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Photos of the motorcade of the Vice President of the United States of America, Joseph Biden departing from the Valley Wing of the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore on Saturday 27 July 2013.
Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Singapore on 25 July 2013 for a three-day official visit. He was accompanied by his wife, Dr Jill Biden, and senior US officials from the Vice President's Office, National Security Council and Department of State.
Vice President Joe Biden was expected discuss trade ties and ways to calm regional maritime tensions. Biden's plane touched down at a military air base at Paya Labar in Singapore on Thursday following an earlier visit to India.
During his stay in Singapore, the Vice President met the President of Singapore, Mr Tony Tan, the Prime Minister, Mr Lee Hsien Loong, and the former Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, along with cabinet ministers and the Speaker of Parliament. He also held talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was visiting Singapore on the same day as part of a swing to Southeast Asia.
The Vice President Biden and his wife, Jill, became the latest high-profile visitors to be bestowed a unique Singapore honour -- having an orchid named after them. They attended a ceremony at the National Orchid Garden, where a new orchid hybrid was named in honour of him and his wife.
Mr Biden visited the Pratt & Whitney aircraft engine overhaul facility on Saturday and also visited the US Littoral Combat Ship, USS Freedom, at the Singapore Navy Base, which had been deployed to Singapore and the surrounding region as part of Washington's strategic pivot towards Asia.
The Vice President departed for Hawaii on Saturday.
On Friday the Vice President visited a hawker centre (food court) in Adam Road, Singapore. A press report described his motorcade and security arrangements:
“Every detail down to the precise traffic route Biden's motorcade will need to take in order to get there in the swiftest possible time must be planned and decided upon.
Then, there's the motorcade that accompanies Biden everywhere he travels throughout his two-day trip in Singapore.
It comprises no less than 32 vehicles — including vans and at least five SUVs flown in specially from Washington but excluding the local police motorcycles that lead, trail and flank the entire length of the vehicular entourage.
From where the press was, divided into two 15-seater vans marked "PRESS 1" and "PRESS 2", one could barely spot the three police motorcycles that preceded the whole thing.
Near the front are two black SUVs marked with two miniature American flags near their front lights — those were the two cars carrying Biden, his wife Jill, their daughter Ashley and her husband Howard Krein.
Of course, a gargantuan parade like this needs a clear road to travel.
In this case, a completely clear one -- what seems like at least half the entire Traffic Police force has been activated to create road blocks, close off roads and stop cars at slip roads and lanes turning in and out of the road the motorcade is on.
No exceptions are given; even buses (to be fair, we're not sure about ambulances) are stalled. Even the process of actually becoming part of the VPOTUS' (Vice President of the United States) motorcade is a tedious one.
Specific, non-transferable names of reporters and photographers have to be submitted and approved two weeks ahead.
On the day-of, name tags and special security passes are distributed and have to be worn.
Before anyone can go anywhere, all bags and equipment go through extremely detailed checks — security personnel open every zip and scrutinise every pouch, compartment and its contents, and every person boarding the press van walks through a metal scanner and is further subjected to a follow-up body scan.
In fact, every new location visited (apart from Adam Road Food Centre) required some form of security checks and walking through metal scanners.
The first stop the mostly-black procession had on Friday: the Botanic Gardens' Orchid Garden, where the (elder) Bidens had a deep purple orchid hybrid named after them.
As Dr Jill Biden gingerly placed a small rectangular wooden sign reading "Dendrobium - Joe and Jill Biden" into the orchid's pot, the couple's immediate surroundings were crowded not with eager onlookers, but with men in full suits.
Many of them wore transparent earpieces, and indeed, some completed the stereotypical Secret Service look with dark shades.
Moments before the end of the orchid-naming ceremony, roughly a third of the crowd of Secret Service breaks away, surging ahead to another part of the garden for a second photo opportunity of the Bidens walking through a row of flowered arches.
Ashley and Jill Biden barely have five minutes to learn about two species of blooms from Ministers Grace Fu and Indranee Rajah before they are whisked away by a flock of security surrounding them and their husbands and ushered quickly into separate vehicles.
The VPOTUS parts ways with his family and, on a whim, heads to Adam Road because he wishes to visit a hawker centre.
There, walking with his son-in-law, Biden strolls along the circular layout of food and drink stalls, while media and photographers jostle, climb tables and dodge more than 30 White House staff and security to snag a precious rare shot of him drinking from the cup of lime juice that he bought with a five-dollar bill fished out of his back pants pocket.
Every event is meticulously rehearsed, discussed and planned weeks ahead, but plans can also go awry — the media, initially supposed to sit in on Biden's meeting with Abe, was unceremoniously chased out by a Japanese official after a single greeting Biden uttered to Abe.
Crowded outside the room, though, is the same massive group of staff and security that follows Biden everywhere he walks or travels.
The same happens at the Istana, where Biden met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, President Tony Tan and his wife, as well as a rare opportunity with Lee Kuan Yew: security scan, large entourage, with a further step-up restricting the number of media allowed into Biden's meetings with the Lees and the Tans.
The younger Lee does eventually emerge with Biden to address reporters all together, but Americans still easily outnumbered even the Singaporean staff present.
The Bidens have one more day in Singapore before flying back to Washington. In his short, whirlwind trip, some parts of the island will go unseen, but one thing's for sure — when Joe Biden travels anywhere, it's pretty hard for him to go unnoticed.”
Wasn't expecting to see this in Dover today, and this vehicle was on SouthEastern Trains Emergency Rail Replacement Standby, due to the theft of signalling cables near Faversham this morning, according to a notice outside the station.
And be sure to check by my other account: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw Very Recently!!
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Sept. 22, 2013 @ 9 a.m. (the half-marathon start time)
This year, about 22,000 runners are expected to participate in the 5 km or 21.1 km (half-marathon) Canada Army Run race events. The Canada Army Run, now in its sixth year, continues to be the fastest-growing race event in Canada.
The runners listed below are:
a) local (Ottawa-Gatineau and area) half-marathon participants, who
b) registered through the Running Room.
The lists are sorted by community and first name, as follows:
(page 1)
A. Ottawa, Ontario
B. Gatineau, Québec
C. Kanata, Ontario
D. Nepean, Ontario
E. Orleans, Ontario
(page 2)
F. Other Ontario, by community
G. Other Québec, by community
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A. Ottawa Residents
1…….Adam Lyle
2…….Adam Martin
3…….Adam Stone
4…….Aili Ignacy
5…….Aisha Suhail
6…….Alain Auger
7…….Alan Chan
8…….Alastair Stewart
9…….Alec Campbell
10……Alex Hubbard
11……Alex Reeves
12……Alex Renwick
13……Alexandra Gaw
14……Alexandra Paslat
15……Alexandra Salo
16……Alexandre Prenoveau
17……Alexis Tulsiram
18……Algis Danaitis
19……Alisha Prater
20……Alison Jennings
21……Alison Young
22……Alix McLeod
23……Allan McKay
24……Allanna Turcotte
25……Alp Oran
26……Amanda Pruner
27……Amanda Troupe
28……Amber Mazanek
29……Amira Mohamed
30……Amy McSweeney
31……Amy Smith
32……Andre Cuillerier
33……Andre Dion
34……Andrea Evans
35……Andrea Merry
36……Andrea Winter
37……Andrew Archer
38……Andrew Chen
39……Andrew Gaiero
40……Andrew Ha
41……Andrew Ng
42……Andrew Porter
43……Andrew Rodrigue
44……Andrew Rose
45……Andrew Staples
46……Angela Koskie
47……Angela Lewis
48……Angela Romany
49……Angela Simpkin
50……Angela Walter
51……Angeline Law
52……Anick Piquette
53……Anita Choquette
54……Ann Gregory
55……Ann Lanthier
56……Anna Belanger
57……Anna Belanger
58……Anna Shannette
59……Anne Cumming
60……Anne MacDonald
61……Anne-Marie Fraser
62……Annie McEwen
63……Aparna Shanker
64……April Ferguson
65……Arleigh Romyn
66……Arlene Doucette
67……Art Gresham
68……Ashleigh Horricks
69……Ashley Andrews
70……Ashley Cowan
71……Audrey Taylor
72……Ayla Jacquard
73……Barbara Campbell
74……Barbara Carrera
75……Barbara Dundas
76……Becky Lee-Mclean
77……Ben Tobali
78……Bernard Rousseau
79……Bill McEachern
80……Bill Ridley
81……Bingbing Cai
82……Blair Stacey
83……Blenda Jong
84……Bob McCulloch
85……Brad Koskie
86……Brad Lejeune
87……Brad Richard
88……Breann Ronquist
89……Brenda Gaitens
90……Brenda Troke
91……Brendan Hennigan
92……Brian Bax
93……Brian Hancock
94……Brian O'Higgins
95……Brian O'Higgins
96……Brigitte Charron
97……Brigitte Jackstien
98……Brittany Dawson
99……Brooke Couperus
100…..Bruce Snider
101…..Cal Mitchell
102…..Calvin Reid
103…..Cameron Beare
104…..Cameron Dunlop
105…..Carol O'Malley
106…..Carole Harrison
107…..Carole Hubbard
108…..Carole Plourde
109…..Carole-Anne Savard
110…..Caroline Bredeson
111…..Caroline Glynn
112…..Cassandra Tilson
113…..Catharine Cameron
114…..Catherine Andersson
115…..Catherine Beck
116…..Catherine Caron
117…..Catherine Hull
118…..Catherine Yarker
119…..Cathy Nolan
120…..Cecilia Ho
121…..Celeste Irvine-Jones
122…..Celina Gilligan
123…..Chandra Copeland
124…..Chandra von Teichman
125…..Chantal Cousineau
126…..Chantal Ripp
127…..Charla O'Connor
128…..Charlene Mathias
129…..Charles Bordeleau
130…..Charlotte Fraser
131…..Chelsea Macdonell
132…..Chelsey Burke
133…..Cheryl Giles
134…..Cheryl McIntyre
135…..Chloe Macdonell
136…..Chris Bright
137…..Chris Brown
138…..Chris Dilabio
139…..Chris McMahon
140…..Chris Nestor
141…..Chris Renwick
142…..Chris Salter
143…..Christelle Desgranges-Farquhar
144…..Christene White
145…..Christian Del Valle
146…..Christian Figueredo
147…..Christina Houle
148…..Christine Bucholtz
149…..Christine Connolly
150…..Christine Côté
151…..Christine Foley
152…..Christine Geraghty
153…..Christine Halliburton
154…..Christine Heal
155…..Christine Martinet
156…..Christine Newman
157…..Christine Polihronis
158…..Christine Power
159…..Christine Schulz
160…..Christoper Power
161…..Christopher Bredeson
162…..Christopher Jones
163…..Christopher Mcgregor
164…..Christy Brannen
165…..Cindy Macdonald
166…..Cindy McAlpine
167…..Claude Béland
168…..Claudie Larouche
169…..Colin Bendell
170…..Colin Burgess
171…..Colleen Bigelow
172…..Colleen Crane
173…..Connie Acelvari
174…..Connie Chan
175…..Connie Copeland
176…..Corey Costantini
177…..Cory Lohmann
178…..Cory Van Hoof
179…..Cotten Kevin
180…..Courtney McCrindle
181…..Courtney Watson
182…..Craig Madill
183…..Craig Stehr
184…..Cullen Bird
185…..Curtis Scharf
186…..Cynthia Brown
187…..Dale Gervais
188…..Damian Curley
189…..Dan Shea
190…..Daniel Bourget
191…..Daniel Careau
192…..Daniel Guerrette
193…..Daniel Levesque
194…..Daniel Munro
195…..Daniel Ngo
196…..Daniel Reifler
197…..Daniel Villeneuve
198…..Daniela Zidek
199…..Danielle Stehr
200…..Danny Dillon
201…..Dany Jacques
202…..Dara Burry
203…..Darcy Fraser
204…..Darcy Middleton
205…..Daria Strachan
206…..Darlene Bess
207…..Darlene Joyce
208…..Darrell Bridge
209…..Darrell Coughlin
210…..Darren Cates
211…..Darren Jerome
212…..Darryl Bilodeau
213…..Darryl Blais
214…..Darryl Hill
215…..Darryl Stal
216…..Darwin Ziprick
217…..Dave Bergeron
218…..Dave Goods
219…..Dave Kary
220…..Dave McFadden
221…..Dave Saville
222…..Dave Silvester
223…..Dave Yarker
224…..David Felix
225…..David Harding
226…..David Howell
227…..David Lemay
228…..David McCaw
229…..David Parke
230…..David Spiers
231…..Dawn Millions
232…..Dawn Styan
233…..Dean Justus
234…..Deb Quayle
235…..Deborah Newhook
236…..Debra Bowbrick
237…..Deidre Kelly
238…..Demetria Tsoutouras
239…..Denis Baudin
240…..Denise Deschenes
241…..Denise Gravel Tropper
242…..Denise Picard-Stencer
243…..Denise Saeki
244…..Denise Senecal
245…..Denise St. Jean
246…..Deshayne Fell
247…..Desirae Odjick
248…..Diedre Viljoen
249…..Diego Tremblay
250…..Don C. Cumming
251…..Donald Henry
252…..Donna Justus
253…..Donna Rainbow
254…..Donna Weston
255…..Doug Beirness
256…..Doug Braid
257…..Douglas Thiboutot
258…..Duane Leon
259…..Dung Bui
260…..Dvora Rotenberg
261…..Edward Vonk
262…..Elisabeth Baechlin
263…..Elissa Renaud
264…..Elizabeth Izaguirre
265…..Elizabeth Jones
266…..Elizabeth Krause
267…..Elizabeth Miller
268…..Elizabeth Taite
269…..Elizabeth White
270…..Elyse Pratt-Johnson
271…..Elysia Van Zeyl
272…..Emem Idiong
273…..Emika Marinacci
274…..Émilie Cécire
275…..Emilie Lavigne
276…..Emily Hewitt
277…..Emily Mackie
278…..Emily MacLean
279…..Emily Welch
280…..Ena Malvern
281…..Eric Anthony Burpee
282…..Eric Burpee
283…..Eric Charland
284…..Erica Bedard
285…..Erica Wong
286…..Erin Brunet
287…..Erin Lehman
288…..Erin Mackey
289…..Evan May
290…..Evelyne Cardinal
291…..Fabienne Glauser
292…..Fabio Gonzalez
293…..Fabio Vivas
294…..Fallon Bazdell
295…..Farida Kerrouche
296…..Fatemah Habib
297…..Faye Goldman
298…..Forrest Potter
299…..Francesca Macdonald
300…..Francois Baril
301…..François Cholette
302…..Francois Pineau
303…..Gabrielle Nadeau
304…..Gaby Moreau
305…..Gail Cummings
306…..Garth Rayburn
307…..Garvin Lee
308…..Gary Bazdell
309…..Genesis Juane
310…..Genevieve Bourget
311…..Genevieve Houle
312…..Genny Brims
313…..Geoffrey Delage
314…..George Hajecek
315…..Georgette Houle
316…..Geroge Heron
317…..Gina Charos
318…..Gina Gargaro
319…..Gisell Delgado
320…..Glen Paling
321…..Glenn Carroll
322…..Gord Baldwin
323…..Gosia Kozak
324…..Grace Fullerton
325…..Grace Langis
326…..Graham Edwards
327…..Graham Reid
328…..Grant MacLeod
329…..Greg Bryson
330…..Greg Howard
331…..Greg Layhew
332…..Greg Montgomery
333…..Greg Morris
334…..Greg Quinlan
335…..Greta Chase
336…..Guy Pelletier
337…..Haiyan Zhou
338…..Hannah Manning
339…..Hannah Wallace
340…..Harold Geller
341…..Heather Dye
342…..Heather McConkey
343…..Heather Squires
344…..Heather Williams
345…..Heeba Abdullah
346…..Helga Grodzinski
347…..Henri St-Martin
348…..Hilary May
349…..Hillary Rose
350…..Holly Johnson
351…..Iain Macdonald
352…..Ian Port
353…..Ida Liu
354…..Imroze Shaheen
355…..Irène Dionne
356…..Isabel Black
357…..Isabelle Gingrich
358…..Jacek Gorwa
359…..Jacinthe Charron
360…..Jacki Sachrajda
361…..Jacques Gobin
362…..James Fairlie
363…..James Turnbull
364…..Jamie Hurst
365…..Jane Maxwell
366…..Janelle Denton
367…..Janet Cooper
368…..Jason Bromstad
369…..Jason Lehman
370…..Jay Rached
371…..Jean Marie O'Brien
372…..Jean Stewart
373…..Jeff Morrison
374…..Jeff Ray
375…..Jeff Smart
376…..Jeffrey Bardell
377…..Jen Cimbron
378…..Jennifer Balcom
379…..Jennifer Baudin
380…..Jennifer Bookhout
381…..Jennifer Bucknall
382…..Jennifer Campbell
383…..Jennifer Ciolfi
384…..Jennifer Davies
385…..Jennifer Kennedy
386…..Jennifer Lim
387…..Jennifer Mills
388…..Jennifer Moores
389…..Jennifer Parr
390…..Jennifer Ramsay
391…..Jennifer Shortall
392…..Jennifer Wills
393…..Jennnifer Harris
394…..Jenny Kenmir
395…..Jenny Koumoutsidis
396…..Jesse Fleming
397…..Jessica Eamer
398…..Jessica Kight
399…..Jessica Meneray
400…..Jessica Morris
401…..Jessica St. John
402…..JF Fauteux
403…..Jian Wu
404…..Jill Frook
405…..Jim Hogan
406…..Jo-Ann Brault
407…..Joanna Bellamy
408…..Joanne Beattie
409…..Jo-Anne Beauchemin
410…..Joanne Bradley
411…..Joanne Hart
412…..Joanne Ritchie
413…..JoAnne Schmid
414…..Jocelyne Grandlouis
415…..Jocelyne Macmillan
416…..Jodi Cameron
417…..Jodi Turner
418…..Joe Paraskevas
419…..Joe Whitmore
420…..Joel Gascon
421…..Joelle Martin
422…..Joelyn Ragan
423…..John Beaudoin
424…..John Buckle
425…..John Gordon
426…..John Griffin
427…..John Mahoney
428…..John Oliver
429…..John Weston
430…..Jolene Harvey
431…..Jonathan Dawe
432…..Jonathan Toye
433…..Jonathon Mclean
434…..Joni Ogawa
435…..Josee Perreault
436…..Josee Surprenant
437…..Joseph Griffiths
438…..Josh Bruinsma
439…..Josh Henne
440…..Joyce Robertson
441…..Judith Price
442…..Julianne McKenzie
443…..Julie Bosse
444…..Julie Gourlay
445…..Julie Laplante
446…..Julie Mecke
447…..Julie Sabadash
448…..Julien Namiech
449…..Juniper Hayes
450…..Justin Pike
451…..Kadambi Sitaram
452…..Kaelyn MacGillivray
453…..Kaitie Jourdeuil
454…..Kalin McCluskey
455…..Karen Burns
456…..Karen Crookshank
457…..Karen Marshall
458…..Karen McElroy
459…..Karen Moon
460…..Karen Sauve
461…..Karen Yantha
462…..Karine Cousineau
463…..Kate Borowec
464…..Kate Corsten
465…..Kate Parry
466…..Kate Slean
467…..Katerina Belinson
468…..Katherine Allen
469…..Katherine Richardson
470…..Kathleen Buset
471…..Kathlene Allen
472…..Kathryn Makela
473…..Kathryn Scott
474…..Kathy Crowe
475…..Kathy Knight-Robinson
476…..Kathy O'Brien
477…..Katie Paribok
478…..Katya Pichugin
479…..Keith Burnage
480…..Keith Gallop
481…..Keith Savage
482…..Kellie Scrim
483…..Kelly Hewitt
484…..Ken Farquhar
485…..Ken Gibson
486…..Kendall Miller
487…..Kendra Atkins
488…..Kendra Ray
489…..Kerry Nolan
490…..Kerry Scott
491…..Kevin O'Brien
492…..Kevin Sampson
493…..Kiki French
494…..Kim McMillan
495…..Kim Moir
496…..Kim Sampson
497…..Kimberly Rennie
498…..Kirk Maddox
499…..Kiza Francis
500…..Kristi Murphy
501…..Kristie Kelly
502…..Kristie Smith
503…..Kristina Beauchesne
504…..Kristopher Kilgour
505…..Kyle Miersma
506…..Kym Martin
507…..Lalonde Martine
508…..Larry Chamney
509…..Lauren Gamble
510…..Lauren Higgins
511…..Laurent Roy
512…..Laurie Pinard
513…..Layla Prieur
514…..Leah Andrews
515…..Leigh Harris Fowell
516…..Leigh Perreault
517…..Lena Dikranian
518…..Leo Benvenuti
519…..Les Woolsey
520…..Lesley Holmes
521…..Leslie-Anne Bailliu
522…..Liam Kennedy
523…..Liang Chen
524…..Liette Greyeyes
525…..Lily Lemay
526…..Linda Beehler
527…..Linda Lewis
528…..Linda Yusak
529…..Lindsay Chomyn
530…..Lindsay Harrison
531…..Lisa Butler
532…..Lisa Gibson
533…..Lisa Kawaguchi
534…..Lisa Kayaga
535…..Lisa Power
536…..Lisa Rambout
537…..Lisa Zielinski
538…..Lise King
539…..Lise Perrier
540…..Lise Scott
541…..Lorenzo De Franco
542…..Lori Blais
543…..Lori Mitchell
544…..Lori Mockson
545…..Lori Stewart
546…..Lori-Lynn Sanduliak
547…..Lorne Murdock
548…..Lorne Watters
549…..Lorraine England
550…..Louis Comerton
551…..Louise Gresham
552…..Louise Lloyd
553…..Luc Chouinard
554…..Luc Gagnon
555…..Lucas Lokaj
556…..Luce Blouin
557…..Lucien Cattrysse
558…..Luc-Rock Paquin
559…..Luisa De Amicis
560…..Lynda Bordeleau
561…..Lynda Cronin
562…..Lynda Kalapati
563…..Lynda Robertson
564…..Lynette Pike
565…..Lyse Langevin
566…..Madeleine Bourget
567…..Mandy Smith
568…..Marc Patry
569…..Marc-Andre Blais
570…..Marcel Lacasse
571…..Margaret Meroni
572…..Maria Pooley
573…..Marian Eichel
574…..Marianne Vincent
575…..Mariarosa Fliss
576…..Marie Andree Bureau
577…..Marie Poulin
578…..Marie-Claude Robillard
579…..Marie-Elaine Morency
580…..Marilyn Johnston
581…..Marilyn Warren
582…..Marion May
583…..Mark Budd
584…..Mark Coates
585…..Mark Doyle
586…..Mark Karssing
587…..Marlene Louise Rippey Jones
588…..Marnie Campbell
589…..Martin Leahy
590…..Martin Primeau
591…..Martine Bolderheij
592…..Marty Lipcsey
593…..Mary Au
594…..Mathew Baril
595…..Mathieu Joly
596…..Matt Dooley
597…..Matthew Eglin
598…..Matthew Kelly
599…..Matthew Whyte
600…..Mauricio Salgado
601…..Maxine Morrison
602…..May Chow
603…..McGuinness Karen
604…..Megan Abraham
605…..Megan Davies-Ostrom
606…..Megan Hammel
607…..Megan McLeod
608…..Megan Scharf
609…..Megan Tomkinson
610…..Meghan Maack
611…..Mehmet Can Ciplak
612…..Mel MacDougall
613…..Melanie Adams
614…..Melanie Ferguson
615…..Melanie Rickard
616…..Melinda Newman
617…..Melissa Masson
618…..Melissa Mondor
619…..Melissa Olegario
620…..Meziane Zeroual
621…..Mia Dore
622…..Michael Arts
623…..Michael Corbett
624…..Michael Corneau
625…..Michael Gilligan
626…..Michael Hewett
627…..Michael Leahey
628…..Michael McAuley
629…..Michael McLean
630…..Michael Read
631…..Michel Collette
632…..Michelle Bustos
633…..Michelle Couture
634…..Michelle Davidson
635…..Michelle Keough
636…..Michelle Leigh Thompson
637…..Miguel Flores
638…..Mike Beauchesne
639…..Mike Horne
640…..Mike Madden
641…..Miles Grant
642…..Minh Nguyen
643…..Mohamed Mohamed
644…..Moira Johnson
645…..Mona Bates
646…..Monica Knowles
647…..Monica Martinez
648…..Monique Dillon
649…..Monique Salajka
650…..Mounir Sami
651…..Nadia Gibson
652…..Nancy Amos
653…..Nancy Fletcher
654…..Nancy Fowler
655…..Nancy Kalil
656…..Nancy Macdonell
657…..Nancy McMahon
658…..Naomi Loucks
659…..Natalie Fernandes
660…..Natalie Gajewski
661…..Natasha Carraro
662…..Natasha Clark
663…..Natasha McRae
664…..Natasha Salo
665…..Nathalie Douville
666…..Nathalie Fleming
667…..Nazish Saleem
668…..Negin Hatam
669…..Nelson Lewis
670…..Nicholas Hooper
671…..Nicholas MacDonald
672…..Nicholas McDonnell-Stewart
673…..Nick Fidler
674…..Nick Grondin
675…..Nicole Crowder
676…..Nicole Crutcher
677…..Nicole Duguay
678…..Nicole Gagnon
679…..Nicole LeBlanc
680…..Nicole Slanina
681…..Nicole Slunder
682…..Nicole Ward
683…..Nikki Eaton
684…..Noreen Towns
685…..Norma Lynn Pearson
686…..Oleksandr Zabara
687…..Olga Salgado
688…..Olivier Fichet
689…..Oren Howlett
690…..Paige Doyle
691…..Pamela Balder
692…..Pamela Ellison
693…..Pamela Hunter
694…..Pascal Ilboudo
695…..Pascale Evans-Paulen
696…..Pat Evans
697…..Patrice Desjardins
698…..Patricia Knobl
699…..Patricia McLarnon
700…..Patti Gamble
701…..Paul Allen
702…..Paul Dalgleish
703…..Paul Lawless
704…..Paul Malvern
705…..Paul Rolland
706…..Paul Rosenberg
707…..Paul Sorichetti
708…..Paul Wynnyk
709…..Paula Carty
710…..Paula ter Huurne
711…..Peggy Gibson
712…..Periander Carino
713…..Perry Graham
714…..Peter Gingrich
715…..Peter Green
716…..Peter Linkletter
717…..Peter Locke
718…..Phil Jourdeuil
719…..Philippe Bujold
720…..PK Leung
721…..Rachel Peters Samulack
722…..Rachel Slater
723…..Rafal Rohozinski
724…..Rafik Rezzik
725…..Rajiv Bhatia
726…..Ralf Dagher
727…..Randy Mansfield
728…..Randy McElligott
729…..Ranjit Bose
730…..Raven Cote
731…..Ray Dupuis
732…..Raymond Prenoveau
733…..Raymond Tropiano
734…..Rebecca Coates
735…..Rebecca Ng
736…..Reine Turland
737…..Renata Manchak
738…..Rene Yaraskavitch
739…..Renee McEwen
740…..Renu Pillay
741…..Rex Antony
742…..Rhiannon Vogl
743…..Rich Bonneau
744…..Richard Arbeiter
745…..Richard Bourassa
746…..Richard Cronin
747…..Richard Hussey
748…..Rick Dobson
749…..Rick O'Shaughnessy
750…..Riley Hennessey
751…..Rita Chasse
752…..Rob Brooks
753…..Robert Adolfson
754…..Robert Kalbfleisch
755…..Robert Leblanc
756…..Robert Reynolds
757…..Robert Rollwagen
758…..Robert Statham
759…..Robert Stewart-Williams
760…..Robert Young
761…..Roberta Blackburn
762…..Robyn Knott
763…..Roger Zemek
764…..Romano Panopio
765…..Ron Allenby
766…..Ron Lloyd
767…..Rosina Mauro
768…..Roxanne Harper
769…..Roxanne Mathias
770…..Roxanne VandenBeek
771…..Ruth Farey
772…..Ryan Torrie
773…..Sandra Gruescu
774…..Sandra Monaghan
775…..Sandra Rainbow
776…..Sandy MacLeod
777…..Sanjeev Bhanjana
778…..Sara Jefferson
779…..Sara Mohr
780…..Sarah Evans
781…..Sarah Gelbard
782…..Sarah Lozano
783…..Sarah Marchildon-White
784…..Sarah Palmer
785…..Sarah Patterson
786…..Sarah Sabourin
787…..Sarah Silvester
788…..Sarah Springate
789…..Scott Crawshaw
790…..Scott Greenaway
791…..Scott MacDonald
792…..Scott Tomlinson
793…..Scott Windsor
794…..Sean McAlpine
795…..Sean O'Brien
796…..Sebastien Dufour
797…..Sebastien Taillefer
798…..Senecal Brian
799…..Serge Benvenuti
800…..Shainen Davidson
801…..Shane Brennan
802…..Shannon Bertels
803…..Shannon Kack
804…..Shannon Kunstadt
805…..Shannon Olson
806…..Shannon Parsons
807…..Shannon Poole
808…..Shannon Renaud
809…..Shannon Timpson
810…..Shari Cooper
811…..Shari Nurse
812…..Sharon Johnston
813…..Shauna Hanratty
814…..Sheila Reid
815…..Shelley Chambers
816…..Shelley Sourges
817…..Shelley True
818…..Sheri Buck
819…..Sheri McCready
820…..She-Yang Lau-Chapdelaine
821…..Simona Berbescu
822…..Solita Pacheco
823…..Stacey Brennan
824…..Stacey Woodruff
825…..Steeve Pratte
826…..Stefani Roy
827…..Steph Barteaux
828…..Stephane Parent
829…..Stephanie Earle
830…..Stephanie Justus
831…..Stephanie Parker
832…..Stephanie Revie
833…..Stephanie Schoen
834…..Stephanie Schultz
835…..Stephanie Williams
836…..Stephen Archibald
837…..Stephen Bugden
838…..Stephen Shew
839…..Stephen Swanson
840…..Stephen Whiteley
841…..Stephen Woroszczuk
842…..Steve Astels
843…..Steve Fauchon
844…..Steve McCready
845…..Steve Moritsugu
846…..Steven Hawken
847…..Steven Molnar
848…..Stuart David
849…..Stuart Palmer
850…..Stuart Thomas
851…..Sue C Baribeau
852…..Sue Mackey
853…..Su-Kim Roy
854…..Susan Brousseau
855…..Susan Farrell
856…..Susan Lentini
857…..Susan Mack
858…..Susan Mak Chin
859…..Susan Ostergaard
860…..Susan Robbins Parsons
861…..Susan Sami
862…..Suzanne Lafrance
863…..Sydney Hanratty
864…..Sylvain Huard
865…..Sylvia Lewis-Havard
866…..Sylvie Corbin
867…..Sylvie Scharf
868…..T.J. Mondoux
869…..Tammy Jeffery
870…..Tanya Brunet
871…..Tara Fitzpatrick
872…..Tara Tucker
873…..Taryn Manias
874…..Tasha McFarland
875…..Tavis Wiegand
876…..Taylor Bildstein
877…..Ted Edward
878…..Ted Edward
879…..Terry Cyr
880…..Terry Evans
881…..Terry McDermott
882…..Terry-Lynn Sigouin
883…..Thai Nguyen
884…..Thalie Leblanc
885…..Thanh Nha Huynh
886…..Theresa Deszpoth
887…..Theresa Flaherty
888…..Theresa Hendricks
889…..Tiffany Hodgin
890…..Tom Boudreau
891…..Toni Petter
892…..Tony Domina
893…..Tracey Tong
894…..Tracy O'Connor
895…..Tracy Young
896…..Valerie Bellemare
897…..Valerie Oickle
898…..Valerie Saunders
899…..Valery Brennan
900…..Van Dinh
901…..Vanessa Brochet
902…..Vanessa Meikle
903…..Veronik McFadden
904…..Véronique Albert
905…..Véronique Bélinge
906…..Vicky Demanche
907…..Vicky Eatrides
908…..Virgilio Disipio
909…..Vito Di Turi
910…..Walter Wayne
911…..Warren Mitchell
912…..Wendy Jermyn
913…..Wendy Mason
914…..Wendy Statham
915…..Wendy Taylor
916…..Wendy Trower
917…..Will Messervey
918…..Will Simmering
919…..William Chisholm
920…..Yahoska Petien
921…..Yannick Sirois
922…..Yasminka Kresic
923…..Yu Ting Jiang
924…..Zdenka Dvorak
925…..Ziad Geagea
B. Gatineau Residents
926…..Adam Norwick
927…..Alexia-Taylor Latter
928…..Alison Sorrell
929…..Amy Osborne
930…..André Brissette
931…..Andrea Richard
932…..Andree-Anne Richer-Lyrette
933…..Angie Manley
934…..Anick Pilotte
935…..Anick Potvin
936…..Anik Racine
937…..Anne-Marie Chapman
938…..Arianne Bergevin
939…..Benoit Carbonneau
940…..Benoit Tardivel
941…..Brigitte Levesque
942…..Brodie Larocque
943…..Carole Benoit
944…..Caroline Dallaire
945…..Caroline Fillion
946…..Caroline Knippenebrg
947…..Catherine Pelletier
948…..Cathy Ozimac
949…..Chantal Delachevrotiere
950…..Chizuko Matsufuji
951…..Chris Piercey
952…..Christian Jacques
953…..Christiane Drouin
954…..Christy Ogbuagu
955…..Claire Huet
956…..Claudia Ferland
957…..Claudie St-Onge
958…..Daniel Lagacé
959…..Debbie Harding
960…..Dominic Lavoie
961…..Dominique Lacroix
962…..Donald Turcotte
963…..Doug Winmill
964…..Elsa La Corte
965…..Elyse Crochetiere
966…..Émilie Charron
967…..Eric Gauthier
968…..Eric Giffard
969…..Eric Silins
970…..Eric Turgeon
971…..Estelle Marcoux
972…..Fannie Bisson
973…..Francois Bisson
974…..Frédéric Voyer
975…..Gabrielle Duhaime
976…..Gauri Nadkarni
977…..Geneviève Laflamme
978…..Gisele Royer
979…..Guy Desjardins
980…..Hélène Belleau
981…..Helene Courchesne
982…..Hélène Tessier
983…..Helene Tremblay-Allen
984…..Isabelle Daly
985…..Isabelle Gagnon
986…..Isabelle Legault
987…..Isabelle Lowe
988…..Ismaël Sy
989…..Janie Séguin
990…..Jay Rieger
991…..Jean Faullem
992…..Jean-Claude Ouellet
993…..Jean-François Benoît
994…..Jean-Francois Brassard
995…..Jean-Francois Gagne
996…..Jean-Philippe Dumont
997…..Jeffrey Muller
998…..Johanne Boucher
999…..Johanne Di Tomasso
1000….Jonathan Coulombe
1001….Josee Clement
1002….Josee Labonte
1003….Josee Taillefer
1004….Julie Chiasson
1005….Julie Cote
1006….Julie Lambert
1007….Kaitlin Bordeleau
1008….Karie Drouin
1009….Karine Lacasse
1010….Karine Roxburgh
1011….Karine Sauve
1012….Katherine Ruschiensky
1013….Keila Fontaine
1014….Ken Lagace
1015….Keri Lalande
1016….Kim Deslauriers-Parisé
1017….Kim Monaghan
1018….Kimberly Turner
1019….Kirstin Wood-Haley
1020….Lesya Stocki
1021….Line Dubois
1022….Louis Duchesne
1023….Louis Simon
1024….Luc Boucher
1025….Lucie Lalonde
1026….Lucie Prevost
1027….Lyne Pion
1028….Lynn Villeneuve
1029….Marc Dumouchel
1030….Marc Fortin
1031….Marc Ibrahim
1032….Marc Pérusse
1033….Marcel Beaudoin
1034….Marcel Croteau
1035….Marco Lacasse
1036….Maria Cloutier
1037….Marie-France Chatel
1038….Marie-Josée Brinck
1039….Marie-Pascal Berthelot
1040….Mario Charette
1041….Mario Dube
1042….Martin Jourdenais
1043….Martin Labine
1044….Martin St-Amour
1045….Martin Yshikawa
1046….Maryse Mercier
1047….Mathieu Gagné
1048….Mélanie Bélanger
1049….Melanie Bouchard
1050….Mélanie Brunet
1051….Melanie Gauthier
1052….Melanie Larocque
1053….Melanie Renaud
1054….Melanie Wallwork
1055….Michael Groh
1056….Michel Lefebvre
1057….Mihail Tofan
1058….Mikaly Gagnon
1059….Mike Leclair
1060….Myriam Houde
1061….Nadine Lavergne
1062….Nancy Jane Russell
1063….Nancy Moreau
1064….Nathalie Bigras
1065….Nathalie Brunet
1066….Nathalie Cyr
1067….Nathalie Leduc
1068….Neil Plohman
1069….Nesreen Ibrahim
1070….Nicole Lapointe
1071….Norman Bouchard
1072….Pascal Viau
1073….Paul Gould
1074….Philippe Chenier
1075….Philippe Chouinard
1076….Pierre Lavoie
1077….Rachelle Duval
1078….Raphael Brissette
1079….René Hatem
1080….Renee Venne
1081….Ricardo del Castillo
1082….Richard Massé
1083….Robert Chasse
1084….Robert Daoust
1085….Samuel Roy
1086….Sandra Roberts
1087….Serena Dalton
1088….Shayna Stawicki
1089….Slobodan Delev
1090….Stéphan Soucy
1091….Stéphane Gagné
1092….Stephanie Dufault
1093….Susie Simard
1094….Susi-Paula Gaudecnio
1095….Suzanne Ramsay
1096….Sylvie Ouellette
1097….Tania Paiement
1098….Tanya Joanis
1099….Tayeb Mesbah
1100….Valerie Lapointe
1101….Vicky Rossi-Beshir
1102….Victoria Hasbani
C. Kanata Residents
1103….Al Lyons
1104….Andree Blais-Stevens
1105….Andy Cowan
1106….Angela McAllister
1107….Ashley Williams
1108….Barbara Campbell
1109….Bernie Armour
1110….Beverly Hatfield
1111….Bill Gilchrist
1112….Billy Seaman
1113….Bruce Playfair
1114….Caitlen Howard
1115….Carl Pelletier
1116….Cathy Anderson
1117….Cathy Mahoney
1118….Cecilia Jorgenson
1119….Cheryl-Lynn Lavers
1120….Chris Baylis
1121….Christine Scharf
1122….Colleen Gilchrist
1123….Dan Kelly
1124….Danielle Leduc
1125….David Faubert
1126….Deanne Donohue
1127….Deby Knowlton
1128….Derrick Baldwin
1129….Donna Boileau
1130….Elizabeth Matz
1131….Emily Howard
1132….Gabi Castelnuovo
1133….Gabrielle Morin
1134….Gi Wu
1135….Gord Scharf
1136….Grant Wiesner
1137….Heather McCauley
1138….Jaimee Fleming
1139….Jasmine Baylis
1140….Jennifer Henderson
1141….Jennifer Russell
1142….Jennifer Samojlenko
1143….Jenny Etmanskie
1144….Jerome Lambourne
1145….Joanne Callow
1146….JoAnne Whittingham
1147….Jocelyne Leger
1148….Jody Vallati
1149….John Donak
1150….Kathleen Westbury
1151….Keith Bottrill
1152….Keri Hillier
1153….Krista Bugden
1154….Laura Vassal
1155….Laurie Boulet
1156….Leanne Pelley
1157….Lida Koronewskij
1158….Linda Donovan
1159….Linda Harding Devries
1160….Lisa Casselman
1161….Lisa Hogan
1162….Lisa Richardson
1163….Lynn Douglas
1164….Malcolm Wood
1165….Manon Desharnais
1166….Manuel Fernandez
1167….Mark Jorgenson
1168….Martine Dumas
1169….Matthew Lavers
1170….Meghan Stewart
1171….Melanie Clement
1172….Michel Fleury
1173….Mike Gibbons
1174….Mira vrbaski
1175….Natalie Gouthro
1176….Neil Maxwell
1177….Nevenka Bruic
1178….Nicole Myslivecek
1179….Nicole Truax
1180….Nolan MacAfee
1181….Patricia Brown
1182….Paul Kellar
1183….Paulette roberge
1184….Richard Michaud
1185….Rod Fage
1186….Rosa Pool
1187….Rosemary Deans
1188….Sara McMartin
1189….Sarah Green
1190….Sarah Larose
1191….Sarah Mills-McEwan
1192….Scott Moir
1193….Shannon Cheney
1194….Sriram Krishnamurthy
1195….Sue Ackerman
1196….Sue Lebrun
1197….Terry Koss
1198….Vincent_Andy Fong
1199….Wally Prater
1200….William Jorgenson
D. Nepean Residents
1201….Alexei Pogrebtsov
1202….Andrea Gorsky
1203….Andrew Fok
1204….Andrew Keir
1205….Andrew McCorquodale
1206….Angela Martin
1207….Bailey Reid
1208….Barbara Berry
1209….Bonnie MacDonald
1210….Carolyn Frank
1211….Carolyn Perkins
1212….Catherine Martens
1213….Chantal Assemi
1214….Christopher Liu
1215….Conrad Hutter
1216….Cynthia Field-Rose
1217….Dan Lacasse
1218….Darren McMann
1219….Darryl Gavard
1220….Dave Summerbell
1221….David Berry
1222….David Reid
1223….Denis Therrien
1224….Diana Bertosa
1225….Diane Ferguson
1226….Don Whiting
1227….Donna McKibbon
1228….Elaine Robertson
1229….Ellen Dickson
1230….Emily Sandwell
1231….Ericka Keranen
1232….Erik Kristjansson
1233….Erin Schmidt
1234….Gary Guymer
1235….George Ricketts
1236….Gerald Welsh
1237….Glenn Duncan
1238….Greg Rogers
1239….Heather Wall
1240….Helen Bolt
1241….Jack Kwan
1242….Jane Hext
1243….Janet Sullivan
1244….Janice Carroll
1245….Jeff Campagnola
1246….Jen Lahey
1247….Jessie Beavis
1248….Joanne Best-Roberts
1249….Jo-Anne DiFruscio
1250….Joseph Emas
1251….Judy Tubman-Reid
1252….Karleen Heer
1253….Kathleen O'Leary
1254….Kathryn Hill
1255….Katie Squires
1256….Ken Wilson
1257….Kimberley Leach
1258….Kyla Goyette
1259….Laura Clark
1260….Laura Johnston
1261….Lisa Hoople
1262….Lynn Galarneau
1263….Marc Rydzik
1264….Marty Truman
1265….Mary Boyle
1266….Megan Chapman
1267….Melanie Dompierre
1268….Melanie White
1269….Michael Eisen
1270….Nicole Frigault
1271….Niki Dignard
1272….Pam Thistle
1273….Paul Doerr
1274….Peggy Welsh
1275….Peter Page
1276….Renee Leahy
1277….Richard Thomas
1278….Rita Petrocco
1279….Robbie Muir
1280….Rod Macdonald
1281….Ron Dechambeau
1282….Roslyn Dacey
1283….Ryan Charbonneau
1284….Ryan Squires
1285….Sally Floyd
1286….Sandra Brancatelli
1287….Sara Berry
1288….Scott Cairney
1289….Shana van Rijt
1290….Shelley Murdock
1291….Sophie Schram
1292….Stephanie Dunne
1293….Steven Winters
1294….Tania Falls
1295….Tanya Snook
1296….Tim Sandwell
1297….Tina Ryan
1298….Tracey Ives
1299….Tracy Doran
1300….Trish Munro
1301….William Casey
1302….William Doran
E. Orleans Residents
1303….Alex Hadjisophocleous
1304….Alex Templeton
1305….Alexandra Gaudes
1306….Alfred Jacque
1307….Andrew Duggan
1308….Andrew Rose
1309….Angele Vanderlaan
1310….Anita Taylor
1311….Anke Berndt
1312….Arnold Riendeau
1313….Barb Holgate
1314….Bernie Hasselman
1315….Blair Paquet
1316….Brent Smyth
1317….Bruce Barteaux
1318….Carly Hasselman
1319….Carmen Saumure
1320….Carole Gaudes
1321….Christal Whittaker
1322….Christina Dube
1323….Christina Foster
1324….Claudia Nault
1325….Dallas Hall
1326….Daniel Caron
1327….Danny Saint-Fort
1328….David Leeder
1329….David Tischhauser
1330….Debra Powell
1331….Denyse Sencan
1332….Diane Bamford
1333….Dillon McCormick
1334….Dominique Cusson
1335….Don Gaudes
1336….Eann Hodges
1337….Eileen Bradley
1338….Emilie Lachance
1339….Francine Amyotte
1340….Francine Berry
1341….Francis Sommers
1342….Gary Whelan
1343….Geneviève Lapointe
1344….George Hammond
1345….Guylaine Bernard
1346….Harold Henderson
1347….Hinesh Chauhan
1348….Isabelle Ferguson
1349….Isabelle Patenaude
1350….Jane Schofield
1351….Jason Rama
1352….Jason Roberts
1353….Jean Lavictoire
1354….Jeff Barton
1355….Jennifer Caldbick
1356….Jennifer Gallant
1357….Jessica Lacroix
1358….Joyce Burghardt
1359….Jurgen Mack
1360….Katharine Powell
1361….Kathy Wiens
1362….Kevin Piccott
1363….Kristina Perrier
1364….Kyle Simpson
1365….Laura Regnier
1366….Leslie Day
1367….Lindsay Lefebvre
1368….Lisa Grison
1369….Lisa Strachan
1370….Lisa Whelan
1371….Lois Simms-Baldwin
1372….Lyne Rama
1373….Marie-Claude Lefrançois
1374….Marilyn White
1375….Mario Martel
1376….Mark Gibson
1377….Marshall Clark
1378….Matthew Leblanc
1379….Matthew Walthert
1380….Maxime Lamoureux
1381….Michael Brown
1382….Michael Morin
1383….Michelle Baird
1384….Mylène Leclerc
1385….Nadine Tischhauser
1386….Nancy Camacho
1387….Natalie Jolette
1388….Natalie Nadon
1389….Nicole Clark
1390….Nicole Pigeon
1391….Patrick Adams
1392….Patrick Murphy
1393….Paul Devlin
1394….Paul Menard
1395….Peter Belair
1396….Prasanth Tella
1397….Raleigh Young
1398….Ron Hanson
1399….Russ Kajganich
1400….Sandy Clark
1401….Scott Harding
1402….Serge Arseneault
1403….Shari De Jong
1404….Shayne Chamberlain
1405….Sonia Powell
1406….Stephane Montpetit
1407….Stephen Chisnall
1408….Steve Hall
1409….Steve Mitchell
1410….Stuart Taylor
1411….Susan Poisson
1412….Suzete Dos Santos
1413….Sylvie King
1414….Tammy Quinn
1415….Tara Redmond
1416….Terry Flynn
1417….Todd Collins
1418….Todd Sloan
1419….Tony Thatcher
1420….Tracy Baker-Gibson
1421….Trevor Kirkland
1422….Veronique Mousseau
1423….Vincent Young
1424….Vivianne Gaudet
1425….William Baldwin
1426….Yves Ducharme
F. Residents of other local Ontario communities
(see page 2)
I wasn't expecting a silver skip on the Warrington Arpley - Stoke Marcroft trip, seen here returning at Longport. The EMD depot with an 08 and 56/69 can be seen in the background. Stoke may get little freight but it does have the loco works and wagon works.
Newsweek: Obama better represents Catholics than does the Pope
WSJ: Unemployment Up from 4.8% to currently 9.5% (20% in MI) and expected to rise
Obama flies pizza chef to Washington, DC from St. Louis to cater a party for him and his pals at White House.
Obama: "We are out of money"
Obama: "Its Working"
Facts: Government has nationalized AIG, Chrysler, GM, Citibank and has its eyes set on Health Care
This administration and congress has already outspent all previous 43 presidents combined
"Stimulus" is spent on bailing out failed social experiments and entitlement sinkholes by state governments controlled by "progressives"
House passes largest Tax Increase in the History of America - they aim to tax the air we breathe
Charitable donation levels and business investments down as tax levels increase
Obamas plan vacation at Martha's Vineyard
Obama promised unemployment would not exceed 8% - now its 9.5% and rising
Obama said it was mandatory that the 10 to 20 trillion dollar (with debt servicing) "stimulus" was passed right away or we are doomed - it was voted on and passed without those voting in the affirmative for it even reading it.
Once passed, the vast majority of the "stimulus" spending is deferred to 2010 which coincidentally is an election year for the politicians who voted for passage. An inference is that the only crisis was the socialists getting reelected after their policy of fascism failed to turn around the economy. A study of history will reveal their concern - no fascist/socialist enterprise has been successful at improving the quality of life for its citizens at any time in human history. No civilization has successfully taxed and spent its way out of a recession in the history of humanity.
Those who hold America's debt are frantically calling for a "world currency", knowing full well, that the certain forthcoming hyperinflation in America will significantly devalue the US Dollar and their investments will then be worth pennies on the dollar.
Now, Obama says that health care must be nationalized right away or we are doomed.
Now, Obama says that Sotomayor must be confirmed right away or we are doomed.
Now, Obama says that Cap and Trade (destroy and nationalize the energy sector) bill must be passed right away or we are doomed.
Now, Obama says that trillions of dollars of new taxes must be passed right away or we are doomed. These new taxes are on top of the trillions of dollars in new taxes that were already included in his "stimulus" bill and budget.
Is there a pattern? Does "we" refer to his constituents or perhaps himself and his political cronies?
No civilization has reversed a downward unemployment spiral by shrinking its private sector and growing its government bureaucracy.
The countries who have tried the fascist/socialist experiment are now moving back to more capitialistic free market policies - why? because shrinking their private sector and burdening it with increased government confiscatory/redistribution policies created misery in the form of unemployment, loss of individual freedom, lower quality of life and medical care rationing, shortages and misery.
Biden: We have to keep spending money to keep from going bankrupt.
Obama: We must pass nationalized health care so we can reduce costs. (We must do it now or we are doomed)
CBO Chief: Health Bills To Increase Federal Costs
White House wants more power to set Medicare rates
wiki.answers.com/Q/Name_and_explain_two_effects_of_price_...
When thinking about price controls, think of the supply and demand curves and remember that with a price control, it is impossible for a price to get into equilibrium. With that in mind, we can identify two problems that result from this.
1. A shortage/oversupply of the good. If there is a price ceiling, you have a shortage (a la gasoline during the price controls of the 70's.) If there is a floor, you have overproduction (a la ethanol. Which, granted, is subsidized, but that is effectively like a price floor). *Note* also consider the housing markets where rent control is present.
2. An inefficient allocation of resources. With ethanol being subsidized, we witnessed a massive increase in the price of corn. The market did not want this, and thus we saw an inefficient allocation of resources.
Should National Health Care pass in this country, I will not know where or when I will die, but I will know how - substandard medical care, denial of care, lack of r&d due to price controls and rationing emposed by the government - all based on decisions by bureaucrats, actuaries, accountants and political appointees who I do not know and who do not know me or my specific needs or wishes ... and more importantly do not care ... they care only about passing the next government audit cycle for cost control.
PLEASE STOP THIS TYRANNY
Analysis of Health Care Bill HR 3200 Print E-mail
Thursday, 06 August 2009 20:28
Below is a detailed, line by line, analysis of the Health Care bill (HR 3200) by CADC’s advisory board member, Mat Staver of the Liberty Council, and Dean of Liberty University School of Law.
Obama Health Care Plan Details
HR 3200 currently under consideration in the House of Representatives
*HC = "Health Care"
* Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Government will audit the books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure!!
* Pg 29 lines 4-16 in the HC Bill - YOUR HEALTH CARE IS RATIONED!!!
* Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC Bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get
* Pg 42 of HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your benefits for you. You have no choice!
* Pg 50 Section 152 in HC Bill - HC will be provided to ALL non-U.S. citizens, illegal or otherwise
* Pg 58 HC Bill – Government will have real-time access to individual’s finances and a National ID Health Care Card will be issued!
* Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 Government will have direct access to your banks accounts for electronic funds transfer.
* Pg 65 Sec 164 is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in unions and community organizations (ACORN).
* Pg 72 Lines 8-14 Government is creating a Health Care Exchange to bring private health care plans under government control.
* Pg 84 Sec 203 HC Bill - Government mandates ALL benefit packages for private health care plans in the Exchange
* Pg 85 Line 7 HC Bill - Specs for of Benefit Levels for Plans = The government will ration your health care!
* Pg 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill - Government mandates linguistic appropriate services.
* Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 The government will use groups i.e., ACORN & AmeriCorps to sign up individuals for government Health Care Plan
* Pg 85 Line 7 HC Bill - Specs of Ben Levels 4 Plans. #AARP members - Your health care WILL be rationed
* Pg 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill - Medicaid Eligible Individual will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice.
* Pg 124 lines 24-25 HC No company can sue the government on price fixing. No "judicial review" against this government monopoly.
* Pg 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill - Doctors/ #AMA - The government will tell YOU what you can make.
* Pg 145 Line 15-17 An employer MUST auto enroll employees into public option plan. NO CHOICE
* Pg 126 Lines 22-25 Employers MUST pay for health care for part-time employees AND their families.
* Pg 149 Lines 16-24 ANY Employer w/ payroll 400k and above who does not prov. pub opt. pays 8% tax on all payroll
* Pg 150 Lines 9-13 Businesses with payroll between 251k and 400k who do not provide public opt pays 2-6% tax on all payroll
* Pg 167 Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesn’t have acceptable health care according to government will be taxed 2.5% of income.
* Pg 170 Lines 1-3 Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay).
* Pg 195 Officers & employees of HC Administration (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans' financial and personal records.
* Pg 203 Line 14-15 HC - "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax." Yes, it says that.
* Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected.
* Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill - Doctors, it does not matter what specialty you have, you’ll all be paid the same.
* Pg 253 Line 10-18 Government sets value of doctors' time, prof judg, etc. Literally value of humans.
* Pg 265 Sec 1131Government mandates and controls productivity for private health care industries.
* Pg 268 Sec 1141 Federal Government regulates rental and purchase of power-driven wheelchairs.
* Pg 272 SEC. 1145. Treatment of certain cancer hospitals – Cancer patients - welcome to rationing!
* Page 280 Sec 1151 The government will penalize hospitals for what government deems preventable readmissions. (Incentives for hospital to not treat and release.)
* Pg 298 Lines 9-11 Doctors that treat a patient during initial admission that results in a readmission-Government will penalize you.
* Pg 317 L 13-20 PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Government tells Doctors what/how much they can own.
* Pg 317-318 lines 21-25, 1-3 PROHIBITION on expansion- Government is mandating hospitals cannot expand.
* pg 321 2-13 Hospitals have opportunity to apply for exception, BUT community input required. Can you say ACORN?!!
* Pg335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339 - Government mandates establishment of outcome based measures. Health Care the way they want. Rationing.
* Pg 341 Lines 3-9 Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans (Part B), HMOs, etc. Forcing people into Government plan.
* Pg 354 Sec 1177 - Government will RESTRICT enrollment of special needs people!
* Pg 379 Sec 1191 Government creates more bureaucracy – Tele-health Advisory Committee. Health care by phone/Internet?
* Pg 425 Lines 4-12 Government mandates Advance [Death] Care Planning Consultion. Think Senior Citizens end of life.
* Pg 425 Lines 17-19 Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney. Mandatory!
* Pg 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Government provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in death.
* Pg 427 Lines 15-24 Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The government has a say in how your life ends.
* Pg 429 Lines 1-9 An "advanced care planning consult" will be used frequently as patient's health deteriorates.
* Pg 429 Lines 10-12 " advanced care consultation" may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from Government.
* Pg 429 Lines 13-25 - The government will specify which doctors can write an end of life order.
* PG 430 Lines 11-15 The government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end of life.
* Pg 469 - Community Based Home Medical Services=Non-profit orgs. Hello, ACORN Medical Services here!!?
* Pg 472 Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORG. 1 monthly payment to a community-based org. Like ACORN?
* Pg 489 Sec 1308 The government will cover Marriage and Family therapy. They will insert government into your marriage.
* Pg 494-498 Government will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, rationing those services.
* PG 502 Sec 1181 Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research Established. – Hello Big Brother – Literally.
* Pg 503 Lines 13-19 Government will build registries and data networks from YOUR electronic medical records.
* Pg 503 lines 21-25 Government may secure data directly from any department or agency of the U.S. who have any of your data.
* Pg 504 Lines 6-10 The "Center" will collect data both published and unpublished (that means public and your private info).
* PG 506 Lines 19-21 The Center will recommend policies that would allow for public access of data.
* PG 518 Lines 21-25 The Commission will have input from Health Care consumer reps – Can you say unions and ACORN?
* PG 524 18-22 Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund set up. More taxes for ALL.
* PG 621 Lines 20-25 Government will define what quality means in health care. Since when does government know about quality?
* Pg 622 Lines 2-9 To pay for the Quality Standards, government will transfer money from other government Trust Funds. More Taxes.
* PG 624 "Quality" measures shall be designed to assess outcomes and functional status of patients.
* PG 624 "Quality" measures shall be designed to profile you including race, age, gender, place of residence, etc.
* Pg 628 Sec 1443 Government will give "Multi-Stake Holders" Pre-Rule Making input into Selection of "Quality" Measures.
* Pg 630 9-24/631 1-9 Those multi-stake holder groups include unions and groups like ACORN deciding health care quality.
* Pg 632 Lines 14-25 The Government may implement any "Quality measure" of health care services as they see fit.
* PG 633 14-25/ 634 1-9 The Secretary may issue non-endorsed "Quality Measures" for Physician Services and Dialysis Services.
* Pg 635 to 653 Physicians Payments Sunshine Provision – Government wants to shine sunlight on doctor but not government.
* Pg 654-659 Public Reporting on Health Care-Associated Infections – Looks okay.
* PG 660-671 Doctors in Residency – Government will tell you where your residency will be, thus where you’ll live.
* Pg 676-686 Government will regulate hospitals in EVERY aspect of residency programs, including teaching hospitals.
* Pg 686-700 Increased Funding to Fight Waste, Fraud, and Abuse. Do they mean like the government with an $18 million website?
* PGs 701-704 Sec 1619 If your part of health care plan isn’t in Government Health Care Exchange but you qualify for Federal aid, no payment.
* PG 705-709 SEC. 1128 If Secretary gets complaints (ACORN) on health care provider or supplier, government can do background check.
* PG 711 Lines 8-14 The Secretary has broad powers to deny health care providers/ suppliers admittance into Health Care Exchange. Your doctor could be thrown out of business.
* Pg 719-720 Sec 1637 ANY Doctor who orders durable medical equipment or home medical services MUST be enrolled in Medicare.
* PG 722 Sec 1639 Government MANDATES doctors must have face-to-face with patient to certify patient for Home Health Services.
* PG 724 23-25 PG 725 1-5 The same government certifications will apply to Medicaid and CHIP (your kids).
* PG 724 Lines 16-22 Government reserves right to apply face-to-face certification for patient to ANY other health care service.
* Pg 735 lines 16-25 For law enforcement, proposes the Secretary-HHS will give Attorney General access to ALL data.
* PG 740-757 Government sets guidelines for subsidizing the uninsured (That's your tax dollars people).
* Pg 757-762 Federal Government will shift burden of payments to Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) to States. (Taxes)
* Pg 763 1-8 No DS/EA hospitals will be paid unless they provide services without regard to national origin.
* Pg 765 Sec 1711 Government will require Preventative Services including vaccines. (Choice?)
* Pg 768 Sec 1713 Government – Nurse Home Visitation Services (Hello union paybacks).
* Pg 769 11-14 Nurse Home Visit Services include economic self-sufficiency, employ adv, school-readiness.
* Pg 769 3-5 Nurse Home Visit Services - "increasing birth intervals between pregnancies." Government ABORTIONS anyone?
* Pg 770 SEC 1714 Federal Government mandates eligibility for State Family Planning Services. Abortion and State Sovereignty.
* Pg 789-797 Government will set, mandate drug prices, controlling which drugs brought to market. Bye innovation.
* Pgs 797-800 SEC. 1744 PAYMENTS for graduate medical education. The government will now control doctors’ educations.
* PG 801 Sec 1751 The government will decide which health care conditions will be paid. Can you say RATION!
* Pg 810 SEC. 1759. Billing Agents, clearinghouses, etc. req. to register. Government takes over private payment system.
* Pg 820-824 Sec 1801 Government will identify individuals ineligible for subsidies. Will access all personal financial information.
* Pg 824-829 SEC. 1802. Government sets up Comparative Effectiveness Research Trust Fund. Another tax black hole.
* PG 829-833 Government will impose a fee on ALL private health insurance plans including self-insured to pay for Trust Fund!
* PG 835 11-13 fees imposed by government for Trust Fund shall be treated as if they were taxes.
* Pg 838-840 Government will design and implement Home Visitation Program for families with young kids and families expecting kids.
* PG 844-845 This Home Visitation Program includes government coming into your house and telling you how to parent!!!
* Pg 859 Government will establish a Public Health Fund at a cost of $88,800,000,000. Yes that’s billion.
* Pg 865 The government will MANDATE the establishment of a National Health Service Corps.
* PG 865 to 876 The NHS Corps is a program where doctors perform mandatory health care for two years for part loan repayment.
* PG 876-892 The government takes over the education of our medical students and doctors.
* PG 898 The government will establish a Public Health Workforce Corps to ensure supply of public health prof.
* PG 898 The Public Health Workforce Corps shall consist of civilian employees of the U.S. as Secretary deems.
* PG 898 The Public Health Workforce Corps shall consist of officers of Regular and Reserve Corps of Service.
* PG 900 The Public Health Workforce Corps includes veterinarians.
* PG 901 The Public Health Workforce Corps WILL include commissioned Regular and Reserve Officers. HC Draft?
* PG 910 The government will develop, build, and run Public Health Training Centers.
* PG 913-914 Government starts a health care affirmative action program thru guise of diversity scholarships.
* PG 915 SEC. 2251. Government MANDDATES Cultural and linguistic competency training for health care professionals.
* Pg 932 The Government will establish Preventative and Wellness Trust fund- initial cost of $30,800,000,000 billion.
* PG 935 21-22 Government will identify specific goals & objectives for prevention & wellness activities. That means controlling YOU!!
* PG 936 Government will develop "Healthy People and National Public Health Performance Standards" Tell me what to eat?
* PG 942 Lines 22-25 More government? Offices of Surgeon General -Public Health Svc, Minority Health, Women’s Health
* PG 950- 980 BIG GOVERNMENT core pub health infrastructure including workforce capacity, lab systems, health info sys, etc.
* PG 993 Government will establish school based health clinics. Your kids won’t have a chance.
* PG 994 School Based Health Clinic will be integrated into the school environment. Say government brainwash!
* PG 1001 The government will establish a National Medical Device Registry. Will you be tracked?
It's dinner time at the Somersleys' home.
Jania eats her nuggets and drinks some milk while singing ABCs.
As I began to scroll down Instagram while attempting to eat, but I start to get nauseous and very bad headache has came on... Thinks to self "hmm it's kind of weird for the past couple of days around the same time I get like this..." Exits out of Instagram and clicks the calendar app and looks at the date. Gasps "I'm Late, c'mon Jania look like we have to make a store run."
Later... (in the bathroom) yells out "Jania sit on mommy's bed and play with your toys until I come out." Pulls out pregnancy test out of the box and reads the instructions, breathes "Here goes nothing" Waits 5 mins... Glances at the test "positive" 😳 grabs another test and repeats the process "positive" blinks "Okay one more time" "positive" whispers to self "I'm preg... I'm pregnant..." sheds a few tears "It's been a rough year and now I am blessed to bring another life onto the grid."
Jania runs into the bathroom with a sign that says 'Mommy is Pregnant' "How did you get that?" "Yaya gibes me its mommy" says Jania "Oh really? Well since yall just knew that I was pregnant let's take a picture."
Jania: Cheese!
To Be Continued.....
Wasn't expecting to see these in Rye today, and the Travelmasters vehicle was on Southern Trains Rail Replacement Services from Rye to and from Assford, while the Stagecoach E200 Bus was waiting to become Route 100 to Hastings.
And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw Very Recently!!
I expected to see lot of wounded people, but i saw not so many in Angola. I saw lots of people having polio. it seems that the civil war destroyed the health public programms, and so many young people were not vaccinated against Polio...
© Eric Lafforgue
Wasn't expecting to see this in Dover today, and this 2021 aquired vehicle had brought School Groups to Dover Castle which is now open again daily.
And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw this Year!!
My first mobile upload on this 365. Expect to see a few more of these throughout the year.
Thanks to my good friend Grez for joining in my photographic adventure! He's also a bit of a James Bond fan which is appropriate for today's number!
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S3
Processed with Phot Grid (app) and PS
In tribute to the work of Adde Adesokan
It is sad that the bins were abandoned. Trying very hard to look upside down to see the humor from a distance. I guess the winter season will be colder than expected.
A moving one??
Apart from the expected Hot Wheels modifications, this is actually quite a decent and unexpected model of the infamous 1960's Amphicar Model 770. Part of the excellent Flying Customs range which briefly filled the shelves of Poundland a few months ago. Mint and boxed.
Wasn't expecting to see this in Winchelsea today, and this vehicle was on Southern Trains Rail Replacement Services from Rye to Ore and Hastings, and was seen turning past the "New Inn" Pub and Post Office on its way into Winchelsea.
And be sure to check by my other acount: www.flickr.com/photos_user.gne?path=&nsid=77145939%40..., to see what else I saw Very Recently!!
I didn't expect to see this Raptor in my garden in midtown Tucson...Fortunately I had my iPhone 4S. After I got this one shot, I foolishly took a step forward to better get better exposure on the bird. It flew away...
Enhanced to bring out more detail in the shadows...
Cropped beyond reasonable.
IMG_8611 - Version 3
After waiting for months, my Fujifilm X-T2 is finally here. Back on Thursday, my local camera store, Kerrisdale Camera, said I will not be able to get it until next week since they did not receive enough X-T2s to fulfill the order. Surprisingly I got an email today saying that they have my order ready.
So after I finished my haircut, I just rushed to Kerrisdale and picked up the camera. My initial impression is that the EVF is a lot bigger and clearer than my X-E2. The improved grip is welcoming. I tried shooting near the area to test out the AF system. It is much better than X-E2 I used. Unfortunately, the subject I shot at are not moving fast so I cannot tell how fast and accurate X-T2 focus system is but it is very promising. I played around X-T1 before and it just feels like it. The menu changed quite a bit so I think I will need a bit of time getting used to it.
I don't think I will sell my X-E2 yet since it is still a very good camera and I will use it for my prime lens so I can swap between cameras. :)
I just cannot wait to bring these two cameras to my upcoming trip to Hong Kong and Taiwan. :)
Location: Vancouver, BC
The National Archaeological Museum in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the greatest museums in the world and contains the richest collection of Greek Antiquity artifacts worldwide. It is situated in the Exarcheia area in central Athens between Epirus Street, Bouboulinas Street and Tositsas Street while its entrance is on the Patission Street adjacent to the historical building of the Athens Polytechnic university.
History
The first national archaeological museum in Greece was established by the governor of Greece Ioannis Kapodistrias in Aigina in 1829. Subsequently, the archaeological collection was relocated to a number of exhibition places until 1858, when an international architectural competition was announced for the location and the architectural design of the new museum.
The current location was proposed and the construction of the museum's building began in 1866 and was completed in 1889 using funds from the Greek Government, the Greek Archaeological Society and the society of Mycenae. Major benefactors were Eleni Tositsa who donated the land for the building of the museum, and Demetrios and Nikolaos Vernardakis from Saint Petersburg who donated a large amount for the completion of the museum.
The initial name for the museum was The Central Museum. It was renamed to its current name in 1881 by Prime Minister of Greece Charilaos Trikoupis. In 1887 the important archaeologist Valerios Stais became the museum's curator.
During World War II the museum was closed and the antiquities were sealed in special protective boxes and buried, in order to avoid their destruction and looting. In 1945 exhibits were again displayed under the direction of Christos Karouzos and Semni Karouzou. The south wing of the museum houses the Epigraphic Museum with the richest collection of inscriptions in the world. The inscriptions museum expanded between 1953 and 1960 with the architectural designs of Patroklos Karantinos.
In 2023, the Greek government approved plans for a 20,000 square metre underground extension to the museum. The extension is expected to be completed by 2028 and will also feature a rooftop garden.
The building
The museum has an imposing neo-classical design which was very popular in Europe at the time and is in accordance with the classical style artifacts that it houses. The initial plan was conceived by the architect Ludwig Lange and it was later modified by Panagis Kalkos who was the main architect, Armodios Vlachos and Ernst Ziller. At the front of the museum there is a large neo-classic design garden which is decorated with sculptures.
Expansions and renovations
The building has undergone many expansions. Most important were the construction of a new east wing in the early 20th century based on the plans of Anastasios Metaxas and the construction of a two-storeyed building, designed by George Nomikos, during 1932–1939. These expansions were necessary to accommodate the rapidly growing collection of artifacts. The most recent refurbishment of the museum took more than 1.5 years to complete, during which the museum remained completely closed. It reopened in July 2004, in time for the Athens Olympics and it included an aesthetic and technical upgrade of the building, installation of a modern air-conditioning system, reorganisation of the museum's collection and repair of the damage caused by the 1999 earthquake. The Minoan frescoes rooms opened to the public in 2005. In May 2008 the Culture Minister Mihalis Liapis inaugurated the much anticipated collection of Egyptian antiquities and the collection of Eleni and Antonis Stathatos.
In 2020, there was renewed discussion regarding the need to further expand the museum to adjacent areas. A new plan was made for a subterranean expansion at the front of the museum.
In 2023, the Greek government approved plans for a 20,000 square metre underground extension to the museum. The extension is expected to be completed by 2028 and will also feature a rooftop garden.
Prehistoric collection
The prehistoric collection displays objects from the Neolithic era (6800–3000 BC), Early and Mid-Bronze Age (3000–2000 BC and 2000 to 1700 BC respectively), objects classified as Cycladic and Mycenaean art.
Mycenean art collection
Mycenean civilization is represented by stone, bronze and ceramic pots, figurines, ivory, glass and faience objects, golden seals and rings from the vaulted tombs in Mycenae and other locations in the Peloponnese (Tiryns and Dendra in Argolis, Pylos in Messinia and Vaphio in Lakonia). Of great interest are the two golden cups from Vafeio showing a scene of the capture of a bull.
Heinrich Schliemann finds
Mycenean collection includes also the magnificent 19th-century finds of Heinrich Schliemann in Mycenae from the Grave Circle A and the earlier Grave Circle B. Most notable are the golden funerary masks which covered the faces of deceased Mycenean nobles. Among them, the most famous is the one that was named erroneously as the mask of Agamemnon. There are also finds from the citadel of Mycenae including relief stelae, golden containers, glass, alabaster and amber tools and jewels. Other features include an ivory carving of two goddesses with a child, a painted limestone head of a goddess and the famous warrior's vase dating from the 12th century.
Egyptian art collection
The Egyptian collection dates back to the last twenty years of the 19th century. Notable is the donation of the Egyptian government which in 1893 offered nine mummies of the era of the Pharaohs from Bab el-Gasus. However, the Egyptian collection is mainly by two donors, Ioannis Dimitriou (in 1880) and of Alexandros Rostovic (in 1904). In total the collection includes more than 6000 artefacts, 1100 of which are available presently for the public. The collection is considered to be one of the best collections of Egyptian art in the world. The exhibition features rare statues, tools, jewels, mummies, a wooden body tag for a mummy, a stunning bronze statue of a princess, intact bird eggs and a 3000-year-old loaf of bread with a bite-sized chunk missing. The exhibition centrepiece is a bronze statue of the princess-priestess Takushit, dating to around 670 BC. Standing 70 cm high and wearing a gown covered in hieroglyphs, the statue was found south of Alexandria in 1880.
Stathatos collection
The Stathatos collection is named for the donors and major Greek benefactors Antonis and Eleni Stathatos. The collection features about 1000 objects, mainly jewels as well as metal objects, vases, and pottery from the Middle Bronze Age to post-Byzantine era. Features of special note are the Hellenistic period golden jewels from Karpenissi and Thessaly.
Artists and artifacts
Some of the ancient artists whose work is presented in the museum are Myron, Scopas, Euthymides, Lydos, Agoracritus, Agasias, Pan Painter, Wedding Painter, Meleager Painter, Cimon of Cleonae, Nessos Painter, Damophon, Aison (vase painter), Analatos Painter, Polygnotos (vase painter), Hermonax.
Collections include sculpture work, Loutrophoros, amphora, Hydria, Skyphos, Krater, Pelike, and lekythos vessels, Stele, frescoes, jewellery, weapons, tools, coins, toys and other ancient items.
Artifacts derive from archaeological excavations in Santorini, Mycenae, Tiryns, Dodona, Vaphio, Rhamnous, Lycosura, Aegean islands, Delos, the Temple of Aphaea in Aegina, the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia in Sparta, Pylos, Thebes, Athens, Vari Cave, the Antikythera wreck and from various other places in Greece.
The museum houses the archaic terracota statuette daidala that inspired the designers of the 2004 Athens Olympics maskots Athena and Phevos.
New exhibits
Two of the newest exhibits of the museum include a 4th-century BC golden funerary wreath and a 6th-century BC marble statue of a woman, which were returned as stolen artifacts to Greece in 2007 by the Getty Museum in California, after a 10-year-long legal dispute between the Getty Center and the Greek Government. One year earlier, the Los Angeles foundation agreed to return a 4th-century BC tombstone from near Greek Thebes and a 6th-century BC votive relief from the island of Thassos.
Museum highlights
Antikythera Ephebe
Antikythera mechanism
Aphrodite of Syracuse
Apollo Omphalos
Armed Aphrodite
Artemision Bronze
Atalante Hermes
Bronze Statuette of Athletic Spartan Girl
Bust of Antinous
Capitoline Venus
Daidala
Diadumenos
Dipylon inscription
Funerary naiskos of Aristonautes
Funerary Stela of Demokleides
Great Eleusinian Relief
Group of Aphrodite, Pan and Eros
Heracles of Antikythera
Hermes Criophorus
Hermes of Aegium
Jockey of Artemision
Kouroi and Korai:
Kroisos Kouros
Merenda Kouros
Phrasikleia Kore
Sounion Kouros
Lemnos stela
Lenormant Athena
Lycosoura Artemis
Lycosoura Demeter
Mantineia Base
Marathon Boy
Mask of Agamemnon
Mycenean Warrior Vase
Nestor's Cup
Nike of Epidaurus
Nike of Megara
Ninnion Tablet
Pitsa panels
Poseidon of Melos
Rhyton in the shape of a bull head
Theseus Ring
Varvakeion Athena
Wall frescoes from Tiryns and Santorini
Library of archaeology
The museum houses a 118-year-old library of archeology with rare ancient art, science and philosophy books and publications. The library has some 20,000 volumes, including rare editions dating to the 17th century. The bibliography covers archaeology, history, arts, ancient religions and ancient Greek philosophy, as well as Ancient Greek and Latin literature. Of particular value are the diaries of various excavations including those of Heinrich Schliemann. The collection of archaeology books is the richest of its kind in Greece. The Library has been recently renovated with funds from the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation. Its renovation was completed on 26 May 2008 and is now named after Alexander Onassis.
Athens is a major coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, and it is both the capital and the largest city of Greece. With its urban area's population numbering over three million, it is also the eighth largest urban area in the European Union. Athens dominates and is the capital of the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years, and its earliest human presence beginning somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennia BC. The city was named after Athena, the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom.
Classical Athens was one of the most powerful city-states in ancient Greece. It was a centre for democracy, the arts, education and philosophy, and was highly influential throughout the European continent, particularly in Ancient Rome. For this reason, it is often regarded as the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy in its own right independently from the rest of Greece. In modern times, Athens is a huge cosmopolitan metropolis and central to economic, financial, industrial, maritime, political and cultural life in Greece. In 2023, Athens metropolitan area and its surrounding municipalities (consisting the regional area of Attica) has a population of approximately 3.8 million.
Athens is a Beta-status global city according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network, and is one of the biggest economic centers in Southeastern Europe. It also has a large financial sector, and its port Piraeus is both the 2nd busiest passenger port in Europe, and the 13th largest container port in the world. The Municipality of Athens (also City of Athens), which constitutes a small administrative unit of the entire urban area, had a population of 643,452 (2021) within its official limits, and a land area of 38.96 km2 (15.04 sq mi). The Athens metropolitan area or Greater Athens extends beyond its administrative municipal city limits as well as its urban agglomeration, with a population of 3,638,281 (2021) over an area of 2,928.717 km2 (1,131 sq mi). Athens is also the southernmost capital on the European mainland.
The heritage of the Classical Era is still evident in the city, represented by ancient monuments, and works of art, the most famous of all being the Parthenon, considered a key landmark of early Western culture. The city also retains Roman, Byzantine and a smaller number of Ottoman monuments, while its historical urban core features elements of continuity through its millennia of history. Athens is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Acropolis of Athens and the medieval Daphni Monastery. Landmarks of the modern era, dating back to the establishment of Athens as the capital of the independent Greek state in 1834, include the Hellenic Parliament and the Architectural Trilogy of Athens, consisting of the National Library of Greece, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and the Academy of Athens. Athens is also home to several museums and cultural institutions, such as the National Archeological Museum, featuring the world's largest collection of ancient Greek antiquities, the Acropolis Museum, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the Benaki Museum, and the Byzantine and Christian Museum. Athens was the host city of the first modern-day Olympic Games in 1896, and 108 years later it hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics, making it one of five cities to have hosted the Summer Olympics on multiple occasions. Athens joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016.
Etymology and names
In Ancient Greek, the name of the city was Ἀθῆναι (Athênai, pronounced [atʰɛ̂ːnai̯] in Classical Attic), which is a plural word. In earlier Greek, such as Homeric Greek, the name had been current in the singular form though, as Ἀθήνη (Athḗnē). It was possibly rendered in the plural later on, like those of Θῆβαι (Thêbai) and Μυκῆναι (Μukênai). The root of the word is probably not of Greek or Indo-European origin, and is possibly a remnant of the Pre-Greek substrate of Attica. In antiquity, it was debated whether Athens took its name from its patron goddess Athena (Attic Ἀθηνᾶ, Athēnâ, Ionic Ἀθήνη, Athḗnē, and Doric Ἀθάνα, Athā́nā) or Athena took her name from the city. Modern scholars now generally agree that the goddess takes her name from the city,[24] because the ending -ene is common in names of locations, but rare for personal names.
According to the ancient Athenian founding myth, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war, competed against Poseidon, the God of the Seas, for patronage of the yet-unnamed city; they agreed that whoever gave the Athenians the better gift would become their patron and appointed Cecrops, the king of Athens, as the judge. According to the account given by Pseudo-Apollodorus, Poseidon struck the ground with his trident and a salt water spring welled up. In an alternative version of the myth from Vergil's poem Georgics, Poseidon instead gave the Athenians the first horse. In both versions, Athena offered the Athenians the first domesticated olive tree. Cecrops accepted this gift and declared Athena the patron goddess of Athens. Eight different etymologies, now commonly rejected, have been proposed since the 17th century. Christian Lobeck proposed as the root of the name the word ἄθος (áthos) or ἄνθος (ánthos) meaning "flower", to denote Athens as the "flowering city". Ludwig von Döderlein proposed the stem of the verb θάω, stem θη- (tháō, thē-, "to suck") to denote Athens as having fertile soil. Athenians were called cicada-wearers (Ancient Greek: Τεττιγοφόροι) because they used to wear pins of golden cicadas. A symbol of being autochthonous (earth-born), because the legendary founder of Athens, Erechtheus was an autochthon or of being musicians, because the cicada is a "musician" insect. In classical literature, the city was sometimes referred to as the City of the Violet Crown, first documented in Pindar's ἰοστέφανοι Ἀθᾶναι (iostéphanoi Athânai), or as τὸ κλεινὸν ἄστυ (tò kleinòn ásty, "the glorious city").
During the medieval period, the name of the city was rendered once again in the singular as Ἀθήνα. Variant names included Setines, Satine, and Astines, all derivations involving false splitting of prepositional phrases. King Alphonse X of Castile gives the pseudo-etymology 'the one without death/ignorance'. In Ottoman Turkish, it was called آتينا Ātīnā, and in modern Turkish, it is Atina.
History
Main article: History of Athens
For a chronological guide, see Timeline of Athens.
Historical affiliations
Kingdom of Athens 1556 BC–1068 BC
City-state of Athens 1068 BC–322 BC
Hellenic League 338 BC–322 BC
Kingdom of Macedonia 322 BC–148 BC
Roman Republic 146 BC–27 BC
Roman Empire 27 BC–395 AD
Eastern Roman Empire 395–1205
Duchy of Athens 1205–1458
Ottoman Empire 1458–1822, 1827–1832
Greece 1822–1827, 1832–present
Antiquity
The oldest known human presence in Athens is the Cave of Schist, which has been dated to between the 11th and 7th millennia BC. Athens has been continuously inhabited for at least 5,000 years (3000 BC). By 1400 BC, the settlement had become an important centre of the Mycenaean civilization, and the Acropolis was the site of a major Mycenaean fortress, whose remains can be recognised from sections of the characteristic Cyclopean walls. Unlike other Mycenaean centers, such as Mycenae and Pylos, it is not known whether Athens suffered destruction in about 1200 BC, an event often attributed to a Dorian invasion, and the Athenians always maintained that they were pure Ionians with no Dorian element. However, Athens, like many other Bronze Age settlements, went into economic decline for around 150 years afterwards. Iron Age burials, in the Kerameikos and other locations, are often richly provided for and demonstrate that from 900 BC onwards Athens was one of the leading centres of trade and prosperity in the region.
By the sixth century BC, widespread social unrest led to the reforms of Solon. These would pave the way for the eventual introduction of democracy by Cleisthenes in 508 BC. Athens had by this time become a significant naval power with a large fleet, and helped the rebellion of the Ionian cities against Persian rule. In the ensuing Greco-Persian Wars Athens, together with Sparta, led the coalition of Greek states that would eventually repel the Persians, defeating them decisively at Marathon in 490 BC, and crucially at Salamis in 480 BC. However, this did not prevent Athens from being captured and sacked twice by the Persians within one year, after a heroic but ultimately failed resistance at Thermopylae by Spartans and other Greeks led by King Leonidas, after both Boeotia and Attica fell to the Persians.
The decades that followed became known as the Golden Age of Athenian democracy, during which time Athens became the leading city of Ancient Greece, with its cultural achievements laying the foundations for Western civilization. The playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides flourished in Athens during this time, as did the historians Herodotus and Thucydides, the physician Hippocrates, and the philosopher Socrates. Guided by Pericles, who promoted the arts and fostered democracy, Athens embarked on an ambitious building program that saw the construction of the Acropolis of Athens (including the Parthenon), as well as empire-building via the Delian League. Originally intended as an association of Greek city-states to continue the fight against the Persians, the league soon turned into a vehicle for Athens's own imperial ambitions. The resulting tensions brought about the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), in which Athens was defeated by its rival Sparta.
By the mid-4th century BC, the northern Greek kingdom of Macedon was becoming dominant in Athenian affairs. In 338 BC the armies of Philip II defeated an alliance of some of the Greek city-states including Athens and Thebes at the Battle of Chaeronea. Later, under Rome, Athens was given the status of a free city because of its widely admired schools. In the second century AD, The Roman emperor Hadrian, himself an Athenian citizen, ordered the construction of a library, a gymnasium, an aqueduct which is still in use, several temples and sanctuaries, a bridge and financed the completion of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
In the early 4th century AD, the Eastern Roman Empire began to be governed from Constantinople, and with the construction and expansion of the imperial city, many of Athens's works of art were taken by the emperors to adorn it. The Empire became Christianized, and the use of Latin declined in favour of exclusive use of Greek; in the Roman imperial period, both languages had been used. In the later Roman period, Athens was ruled by the emperors continuing until the 13th century, its citizens identifying themselves as citizens of the Roman Empire ("Rhomaioi"). The conversion of the empire from paganism to Christianity greatly affected Athens, resulting in reduced reverence for the city.[33] Ancient monuments such as the Parthenon, Erechtheion and the Hephaisteion (Theseion) were converted into churches. As the empire became increasingly anti-pagan, Athens became a provincial town and experienced fluctuating fortunes.
The city remained an important center of learning, especially of Neoplatonism—with notable pupils including Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil of Caesarea and emperor Julian (r. 355–363)—and consequently a center of paganism. Christian items do not appear in the archaeological record until the early 5th century. The sack of the city by the Herules in 267 and by the Visigoths under their king Alaric I (r. 395–410) in 396, however, dealt a heavy blow to the city's fabric and fortunes, and Athens was henceforth confined to a small fortified area that embraced a fraction of the ancient city. The emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565) banned the teaching of philosophy by pagans in 529, an event whose impact on the city is much debated, but is generally taken to mark the end of the ancient history of Athens. Athens was sacked by the Slavs in 582, but remained in imperial hands thereafter, as highlighted by the visit of the emperor Constans II (r. 641–668) in 662/3 and its inclusion in the Theme of Hellas.
Middle Ages
The city was threatened by Saracen raids in the 8th–9th centuries—in 896, Athens was raided and possibly occupied for a short period, an event which left some archaeological remains and elements of Arabic ornamentation in contemporary buildings—but there is also evidence of a mosque existing in the city at the time. In the great dispute over Byzantine Iconoclasm, Athens is commonly held to have supported the iconophile position, chiefly due to the role played by Empress Irene of Athens in the ending of the first period of Iconoclasm at the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. A few years later, another Athenian, Theophano, became empress as the wife of Staurakios (r. 811–812).
Invasion of the empire by the Turks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, and the ensuing civil wars, largely passed the region by and Athens continued its provincial existence unharmed. When the Byzantine Empire was rescued by the resolute leadership of the three Komnenos emperors Alexios, John and Manuel, Attica and the rest of Greece prospered. Archaeological evidence tells us that the medieval town experienced a period of rapid and sustained growth, starting in the 11th century and continuing until the end of the 12th century.
The Agora (marketplace) had been deserted since late antiquity, began to be built over, and soon the town became an important centre for the production of soaps and dyes. The growth of the town attracted the Venetians, and various other traders who frequented the ports of the Aegean, to Athens. This interest in trade appears to have further increased the economic prosperity of the town.
The 11th and 12th centuries were the Golden Age of Byzantine art in Athens. Almost all of the most important Middle Byzantine churches in and around Athens were built during these two centuries, and this reflects the growth of the town in general. However, this medieval prosperity was not to last. In 1204, the Fourth Crusade conquered Athens and the city was not recovered from the Latins before it was taken by the Ottoman Turks. It did not become Greek in government again until the 19th century.
From 1204 until 1458, Athens was ruled by Latins in three separate periods, following the Crusades. The "Latins", or "Franks", were western Europeans and followers of the Latin Church brought to the Eastern Mediterranean during the Crusades. Along with rest of Byzantine Greece, Athens was part of the series of feudal fiefs, similar to the Crusader states established in Syria and on Cyprus after the First Crusade. This period is known as the Frankokratia.
Ottoman Athens
The first Ottoman attack on Athens, which involved a short-lived occupation of the town, came in 1397, under the Ottoman generals Yaqub Pasha and Timurtash. Finally, in 1458, Athens was captured by the Ottomans under the personal leadership of Sultan Mehmed II. As the Ottoman Sultan rode into the city, he was greatly struck by the beauty of its ancient monuments and issued a firman (imperial edict) forbidding their looting or destruction, on pain of death. The Parthenon was converted into the main mosque of the city.
Under Ottoman rule, Athens was denuded of any importance and its population severely declined, leaving it as a "small country town" (Franz Babinger). From the early 17th century, Athens came under the jurisdiction of the Kizlar Agha, the chief black eunuch of the Sultan's harem. The city had originally been granted by Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603–1617) to Basilica, one of his favourite concubines, who hailed from the city, in response of complaints of maladministration by the local governors. After her death, Athens came under the purview of the Kizlar Agha.
The Turks began a practice of storing gunpowder and explosives in the Parthenon and Propylaea. In 1640, a lightning bolt struck the Propylaea, causing its destruction. In 1687, during the Morean War, the Acropolis was besieged by the Venetians under Francesco Morosini, and the temple of Athena Nike was dismantled by the Ottomans to fortify the Parthenon. A shot fired during the bombardment of the Acropolis caused a powder magazine in the Parthenon to explode (26 September), and the building was severely damaged, giving it largely the appearance it has today. The Venetian occupation of Athens lasted for six months, and both the Venetians and the Ottomans participated in the looting of the Parthenon. One of its western pediments was removed, causing even more damage to the structure. During the Venetian occupation, the two mosques of the city were converted into Catholic and Protestant churches, but on 9 April 1688 the Venetians abandoned Athens again to the Ottomans.
Modern history
In 1822, a Greek insurgency captured the city, but it fell to the Ottomans again in 1826 (though Acropolis held till June 1827). Again the ancient monuments suffered badly. The Ottoman forces remained in possession until March 1833, when they withdrew. At that time, the city (as throughout the Ottoman period) had a small population of an estimated 400 houses, mostly located around the Acropolis in the Plaka.
Following the Greek War of Independence and the establishment of the Greek Kingdom, Athens was chosen to replace Nafplio as the second capital of the newly independent Greek state in 1834, largely because of historical and sentimental reasons. At the time, after the extensive destruction it had suffered during the war of independence, it was reduced to a town of about 4,000 people (less than half its earlier population) in a loose swarm of houses along the foot of the Acropolis. The first King of Greece, Otto of Bavaria, commissioned the architects Stamatios Kleanthis and Eduard Schaubert to design a modern city plan fit for the capital of a state.
The first modern city plan consisted of a triangle defined by the Acropolis, the ancient cemetery of Kerameikos and the new palace of the Bavarian king (now housing the Greek Parliament), so as to highlight the continuity between modern and ancient Athens. Neoclassicism, the international style of this epoch, was the architectural style through which Bavarian, French and Greek architects such as Hansen, Klenze, Boulanger or Kaftantzoglou designed the first important public buildings of the new capital. In 1896, Athens hosted the first modern Olympic Games. During the 1920s a number of Greek refugees, expelled from Asia Minor after the Greco-Turkish War and Greek genocide, swelled Athens's population; nevertheless it was most particularly following World War II, and from the 1950s and 1960s, that the population of the city exploded, and Athens experienced a gradual expansion.
In the 1980s, it became evident that smog from factories and an ever-increasing fleet of automobiles, as well as a lack of adequate free space due to congestion, had evolved into the city's most important challenge.[citation needed] A series of anti-pollution measures taken by the city's authorities in the 1990s, combined with a substantial improvement of the city's infrastructure (including the Attiki Odos motorway, the expansion of the Athens Metro, and the new Athens International Airport), considerably alleviated pollution and transformed Athens into a much more functional city. In 2004, Athens hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Geography
Athens sprawls across the central plain of Attica that is often referred to as the Athens Basin or the Attica Basin (Greek: Λεκανοπέδιο Αθηνών/Αττικής). The basin is bounded by four large mountains: Mount Aigaleo to the west, Mount Parnitha to the north, Mount Pentelicus to the northeast and Mount Hymettus to the east. Beyond Mount Aegaleo lies the Thriasian plain, which forms an extension of the central plain to the west. The Saronic Gulf lies to the southwest. Mount Parnitha is the tallest of the four mountains (1,413 m (4,636 ft)), and has been declared a national park. The Athens urban area spreads over 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Agios Stefanos in the north to Varkiza in the south. The city is located in the north temperate zone, 38 degrees north of the equator.
Athens is built around a number of hills. Lycabettus is one of the tallest hills of the city proper and provides a view of the entire Attica Basin. The meteorology of Athens is deemed to be one of the most complex in the world because its mountains cause a temperature inversion phenomenon which, along with the Greek government's difficulties controlling industrial pollution, was responsible for the air pollution problems the city has faced. This issue is not unique to Athens; for instance, Los Angeles and Mexico City also suffer from similar atmospheric inversion problems.
The Cephissus river, the Ilisos and the Eridanos stream are the historical rivers of Athens.
Environment
By the late 1970s, the pollution of Athens had become so destructive that according to the then Greek Minister of Culture, Constantine Trypanis, "...the carved details on the five the caryatids of the Erechtheum had seriously degenerated, while the face of the horseman on the Parthenon's west side was all but obliterated." A series of measures taken by the authorities of the city throughout the 1990s resulted in the improvement of air quality; the appearance of smog (or nefos as the Athenians used to call it) has become less common.
Measures taken by the Greek authorities throughout the 1990s have improved the quality of air over the Attica Basin. Nevertheless, air pollution still remains an issue for Athens, particularly during the hottest summer days. In late June 2007, the Attica region experienced a number of brush fires, including a blaze that burned a significant portion of a large forested national park in Mount Parnitha, considered critical to maintaining a better air quality in Athens all year round. Damage to the park has led to worries over a stalling in the improvement of air quality in the city.
The major waste management efforts undertaken in the last decade (particularly the plant built on the small island of Psytalia) have greatly improved water quality in the Saronic Gulf, and the coastal waters of Athens are now accessible again to swimmers.
Parks and zoos
Parnitha National Park is punctuated by well-marked paths, gorges, springs, torrents and caves dotting the protected area. Hiking and mountain-biking in all four mountains are popular outdoor activities for residents of the city. The National Garden of Athens was completed in 1840 and is a green refuge of 15.5 hectares in the centre of the Greek capital. It is to be found between the Parliament and Zappeion buildings, the latter of which maintains its own garden of seven hectares. Parts of the City Centre have been redeveloped under a masterplan called the Unification of Archeological Sites of Athens, which has also gathered funding from the EU to help enhance the project. The landmark Dionysiou Areopagitou Street has been pedestrianised, forming a scenic route. The route starts from the Temple of Olympian Zeus at Vasilissis Olgas Avenue, continues under the southern slopes of the Acropolis near Plaka, and finishes just beyond the Temple of Hephaestus in Thiseio. The route in its entirety provides visitors with views of the Parthenon and the Agora (the meeting point of ancient Athenians), away from the busy City Centre.
The hills of Athens also provide green space. Lycabettus, Philopappos hill and the area around it, including Pnyx and Ardettos hill, are planted with pines and other trees, with the character of a small forest rather than typical metropolitan parkland. Also to be found is the Pedion tou Areos (Field of Mars) of 27.7 hectares, near the National Archaeological Museum. Athens' largest zoo is the Attica Zoological Park, a 20-hectare (49-acre) private zoo located in the suburb of Spata. The zoo is home to around 2000 animals representing 400 species, and is open 365 days a year. Smaller zoos exist within public gardens or parks, such as the zoo within the National Garden of Athens.
Climate
Athens has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). According to the meteorological station near the city center which is operated by the National Observatory of Athens, the downtown area has an annual average temperature of 19.2 °C (66.6 °F) while parts of the urban agglomeration may reach up to 19.8 °C (67.6 °F), being affected by the urban heat island effect. Athens receives about 433.1 millimetres (17.05 in) of precipitation per year, largely concentrated during the colder half of the year with the remaining rainfall falling sparsely, mainly during thunderstorms. Fog is rare in the city center, but somewhat more frequent in areas to the east, close to mount Hymettus.
The southern section of the Athens metropolitan area (i.e., Elliniko, Athens Riviera) lies in the transitional zone between Mediterranean (Csa) and hot semi-arid climate (BSh), with its port-city of Piraeus being the most extreme example, receiving just 331.9 millimetres (13.07 in) per year. The areas to the south generally see less extreme temperature variations as their climate is moderated by the Saronic gulf. The northern part of the city (i.e., Kifissia), owing to its higher elevation, features moderately lower temperatures and slightly increased precipitation year-round. The generally dry climate of the Athens basin compared to the precipitation amounts seen in a typical Mediterranean climate is due to the rain shadow effect caused by the Pindus mountain range and the Dirfys and Parnitha mountains, substantially drying the westerly and northerly winds respectively.
Snowfall is not very common, though it occurs almost annually, but it usually does not cause heavy disruption to daily life, in contrast to the northern parts of the city, where blizzards occur on a somewhat more regular basis. The most recent examples include the snowstorms of 16 February 2021 and 24 January 2022, when the entire urban area was blanketed in snow.
Athens may get particularly hot in the summer, owing partly to the strong urban heat island effect characterizing the city. In fact, Athens is considered to be the hottest city in mainland Europe, and is the first city in Europe to appoint a chief heat officer to deal with severe heat waves. Temperatures of 47.5°C have been reported in several locations of the metropolitan area, including within the urban agglomeration. Metropolitan Athens was until 2021 the holder of the World Meteorological Organization record for the highest temperature ever recorded in Europe with 48.0 °C (118.4 °F) which was recorded in the areas of Elefsina and Tatoi on 10 July 1977.
Administration
Athens became the capital of Greece in 1834, following Nafplion, which was the provisional capital from 1829. The municipality (City) of Athens is also the capital of the Attica region. The term Athens can refer either to the Municipality of Athens, to Greater Athens or urban area, or to the entire Athens Metropolitan Area.
The large City Centre (Greek: Κέντρο της Αθήνας) of the Greek capital falls directly within the Municipality of Athens or Athens Municipality (Greek: Δήμος Αθηναίων)—also City of Athens. Athens Municipality is the largest in population size in Greece. Piraeus also forms a significant city centre on its own within the Athens Urban Area and it is the second largest in population size within it.
Athens Urban Area
The Athens Urban Area (Greek: Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Αθηνών), also known as Urban Area of the Capital (Greek: Πολεοδομικό Συγκρότημα Πρωτεύουσας) or Greater Athens (Greek: Ευρύτερη Αθήνα), today consists of 40 municipalities, 35 of which make up what was referred to as the former Athens Prefecture municipalities, located within 4 regional units (North Athens, West Athens, Central Athens, South Athens); and a further 5 municipalities, which make up the former Piraeus Prefecture municipalities, located within the regional unit of Piraeus as mentioned above.
The Athens Municipality forms the core and center of Greater Athens, which in its turn consists of the Athens Municipality and 40 more municipalities, divided in four regional units (Central, North, South and West Athens), accounting for 2,611,713 people (in 2021) within an area of 361 km2 (139 sq mi). Until 2010, which made up the abolished Athens Prefecture and the municipality of Piraeus, the historic Athenian port, with 4 other municipalities make up the regional unit of Piraeus. The regional units of Central Athens, North Athens, South Athens, West Athens and Piraeus with part of East and West Attica regional units combined make up the continuous Athens Urban Area, also called the "Urban Area of the Capital" or simply "Athens" (the most common use of the term), spanning over 412 km2 (159 sq mi), with a population of 3,059,764 people as of 2021. The Athens Urban Area is considered to form the city of Athens as a whole, despite its administrative divisions, which is the largest in Greece and the 9th most populated urban area in Europe.
Demographics
The Municipality of Athens has an official population of 643,452 people (in 2021). According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, The four regional units that make up what is referred to as Greater Athens have a combined population of 2,611,713 . They together with the regional unit of Piraeus (Greater Piraeus) make up the dense Athens Urban Area which reaches a total population of 3,059,764 inhabitants (in 2021).
The municipality (Center) of Athens is the most populous in Greece, with a population of 643,452 people (in 2021) and an area of 38.96 km2 (15.04 sq mi), forming the core of the Athens Urban Area within the Attica Basin. The incumbent Mayor of Athens is Kostas Bakoyannis of New Democracy. The municipality is divided into seven municipal districts which are mainly used for administrative purposes.
For the Athenians the most popular way of dividing the downtown is through its neighbourhoods such as Pagkrati, Ampelokipoi, Goudi, Exarcheia, Patisia, Ilisia, Petralona, Plaka, Anafiotika, Koukaki, Kolonaki and Kypseli, each with its own distinct history and characteristics.
Safety
Athens ranks in the lowest percentage for the risk on frequency and severity of terrorist attacks according to the EU Global Terrorism Database (EIU 2007–2016 calculations). The city also ranked 35th in Digital Security, 21st on Health Security, 29th on Infrastructure Security and 41st on Personal Security globally in a 2017 The Economist Intelligence Unit report. It also ranks as a very safe city (39th globally out of 162 cities overall) on the ranking of the safest and most dangerous countries. As May 2022 the crime index from Numbeo places Athens at 56.33 (moderate), while its safety index is at 43.68.Crime in Athens According to a Mercer 2019 Quality of Living Survey, Athens ranks 89th on the Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranking.
Economy
Athens is the financial capital of Greece. According to data from 2014, Athens as a metropolitan economic area produced US$130 billion as GDP in PPP, which consists of nearly half of the production for the whole country. Athens was ranked 102nd in that year's list of global economic metropolises, while GDP per capita for the same year was 32,000 US-dollars.
Athens is one of the major economic centres in south-eastern Europe and is considered a regional economic power. The port of Piraeus, where big investments by COSCO have already been delivered during the recent decade, the completion of the new Cargo Centre in Thriasion, the expansion of the Athens Metro and the Athens Tram, as well as the Hellenikon metropolitan park redevelopment in Elliniko and other urban projects, are the economic landmarks of the upcoming years.
Prominent Greek companies such as Hellas Sat, Hellenic Aerospace Industry, Mytilineos Holdings, Titan Cement, Hellenic Petroleum, Papadopoulos E.J., Folli Follie, Jumbo S.A., OPAP, and Cosmote have their headquarters in the metropolitan area of Athens. Multinational companies such as Ericsson, Sony, Siemens, Motorola, Samsung, Microsoft, Teleperformance, Novartis, Mondelez and Coca-Cola also have their regional research and development headquarters in the city.
The banking sector is represented by National Bank of Greece, Alpha Bank, Eurobank, and Piraeus Bank, while the Bank of Greece is also situated in the City Centre. The Athens Stock Exchange was severely hit by the Greek government-debt crisis and the decision of the government to proceed into capital controls during summer 2015. As a whole the economy of Athens and Greece was strongly affected, while data showed a change from long recession to growth of 1.4% from 2017 onwards.
Tourism is also a leading contributor to the economy of the city, as one of Europe's top destinations for city-break tourism, and also the gateway for excursions to both the islands and other parts of the mainland. Greece attracted 26.5 million visitors in 2015, 30.1 million visitors in 2017, and over 33 million in 2018, making Greece one of the most visited countries in Europe and the world, and contributing 18% to the country's GDP. Athens welcomed more than 5 million tourists in 2018, and 1.4 million were "city-breakers"; this was an increase by over a million city-breakers since 2013.
Tourism
Athens has been a destination for travellers since antiquity. Over the past decade, the city's infrastructure and social amenities have improved, in part because of its successful bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Games. The Greek Government, aided by the EU, has funded major infrastructure projects such as the state-of-the-art Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, the expansion of the Athens Metro system, and the new Attiki Odos Motorway
Education
Located on Panepistimiou Street, the old campus of the University of Athens, the National Library, and the Athens Academy form the "Athens Trilogy" built in the mid-19th century. The largest and oldest university in Athens is the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Most of the functions of NKUA have been transferred to a campus in the eastern suburb of Zografou. The National Technical University of Athens is located on Patision Street.
The University of West Attica is the second largest university in Athens. The seat of the university is located in the western area of Athens, where the philosophers of Ancient Athens delivered lectures. All the activities of UNIWA are carried out in the modern infrastructure of the three University Campuses within the metropolitan region of Athens (Egaleo Park, Ancient Olive Groove and Athens), which offer modern teaching and research spaces, entertainment and support facilities for all students. Other universities that lie within Athens are the Athens University of Economics and Business, the Panteion University, the Agricultural University of Athens and the University of Piraeus.
There are overall ten state-supported Institutions of Higher (or Tertiary) education located in the Athens Urban Area, these are by chronological order: Athens School of Fine Arts (1837), National Technical University of Athens (1837), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (1837), Agricultural University of Athens (1920), Athens University of Economics and Business (1920), Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences (1927), University of Piraeus (1938), Harokopio University of Athens (1990), School of Pedagogical and Technological Education (2002), University of West Attica (2018). There are also several other private colleges, as they called formally in Greece, as the establishment of private universities is prohibited by the constitution. Many of them are accredited by a foreign state or university such as the American College of Greece and the Athens Campus of the University of Indianapolis.
Culture
The city is a world centre of archaeological research. Alongside national academic institutions, such as the Athens University and the Archaeological Society, it is home to multiple archaeological museums, taking in the National Archaeological Museum, the Cycladic Museum, the Epigraphic Museum, the Byzantine & Christian Museum, as well as museums at the ancient Agora, Acropolis, Kerameikos, and the Kerameikos Archaeological Museum. The city is also the setting for the Demokritos laboratory for Archaeometry, alongside regional and national archaeological authorities forming part of the Greek Department of Culture.
Athens hosts 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes which promote and facilitate research by scholars from their home countries. As a result, Athens has more than a dozen archaeological libraries and three specialized archaeological laboratories, and is the venue of several hundred specialized lectures, conferences and seminars, as well as dozens of archaeological exhibitions each year. At any given time, hundreds of international scholars and researchers in all disciplines of archaeology are to be found in the city.
Athens' most important museums include:
the National Archaeological Museum, the largest archaeological museum in the country, and one of the most important internationally, as it contains a vast collection of antiquities. Its artefacts cover a period of more than 5,000 years, from late Neolithic Age to Roman Greece;
the Benaki Museum with its several branches for each of its collections including ancient, Byzantine, Ottoman-era, Chinese art and beyond;
the Byzantine and Christian Museum, one of the most important museums of Byzantine art;
the National Art Gallery, the nation's eponymous leading gallery, which reopened in 2021 after renovation;
the National Museum of Contemporary Art, which opened in 2000 in a former brewery building;
the Numismatic Museum, housing a major collection of ancient and modern coins;
the Museum of Cycladic Art, home to an extensive collection of Cycladic art, including its famous figurines of white marble;
the New Acropolis Museum, opened in 2009, and replacing the old museum on the Acropolis. The new museum has proved considerably popular; almost one million people visited during the summer period June–October 2009 alone. A number of smaller and privately owned museums focused on Greek culture and arts are also to be found.
the Kerameikos Archaeological Museum, a museum which displays artifacts from the burial site of Kerameikos. Much of the pottery and other artifacts relate to Athenian attitudes towards death and the afterlife, throughout many ages.
the Jewish Museum of Greece, a museum which describes the history and culture of the Greek Jewish community.
Architecture
Athens incorporates architectural styles ranging from Greco-Roman and Neoclassical to Modern. They are often to be found in the same areas, as Athens is not marked by a uniformity of architectural style. A visitor will quickly notice the absence of tall buildings: Athens has very strict height restriction laws in order to ensure the Acropolis Hill is visible throughout the city. Despite the variety in styles, there is evidence of continuity in elements of the architectural environment throughout the city's history.
For the greatest part of the 19th century Neoclassicism dominated Athens, as well as some deviations from it such as Eclecticism, especially in the early 20th century. Thus, the Old Royal Palace was the first important public building to be built, between 1836 and 1843. Later in the mid and late 19th century, Theophil Freiherr von Hansen and Ernst Ziller took part in the construction of many neoclassical buildings such as the Athens Academy and the Zappeion Hall. Ziller also designed many private mansions in the centre of Athens which gradually became public, usually through donations, such as Schliemann's Iliou Melathron.
Beginning in the 1920s, modern architecture including Bauhaus and Art Deco began to exert an influence on almost all Greek architects, and buildings both public and private were constructed in accordance with these styles. Localities with a great number of such buildings include Kolonaki, and some areas of the centre of the city; neighbourhoods developed in this period include Kypseli.
In the 1950s and 1960s during the extension and development of Athens, other modern movements such as the International style played an important role. The centre of Athens was largely rebuilt, leading to the demolition of a number of neoclassical buildings. The architects of this era employed materials such as glass, marble and aluminium, and many blended modern and classical elements. After World War II, internationally known architects to have designed and built in the city included Walter Gropius, with his design for the US Embassy, and, among others, Eero Saarinen, in his postwar design for the east terminal of the Ellinikon Airport.
Urban sculpture
Across the city numerous statues or busts are to be found. Apart from the neoclassicals by Leonidas Drosis at the Academy of Athens (Plato, Socrates, Apollo and Athena), others in notable categories include the statue of Theseus by Georgios Fytalis at Thiseion; depictions of philhellenes such as Lord Byron, George Canning, and William Gladstone; the equestrian statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis by Lazaros Sochos in front of the Old Parliament; statues of Ioannis Kapodistrias, Rigas Feraios and Adamantios Korais at the University; of Evangelos Zappas and Konstantinos Zappas at the Zappeion; Ioannis Varvakis at the National Garden; the" Woodbreaker" by Dimitrios Filippotis; the equestrian statue of Alexandros Papagos in the Papagou district; and various busts of fighters of Greek independence at the Pedion tou Areos. A significant landmark is also the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma.
Entertainment and performing arts
Athens is home to 148 theatrical stages, more than any other city in the world, including the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus, home to the Athens Festival, which runs from May to October each year. In addition to a large number of multiplexes, Athens plays host to open air garden cinemas. The city also supports music venues, including the Athens Concert Hall (Megaro Moussikis), which attracts world class artists. The Athens Planetarium, located in Andrea Syngrou Avenue, in Palaio Faliro is one of the largest and best equipped digital planetaria in the world. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, inaugurated in 2016, will house the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera. In 2018 Athens was designated as the World Book Capital by UNESCO.
Restaurants, tavernas and bars can be found in the entertainment hubs in Plaka and the Trigono areas of the historic centre, the inner suburbs of Gazi and Psyrri are especially busy with nightclubs and bars, while Kolonaki, Exarchia, Metaxourgeio, Koukaki and Pangrati offer more of a cafe and restaurant scene. The coastal suburbs of Microlimano, Alimos and Glyfada include many tavernas, beach bars and busy summer clubs.
The most successful songs during the period 1870–1930 were the Athenian serenades (Αθηναϊκές καντάδες), based on the Heptanesean kantádhes (καντάδες 'serenades'; sing.: καντάδα) and the songs performed on stage (επιθεωρησιακά τραγούδια 'theatrical revue songs') in revues, musical comedies, operettas and nocturnes that were dominating Athens' theatre scene.
In 1922, following the war, genocide and later population exchange suffered by the Greek population of Asia Minor, many ethnic Greeks fled to Athens. They settled in poor neighbourhoods and brought with them Rebetiko music, making it also popular in Greece, and which later became the base for the Laïko music. Other forms of song popular today in Greece are elafrolaika, entechno, dimotika, and skyladika. Greece's most notable, and internationally famous, composers of Greek song, mainly of the entechno form, are Manos Hadjidakis and Mikis Theodorakis. Both composers have achieved fame abroad for their composition of film scores.
The renowned American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas spent her teenage years in Athens, where she settled in 1937. Her professional opera career started in 1940 in Athens, with the Greek National Opera. In 2018, the city's municipal Olympia Theatre was renamed to "Olympia City Music Theatre 'Maria Callas'" and in 2023, the Municipality inaugurated the Maria Callas Museum, housing it in a neoclassical building on 44 Mitropoleos street.
Sports
The Panathenaic Stadium of Athens (Kallimarmaron) dates back to the fourth century BC and has hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
Agia Sophia Stadium
Athens has a long tradition in sports and sporting events, serving as home to the most important clubs in Greek sport and housing a large number of sports facilities. The city has also been host to sports events of international importance.
Athens has hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice, in 1896 and 2004. The 2004 Summer Olympics required the development of the Athens Olympic Stadium, which has since gained a reputation as one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world, and one of its most interesting modern monuments. The biggest stadium in the country, it hosted two finals of the UEFA Champions League, in 1994 and 2007. Athens' other major stadiums are the Karaiskakis Stadium located in Piraeus, a sports and entertainment complex, host of the 1971 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final, and Agia Sophia Stadium located in Nea Filadelfeia.
Athens has hosted the EuroLeague final three times, the first in 1985 and second in 1993, both at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, most known as SEF, a large indoor arena, and the third time in 2007 at the Olympic Indoor Hall. Events in other sports such as athletics, volleyball, water polo etc., have been hosted in the capital's venues.
Athens is home to three European multi-sport clubs: Panathinaikos, originated in Athens city centre, Olympiacos, originated in the suburb of Piraeus and AEK Athens, originated in the suburb of Nea Filadelfeia. In football, Panathinaikos made it to the 1971 European Cup Final, Olympiacos have dominated domestic competitions, while AEK Athens is the other member of the big three. These clubs also have basketball teams; Panathinaikos and Olympiacos are among the top powers in European basketball, having won the Euroleague six times and three respectively, whilst AEK Athens was the first Greek team to win a European trophy in any team sport.
Other notable clubs within Athens are Athinaikos, Panionios, Atromitos, Apollon, Panellinios, Egaleo F.C., Ethnikos Piraeus, Maroussi BC and Peristeri B.C. Athenian clubs have also had domestic and international success in other sports.
The Athens area encompasses a variety of terrain, notably hills and mountains rising around the city, and the capital is the only major city in Europe to be bisected by a mountain range. Four mountain ranges extend into city boundaries and thousands of kilometres of trails criss-cross the city and neighbouring areas, providing exercise and wilderness access on foot and bike.
Beyond Athens and across the prefecture of Attica, outdoor activities include skiing, rock climbing, hang gliding and windsurfing. Numerous outdoor clubs serve these sports, including the Athens Chapter of the Sierra Club, which leads over 4,000 outings annually in the area.
Athens was awarded the 2004 Summer Olympics on 5 September 1997 in Lausanne, Switzerland, after having lost a previous bid to host the 1996 Summer Olympics, to Atlanta, United States. It was to be the second time Athens would host the games, following the inaugural event of 1896. After an unsuccessful bid in 1990, the 1997 bid was radically improved, including an appeal to Greece's Olympic history. In the last round of voting, Athens defeated Rome with 66 votes to 41. Prior to this round, the cities of Buenos Aires, Stockholm and Cape Town had been eliminated from competition, having received fewer votes. Although the heavy cost was criticized, estimated at $1.5 billion, Athens was transformed into a more functional city that enjoys modern technology both in transportation and in modern urban development. The games welcomed over 10,000 athletes from all 202 countries.
Pippy lolling in the sun and looking rather mysterious. She seems to be saying, "I know something you don't know." What can she be hiding? Hopefully, a belly full of babies.
And before anyone asks, I wanted her to have one heat and hopefully one litter so I can keep one of her kittens. Then I'll have them both neutered and sell the rest. I've already got takers for all of her theoretical kittens.
Pippy had her first heat a couple of weeks ago and we had quite a few tomcats coming to call. One even invited himself into my kitchen! However, I don't know for sure that she's pregnant. It's early days. If she is, she'd have her kittens mid-April.
Watch this space.
Sittingbourne is a large town up from Faversham on the A2, or the old high road.
Today it is post industrial, mostly, with a one way system and out of town big box stores.
I have seen little of worth in the town when we have passed through. So, Milton Regis was expected to be more of the same.
But the ancient borough is full of fine old timber-framed houses, narrow streets, but beyond them there are endless estates full of identical houses.
Holy Trinity sits the other side of a busy junction, at the end of a short lane, now used mostly by people visiting the large playing field so their dogs don't crap in their owner's back gardens.
Or so it seemed.
Urban churches are rarely open for causal visits, so it proved this time. The young folks paiting the parish offices didn't have a key for the church, so could not help.
So I made do with snapping the outside of the church and large collection of ancient gravestones, one I learn was connected to the Gunpowder Plot.
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The massive 14th century tower grabs attention immediately, but just by the door is a most mysterious headstone which commemorates a man killed by a rocket at an early Guy Fawke`s celebration. Inside, the south aisle is almost as wide as the nave and has a rare rood loft staircase that runs in the thickness of the wall rather than up a spiral staircase. There is little stained glass but the east window, by the firm of Ward and Hughes is rather a masterpiece, with most of the subjects being real portraits – especially the figures of St George and St Uriel. An inscription nearby tells the whole story. At the junction of nave and chancel is a rare benefactions board which is carved to look like a memorial – look out for Faith Hope and Charity. The medieval vestry at the north east corner has an original shuttered window – a rare survival indeed, whilst under the huge tower is a benefactions board recording gifts to dredgermen`s widows. Now you don’t find them very often!
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Milton+Regis
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MILTON,
OR, more properly, Middleton, lies the next parish north-westward from Sittingborne, last described, and seems to have taken its name from the Saxon Midletun, a name denoting its situation in the middle part of this county.
THE PARISH of Milton is most of it situated on low flat ground, and extends from the high London road as far as the waters of the Swale northward, adjoining to which, the marshes in this parish are both fresh and salt, of a very large extent. In the southern or upper part of the parish, next to the London road, is a small hamlet, called from the soil Chalkwell, in which there are two modern-built houses of the better sort, the lower most of which has a large tan-yard belonging to it; near it there rise some springs, which fill several large ponds, the reservoirs for a corn mill below them, after which they run along the east skirts of the town, which are a continued swamp of watry bogs, into the creek below. The town, antiently called the king's town of Milton, as being part of the antient possessions of the crown, is situated about half a mile from the high London road, at the eastern boundary of the parish, the greatest part of it on the knole of a hill, extending mostly down the east side of it to the head of the creek, which flows north-westward from hence, and at two miles distance, after several meandrings, joins the waters of the Swale. It has a very indifferent character for health, owing both to the badness of the water, and the gross unwholesome air to which it is subject from its watry situation; nor is it in any degree pleasant, the narrow streets, or rather lanes in it, being badly paved, and for the most part inhabited by seafaring persons, fishermen, and oyster-dredgers.
Its commodious situation for navigation near the Swale, to which the town then stood much nearer than it does at present, caused it to be frequented by the Danes, in their piratical excursions into this county, particularly in 893, these pirates, who had been ravaging. France and the Low Countries, being distressed for subsistence, turned their thoughts towards England, for the sake of plunder: for this purpose, with one of their fleets, they sailed up to Apledore, and with the other, consisting of about eighty ships, under the command of Hastings their captain, they entered the mouth of the river Thames, and landing in this parish built themselves a fortress or castle here. Asserius writes, anno 892, Hastengus fecit sibi firmissimum oppidum apud Middeltunam. Sax. Chron. anno 893, interpreted, Arcem extruxit. Simon Dunelm, coll. 151, H. Huntingdon, lib. 5, Florence of Worcester, p. 595, and Chron. Malros, Fecit munitionem. Spelman, in his Life of Alfred, says, Dani castra validis operibus communiunt. This fortress was erected at a place called Kemsleydowne, in the marshes, about midway between the town and the mouth of the creek, the scite of which is still visible, and being overgrown with wood and bushes, has obtained the name of Castberough. (fn. 1) It is of a square form, and is surrounded by a high bank thrown up, and a broad ditch. There is a raised causeway, very plainly to be seen, leading from it towards the seashore. From this fortress they not only made their excursions and plundered the neighbouring country, but secured themselves against such power as the king might send against them.
This town of Milton being part of the royal demesnes, was a cause of its being destroyed by earl Godwin, who being at variance with Edward the Consessor, came here, with a large force, in the year 1052, and burned this town, then of good condition, to the ground; and afterwards ransacked and spoiled many other of the king's estates throughout the county. After which it does not seem to have been ever restored to its former state.
Its condition in the reign of queen Elizabeth may be seen by the survey, made by her order in the 8th year of her reign; by which it appears, that there were then in this town, houses inhabited one hundred and thirty, persons lacking habitations six, landing-places four, one called Fluddmill keye, appertaining to Sir Henry Cheney; the second, Whitlock's key, now the Town key; the third, Reynolds's, now Page's key; and the fourth, Hamond key, appertaining to Thomas Hayward, now Huggins's key; ships and vessels twenty-six, of which twenty were under ten tons; the rest were of twelve, sixteen, and twenty tons; and persons occupied in trade and fishing twenty four.
Since which the town of Milton has considerably increased, as well in the number of its houses and inhabitants, as in its wealth and trade. The number of houses at present is about two hundred and thirty, which are supposed to contain about twelve hundred inhabitants.
The trade of it chiefly consists in the traffic carrying on weekly at the four wharfs in it, where the corn and commodities of the neighbouring country are shipped for London, and goods of every sort brought back again in return; and in the fishery for oysters, a further account of which will be given hereafter. Besides which, the several mills here do not contribute a little to the benefit of this place; four of these are employed in the grinding of corn, and dressing it into flour; and the fifth, called Perrywinckle mill, was some few years ago applied to the manufacturing of pearl-barley, which used to be imported from Holland; and it was supposed to be the only mill in the kingdom where that article was brought to the same perfection as in Holland, but this manufacture for want of due encouragement has been since discontinued.
The town of Milton is governed by a a portreve, who is chosen annually on St. James's day, by the inhabitants of the parish paying church and poor's rates; whose office is, to oversee the market, and preserve good order within the town, and to execute the office of clerk of the market in all matters, within the hundreds of Milton and Marden; he likewise sets the price of all things which come to the keys, or any other creek within the hundred, being such things as head officers in other towns may set the prices on
The market, which is a very plentiful one for all sorts of butchers meat, poultry, &c. is held on a Saturday weekly, at the shambles, in the center of the town. Adjoining to them is the market-house, having a clock, and a bell, which is rung not only for the purpose of the market, but for the calling of the parshioners to church, for funerals, and for occasional parish meetings. At a small distance northward from the shambles is a king of court-house, being a very low old-timbered tenement, where the courts of the manor are kept, and other meetings held; at other times it is made use of as the school house; underneath it is the town prison.
The school is endowed with the annual sum of nine pounds, an account of which may be seen hereafter, among the charitable benefactions to this parish. The master is appointed by the minister and churchwardens. Nine or ten poor boys are taught to read and write in it.
There is a fair, which used to be held on the feast of St. Margaret, July 13, now, by the alteration of the stile, on the 24th of that month, and the two following days.
The lands in this parish, near the town, and especially on the lower or northern part of it, are very rich and sertile. Adjoining to these are the marshes, which extend to the waters of the Swale. Below the hill westward there is another streamlet, which having turned a mill near the vicarage, runs on not far distant from the church, and court-lodge, situated about half a mile northward below the present town, near which the former one destroyed by Earl Godwin is supposed to have once stood.
In the north-west part of this parish, among the marshes, there is a decoy for wild fowl, the only one, that I know of, in this part of the county. The fowl caught in it, are much esteemed for their size and flavor. Great numbers of them are weekly taken and sent up to London.
In this parish, at a small distance northward from Bobbing-place, is a farm called the Quintin farm, which shews that diversion to have been formerly used in it. (fn. 2)
THE FISHERY belonging to the manor and hundred of Milton is of very considerable account. It seems to have been granted by king John, by his charter, in his 7th year, to the abbot and convent of Faversham, by the description of the fisheries of Milton, which the men of Seasalter then held by the yearly rent of twenty shillings, payable at his manor of Milton, and by doing therefrom the customs and service which were wont to be to it.
King Edward III. in his 4th year, confirmed this grant, as did king Henry VI. and this fishery remained part of the possessions of the abbey till its dissolution, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was surrendered up into the king's hands, together with all its possessions.
After which, the fee simple of this fishery remained with the manor in the hands of the crown, till the 10th year of king Charles I. when it was passed away, with it, by the words recited in the grant then made of the manor, to Sir Ed. Browne and Christ. Favell, as will be more fully mentioned below; after which, James Herbert, esq. coming into the possession of it, by the settlement of it from his father Philip, earl of Pembroke, he in the 26th year of king Charles II. obtained a fresh grant of this fishery, against which there was a quo warranto brought in the reign of queen Anne, on a petition of the fishermen of Rochester and Stroud, to shew by what authority they, the grantees, kept courts within their manor of Milton, and restrained the fishermen of those and the adjacent towns, from fishing and dredging for oysters within this hundred and manor: but on a trial had at bar, a verdict was given in his favor. Since which it has continued down, in like manner as the manor of Milton, to the right hon. Philip, viscount Wenman, and Mrs. Anne Herbert, who are at this time proprietors of this fishery, together with the manor.
The company of Fishermen, or Dredgers, of this fishery, hold it by lease from the owners of the manor, at the yearly rent of one hundred pounds and four bushels of oysters. They are governed by their particular officers, under certain rules or bye-laws, made by antient custom at the court baron of the manor. There are now about one hundred and forty freemen belonging to it.
The oysters produced from these grounds, within the limits of this fishery, are usually called Milton Natives, and are esteemed the finest and richest flavored of any in Europe. They are supposed to be the same that Juvenal particularly describes, in his fourth satire, as being reckoned a delicacy even in his time, in these words, satire iv. l. 144:
— Rutupinove edita fundo Ostrea, callebat primo deprendere morsu.
The sum usually returned for these oysters is from 3000l. to 7000l. per annum. The Dutch have been supposed by many, to have engrossed this article of luxury; but they expend but a very small part of the above sums, and sometimes none, for the space of seven years together.
IN THE WESTERN PART of this parish there are several hundred acres of coppice-wood, which are adjoining to a much larger tract of the like sort, extending southward almost as far as Binbury pound, on the west side of Stockbury-valley, for the space of near five miles. These woods, especially those in and near this parish, are noted for the great plenty of chesnut stubs interspersed promiscuously throughout them, which, from the quick and strait growth of this king of wood, makes them very valuable. These are so numerous in them, as to give name to most of these woods near Milton, which, besides their particular names to each of them, are usually called by the general name of Chesnut-woods. And in the presentment made of the customs of the manor of Milton in 1575, it is mentioned, that the occupiers of the three mills holden of the manor should gather yearly for the lord of it nine bushels of chestenottes, in Chestnott wood, or pay eighteen-pence by the year to the queen, who then had the manor in her own hands, and was possessed of three hundred acres of chesnut wood within this hundred.
¶These chesnuts are undoubtedly the indigenuous growth of Britain, planted by the hand of nature. They are interspersed throughout the whole tract, without any form or regularity, and are many of them, by their appearance, of great age; and by numbers of them, which now seem almost worn out and perishing, being made use of as the termini or boundaries, as well of private property as of parishes, it is plain they were first pitched upon, in preference to others, for that purpose, as being the largest and most antient ones of any then existing; and as these are hardly ever cut down or altered, they must have stood sacred to this use from the first introduction of private property into this kingdom, and the first division of it into parishes. Four letters were printed in 1771, after having been read before the Royal Society, two of which were written by Dr. Ducarel, and the other two by Mr. Thorpe and Mr. Hasted, to prove that chesnut-trees were the indigenous growth of this kingdom, in answer to an idea of the hon. Daines Barrington, who had a wish to establish a contrary opinion.
DR. PLOT says, that Herba Britannica, which Twyne and Johnson think to be bistort, Trisolium acetosum, or Oxys; Empetron, quæ est petrafindula Britanniæ prope peculiaris, and Crocus, were found at Milton by Scribonius Largus, when he came into Britain with the emperor Claudius. And he further says, that Crocus sativus, saffron, was heretofore sown and gathered (as now at Walden, in Essex) at Milton, and quotes for his authority, a manuscript rental of the manor of Milton, in the library of Christ-church, Canterbury.
MILTON is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Sittingborne.
The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It is a large handsome building, consisting of two isles and two chancels, the southernmost of which belongs to the manor of Northwood. It has a well built tower at the west end, in which are five bells. In this church, among others, were formerly the arms of Barry, Diggs, Finch, of the Five Ports, of Norwood and Norton, with their several crests, trophies, and banners; of Marten quartering Boteler; one coat, Barry, argent and azure, on a canton of the first, a bird of the second; Argent, three bends azure, within a bordure, eight mullets; Gules, a fess or, between three mullets, argent; and in one of the windows, a man kneeling, with a coat of arms, Six lions rampant, three and three, and underneath, Orate paia Guliel Savage Armigi.
Mauricius ap John, rector of St. George's, in Exeter, was buried in the choir of this church, as appears by his will, anno 1499.
In the year 1070, being the 5th year of his reign, William the Conqueror gave to the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, the church of Middelton, and the tenths of all the products accruing from that manor, and the tenths of all its appurtenances, of the land, wood, meadows, and water, excepting the tenths of honey, and rent paid in money. (fn. 12)
Pope Lucius XI. in 1144, at the petition of abbot Hugh de Trottesclive, confirmed the annual pension of ten marcs from this church to that abbey.
In 1168, the conventual church of St. Augustine was the greatest part of it burnt; on which account this church was allotted to the sacristy there, for the repair of it. (fn. 13) But they did not keep it long, for in 1178, at the king's instance, they gave it up, and lost all property both in the church, and the advowson of it. A composition was entered into between the archbishop and the abbot in 1182, concerning the privileges and exemptions of the latter; when it was agreed, that the archdeacon, or his official, should receive his accustomed dues and procurations from the churches of St. Augustine, excepting those of Minster, Northborne, and Chistelet, and from this church likewise, when the monks should again get possession of the appropriation of it.
Four years after which, the abbot demised to the prioress of St. Sexburg of Shepey, the tiches which his monastery possessed, in right of this church, in Bobbing, at the yearly rent of ten shillings, on condition that all housekeepers, which should be on the estates from which they arose, should yearly repair to this the mother church, with their oblations, on Christmas-day, the Purification, and Easter day. And in 1188, the abbot demised to the prioress there, the tenths of Westlonde, within her parish, for the rent of fourteen shillings, payable yearly to the sacrist of St. Augustine.
About the year 1198, the abbot and convent recovered this church, which was then become vacant by the death of one Franco, the person to whom they had given it up, at the instance of king Henry. But they had kept it but a small time, before the archbishop disturbed them in their possession of it. However, by the mediation of mutual friends, and at the king's request, that he would not molest them in their appropriation of it; he out of respect to the king, ratified this church to them, to be possessed by them for ever. (fn. 14)
There was a pension of forty shillings payably yearly from this church, with the chapel belonging to it, to the above monastery, which, with the other pensions from their several churches, was given up by agreement in 1242, for a compensation out of the profits of the church of Preston.
The abbot and convent, among the extensive privileges from the papal see, had obtained an exemption from all archiepiscopal authority, and about the year 1295 made an institution of several new deanries, and apportioned the several churches belonging to his monastery, to each of them, according to their vicinity; one of these was the deanry of Lenham, in which this church was included. This raised great contests with the several archbishops, and after more than five years altercation, the abbot was stripped of these exemptions, and was declared, by the pope's bull, to be subject to the archbishop's jurisdiction, in like manner as before; which entirely dissolved these new deanries, and that of Lenham among them. (fn. 15)
Notwithstanding the abbot and convent seem to have held the appropriation of this church almost from held the appropriation of this church almost from the first grant of it, and though there had been vicars instituted to it long before this time, for Robert de Wikes, who stiles himself vicar of Middelton, by his deed in 1247, granted seven deywerks of land, with the houses built on it, for the habitation of the vicar of Middelton, for the time being; and the abbot and convent had in 1286, assigned a portion for the maintenance of the vicar here; yet there does not appear to have been any regular endowment of a vicarage to it, till the reign of king Edward III. when archbishop Stratford, in 1345, anno 20 Edward III. by his instrument, decreed, that the vicar of the church of Middelton, and his successors, should have the usual mansion of the vicarage, with the garden adjoining to it, together with one acre of the glebe of the same; and that he should have, in the name of the vicarage, all manner of oblations in the church of Middelton, and in all places, situated within the bounds and limits or titheable places of it; and that they should have in the name of the vicarage, all tithes of sylva cædua, wool, lambs, calves, pigs, ducks, geese, swans, pidgeons, cheese, milk-meats, herbage, apples, pears, and other fruit, growing in gardens and orchards, pulse, flax, hemp, eggs, rushes, merchandizes, and of all mills built, or which might in future be built, within the bounds and limits or titheable places of the church, and all other small tithes whatsoever belonging to it, and all legacies left in future to it, which the rectors or vicars of it might of right or custom take; also, that the vicars, in right of the vicarage, should have of the religious, the annual pension of 4s. (fn. 16) sterling, one seam or quarter of corn, and three quarters or seams of barley, on the feast of St. Michael, at Middelton, by them to be yearly paid, on pain of the sequestration of the fruits and profits of the church, belonging to the religious, to be laid on as often and whenever they should cease in the payment of the pension or barley, or should not pay either of them in the time above-mentioned.
But that the vicars should undergo the burthen of serving by themselves, or some other fit priest, the church in divine services, in the finding of one lamp, to burn before the altar of St. Mary there, and the ministering of bread, wine, lights, and other things, which should be necessary for the celebration of divine rights in the church. The burthen likewise of the payment of tenths and other impositions, whenever they might be imposed on the English church, or incumbent on the church, for the taxation of twelve marcs, beyond the burthens allotted to the religious underneath, they should undergo at their own costs and expences.
But the burthen of the reparation and rebuilding of the chancel of the church, both within and without, and also the finding and repairing of books and vestments, and ornaments of the church, which were wont or ought of right or custom, to be found and repaired by the rectors of churches, and all other burthens, ordinary and extraordinary, incumbent on the church, the religious should undergo and acknowledge for ever, &c. (fn. 17)
The church and vicarage, after this, remained part of the possessions of the monastery, till the final dissolution of it, in the 30th year of Henry VIII. when it was, with all its revenues, surrendered up into the king's hands, who by his dotation-charter, in his 33d year, settled both the appropriation of this church, and the advowson of the vicarage, among other premises, on his new-founded dean and chapter of Christchurch, Canterbury, with whom the inheritance of the parsonage still remains, the interest in the lease of it being now in the heirs of John Cockin Sole, esq. deceased, but the advowson of the vicarage the dean and chapter retain in their own hands, and are the present patrons of it.
The vicarage of Milton is valued in the king's books at 13l. 2s. 6d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 6s. 3d.
¶In 1578, there were here, dwelling-houses on hundred and eight, communicants three hundred and seventy-four. In 1640 this vicarage was valued at eighty pounds. Communicants five hundred and twenty-nine.
The antient annual pension of four shillings, one quarter of wheat, and three quarters of barley, stipulated to be paid by the religious as before-mentioned, still continues to be paid by the lessee of the parsonage, by the covenants of his lease.
The agreement made between the prior of the brethren of the hospital of St. John of Jersalem and the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, about king Henry the IId.'s reign, that whenever their chapel of Rodmersham should be dedicated, and the cemetery consecrated, they would diminish by it none of the mother church of Middleton's rights; has already been more fully mentioned in the account of that parish before. (fn. 18)
Final selection of these. Most others were doubles.
Not the feedback I was expecting, so I won't ask for more from my friend.
Hope some have enjoyed these or found interesting.
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Eastern Coach Works[1] was a bus and train bodybuilder based in Lowestoft, England.
The origins of Eastern Coach Works (ECW) can be traced back to 1912, when United Automobile Services was founded in Lowestoft to run bus services.[2] United began a coach building business at the Lowestoft site in 1920.[3] In 1931, the East Anglian operations of United were hived off into a new company, Eastern Counties Omnibus Company, and Eastern Counties inherited the coach works - now concentrating on building bus bodies, with a workforce of over 600 people.[4] In July 1936, the coach works were separated into a new company, Eastern Coach Works Limited, which developed into the largest full-time employer in Lowestoft.[1][4][5]
In May 1940, the factory received orders from the military authorities to cease production. It was thought that, following the outbreak of World War II, the East Coast would be the first target for an invading German army, so all wheeled vehicles were moved away from the site so that they did not fall into enemy hands. As a result of this, 950 staff were laid off with production shifted to Irthlingborough.[4][5] By 1947, though, production was back to pre-war levels.
ECW was nationalised in 1947. For the next 18 years, its business consisted mainly of building bus bodies, which were mounted on Bristol chassis, for state-owned bus operators. In 1965, the state-owned Transport Holding Company sold a 25% share in ECW to Leyland Motors, which enabled ECW to sell to the private sector.[6][7][8] During the 1960s, it was common to see a bare bus chassis being driven through town by a goggle-wearing driver, delivering the chassis for a body. In 1969, ECW became part of a 50/50 joint venture between the National Bus Company (successor to the Transport Holding Company) and British Leyland (successor to Leyland Motors).
The materials to build the buses came into the Coachworks via Essex Road at the back of the factory, but the newly built buses were driven out of the big doors at the front. They drove down the short, narrow lane, with no pavements called Eastern Way, on their way to their new depot. Eastern Way used to be called Laundry Lane, but the name was changed to Eastern Way following the opening of Eastern Coachworks.[8]
The joint venture came to an end in 1982, when British Leyland bought out NBC's shareholding. ECW closed in January 1987.[5][9] The site was subsequently demolished to make way for the North Quay Retail Park, which opened in 1990.[8][10] ECW was one of Lowestoft's largest employers, with around 1,200 staff at its peak
ECW was probably best known for its close association with Bristol Commercial Vehicles. Amongst the Bristol buses most frequently bodied at Lowestoft were the:
Bristol LH - a small, single deck bus (1970s)
Bristol Lodekka - a front-engined double deck bus (1950s and 1960s)
Bristol RE - a single deck bus (1960s and 1970s)
Bristol VRT - a rear-engined double deck bus (1970s), successor to the Lodekka
Leyland Olympian - a rear engined double deck bus (1980's) successor to Bristol VRT
So we have to get the shorts, sandals, vests, suncream and barbecues all ready for the day. Then cagoules after that.
The Putrajaya International Fireworks Competition 2013 organised by the Putrajaya Corporation together with Duago Corp Sdn Bhd is expected to draw three million visitors.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to launch the event on Aug 30 in conjunction with the Merdeka Eve celebration at the Maritime Centre, Precinct 5, Putrajaya on Aug 30 and 31, Sept 13 to 15 and Oct 2.
Putrajaya Corporation president Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat said the competition was expected to receive positive support with about 500,000 people coming to Putrajaya each night to observe the event.
"The competition has also received full support from the Tourism Ministry as well as Federal Territory Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who is also Putrajaya Member of Parliament," he said at a media conference, in Putrajaya, Tuesday.
Aseh said the competition would last 25 minutes each night beginning at midnight on Aug 30 and 9pm on other nights.
Six countries would be competing namely China, United Arab Emirates, the United States, Korea, France and Malaysia during the six-day competition.
Meanwhile, he said the name Pusat Maritim would be changed to Putrajaya Marina effective Aug 30.
p/s - First time doing experiment blending blue hour photo with fireworks photo of the same spot...it works very well...HDR of 9 exposure image for blue hour photos + stacking with 3 image of fireworks at night...
I was expecting the #183 on the next outbound train and because of that I was not paying a whole lot of attention when this inbound arrived. "Surprise!", and not a pleasant one since there were not too many spots along the south platform that were not shadow struck, but I did manage to find a clear spot as the train departed.
Downers Grove IL / Fairview Ave
METX e/b commuter – Train 1268
METX 183 F40PH-3.
Those in the know will recognise the car Volkswagen Passat immediately. Hang around DIY or home furnishings store long enough and you'll see plenty of examples of the 'X' loading.
i've been sensing a lot lately that i am in a photography rut with my images and what better time than today to make some resolutions to try to break out and move forward. so you may see me posting some things that are a little more erratic, experimental, etc. as i try for less perfectionism (ha, as if i'd ever come close) and less playing-it-safe. some of you may recognize it as just more of the same, me vacillating with no personal style but i'm not in this for business, just for fun and, as much as my nature allows, a creative outlet and so these are my excuses for being all over the place. one offshoot of this thinking is that I am not going to be reluctant to post some half-baked images, such as the one at hand. Happy New Year friends and Happy Sliders Sunday.