint and let down the people of Scotland. That has got to stop.
The lesson this afternoon is entirely clear: there is a jobs plan for an independent Scotland, there is a finance plan for an independent Scotland, there is a currency plan for an independent Scotland and there is a plan to make an independent Scotland the country that it could and should be. The people who stand in the way of that are this unholy alliance between Labour and the Tories.
The Presiding Officer:
You need to finish, cabinet secretary.
Michael Russell:
They are the people who have plenty of ambition for their political parties and none for their country. [Applause.]
The Presiding Officer:
Order.
That concludes the debate on the economic opportunities of independence.
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SUNDAY TIMES - 21st September 2014
Michael Russell
In a sense I have been campaigning for independence across Scotland not just in the last four weeks but for forty years. But I don't think I have ever had such an emotional political experience as last Saturday standing in the Station Square in Oban listening to Dougie Maclean sing his anthem of Scottishness, Caledonia.
It didn't matter that someone had forgotten to bring an extension lead, so there was no power for the microphone. It was irrelevant that an early sea mist, now burning off, had prevented the First Minister from making a helicopter campaign stop and equally irrelevant was the stretch limo with a huge "NO thanks" logo tied round it ( one of the bizzarest sights of the campaign) that kept cruising past. Dougie sang and 250 people - young and old, from all parties but mostly none, sang along with a quiet intensity that brought tears to my eyes and to eyes of many others.
That event started a whole day of remarkable activities - a car cavalcade of more than sixty vehicles that wound its way across Mid Argyll with so many participants that a church hall in Lochgilphead had to be commandeered to feed them, a flash mob of dancers and musicians on a green beside the sea and finally a laser show lighting up a huge YES sign on the island of Kerrera in the bay facing the town.
This was politics, but not as I have known it. YES Scotland started out as an umbrella organisation and ended up as a mass movement . It's creativity and energy was replicated not just across my constituency - in Dunoon, in Campbeltown, in Rothesay, in Lochgoilhead, on Islay and on Mull - but across the whole of Scotland in a diverse, multi layered movement that demanded and will go on demanding not only attention but also real change.
Although Thursday night delivered a bitter blow to many of those who had invested so much of themselves in that movement I do not think it will go away. Indeed it must not go away. It's commitment, enthusiasm and vigour are needed as never before if Scotland is to move forward united.
It is this movement that can really test the will of politicians to deliver the new dispensation that the Westminster parties promised in the final days of the campaign and it is this movement that can press an agenda that is focussed on outcomes which benefit and empower real people not just the political classes.
As Alex Salmond said on Friday in his moving resignation statement, holding Westminster to account for the delivery of its new promises has to be done by the whole of Scotland and that process needs to be lead by citizens themselves. If it changes and benefits all the parts of the present UK so much the better as long as that not an excuse for endless delay.
I have undertaken more than sixty public meetings in Argyll & Bute over the past nine months. One of the biggest took place on Ardrishaig the night before the Dougie MacLean event at which I shared a platform with Professor Allan MacInnes and Lesley Riddoch, both longstanding friends. Lesley spoke about this new politics too and was given a standing ovation by the over capacity crowd jammed into a tiny church hall. That enthusiasm reflected growing demand for a different set of priorities and a changed way of doing things - bottom up not top down.
That is what independence is but it's core values - fairness, equity, hope, opportunity, equality, justice - go well beyond the the 1.6 million who chose that option. Lots of voters on both sides were sending a message about the need for those things that cannot now be ignored.
That is why the "faster, safer and better" change offered in the 3 UK leaders Daily Record "Vow" was in the end persuasive for so many. They disagreed on the means but not on the ends.
So that is also why the SNP as the Scottish Government has to be an active part of the process now being outlined by the UK Government. We must heed the urgings of those we have worked with and take part in a constructive, urgent and focussed process to decide on the range of powers required and accelerate their introduction whilst ensuring that they are devolved further into communities and made capable of adaptation to local need and local direction.
That will not be easy for anyone but it is the essential next step - a step demanded by Thursday's result and which can also act as a unifying mechanism. We can help make a new Team Scotland and learn from it though it will be a Team Scotland weakened when not led by Alex Salmond, to whom the whole country owes an enormous political debt.
I am undoubtedly still a nationalist and I want to see independence. But this referendum campaign, undertaken in an Indian summer of warm sunshine amongst the most beautiful scenery in the world, criss crossing sea lochs, sailing to islands and motoring amongst mountains, has taught me a great deal.
A passionate desire for a better country is shared by many of our fellow citizens, young and old inside and outside conventional politics. A different set of priorities and policies - some already introduced by an SNP Government over the past 7 years - is possible. Alienation from politics and society isn't inevitable because inspiration casts out indifference. Decisions are better when made with people, not for them.
I have had the great pleasure of an invigorating campaign in Dalmally and Dunoon, on Luing and Lismore, through Glendaruel (where I live) and Glen Barr and by the shores of Loch Etive and Loch Riddon. The conclusion of those journeys was not the one I hoped for a month ago when the Sunday Times asked me to contribute at the end of the campaign. But the people have spoken and when that happens politicians have to listen - wherever they are.
Dont argue about the difficulties The difficulties will argue for themselves Quote Meaning
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I'm having more difficulties figuring out the 105mm Micro Lens on my Nikon D80. It would probably help if I'd read the book. I did read a little about the D80 while under the dryer at the hairdresser's today.
It has been about 20 years since I've used my Nikkormatt SLR; so, I have forgotten a few things. I could NOT figure out why the arm's length self-portrait with the 105mm lens was only capturing my eye. Then when I was thinking about the title for this photo, it dawned on me. The lens is a 105mm!!!!!!! :-) Duh! The joke's on me.
Notes about the day
1. I got up early to learn some things about my Nikon D80 with the 2 lenses: zoom and macro
2.I went to get my hair fixed.
3. I stopped by the mall and bought some socks (low cut) for my new Merrill tennis shoes, a small purse with a shoulder strap, in case I wish to also carry a larger camera bag, and some pants and dressy tops for our trip to Vegas.
4. I came home, ate quickly, and packed boxes into my car.
5. A friend met me at school. While I worked on grading some papers and posting them on the computer, she packed some classroom personal items and put them in my car to bring back home. She also packed 3 boxes of school materials to be moved by the school to the new school. There's LOTS more to do, but we did get started. YAY!
6. When I arrived home, Jim had made a run to Dollar General in Morven and picked up some BBQ at Miller's. I also went outside and played some more with my new camera. Very few of the pictures are worth seeing. I can't figure out how to change the aperture.
"Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties."
- Helen Keller
The idea: Achieve success despite the difficulties
Audience: adults, the ordinary public
Project: Social Design
Photoshop Design
This is a converted heavy truck used by militias across africa and the middle east. Often a large anti-air gun or some other sort of heavy weapon will be mounted on to a technical.
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-Not That Dead-
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease has since spread worldwide, leading to an ongoing pandemic.
Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, but often include fever, cough, fatigue, breathing difficulties, and loss of smell and taste. Symptoms begin one to fourteen days after exposure to the virus. Of those people who develop noticeable symptoms, most (81%) develop mild to moderate symptoms (up to mild pneumonia), while 14% develop severe symptoms (dyspnea, hypoxia, or more than 50% lung involvement on imaging), and 5% suffer critical symptoms (respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction). Older people are more likely to have severe symptoms. At least a third of the people who are infected with the virus remain asymptomatic and do not develop noticeable symptoms at any point in time, but they still can spread the disease.[ Around 20% of those people will remain asymptomatic throughout infection, and the rest will develop symptoms later on, becoming pre-symptomatic rather than asymptomatic and therefore having a higher risk of transmitting the virus to others. Some people continue to experience a range of effects—known as long COVID—for months after recovery, and damage to organs has been observed. Multi-year studies are underway to further investigate the long-term effects of the disease.
The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads mainly when an infected person is in close contact[a] with another person. Small droplets and aerosols containing the virus can spread from an infected person's nose and mouth as they breathe, cough, sneeze, sing, or speak. Other people are infected if the virus gets into their mouth, nose or eyes. The virus may also spread via contaminated surfaces, although this is not thought to be the main route of transmission. The exact route of transmission is rarely proven conclusively, but infection mainly happens when people are near each other for long enough. People who are infected can transmit the virus to another person up to two days before they themselves show symptoms, as can people who do not experience symptoms. People remain infectious for up to ten days after the onset of symptoms in moderate cases and up to 20 days in severe cases. Several testing methods have been developed to diagnose the disease. The standard diagnostic method is by detection of the virus' nucleic acid by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), or by reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) from a nasopharyngeal swab.
Preventive measures include physical or social distancing, quarantining, ventilation of indoor spaces, covering coughs and sneezes, hand washing, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face. The use of face masks or coverings has been recommended in public settings to minimise the risk of transmissions. Several vaccines have been developed and several countries have initiated mass vaccination campaigns.
Although work is underway to develop drugs that inhibit the virus, the primary treatment is currently symptomatic. Management involves the treatment of symptoms, supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.
SIGNS AND SYSTOMS
Symptoms of COVID-19 are variable, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Common symptoms include headache, loss of smell and taste, nasal congestion and rhinorrhea, cough, muscle pain, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, and breathing difficulties. People with the same infection may have different symptoms, and their symptoms may change over time. Three common clusters of symptoms have been identified: one respiratory symptom cluster with cough, sputum, shortness of breath, and fever; a musculoskeletal symptom cluster with muscle and joint pain, headache, and fatigue; a cluster of digestive symptoms with abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. In people without prior ear, nose, and throat disorders, loss of taste combined with loss of smell is associated with COVID-19.
Most people (81%) develop mild to moderate symptoms (up to mild pneumonia), while 14% develop severe symptoms (dyspnea, hypoxia, or more than 50% lung involvement on imaging) and 5% of patients suffer critical symptoms (respiratory failure, shock, or multiorgan dysfunction). At least a third of the people who are infected with the virus do not develop noticeable symptoms at any point in time. These asymptomatic carriers tend not to get tested and can spread the disease. Other infected people will develop symptoms later, called "pre-symptomatic", or have very mild symptoms and can also spread the virus.
As is common with infections, there is a delay between the moment a person first becomes infected and the appearance of the first symptoms. The median delay for COVID-19 is four to five days. Most symptomatic people experience symptoms within two to seven days after exposure, and almost all will experience at least one symptom within 12 days.
Most people recover from the acute phase of the disease. However, some people continue to experience a range of effects for months after recovery—named long COVID—and damage to organs has been observed. Multi-year studies are underway to further investigate the long-term effects of the disease.
CAUSE
TRANSMISSION
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads from person to person mainly through the respiratory route after an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks or breathes. A new infection occurs when virus-containing particles exhaled by an infected person, either respiratory droplets or aerosols, get into the mouth, nose, or eyes of other people who are in close contact with the infected person. During human-to-human transmission, an average 1000 infectious SARS-CoV-2 virions are thought to initiate a new infection.
The closer people interact, and the longer they interact, the more likely they are to transmit COVID-19. Closer distances can involve larger droplets (which fall to the ground) and aerosols, whereas longer distances only involve aerosols. Larger droplets can also turn into aerosols (known as droplet nuclei) through evaporation. The relative importance of the larger droplets and the aerosols is not clear as of November 2020; however, the virus is not known to spread between rooms over long distances such as through air ducts. Airborne transmission is able to particularly occur indoors, in high risk locations such as restaurants, choirs, gyms, nightclubs, offices, and religious venues, often when they are crowded or less ventilated. It also occurs in healthcare settings, often when aerosol-generating medical procedures are performed on COVID-19 patients.
Although it is considered possible there is no direct evidence of the virus being transmitted by skin to skin contact. A person could get COVID-19 indirectly by touching a contaminated surface or object before touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes, though this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. The virus is not known to spread through feces, urine, breast milk, food, wastewater, drinking water, or via animal disease vectors (although some animals can contract the virus from humans). It very rarely transmits from mother to baby during pregnancy.
Social distancing and the wearing of cloth face masks, surgical masks, respirators, or other face coverings are controls for droplet transmission. Transmission may be decreased indoors with well maintained heating and ventilation systems to maintain good air circulation and increase the use of outdoor air.
The number of people generally infected by one infected person varies. Coronavirus disease 2019 is more infectious than influenza, but less so than measles. It often spreads in clusters, where infections can be traced back to an index case or geographical location. There is a major role of "super-spreading events", where many people are infected by one person.
A person who is infected can transmit the virus to others up to two days before they themselves show symptoms, and even if symptoms never appear. People remain infectious in moderate cases for 7–12 days, and up to two weeks in severe cases. In October 2020, medical scientists reported evidence of reinfection in one person.
VIROLOGY
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. It was first isolated from three people with pneumonia connected to the cluster of acute respiratory illness cases in Wuhan. All structural features of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus particle occur in related coronaviruses in nature.
Outside the human body, the virus is destroyed by household soap, which bursts its protective bubble.
SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to the original SARS-CoV. It is thought to have an animal (zoonotic) origin. Genetic analysis has revealed that the coronavirus genetically clusters with the genus Betacoronavirus, in subgenus Sarbecovirus (lineage B) together with two bat-derived strains. It is 96% identical at the whole genome level to other bat coronavirus samples (BatCov RaTG13). The structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 include membrane glycoprotein (M), envelope protein (E), nucleocapsid protein (N), and the spike protein (S). The M protein of SARS-CoV-2 is about 98% similar to the M protein of bat SARS-CoV, maintains around 98% homology with pangolin SARS-CoV, and has 90% homology with the M protein of SARS-CoV; whereas, the similarity is only around 38% with the M protein of MERS-CoV. The structure of the M protein resembles the sugar transporter SemiSWEET.
The many thousands of SARS-CoV-2 variants are grouped into clades. Several different clade nomenclatures have been proposed. Nextstrain divides the variants into five clades (19A, 19B, 20A, 20B, and 20C), while GISAID divides them into seven (L, O, V, S, G, GH, and GR).
Several notable variants of SARS-CoV-2 emerged in late 2020. Cluster 5 emerged among minks and mink farmers in Denmark. After strict quarantines and a mink euthanasia campaign, it is believed to have been eradicated. The Variant of Concern 202012/01 (VOC 202012/01) is believed to have emerged in the United Kingdom in September. The 501Y.V2 Variant, which has the same N501Y mutation, arose independently in South Africa.
SARS-CoV-2 VARIANTS
Three known variants of SARS-CoV-2 are currently spreading among global populations as of January 2021 including the UK Variant (referred to as B.1.1.7) first found in London and Kent, a variant discovered in South Africa (referred to as 1.351), and a variant discovered in Brazil (referred to as P.1).
Using Whole Genome Sequencing, epidemiology and modelling suggest the new UK variant ‘VUI – 202012/01’ (the first Variant Under Investigation in December 2020) transmits more easily than other strains.
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
COVID-19 can affect the upper respiratory tract (sinuses, nose, and throat) and the lower respiratory tract (windpipe and lungs). The lungs are the organs most affected by COVID-19 because the virus accesses host cells via the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is most abundant in type II alveolar cells of the lungs. The virus uses a special surface glycoprotein called a "spike" (peplomer) to connect to ACE2 and enter the host cell. The density of ACE2 in each tissue correlates with the severity of the disease in that tissue and decreasing ACE2 activity might be protective, though another view is that increasing ACE2 using angiotensin II receptor blocker medications could be protective. As the alveolar disease progresses, respiratory failure might develop and death may follow.
Whether SARS-CoV-2 is able to invade the nervous system remains unknown. The virus is not detected in the CNS of the majority of COVID-19 people with neurological issues. However, SARS-CoV-2 has been detected at low levels in the brains of those who have died from COVID-19, but these results need to be confirmed. SARS-CoV-2 could cause respiratory failure through affecting the brain stem as other coronaviruses have been found to invade the CNS. While virus has been detected in cerebrospinal fluid of autopsies, the exact mechanism by which it invades the CNS remains unclear and may first involve invasion of peripheral nerves given the low levels of ACE2 in the brain. The virus may also enter the bloodstream from the lungs and cross the blood-brain barrier to gain access to the CNS, possibly within an infected white blood cell.
The virus also affects gastrointestinal organs as ACE2 is abundantly expressed in the glandular cells of gastric, duodenal and rectal epithelium as well as endothelial cells and enterocytes of the small intestine.
The virus can cause acute myocardial injury and chronic damage to the cardiovascular system. An acute cardiac injury was found in 12% of infected people admitted to the hospital in Wuhan, China, and is more frequent in severe disease. Rates of cardiovascular symptoms are high, owing to the systemic inflammatory response and immune system disorders during disease progression, but acute myocardial injuries may also be related to ACE2 receptors in the heart. ACE2 receptors are highly expressed in the heart and are involved in heart function. A high incidence of thrombosis and venous thromboembolism have been found people transferred to Intensive care unit (ICU) with COVID-19 infections, and may be related to poor prognosis. Blood vessel dysfunction and clot formation (as suggested by high D-dimer levels caused by blood clots) are thought to play a significant role in mortality, incidences of clots leading to pulmonary embolisms, and ischaemic events within the brain have been noted as complications leading to death in people infected with SARS-CoV-2. Infection appears to set off a chain of vasoconstrictive responses within the body, constriction of blood vessels within the pulmonary circulation has also been posited as a mechanism in which oxygenation decreases alongside the presentation of viral pneumonia. Furthermore, microvascular blood vessel damage has been reported in a small number of tissue samples of the brains – without detected SARS-CoV-2 – and the olfactory bulbs from those who have died from COVID-19.
Another common cause of death is complications related to the kidneys. Early reports show that up to 30% of hospitalized patients both in China and in New York have experienced some injury to their kidneys, including some persons with no previous kidney problems.
Autopsies of people who died of COVID-19 have found diffuse alveolar damage, and lymphocyte-containing inflammatory infiltrates within the lung.
IMMUNOPATHOLOGY
Although SARS-CoV-2 has a tropism for ACE2-expressing epithelial cells of the respiratory tract, people with severe COVID-19 have symptoms of systemic hyperinflammation. Clinical laboratory findings of elevated IL-2, IL-7, IL-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interferon-γ inducible protein 10 (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein 1-α (MIP-1α), and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) indicative of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) suggest an underlying immunopathology.
Additionally, people with COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have classical serum biomarkers of CRS, including elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), D-dimer, and ferritin.
Systemic inflammation results in vasodilation, allowing inflammatory lymphocytic and monocytic infiltration of the lung and the heart. In particular, pathogenic GM-CSF-secreting T-cells were shown to correlate with the recruitment of inflammatory IL-6-secreting monocytes and severe lung pathology in people with COVID-19 . Lymphocytic infiltrates have also been reported at autopsy.
VIRAL AND HOST FACTORS
VIRUS PROTEINS
Multiple viral and host factors affect the pathogenesis of the virus. The S-protein, otherwise known as the spike protein, is the viral component that attaches to the host receptor via the ACE2 receptors. It includes two subunits: S1 and S2. S1 determines the virus host range and cellular tropism via the receptor binding domain. S2 mediates the membrane fusion of the virus to its potential cell host via the H1 and HR2, which are heptad repeat regions. Studies have shown that S1 domain induced IgG and IgA antibody levels at a much higher capacity. It is the focus spike proteins expression that are involved in many effective COVID-19 vaccines.
The M protein is the viral protein responsible for the transmembrane transport of nutrients. It is the cause of the bud release and the formation of the viral envelope. The N and E protein are accessory proteins that interfere with the host's immune response.
HOST FACTORS
Human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) is the host factor that SARS-COV2 virus targets causing COVID-19. Theoretically the usage of angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) and ACE inhibitors upregulating ACE2 expression might increase morbidity with COVID-19, though animal data suggest some potential protective effect of ARB. However no clinical studies have proven susceptibility or outcomes. Until further data is available, guidelines and recommendations for hypertensive patients remain.
The virus' effect on ACE2 cell surfaces leads to leukocytic infiltration, increased blood vessel permeability, alveolar wall permeability, as well as decreased secretion of lung surfactants. These effects cause the majority of the respiratory symptoms. However, the aggravation of local inflammation causes a cytokine storm eventually leading to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome.
HOST CYTOKINE RESPONSE
The severity of the inflammation can be attributed to the severity of what is known as the cytokine storm. Levels of interleukin 1B, interferon-gamma, interferon-inducible protein 10, and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 were all associated with COVID-19 disease severity. Treatment has been proposed to combat the cytokine storm as it remains to be one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 disease.
A cytokine storm is due to an acute hyperinflammatory response that is responsible for clinical illness in an array of diseases but in COVID-19, it is related to worse prognosis and increased fatality. The storm causes the acute respiratory distress syndrome, blood clotting events such as strokes, myocardial infarction, encephalitis, acute kidney injury, and vasculitis. The production of IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and interferon-gamma, all crucial components of normal immune responses, inadvertently become the causes of a cytokine storm. The cells of the central nervous system, the microglia, neurons, and astrocytes, are also be involved in the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines affecting the nervous system, and effects of cytokine storms toward the CNS are not uncommon.
DIAGNOSIS
COVID-19 can provisionally be diagnosed on the basis of symptoms and confirmed using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or other nucleic acid testing of infected secretions. Along with laboratory testing, chest CT scans may be helpful to diagnose COVID-19 in individuals with a high clinical suspicion of infection. Detection of a past infection is possible with serological tests, which detect antibodies produced by the body in response to the infection.
VIRAL TESTING
The standard methods of testing for presence of SARS-CoV-2 are nucleic acid tests, which detects the presence of viral RNA fragments. As these tests detect RNA but not infectious virus, its "ability to determine duration of infectivity of patients is limited." The test is typically done on respiratory samples obtained by a nasopharyngeal swab; however, a nasal swab or sputum sample may also be used. Results are generally available within hours. The WHO has published several testing protocols for the disease.
A number of laboratories and companies have developed serological tests, which detect antibodies produced by the body in response to infection. Several have been evaluated by Public Health England and approved for use in the UK.
The University of Oxford's CEBM has pointed to mounting evidence that "a good proportion of 'new' mild cases and people re-testing positives after quarantine or discharge from hospital are not infectious, but are simply clearing harmless virus particles which their immune system has efficiently dealt with" and have called for "an international effort to standardize and periodically calibrate testing" On 7 September, the UK government issued "guidance for procedures to be implemented in laboratories to provide assurance of positive SARS-CoV-2 RNA results during periods of low prevalence, when there is a reduction in the predictive value of positive test results."
IMAGING
Chest CT scans may be helpful to diagnose COVID-19 in individuals with a high clinical suspicion of infection but are not recommended for routine screening. Bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacities with a peripheral, asymmetric, and posterior distribution are common in early infection. Subpleural dominance, crazy paving (lobular septal thickening with variable alveolar filling), and consolidation may appear as the disease progresses. Characteristic imaging features on chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) of people who are symptomatic include asymmetric peripheral ground-glass opacities without pleural effusions.
Many groups have created COVID-19 datasets that include imagery such as the Italian Radiological Society which has compiled an international online database of imaging findings for confirmed cases. Due to overlap with other infections such as adenovirus, imaging without confirmation by rRT-PCR is of limited specificity in identifying COVID-19. A large study in China compared chest CT results to PCR and demonstrated that though imaging is less specific for the infection, it is faster and more sensitive.
Coding
In late 2019, the WHO assigned emergency ICD-10 disease codes U07.1 for deaths from lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and U07.2 for deaths from clinically or epidemiologically diagnosed COVID-19 without lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.
PATHOLOGY
The main pathological findings at autopsy are:
Macroscopy: pericarditis, lung consolidation and pulmonary oedema
Lung findings:
minor serous exudation, minor fibrin exudation
pulmonary oedema, pneumocyte hyperplasia, large atypical pneumocytes, interstitial inflammation with lymphocytic infiltration and multinucleated giant cell formation
diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) with diffuse alveolar exudates. DAD is the cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and severe hypoxemia.
organisation of exudates in alveolar cavities and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis
plasmocytosis in BAL
Blood: disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC); leukoerythroblastic reaction
Liver: microvesicular steatosis
PREVENTION
Preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection include staying at home, wearing a mask in public, avoiding crowded places, keeping distance from others, ventilating indoor spaces, washing hands with soap and water often and for at least 20 seconds, practising good respiratory hygiene, and avoiding touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
Those diagnosed with COVID-19 or who believe they may be infected are advised by the CDC to stay home except to get medical care, call ahead before visiting a healthcare provider, wear a face mask before entering the healthcare provider's office and when in any room or vehicle with another person, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, regularly wash hands with soap and water and avoid sharing personal household items.
The first COVID-19 vaccine was granted regulatory approval on 2 December by the UK medicines regulator MHRA. It was evaluated for emergency use authorization (EUA) status by the US FDA, and in several other countries. Initially, the US National Institutes of Health guidelines do not recommend any medication for prevention of COVID-19, before or after exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, outside the setting of a clinical trial. Without a vaccine, other prophylactic measures, or effective treatments, a key part of managing COVID-19 is trying to decrease and delay the epidemic peak, known as "flattening the curve". This is done by slowing the infection rate to decrease the risk of health services being overwhelmed, allowing for better treatment of current cases, and delaying additional cases until effective treatments or a vaccine become available.
VACCINE
A COVID‑19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19). Prior to the COVID‑19 pandemic, there was an established body of knowledge about the structure and function of coronaviruses causing diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), which enabled accelerated development of various vaccine technologies during early 2020. On 10 January 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 genetic sequence data was shared through GISAID, and by 19 March, the global pharmaceutical industry announced a major commitment to address COVID-19.
In Phase III trials, several COVID‑19 vaccines have demonstrated efficacy as high as 95% in preventing symptomatic COVID‑19 infections. As of March 2021, 12 vaccines were authorized by at least one national regulatory authority for public use: two RNA vaccines (the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine), four conventional inactivated vaccines (BBIBP-CorV, CoronaVac, Covaxin, and CoviVac), four viral vector vaccines (Sputnik V, the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine, Convidicea, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine), and two protein subunit vaccines (EpiVacCorona and RBD-Dimer). In total, as of March 2021, 308 vaccine candidates were in various stages of development, with 73 in clinical research, including 24 in Phase I trials, 33 in Phase I–II trials, and 16 in Phase III development.
Many countries have implemented phased distribution plans that prioritize those at highest risk of complications, such as the elderly, and those at high risk of exposure and transmission, such as healthcare workers. As of 17 March 2021, 400.22 million doses of COVID‑19 vaccine have been administered worldwide based on official reports from national health agencies. AstraZeneca-Oxford anticipates producing 3 billion doses in 2021, Pfizer-BioNTech 1.3 billion doses, and Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Sinovac, and Johnson & Johnson 1 billion doses each. Moderna targets producing 600 million doses and Convidicea 500 million doses in 2021. By December 2020, more than 10 billion vaccine doses had been preordered by countries, with about half of the doses purchased by high-income countries comprising 14% of the world's population.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
Social distancing (also known as physical distancing) includes infection control actions intended to slow the spread of the disease by minimising close contact between individuals. Methods include quarantines; travel restrictions; and the closing of schools, workplaces, stadiums, theatres, or shopping centres. Individuals may apply social distancing methods by staying at home, limiting travel, avoiding crowded areas, using no-contact greetings, and physically distancing themselves from others. Many governments are now mandating or recommending social distancing in regions affected by the outbreak.
Outbreaks have occurred in prisons due to crowding and an inability to enforce adequate social distancing. In the United States, the prisoner population is aging and many of them are at high risk for poor outcomes from COVID-19 due to high rates of coexisting heart and lung disease, and poor access to high-quality healthcare.
SELF-ISOLATION
Self-isolation at home has been recommended for those diagnosed with COVID-19 and those who suspect they have been infected. Health agencies have issued detailed instructions for proper self-isolation. Many governments have mandated or recommended self-quarantine for entire populations. The strongest self-quarantine instructions have been issued to those in high-risk groups. Those who may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 and those who have recently travelled to a country or region with the widespread transmission have been advised to self-quarantine for 14 days from the time of last possible exposure.
Face masks and respiratory hygiene
The WHO and the US CDC recommend individuals wear non-medical face coverings in public settings where there is an increased risk of transmission and where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain. This recommendation is meant to reduce the spread of the disease by asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic individuals and is complementary to established preventive measures such as social distancing. Face coverings limit the volume and travel distance of expiratory droplets dispersed when talking, breathing, and coughing. A face covering without vents or holes will also filter out particles containing the virus from inhaled and exhaled air, reducing the chances of infection. But, if the mask include an exhalation valve, a wearer that is infected (maybe without having noticed that, and asymptomatic) would transmit the virus outwards through it, despite any certification they can have. So the masks with exhalation valve are not for the infected wearers, and are not reliable to stop the pandemic in a large scale. Many countries and local jurisdictions encourage or mandate the use of face masks or cloth face coverings by members of the public to limit the spread of the virus.
Masks are also strongly recommended for those who may have been infected and those taking care of someone who may have the disease. When not wearing a mask, the CDC recommends covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and recommends using the inside of the elbow if no tissue is available. Proper hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze is encouraged. Healthcare professionals interacting directly with people who have COVID-19 are advised to use respirators at least as protective as NIOSH-certified N95 or equivalent, in addition to other personal protective equipment.
HAND-WASHING AND HYGIENE
Thorough hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze is required. The WHO also recommends that individuals wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the toilet or when hands are visibly dirty, before eating and after blowing one's nose. The CDC recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol, but only when soap and water are not readily available. For areas where commercial hand sanitisers are not readily available, the WHO provides two formulations for local production. In these formulations, the antimicrobial activity arises from ethanol or isopropanol. Hydrogen peroxide is used to help eliminate bacterial spores in the alcohol; it is "not an active substance for hand antisepsis". Glycerol is added as a humectant.
SURFACE CLEANING
After being expelled from the body, coronaviruses can survive on surfaces for hours to days. If a person touches the dirty surface, they may deposit the virus at the eyes, nose, or mouth where it can enter the body cause infection. Current evidence indicates that contact with infected surfaces is not the main driver of Covid-19, leading to recommendations for optimised disinfection procedures to avoid issues such as the increase of antimicrobial resistance through the use of inappropriate cleaning products and processes. Deep cleaning and other surface sanitation has been criticized as hygiene theater, giving a false sense of security against something primarily spread through the air.
The amount of time that the virus can survive depends significantly on the type of surface, the temperature, and the humidity. Coronaviruses die very quickly when exposed to the UV light in sunlight. Like other enveloped viruses, SARS-CoV-2 survives longest when the temperature is at room temperature or lower, and when the relative humidity is low (<50%).
On many surfaces, including as glass, some types of plastic, stainless steel, and skin, the virus can remain infective for several days indoors at room temperature, or even about a week under ideal conditions. On some surfaces, including cotton fabric and copper, the virus usually dies after a few hours. As a general rule of thumb, the virus dies faster on porous surfaces than on non-porous surfaces.
However, this rule is not absolute, and of the many surfaces tested, two with the longest survival times are N95 respirator masks and surgical masks, both of which are considered porous surfaces.
Surfaces may be decontaminated with 62–71 percent ethanol, 50–100 percent isopropanol, 0.1 percent sodium hypochlorite, 0.5 percent hydrogen peroxide, and 0.2–7.5 percent povidone-iodine. Other solutions, such as benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine gluconate, are less effective. Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation may also be used. The CDC recommends that if a COVID-19 case is suspected or confirmed at a facility such as an office or day care, all areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment like tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATM machines used by the ill persons should be disinfected. A datasheet comprising the authorised substances to disinfection in the food industry (including suspension or surface tested, kind of surface, use dilution, disinfectant and inocuylum volumes) can be seen in the supplementary material of.
VENTILATION AND AIR FILTRATION
The WHO recommends ventilation and air filtration in public spaces to help clear out infectious aerosols.
HEALTHY DIET AND LIFESTYLE
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health recommends a healthy diet, being physically active, managing psychological stress, and getting enough sleep.
While there is no evidence that vitamin D is an effective treatment for COVID-19, there is limited evidence that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms. This has led to recommendations for individuals with vitamin D deficiency to take vitamin D supplements as a way of mitigating the risk of COVID-19 and other health issues associated with a possible increase in deficiency due to social distancing.
TREATMENT
There is no specific, effective treatment or cure for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Thus, the cornerstone of management of COVID-19 is supportive care, which includes treatment to relieve symptoms, fluid therapy, oxygen support and prone positioning as needed, and medications or devices to support other affected vital organs.
Most cases of COVID-19 are mild. In these, supportive care includes medication such as paracetamol or NSAIDs to relieve symptoms (fever, body aches, cough), proper intake of fluids, rest, and nasal breathing. Good personal hygiene and a healthy diet are also recommended. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that those who suspect they are carrying the virus isolate themselves at home and wear a face mask.
People with more severe cases may need treatment in hospital. In those with low oxygen levels, use of the glucocorticoid dexamethasone is strongly recommended, as it can reduce the risk of death. Noninvasive ventilation and, ultimately, admission to an intensive care unit for mechanical ventilation may be required to support breathing. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used to address the issue of respiratory failure, but its benefits are still under consideration.
Several experimental treatments are being actively studied in clinical trials. Others were thought to be promising early in the pandemic, such as hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir/ritonavir, but later research found them to be ineffective or even harmful. Despite ongoing research, there is still not enough high-quality evidence to recommend so-called early treatment. Nevertheless, in the United States, two monoclonal antibody-based therapies are available for early use in cases thought to be at high risk of progression to severe disease. The antiviral remdesivir is available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and several other countries, with varying restrictions; however, it is not recommended for people needing mechanical ventilation, and is discouraged altogether by the World Health Organization (WHO), due to limited evidence of its efficacy.
PROGNOSIS
The severity of COVID-19 varies. The disease may take a mild course with few or no symptoms, resembling other common upper respiratory diseases such as the common cold. In 3–4% of cases (7.4% for those over age 65) symptoms are severe enough to cause hospitalization. Mild cases typically recover within two weeks, while those with severe or critical diseases may take three to six weeks to recover. Among those who have died, the time from symptom onset to death has ranged from two to eight weeks. The Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità reported that the median time between the onset of symptoms and death was twelve days, with seven being hospitalised. However, people transferred to an ICU had a median time of ten days between hospitalisation and death. Prolonged prothrombin time and elevated C-reactive protein levels on admission to the hospital are associated with severe course of COVID-19 and with a transfer to ICU.
Some early studies suggest 10% to 20% of people with COVID-19 will experience symptoms lasting longer than a month.[191][192] A majority of those who were admitted to hospital with severe disease report long-term problems including fatigue and shortness of breath. On 30 October 2020 WHO chief Tedros Adhanom warned that "to a significant number of people, the COVID virus poses a range of serious long-term effects". He has described the vast spectrum of COVID-19 symptoms that fluctuate over time as "really concerning." They range from fatigue, a cough and shortness of breath, to inflammation and injury of major organs – including the lungs and heart, and also neurological and psychologic effects. Symptoms often overlap and can affect any system in the body. Infected people have reported cyclical bouts of fatigue, headaches, months of complete exhaustion, mood swings, and other symptoms. Tedros has concluded that therefore herd immunity is "morally unconscionable and unfeasible".
In terms of hospital readmissions about 9% of 106,000 individuals had to return for hospital treatment within 2 months of discharge. The average to readmit was 8 days since first hospital visit. There are several risk factors that have been identified as being a cause of multiple admissions to a hospital facility. Among these are advanced age (above 65 years of age) and presence of a chronic condition such as diabetes, COPD, heart failure or chronic kidney disease.
According to scientific reviews smokers are more likely to require intensive care or die compared to non-smokers, air pollution is similarly associated with risk factors, and pre-existing heart and lung diseases and also obesity contributes to an increased health risk of COVID-19.
It is also assumed that those that are immunocompromised are at higher risk of getting severely sick from SARS-CoV-2. One research that looked into the COVID-19 infections in hospitalized kidney transplant recipients found a mortality rate of 11%.
See also: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children
Children make up a small proportion of reported cases, with about 1% of cases being under 10 years and 4% aged 10–19 years. They are likely to have milder symptoms and a lower chance of severe disease than adults. A European multinational study of hospitalized children published in The Lancet on 25 June 2020 found that about 8% of children admitted to a hospital needed intensive care. Four of those 582 children (0.7%) died, but the actual mortality rate could be "substantially lower" since milder cases that did not seek medical help were not included in the study.
Genetics also plays an important role in the ability to fight off the disease. For instance, those that do not produce detectable type I interferons or produce auto-antibodies against these may get much sicker from COVID-19. Genetic screening is able to detect interferon effector genes.
Pregnant women may be at higher risk of severe COVID-19 infection based on data from other similar viruses, like SARS and MERS, but data for COVID-19 is lacking.
COMPLICATIONS
Complications may include pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multi-organ failure, septic shock, and death. Cardiovascular complications may include heart failure, arrhythmias, heart inflammation, and blood clots. Approximately 20–30% of people who present with COVID-19 have elevated liver enzymes, reflecting liver injury.
Neurologic manifestations include seizure, stroke, encephalitis, and Guillain–Barré syndrome (which includes loss of motor functions). Following the infection, children may develop paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome, which has symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease, which can be fatal. In very rare cases, acute encephalopathy can occur, and it can be considered in those who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have an altered mental status.
LONGER-TERM EFFECTS
Some early studies suggest that that 10 to 20% of people with COVID-19 will experience symptoms lasting longer than a month. A majority of those who were admitted to hospital with severe disease report long-term problems, including fatigue and shortness of breath. About 5-10% of patients admitted to hospital progress to severe or critical disease, including pneumonia and acute respiratory failure.
By a variety of mechanisms, the lungs are the organs most affected in COVID-19.[228] The majority of CT scans performed show lung abnormalities in people tested after 28 days of illness.
People with advanced age, severe disease, prolonged ICU stays, or who smoke are more likely to have long lasting effects, including pulmonary fibrosis. Overall, approximately one third of those investigated after 4 weeks will have findings of pulmonary fibrosis or reduced lung function as measured by DLCO, even in people who are asymptomatic, but with the suggestion of continuing improvement with the passing of more time.
IMMUNITY
The immune response by humans to CoV-2 virus occurs as a combination of the cell-mediated immunity and antibody production, just as with most other infections. Since SARS-CoV-2 has been in the human population only since December 2019, it remains unknown if the immunity is long-lasting in people who recover from the disease. The presence of neutralizing antibodies in blood strongly correlates with protection from infection, but the level of neutralizing antibody declines with time. Those with asymptomatic or mild disease had undetectable levels of neutralizing antibody two months after infection. In another study, the level of neutralizing antibody fell 4-fold 1 to 4 months after the onset of symptoms. However, the lack of antibody in the blood does not mean antibody will not be rapidly produced upon reexposure to SARS-CoV-2. Memory B cells specific for the spike and nucleocapsid proteins of SARS-CoV-2 last for at least 6 months after appearance of symptoms. Nevertheless, 15 cases of reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported using stringent CDC criteria requiring identification of a different variant from the second infection. There are likely to be many more people who have been reinfected with the virus. Herd immunity will not eliminate the virus if reinfection is common. Some other coronaviruses circulating in people are capable of reinfection after roughly a year. Nonetheless, on 3 March 2021, scientists reported that a much more contagious Covid-19 variant, Lineage P.1, first detected in Japan, and subsequently found in Brazil, as well as in several places in the United States, may be associated with Covid-19 disease reinfection after recovery from an earlier Covid-19 infection.
MORTALITY
Several measures are commonly used to quantify mortality. These numbers vary by region and over time and are influenced by the volume of testing, healthcare system quality, treatment options, time since the initial outbreak, and population characteristics such as age, sex, and overall health. The mortality rate reflects the number of deaths within a specific demographic group divided by the population of that demographic group. Consequently, the mortality rate reflects the prevalence as well as the severity of the disease within a given population. Mortality rates are highly correlated to age, with relatively low rates for young people and relatively high rates among the elderly.
The case fatality rate (CFR) reflects the number of deaths divided by the number of diagnosed cases within a given time interval. Based on Johns Hopkins University statistics, the global death-to-case ratio is 2.2% (2,685,770/121,585,388) as of 18 March 2021. The number varies by region. The CFR may not reflect the true severity of the disease, because some infected individuals remain asymptomatic or experience only mild symptoms, and hence such infections may not be included in official case reports. Moreover, the CFR may vary markedly over time and across locations due to the availability of live virus tests.
INFECTION FATALITY RATE
A key metric in gauging the severity of COVID-19 is the infection fatality rate (IFR), also referred to as the infection fatality ratio or infection fatality risk. This metric is calculated by dividing the total number of deaths from the disease by the total number of infected individuals; hence, in contrast to the CFR, the IFR incorporates asymptomatic and undiagnosed infections as well as reported cases.
CURRENT ESTIMATES
A December 2020 systematic review and meta-analysis estimated that population IFR during the first wave of the pandemic was about 0.5% to 1% in many locations (including France, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Portugal), 1% to 2% in other locations (Australia, England, Lithuania, and Spain), and exceeded 2% in Italy. That study also found that most of these differences in IFR reflected corresponding differences in the age composition of the population and age-specific infection rates; in particular, the metaregression estimate of IFR is very low for children and younger adults (e.g., 0.002% at age 10 and 0.01% at age 25) but increases progressively to 0.4% at age 55, 1.4% at age 65, 4.6% at age 75, and 15% at age 85. These results were also highlighted in a December 2020 report issued by the WHO.
EARLIER ESTIMATES OF IFR
At an early stage of the pandemic, the World Health Organization reported estimates of IFR between 0.3% and 1%.[ On 2 July, The WHO's chief scientist reported that the average IFR estimate presented at a two-day WHO expert forum was about 0.6%. In August, the WHO found that studies incorporating data from broad serology testing in Europe showed IFR estimates converging at approximately 0.5–1%. Firm lower limits of IFRs have been established in a number of locations such as New York City and Bergamo in Italy since the IFR cannot be less than the population fatality rate. As of 10 July, in New York City, with a population of 8.4 million, 23,377 individuals (18,758 confirmed and 4,619 probable) have died with COVID-19 (0.3% of the population).Antibody testing in New York City suggested an IFR of ~0.9%,[258] and ~1.4%. In Bergamo province, 0.6% of the population has died. In September 2020 the U.S. Center for Disease Control & Prevention reported preliminary estimates of age-specific IFRs for public health planning purposes.
SEX DIFFERENCES
Early reviews of epidemiologic data showed gendered impact of the pandemic and a higher mortality rate in men in China and Italy. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported the death rate was 2.8% for men and 1.7% for women. Later reviews in June 2020 indicated that there is no significant difference in susceptibility or in CFR between genders. One review acknowledges the different mortality rates in Chinese men, suggesting that it may be attributable to lifestyle choices such as smoking and drinking alcohol rather than genetic factors. Sex-based immunological differences, lesser prevalence of smoking in women and men developing co-morbid conditions such as hypertension at a younger age than women could have contributed to the higher mortality in men. In Europe, 57% of the infected people were men and 72% of those died with COVID-19 were men. As of April 2020, the US government is not tracking sex-related data of COVID-19 infections. Research has shown that viral illnesses like Ebola, HIV, influenza and SARS affect men and women differently.
ETHNIC DIFFERENCES
In the US, a greater proportion of deaths due to COVID-19 have occurred among African Americans and other minority groups. Structural factors that prevent them from practicing social distancing include their concentration in crowded substandard housing and in "essential" occupations such as retail grocery workers, public transit employees, health-care workers and custodial staff. Greater prevalence of lacking health insurance and care and of underlying conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease also increase their risk of death. Similar issues affect Native American and Latino communities. According to a US health policy non-profit, 34% of American Indian and Alaska Native People (AIAN) non-elderly adults are at risk of serious illness compared to 21% of white non-elderly adults. The source attributes it to disproportionately high rates of many health conditions that may put them at higher risk as well as living conditions like lack of access to clean water. Leaders have called for efforts to research and address the disparities. In the U.K., a greater proportion of deaths due to COVID-19 have occurred in those of a Black, Asian, and other ethnic minority background. More severe impacts upon victims including the relative incidence of the necessity of hospitalization requirements, and vulnerability to the disease has been associated via DNA analysis to be expressed in genetic variants at chromosomal region 3, features that are associated with European Neanderthal heritage. That structure imposes greater risks that those affected will develop a more severe form of the disease. The findings are from Professor Svante Pääbo and researchers he leads at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the Karolinska Institutet. This admixture of modern human and Neanderthal genes is estimated to have occurred roughly between 50,000 and 60,000 years ago in Southern Europe.
COMORBIDITIES
Most of those who die of COVID-19 have pre-existing (underlying) conditions, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. According to March data from the United States, 89% of those hospitalised had preexisting conditions. The Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità reported that out of 8.8% of deaths where medical charts were available, 96.1% of people had at least one comorbidity with the average person having 3.4 diseases. According to this report the most common comorbidities are hypertension (66% of deaths), type 2 diabetes (29.8% of deaths), Ischemic Heart Disease (27.6% of deaths), atrial fibrillation (23.1% of deaths) and chronic renal failure (20.2% of deaths).
Most critical respiratory comorbidities according to the CDC, are: moderate or severe asthma, pre-existing COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis. Evidence stemming from meta-analysis of several smaller research papers also suggests that smoking can be associated with worse outcomes. When someone with existing respiratory problems is infected with COVID-19, they might be at greater risk for severe symptoms. COVID-19 also poses a greater risk to people who misuse opioids and methamphetamines, insofar as their drug use may have caused lung damage.
In August 2020 the CDC issued a caution that tuberculosis infections could increase the risk of severe illness or death. The WHO recommended that people with respiratory symptoms be screened for both diseases, as testing positive for COVID-19 couldn't rule out co-infections. Some projections have estimated that reduced TB detection due to the pandemic could result in 6.3 million additional TB cases and 1.4 million TB related deaths by 2025.
NAME
During the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, the virus and disease were commonly referred to as "coronavirus" and "Wuhan coronavirus", with the disease sometimes called "Wuhan pneumonia". In the past, many diseases have been named after geographical locations, such as the Spanish flu, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and Zika virus. In January 2020, the WHO recommended 2019-nCov and 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease as interim names for the virus and disease per 2015 guidance and international guidelines against using geographical locations (e.g. Wuhan, China), animal species, or groups of people in disease and virus names in part to prevent social stigma. The official names COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 were issued by the WHO on 11 February 2020. Tedros Adhanom explained: CO for corona, VI for virus, D for disease and 19 for when the outbreak was first identified (31 December 2019). The WHO additionally uses "the COVID-19 virus" and "the virus responsible for COVID-19" in public communications.
HISTORY
The virus is thought to be natural and of an animal origin, through spillover infection. There are several theories about where the first case (the so-called patient zero) originated. Phylogenetics estimates that SARS-CoV-2 arose in October or November 2019. Evidence suggests that it descends from a coronavirus that infects wild bats, and spread to humans through an intermediary wildlife host.
The first known human infections were in Wuhan, Hubei, China. A study of the first 41 cases of confirmed COVID-19, published in January 2020 in The Lancet, reported the earliest date of onset of symptoms as 1 December 2019.Official publications from the WHO reported the earliest onset of symptoms as 8 December 2019. Human-to-human transmission was confirmed by the WHO and Chinese authorities by 20 January 2020. According to official Chinese sources, these were mostly linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, which also sold live animals. In May 2020 George Gao, the director of the CDC, said animal samples collected from the seafood market had tested negative for the virus, indicating that the market was the site of an early superspreading event, but that it was not the site of the initial outbreak.[ Traces of the virus have been found in wastewater samples that were collected in Milan and Turin, Italy, on 18 December 2019.
By December 2019, the spread of infection was almost entirely driven by human-to-human transmission. The number of coronavirus cases in Hubei gradually increased, reaching 60 by 20 December, and at least 266 by 31 December. On 24 December, Wuhan Central Hospital sent a bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) sample from an unresolved clinical case to sequencing company Vision Medicals. On 27 and 28 December, Vision Medicals informed the Wuhan Central Hospital and the Chinese CDC of the results of the test, showing a new coronavirus. A pneumonia cluster of unknown cause was observed on 26 December and treated by the doctor Zhang Jixian in Hubei Provincial Hospital, who informed the Wuhan Jianghan CDC on 27 December. On 30 December, a test report addressed to Wuhan Central Hospital, from company CapitalBio Medlab, stated an erroneous positive result for SARS, causing a group of doctors at Wuhan Central Hospital to alert their colleagues and relevant hospital authorities of the result. The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission issued a notice to various medical institutions on "the treatment of pneumonia of unknown cause" that same evening. Eight of these doctors, including Li Wenliang (punished on 3 January), were later admonished by the police for spreading false rumours and another, Ai Fen, was reprimanded by her superiors for raising the alarm.
The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission made the first public announcement of a pneumonia outbreak of unknown cause on 31 December, confirming 27 cases—enough to trigger an investigation.
During the early stages of the outbreak, the number of cases doubled approximately every seven and a half days. In early and mid-January 2020, the virus spread to other Chinese provinces, helped by the Chinese New Year migration and Wuhan being a transport hub and major rail interchange. On 20 January, China reported nearly 140 new cases in one day, including two people in Beijing and one in Shenzhen. Later official data shows 6,174 people had already developed symptoms by then, and more may have been infected. A report in The Lancet on 24 January indicated human transmission, strongly recommended personal protective equipment for health workers, and said testing for the virus was essential due to its "pandemic potential". On 30 January, the WHO declared the coronavirus a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. By this time, the outbreak spread by a factor of 100 to 200 times.
Italy had its first confirmed cases on 31 January 2020, two tourists from China. As of 13 March 2020 the WHO considered Europe the active centre of the pandemic. Italy overtook China as the country with the most deaths on 19 March 2020. By 26 March the United States had overtaken China and Italy with the highest number of confirmed cases in the world. Research on coronavirus genomes indicates the majority of COVID-19 cases in New York came from European travellers, rather than directly from China or any other Asian country. Retesting of prior samples found a person in France who had the virus on 27 December 2019, and a person in the United States who died from the disease on 6 February 2020.
After 55 days without a locally transmitted case, Beijing reported a new COVID-19 case on 11 June 2020 which was followed by two more cases on 12 June. By 15 June there were 79 cases officially confirmed, most of them were people that went to Xinfadi Wholesale Market.
RT-PCR testing of untreated wastewater samples from Brazil and Italy have suggested detection of SARS-CoV-2 as early as November and December 2019, respectively, but the methods of such sewage studies have not been optimised, many have not been peer reviewed, details are often missing, and there is a risk of false positives due to contamination or if only one gene target is detected. A September 2020 review journal article said, "The possibility that the COVID-19 infection had already spread to Europe at the end of last year is now indicated by abundant, even if partially circumstantial, evidence", including pneumonia case numbers and radiology in France and Italy in November and December.
MISINFORMATION
After the initial outbreak of COVID-19, misinformation and disinformation regarding the origin, scale, prevention, treatment, and other aspects of the disease rapidly spread online.
In September 2020, the U.S. CDC published preliminary estimates of the risk of death by age groups in the United States, but those estimates were widely misreported and misunderstood.
OTHER ANIMALS
Humans appear to be capable of spreading the virus to some other animals, a type of disease transmission referred to as zooanthroponosis.
Some pets, especially cats and ferrets, can catch this virus from infected humans. Symptoms in cats include respiratory (such as a cough) and digestive symptoms. Cats can spread the virus to other cats, and may be able to spread the virus to humans, but cat-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 has not been proven. Compared to cats, dogs are less susceptible to this infection. Behaviors which increase the risk of transmission include kissing, licking, and petting the animal.
The virus does not appear to be able to infect pigs, ducks, or chickens at all.[ Mice, rats, and rabbits, if they can be infected at all, are unlikely to be involved in spreading the virus.
Tigers and lions in zoos have become infected as a result of contact with infected humans. As expected, monkeys and great ape species such as orangutans can also be infected with the COVID-19 virus.
Minks, which are in the same family as ferrets, have been infected. Minks may be asymptomatic, and can also spread the virus to humans. Multiple countries have identified infected animals in mink farms. Denmark, a major producer of mink pelts, ordered the slaughter of all minks over fears of viral mutations. A vaccine for mink and other animals is being researched.
RESEARCH
International research on vaccines and medicines in COVID-19 is underway by government organisations, academic groups, and industry researchers. The CDC has classified it to require a BSL3 grade laboratory. There has been a great deal of COVID-19 research, involving accelerated research processes and publishing shortcuts to meet the global demand.
As of December 2020, hundreds of clinical trials have been undertaken, with research happening on every continent except Antarctica. As of November 2020, more than 200 possible treatments had been studied in humans so far.
Transmission and prevention research
Modelling research has been conducted with several objectives, including predictions of the dynamics of transmission, diagnosis and prognosis of infection, estimation of the impact of interventions, or allocation of resources. Modelling studies are mostly based on epidemiological models, estimating the number of infected people over time under given conditions. Several other types of models have been developed and used during the COVID-19 including computational fluid dynamics models to study the flow physics of COVID-19, retrofits of crowd movement models to study occupant exposure, mobility-data based models to investigate transmission, or the use of macroeconomic models to assess the economic impact of the pandemic. Further, conceptual frameworks from crisis management research have been applied to better understand the effects of COVID-19 on organizations worldwide.
TREATMENT-RELATED RESEARCH
Repurposed antiviral drugs make up most of the research into COVID-19 treatments. Other candidates in trials include vasodilators, corticosteroids, immune therapies, lipoic acid, bevacizumab, and recombinant angiotensin-converting enzyme 2.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) initiated the Solidarity trial to assess the treatment effects of some promising drugs: an experimental drug called remdesivir; anti-malarial drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine; two anti-HIV drugs, lopinavir/ritonavir; and interferon-beta. More than 300 active clinical trials were underway as of April 2020.
Research on the antimalarial drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine showed that they were ineffective at best, and that they may reduce the antiviral activity of remdesivir. By May 2020, France, Italy, and Belgium had banned the use of hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment.
In June, initial results from the randomised RECOVERY Trial in the United Kingdom showed that dexamethasone reduced mortality by one third for people who are critically ill on ventilators and one fifth for those receiving supplemental oxygen. Because this is a well-tested and widely available treatment, it was welcomed by the WHO, which is in the process of updating treatment guidelines to include dexamethasone and other steroids. Based on those preliminary results, dexamethasone treatment has been recommended by the NIH for patients with COVID-19 who are mechanically ventilated or who require supplemental oxygen but not in patients with COVID-19 who do not require supplemental oxygen.
In September 2020, the WHO released updated guidance on using corticosteroids for COVID-19. The WHO recommends systemic corticosteroids rather than no systemic corticosteroids for the treatment of people with severe and critical COVID-19 (strong recommendation, based on moderate certainty evidence). The WHO suggests not to use corticosteroids in the treatment of people with non-severe COVID-19 (conditional recommendation, based on low certainty evidence). The updated guidance was based on a meta-analysis of clinical trials of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
WIKIPEDIA
Due to financial difficulties, Alfa Romeo stopped racing in 1933 (Alfa's own version of the story is that the marque had already proved itself) and sold off its racing division to Enzo Ferrari, who established his own racing team, 'Scuderia Ferrari'.
The legendary racing driver Louis Chiron took part in the 1933 Le Mans race for Scuderia in this car, which has bodywork designed by Touring. The regulations for participating touring cars specified that they had to be fitted with a windshield, mudguards, a silencer, lighting, a horn and four seats. Needless to say, everything was kept to a minimum in order to limit the weight. The rear seats, for example, aren't really usable. The car weighs just over 1,000 kilograms. Note the fin at the rear, an important step towards the streamlining of racing cars.
The 2.3 litre, eight-cylinder engine introduced by Alfa Romeo in 1931 was in fact made up of two four-cylinder blocks one behind the other, with an ingenious gear mechanism that drove the camshafts as well as the compressor. The cylinder capacity was increased to 2.6 litres for this Le Mans version.
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