This theme ‘Displacement’ investigated the theme of both rural and urban erosion. To demonstrate my ideas, people were displaced in these carefully selected run down environments, placement was not always the decision of the photographer; an array of figures scattered into the landscape made for a surreal experience. This displacement is to signify how the economy can change and reshape lives as simply as the wind changing direction. The impact throughout time of an economic down turn can dramatically impact on the lives of those who live in both urban and rural communities. As banks and creditors tighten their belts, more and more businesses both big and small face the consequences. As large supermarkets are eager to continue their capitalist profiteering decide to source products abroad at cheaper rates, local farms and small businesses face closure unable to meet such cheap supply and demand. It is paradoxical as ordinary people no longer able to afford the finest foods or luxuries of organic produce seek cheap fodder for their hungry brood driving down prices even more.

 

These beings in the landscape stand still, only their heads moving back and forth, up and down, like standing to attention; attention to what their minds exude, maybe this twenty second capture allows them to forget all the troubles in the world or maybe they are shaking their heads in annoyance at their current situation. The sequence of the head movement suggests hidden identity and emphasizes the subject’s vulnerability and instability. I have always allowed the viewer to perceive what they wish to perceive, the title stands purposely structured in brackets so that the viewer is open to other interpretations. To create the illusion of levitation I photographed the space twice from the same tripod position, first with the objects and figures and then without. In Photoshop The Buckets and ladders etc. where replaced with the same space of the empty Photograph. The sepia filter juxtaposes the old with modern times. Reminiscent of time long gone; capturing the uncertainty of the atmosphere.

 

The decision to represent my thoughts at night – with the stars above, illustrates the magnitude of the problem, and closure of everything at night adds to a sense of fear of it all. Nightmares and sleepless nights go hand in hand with anxieties and troubled minds. I appear in some of my photographs deliberately to show my concerns about the environment and indeed my own employment in the future. It also adds for a more spiritual and meaningful work for myself as an artist.

A series of battles centred on the strategic Ramadi district in Al-Anbar governorate, have had a devastating humanitarian impact on the civilian population.

 

The UN estimates that since 15 May 2015 – when a second wave of fighting escalated in Ramadi – more than 69 000 people have fled their homes seeking safety elsewhere in the country.

 

Photo credit: REUTERS/Stringer

 

Picture taken 1983 - digitally captured from paper print

__________________________________________

 

The orangutans (also spelled orang-utan, orangutang, or orang-utang) are the two exclusively Asian species of extant great apes. Native to Indonesia and Malaysia, orangutans are currently found in only the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Classified in the genus Pongo, orangutans were considered to be one species. Since 1996, they have been divided into two species: the Bornean orangutan (P. pygmaeus) and the Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii). In addition, the Bornean species is divided into three subspecies.

 

Based on genome sequencing, the two extant orangutan species evidently diverged around 400,000 years ago. The orangutans are also the only surviving species of the subfamily Ponginae, which also included several other species, such as the three extinct species of the genus Gigantopithecus, including the largest known primate Gigantopithecus blacki. The ancestors of the Ponginae subfamily split from the main ape line in Africa 16 to 19 million years ago (mya) and spread into Asia.

 

Orangutans are the most arboreal of the great apes and spend most of their time in trees. Their hair is typically reddish-brown, instead of the brown or black hair typical of chimpanzees and gorillas. Males and females differ in size and appearance. Dominant adult males have distinctive cheek pads and produce long calls that attract females and intimidate rivals. Younger males do not have these characteristics and resemble adult females. Orangutans are the most solitary of the great apes, with social bonds occurring primarily between mothers and their dependent offspring, who stay together for the first two years. Fruit is the most important component of an orangutan's diet; however, the apes will also eat vegetation, bark, honey, insects and even bird eggs. They can live over 30 years in both the wild and captivity.

 

Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates; they use a variety of sophisticated tools and construct elaborate sleeping nests each night from branches and foliage. The apes have been extensively studied for their learning abilities. There may even be distinctive cultures within populations. Field studies of the apes were pioneered by primatologist Birutė Galdikas. Both orangutan species are considered to be endangered, with the Sumatran orangutan being critically endangered. Human activities have caused severe declines in the populations and ranges of both species. Threats to wild orangutan populations include poaching, habitat destruction, and the illegal pet trade. Several conservation and rehabilitation organisations are dedicated to the survival of orangutans in the wild.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The name "orangutan" (also written orang-utan, orang utan, orangutang, and ourang-outang) is derived from the Malay and Indonesian words orang meaning "person" and hutan meaning "forest", thus "person of the forest". Orang Hutan was originally not used to refer to apes, but to forest-dwelling humans.

 

The Malay words used to refer specifically to the ape are maias and mawas, but it is unclear if those words refer to just orangutans, or to all apes in general. The first attestation of the word to name the Asian ape is in Dutch physician Jacobus Bontius' 1631 Historiae naturalis et medicae Indiae orientalis – he reported that Malays had informed him the ape was able to talk, but preferred not to "lest he be compelled to labour". The word appeared in several German-language descriptions of Indonesian zoology in the 17th century. The likely origin of the word comes specifically from the Banjarese variety of Malay.

 

Cribb et al. (2014) suggest that Bontius' account referred not to apes (which were not known from Java) but rather to humans suffering some serious medical condition (most likely endemic cretinism) and that his use of the word was misunderstood by Nicolaes Tulp, who was the first to use the term in a publication.

 

The word was first attested in English in 1691 in the form orang-outang, and variants with -ng instead of -n as in the Malay original are found in many languages. This spelling (and pronunciation) has remained in use in English up to the present, but has come to be regarded as incorrect. The loss of "h" in Utan and the shift from n to -ng has been taken to suggest that the term entered English through Portuguese. In 1869, British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, co-creator of modern evolutionary theory, published his account of Malaysia's wildlife: The Malay Archipelago: The Land of the Orang-Utan and the Bird of Paradise.

 

The name of the genus, Pongo, comes from a 16th-century account by Andrew Battell, an English sailor held prisoner by the Portuguese in Angola, which describes two anthropoid "monsters" named Pongo and Engeco. He is now believed to have been describing gorillas, but in the 18th century, the terms orangutan and pongo were used for all great apes. Lacépède used the term Pongo for the genus following the German botanist Friedrich von Wurmb who sent a skeleton from the Indies to Europe.

 

TAXONOMY, PHYLOGENY AND GENETICS

The two orangutan species are the only extant members of the subfamily Ponginae. This subfamily also included the extinct genera Lufengpithecus, which lived in southern China and Thailand 2–8 mya, and Sivapithecus, which lived India and Pakistan from 12.5 mya until 8.5 mya. These apes likely lived in drier and cooler environments than orangutans do today. Khoratpithecus piriyai, which lived in Thailand 5–7 mya, is believed to have been the closest known relative of the orangutans. The largest known primate, Gigantopithecus, was also a member of Ponginae and lived in China, India and Vietnam from 5 mya to 100,000 years ago.

 

Within apes (superfamily Hominoidea), the gibbons diverged during the early Miocene (between 19.7 and 24.1 mya, according to molecular evidence) and the orangutans split from the African great ape lineage between 15.7 and 19.3 mya.

 

HISTORY OF ORANGUTAN TAXONOMY

The orangutan was first described scientifically in the Systema Naturae of Linnaeus as Simia satyrus. The populations on the two islands were classified as subspecies until 1996, when they were elevated to full species status, and the three distinct populations on Borneo were elevated to subspecies. The population currently listed as P. p. wurmbii may be closer to the Sumatran orangutan than the other Bornean orangutan subspecies. If confirmed, abelii would be a subspecies of P. wurmbii (Tiedeman, 1808).

 

Regardless, the type locality of P. pygmaeus has not been established beyond doubts, and may be from the population currently listed as P. wurmbii (in which case P. wurmbii would be a junior synonym of P. pygmaeus, while one of the names currently considered a junior synonym of P. pygmaeus would take precedence for the northwest Bornean taxon). To further confuse, the name P. morio, as well as some suggested junior synonyms, may be junior synonyms of the P. pygmaeus subspecies, thus leaving the east Bornean populations unnamed.

 

In addition, some fossils described under the name P. hooijeri have been found in Vietnam, and multiple fossil subspecies have been described from several parts of southeastern Asia. It is unclear if these belong to P. pygmaeus or

 

P. abelii or, in fact, represent distinct species.

 

GENOMICS

The Sumatran orangutan genome was sequenced in January 2011. Following humans and chimpanzees, the Sumatran orangutan has become the third species of hominid to have its genome sequenced. Subsequently, the Bornean species would have its genome sequenced. Genetic diversity was found to be lower in Bornean orangutans (P. pygmaeus) than in Sumatran ones (P. abelii), despite the fact that Borneo is home to six or seven times as many orangutans as Sumatra.

 

The comparison has shown these two species diverged around 400,000 years ago, more recently than was previously thought. Also, the orangutan genome was found to have evolved much more slowly than chimpanzee and human DNA. Previously, the species was estimated to have diverged 2.9 to 4.9 mya. The researchers hope these data may help conservationists save the endangered ape, and also prove useful in further understanding of human genetic diseases.

 

Bornean orangutans have 48 diploid chromosomes.

 

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

An orangutan has a large, bulky body, a thick neck, very long, strong arms, short, bowed legs, and no tail. It is mostly covered with long, reddish-brown hair and grey-black skin. Sumatran orangutans have more sparse and lighter-coloured coats. The orangutan has a large head with a prominent mouth area. Though largely hairless, their faces can develop some hair in males, giving them a moustache.

 

Adult males have large cheek flaps to show their dominance to other males. The cheek flaps are made mostly of fatty tissue and are supported by the musculature of the face. Mature males' throat pouches allow them to make loud calls. The species display significant sexual dimorphism; females typically stand 115 cm tall and weigh around 37 kg, while flanged adult males stand 136 cm tall and weigh 75 kg. A male orangutan has an arm span of about 2 m.

 

Orangutan hands are similar to human hands; they have four long fingers and an opposable thumb. However, the joint and tendon arrangement in the orangutans' hands produces two adaptations that are significant for arboreal locomotion. The resting configuration of the fingers is curved, creating a suspensory hook grip. Additionally, without the use of the thumb, the fingers and hands can grip tightly around objects with a small diameter by resting the tops of the fingers against the inside of the palm, creating a double-locked grip.

 

Their feet have four long toes and an opposable big toe. Orangutans can grasp things with both their hands and their feet. Their fingers and toes are curved, allowing them to get a better grip on branches. Since their hip joints have the same flexibility as their shoulder and arm joints, orangutans have less restriction in the movements of their legs than humans have. Unlike gorillas and chimpanzees, orangutans are not true knuckle-walkers, and are instead fist-walkers.

 

ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOUR

Orangutans live in primary and old secondary forests, particularly dipterocarp forests and peat swamp forests. Both species can be found in mountainous and lowland swampy areas. Sumatran orangutans live at elevations as high as 1500 m, while Bornean orangutans live no higher than 1000 m. Other habitats used by orangutans include grasslands, cultivated fields, gardens, young secondary forest, and shallow lakes. Orangutans are the most arboreal of the great apes, spending nearly all their time in the trees.Most of the day is spent feeding, resting, and travelling. They start the day feeding for 2–3 hours in the morning. They rest during midday then travel in the late afternoon. When evening arrives, they begin to prepare their nests for the night. Orangutans do not swim, although they have been recorded wading in water. The main predators of orangutans are tigers. Other predators include clouded leopards, wild dogs and crocodiles. The absence of tigers on Borneo may explain why Bornean orangutans can be found on the ground more often than their Sumatran relatives.

 

DIET

Orangutans are opportunistic foragers, and their diets vary markedly from month to month. Fruit makes up 65–90% of the orangutan diet, and those with sugary or fatty pulp are favoured. Ficus fruits are commonly eaten and are easy to harvest and digest. Lowland dipterocarp forests are preferred by orangutans because of their plentiful fruit. Bornean orangutans consume at least 317 different food items that include young leaves, shoots, bark, insects, honey and bird eggs.

 

A decade-long study of urine and faecal samples at the Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Project in West Kalimantan has shown that orangutans give birth during and after the high fruit season (though not every year), during which they consume various abundant fruits, totalling up to 11,000 calories per day. In the low-fruit season, they eat whatever fruit is available in addition to tree bark and leaves, with daily intake at only 2,000 calories. Together with a long lactation period, orangutans also have a long birth interval.

 

Orangutans are thought to be the sole fruit disperser for some plant species including the climber species Strychnos ignatii which contains the toxic alkaloid strychnine. It does not appear to have any effect on orangutans except for excessive saliva production.

 

Geophagy, the practice of eating soil or rock, has been observed in orangutans. There are three main reasons for this dietary behaviour: for the addition of mineral nutrients to their diet; for the ingestion of clay minerals that can absorb toxic substances; or to treat a disorder such as diarrhoea. Orangutans also use plants of the genus Commelina as an anti-inflammatory balm.

 

SOCIAL LIFE

Orangutans live a more solitary lifestyle than the other great apes. Most social bonds occur between adult females and their dependent and weaned offspring. Adult males and independent adolescents of both sexes tend to live alone. Orangutan societies are made up of resident and transient individuals of both sexes. Resident females live with their offspring in defined home ranges that overlap with those of other adult females, which may be their immediate relatives. One to several resident female home ranges are encompassed within the home range of a resident male, who is their main mating partner.

 

Transient males and females move widely. Orangutans usually travel alone, but they may travel in small groups in their subadult years. However, this behaviour ends at adulthood. The social structure of the orangutan can be best described as solitary but social. Interactions between adult females range from friendly to avoidance to antagonistic. Resident males may have overlapping ranges and interactions between them tend to be hostile.

 

During dispersal, females tend to settle in home ranges that overlap with their mothers. However, they do not seem to have any special social bonds with them. Males disperse much farther from their mothers and enter into a transient phase. This phase lasts until a male can challenge and displace a dominant, resident male from his home range. Adult males dominate sub-adult males.

 

Both resident and transient orangutans aggregate on large fruiting trees to feed. The fruits tend to be abundant, so competition is low and individuals may engage in social interactions. Orangutans will also form travelling groups with members moving between different food sources. These groups tend to be made of only a few individuals. They also tend to be consortships between an adult male and female.

 

COMMUNICATION

Orangutans communicate with various sounds. Males will make long calls, both to attract females and advertise themselves to other males. Both sexes will try to intimidate conspecifics with a series of low guttural noises known collectively as the "rolling call". When annoyed, an orangutan will suck in air through pursed lips, making a kissing sound that is hence known as the "kiss squeak". Infants make soft hoots when distressed. Orangutans are also known to blow raspberries.

 

NESTING

Orangutans build nests specialized for both day or night use. These are carefully constructed; young orangutans learn from observing their mother's nest-building behaviour. In fact, nest-building is a leading cause in young orangutans leaving their mother for the first time. From six months of age onwards, orangutans practice nest-building and gain proficiency by the time they are three years old.

 

Construction of a night nest is done by following a sequence of steps. Initially, a suitable tree is located, orangutans being selective about sites though many tree species are used. The nest is then built by pulling together branches under them and joining them at a point. After the foundation has been built, the orangutan bends smaller, leafy branches onto the foundation; this serves the purpose of and is termed the "mattress". After this, orangutans stand and braid the tips of branches into the mattress. Doing this increases the stability of the nest and forms the final act of nest-building. In addition, orangutans may add additional features, such as "pillows", "blankets", "roofs" and "bunk-beds" to their nests.

 

REPRODUCTION AND PARENTING

Males mature at around 15 years of age, by which time they have fully descended testicles and can reproduce. However, they exhibit arrested development by not developing the distinctive cheek pads, pronounced throat pouches, long fur, or long-calls until they are between 15 and 20 years old. The development of these characteristics depends largely on the absence of a resident male.

 

Males without them are known as unflanged males in contrast to the more developed flanged males. The transformation from unflanged to flanged can occur very quickly. Unflanged and flanged males have two different mating strategies. Flanged males attract oestrous females with their characteristic long calls. Those calls may also suppress development in younger males. Unflanged males wander widely in search of oestrous females and upon finding one, will force copulation on her. While both strategies are successful, females prefer to mate with flanged males and seek their company for protection against unflanged males. Resident males may form consortships with females that can last days, weeks or months after copulation.

 

Female orangutans experience their first ovulatory cycle around 5.8–11.1 years. These occur earlier in females with more body fat. Like other great apes, female orangutans enter a period of infertility during adolescence which may last for 1–4 years. Female orangutans also have a 22– to 30-day menstrual cycle. Gestation lasts for 9 months, with females giving birth to their first offspring between the ages of 14 and 15 years.

 

Female orangutans have eight-year intervals between births, the longest interbirth intervals among the great apes. Unlike many other primates, male orangutans do not seem to practice infanticide. This may be because they cannot ensure they will sire a female's next offspring because she does not immediately begin ovulating again after her infant dies.

 

Male orangutans play almost no role in raising the young. Females do most of the caring and socializing of the young. A female often has an older offspring with her to help in socializing the infant. Infant orangutans are completely dependent on their mothers for the first two years of their lives. The mother will carry the infant during travelling, as well as feed it and sleep with it in the same night nest. For the first four months, the infant is carried on its belly and never relieves physical contact. In the following months, the time an infant spends with its mother decreases.

 

When an orangutan reaches the age of two, its climbing skills improve and it will travel through the canopy holding hands with other orangutans, a behaviour known as "buddy travel". Orangutans are juveniles from about two to five years of age and will start to temporarily move away from their mothers. Juveniles are usually weaned at about four years of age. Adolescent orangutans will socialize with their peers while still having contact with their mothers. Typically, orangutans live over 30 years in both the wild and captivity.

 

INTELLIGENCE

Orangutans are among the most intelligent primates. Experiments suggest they can figure out some invisible displacement problems with a representational strategy. In addition, Zoo Atlanta has a touch-screen computer where their two Sumatran orangutans play games. Scientists hope the data they collect will help researchers learn about socialising patterns, such as whether the apes learn behaviours through trial and error or by mimicry, and point to new conservation strategies.

 

A 2008 study of two orangutans at the Leipzig Zoo showed orangutans can use "calculated reciprocity", which involves weighing the costs and benefits of gift exchanges and keeping track of these over time. Orangutans are the first nonhuman species documented to do so. Orangutans are very technically adept nest builders, making a new nest each evening in only in 5 to 6 minutes and choosing branches which they know can support their body weight.

 

TOOL USE AND CULTURE

Tool use in orangutans was observed by primatologist Birutė Galdikas in ex-captive populations. In addition, evidence of sophisticated tool manufacture and use in the wild was reported from a population of orangutans in Suaq Balimbing (Pongo abelii) in 1996. These orangutans developed a tool kit for use in foraging that consisted of both insect-extraction tools for use in the hollows of trees and seed-extraction tools for harvesting seeds from hard-husked fruit. The orangutans adjusted their tools according to the nature of the task at hand, and preference was given to oral tool use. This preference was also found in an experimental study of captive orangutans (P. pygmaeus).

 

Primatologist Carel P. van Schaik and biological anthropologist Cheryl D. Knott further investigated tool use in different wild orangutan populations. They compared geographic variations in tool use related to the processing of Neesia fruit. The orangutans of Suaq Balimbing (P. abelii) were found to be avid users of insect and seed-extraction tools when compared to other wild orangutans. The scientists suggested these differences are cultural. The orangutans at Suaq Balimbing live in dense groups and are socially tolerant; this creates good conditions for social transmission. Further evidence that highly social orangutans are more likely to exhibit cultural behaviours came from a study of leaf-carrying behaviours of ex-captive orangutans that were being rehabilitated on the island of Kaja in Borneo.

 

Wild orangutans (P. pygmaeus wurmbii) in Tuanan, Borneo, were reported to use tools in acoustic communication. They use leaves to amplify the kiss squeak sounds they produce. The apes may employ this method of amplification to deceive the listener into believing they are larger animals.

 

In 2003, researchers from six different orangutan field sites who used the same behavioural coding scheme compared the behaviours of the animals from the different sites. They found the different orangutan populations behaved differently. The evidence suggested the differences were cultural: first, the extent of the differences increased with distance, suggesting cultural diffusion was occurring, and second, the size of the orangutans' cultural repertoire increased according to the amount of social contact present within the group. Social contact facilitates cultural transmission.

 

POSSIBLE LINGUISTIC CAPABILITIES

A study of orangutan symbolic capability was conducted from 1973 to 1975 by zoologist Gary L. Shapiro with Aazk, a juvenile female orangutan at the Fresno City Zoo (now Chaffee Zoo) in Fresno, California. The study employed the techniques of psychologist David Premack, who used plastic tokens to teach linguistic skills to the chimpanzee, Sarah. Shapiro continued to examine the linguistic and learning abilities of ex-captive orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park, in Indonesian Borneo, between 1978 and 1980.

 

During that time, Shapiro instructed ex-captive orangutans in the acquisition and use of signs following the techniques of psychologists R. Allen Gardner and Beatrix Gardner, who taught the chimpanzee, Washoe, in the late 1960s. In the only signing study ever conducted in a great ape's natural environment, Shapiro home-reared Princess, a juvenile female, which learned nearly 40 signs (according to the criteria of sign acquisition used by psychologist Francine Patterson with Koko, the gorilla) and trained Rinnie, a free-ranging adult female orangutan, which learned nearly 30 signs over a two-year period. For his dissertation study, Shapiro examined the factors influencing sign learning by four juvenile orangutans over a 15-month period.

 

ORANGUTANS AND HUMANS

Orangutans were known to the native people of Sumatra and Borneo for millennia. While some communities hunted them for food and decoration, others placed taboos on such practices. In central Borneo, some traditional folk beliefs consider it bad luck to look in the face of an orangutan. Some folk tales involve orangutans mating with and kidnapping humans. There are even stories of hunters being seduced by female orangutans.

 

Europeans became aware of the existence of the orangutan possibly as early as the 17th century. European explorers in Borneo hunted them extensively during the 19th century. The first accurate description of orangutans was given by Dutch anatomist Petrus Camper, who observed the animals and dissected some specimens.

 

Little was known about their behaviour until the field studies of Birutė Galdikas, who became a leading authority on the apes. When she arrived in Borneo, Galdikas settled into a primitive bark and thatch hut, at a site she dubbed Camp Leakey, near the edge of the Java Sea. Despite numerous hardships, she remained there for over 30 years and became an outspoken advocate for orangutans and the preservation of their rainforest habitat, which is rapidly being devastated by loggers, palm oil plantations, gold miners, and unnatural forest fires.

 

Galdikas's conservation efforts have extended well beyond advocacy, largely focusing on rehabilitation of the many orphaned orangutans turned over to her for care. Galdikas is considered to be one of Leakey's Angels, along with Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey. According to the World Wildlife Fund, half of the habitat of the Bornean orangutan has been lost since 1994.

 

A persistent folktale on Sumatra and Borneo and in popular culture, is that male orangutans display sexual attraction to human women, and may even forcibly copulate with them. The only serious, but anecdotal, report of such an incident taking place, is primatologist Birutė Galdikas' report that her cook was sexually assaulted by a male orangutan. This orangutan, though, was raised in captivity and may have suffered from a skewed species identity, and forced copulation is a standard mating strategy for low-ranking male orangutans.

 

A female orangutan was rescued from a village brothel in Kareng Pangi village, Central Kalimantan, in 2003. The orangutan was shaved and chained for sexual purposes. Since being freed, the orangutan, named Pony, has been living with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. She has been re-socialised to live with other orang-utans.

 

LEGAL STATUS

In December 2014, Argentina became the first country to recognize a non-human primate as having legal rights when it ruled that an orangutan named Sandra at the Buenos Aires Zoo must be moved to a sanctuary in Brazil in order to provide her "partial or controlled freedom". Although animal rights groups interpreted the ruling as applicable to all species in captivity, legal specialists considered the ruling only applicable to hominid apes due to their genetic similarities to humans.

 

CONSERVATION

CONSERVATION STATUS

The Sumatran and Bornean species are both critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List of mammals, and both are listed on Appendix I of CITES.

 

The Bornean orangutan population declined by 60% in the past 60 years and is projected to decline by 82% over 75 years. Its range has become patchy throughout Borneo, being largely extirpated from various parts of the island, including the southeast. The largest remaining population is found in the forest around the Sabangau River, but this environment is at risk.

 

Sumatran orangutan populations declined by 80% in 75 years. This species is now found only in the northern part of Sumatra, with most of the population inhabiting the Leuser Ecosystem. In late March 2012, some of the last Sumatran orangutans in northern Sumatra were reported to be threatened with approaching forest fires and might be wiped out entirely within a matter of weeks.

 

Estimates between 2000 and 2003 found 7,300 Sumatran orangutans and between 45,000 and 69,000 Bornean orangutans remain in the wild. A 2007 study by the Government of Indonesia noted a total wild population of 61,234 orangutans, 54,567 of which were found on the island of Borneo in 2004.

 

During the early 2000s, orangutan habitat has decreased rapidly due to logging and forest fires, as well as fragmentation by roads. A major factor in that period of time has been the conversion of vast areas of tropical forest to palm oil plantations in response to international demand. Palm oil is used for cooking, cosmetics, mechanics, and biodiesel. Hunting is also a major problem as is the illegal pet trade.

 

Orangutans may be killed for the bushmeat trade, crop protection, or for use for traditional medicine. Orangutan bones are secretly traded in souvenir shops in several cities in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Mother orangutans are killed so their infants can be sold as pets, and many of these infants die without the help of their mother. Since 2004, several pet orangutans were confiscated by local authorities and sent to rehabilitation centres.

 

CONSERVATION CENTRES AND ORGANISATIONS

A number of organisations are working for the rescue, rehabilitation and reintroduction of orangutans. The largest of these is the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, founded by conservationist Willie Smits. It is audited by a multinational auditor company and operates a number of large projects, such as the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Program founded by conservationist Lone Drøscher Nielsen.

 

Other major conservation centres in Indonesia include those at Tanjung Puting National Park and Sebangau National Park in Central Kalimantan, Kutai in East Kalimantan, Gunung Palung National Park in West Kalimantan, and Bukit Lawang in the Gunung Leuser National Park on the border of Aceh and North Sumatra. In Malaysia, conservation areas include Semenggoh Wildlife Centre in Sarawak and Matang Wildlife Centre also in Sarawak, and the Sepilok Orang Utan Sanctuary near Sandakan in Sabah. Major conservation centres that are headquartered outside of the orangutan's home countries; include Frankfurt Zoological Society, Orangutan Foundation International, which was founded by Birutė Galdikas, and the Australian Orangutan Project.

 

Conservation organisations such as Orangutan Land Trust work with the palm oil industry to improve sustainability and encourages the industry to establish conservation areas for orangutans. It works to bring different stakeholders together to achieve conservation of the species and its habitat.

 

WIKIPEDIA

With route 149 being progressively converted to New Routemaster, some of the 11-registered VDL DB300/Wright Gemini 2 allocated to the route are moving from Tottenham Garage to Enfield to replace older vehicles on routes 307 and 349. DW432, still sporting its AR garage codes, is seen in High Barnet on Friday 13th November.

 

Unable to comprehend the exact nature of this attack by the powerful light people turned to the familiar and those with a fetish for nude ladies looked to the Rolex clock over the jewellery shop but even she was transformed and the clock itself was constantly vacilating between its old self and a wristwatch

Displacement of train carriage bodies to different manufacturing halls with a special vehicle. Technical data at the end of the video. A cool note on the type label: Operating instructions have to be followed! Stadler has two of such vehicles in Altenrhein. Switzerland, May 20, 2017.

In order to replace the lovable 328 of the late 90's, Ferrari's next product really had to get inventive. The 348 was an interesting product of the company, but often forgotten, overshadowed mostly by the successful F355 that replaced it, and the classical lines of the 328 it replaced.

 

The 348, badged as the rather unfortunately chosen 348TB for the coupé, Trasversale Berlinetta (or Tuberculosis, okay I'm sorry!) and 348TS, Spider, for the Targa versions, entered the market in 1989 to replace the 1985 328, which itself was a development of the 308 that dated back to 1975. The 348 featured a naturally aspirated 3.4L version of the Ferrari quad-cam, four-valve-per-cylinder V8 engine. As with its predecessors, the model number was derived from this configuration, with the first two digits being the displacement and the third being the number of cylinders.

 

The engine, which produced 300hp, was mounted longitudinally and coupled to a transverse manual gearbox, like the Mondial T with which the 348 shared many components. This was a significant change for Ferrari, with most previous small Ferraris using a transverse engine with longitudinal transmission. The T in the model name 348TB and TS refers to the transverse position of the gearbox. Overall, 2,895 examples of the 348 tb and 4,230 of the 348 ts were produced.

 

The 348's styling differed from previous models with straked side air intakes and rectangular taillights resembling the Testarossa. The F355 that replaced it returned to the styling cues of the 328 with round tail lights and rounded side air scoops. Fifty-seven "Challenge" models were built for owners who wanted a more "track-ready" car.

 

The 348 was fitted with dual-computer engine management using twin Bosch Motronic ECUs, double-redundant anti-lock brakes, and self-diagnosing air conditioning and heating systems. Late versions built after 1993 have Japanese-made starter motors and Nippondenso power generators to improve reliability, as well as the battery located within the front left fender for better weight distribution.

 

However, all these developments and more to the Ferrari formula eventually came to the development of the company's next big hit to show that it wasn't an ageing automotive dinosaur producing the same archaic designs. In 1994, the company's latest magnum-opus, the F355, burst onto the scene and set the entire motoring world ablaze. A car more manageable than the F40, but still possessing that spark that had kept the Ferrari badge going through those slow years in the late-70's and through the 80's.

 

With the release of the F355, the 348 seemed almost pedestrian and was axed in 1995 after 8,844 members had been built. Although some felt that the 348 would be blessed with instant classic status like the 328 it replaced, the 348 had trouble finding a gap in the preservation market, leaving it to fall into comparative obscurity. Like the Mondial, the 456 and the Testarossa, the 348 is a car that is often forgotten, outdone by the stylish F40 and the mighty F355's of the 1990's. Because of this, the 348 is a hard car to come by, and even when people do come across it, it's often mistaken for a 355 or a Testarossa.

 

But to be honest, hopefully someday the 348 will find itself some true classic status among the many great Ferrari cars that have preceded and succeeded it, after all, it's still a Ferrari, and on merit alone that's worth the price of admission!

United States Marine Corp Eagle, Globe & Anchor Harley Davidson windshield from SteelHorseShades.Com

 

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We offer all stock windshields for any make & model Harley Davidson.

 

We offer a full line of colors, laser & CNC engraving for individuals, clubs and organizations. We will beat anyone’s quality & price!

  

Harley-Davidson Inc (NYSE: HOG, formerly HDI), often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression. Harley-Davidson also survived a period of poor quality control and competition from Japanese manufacturers.

 

The company sells heavyweight (over 750 cc) motorcycles designed for cruising on highways. Harley-Davidson motorcycles (popularly known as "Harleys") have a distinctive design and exhaust note. They are especially noted for the tradition of heavy customization that gave rise to the chopper style of motorcycle. Except for the modern VRSC model family, current Harley-Davidson motorcycles reflect the styles of classic Harley designs. Harley-Davidson's attempts to establish itself in the light motorcycle market have met with limited success and have largely been abandoned since the 1978 sale of its Italian Aermacchi subsidiary.

 

Harley-Davidson sustains a loyal brand community which keeps active through clubs, events, and a museum. Licensing of the Harley-Davidson brand and logo accounted for $40 million (0.8%) of the company's net revenue in 2010.

 

History

 

BeginningIn 1901, William S. Harley, age 22, drew up plans for a small engine with a displacement of 7.07 cubic inches (116 cc) and four-inch (102 mm) flywheels. The engine was designed for use in a regular pedal-bicycle frame. Over the next two years, Harley and his childhood friend Arthur Davidson labored on their motor-bicycle using the northside Milwaukee machine shop at the home of their friend, Henry Melk. It was finished in 1903 with the help of Arthur's brother, Walter Davidson. Upon completion, the boys found their power-cycle unable to conquer Milwaukee's modest hills without pedal assistance. Will Harley and the Davidsons quickly wrote off their first motor-bicycle as a valuable learning experiment.

 

Work immediately began on a new and improved second-generation machine. This first "real" Harley-Davidson motorcycle had a bigger engine of 24.74 cubic inches (405 cc) with 9.75 inches (25 cm) flywheels weighing 28 lb (13 kg). The machine's advanced loop-frame pattern was similar to the 1903 Milwaukee Merkel motorcycle (designed by Joseph Merkel, later of Flying Merkel fame). The bigger engine and loop-frame design took it out of the motorized-bicycle category and would help define what a modern motorcycle should contain in the years to come. The boys also received help with their bigger engine from outboard motor pioneer Ole Evinrude, who was then building gas engines of his own design for automotive use on Milwaukee's Lake Street.

 

Prototype

 

The prototype of the new loop-frame Harley-Davidson was assembled in a 10 × 15 ft (3.0 × 4.6 m) shed in the Davidson family backyard. Most of the major parts, however, were made elsewhere, including some probably fabricated at the West Milwaukee rail shops where oldest brother William A. Davidson was then tool room foreman. This prototype machine was functional by September 8, 1904, when it competed in a Milwaukee motorcycle race held at State Fair Park. It was ridden by Edward Hildebrand and placed fourth. This is the first documented appearance of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle in the historical record.

 

In January 1905, small advertisements were placed in the "Automobile and Cycle Trade Journal" that offered bare Harley-Davidson engines to the do-it-yourself trade. By April, complete motorcycles were in production on a very limited basis. That year, the first Harley-Davidson dealer, Carl H. Lang of Chicago, sold three bikes from the dozen or so built in the Davidson backyard shed. (Some years later the original shed was taken to the Juneau Avenue factory where it would stand for many decades as a tribute to the Motor Company's humble origins. Unfortunately, the first shed was accidentally destroyed by contractors in the early 1970s during a clean-up of the factory yard.)

 

In 1906, Harley and the Davidson brothers built their first factory on Chestnut Street (later Juneau Avenue). This location remains Harley-Davidson's corporate headquarters today. The first Juneau Avenue plant was a 40 × 60 ft (12 × 18 m) single-story wooden structure. The company produced about 50 motorcycles that year.

 

1907 model.

 

Harley-Davidson 1,000 cc HT 1916In 1907, William S. Harley graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a degree in mechanical engineering. That year additional factory expansion came with a second floor and later with facings and additions of Milwaukee pale yellow ("cream") brick. With the new facilities production increased to 150 motorcycles in 1907. The company was officially incorporated that September. They also began selling their motorcycles to police departments around this time, a market that has been important to them ever since.

 

Production in 1905 and 1906 were all single-cylinder models with 26.84 cubic inches (440 cc) engines. In February 1907 a prototype model with a 45-degree V-Twin engine was displayed at the Chicago Automobile Show. Although shown and advertised, very few V-Twin models were built between 1907 and 1910. These first V-Twins displaced 53.68 cubic inches (880 cc) and produced about 7 horsepower (5.2 kW). This gave about double the power of the first singles. Top speed was about 60 mph (100 km/h). Production jumped from 450 motorcycles in 1908 to 1,149 machines in 1909.

 

Harley-Davidson works in 1911By 1911, some 150 makes of motorcycles had already been built in the United States – although just a handful would survive the 1910s.

 

In 1911, an improved V-Twin model was introduced. The new engine had mechanically operated intake valves, as opposed to the "automatic" intake valves used on earlier V-Twins that opened by engine vacuum. With a displacement of 49.48 cubic inches (811 cc), the 1911 V-Twin was smaller than earlier twins, but gave better performance. After 1913 the majority of bikes produced by Harley-Davidson would be V-Twin models.

 

By 1913, the yellow brick factory had been demolished and on the site a new 5-story structure of reinforced concrete and red brick had been built. Begun in 1910, the red brick factory with its many additions would take up two blocks along Juneau Avenue and around the corner on 38th Street. Despite the competition, Harley-Davidson was already pulling ahead of Indian and would dominate motorcycle racing after 1914. Production that year swelled to 16,284 machines.

 

World War IIn 1917, the United States entered World War I and the military demanded motorcycles for the war effort. Harleys had already been used by the military in the Pancho Villa Expedition but World War I was the first time the motorcycle had been adopted for combat service.[citation needed] Harley-Davidson provided about 15,000 machines to the military forces during World War I.

 

1920s

 

Harley-Davidson 1000 cc HT 1923By 1920, Harley-Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world. Their motorcycles were sold by dealers in 67 countries. Production was 28,189 machines.

 

In 1921, a Harley-Davidson, ridden by Otto Walker, was the first motorcycle ever to win a race at an average speed of over 100 mph (160 km/h).

 

During the 1920s, several improvements were put in place, such as a new 74 cubic inch (1,200 cc) V-Twin, introduced in 1922, and the "Teardrop" gas tank in 1925. A front brake was added in 1928 although notably only on the J/JD models.

 

In the late summer of 1929, Harley-Davidson introduced its 45 cubic inches (737 cc) flathead V-Twin to compete with the Indian 101 Scout and the Excelsior Super X.[19] This was the "D" model, produced from 1929 to 1931.[20] Riders of Indian motorcycles derisively referred to this model as the "three cylinder Harley" because the generator was upright and parallel to the front cylinder. The 2.745 in (69.7 mm) bore and 3.8125 in (96.8 mm) stroke would continue in most versions of the 750 engine; exceptions include the XA and the XR-750.

 

FBI Stolen motorcycles

 

steelhorseshades.com/FBI_Stolen_MC_database.html

 

Motorcycles VIN Decoder

 

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United States Marine Corp Eagle, Globe, and Anchor

The Eagle, Globe, and Anchor is the official emblem and insignia of the United States Marine Corps. The current emblem traces its roots in the designs and ornaments of the early Continental Marines as well as the British Royal Marines. The present emblem, adopted in 1966, differs from the emblem of 1868 only by a change in the eagle. Before that time many devices, ornaments, and distinguishing marks followed one another as official badges of the Corps.

History

Early insignia, seen today on modern uniform buttons

American Civil War era insignia In 1776, the device consisted of a fouled anchor (tangled in its rope) of silver or pewter. Changes were made in 1798, 1821, and 1824. In 1834, it was prescribed that a brass eagle be worn on the hat, the eagle to measure 3.5 inches (89 mm) from wingtip to wingtip. An eagle clutching a fouled anchor with thirteen six-pointed stars above was used on uniform buttons starting in 1804. This same insignia is used today on the buttons of Marine dress and service uniforms, with the six-pointed stars changed to five-pointed stars.

During the early years numerous distinguishing marks were prescribed, including "black cockades", "scarlet plumes", and "yellow bands and tassels". In 1859, the first version of the present color scheme for the officer's dress uniform insignia appeared on an elaborate device of solid white metal and yellow metal. The design included a United States shield, half wreath, a bugle, and the letter "M."

In 1868, the Commandant, Brigadier General Jacob Zeilin, appointed a board "to decide and report upon the various devices of cap ornaments of the Marine Corps." On November 13, 1868, the board recommended the modern insignia. It was approved by the Commandant four days later, and by the Secretary of the Navy on November 19, 1868.

Design and symbolism

Eagle, Globe, and Anchor for the dress uniform: officer (left) & enlisted (right)

The emblem recommended by the 1868 board consisted of a globe (showing the continents of the Western Hemisphere) intersected by a fouled anchor, and surmounted by a spread eagle. On the emblem itself, there is a ribbon, clasped in the eagle's beak, bearing the Latin motto "Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful). The uniform ornaments omit the motto ribbon.

The general design of the emblem was probably derived from the Royal Marines' "Globe and Laurel." The globe on the U.S. Marine emblem signifies continuing historical service in any part of the world. The eagle represents the United States. The anchor, which dates back to the founding of the Corps in 1775, acknowledges the naval tradition of the Marines and their continual service under the command of the Department of the Navy.

 

There are some differences between the uniform ornaments for enlisted Marines and officers. The enlisted Marines ornament is a single piece of gold-colored metal. The Officers ornament is slightly larger, and is of silver with gold additions: The Globe and Eagle are silver; the continents on the globe are gold; the anchor is gold; the rope fouling the anchor is silver. Also, the anchor is of slightly different design, the rope is of a different type and is coiled differently, and the eagle's stance is different. Finally, the island of Cuba is represented in the stylized map of the Americas on the enlisted ornament Globe, but not on the Officers ornament. This has no political significance: on the Officers ornament, the continents are represented by gold metal appliqué, and Cuba would be a very small separate bit of metal that could easily fall off.

The globe signifies USMC service around the world. The Eagle represents America and the Anchor represents the naval traditions of the Corps, which date back to its founding in 1775 and its continued service under the Department of the Navy. It is also said that the emblem represents the three areas the Marines serve “On Land, In Air and Sea”.

Current emblem and seal

United States Marine Corps seal In 1954, the Commandant, General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., requested the design of an official seal for the Corps.

The new seal included the traditional Eagle, Globe, and Anchor emblem in gold, with the Globe and anchor rope in silver. The eagle is depicted with wings displayed, standing upon the western hemisphere of the terrestrial globe, and holding in his beak a white ribbon bearing the Marine Corps motto "Semper Fidelis" (Always Faithful) with the hemisphere superimposed on a fouled anchor. An American Bald Eagle replaced the crested eagle depicted on the 1868 emblem.

The emblem is displayed on a scarlet background encircled with a Navy blue band bearing the phrases "Department of the Navy" above and "United States Marine Corps" below in white letters, the whole edged in a gold rope rim.

President Eisenhower approved the design on June 22, 1954. The emblem as shown on the seal was adopted in 1955 as the official Marine Corps emblem.

 

Using one image as a displacement map for another one.

 

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This compact Tug has an innovative high displacement tunnel hull form, two large structural keels and a straight-line controllable pitch thruster configuration designed and built solely for ship handing. With the intuitive in-line handling controls, the Tug can produce 55 tonnes (respectively 70 tonnes for the 32m loa version) of bollard thrust and pull in all directions at full power with true 360 degree manoeuvrability, while maintaining a 0 degree list - plus a side-stepping speed of 7kn – from full ahead to full speed sideways in 10 seconds.

 

On Saturday, June 4th, a group of 50 Palestinian, Israeli and international activists met in Beit Ommar to commemorate Al Naksa Day (literally, the “day of the setback”,) which for the Palestinian people marks the displacement and occupation that accompanied Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War.

According to a recent report by Handicap International (HI), the use of explosive weapons has dramatically affected the lives of more than 5.1 million Syrians. Many of them are displaced inside Syria, where 57% of public hospitals are only partially functioning or completely out of service. The war wounded and disabled especially struggle to find the needed long-term therapeutic services.

 

Many victims who managed to cross the border looking for safety in neighbouring countries are being provided with the treatment for their war injuries and disabilities through partners, like Handicap International.

 

Location : Beddawi camp, Lebanon

 

Photo credit: HI/Frederik Buyckx Dec 2014

  

Ferrari Monza SP1 & SP2

Type: V12 - 65°

Overall displacement: 6496 cm3

Max. power output: 603 kW (810 cv) at 8500 rpm

Max. torque: 719 Nm at 7000 rpm

 

Ferrari has revealed two limited-edition, retro-styled Monza supercars based on its 812 Superfast at a VIP preview event held at its Maranello HQ.

 

Available in either one- or two-seat configuration, the new Ferrari Monza SP1 and Monza SP2 were revealed at the private event for customers.

 

Lacking a roof and any protection from the elements, the two Ferrari roadsters come powered by the same naturally aspirated 588kW/718Nm 6.5-litre V12 that powers the 812.

 

Performance, unsurprisingly, is devastating. The pair of Monza supercars are capable of hitting 100km/h in 2.9 seconds and 200km/h in just 7.9 seconds, says Ferrari.

 

Drawing inspiration from the famous 1948 166 MM Barchetta and the later 1954 750 Monza, which gives the special Ferraris their names, the Italian car-maker says its latest creations were designed to provide the same "intoxicating" driving experience as its ancestors.

 

Ferrari says it will build no more than 500 examples of the two models combined, and the complete production run of Monza SP1 and Monza SP2 vehicles has all already been spoken for with each buyer thought to have parted with more than $1 million ($A1.4m).

 

[Text from ninemsn.carpoint]

 

www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/ferrari-reveals-812...

This picture is taken against the sun.

 

I arrived 2 days after typhoon strike!!

An old man who is too fragile to flee his village although he fears further attacks. August 2007 (c) UNHCR / Nicolas Rost

Vishnu (/ˈvɪʃnuː/; Sanskrit: Viṣṇu) is a popular Hindu deity, the Supreme God of Vaishnavism (one of the three principal denominations of Hinduism) and one of the three supreme deities (Trimurti) of Hinduism. He is also known as Lord Narayana and Lord Hari. As one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition, He is conceived as "the Preserver or the Protector" within the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the divinity.

 

In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as having dark complexion of water-filled clouds and as having four arms. He is depicted as a blue being, holding a padma (lotus flower) in the lower left hand, the Kaumodaki gada (mace) in the lower right hand, the Panchajanya shankha (conch) in the upper left hand and the discus weapon Sudarshana Chakra in the upper right hand.

 

Adherents of Hinduism believe Vishnu's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe is called Vaikuntha, which is also known as Paramdhama, the realm of eternal bliss and happiness and the final or highest place for liberated souls who have attained Moksha. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic. Vishnu's other abode within the material universe is Ksheera Sagara (the ocean of milk), where he reclines and rests on Ananta Shesha, (the king of the serpent deities, commonly shown with a thousand heads). In almost all Hindu denominations, Vishnu is either worshipped directly or in the form of his ten avatars, the most famous of whom are Rama and Krishna.

 

The Puranabharati, an ancient text, describes these as the dashavatara, or the ten avatars of Vishnu. Among the ten described, nine have occurred in the past and one will take place in the future as Lord Kalki, at the end of Kali Yuga, (the fourth and final stage in the cycle of yugas that the world goes through). These incarnations take place in all Yugas in cosmic scales; the avatars and their stories show that gods are indeed unimaginable, unthinkable and inconceivable. The Bhagavad Gita mentions their purpose as being to rejuvenate Dharma, to vanquish those negative forces of evil that threaten dharma, and also to display His divine nature in front of all souls.

 

The Trimurti (three forms) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer, preserver or protector and Shiva the destroyer or transformer." These three deities have also been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity", all having the same meaning of three in One. They are the different forms or manifestation of One person the Supreme Being or Narayana/Svayam Bhagavan.

 

Vishnu is also venerated as Mukunda, which means God who is the giver of mukti or moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirths) to his devotees or the worthy ones who deserve salvation from the material world.

 

ETYMOLOGY

The traditional explanation of the name Vishnu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle" (cognate with Latin vicus, English -wich "village," Slavic: vas -ves), or also (in the Rigveda) "to enter into, to pervade," glossing the name as "the All-Pervading One". Yaska, an early commentator on the Vedas, in his Nirukta, (etymological interpretation), defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, "one who enters everywhere". He also writes, atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣnurbhavati, "that which is free from fetters and bondages is Vishnu".

 

Adi Shankara in his commentary on the Sahasranama states derivation from viś, with a meaning "presence everywhere" ("As he pervades everything, vevesti, he is called Vishnu"). Adi Shankara states (regarding Vishnu Purana, 3.1.45): "The Power of the Supreme Being has entered within the universe. The root viś means 'enter into'." Swami Chinmayananda, in his translation of Vishnu Sahasranama further elaborates on that verse: "The root vis means to enter. The entire world of things and beings is pervaded by Him and the Upanishad emphatically insists in its mantra 'whatever that is there is the world of change.' Hence, it means that He is not limited by space, time or substance. Chinmayananda states that, that which pervades everything is Vishnu."

 

SACRET TEXTS - SHRUTI & SMRITI

Shruti is considered to be solely of divine origin. It is preserved as a whole, instead of verse by verse. It includes the four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda) the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads with commentaries on them.

 

Smṛti refers to all the knowledge derived and inculcated after Shruti had been received. Smrti is not 'divine' in origin, but was 'remembered' by later Rishis (sages by insight, who were the scribes) by transcendental means and passed down through their followers. It includes the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana which are Sattva Puranas. These both declare Vishnu as Para Brahman Supreme Lord who creates unlimited universes and enters each one of them as Lord of Universe.

 

SHRUTI

 

VAISHNAVA CANON

The Vaishnava canon presents Vishnu as the supreme being, rather than another name for the Sun God, who also bore the name Suryanarayana and is considered only as a form of Vishnu.

 

VEDAS

In the Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Aranyaka (10-13-1), Narayana suktam, Lord Narayana is mentioned as the supreme being. The first verse of Narayana Suktam mentions the words "paramam padam", which literally mean "highest post" and may be understood as the "supreme abode for all souls". This is also known as Param Dhama, Paramapadam, or Vaikuntha. Rig Veda 1:22:20a also mentions the same "paramam padam". This special status is not given to any deity in the Vedas apart from Lord Vishnu/Narayana.[citation needed] Narayana is one of the thousand names of Vishnu as mentioned in the Vishnu Sahasranama. It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervading essence of all beings, the master of - and beyond - the past, present and future, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe and originates and develops all elements within. This illustrates the omnipresent characteristic of Vishnu. Vishnu governs the aspect of preservation and sustenance of the universe, so he is called "Preserver of the universe".

 

Vishnu is the Supreme God who takes manifest forms or avatars across various ages or periods to save humanity from evil beings, demons or Asuras. According to the extant Hindu texts and traditions, Lord Vishnu is considered to be resident in the direction of the "Makara Rashi" (the "Shravana Nakshatra"), which is about coincident with the Capricorn constellation. In some of the extant Puranas, and Vaishnava traditions, Vishnu's eye is considered to be situated at the infinitely distant Southern Celestial Pole.

 

Following the defeat of Indra and his displacement as the Lord of Heaven or Swarga, Indra asks Lord Vishnu for help and thus Lord Vishnu takes his incarnations or avatars to Earth to save mankind, thus showing his position as Supreme God to all of creation.

 

In the Puranas, Indra frequently appears proud and haughty. These bad qualities are temporarily removed when Brahma and/or Shiva give boons to Asuras or Rakshasas such as Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu and Ravana, who are then able to defeat Indra in wars between Devas and Asuras. The received boons often made Asuras virtually indestructible.

 

Indra has no option but to seek help from Vishnu. Indra prays before Vishnu for protection and the Supreme Lord obliges him by taking avatars and generating himself on Earth in various forms, first as a water-dweller (Matsya, fish), then as an amphibious creature (Kurma avatar or Tortoise), then as a half-man-half-animal (Varaha the pig-faced, human-bodied Lord, and Narasimha the Lord with lion's face and claws and a human body). Later, Vishnu appears as human beings (Vamana the short-heighted person), Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and finally as Kalki for performing his task of protecting his devotees from demons and anti-religious entities.

 

Vishnu's supremacy is attested by his victories over those very powerful entities. It is further attested by the accepted iconography and sculptures of Vishnu in reclining position as producing Brahma emerging from his navel. Brahma the creator is thus created in turn by Vishnu out of his own person. Instead Vishnu takes various avatars to slay or defeat those demons. But it is to be noted that Vishnu also provided boons to Akupresura, a bear faced demon who was destroyed by Lord Shiva.

 

Vishnu's actions lowered Indra's ranking among Hindu deities and led to the ascendancy of Vishnu.

 

Few temples are dedicated to the Sun or Suryanarayana, nor indeed Indra, nor does Indra figure largely in the Hindu religion.

 

Indra is almost completely absent from the deities considered as the chief or most important deity.

 

RIGVEDA

In the Rigveda, Vishnu is mentioned 93 times. He is frequently invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra, whom he helps in killing Vritra and with whom he drinks Soma. His distinguishing characteristic in the Vedas is his association with light. Two Rigvedic hymns in Mandala 7 are dedicated to Vishnu. In 7.99, Vishnu is addressed as the god who separates heaven and earth, a characteristic he shares with Indra.

 

The Rig Veda describes Vishnu as younger brother to Indra as Vamana. In Vaishnava canon the 'Vishnu' who is younger brother to Indra is identified as Vamana, Avatar of Vishnu, hence referred to as Vishnu by Vaishnavites. Vishnu is the Supreme God who lives in the highest celestial region, contrasted against those who live in the atmospheric or terrestrial regions. Vishnu is content with mere prayer, unlike almost all of the other gods who receive sacrificial offerings such as Havis, which is given using clarified butter, or Soma. Later foreign translators have view that Vedas place Indra in a superior position to Vishnu's Avatar of Vamana but in fact Vamana helps Indra by restoring his Kingdom.

 

An alternate translation is provided by Wilson according to Sayana:

 

When Thy (younger brother) Viṣṇu (Vamana) by (his) strength stepped his three paces, then verily thy beloved horses bore thee. (Rigveda 8:12:27)

 

Wilson mentions Griffith's possible translation as a footnote. However the following verse from Rigveda renders the above translation by Wilson more probable.

 

Him whose three places that are filled with sweetness, imperishable, joy as it may list them, Who verily alone upholds the threefold, the earth, the heaven, and all living creatures. (Rig veda 1:154:4)

 

Wilson offers an alternate translation for Rigveda 10:113:2:

 

Viṣṇu offering the portion of Soma, glorifies by his own vigor that greatness of his. Indra, the lord of heaven, with the associated gods having slain Vritra, became deserving of honour. (Rigveda 10:113:2)

 

This verse sees Vishnu as one who is glorified by his own strength, while Indra became deserving of honor after having slain Vritra only in association with other gods.

 

However Vishnu's praise for other gods does not imply worship. Wilson translates:

 

Viṣṇu, the mighty giver of dwellings praises thee, and Mitra and Varuna; the company of Maruts imitates thee in exhilaration. (Rigveda 8:15:9) (page 280)

 

The following verses show categorically Vishnu as distinguished from other gods in Rigveda.

 

He who presents (offering) to Viṣṇu, the ancient, the creator, the recent, the self-born; he who celebrates the great birth of that mighty one; he verily possessed of abundance, attains (the station) that is to be sought (by all). (Rigveda 1:156:2) (page 98)

 

No being that is or that has been born, divine Viṣṇu, has attained the utmost limit of thy magnitude, by which thou hast upheld the vast and beautiful heaven, and sustained the eastern horizon of Earth.(Rigveda 7:99:2) (page 196)

 

The divine Viṣṇu, the best of the doers of good deeds, who came to the pious instituter of rite (Indra), to assist (at its celebration), knowing (the desires of the worshiper), and present at the three connected period (of worship), shows favor to the Arya, and admits the author of the ceremony to a share of the sacrifice. (Rigveda 1:156:5) (page 99)

 

Jan Gonda, the late Indologist, states that Vishnu, although remaining in the background of Indra's exploits, contributes by his presence, or is key to Indra's success. Vishnu is more than a mere companion, equal in rank or power to Indra, or sometime the one who made Indra's success possible.

 

Descriptions of Vishnu as younger to Indra are found in only the hymns to Indra, but in a kathenotheism religion like that of the Rigveda, each god, for a time, is supreme in the mind of the devotee.

 

In the Rig Vedic texts, the deity or god referred to as Vishnu is the Sun God, who also bears the name 'Suryanarayana'. By contrast, the 'Vishnu' referred to in 'Vishnu Purana', 'Vishnu Sahasranamam' and 'Purusha Sooktham' is Lord Narayana, the Consort of Lakshmi. Vaishnavites make a further distinction by extolling the qualities of Vishnu by highlighting his differences from other deities such as Shiva,[citation needed] Brahma or Surya.

 

THREE STEPS

Hymn 7.100 refers to the celebrated 'three steps' of Vishnu (as Trivikrama) by which he strode over the universe and in three places planted his step. The 'Vishnu Suktam' (RV 1.154) says that the first and second of Vishnu's strides (those encompassing the earth and air) are visible to men and the third is in the heights of heaven (sky). This last place is described as Vishnu's supreme abode in RV 1.22.20:

 

The princes evermore behold / that loftiest place where Vishnu is / Laid as it were an eye in heaven.(trans. Griffith)

 

Griffith's "princes" are the sūri, either "inciters" or lords of a sacrifice, or priests charged with pressing the Soma. The verse is quoted as expressing Vishnu's supremacy by Vaishnavites.

 

Though such solar aspects have been associated with Vishnu by tradition as well as modern-scholarship, he was not just the representation of the sun, as he moves both vertically and horizontally.

 

In hymns 1.22.17, 1.154.3, 1.154.4 he strides across the earth with three steps, in 6.49.13, 7.100.3 strides across the earth three times and in 1.154.1, 1.155.5,7.29.7 he strides vertically, with the final step in the heavens. The same Veda also says he strode wide and created space in the cosmos for Indra to fight Vritra. By his stride he made dwelling for men possible, the three forming a symbolic representation of the dwelling's all-encompassing nature. This nature and benevolence to men were Vishnu's enduring attributes. As the triple-strider he is known as Trivikrama and as Urukrama, for the strides were wide.

 

BRAHMANAS

The Brahmanas are commentaries on the Vedas and form part of the Shruti literature. They are concerned with the detail of the proper performance of rituals. In the Rigveda, Shakala Shakha: Aitareya Brahmana Verse 1 declares: agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus, tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā - Agni is the lowest or youngest god and Vishnu is the greatest and the highest God.

 

The Brahmanas assert the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, addressing him as "Gajapati", the one whom all sacrifices are meant to please. Lord Vishnu accepts all sacrifices to the demigods and allots the respective fruits to the performer In one incident, a demonic person performs a sacrifice by abducting the Rishis (sages), who meditate by constantly chanting God's name. The sacrifice is meant to destroy Indra. But the rishis, who worship Indra as a demigod, alter one pronunciation of the Veda Mantra, reversing the purpose of the sacrifice. When the fruit of the sacrifice is given and the demon is on the verge of dying, he calls to Vishnu, whom he addresses as Supreme Godhead and "the father of all living entities including himself".

 

Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 mentions Vishnu as the Supreme God. But in the Vaishnava canon, in different ages, with Vishnu in different avatars, his relationship with the asuras or demons, was always adversarial. The asuras always caused harm, while the sages and devas or celestial beings, did penance and called to Vishnu for protection. Vishnu always obliged by taking an avatar to vanquish the asuras. In the Vaishnava canon, Vishnu never gave or granted any boons to the asuras, distinguishing him from the gods Shiva and Brahma, who did. He is the only God called upon to save good beings by defeating or killing the asuras.

 

Sayana writes that in Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 the declaration agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus,tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā does not indicate any hierarchy among gods. Even in Rigveda Samhita, avama and parama are not applied to denote rank and dignity, but only to mark place and locality.

 

In Rigveda 1:108:9,: yadindrāghnī avamasyāṃ pṛthivyāṃ madhyamasyāṃ paramasyāmuta sthaḥ | i.e., in the lowest place, the middle (place), and the highest (place). Agni, the fire, has, among the gods, the lowest place; for he resides with man on the earth; while the other gods are either in the air, or in the sky. Vishnu occupies the highest place. The words avama and parama are understood as 'First' and 'Last' respectively. To support this claim, Sayana adduces the mantra (1,4. As'val. Sr. S. 4, 2), agnir mukham prathamo devathanam samathanam uttamo vishnur asit, i.e., Agni was the first of the deities assembled, (and) Vishnu the last.

 

In the Kausitaki Brahmana (7.1) Agni is called Aaradhya (instead of avama), and Visnu parardha(instead of parama),i.e., belonging to the lower and higher halves (or forming the lower and higher halves). The Vishnu Purana gives tremendous importance to the worship of Vishnu and mentions that sacrifices are to begin only with both the lighting of fire or 'Agni', pouring of sacrificial offerings to Vishnu in 'Agni' so that those offerings reach and are accepted by Vishnu. Worship of Vishnu through Yajnas (or Homams) and other rituals, will not achieve the desired result if Agni's role is neglected.

 

Muller says "Although the gods are sometimes distinctly invoked as the great and the small, the young and the old (Rig veda 1:27:13), this is only an attempt to find the most comprehensive expression for the divine powers, and nowhere is any of the gods represented as the subordinate to others. It would be easy to find, in the numerous hymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as supreme and absolute."

 

However this notion is not completely correct as per the following verses, which shows Rigveda describe one or more gods as subject to other god(s).

 

Him whose high law not Varuna nor Indra, not Mitra, Aryaman, nor Rudra breaketh, Nor evil-hearted fiends, here for my welfare him I invoke, God Savitar, with worship. (Rigveda 2.038.09)

 

I invite to this place, with reverential salutations, for my good, that divine Savita, whose functions neither Indra, nor Varun.a, nor Mitra nor Aryaman nor Rudra nor the enemies (of the gods), impede. (Rigveda 2.038.09)

 

SMRITI

 

VISHNU SMRITI

The Vishnu Smṛti, is one of the later books of the Dharmashastra tradition of Hinduism and the only one that focuses on the bhakti tradition and the required daily puja to Vishnu, rather than the means of knowing dharma. It is also known for its handling of the controversial subject of the practice of sati (self-immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre). The text was composed by an individual or group. The author(s) created a collection of the commonly known legal maxims that were attributed to Vishnu into one book, as Indian oral culture began to be recorded more formally.

 

BHAGAVATA PURANA

Vishnu is the only Bhagavan as declared in the Bhagavata 1:2:11 in the verse: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate, translated as "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance as Brahman, Paramātma and Bhagavan."

 

VISHNU PURANA

In the Vishnu Purana (6:5:79) the personality named Parashara Rishi defines six bhagas:

 

aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ

jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣannāḥ bhaga itīṇganā

 

Jiva Gosvami explains the verse in Gopala Champu (Pūrva 15:73) and Bhagavata Sandarbha 46:10:

 

jñāna-śakti-balaiśvarya-vīrya-tejām.sy aśeṣataḥ

bhagavac-chabda-vācyāni vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ

 

"The substantives of the word bhagavat (bhagavat-śabda-vācyāni) are unlimited (aśeṣataḥ) knowledge (jñāna), energies (śakti), strength (bala), opulence (aiśvarya), heroism (vīrya), splendor (tejas), without (vinā) objectionable (heyair) qualities (guṇādibhiḥ)."

 

SANGAM LITERATURE

Tamil Sangam literature (300BCE to 500CE) mentions mAyOn, or the dark one, as the supreme deity who creates, sustains and destroys the universe. Paripadal 3 describes the glory of Thirumal in the most superlative terms.

 

Paripadal by kaduvan iLaveyinanAr:

 

"thIyinuL theRal nI poovinuL naaRRa nI kallinuL maNiyu nI sollinuL vaaymai aRaththinuL anbu nI maRaththinuL mainthu nI vEthaththu maRai nI boothaththu madhalu nI vencudar oLiyu nI thingaLuL aLiyu nI anaiththu nI anaiththinut poruLu nI"

 

The last line states that Lord Vishnu is the supreme deity who is the inner controller (Antaryamin) of the entire universe. This is one of the Lord's glories, which is first mentioned in Vedas and later propounded by Alwars in Prabhandams and Sri Vaishnavaite Acharyas in various commentaries

 

The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Vishnu, Lakshmi is mentioned in Tamil works of literature of the Sangam era, including the epic Silapadikaram (book 11, lines 35–40):

 

āyiram viritteḻu talaiyuṭai aruntiṟaṟ

 

pāyaṟ paḷḷip palartoḻu tētta viritiraik kāviri viyaṉperu turuttit tiruvamar mārpaṉ kiṭanta vaṇṇamum

 

On a magnificent cot having a thousand heads spread out, worshipped and praised by many, in an islet surrounded by Kaveri with bellowing waves, is the lying posture of the one who has Lakshmi sitting in his chest.

 

THEOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES

The actual number of Vishnu's auspicious qualities is countless, although his six most-important "divine glories" are:

 

Jnana (Omniscience); defined as the power to know about all beings simultaneously;

Aishvarya (Sovereignty), derived from the word Ishvara which means unchallenged rule over all;

Shakti (Power or Energy), the capacity to make the impossible possible;

Bala (Strength), the capacity to support everything by will and without any fatigue;

Virya (Vigour), the power to retain immateriality as the Supreme Spirit or Being in spite of being the material cause of mutable creations;

Tejas (Splendor), which expresses self-sufficiency and the capacity to overpower everything by spiritual effulgence.

 

Other important qualities attributed to Vishnu are Gambhirya (inestimatable grandeur), Audarya (generosity), and Karunya (compassion). Natya Shastra lists Vishnu as the presiding deity of the Sṛngara rasa.

 

The Rigveda says: Vishnu can travel in three strides. The first stride is the Earth. The second stride is the visible sky. The third stride cannot be seen by men and is the heaven where the gods and the righteous dead live. (This feature of three strides also appears in the story of his avatar Vamana/Trivikrama.) The Sanskrit for "to stride" is the root kram; its reduplicated perfect is chakram (guņa grade) or chakra (zero-grade), and in the Rigveda he is called by epithets such as vi-chakra-māņas = "he who has made 3 strides". The Sanskrit word chakra also means "wheel". That may have suggested the idea of Vishnu carrying a chakra.

 

FIVE FORMS

In Shree Vaishnavism, another school dating from around the 10th century AD, Vishnu assumes five forms:

 

In the Para Form, Para is the highest form of Vishnu found only in Sri Vaikunta also called Moksha, along with his consort Lakshmi, (and Bhumi Devi and Nila devi, avatars of Lakshmi) and surrounded by liberated souls like Ananta, Garuda, and a host of Muktas (liberated souls).

In the Vyuha form, Vishnu assumes four forms, which exercise different cosmic functions and controls activities of living beings.

In the Vibhava form, Vishnu assumes various manifestations, called Vibhavas, more popularly known as Avataras from time to time, to protect the virtuous, punish evil-doers and re-establish righteousness.

In the Antaryami; "Dwelling within" or "Suksma Vasudeva" form, Vishnu exists within the souls of all living beings and in every substance.

In the Arcavatara or Image manifestation, Vishnu is visible and therefore easily approachable by devotees since Para, Vyuha, Vibhava and Antaryami forms can only be imagined or meditated upon because they are beyond our reach. Such images can be

Revealed by Vishnu, for example, a self-manifested (Swayambhu) icon (murti), e.g. The Mahavishnu Temple at Tirunelli, The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, The Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple, etc.; or

Installed by Devas or celestial beings such as such as Guruvayur Temple installed by Vayu; or

Installed by humans, and consecrated according to Vaishnava Agama shastras or scriptures such as Lord Jagannatha of Jagannath Temple (Puri) at Puri.

 

RELATIONS WITH OTHER DEITIES

 

SHIVA

The three gods of the Trimurti clan are inseparable and in harmony in view of their common vision and universal good. They are perfectly ideal in all respects.

 

Both Asuras and Devas played supportive roles in this story by keeping company with Vishnu in his incarnated forms. Hanuman is a vanara who is completely dedicated to Rama. He gives Vishnu company and obeys his command, while playing an important part in Rama's life. He is regarded in Vaishnava canon because it is through blessings that Hanuman is born. Thus, Hanuman, Vishnu's constant companion, with his idol appearing temples of Rama, Krishna and Narasimha, i.e. all of Vishnu's avatars, is considered by Vaishnavas.

 

Syncretic forces produced stories in which the two deities were shown in cooperative relationships and combined forms. Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara). This dual form, which is also called Harirudra, is mentioned in the Mahabharata.

 

LAKSHMI

Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth (also known as Maya). The Samvit (the primary intelligence/dark matter) of the universe is Vishnu, while the other five attributes emerge from this samvit and hence Maya or dark energy of the universe is Lakshmee is his ahamata, activity, or Vishnu's Power. This power of God, Maya or Shakti, is personified and has multiple names: Shree, Lakshmi, Maya, Vishnumaya or Mahamaya. She is said to manifest as Kriyashakti, (Creative Activity) and Bhutishakti (Creation). This world requires Vishnu's creativity. He therefore needs Lakshmi to always be with Him. Her various avatars as Lord Vishnu's consorts are Varahavatar (Bhoodevi) or Bhoomi, Ramavatar Seeta, Krishnavatar Rukmini)

 

SARASWATI & GANGA

According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Lord Vishnu had three wives Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganga. Due to their constant quarrelsome nature among them. Once Ganga tried to be close with Vishnu, this rebuked Saraswati but Lakshmi tried to pacify them but faced a curse rather. As per the curse, Lakshmi to appear as Tulasi. Sarawati cursed Ganga to run as a river in the world and Saraswati was cursed to run as a river in the netherworld. After this, Lord Vishnu transformed and became Brahma and Shiva to pacify Saraswati and Ganga.

 

GARUDA

Vishnu's mount (Vahana) is Garuda, the eagle. Vishnu is commonly depicted as riding on his shoulders.

 

ICONOGRAPHY

According to various Puranas, Vishnu is the ultimate omnipresent reality and is shapeless and omnipresent. However, a strict iconography governs his representation, whether in pictures, icons, or idols:

 

He has four arms and is male: The four arms indicate his all-powerful and all-pervasive nature. His physical existence is represented by the two arms in the front, while the two arms at the back represent his presence in the spiritual world. The Upanishad Gopal Uttartapani describes the four arms.

The Shreevatsa mark is on his chest, symbolizing his consort Lakshmi.

He wears the auspicious "Kaustubha" jewel around his neck and a garland of vaijayanti flowers (Vanamala). Lakshmi dwells in this jewel, on Vishnu's chest.

A crown adorns his head: The crown symbolizes his supreme authority. This crown sometimes includes a peacock feather, borrowing from his Krishna-avatar.

He wears two earrings: The earrings represent inherent opposites in creation — knowledge and ignorance; happiness and unhappiness; pleasure and pain.

He rests on Ananta, the immortal and infinite snake.

 

Vishnu is always to be depicted holding four attributes:

 

A conch shell or Shankha, named Panchajanya, is held by the upper left hand. It represents Vishnu's power to create and maintain the universe. Panchajanya represents the five elements or Panchabhoota – water, fire, air, earth and sky or space. It also represents the five airs or Pranas that are within the body and mind. The conch symbolizes that Vishnu is the primeval Divine sound of creation and continuity. It also represented as Om. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna avatara states that of sound vibrations, 'He is Om'.

The Chakra, a sharp, spinning, discus-like weapon, named "Sudarshana", is held by the upper right hand. It symbolizes the purified spiritualized mind. The name Sudarshana is derived from two words – Su, which means good, superior, and Darshana, which means vision or sight; together. The Chakra represents destruction of ego in the awakening and realization of the soul's original nature and god, burning away spiritual ignorance and illusion, and developing higher spiritual vision and insight to realize god.

A mace or Gada, named "Kaumodaki", is held by the lower right hand. It symbolizes that Vishnu's divine power is the source of all spiritual, mental and physical strength. It also signifies Vishnu's power to destroy materialistic or demonic tendencies (Anarthas) that prevent people from reaching god. Vishnu's mace is the power of the Divine within us to spiritually purify and uplift us from our materialistic bonds.

A lotus flower or Padma is held by the lower left hand. It represents spiritual liberation, Divine perfection, purity and the unfolding of Spiritual consciousness within the individual. The lotus opening its petals in the light of the Sun is indicative of the expansion and awakening of our long dormant, original spiritual consciousness in the light of god. The lotus symbolizes that god is the power and source from which the universe and the individual soul emerges. It also represents Divine Truth or Satya, the originator of the rules of conduct or Dharma, and Divine Vedic knowledge or Jnana. The lotus also symbolizes that Vishnu is the embodiment of spiritual perfection and purity and that He is the wellspring of these qualities and that the individual soul must seek to awaken these intrinsic Divine qualities from Vishnu by surrendering to and linking with Him.

 

To this may be added, conventionally, the vanamaala flower garland, Vishnu's bow (Shaarnga/Kodand) and his sword Nandaka. A verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama stotram states;vanamālī gadhī shārngī shanki chakri cha nandaki / shrīmān nārāyaņo vişņo vāsudevo abhirakşatu//; translation: Protect us Oh Lord Narayana who wears the forest garland,who has the mace, conch, sword and the wheel. And who is called Vishnu and the Vasudeva.

 

In general, Vishnu's body is depicted in one of the following three ways:

 

Standing on a lotus flower, often with Lakshmi, his consort, beside him on a similar pedestal.

Reclining on the coiled-up thousand-hooded Shesha Naga, with Lakshmi seated at his feet; the assemblage rests on the "Kshira Sagar" (ocean of milk). In this representation, Brahma is depicted as sitting on a lotus that grows out of Vishnu's navel.

Riding on the back of his eagle mount, known as Garuda. Another name for Garuda is "Veda atma"; Soul of the Vedas. The flapping of his wings symbolizes the power of the Divine Truth of Vedic wisdom. Also the eagle represents the soul. Garuda carrying Vishnu symbolizes the soul or jiva atma carrying the Super soul or Param atma within it.

 

AVATARS

Ten avatars (dashavatara) of Vishnu are the most prominent: Apart from the most prominent incarnations there are believed to more.

 

The most commonly believed incarnations of Vishnu are:

 

Matsya, the fish that kills Damanaka to save the vedas and also saves Manu from a great flood that submerges the entire Earth.

Kurma, the turtle that helps the Devas and Asuras churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality.

Varaha, the boar that rescues the Earth and kills Hiranyaksha.

Narasimha, the half-lion half human, who defeats the demon Hiranyakashipu.

Vamana, the dwarf that grows into a giant to save the world from King Bali.

Parashurama, "Rama of the battle axe", a sage who appeared in the Treta Yuga. He killed Kartavirya Arjuna's army and clan and then killed all the kshatriyas 21 times.

Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya who killed the Demon King Raavan.

Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, who takes part in the Mahabharata epic. Krishna is worshipped as the Supreme Avatar of Vishnu (Supreme Personality of Godhead) in Gaudiya-Vaishnava philosophy.

Buddha, the ninth avatar of Vishnu.

Kalki, the tenth Avatar of Vishnu and said to be the harbinger of the end Kali Yuga. This avatar of Vishnu is yet to come.

 

Some versions of the above list include Hayagreeva among the Dashavataras while some include Buddha as ninth avatar of Vishnu. Another 22 avatars are given in Chapter 3, Canto 1 of the Bhagavata Purana, although it states that "the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water".

 

BEYOND HINDUISM

 

SIKHISM

Guru Granth Sahib of Sikhism mentions Vishnu, one verse goes:

 

The true Vaishnaav, the devotee of Vishnu, is the one with whom God is thoroughly pleased. He dwells apart from Maya. Performing good deeds, he does not seek rewards. Spotlessly pure is the religion of such a Vaishnaav; he has no desire for the fruits of his labors. He is absorbed in devotional worship and the singing of Kirtan, the songs of the Lords Glory. Within his mind and body, he meditates in remembrance on the Lord of the Universe. He is kind to all creatures. He holds fast to the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. O Nanak, such a Vaishnaav obtains the supreme status.

 

BUDDHISM

While some Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu, Buddhists in Sri Lanka venerate Vishnu as the custodian deity of Sri Lanka and protector of Buddhism. Lord Vishnu is also known as upulvan, or uthpala varna, meaning "Blue Lotus coloured". Some postulates that Uthpala varna was a local deity who later merged with Vishnu while another belief is that Uthpala Varna was an early form of Vishnu before he became a supreme deity in Puranic Hinduism. According to Chronicles "Mahawamsa", "Chulawamsa" and folklore in Sri Lanka, Buddha himself handed over the custodianship to Vishnu. Others believe that Buddha entrusted this task to Sakra(Indra) and Sakra delegated this task of custodianship to god Vishnu. In contrary to vedic Hinduism, in assimilation of Hindu god Vishnu into Sinhalese Buddhism, Vishnu becomes a mortal being and a Bodhisattva aspiring Buddhahood. Additionally, Vishnu is considered as the god of home and hearth representing mercy, goodness, order and stability. Many Buddhist and Hindu shrines are dedicated to Vishnu in Sri Lanka. In addition to specific Vishnu "Kovils" or "devalayas", all Buddhist temples necessarily house shrine rooms (Devalayas) closer to the main Buddhist shrine dedicated to Vishnu. John Holt in his groundbreaking study examines the assimilation, transformation, and subordination of the Hindu deity Vishnu within the contexts of Sri Lankan history and Sinhala Buddhist religious culture. He then explores the role and rationale of medieval Sinhala kings in assimilating Visnu into Sinhala Buddhism. According to Holt the veneration of Vishnu in Sri Lanka is evidence of a remarkable ability, over many centuries, to reiterate and reinvent culture as other ethnicities have been absorbed into their own. Though the Vishnu cult in Ceylon was formally endorsed by Kandyan kings in early 1700s, Holt states that vishnu images and shrines are among conspicuous ruins in the medieval capital Polonnaruwa. In Buddhist mythology, when Vishnu failed to traverse the universe in three steps, he was given the title "Ardha Vishnu (Half-Vishnu)" and when Vishnu banished demons from the Vaishali (Vishala)in India, he became "Mulu Vishnu or Whole Vishnu". The extreme significance of god Vishnu in Sinhala society is reflected in recitals of the traditional "Offerings to dwarfs and crossing the door frame (bahirwayanta dola pideem saha uluwahu peneema)" that starts with Sri Vishnu invocation.In the recitals,mentioning of the aspiring Buddhahood of Vishnu which is of prime importance to Buddhists and wishes for him to live five thousand and more years highlight the central role of Vishnu in the psyche of Sri Lankan Buddhists.

 

OTHERS

James Freeman Clarke, Richard Leviton, James Cowles Prichard, and others have noted the similarities between Vishnu and Ancient Egyptian God Horus.

 

During an excavation in an abandoned village of Russia in the Volga region, archaeologist Alexander Kozhevin excavated an ancient idol of Vishnu. The idol dates from between the 7th and 10th centuries. In the interview Kozhevin, stated that, "We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research"

 

THOUSAND NAMES OF VISHNU

Vishnu's many names and followers are collected in the Vishnu Sahasranama, (Vishnu's thousand names) from within the larger work Mahabharata. The character Bheeshma recites the names before Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, praising him (Vishnu) as the supreme god. These Sahasranama are regarded as the essence of all Vedas by followers of Vaishnavism, who believe sincere chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama results in spiritual well-being and a greater awareness of God.

 

The names are generally derived from the Anantakalyanagunas (meaning: infinite auspicious attributes).

 

According to the Siddhartha-samhita there are twenty-four forms of Lord Vishnu. The twenty-four forms are

 

Vasudeva

Sankarshana

Pradyumna

Anirudha

Keshava

Narayana

Madhava

Govinda

Vishnu

Madhusudana

Trivikrama

Vamana

Sridhara

Hrishikesha

Padmanabha

Damodara

Purushottama

Achyuta

Narasimha

Janardana

Hari

Krishna

Adhokshaja

 

Upulvan, Uthpala Varna - In Sri Lanka, Vishnu is also referred to as Upulvan ( Blue Lotus Coloured)

 

WIKIPEDIA

Indiscriminate attacks by the islamist militant group Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria are causing immense suffering. A violent campaign is being waged against innocent civilians who are being killed, chased, enrolled or enslaved.

 

©EC/ECHO/Anouk Delafortrie

Designer: Dickies

Builder: Dickies of Tarbert, Scotland

Year: 1936

Location Devon

Length on deck: 44'

Beam: 11'4

Draft: 6'

Tonnage(TM): 17.8 Displacement

£110,000

Full Specification

 

An exceptional and rare boat which combines all the features regarded as classic and representative of the great period of wooden yacht construction and presented in very fine condition.

 

Length on deck: 44’

Beam: 11’4”

Draft: 6’

Tonnage: 17.8 tons displacement.

 

Designed and built by Dickies of Tarbert on the west coast of Scotland. Of the three Dickie brothers one took over the old family firm in Tarbert, another moved south across the water to Bangor in N Wales and a third brother was apprenticed to the great William Fife in his drawing office. At the time, Dickies was held in the same high regard as Alfred Mylne and the now great William Fife’s yard.

The design is a proper long keeled, sea-worthy hull inspired by the Scottish fishing boat type with a full canoe stern, sharp almost vertical stem, good free-board and full mid-ships sections.

The mid-ships wheel-house is a wonderful construction built in to the step in the deck, multi-faceted forward, cabin entrance each side and a shallow coach-roof running aft to a lovely deep well-sheltered little cock-pit.

All deck fittings are in bronze and original but she has also been intelligently modernised with modern nav lights and equipment to bring her up to expected modern standards.

 

Built in the Tarbert yard in 1936, the yard must have been delighted to land this high spec order and she was undoubtedly a very expensive yacht indeed.

 

Tunnag has passed through our hands several times in the last 35 years so we are quite familiar with her. For the last few years she has been in local ownership here in Dartmouth, the owner first apprenticed to Moodys as a boat builder and later building high tech one-off race yachts in his own yard so well qualified to bring a quality boat up to top condition. They are justifiably proud of the yacht but as time goes on they are finding that a smaller yacht with more sail would suit them better now.

 

Construction.

The construction is robust, almost fishing boat strength planked in proper old 1 ¼” Burma teak, and finished varnished in the topsides from new, anti-fouled below the w/l. Even much of the inside of the hull is varnished!

The frames are grown oak all through at approx 3’ centres, doubled in futtocks, side pinned with single steam bent oak intermediates.

The long oak keel carries an external iron ballast keel over most of the length and especially reaching right forward to the rise of the stem so that any contact with a hard surface would be taken on the iron, not the wood – a thoughtful touch.

In present ownership the keel bolts have been inspected.

Sea-cocks removed, stripped and any dubious replaced.

 

The strap floors are in massive angle shape wrought iron which does not rust like mild steel even if it is galvanised, side bolted to the frames which avoids the problem of corrosion of bolts through the planking.

In present ownership most of the floors have been removed from the boat, epoxy tarred and replaced on a bedding compound with new bronze bolts through the frames – an exceptional and essential job with most boats of this vintage.

The topsides are raised forward from the mid-ships step in the deck to give increased head-room in the forward accommodation and fitted with 3 large bronze port holes each side.

Interestingly, there is a small port hole each side mid-ships in the topsides to give some light and air to the engine room.

The wheel-house and after coaming are all teak with bronze port holes.

The coach-roof deck is sheathed probably originally with canvas and painted with cream non-slip deck paint between varnished teak margins. The after cabin entrance from the cock-pit has a sliding hatch and twin full length doors to the cock-pit.

 

Fastenings:

The planking is fastened to the main frames with bronze dumps and to the steamed intermediates with copper nails. Close study shows the Scottish way of clenching the nails rather than riveting over roves.

 

Deck.

The deck is yacht laid in solid teak which means the planking is swept round the shape of the hull and joggled into a king plank forward and aft.

Traditionally caulked and payed, the deck was originally secret fastened and has been largely refastened with screws from above, dowled over.

The rudder stock head projects through the aft deck with a removable bronze cap to take an emergency tiller.

Steering is by traditional spoked teak wheel and cables to a quadrant on the stock under the aft deck.

In present ownership new cables and tubes fitted.

Cast bronze stanchion posts all round carry 2 stainless steel guard wires. A modern stainless steel pulpit and push-pit have been added for safety. The step in the deck edge in way of the gate either side has a cast bronze cap with the yacht’s name – a lovely touch.

Hefty mooring cleats fitted either side forward and aft and a cruciform cleat mid-ships by the step in the deck, essential to take a mid-ships spring when berthing and so often missing on yachts.

To back up the cleats she has a massive oak Sampson post on the fore deck and the aft deck and even each side at the break in the deck.

A very substantial bronze fabrication over the stem spreads the loads of the chain over the twin chain rollers.

A modern electric windlass may look slightly out of place but like other details on this yacht makes her far more practical for regular use. A CQR anchor when hauled in stows neatly on the chain roller removing the necessity to lift a heavy anchor over the pulpit.

Small thoughtful details like the twin bronze fairleads on the capping both sides saves damage to the capping by mooring lines.

In present ownership the deck seams have been raked out, the seams repayed with butyl rubber compound and the decks coated with Semco, a wood protector and water-proofing product which has the advantage of sealing the seams against any possible leaks.

 

Rig.

A bermudian ketch rig on varnished spruce masts and spars gives a useful sail area of around 200 square feet with the headsail on a roller furler, a 2-reef mainsail and a small mizzen.

Stainless steel standing rigging to internal bronze chain plates.

In present ownership the masts have been stripped and revarnished, the standing and running rigging have all been replaced and new blocks fitted.

  

Sails.

A very good, clean suit of cream sails in polyester comprising:

Mainsail – not new but in very good condition

Mizzen – not new but in very usable condition

Genoa on roller furling gear – as new condition

Jib – in excellent condition

New small, loose-footed, boomless mizzen serves to weather-cock the boat at anchor – Dart Sails, 2014

Sail covers to main and mizzen.

New runing rig.

 

Engine.

Gardner 3LW 47hp 3-cylinder diesel engine installed new in 1965.

Gardner U2 2:1 gearbox with usual Gardner wheel control at the helm and separate throttle lever.

Conventional centre-line shaft carried in a plummer block with conventional inboard stuffing box and a new outer shaft bearing in 2002.

New double greasers to plummer blocks

3-blade prop.

This Gardner is a superb machine, slow revving, quiet, smooth and very reassuring with the reputation for a very long life and almost infinitely rebuildable – a proper marine diesel engine.

Max speed 8.5knts

Fuel consumption approx 5 litres per hour at her most economic cruising speed of 7 knts.

In present ownership the engine has had a thorough service – seals and impellors renewed etc.

The owner before last who bought the yacht through Wooden Ships, a skilled engineer, did a major rebuild on this engine and like all Gardners it has given total and reliable service.

 

Tanks

Diesel: 110 gallons in 2 stainless steel tanks, one each side of the engine room.

New twin Racor filters fitted with change-over valve. All pipe-work renewed.

Engine room in pristine condition with steel chequer plate floors, all exceptionally clean with very good access all round.

 

Water: 200 gallons fresh water in 2 tanks.

New pressurised water system with new calorifier tank in the engine room heated by the engine cooling water and with 240v immersion heater.

In present ownership the plumbing and hot water system have all been replaced.

New water filtration pump and tap at the galley sink.

  

Electrics

The yacht operates on a 24v circuit with 12v supply to certain instruments.

240v supply from shore power or generator.

 

Generator. Hyundi 3.6kw remote start diesel generator mounted in a varnished teak box on deck behind the wheel-house to give as silent and odour-free operation as possible.

The generator is coupled to a Victron 3KW inverter mounted in a stainless tray in the engine room with 4 x 110amp/hr batteries.

55amp engine belt driven alternator fitted new in 2013 charges the batteries

4 x 12v domestic batteries

4 x 12v engine start batteries

2 x 12v windlass batteries

Sterling battery management system

240v ring main with shore power connection

In present ownership the yacht has been largely rewired and new electrical panel fitted.

  

Accommodation.

The interior of this yacht is exceptional, all very original and panelled in polished teak. The teak in the bulkhead panels and the door panels is carefully chosen to give matching grain pattern in every one as was the way with all the best classic yachts.

The interior of the yacht is divided into 4 areas – a fore peak cabin with full length single berth to stbd and up and down smaller berths to port.

Bulkhead to chain locker forward. Fore peak entrance hatch over.

All panelled in varnished teak with white painted deck-head.

Bulkhead door to the next aft compartment with galley surface to starboard and gimballed Taylors 041 2-burner, grill and oven gas cooker in a lined recess to port.

The galley has been recently refitted and is a clean modern area with an L-shaped white formica surface with a twin sink, hot/cold tap, salt water tap and chromed Patay manual fresh water pump. Sink drains overboard.

Cup racks above. Cave locker in the work surface.

12v/240v Waeco fridge under the work surface

In present ownership the galley has been rebuilt, new fridge and cooker fitted.

 

Aft again into the magnificent saloon cabin, all varnished teak joinery with shelves and glass fronted lockers each side.

Port side dinette with buttoned light brown leather upholstery and varnished table, drops down to make a double berth.

Settee berth to stbd with fabric covered cushions. Back rest lifts and suspends as a Pullman berth.

6’ head-room. White painted deck-head. Varnished teak sole boards. Classic gimballed chrome lights on the bulkheads. Lots of stowage under the settees.

Main mast against the forward bulkhead.

 

Centre-line steps up to the wheel-house with the engine room below. All varnished teak wheel-house. Step up to exit door either side. Traditional spoked teak wheel. All nav instruments well displayed and visible. Seating aft.

 

Aft port corner of wheel-house, winding stair down to the saloon cabin.

Electrical switch-board hidden behind a small door as you go down the steps, easily reached from the wheel-house.

Lobby at the bottom of the companionway.

Heads compartment to stbd with Jabsco sea toilet, shower with teak grating in the tray, lockers under the side deck.

In present ownership the heads has been refitted and a new sea-toilet installed.

Door to engine room on the centre-line between heads and companionway.

Bulkhead door to the aft cabin. Single berth to port, tight double berth to stbd.

Centre-line companionway up to the aft cock-pit.

Webasto hot air diesel fired central heating sited in the engine room, new 2013

  

Inventory.

 

Navigation. Ground tackle.

Constellation binnacle compass at the helm Muir 24v windlass

Navman chart plotter. New Lewmar Delta anchor

New Lowrance Elite 5 sounder Min 80 meters chain.

Fixed Sailor VHF radio. Long anchor warp.

Sailor radio receiver

Neco auto-pilot on the wheel. Warps and fenders.

 

This is one of those boats you cannot just walk past, a boat which attracts attention wherever she goes, a classic in every sense of that over-used word yet still a very practical and usable boat.

After the work done in present ownership the next owner will take over a wonderful yacht and the continuing pleasure in the conservation of our maritime heritage.

 

Nov. 12, 2022

Philadelphia

Development in Philly is out of control, worsening conditions for working class people & the environment. Hundreds of community activists took to the streets to set the tone for Philly's 2023 election: anyone running for mayor or city council better have policy solutions for ensuring long-term, working class residents have a place in this city and that Philly is truly tackling and prepared for the climate crisis.

The march was organized by community groups fighting for land justice across our city, including Philly Thrive, Sunrise Movement, VietLead, Save UCTownhomes, Save the Meadows, Cobbs Creek EJ, and more!

wwww.nonstandardstudio.wordpress.com

The European Commission calls on all parties to the conflict in Syria to avoid purposefully and indiscriminately targeting civilians and civilian facilities.

 

12-year-old Mohamad’s left leg had to be amputated after he was injured in a bombing in Syria. Now living in Azraq camp in the north of Jordan, he has been fitted with a prosthesis by Handicap International and has regular sessions with a physiotherapist.

 

Photo credit: HI/Frederik Buyckx Dec 2014

 

What's the difference?

 

Distance is a scalar, a quantity which only has a magnitude (number). Displacement is a vector, a quantity which has magnitude and direction. The distance traveled (red dots) might have been 5 m, but my total displacement (black line, x, x₁-x₀), is only 2.5 m, south. That direction designation is key, because displacement is a vector.

 

*numbers just made up*

Designer: Dickies

Builder: Dickies of Tarbert, Scotland

Year: 1936

Location Devon

Length on deck: 44'

Beam: 11'4

Draft: 6'

Tonnage(TM): 17.8 Displacement

£110,000

Full Specification

 

An exceptional and rare boat which combines all the features regarded as classic and representative of the great period of wooden yacht construction and presented in very fine condition.

 

Length on deck: 44’

Beam: 11’4”

Draft: 6’

Tonnage: 17.8 tons displacement.

 

Designed and built by Dickies of Tarbert on the west coast of Scotland. Of the three Dickie brothers one took over the old family firm in Tarbert, another moved south across the water to Bangor in N Wales and a third brother was apprenticed to the great William Fife in his drawing office. At the time, Dickies was held in the same high regard as Alfred Mylne and the now great William Fife’s yard.

The design is a proper long keeled, sea-worthy hull inspired by the Scottish fishing boat type with a full canoe stern, sharp almost vertical stem, good free-board and full mid-ships sections.

The mid-ships wheel-house is a wonderful construction built in to the step in the deck, multi-faceted forward, cabin entrance each side and a shallow coach-roof running aft to a lovely deep well-sheltered little cock-pit.

All deck fittings are in bronze and original but she has also been intelligently modernised with modern nav lights and equipment to bring her up to expected modern standards.

 

Built in the Tarbert yard in 1936, the yard must have been delighted to land this high spec order and she was undoubtedly a very expensive yacht indeed.

 

Tunnag has passed through our hands several times in the last 35 years so we are quite familiar with her. For the last few years she has been in local ownership here in Dartmouth, the owner first apprenticed to Moodys as a boat builder and later building high tech one-off race yachts in his own yard so well qualified to bring a quality boat up to top condition. They are justifiably proud of the yacht but as time goes on they are finding that a smaller yacht with more sail would suit them better now.

 

Construction.

The construction is robust, almost fishing boat strength planked in proper old 1 ¼” Burma teak, and finished varnished in the topsides from new, anti-fouled below the w/l. Even much of the inside of the hull is varnished!

The frames are grown oak all through at approx 3’ centres, doubled in futtocks, side pinned with single steam bent oak intermediates.

The long oak keel carries an external iron ballast keel over most of the length and especially reaching right forward to the rise of the stem so that any contact with a hard surface would be taken on the iron, not the wood – a thoughtful touch.

In present ownership the keel bolts have been inspected.

Sea-cocks removed, stripped and any dubious replaced.

 

The strap floors are in massive angle shape wrought iron which does not rust like mild steel even if it is galvanised, side bolted to the frames which avoids the problem of corrosion of bolts through the planking.

In present ownership most of the floors have been removed from the boat, epoxy tarred and replaced on a bedding compound with new bronze bolts through the frames – an exceptional and essential job with most boats of this vintage.

The topsides are raised forward from the mid-ships step in the deck to give increased head-room in the forward accommodation and fitted with 3 large bronze port holes each side.

Interestingly, there is a small port hole each side mid-ships in the topsides to give some light and air to the engine room.

The wheel-house and after coaming are all teak with bronze port holes.

The coach-roof deck is sheathed probably originally with canvas and painted with cream non-slip deck paint between varnished teak margins. The after cabin entrance from the cock-pit has a sliding hatch and twin full length doors to the cock-pit.

 

Fastenings:

The planking is fastened to the main frames with bronze dumps and to the steamed intermediates with copper nails. Close study shows the Scottish way of clenching the nails rather than riveting over roves.

 

Deck.

The deck is yacht laid in solid teak which means the planking is swept round the shape of the hull and joggled into a king plank forward and aft.

Traditionally caulked and payed, the deck was originally secret fastened and has been largely refastened with screws from above, dowled over.

The rudder stock head projects through the aft deck with a removable bronze cap to take an emergency tiller.

Steering is by traditional spoked teak wheel and cables to a quadrant on the stock under the aft deck.

In present ownership new cables and tubes fitted.

Cast bronze stanchion posts all round carry 2 stainless steel guard wires. A modern stainless steel pulpit and push-pit have been added for safety. The step in the deck edge in way of the gate either side has a cast bronze cap with the yacht’s name – a lovely touch.

Hefty mooring cleats fitted either side forward and aft and a cruciform cleat mid-ships by the step in the deck, essential to take a mid-ships spring when berthing and so often missing on yachts.

To back up the cleats she has a massive oak Sampson post on the fore deck and the aft deck and even each side at the break in the deck.

A very substantial bronze fabrication over the stem spreads the loads of the chain over the twin chain rollers.

A modern electric windlass may look slightly out of place but like other details on this yacht makes her far more practical for regular use. A CQR anchor when hauled in stows neatly on the chain roller removing the necessity to lift a heavy anchor over the pulpit.

Small thoughtful details like the twin bronze fairleads on the capping both sides saves damage to the capping by mooring lines.

In present ownership the deck seams have been raked out, the seams repayed with butyl rubber compound and the decks coated with Semco, a wood protector and water-proofing product which has the advantage of sealing the seams against any possible leaks.

 

Rig.

A bermudian ketch rig on varnished spruce masts and spars gives a useful sail area of around 200 square feet with the headsail on a roller furler, a 2-reef mainsail and a small mizzen.

Stainless steel standing rigging to internal bronze chain plates.

In present ownership the masts have been stripped and revarnished, the standing and running rigging have all been replaced and new blocks fitted.

  

Sails.

A very good, clean suit of cream sails in polyester comprising:

Mainsail – not new but in very good condition

Mizzen – not new but in very usable condition

Genoa on roller furling gear – as new condition

Jib – in excellent condition

New small, loose-footed, boomless mizzen serves to weather-cock the boat at anchor – Dart Sails, 2014

Sail covers to main and mizzen.

New runing rig.

 

Engine.

Gardner 3LW 47hp 3-cylinder diesel engine installed new in 1965.

Gardner U2 2:1 gearbox with usual Gardner wheel control at the helm and separate throttle lever.

Conventional centre-line shaft carried in a plummer block with conventional inboard stuffing box and a new outer shaft bearing in 2002.

New double greasers to plummer blocks

3-blade prop.

This Gardner is a superb machine, slow revving, quiet, smooth and very reassuring with the reputation for a very long life and almost infinitely rebuildable – a proper marine diesel engine.

Max speed 8.5knts

Fuel consumption approx 5 litres per hour at her most economic cruising speed of 7 knts.

In present ownership the engine has had a thorough service – seals and impellors renewed etc.

The owner before last who bought the yacht through Wooden Ships, a skilled engineer, did a major rebuild on this engine and like all Gardners it has given total and reliable service.

 

Tanks

Diesel: 110 gallons in 2 stainless steel tanks, one each side of the engine room.

New twin Racor filters fitted with change-over valve. All pipe-work renewed.

Engine room in pristine condition with steel chequer plate floors, all exceptionally clean with very good access all round.

 

Water: 200 gallons fresh water in 2 tanks.

New pressurised water system with new calorifier tank in the engine room heated by the engine cooling water and with 240v immersion heater.

In present ownership the plumbing and hot water system have all been replaced.

New water filtration pump and tap at the galley sink.

  

Electrics

The yacht operates on a 24v circuit with 12v supply to certain instruments.

240v supply from shore power or generator.

 

Generator. Hyundi 3.6kw remote start diesel generator mounted in a varnished teak box on deck behind the wheel-house to give as silent and odour-free operation as possible.

The generator is coupled to a Victron 3KW inverter mounted in a stainless tray in the engine room with 4 x 110amp/hr batteries.

55amp engine belt driven alternator fitted new in 2013 charges the batteries

4 x 12v domestic batteries

4 x 12v engine start batteries

2 x 12v windlass batteries

Sterling battery management system

240v ring main with shore power connection

In present ownership the yacht has been largely rewired and new electrical panel fitted.

  

Accommodation.

The interior of this yacht is exceptional, all very original and panelled in polished teak. The teak in the bulkhead panels and the door panels is carefully chosen to give matching grain pattern in every one as was the way with all the best classic yachts.

The interior of the yacht is divided into 4 areas – a fore peak cabin with full length single berth to stbd and up and down smaller berths to port.

Bulkhead to chain locker forward. Fore peak entrance hatch over.

All panelled in varnished teak with white painted deck-head.

Bulkhead door to the next aft compartment with galley surface to starboard and gimballed Taylors 041 2-burner, grill and oven gas cooker in a lined recess to port.

The galley has been recently refitted and is a clean modern area with an L-shaped white formica surface with a twin sink, hot/cold tap, salt water tap and chromed Patay manual fresh water pump. Sink drains overboard.

Cup racks above. Cave locker in the work surface.

12v/240v Waeco fridge under the work surface

In present ownership the galley has been rebuilt, new fridge and cooker fitted.

 

Aft again into the magnificent saloon cabin, all varnished teak joinery with shelves and glass fronted lockers each side.

Port side dinette with buttoned light brown leather upholstery and varnished table, drops down to make a double berth.

Settee berth to stbd with fabric covered cushions. Back rest lifts and suspends as a Pullman berth.

6’ head-room. White painted deck-head. Varnished teak sole boards. Classic gimballed chrome lights on the bulkheads. Lots of stowage under the settees.

Main mast against the forward bulkhead.

 

Centre-line steps up to the wheel-house with the engine room below. All varnished teak wheel-house. Step up to exit door either side. Traditional spoked teak wheel. All nav instruments well displayed and visible. Seating aft.

 

Aft port corner of wheel-house, winding stair down to the saloon cabin.

Electrical switch-board hidden behind a small door as you go down the steps, easily reached from the wheel-house.

Lobby at the bottom of the companionway.

Heads compartment to stbd with Jabsco sea toilet, shower with teak grating in the tray, lockers under the side deck.

In present ownership the heads has been refitted and a new sea-toilet installed.

Door to engine room on the centre-line between heads and companionway.

Bulkhead door to the aft cabin. Single berth to port, tight double berth to stbd.

Centre-line companionway up to the aft cock-pit.

Webasto hot air diesel fired central heating sited in the engine room, new 2013

  

Inventory.

 

Navigation. Ground tackle.

Constellation binnacle compass at the helm Muir 24v windlass

Navman chart plotter. New Lewmar Delta anchor

New Lowrance Elite 5 sounder Min 80 meters chain.

Fixed Sailor VHF radio. Long anchor warp.

Sailor radio receiver

Neco auto-pilot on the wheel. Warps and fenders.

 

This is one of those boats you cannot just walk past, a boat which attracts attention wherever she goes, a classic in every sense of that over-used word yet still a very practical and usable boat.

After the work done in present ownership the next owner will take over a wonderful yacht and the continuing pleasure in the conservation of our maritime heritage.

 

Designer: Dickies

Builder: Dickies of Tarbert, Scotland

Year: 1936

Location Devon

Length on deck: 44'

Beam: 11'4

Draft: 6'

Tonnage(TM): 17.8 Displacement

£110,000

Full Specification

 

An exceptional and rare boat which combines all the features regarded as classic and representative of the great period of wooden yacht construction and presented in very fine condition.

 

Length on deck: 44’

Beam: 11’4”

Draft: 6’

Tonnage: 17.8 tons displacement.

 

Designed and built by Dickies of Tarbert on the west coast of Scotland. Of the three Dickie brothers one took over the old family firm in Tarbert, another moved south across the water to Bangor in N Wales and a third brother was apprenticed to the great William Fife in his drawing office. At the time, Dickies was held in the same high regard as Alfred Mylne and the now great William Fife’s yard.

The design is a proper long keeled, sea-worthy hull inspired by the Scottish fishing boat type with a full canoe stern, sharp almost vertical stem, good free-board and full mid-ships sections.

The mid-ships wheel-house is a wonderful construction built in to the step in the deck, multi-faceted forward, cabin entrance each side and a shallow coach-roof running aft to a lovely deep well-sheltered little cock-pit.

All deck fittings are in bronze and original but she has also been intelligently modernised with modern nav lights and equipment to bring her up to expected modern standards.

 

Built in the Tarbert yard in 1936, the yard must have been delighted to land this high spec order and she was undoubtedly a very expensive yacht indeed.

 

Tunnag has passed through our hands several times in the last 35 years so we are quite familiar with her. For the last few years she has been in local ownership here in Dartmouth, the owner first apprenticed to Moodys as a boat builder and later building high tech one-off race yachts in his own yard so well qualified to bring a quality boat up to top condition. They are justifiably proud of the yacht but as time goes on they are finding that a smaller yacht with more sail would suit them better now.

 

Construction.

The construction is robust, almost fishing boat strength planked in proper old 1 ¼” Burma teak, and finished varnished in the topsides from new, anti-fouled below the w/l. Even much of the inside of the hull is varnished!

The frames are grown oak all through at approx 3’ centres, doubled in futtocks, side pinned with single steam bent oak intermediates.

The long oak keel carries an external iron ballast keel over most of the length and especially reaching right forward to the rise of the stem so that any contact with a hard surface would be taken on the iron, not the wood – a thoughtful touch.

In present ownership the keel bolts have been inspected.

Sea-cocks removed, stripped and any dubious replaced.

 

The strap floors are in massive angle shape wrought iron which does not rust like mild steel even if it is galvanised, side bolted to the frames which avoids the problem of corrosion of bolts through the planking.

In present ownership most of the floors have been removed from the boat, epoxy tarred and replaced on a bedding compound with new bronze bolts through the frames – an exceptional and essential job with most boats of this vintage.

The topsides are raised forward from the mid-ships step in the deck to give increased head-room in the forward accommodation and fitted with 3 large bronze port holes each side.

Interestingly, there is a small port hole each side mid-ships in the topsides to give some light and air to the engine room.

The wheel-house and after coaming are all teak with bronze port holes.

The coach-roof deck is sheathed probably originally with canvas and painted with cream non-slip deck paint between varnished teak margins. The after cabin entrance from the cock-pit has a sliding hatch and twin full length doors to the cock-pit.

 

Fastenings:

The planking is fastened to the main frames with bronze dumps and to the steamed intermediates with copper nails. Close study shows the Scottish way of clenching the nails rather than riveting over roves.

 

Deck.

The deck is yacht laid in solid teak which means the planking is swept round the shape of the hull and joggled into a king plank forward and aft.

Traditionally caulked and payed, the deck was originally secret fastened and has been largely refastened with screws from above, dowled over.

The rudder stock head projects through the aft deck with a removable bronze cap to take an emergency tiller.

Steering is by traditional spoked teak wheel and cables to a quadrant on the stock under the aft deck.

In present ownership new cables and tubes fitted.

Cast bronze stanchion posts all round carry 2 stainless steel guard wires. A modern stainless steel pulpit and push-pit have been added for safety. The step in the deck edge in way of the gate either side has a cast bronze cap with the yacht’s name – a lovely touch.

Hefty mooring cleats fitted either side forward and aft and a cruciform cleat mid-ships by the step in the deck, essential to take a mid-ships spring when berthing and so often missing on yachts.

To back up the cleats she has a massive oak Sampson post on the fore deck and the aft deck and even each side at the break in the deck.

A very substantial bronze fabrication over the stem spreads the loads of the chain over the twin chain rollers.

A modern electric windlass may look slightly out of place but like other details on this yacht makes her far more practical for regular use. A CQR anchor when hauled in stows neatly on the chain roller removing the necessity to lift a heavy anchor over the pulpit.

Small thoughtful details like the twin bronze fairleads on the capping both sides saves damage to the capping by mooring lines.

In present ownership the deck seams have been raked out, the seams repayed with butyl rubber compound and the decks coated with Semco, a wood protector and water-proofing product which has the advantage of sealing the seams against any possible leaks.

 

Rig.

A bermudian ketch rig on varnished spruce masts and spars gives a useful sail area of around 200 square feet with the headsail on a roller furler, a 2-reef mainsail and a small mizzen.

Stainless steel standing rigging to internal bronze chain plates.

In present ownership the masts have been stripped and revarnished, the standing and running rigging have all been replaced and new blocks fitted.

  

Sails.

A very good, clean suit of cream sails in polyester comprising:

Mainsail – not new but in very good condition

Mizzen – not new but in very usable condition

Genoa on roller furling gear – as new condition

Jib – in excellent condition

New small, loose-footed, boomless mizzen serves to weather-cock the boat at anchor – Dart Sails, 2014

Sail covers to main and mizzen.

New runing rig.

 

Engine.

Gardner 3LW 47hp 3-cylinder diesel engine installed new in 1965.

Gardner U2 2:1 gearbox with usual Gardner wheel control at the helm and separate throttle lever.

Conventional centre-line shaft carried in a plummer block with conventional inboard stuffing box and a new outer shaft bearing in 2002.

New double greasers to plummer blocks

3-blade prop.

This Gardner is a superb machine, slow revving, quiet, smooth and very reassuring with the reputation for a very long life and almost infinitely rebuildable – a proper marine diesel engine.

Max speed 8.5knts

Fuel consumption approx 5 litres per hour at her most economic cruising speed of 7 knts.

In present ownership the engine has had a thorough service – seals and impellors renewed etc.

The owner before last who bought the yacht through Wooden Ships, a skilled engineer, did a major rebuild on this engine and like all Gardners it has given total and reliable service.

 

Tanks

Diesel: 110 gallons in 2 stainless steel tanks, one each side of the engine room.

New twin Racor filters fitted with change-over valve. All pipe-work renewed.

Engine room in pristine condition with steel chequer plate floors, all exceptionally clean with very good access all round.

 

Water: 200 gallons fresh water in 2 tanks.

New pressurised water system with new calorifier tank in the engine room heated by the engine cooling water and with 240v immersion heater.

In present ownership the plumbing and hot water system have all been replaced.

New water filtration pump and tap at the galley sink.

  

Electrics

The yacht operates on a 24v circuit with 12v supply to certain instruments.

240v supply from shore power or generator.

 

Generator. Hyundi 3.6kw remote start diesel generator mounted in a varnished teak box on deck behind the wheel-house to give as silent and odour-free operation as possible.

The generator is coupled to a Victron 3KW inverter mounted in a stainless tray in the engine room with 4 x 110amp/hr batteries.

55amp engine belt driven alternator fitted new in 2013 charges the batteries

4 x 12v domestic batteries

4 x 12v engine start batteries

2 x 12v windlass batteries

Sterling battery management system

240v ring main with shore power connection

In present ownership the yacht has been largely rewired and new electrical panel fitted.

  

Accommodation.

The interior of this yacht is exceptional, all very original and panelled in polished teak. The teak in the bulkhead panels and the door panels is carefully chosen to give matching grain pattern in every one as was the way with all the best classic yachts.

The interior of the yacht is divided into 4 areas – a fore peak cabin with full length single berth to stbd and up and down smaller berths to port.

Bulkhead to chain locker forward. Fore peak entrance hatch over.

All panelled in varnished teak with white painted deck-head.

Bulkhead door to the next aft compartment with galley surface to starboard and gimballed Taylors 041 2-burner, grill and oven gas cooker in a lined recess to port.

The galley has been recently refitted and is a clean modern area with an L-shaped white formica surface with a twin sink, hot/cold tap, salt water tap and chromed Patay manual fresh water pump. Sink drains overboard.

Cup racks above. Cave locker in the work surface.

12v/240v Waeco fridge under the work surface

In present ownership the galley has been rebuilt, new fridge and cooker fitted.

 

Aft again into the magnificent saloon cabin, all varnished teak joinery with shelves and glass fronted lockers each side.

Port side dinette with buttoned light brown leather upholstery and varnished table, drops down to make a double berth.

Settee berth to stbd with fabric covered cushions. Back rest lifts and suspends as a Pullman berth.

6’ head-room. White painted deck-head. Varnished teak sole boards. Classic gimballed chrome lights on the bulkheads. Lots of stowage under the settees.

Main mast against the forward bulkhead.

 

Centre-line steps up to the wheel-house with the engine room below. All varnished teak wheel-house. Step up to exit door either side. Traditional spoked teak wheel. All nav instruments well displayed and visible. Seating aft.

 

Aft port corner of wheel-house, winding stair down to the saloon cabin.

Electrical switch-board hidden behind a small door as you go down the steps, easily reached from the wheel-house.

Lobby at the bottom of the companionway.

Heads compartment to stbd with Jabsco sea toilet, shower with teak grating in the tray, lockers under the side deck.

In present ownership the heads has been refitted and a new sea-toilet installed.

Door to engine room on the centre-line between heads and companionway.

Bulkhead door to the aft cabin. Single berth to port, tight double berth to stbd.

Centre-line companionway up to the aft cock-pit.

Webasto hot air diesel fired central heating sited in the engine room, new 2013

  

Inventory.

 

Navigation. Ground tackle.

Constellation binnacle compass at the helm Muir 24v windlass

Navman chart plotter. New Lewmar Delta anchor

New Lowrance Elite 5 sounder Min 80 meters chain.

Fixed Sailor VHF radio. Long anchor warp.

Sailor radio receiver

Neco auto-pilot on the wheel. Warps and fenders.

 

This is one of those boats you cannot just walk past, a boat which attracts attention wherever she goes, a classic in every sense of that over-used word yet still a very practical and usable boat.

After the work done in present ownership the next owner will take over a wonderful yacht and the continuing pleasure in the conservation of our maritime heritage.

 

Five year-old boy Noor suffers from paralysis in his right arm since he was born (Erb's palsy). The destruction of medical infrastructure, lack of access to basic services, as well as lack of medical equipment like orthopedic devices, are forcing Syrians to leave their country in search of support and help.

 

In Jordan’s Azraq camp, Handicap International helps Noor to get his mobility back thanks to physiotherapy sessions to strengthen his arm.

 

Photo credit: HI/Frederik Buyckx Dec 2014

 

This image shows the destruction of part of the knee joint due to tuberculosis of the bones and joints. Some boney anomalies can be identified along the top edges of the tibia and the lower edges of the femur.

 

The image is part of a larger collection of radiographs held by Northumberland Archives being digitised as part of the Stannington Sanatorium Project.

 

Catalogue Reference: HOSP-STAN-07-01-02-0737-02 A

 

This image is from the collections of Northuberland Archives. Feel free to share it in the spirit of the Commons.

The Rover P6 series (named 2000, 2200, or 3500, depending on its engine displacement) is a saloon car model produced from 1963 to 1977 in Solihull.

 

The P6 was announced on 9th October 1963, just before the Earls Court Motor Show. It was the sixth of the "P" designated Rover designs, and the last to reach production. The vehicle was marketed first as the Rover 2000 and was a complete "clean sheet" design intended to appeal to a larger number of buyers than earlier models such as the P4 it replaced. The P5 was sold alongside the P6 until 1973.

 

The 2000 was advanced for the time with a de Dion tube suspension at the rear, four-wheel disc brakes (inboard on the rear), and a fully synchromesh transmission. The unibody design featured non-stressed panels bolted to a unit frame, inspired by the Citroën DS. The de Dion set-up was unique in that the "tube" was in two parts that could telescope, thereby avoiding the need for sliding splines in the drive shafts, with consequent stiction under drive or braking torque, while still keeping the wheels vertical and parallel in relation to the body.

 

The Rover 2000 won industry awards for safety when it was introduced and included a carefully designed "safety" interior. One innovative feature was the prism of glass on the top of the front side lights. This allowed the driver to see the front corner of the car in low light conditions, and also confirmed that they were operative.

 

The first P6 used a 2.0 L (1,978 cc or 120.7 cu in) engine designed specifically for the P6. Although it was announced towards the end of 1963, the car had been in "pilot production" since the beginning of the year, therefore deliveries were able to begin immediately. Original output was in the order of 104 bhp (78 kW). At the time the engine was unusual in having an overhead camshaft layout. The cylinder head had a perfectly flat surface, and the combustion chambers were cast into the piston crowns (sometimes known as a Heron head).

 

Rover saw Buick's compact 3.5 L (3528 cc/215 in³) V8 from the Buick Special as a way to differentiate the P6 from its chief rival, the Triumph 2000. They purchased the rights to the innovative aluminium engine, and, once improved for production by Rover's own engineers, it became an instant hit. The Rover V8 engine, as it became known, outlived its original host, the P5B, by more than thirty years.

 

The 3500 was introduced in April 1968 (one year after the Rover company was purchased by Triumph's owner, Leyland) and continued to be offered until 1977. The manufacturer asserted that the light metal V8 engine weighed the same as the four-cylinder unit of the Rover 2000, and the more powerful car's maximum speed of 114 mph (183 km/h) as well as its 10.5-second acceleration time from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) were considered impressive, and usefully faster than most of the cars with which, on the UK market, the car competed on price and specifications. (The glaring exception was the Jaguar 340, substantially quicker and, in terms of manufacturers' recommended prices, 15 per cent cheaper than the Rover 3500, the Jaguar representing exceptional value as a "run-out" model, shortly to be replaced by the Jaguar XJ6.)

 

In comparison, the Rover 3500 auto tested by Motor magazine in the issue published on 20 April 1968, achieved a maximum speed of 117mph (mean), 0–60 mph in 9.5secs, with a standing quarter-mile in 17.6secs.

 

The Series II, or Mark II as it was actually named by Rover, was launched in 1970. All variants carried the battery in the boot and had new exterior fixtures such as a plastic front air intake (to replace the alloy version), new bonnet pressings (with V8 blips even for the 4-cylinder-engined cars) and new rear lights. The interior of the 3500 and 2000TC versions was updated with new instrumentation with circular gauges and rotary switches. The old-style instrumentation with a linear speedometer and toggle switches continued on the 2000SC versions.

 

The final years of the Rover P6 coincided with production problems at British Leyland. This was highlighted in August 1975 when Drive, the magazine of the British Automobile Association awarded a trophy to a Rover 3500 as the worst new car in England. It reported that a Rover 3500 purchased in 1974 had covered 6,000 miles (9,600 kilometres) during its first six months, during which period it had consumed three engines, two gear boxes, two clutch housings and needed a complete new set of electrical cables. The car had spent 114 of its first 165 days in a workshop. The runner-up prize in this rogue's gallery was awarded to an Austin Allegro with forty faults reported over ten months, and a Triumph Stag came in third. The story was picked up and reported in other publications, not only domestically but also in Germany, at the time Europe's largest national car market and an important target export market for the company. Further evidence of poor quality control on the 3500 assembly line at the Solihull plant appeared in a report in Autocar magazine in October 1976, surveying the experiences of company car fleet managers with the model, although the report also suggested, apparently wishing to appear even-handed, that at least part of the problem might have arisen from excessively optimistic expectations of the model.

 

The last Rover P6 off the production line, registered VVC 700S, was built on 19 March 1977, a year after its successor – the Rover SD1 – went into production.

 

This car was first sent in August 1977, to the Leyland Historic Vehicle collection, then at Donington Park until 1980, when it was moved to Syon Park along with the rest of the collection, which became the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Collection. It remained an exhibit at Syon until 1990, when the collection moved to Studley Castle (then owned by Rover) and went into storage until 1993.

 

In 1993, the collection then moved to its new home, The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust site at Gaydon, now known as the Heritage Motor Centre. VVC 700S was on display until 2003 when it sold at the Bonhams sale of Rover-owned items.

 

In 2006 the car revisited Gaydon for the first time since the sale and is still in original condition having never been restored. The car came out of the collection having only ever covered 12,300 miles (19,800 km). "Graham" as the car is affectionately known by its current owner Mark Gray, had a Corgi Vanguard model commissioned of it in 2006, which was released in 2007 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the end of production. The car is in Wolverhampton and has been off the road for some time, but is not derelict as some reports have stated.

The Rover P6 series (named 2000, 2200, or 3500, depending on its engine displacement) is a saloon car model produced from 1963 to 1977 in Solihull.

 

The P6 was announced on 9th October 1963, just before the Earls Court Motor Show. It was the sixth of the "P" designated Rover designs, and the last to reach production. The vehicle was marketed first as the Rover 2000 and was a complete "clean sheet" design intended to appeal to a larger number of buyers than earlier models such as the P4 it replaced. The P5 was sold alongside the P6 until 1973.

 

The 2000 was advanced for the time with a de Dion tube suspension at the rear, four-wheel disc brakes (inboard on the rear), and a fully synchromesh transmission. The unibody design featured non-stressed panels bolted to a unit frame, inspired by the Citroën DS. The de Dion set-up was unique in that the "tube" was in two parts that could telescope, thereby avoiding the need for sliding splines in the drive shafts, with consequent stiction under drive or braking torque, while still keeping the wheels vertical and parallel in relation to the body.

 

The Rover 2000 won industry awards for safety when it was introduced and included a carefully designed "safety" interior. One innovative feature was the prism of glass on the top of the front side lights. This allowed the driver to see the front corner of the car in low light conditions, and also confirmed that they were operative.

 

The first P6 used a 2.0 L (1,978 cc or 120.7 cu in) engine designed specifically for the P6. Although it was announced towards the end of 1963, the car had been in "pilot production" since the beginning of the year, therefore deliveries were able to begin immediately. Original output was in the order of 104 bhp (78 kW). At the time the engine was unusual in having an overhead camshaft layout. The cylinder head had a perfectly flat surface, and the combustion chambers were cast into the piston crowns (sometimes known as a Heron head).

 

Rover saw Buick's compact 3.5 L (3528 cc/215 in³) V8 from the Buick Special as a way to differentiate the P6 from its chief rival, the Triumph 2000. They purchased the rights to the innovative aluminium engine, and, once improved for production by Rover's own engineers, it became an instant hit. The Rover V8 engine, as it became known, outlived its original host, the P5B, by more than thirty years.

 

The 3500 was introduced in April 1968 (one year after the Rover company was purchased by Triumph's owner, Leyland) and continued to be offered until 1977. The manufacturer asserted that the light metal V8 engine weighed the same as the four-cylinder unit of the Rover 2000, and the more powerful car's maximum speed of 114 mph (183 km/h) as well as its 10.5-second acceleration time from 0–60 mph (97 km/h) were considered impressive, and usefully faster than most of the cars with which, on the UK market, the car competed on price and specifications. (The glaring exception was the Jaguar 340, substantially quicker and, in terms of manufacturers' recommended prices, 15 per cent cheaper than the Rover 3500, the Jaguar representing exceptional value as a "run-out" model, shortly to be replaced by the Jaguar XJ6.)

 

In comparison, the Rover 3500 auto tested by Motor magazine in the issue published on 20 April 1968, achieved a maximum speed of 117mph (mean), 0–60 mph in 9.5secs, with a standing quarter-mile in 17.6secs.

 

The Series II, or Mark II as it was actually named by Rover, was launched in 1970. All variants carried the battery in the boot and had new exterior fixtures such as a plastic front air intake (to replace the alloy version), new bonnet pressings (with V8 blips even for the 4-cylinder-engined cars) and new rear lights. The interior of the 3500 and 2000TC versions was updated with new instrumentation with circular gauges and rotary switches. The old-style instrumentation with a linear speedometer and toggle switches continued on the 2000SC versions.

 

The final years of the Rover P6 coincided with production problems at British Leyland. This was highlighted in August 1975 when Drive, the magazine of the British Automobile Association awarded a trophy to a Rover 3500 as the worst new car in England. It reported that a Rover 3500 purchased in 1974 had covered 6,000 miles (9,600 kilometres) during its first six months, during which period it had consumed three engines, two gear boxes, two clutch housings and needed a complete new set of electrical cables. The car had spent 114 of its first 165 days in a workshop. The runner-up prize in this rogue's gallery was awarded to an Austin Allegro with forty faults reported over ten months, and a Triumph Stag came in third. The story was picked up and reported in other publications, not only domestically but also in Germany, at the time Europe's largest national car market and an important target export market for the company. Further evidence of poor quality control on the 3500 assembly line at the Solihull plant appeared in a report in Autocar magazine in October 1976, surveying the experiences of company car fleet managers with the model, although the report also suggested, apparently wishing to appear even-handed, that at least part of the problem might have arisen from excessively optimistic expectations of the model.

 

The last Rover P6 off the production line, registered VVC 700S, was built on 19 March 1977, a year after its successor – the Rover SD1 – went into production.

 

This car was first sent in August 1977, to the Leyland Historic Vehicle collection, then at Donington Park until 1980, when it was moved to Syon Park along with the rest of the collection, which became the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Collection. It remained an exhibit at Syon until 1990, when the collection moved to Studley Castle (then owned by Rover) and went into storage until 1993.

 

In 1993, the collection then moved to its new home, The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust site at Gaydon, now known as the Heritage Motor Centre. VVC 700S was on display until 2003 when it sold at the Bonhams sale of Rover-owned items.

 

In 2006 the car revisited Gaydon for the first time since the sale and is still in original condition having never been restored. The car came out of the collection having only ever covered 12,300 miles (19,800 km). "Graham" as the car is affectionately known by its current owner Mark Gray, had a Corgi Vanguard model commissioned of it in 2006, which was released in 2007 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the end of production. The car is in Wolverhampton and has been off the road for some time, but is not derelict as some reports have stated.

Distributions are organised for the most vulnerable people who are recently displaced and had to leave with little or nothing. Abdulhakem is happy to receive the basic shelter kit as he will finally sleep on a mattress with a blanket.

 

© IOM Yemen, 2020. All rights reserved. Licensed to the European Union under conditions.

Or the stability of bodies in motion.

Designer: Dickies

Builder: Dickies of Tarbert, Scotland

Year: 1936

Location Devon

Length on deck: 44'

Beam: 11'4

Draft: 6'

Tonnage(TM): 17.8 Displacement

£110,000

Full Specification

 

An exceptional and rare boat which combines all the features regarded as classic and representative of the great period of wooden yacht construction and presented in very fine condition.

 

Length on deck: 44’

Beam: 11’4”

Draft: 6’

Tonnage: 17.8 tons displacement.

 

Designed and built by Dickies of Tarbert on the west coast of Scotland. Of the three Dickie brothers one took over the old family firm in Tarbert, another moved south across the water to Bangor in N Wales and a third brother was apprenticed to the great William Fife in his drawing office. At the time, Dickies was held in the same high regard as Alfred Mylne and the now great William Fife’s yard.

The design is a proper long keeled, sea-worthy hull inspired by the Scottish fishing boat type with a full canoe stern, sharp almost vertical stem, good free-board and full mid-ships sections.

The mid-ships wheel-house is a wonderful construction built in to the step in the deck, multi-faceted forward, cabin entrance each side and a shallow coach-roof running aft to a lovely deep well-sheltered little cock-pit.

All deck fittings are in bronze and original but she has also been intelligently modernised with modern nav lights and equipment to bring her up to expected modern standards.

 

Built in the Tarbert yard in 1936, the yard must have been delighted to land this high spec order and she was undoubtedly a very expensive yacht indeed.

 

Tunnag has passed through our hands several times in the last 35 years so we are quite familiar with her. For the last few years she has been in local ownership here in Dartmouth, the owner first apprenticed to Moodys as a boat builder and later building high tech one-off race yachts in his own yard so well qualified to bring a quality boat up to top condition. They are justifiably proud of the yacht but as time goes on they are finding that a smaller yacht with more sail would suit them better now.

 

Construction.

The construction is robust, almost fishing boat strength planked in proper old 1 ¼” Burma teak, and finished varnished in the topsides from new, anti-fouled below the w/l. Even much of the inside of the hull is varnished!

The frames are grown oak all through at approx 3’ centres, doubled in futtocks, side pinned with single steam bent oak intermediates.

The long oak keel carries an external iron ballast keel over most of the length and especially reaching right forward to the rise of the stem so that any contact with a hard surface would be taken on the iron, not the wood – a thoughtful touch.

In present ownership the keel bolts have been inspected.

Sea-cocks removed, stripped and any dubious replaced.

 

The strap floors are in massive angle shape wrought iron which does not rust like mild steel even if it is galvanised, side bolted to the frames which avoids the problem of corrosion of bolts through the planking.

In present ownership most of the floors have been removed from the boat, epoxy tarred and replaced on a bedding compound with new bronze bolts through the frames – an exceptional and essential job with most boats of this vintage.

The topsides are raised forward from the mid-ships step in the deck to give increased head-room in the forward accommodation and fitted with 3 large bronze port holes each side.

Interestingly, there is a small port hole each side mid-ships in the topsides to give some light and air to the engine room.

The wheel-house and after coaming are all teak with bronze port holes.

The coach-roof deck is sheathed probably originally with canvas and painted with cream non-slip deck paint between varnished teak margins. The after cabin entrance from the cock-pit has a sliding hatch and twin full length doors to the cock-pit.

 

Fastenings:

The planking is fastened to the main frames with bronze dumps and to the steamed intermediates with copper nails. Close study shows the Scottish way of clenching the nails rather than riveting over roves.

 

Deck.

The deck is yacht laid in solid teak which means the planking is swept round the shape of the hull and joggled into a king plank forward and aft.

Traditionally caulked and payed, the deck was originally secret fastened and has been largely refastened with screws from above, dowled over.

The rudder stock head projects through the aft deck with a removable bronze cap to take an emergency tiller.

Steering is by traditional spoked teak wheel and cables to a quadrant on the stock under the aft deck.

In present ownership new cables and tubes fitted.

Cast bronze stanchion posts all round carry 2 stainless steel guard wires. A modern stainless steel pulpit and push-pit have been added for safety. The step in the deck edge in way of the gate either side has a cast bronze cap with the yacht’s name – a lovely touch.

Hefty mooring cleats fitted either side forward and aft and a cruciform cleat mid-ships by the step in the deck, essential to take a mid-ships spring when berthing and so often missing on yachts.

To back up the cleats she has a massive oak Sampson post on the fore deck and the aft deck and even each side at the break in the deck.

A very substantial bronze fabrication over the stem spreads the loads of the chain over the twin chain rollers.

A modern electric windlass may look slightly out of place but like other details on this yacht makes her far more practical for regular use. A CQR anchor when hauled in stows neatly on the chain roller removing the necessity to lift a heavy anchor over the pulpit.

Small thoughtful details like the twin bronze fairleads on the capping both sides saves damage to the capping by mooring lines.

In present ownership the deck seams have been raked out, the seams repayed with butyl rubber compound and the decks coated with Semco, a wood protector and water-proofing product which has the advantage of sealing the seams against any possible leaks.

 

Rig.

A bermudian ketch rig on varnished spruce masts and spars gives a useful sail area of around 200 square feet with the headsail on a roller furler, a 2-reef mainsail and a small mizzen.

Stainless steel standing rigging to internal bronze chain plates.

In present ownership the masts have been stripped and revarnished, the standing and running rigging have all been replaced and new blocks fitted.

  

Sails.

A very good, clean suit of cream sails in polyester comprising:

Mainsail – not new but in very good condition

Mizzen – not new but in very usable condition

Genoa on roller furling gear – as new condition

Jib – in excellent condition

New small, loose-footed, boomless mizzen serves to weather-cock the boat at anchor – Dart Sails, 2014

Sail covers to main and mizzen.

New runing rig.

 

Engine.

Gardner 3LW 47hp 3-cylinder diesel engine installed new in 1965.

Gardner U2 2:1 gearbox with usual Gardner wheel control at the helm and separate throttle lever.

Conventional centre-line shaft carried in a plummer block with conventional inboard stuffing box and a new outer shaft bearing in 2002.

New double greasers to plummer blocks

3-blade prop.

This Gardner is a superb machine, slow revving, quiet, smooth and very reassuring with the reputation for a very long life and almost infinitely rebuildable – a proper marine diesel engine.

Max speed 8.5knts

Fuel consumption approx 5 litres per hour at her most economic cruising speed of 7 knts.

In present ownership the engine has had a thorough service – seals and impellors renewed etc.

The owner before last who bought the yacht through Wooden Ships, a skilled engineer, did a major rebuild on this engine and like all Gardners it has given total and reliable service.

 

Tanks

Diesel: 110 gallons in 2 stainless steel tanks, one each side of the engine room.

New twin Racor filters fitted with change-over valve. All pipe-work renewed.

Engine room in pristine condition with steel chequer plate floors, all exceptionally clean with very good access all round.

 

Water: 200 gallons fresh water in 2 tanks.

New pressurised water system with new calorifier tank in the engine room heated by the engine cooling water and with 240v immersion heater.

In present ownership the plumbing and hot water system have all been replaced.

New water filtration pump and tap at the galley sink.

  

Electrics

The yacht operates on a 24v circuit with 12v supply to certain instruments.

240v supply from shore power or generator.

 

Generator. Hyundi 3.6kw remote start diesel generator mounted in a varnished teak box on deck behind the wheel-house to give as silent and odour-free operation as possible.

The generator is coupled to a Victron 3KW inverter mounted in a stainless tray in the engine room with 4 x 110amp/hr batteries.

55amp engine belt driven alternator fitted new in 2013 charges the batteries

4 x 12v domestic batteries

4 x 12v engine start batteries

2 x 12v windlass batteries

Sterling battery management system

240v ring main with shore power connection

In present ownership the yacht has been largely rewired and new electrical panel fitted.

  

Accommodation.

The interior of this yacht is exceptional, all very original and panelled in polished teak. The teak in the bulkhead panels and the door panels is carefully chosen to give matching grain pattern in every one as was the way with all the best classic yachts.

The interior of the yacht is divided into 4 areas – a fore peak cabin with full length single berth to stbd and up and down smaller berths to port.

Bulkhead to chain locker forward. Fore peak entrance hatch over.

All panelled in varnished teak with white painted deck-head.

Bulkhead door to the next aft compartment with galley surface to starboard and gimballed Taylors 041 2-burner, grill and oven gas cooker in a lined recess to port.

The galley has been recently refitted and is a clean modern area with an L-shaped white formica surface with a twin sink, hot/cold tap, salt water tap and chromed Patay manual fresh water pump. Sink drains overboard.

Cup racks above. Cave locker in the work surface.

12v/240v Waeco fridge under the work surface

In present ownership the galley has been rebuilt, new fridge and cooker fitted.

 

Aft again into the magnificent saloon cabin, all varnished teak joinery with shelves and glass fronted lockers each side.

Port side dinette with buttoned light brown leather upholstery and varnished table, drops down to make a double berth.

Settee berth to stbd with fabric covered cushions. Back rest lifts and suspends as a Pullman berth.

6’ head-room. White painted deck-head. Varnished teak sole boards. Classic gimballed chrome lights on the bulkheads. Lots of stowage under the settees.

Main mast against the forward bulkhead.

 

Centre-line steps up to the wheel-house with the engine room below. All varnished teak wheel-house. Step up to exit door either side. Traditional spoked teak wheel. All nav instruments well displayed and visible. Seating aft.

 

Aft port corner of wheel-house, winding stair down to the saloon cabin.

Electrical switch-board hidden behind a small door as you go down the steps, easily reached from the wheel-house.

Lobby at the bottom of the companionway.

Heads compartment to stbd with Jabsco sea toilet, shower with teak grating in the tray, lockers under the side deck.

In present ownership the heads has been refitted and a new sea-toilet installed.

Door to engine room on the centre-line between heads and companionway.

Bulkhead door to the aft cabin. Single berth to port, tight double berth to stbd.

Centre-line companionway up to the aft cock-pit.

Webasto hot air diesel fired central heating sited in the engine room, new 2013

  

Inventory.

 

Navigation. Ground tackle.

Constellation binnacle compass at the helm Muir 24v windlass

Navman chart plotter. New Lewmar Delta anchor

New Lowrance Elite 5 sounder Min 80 meters chain.

Fixed Sailor VHF radio. Long anchor warp.

Sailor radio receiver

Neco auto-pilot on the wheel. Warps and fenders.

 

This is one of those boats you cannot just walk past, a boat which attracts attention wherever she goes, a classic in every sense of that over-used word yet still a very practical and usable boat.

After the work done in present ownership the next owner will take over a wonderful yacht and the continuing pleasure in the conservation of our maritime heritage.

 

Some background:

The Bentley 4½ Litre was a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors. Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to 4.4 L (270 cu in).

Bentley buyers used their cars for personal transport and arranged for their new chassis to be fitted with various body styles, mostly saloons or tourers. However, the publicity brought by their competition programme was invaluable for marketing Bentley's cars.

 

At the time, noted car manufacturers such as Bugatti and Lorraine-Dietrich focused on designing cars to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a popular automotive endurance course established only a few years earlier. A victory in this competition quickly elevated any car maker's reputation.

A total of 720 4½ Litre cars were produced between 1927 and 1931, including 55 cars with a supercharged engine popularly known as the Blower Bentley. A 4½ Litre Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928. Though the supercharged 4½ Litre Bentley's competitive performance was not outstanding, it set several speed records, most famously the Bentley Blower No.1 Monoposto in 1932 at Brooklands with a recorded speed of 222.03 km/h (138 mph).

 

Although the Bentley 4½ Litre was heavy, weighing 1,625 kg (3,583 lb), and spacious, with a length of 4,380 mm (172 in) and a wheelbase of 3,302 mm (130.0 in), it remained well-balanced and steered nimbly. The manual transmission, however, required skill, as its four gears were unsynchronised.

 

The robustness of the 4½ Litre's lattice chassis, made of steel and reinforced with ties, was needed to support the heavy cast iron inline-four engine. The engine was "resolutely modern" for the time. The displacement was 4,398 cc (268.4 cu in): 100 mm (3.9 in) bore and 140 mm (5.5 in) stroke. Two SU carburetters and dual ignition with Bosch magnetos were fitted. The engine produced 110 hp (82 kW) for the touring model and 130 hp (97 kW) for the racing model. The engine speed was limited to 4,000 rpm.

A single overhead camshaft actuated four valves per cylinder, inclined at 30 degrees. This was a technically advanced design at a time where most cars used only two valves per cylinder. The camshaft was driven by bevel gears on a vertical shaft at the front of the engine, as on the 3 Litre engine.

 

The Bentley's tanks - radiator, oil and petrol - had quick release filler caps that opened with one stroke of a lever. This saved time during pit stops. The 4½ was equipped with a canvas top stretched over a lightweight Weymann body. The hood structure was very light but with high wind resistance (24 Hours Le Mans rules between 1924 and 1928 dictated a certain number of laps for which the hood had to be closed). The steering wheel measured about 45 cm (18 in) in diameter and was wrapped with solid braided rope for improved grip. Brakes were conventional, consisting of 17-inch (430 mm) drum brakes finned for improved cooling and operated by rod. Semi-elliptic leaf springs were used at front and rear.

  

Building the kit and its display box:

I normally do not build large scale kits, except for some anime character figures, and I especially stay away from car models because I find it very hard to come close to the impression of the real thing. But this one was a personal thing, and I got motivated enough to tackle this challenge that caused some sweat and shivers. Another reason for the tension was the fact that it was intended as a present - and I normally do not build models for others, be it as a gift or on a contract work basis.

 

The background is that a colleage of mine will retire soon, an illustrator and a big oldtimer enthusiast at the same time. I was not able to hunt down a model of the vintage car he actually owns, but I remembered that he frequently takes part with his club at a local car exhibition, called the "Classic Days" at a location called Schloss Dyck. There he had had the opportunity some time ago to take a ride in a Bentley 4.5 litre "Blower", and I saw the fascinationn in his eyes when he recounted the events. We also talked about car models, and I mentioned the 1:24 Heller kit of the car. So, as a "farewell" gift, I decided to tackle this souvenir project, since the Bentley drive obviously meant a lot to him, and it's a quite personal gift, for a highly respected, artistic person.

 

Since this was to be a gift for a non-modeler, I also had to make sure that the car model could later be safely stored, transported and displayed, so some kind of base or display bon on top was a must - and I think I found a nice solution, even with integrated lighting!

 

As already mentioned, the model is the 1:24 Heller kit from 1978, in this case the more recent Revell re-boxing. While the kit remained unchanged (even the Heller brand is still part of the molds!), the benefit of this version is a very nice and thin decal sheet which covers some of the more delicate detail areas like gauges on the dashboard or the protective wire mesh for the headlights.

 

I had huge respect for the kit - I have actually built less than 10 car models in my 40+ years of kit building. So the work started with detail picture research, esp. of the engine and from the cockpit, and I organized appropriate paints (see below).

Work started slowly with the wheels, then the engine followed, the steerable front suspension, the chassis, the cabin section and finally the engine cowling and the mudguards with the finished wheels. Since I lack experience with cars I stuck close to the instructions and really took my time, because the whole thing went together only step by step, with painting and esp. drying intermissions. Much less quickly than my normal tempo with more familiar topics.

 

The kit remained basically OOB, and I must say that I am impressed how well it went together. The car kits I remember were less cooperative - but the Heller Bentley was actually a pleasant, yet challenging, build. Some issues I had were the chrome parts, which had to be attached with superglue, and their attachment points to the sprues (the same green plastic is used for the chrome parts, too - a different materiallike silver or light grey would have made life easier!) could only hardly be hidden with paint.

 

The plastic itself turned out to be relatively soft, too - while it made cleaning easy, this caused in the end some directional issues which had to be "professionally hidden": Once the cabin had been mounted to the frame and work on the cowling started, I recognized that the frame in front of the cabin was not straight anymore - I guess due to the engine block which sits deep between the front beams. While this was not really recognizable, the engine covers would not fit anymore, leaving small but unpleasant gaps.

The engine is OOB not über-detailed, and I actually only wanted to open the left half of the cocling for the diorama. However, with this flaw I eventually decided to open both sides, what resulted in having the cowling covers sawn into two parts each and arranging them in open positions. Quite fiddly, and I also replaced the OOB leather straps that normally hold the cowling covers closed with textured adhesive tape, for a more voluminous look. The engine also received some additional cables and hoses - nothing fancy, though, but better than the quite bleak OOB offering.

 

Some minor details were added in the cabin: a floor mat (made from paper, it looks like being made from cocos fibre) covers the area in front of the seats and the steering wheel was wrapped with cord - a detail that many Bentleys with race history shared, for a better grip for the driver.

 

Overall, the car model was painted with pure Humbrol 239 (British Racing Green) enamel paint, except for the passenger section. Here I found Revell's instructions to be a bit contradictive, because I do not believe in a fully painted car, esp. on this specific Le Mans race car. I even found a picture of the real car as an exhibition piece, and it rather shows a faux leather or vinyl cladding of the passenger compartment - in a similar dark green tone, but rather matt, with only a little shine, and with a lighter color due to the rougher surface. So I rather tried to emulate this look, which would also make the model IMHO look more interesting.

As a fopundation I used a mix of Humbrol 239 and 75 (Bronze Green), on top of which I later dry-brushed Revell 363 (Dark Green). The effect and the gloss level looked better than expected - I feared a rather worn/used look - and I eventually did not apply and clear varnish to this area. In fact, no varnish was applied to the whole model because the finish looked quite convincing!

 

The frame and the engine were slightly weathered with a black ink wash, and once the model was assembled I added some oil stains to the engine and the lower hull, and applied dust and dirt through mineral artist pigments to the wheels with their soft vinyl tires and the whole lower car body. I wanted the car to look basically clean and in good shape, just like a museum piece, but having been driven enthusiastically along some dusty country roads (see below). And this worked out quite well!

  

Since I wanted a safe store for the model I tried to find a suitable display box and found an almost perfect solution in SYNAS from Ikea. The sturdy SYNAS box (it's actually sold as a toy/Children's lamp!?) had very good dimensions for what I had in mind. Unfortunately it is only available in white, but for its price I would not argue. As a bonus it even comes with integrated LED lighting in the floor, as a rim of lights along the side walls. I tried to exploit this through a display base that would leave a 1cm gap all around, so that light could be reflected upwards and from the clear side walls and the lid onto the model.

 

The base was created with old school methods: a piece of MDF wood, on top of which I added a piece of cobblestone street and grass embankment, trying to capture the rural atmosphere around Schloss Dyck. Due to the large scale of the model I sculpted a light side slope under the pavement (a Tamiya print with a light 3D effect), created with plaster and fine carpenter putty. The embankment was sculpted with plaster, too.

The cobblestone cardboard was simply glued to the surface, trimmed down, and then a fairing of the base's sides was added, thin balsa wood.

Next came the grass - again classic methods. First, the surface was soaked with a mix of water, white glue and brown dispersion paint, and fine sand rinsed over the surfaces. Once dry, another mix of water, white glue and more paint was applied, into which foamed plastic turf of different colors and sizes was dusted. After anothetr drying period this area was sprayed with contact glue and grass fibres were applied - unfortunately a little more than expected. However, the result still looks good.

 

At the border to the street, the area was covered with mineral pigments, simulating mud and dust, and on the right side I tried to add a puddle, made from Humbrol Clearfix and glue. For some more ambiance I scratched a typical German "local sight" roadsign from cardboard and wood, and I also added a pair of "Classic Days" posters to the mast. Once in place I finally added some higher grass bushels (brush fibres) and sticks (dried moss), sealing everything in place with acralic varnish from the rattle can.

 

In order to motivate the Bentley's open cowling, I tried to set an engine failure into scene: with the car abandoned during the Classic Days' demo races along the local country roads, parked at the side of the street, and with a puddle of engine below and a small trail of oil behind the car (created with Tamiya "Smoke", perfect stuff for this task!). A hay bale, actually accessory stuff for toy tractors and in fact a square piece of wood, covered with straw chips, subtly hint at this occasion.

 

Finally, for safe transport, the model was attached to the base with thin wire, the base glued to the light box' floor with double-sided adhesive tape and finally enclosed.

  

Quite a lot of work, the car model alone took four patient weeks to fully materialize, and the base in the SYNAS box took another two weeks, even though work proceeded partly in parallel. However, I am positively surprised how well this build turned out - the Heller kit was better/easier to assemble than expected, and many problems along the way could be solved with patience and creative solutions.

 

Some background:

The Bentley 4½ Litre was a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors. Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to 4.4 L (270 cu in).

Bentley buyers used their cars for personal transport and arranged for their new chassis to be fitted with various body styles, mostly saloons or tourers. However, the publicity brought by their competition programme was invaluable for marketing Bentley's cars.

 

At the time, noted car manufacturers such as Bugatti and Lorraine-Dietrich focused on designing cars to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a popular automotive endurance course established only a few years earlier. A victory in this competition quickly elevated any car maker's reputation.

A total of 720 4½ Litre cars were produced between 1927 and 1931, including 55 cars with a supercharged engine popularly known as the Blower Bentley. A 4½ Litre Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928. Though the supercharged 4½ Litre Bentley's competitive performance was not outstanding, it set several speed records, most famously the Bentley Blower No.1 Monoposto in 1932 at Brooklands with a recorded speed of 222.03 km/h (138 mph).

 

Although the Bentley 4½ Litre was heavy, weighing 1,625 kg (3,583 lb), and spacious, with a length of 4,380 mm (172 in) and a wheelbase of 3,302 mm (130.0 in), it remained well-balanced and steered nimbly. The manual transmission, however, required skill, as its four gears were unsynchronised.

 

The robustness of the 4½ Litre's lattice chassis, made of steel and reinforced with ties, was needed to support the heavy cast iron inline-four engine. The engine was "resolutely modern" for the time. The displacement was 4,398 cc (268.4 cu in): 100 mm (3.9 in) bore and 140 mm (5.5 in) stroke. Two SU carburetters and dual ignition with Bosch magnetos were fitted. The engine produced 110 hp (82 kW) for the touring model and 130 hp (97 kW) for the racing model. The engine speed was limited to 4,000 rpm.

A single overhead camshaft actuated four valves per cylinder, inclined at 30 degrees. This was a technically advanced design at a time where most cars used only two valves per cylinder. The camshaft was driven by bevel gears on a vertical shaft at the front of the engine, as on the 3 Litre engine.

 

The Bentley's tanks - radiator, oil and petrol - had quick release filler caps that opened with one stroke of a lever. This saved time during pit stops. The 4½ was equipped with a canvas top stretched over a lightweight Weymann body. The hood structure was very light but with high wind resistance (24 Hours Le Mans rules between 1924 and 1928 dictated a certain number of laps for which the hood had to be closed). The steering wheel measured about 45 cm (18 in) in diameter and was wrapped with solid braided rope for improved grip. Brakes were conventional, consisting of 17-inch (430 mm) drum brakes finned for improved cooling and operated by rod. Semi-elliptic leaf springs were used at front and rear.

  

Building the kit and its display box:

I normally do not build large scale kits, except for some anime character figures, and I especially stay away from car models because I find it very hard to come close to the impression of the real thing. But this one was a personal thing, and I got motivated enough to tackle this challenge that caused some sweat and shivers. Another reason for the tension was the fact that it was intended as a present - and I normally do not build models for others, be it as a gift or on a contract work basis.

 

The background is that a colleage of mine will retire soon, an illustrator and a big oldtimer enthusiast at the same time. I was not able to hunt down a model of the vintage car he actually owns, but I remembered that he frequently takes part with his club at a local car exhibition, called the "Classic Days" at a location called Schloss Dyck. There he had had the opportunity some time ago to take a ride in a Bentley 4.5 litre "Blower", and I saw the fascinationn in his eyes when he recounted the events. We also talked about car models, and I mentioned the 1:24 Heller kit of the car. So, as a "farewell" gift, I decided to tackle this souvenir project, since the Bentley drive obviously meant a lot to him, and it's a quite personal gift, for a highly respected, artistic person.

 

Since this was to be a gift for a non-modeler, I also had to make sure that the car model could later be safely stored, transported and displayed, so some kind of base or display bon on top was a must - and I think I found a nice solution, even with integrated lighting!

 

As already mentioned, the model is the 1:24 Heller kit from 1978, in this case the more recent Revell re-boxing. While the kit remained unchanged (even the Heller brand is still part of the molds!), the benefit of this version is a very nice and thin decal sheet which covers some of the more delicate detail areas like gauges on the dashboard or the protective wire mesh for the headlights.

 

I had huge respect for the kit - I have actually built less than 10 car models in my 40+ years of kit building. So the work started with detail picture research, esp. of the engine and from the cockpit, and I organized appropriate paints (see below).

Work started slowly with the wheels, then the engine followed, the steerable front suspension, the chassis, the cabin section and finally the engine cowling and the mudguards with the finished wheels. Since I lack experience with cars I stuck close to the instructions and really took my time, because the whole thing went together only step by step, with painting and esp. drying intermissions. Much less quickly than my normal tempo with more familiar topics.

 

The kit remained basically OOB, and I must say that I am impressed how well it went together. The car kits I remember were less cooperative - but the Heller Bentley was actually a pleasant, yet challenging, build. Some issues I had were the chrome parts, which had to be attached with superglue, and their attachment points to the sprues (the same green plastic is used for the chrome parts, too - a different materiallike silver or light grey would have made life easier!) could only hardly be hidden with paint.

 

The plastic itself turned out to be relatively soft, too - while it made cleaning easy, this caused in the end some directional issues which had to be "professionally hidden": Once the cabin had been mounted to the frame and work on the cowling started, I recognized that the frame in front of the cabin was not straight anymore - I guess due to the engine block which sits deep between the front beams. While this was not really recognizable, the engine covers would not fit anymore, leaving small but unpleasant gaps.

The engine is OOB not über-detailed, and I actually only wanted to open the left half of the cocling for the diorama. However, with this flaw I eventually decided to open both sides, what resulted in having the cowling covers sawn into two parts each and arranging them in open positions. Quite fiddly, and I also replaced the OOB leather straps that normally hold the cowling covers closed with textured adhesive tape, for a more voluminous look. The engine also received some additional cables and hoses - nothing fancy, though, but better than the quite bleak OOB offering.

 

Some minor details were added in the cabin: a floor mat (made from paper, it looks like being made from cocos fibre) covers the area in front of the seats and the steering wheel was wrapped with cord - a detail that many Bentleys with race history shared, for a better grip for the driver.

 

Overall, the car model was painted with pure Humbrol 239 (British Racing Green) enamel paint, except for the passenger section. Here I found Revell's instructions to be a bit contradictive, because I do not believe in a fully painted car, esp. on this specific Le Mans race car. I even found a picture of the real car as an exhibition piece, and it rather shows a faux leather or vinyl cladding of the passenger compartment - in a similar dark green tone, but rather matt, with only a little shine, and with a lighter color due to the rougher surface. So I rather tried to emulate this look, which would also make the model IMHO look more interesting.

As a fopundation I used a mix of Humbrol 239 and 75 (Bronze Green), on top of which I later dry-brushed Revell 363 (Dark Green). The effect and the gloss level looked better than expected - I feared a rather worn/used look - and I eventually did not apply and clear varnish to this area. In fact, no varnish was applied to the whole model because the finish looked quite convincing!

 

The frame and the engine were slightly weathered with a black ink wash, and once the model was assembled I added some oil stains to the engine and the lower hull, and applied dust and dirt through mineral artist pigments to the wheels with their soft vinyl tires and the whole lower car body. I wanted the car to look basically clean and in good shape, just like a museum piece, but having been driven enthusiastically along some dusty country roads (see below). And this worked out quite well!

  

Since I wanted a safe store for the model I tried to find a suitable display box and found an almost perfect solution in SYNAS from Ikea. The sturdy SYNAS box (it's actually sold as a toy/Children's lamp!?) had very good dimensions for what I had in mind. Unfortunately it is only available in white, but for its price I would not argue. As a bonus it even comes with integrated LED lighting in the floor, as a rim of lights along the side walls. I tried to exploit this through a display base that would leave a 1cm gap all around, so that light could be reflected upwards and from the clear side walls and the lid onto the model.

 

The base was created with old school methods: a piece of MDF wood, on top of which I added a piece of cobblestone street and grass embankment, trying to capture the rural atmosphere around Schloss Dyck. Due to the large scale of the model I sculpted a light side slope under the pavement (a Tamiya print with a light 3D effect), created with plaster and fine carpenter putty. The embankment was sculpted with plaster, too.

The cobblestone cardboard was simply glued to the surface, trimmed down, and then a fairing of the base's sides was added, thin balsa wood.

Next came the grass - again classic methods. First, the surface was soaked with a mix of water, white glue and brown dispersion paint, and fine sand rinsed over the surfaces. Once dry, another mix of water, white glue and more paint was applied, into which foamed plastic turf of different colors and sizes was dusted. After anothetr drying period this area was sprayed with contact glue and grass fibres were applied - unfortunately a little more than expected. However, the result still looks good.

 

At the border to the street, the area was covered with mineral pigments, simulating mud and dust, and on the right side I tried to add a puddle, made from Humbrol Clearfix and glue. For some more ambiance I scratched a typical German "local sight" roadsign from cardboard and wood, and I also added a pair of "Classic Days" posters to the mast. Once in place I finally added some higher grass bushels (brush fibres) and sticks (dried moss), sealing everything in place with acralic varnish from the rattle can.

 

In order to motivate the Bentley's open cowling, I tried to set an engine failure into scene: with the car abandoned during the Classic Days' demo races along the local country roads, parked at the side of the street, and with a puddle of engine below and a small trail of oil behind the car (created with Tamiya "Smoke", perfect stuff for this task!). A hay bale, actually accessory stuff for toy tractors and in fact a square piece of wood, covered with straw chips, subtly hint at this occasion.

 

Finally, for safe transport, the model was attached to the base with thin wire, the base glued to the light box' floor with double-sided adhesive tape and finally enclosed.

  

Quite a lot of work, the car model alone took four patient weeks to fully materialize, and the base in the SYNAS box took another two weeks, even though work proceeded partly in parallel. However, I am positively surprised how well this build turned out - the Heller kit was better/easier to assemble than expected, and many problems along the way could be solved with patience and creative solutions.

 

Living with a disability is a challenge. Even more so in a refugee camp, where facilities are more limited and not always accessible to people with limited mobility. European Commission's partners provide support to the most vulnerable on the ground.

 

Alaa, who lives in Azraq camp, Jordan, suffers from a muscular disease that affects the mobility of his lower limbs. Handicap International is supporting him with physiotherapy sessions in order to strengthen his muscles and teach him how to use the wheelchair he received from the association.

 

Photo credit: HI/Frederik Buyckx Dec 2014

 

Some background:

The Bentley 4½ Litre was a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors. Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to 4.4 L (270 cu in).

Bentley buyers used their cars for personal transport and arranged for their new chassis to be fitted with various body styles, mostly saloons or tourers. However, the publicity brought by their competition programme was invaluable for marketing Bentley's cars.

 

At the time, noted car manufacturers such as Bugatti and Lorraine-Dietrich focused on designing cars to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a popular automotive endurance course established only a few years earlier. A victory in this competition quickly elevated any car maker's reputation.

A total of 720 4½ Litre cars were produced between 1927 and 1931, including 55 cars with a supercharged engine popularly known as the Blower Bentley. A 4½ Litre Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928. Though the supercharged 4½ Litre Bentley's competitive performance was not outstanding, it set several speed records, most famously the Bentley Blower No.1 Monoposto in 1932 at Brooklands with a recorded speed of 222.03 km/h (138 mph).

 

Although the Bentley 4½ Litre was heavy, weighing 1,625 kg (3,583 lb), and spacious, with a length of 4,380 mm (172 in) and a wheelbase of 3,302 mm (130.0 in), it remained well-balanced and steered nimbly. The manual transmission, however, required skill, as its four gears were unsynchronised.

 

The robustness of the 4½ Litre's lattice chassis, made of steel and reinforced with ties, was needed to support the heavy cast iron inline-four engine. The engine was "resolutely modern" for the time. The displacement was 4,398 cc (268.4 cu in): 100 mm (3.9 in) bore and 140 mm (5.5 in) stroke. Two SU carburetters and dual ignition with Bosch magnetos were fitted. The engine produced 110 hp (82 kW) for the touring model and 130 hp (97 kW) for the racing model. The engine speed was limited to 4,000 rpm.

A single overhead camshaft actuated four valves per cylinder, inclined at 30 degrees. This was a technically advanced design at a time where most cars used only two valves per cylinder. The camshaft was driven by bevel gears on a vertical shaft at the front of the engine, as on the 3 Litre engine.

 

The Bentley's tanks - radiator, oil and petrol - had quick release filler caps that opened with one stroke of a lever. This saved time during pit stops. The 4½ was equipped with a canvas top stretched over a lightweight Weymann body. The hood structure was very light but with high wind resistance (24 Hours Le Mans rules between 1924 and 1928 dictated a certain number of laps for which the hood had to be closed). The steering wheel measured about 45 cm (18 in) in diameter and was wrapped with solid braided rope for improved grip. Brakes were conventional, consisting of 17-inch (430 mm) drum brakes finned for improved cooling and operated by rod. Semi-elliptic leaf springs were used at front and rear.

  

Building the kit and its display box:

I normally do not build large scale kits, except for some anime character figures, and I especially stay away from car models because I find it very hard to come close to the impression of the real thing. But this one was a personal thing, and I got motivated enough to tackle this challenge that caused some sweat and shivers. Another reason for the tension was the fact that it was intended as a present - and I normally do not build models for others, be it as a gift or on a contract work basis.

 

The background is that a colleage of mine will retire soon, an illustrator and a big oldtimer enthusiast at the same time. I was not able to hunt down a model of the vintage car he actually owns, but I remembered that he frequently takes part with his club at a local car exhibition, called the "Classic Days" at a location called Schloss Dyck. There he had had the opportunity some time ago to take a ride in a Bentley 4.5 litre "Blower", and I saw the fascinationn in his eyes when he recounted the events. We also talked about car models, and I mentioned the 1:24 Heller kit of the car. So, as a "farewell" gift, I decided to tackle this souvenir project, since the Bentley drive obviously meant a lot to him, and it's a quite personal gift, for a highly respected, artistic person.

 

Since this was to be a gift for a non-modeler, I also had to make sure that the car model could later be safely stored, transported and displayed, so some kind of base or display bon on top was a must - and I think I found a nice solution, even with integrated lighting!

 

As already mentioned, the model is the 1:24 Heller kit from 1978, in this case the more recent Revell re-boxing. While the kit remained unchanged (even the Heller brand is still part of the molds!), the benefit of this version is a very nice and thin decal sheet which covers some of the more delicate detail areas like gauges on the dashboard or the protective wire mesh for the headlights.

 

I had huge respect for the kit - I have actually built less than 10 car models in my 40+ years of kit building. So the work started with detail picture research, esp. of the engine and from the cockpit, and I organized appropriate paints (see below).

Work started slowly with the wheels, then the engine followed, the steerable front suspension, the chassis, the cabin section and finally the engine cowling and the mudguards with the finished wheels. Since I lack experience with cars I stuck close to the instructions and really took my time, because the whole thing went together only step by step, with painting and esp. drying intermissions. Much less quickly than my normal tempo with more familiar topics.

 

The kit remained basically OOB, and I must say that I am impressed how well it went together. The car kits I remember were less cooperative - but the Heller Bentley was actually a pleasant, yet challenging, build. Some issues I had were the chrome parts, which had to be attached with superglue, and their attachment points to the sprues (the same green plastic is used for the chrome parts, too - a different materiallike silver or light grey would have made life easier!) could only hardly be hidden with paint.

 

The plastic itself turned out to be relatively soft, too - while it made cleaning easy, this caused in the end some directional issues which had to be "professionally hidden": Once the cabin had been mounted to the frame and work on the cowling started, I recognized that the frame in front of the cabin was not straight anymore - I guess due to the engine block which sits deep between the front beams. While this was not really recognizable, the engine covers would not fit anymore, leaving small but unpleasant gaps.

The engine is OOB not über-detailed, and I actually only wanted to open the left half of the cocling for the diorama. However, with this flaw I eventually decided to open both sides, what resulted in having the cowling covers sawn into two parts each and arranging them in open positions. Quite fiddly, and I also replaced the OOB leather straps that normally hold the cowling covers closed with textured adhesive tape, for a more voluminous look. The engine also received some additional cables and hoses - nothing fancy, though, but better than the quite bleak OOB offering.

 

Some minor details were added in the cabin: a floor mat (made from paper, it looks like being made from cocos fibre) covers the area in front of the seats and the steering wheel was wrapped with cord - a detail that many Bentleys with race history shared, for a better grip for the driver.

 

Overall, the car model was painted with pure Humbrol 239 (British Racing Green) enamel paint, except for the passenger section. Here I found Revell's instructions to be a bit contradictive, because I do not believe in a fully painted car, esp. on this specific Le Mans race car. I even found a picture of the real car as an exhibition piece, and it rather shows a faux leather or vinyl cladding of the passenger compartment - in a similar dark green tone, but rather matt, with only a little shine, and with a lighter color due to the rougher surface. So I rather tried to emulate this look, which would also make the model IMHO look more interesting.

As a fopundation I used a mix of Humbrol 239 and 75 (Bronze Green), on top of which I later dry-brushed Revell 363 (Dark Green). The effect and the gloss level looked better than expected - I feared a rather worn/used look - and I eventually did not apply and clear varnish to this area. In fact, no varnish was applied to the whole model because the finish looked quite convincing!

 

The frame and the engine were slightly weathered with a black ink wash, and once the model was assembled I added some oil stains to the engine and the lower hull, and applied dust and dirt through mineral artist pigments to the wheels with their soft vinyl tires and the whole lower car body. I wanted the car to look basically clean and in good shape, just like a museum piece, but having been driven enthusiastically along some dusty country roads (see below). And this worked out quite well!

  

Since I wanted a safe store for the model I tried to find a suitable display box and found an almost perfect solution in SYNAS from Ikea. The sturdy SYNAS box (it's actually sold as a toy/Children's lamp!?) had very good dimensions for what I had in mind. Unfortunately it is only available in white, but for its price I would not argue. As a bonus it even comes with integrated LED lighting in the floor, as a rim of lights along the side walls. I tried to exploit this through a display base that would leave a 1cm gap all around, so that light could be reflected upwards and from the clear side walls and the lid onto the model.

 

The base was created with old school methods: a piece of MDF wood, on top of which I added a piece of cobblestone street and grass embankment, trying to capture the rural atmosphere around Schloss Dyck. Due to the large scale of the model I sculpted a light side slope under the pavement (a Tamiya print with a light 3D effect), created with plaster and fine carpenter putty. The embankment was sculpted with plaster, too.

The cobblestone cardboard was simply glued to the surface, trimmed down, and then a fairing of the base's sides was added, thin balsa wood.

Next came the grass - again classic methods. First, the surface was soaked with a mix of water, white glue and brown dispersion paint, and fine sand rinsed over the surfaces. Once dry, another mix of water, white glue and more paint was applied, into which foamed plastic turf of different colors and sizes was dusted. After anothetr drying period this area was sprayed with contact glue and grass fibres were applied - unfortunately a little more than expected. However, the result still looks good.

 

At the border to the street, the area was covered with mineral pigments, simulating mud and dust, and on the right side I tried to add a puddle, made from Humbrol Clearfix and glue. For some more ambiance I scratched a typical German "local sight" roadsign from cardboard and wood, and I also added a pair of "Classic Days" posters to the mast. Once in place I finally added some higher grass bushels (brush fibres) and sticks (dried moss), sealing everything in place with acralic varnish from the rattle can.

 

In order to motivate the Bentley's open cowling, I tried to set an engine failure into scene: with the car abandoned during the Classic Days' demo races along the local country roads, parked at the side of the street, and with a puddle of engine below and a small trail of oil behind the car (created with Tamiya "Smoke", perfect stuff for this task!). A hay bale, actually accessory stuff for toy tractors and in fact a square piece of wood, covered with straw chips, subtly hint at this occasion.

 

Finally, for safe transport, the model was attached to the base with thin wire, the base glued to the light box' floor with double-sided adhesive tape and finally enclosed.

  

Quite a lot of work, the car model alone took four patient weeks to fully materialize, and the base in the SYNAS box took another two weeks, even though work proceeded partly in parallel. However, I am positively surprised how well this build turned out - the Heller kit was better/easier to assemble than expected, and many problems along the way could be solved with patience and creative solutions.

 

Some background:

The Bentley 4½ Litre was a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors. Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to 4.4 L (270 cu in).

Bentley buyers used their cars for personal transport and arranged for their new chassis to be fitted with various body styles, mostly saloons or tourers. However, the publicity brought by their competition programme was invaluable for marketing Bentley's cars.

 

At the time, noted car manufacturers such as Bugatti and Lorraine-Dietrich focused on designing cars to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a popular automotive endurance course established only a few years earlier. A victory in this competition quickly elevated any car maker's reputation.

A total of 720 4½ Litre cars were produced between 1927 and 1931, including 55 cars with a supercharged engine popularly known as the Blower Bentley. A 4½ Litre Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928. Though the supercharged 4½ Litre Bentley's competitive performance was not outstanding, it set several speed records, most famously the Bentley Blower No.1 Monoposto in 1932 at Brooklands with a recorded speed of 222.03 km/h (138 mph).

 

Although the Bentley 4½ Litre was heavy, weighing 1,625 kg (3,583 lb), and spacious, with a length of 4,380 mm (172 in) and a wheelbase of 3,302 mm (130.0 in), it remained well-balanced and steered nimbly. The manual transmission, however, required skill, as its four gears were unsynchronised.

 

The robustness of the 4½ Litre's lattice chassis, made of steel and reinforced with ties, was needed to support the heavy cast iron inline-four engine. The engine was "resolutely modern" for the time. The displacement was 4,398 cc (268.4 cu in): 100 mm (3.9 in) bore and 140 mm (5.5 in) stroke. Two SU carburetters and dual ignition with Bosch magnetos were fitted. The engine produced 110 hp (82 kW) for the touring model and 130 hp (97 kW) for the racing model. The engine speed was limited to 4,000 rpm.

A single overhead camshaft actuated four valves per cylinder, inclined at 30 degrees. This was a technically advanced design at a time where most cars used only two valves per cylinder. The camshaft was driven by bevel gears on a vertical shaft at the front of the engine, as on the 3 Litre engine.

 

The Bentley's tanks - radiator, oil and petrol - had quick release filler caps that opened with one stroke of a lever. This saved time during pit stops. The 4½ was equipped with a canvas top stretched over a lightweight Weymann body. The hood structure was very light but with high wind resistance (24 Hours Le Mans rules between 1924 and 1928 dictated a certain number of laps for which the hood had to be closed). The steering wheel measured about 45 cm (18 in) in diameter and was wrapped with solid braided rope for improved grip. Brakes were conventional, consisting of 17-inch (430 mm) drum brakes finned for improved cooling and operated by rod. Semi-elliptic leaf springs were used at front and rear.

  

Building the kit and its display box:

I normally do not build large scale kits, except for some anime character figures, and I especially stay away from car models because I find it very hard to come close to the impression of the real thing. But this one was a personal thing, and I got motivated enough to tackle this challenge that caused some sweat and shivers. Another reason for the tension was the fact that it was intended as a present - and I normally do not build models for others, be it as a gift or on a contract work basis.

 

The background is that a colleage of mine will retire soon, an illustrator and a big oldtimer enthusiast at the same time. I was not able to hunt down a model of the vintage car he actually owns, but I remembered that he frequently takes part with his club at a local car exhibition, called the "Classic Days" at a location called Schloss Dyck. There he had had the opportunity some time ago to take a ride in a Bentley 4.5 litre "Blower", and I saw the fascinationn in his eyes when he recounted the events. We also talked about car models, and I mentioned the 1:24 Heller kit of the car. So, as a "farewell" gift, I decided to tackle this souvenir project, since the Bentley drive obviously meant a lot to him, and it's a quite personal gift, for a highly respected, artistic person.

 

Since this was to be a gift for a non-modeler, I also had to make sure that the car model could later be safely stored, transported and displayed, so some kind of base or display bon on top was a must - and I think I found a nice solution, even with integrated lighting!

 

As already mentioned, the model is the 1:24 Heller kit from 1978, in this case the more recent Revell re-boxing. While the kit remained unchanged (even the Heller brand is still part of the molds!), the benefit of this version is a very nice and thin decal sheet which covers some of the more delicate detail areas like gauges on the dashboard or the protective wire mesh for the headlights.

 

I had huge respect for the kit - I have actually built less than 10 car models in my 40+ years of kit building. So the work started with detail picture research, esp. of the engine and from the cockpit, and I organized appropriate paints (see below).

Work started slowly with the wheels, then the engine followed, the steerable front suspension, the chassis, the cabin section and finally the engine cowling and the mudguards with the finished wheels. Since I lack experience with cars I stuck close to the instructions and really took my time, because the whole thing went together only step by step, with painting and esp. drying intermissions. Much less quickly than my normal tempo with more familiar topics.

 

The kit remained basically OOB, and I must say that I am impressed how well it went together. The car kits I remember were less cooperative - but the Heller Bentley was actually a pleasant, yet challenging, build. Some issues I had were the chrome parts, which had to be attached with superglue, and their attachment points to the sprues (the same green plastic is used for the chrome parts, too - a different materiallike silver or light grey would have made life easier!) could only hardly be hidden with paint.

 

The plastic itself turned out to be relatively soft, too - while it made cleaning easy, this caused in the end some directional issues which had to be "professionally hidden": Once the cabin had been mounted to the frame and work on the cowling started, I recognized that the frame in front of the cabin was not straight anymore - I guess due to the engine block which sits deep between the front beams. While this was not really recognizable, the engine covers would not fit anymore, leaving small but unpleasant gaps.

The engine is OOB not über-detailed, and I actually only wanted to open the left half of the cocling for the diorama. However, with this flaw I eventually decided to open both sides, what resulted in having the cowling covers sawn into two parts each and arranging them in open positions. Quite fiddly, and I also replaced the OOB leather straps that normally hold the cowling covers closed with textured adhesive tape, for a more voluminous look. The engine also received some additional cables and hoses - nothing fancy, though, but better than the quite bleak OOB offering.

 

Some minor details were added in the cabin: a floor mat (made from paper, it looks like being made from cocos fibre) covers the area in front of the seats and the steering wheel was wrapped with cord - a detail that many Bentleys with race history shared, for a better grip for the driver.

 

Overall, the car model was painted with pure Humbrol 239 (British Racing Green) enamel paint, except for the passenger section. Here I found Revell's instructions to be a bit contradictive, because I do not believe in a fully painted car, esp. on this specific Le Mans race car. I even found a picture of the real car as an exhibition piece, and it rather shows a faux leather or vinyl cladding of the passenger compartment - in a similar dark green tone, but rather matt, with only a little shine, and with a lighter color due to the rougher surface. So I rather tried to emulate this look, which would also make the model IMHO look more interesting.

As a fopundation I used a mix of Humbrol 239 and 75 (Bronze Green), on top of which I later dry-brushed Revell 363 (Dark Green). The effect and the gloss level looked better than expected - I feared a rather worn/used look - and I eventually did not apply and clear varnish to this area. In fact, no varnish was applied to the whole model because the finish looked quite convincing!

 

The frame and the engine were slightly weathered with a black ink wash, and once the model was assembled I added some oil stains to the engine and the lower hull, and applied dust and dirt through mineral artist pigments to the wheels with their soft vinyl tires and the whole lower car body. I wanted the car to look basically clean and in good shape, just like a museum piece, but having been driven enthusiastically along some dusty country roads (see below). And this worked out quite well!

  

Since I wanted a safe store for the model I tried to find a suitable display box and found an almost perfect solution in SYNAS from Ikea. The sturdy SYNAS box (it's actually sold as a toy/Children's lamp!?) had very good dimensions for what I had in mind. Unfortunately it is only available in white, but for its price I would not argue. As a bonus it even comes with integrated LED lighting in the floor, as a rim of lights along the side walls. I tried to exploit this through a display base that would leave a 1cm gap all around, so that light could be reflected upwards and from the clear side walls and the lid onto the model.

 

The base was created with old school methods: a piece of MDF wood, on top of which I added a piece of cobblestone street and grass embankment, trying to capture the rural atmosphere around Schloss Dyck. Due to the large scale of the model I sculpted a light side slope under the pavement (a Tamiya print with a light 3D effect), created with plaster and fine carpenter putty. The embankment was sculpted with plaster, too.

The cobblestone cardboard was simply glued to the surface, trimmed down, and then a fairing of the base's sides was added, thin balsa wood.

Next came the grass - again classic methods. First, the surface was soaked with a mix of water, white glue and brown dispersion paint, and fine sand rinsed over the surfaces. Once dry, another mix of water, white glue and more paint was applied, into which foamed plastic turf of different colors and sizes was dusted. After anothetr drying period this area was sprayed with contact glue and grass fibres were applied - unfortunately a little more than expected. However, the result still looks good.

 

At the border to the street, the area was covered with mineral pigments, simulating mud and dust, and on the right side I tried to add a puddle, made from Humbrol Clearfix and glue. For some more ambiance I scratched a typical German "local sight" roadsign from cardboard and wood, and I also added a pair of "Classic Days" posters to the mast. Once in place I finally added some higher grass bushels (brush fibres) and sticks (dried moss), sealing everything in place with acralic varnish from the rattle can.

 

In order to motivate the Bentley's open cowling, I tried to set an engine failure into scene: with the car abandoned during the Classic Days' demo races along the local country roads, parked at the side of the street, and with a puddle of engine below and a small trail of oil behind the car (created with Tamiya "Smoke", perfect stuff for this task!). A hay bale, actually accessory stuff for toy tractors and in fact a square piece of wood, covered with straw chips, subtly hint at this occasion.

 

Finally, for safe transport, the model was attached to the base with thin wire, the base glued to the light box' floor with double-sided adhesive tape and finally enclosed.

  

Quite a lot of work, the car model alone took four patient weeks to fully materialize, and the base in the SYNAS box took another two weeks, even though work proceeded partly in parallel. However, I am positively surprised how well this build turned out - the Heller kit was better/easier to assemble than expected, and many problems along the way could be solved with patience and creative solutions.

 

Photographic experiments with ink in water. These shots were illuminated from behind the glass. Shots appeared to be dull and flat at first, but looked much more striking after playing round with levels and colour balance in Photoshop.

Some background:

The Bentley 4½ Litre was a British car based on a rolling chassis built by Bentley Motors. Walter Owen Bentley replaced the Bentley 3 Litre with a more powerful car by increasing its engine displacement to 4.4 L (270 cu in).

Bentley buyers used their cars for personal transport and arranged for their new chassis to be fitted with various body styles, mostly saloons or tourers. However, the publicity brought by their competition programme was invaluable for marketing Bentley's cars.

 

At the time, noted car manufacturers such as Bugatti and Lorraine-Dietrich focused on designing cars to compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a popular automotive endurance course established only a few years earlier. A victory in this competition quickly elevated any car maker's reputation.

A total of 720 4½ Litre cars were produced between 1927 and 1931, including 55 cars with a supercharged engine popularly known as the Blower Bentley. A 4½ Litre Bentley won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1928. Though the supercharged 4½ Litre Bentley's competitive performance was not outstanding, it set several speed records, most famously the Bentley Blower No.1 Monoposto in 1932 at Brooklands with a recorded speed of 222.03 km/h (138 mph).

 

Although the Bentley 4½ Litre was heavy, weighing 1,625 kg (3,583 lb), and spacious, with a length of 4,380 mm (172 in) and a wheelbase of 3,302 mm (130.0 in), it remained well-balanced and steered nimbly. The manual transmission, however, required skill, as its four gears were unsynchronised.

 

The robustness of the 4½ Litre's lattice chassis, made of steel and reinforced with ties, was needed to support the heavy cast iron inline-four engine. The engine was "resolutely modern" for the time. The displacement was 4,398 cc (268.4 cu in): 100 mm (3.9 in) bore and 140 mm (5.5 in) stroke. Two SU carburetters and dual ignition with Bosch magnetos were fitted. The engine produced 110 hp (82 kW) for the touring model and 130 hp (97 kW) for the racing model. The engine speed was limited to 4,000 rpm.

A single overhead camshaft actuated four valves per cylinder, inclined at 30 degrees. This was a technically advanced design at a time where most cars used only two valves per cylinder. The camshaft was driven by bevel gears on a vertical shaft at the front of the engine, as on the 3 Litre engine.

 

The Bentley's tanks - radiator, oil and petrol - had quick release filler caps that opened with one stroke of a lever. This saved time during pit stops. The 4½ was equipped with a canvas top stretched over a lightweight Weymann body. The hood structure was very light but with high wind resistance (24 Hours Le Mans rules between 1924 and 1928 dictated a certain number of laps for which the hood had to be closed). The steering wheel measured about 45 cm (18 in) in diameter and was wrapped with solid braided rope for improved grip. Brakes were conventional, consisting of 17-inch (430 mm) drum brakes finned for improved cooling and operated by rod. Semi-elliptic leaf springs were used at front and rear.

  

Building the kit and its display box:

I normally do not build large scale kits, except for some anime character figures, and I especially stay away from car models because I find it very hard to come close to the impression of the real thing. But this one was a personal thing, and I got motivated enough to tackle this challenge that caused some sweat and shivers. Another reason for the tension was the fact that it was intended as a present - and I normally do not build models for others, be it as a gift or on a contract work basis.

 

The background is that a colleage of mine will retire soon, an illustrator and a big oldtimer enthusiast at the same time. I was not able to hunt down a model of the vintage car he actually owns, but I remembered that he frequently takes part with his club at a local car exhibition, called the "Classic Days" at a location called Schloss Dyck. There he had had the opportunity some time ago to take a ride in a Bentley 4.5 litre "Blower", and I saw the fascinationn in his eyes when he recounted the events. We also talked about car models, and I mentioned the 1:24 Heller kit of the car. So, as a "farewell" gift, I decided to tackle this souvenir project, since the Bentley drive obviously meant a lot to him, and it's a quite personal gift, for a highly respected, artistic person.

 

Since this was to be a gift for a non-modeler, I also had to make sure that the car model could later be safely stored, transported and displayed, so some kind of base or display bon on top was a must - and I think I found a nice solution, even with integrated lighting!

 

As already mentioned, the model is the 1:24 Heller kit from 1978, in this case the more recent Revell re-boxing. While the kit remained unchanged (even the Heller brand is still part of the molds!), the benefit of this version is a very nice and thin decal sheet which covers some of the more delicate detail areas like gauges on the dashboard or the protective wire mesh for the headlights.

 

I had huge respect for the kit - I have actually built less than 10 car models in my 40+ years of kit building. So the work started with detail picture research, esp. of the engine and from the cockpit, and I organized appropriate paints (see below).

Work started slowly with the wheels, then the engine followed, the steerable front suspension, the chassis, the cabin section and finally the engine cowling and the mudguards with the finished wheels. Since I lack experience with cars I stuck close to the instructions and really took my time, because the whole thing went together only step by step, with painting and esp. drying intermissions. Much less quickly than my normal tempo with more familiar topics.

 

The kit remained basically OOB, and I must say that I am impressed how well it went together. The car kits I remember were less cooperative - but the Heller Bentley was actually a pleasant, yet challenging, build. Some issues I had were the chrome parts, which had to be attached with superglue, and their attachment points to the sprues (the same green plastic is used for the chrome parts, too - a different materiallike silver or light grey would have made life easier!) could only hardly be hidden with paint.

 

The plastic itself turned out to be relatively soft, too - while it made cleaning easy, this caused in the end some directional issues which had to be "professionally hidden": Once the cabin had been mounted to the frame and work on the cowling started, I recognized that the frame in front of the cabin was not straight anymore - I guess due to the engine block which sits deep between the front beams. While this was not really recognizable, the engine covers would not fit anymore, leaving small but unpleasant gaps.

The engine is OOB not über-detailed, and I actually only wanted to open the left half of the cocling for the diorama. However, with this flaw I eventually decided to open both sides, what resulted in having the cowling covers sawn into two parts each and arranging them in open positions. Quite fiddly, and I also replaced the OOB leather straps that normally hold the cowling covers closed with textured adhesive tape, for a more voluminous look. The engine also received some additional cables and hoses - nothing fancy, though, but better than the quite bleak OOB offering.

 

Some minor details were added in the cabin: a floor mat (made from paper, it looks like being made from cocos fibre) covers the area in front of the seats and the steering wheel was wrapped with cord - a detail that many Bentleys with race history shared, for a better grip for the driver.

 

Overall, the car model was painted with pure Humbrol 239 (British Racing Green) enamel paint, except for the passenger section. Here I found Revell's instructions to be a bit contradictive, because I do not believe in a fully painted car, esp. on this specific Le Mans race car. I even found a picture of the real car as an exhibition piece, and it rather shows a faux leather or vinyl cladding of the passenger compartment - in a similar dark green tone, but rather matt, with only a little shine, and with a lighter color due to the rougher surface. So I rather tried to emulate this look, which would also make the model IMHO look more interesting.

As a fopundation I used a mix of Humbrol 239 and 75 (Bronze Green), on top of which I later dry-brushed Revell 363 (Dark Green). The effect and the gloss level looked better than expected - I feared a rather worn/used look - and I eventually did not apply and clear varnish to this area. In fact, no varnish was applied to the whole model because the finish looked quite convincing!

 

The frame and the engine were slightly weathered with a black ink wash, and once the model was assembled I added some oil stains to the engine and the lower hull, and applied dust and dirt through mineral artist pigments to the wheels with their soft vinyl tires and the whole lower car body. I wanted the car to look basically clean and in good shape, just like a museum piece, but having been driven enthusiastically along some dusty country roads (see below). And this worked out quite well!

  

Since I wanted a safe store for the model I tried to find a suitable display box and found an almost perfect solution in SYNAS from Ikea. The sturdy SYNAS box (it's actually sold as a toy/Children's lamp!?) had very good dimensions for what I had in mind. Unfortunately it is only available in white, but for its price I would not argue. As a bonus it even comes with integrated LED lighting in the floor, as a rim of lights along the side walls. I tried to exploit this through a display base that would leave a 1cm gap all around, so that light could be reflected upwards and from the clear side walls and the lid onto the model.

 

The base was created with old school methods: a piece of MDF wood, on top of which I added a piece of cobblestone street and grass embankment, trying to capture the rural atmosphere around Schloss Dyck. Due to the large scale of the model I sculpted a light side slope under the pavement (a Tamiya print with a light 3D effect), created with plaster and fine carpenter putty. The embankment was sculpted with plaster, too.

The cobblestone cardboard was simply glued to the surface, trimmed down, and then a fairing of the base's sides was added, thin balsa wood.

Next came the grass - again classic methods. First, the surface was soaked with a mix of water, white glue and brown dispersion paint, and fine sand rinsed over the surfaces. Once dry, another mix of water, white glue and more paint was applied, into which foamed plastic turf of different colors and sizes was dusted. After anothetr drying period this area was sprayed with contact glue and grass fibres were applied - unfortunately a little more than expected. However, the result still looks good.

 

At the border to the street, the area was covered with mineral pigments, simulating mud and dust, and on the right side I tried to add a puddle, made from Humbrol Clearfix and glue. For some more ambiance I scratched a typical German "local sight" roadsign from cardboard and wood, and I also added a pair of "Classic Days" posters to the mast. Once in place I finally added some higher grass bushels (brush fibres) and sticks (dried moss), sealing everything in place with acralic varnish from the rattle can.

 

In order to motivate the Bentley's open cowling, I tried to set an engine failure into scene: with the car abandoned during the Classic Days' demo races along the local country roads, parked at the side of the street, and with a puddle of engine below and a small trail of oil behind the car (created with Tamiya "Smoke", perfect stuff for this task!). A hay bale, actually accessory stuff for toy tractors and in fact a square piece of wood, covered with straw chips, subtly hint at this occasion.

 

Finally, for safe transport, the model was attached to the base with thin wire, the base glued to the light box' floor with double-sided adhesive tape and finally enclosed.

  

Quite a lot of work, the car model alone took four patient weeks to fully materialize, and the base in the SYNAS box took another two weeks, even though work proceeded partly in parallel. However, I am positively surprised how well this build turned out - the Heller kit was better/easier to assemble than expected, and many problems along the way could be solved with patience and creative solutions.

 

Displacement: 9,800 t

Length: 173 m

Beam: 16.8 m

Draft: 10.2 m

Propulsion: 4× Gas Turbine Engines, plus 2x controllable-reversible pitch propellers

Speed: 32.5 knots (60 km/h)

Complement: 400

 

Armament: 30x Vertical Launch Modules, with a total of 120 launch cells

2× 54 cal Naval gun

2× 25 mm Chain gun

4× .50 cal Machine gun

2× CIWS

6× 324 mm torpedo tubes

 

Aircraft carried: 1x Medium Sized or 2x Small helicopters

3x Myotis Solar Electric UAVs

Yoga believes that, first and foremost, one should know one’s own body and its particular requirements. Each part of the body has its own importance. Navel is a very important part among them. It is considered to be the centre of all the organs of the body. There are 72000 nerves are spread all over the body. It is normally pulled by some tissues, which keep it in its place if for any reason these tissues get pulled then the navel gets displaced.

If the navel is displaced upward, then diseases like constipation, heart palpitation anxiety and stress. And if the navel is displaced downward then problems like loose motion, night fall, indigestion, week-ness etc. if it is displaced to side then there is shooting stomach aches. And women get various dieses like irregular menstruation, complication of the uterus and leucorrhoea etc.

The best treatment for navel displacement three asana are described in the chapter below should be practiced in the same sequence for bringing the dislodged navel at the right place.

1 Dhanurasana (Bow pose): Lie flat on your abdomen, with the legs and feet together and the arms and hands beside the body. Bend the knees and bring the heels close to the buttocks. Place the chin on the floor clasp the hand around the ankles. Take a deep breath and raise your head trunk and legs above the round in order to left legs, pull hands and legs in opposite, direction support the entire body on the floor. Hold the position for as long as is comfortable and then slowly relaxing the leg muscles lower the legs, chest and head to the starting position. Do it minimum 3 times daily.

Benefits: This asana helps to improve digestion by stimulating gastric secretions. The liver abdominal organ and muscles are massaged. This asana is recommended for the management of diabetes, menstrual disorders and neck pain. Caution: Patients of colitis, hernia and slipped disc should avoid this asana. Heart patients and hyper tension patients should avoid this asana also.

2 Chakraasana (wheel pose): Lie flat on your back with legs straight on the floor. Bend your legs from the knees and with the help of the hands, bring the heels as close to the hips as possible slowly raise the body and arch the back, allowing the crown on the head to support the weight of the upper body. Putting pressure on the palms, raise your body from the floor arching the back straight then the knees further by moving the trunk towards the head let the head hang hand between the straight arms. Hold the final position for as long as is comfortable slowly lower the body so the head rests on the floor and then lower the rest of the body. This is one round repeat 3 times.

Benefits: This asana tones up the nervous, digestive, respiratory, cardiovascular and glandular systems. This asana keep dislodged navel at its right position.

Caution: while lifting the body leave the neck loose or else there is fear of a sprain in the neck. People with any illness, during pregnancy and weak wrists should not practice this asana

3 Matsyasana (Fish Pose): This posture is dedicated to Matsya. Matsya means a fish. Lie flat on you back keeping the legs straight on the floor with feet together. Bend the legs and do padmasana in the lying position. Carefully bend back ward, supporting the body with the arms and elbows. Lift the chest slightly, take the head back and lower the crown of the head to the floor. Hold the big toes and rest the elbows on the floor. Adjust the position of head and hands so that the back is arched to the maximum. Relax the arms and the whole body, allowing the head, buttocks and legs to support the weight of the body close the eyes and breathe slowly and deeply. Stay in this posture as long as you feel comfortable. Return to starting position, reversing the order of movements. Do it one time only.

Benefits: This asana stretches the intestines and abdominal organs and is useful for all abdominal ailments. The dorsal region is fully extended in this posture and the chest is well expanded. Practice of this asana is very good for asthma and bronchitis as it encourages deep respiration. The asana is very useful for the treatment of constipation, tonsillitis, neck pain and disorders of reproduction system

Caution: People who suffer from heart disease, hernia, ulcers, H.B.P, Acute neck pain and pregnant women should not practice this asana.

www.yogagurusuneelsingh.com To buy DVD log on to this link You tube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyrZ0qa7ncg

 

Now you can buy this DVD on line from www.snapdeal.com/product/nabhi-chakra-yog-dvd-hindi-/6722...

 

Before and after on photo edit of abandoned prairie house with smoke and war planes. Available for licensing through Arcangel Images.

Conversion 2D>3D of a photo by George Rodger 1979

 

ANAGLYPH

Required red/cyan glasses

Displacement and flight have brought people together. In this tent in Harmanli camp, Christian and Muslim families share food and fellowship.

UNHCR / D. Kashavelov / November 2013

First attempt at using displacement maps.

 

You can add realistic water effects using displacement map techniques.

  

Fractal space invaders in Blender. Each pixel contains a copy of the space invader, for 3 levels. (You probably won't be able to make out the smallest ones). Is it just me or does this remind you of Stickle Bricks? :-)

 

Made a low res (13x10) black/white sprite in GIMP, scale up by 100 on both axes with no interpolation.

 

Used this black/white raster 3 times to generate each of the 3 "layers". Each layer uses a mapping node to scale the rasters in all 3 axes, then added the z values together with a math 'add' node to do the displacement. Shader is a mix of diffuse and ambient occlusion.