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Photo Caption: Mark Lankester, Group CEO of Tune Hotels
NEWS RELEASE
TUNE HOTELS’ RAPID EXPANSION IN PHILIPPINES BUOYED BY FASTER-THAN-EXPECTED ECONOMIC GROWTH
Third Tune Hotel opens in Manila; overall six in country
MANILA, October 17, 2013 – The Philippines and its people have all the great things coming their way with an economic wave that has driven direct investments into the country including by international hotel brand Tune Hotels, said its Group CEO Mark Lankester.
“This is a great market for us to do business. In less than two years we already have six hotels in operation in the Philippines, including the newly opened Tune Hotel Quezon City in Manila. Not to mention four more to come in Ortigas, Davao, Aseana City and Ayala Avenue in Metro Manila within the next nine months,” said Lankester.
The 140-room Tune Hotel Quezon City, located at Timog Avenue, is the group’s third hotel in Metro Manila. It opened its doors for business on October 8.
The first Tune Hotel in the Philippines opened at Angeles City in Pampanga in February 2012, followed by Ermita and Makati in Metro Manila, Cebu City and Cagayan De Oro.
International economic and financial agencies including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank have revised the Philippines’ 2013 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth upward to 7 per cent from around 6 per cent previously. This makes the Philippines the second fastest growing economy in Asia after China, and ahead of all its Southeast Asian neighbors. The strong growth is forecast to be sustained into coming years.
“This is a really great year for the Philippines and its people. The economy is booming, there is a great mood amongst the people and there are plenty of new jobs being created. Tourism within and into the Philippines is expanding massively, with really successful government marketing campaigns and the recent lifting of the European flights will only help contribute further to the tourism economy. In addition Filipinos have also made their mark on the Regional and International arena,” he said in reference to Filipino personalities like Jonathan Yabut who emerged the first ever winner of ‘The Apprentice Asia’ and Miss World 2013 Megan Young.
“There is a noticeable mood in the air that it really is the time for the Philippines to shine.”
Lankester had played Advisor to Tony Fernandes on the first ever ‘The Apprentice Asia’, the regional adaptation of the US reality series ‘The Apprentice’ this year.
He added: “It is very interesting to note that the Philippines has surpassed India as Asia’s top call-centre service provider, proving that it has quality human capital that are capable of driving the country to the next level.”
The Philippines has set a target of 10 million international tourist arrivals by 2016, more than double the 4.3 million tourists it received in 2012. Arrivals for 2013 have been projected at 5.5 million, contributing some PHP 1.5 trillion or 6.7 per cent to the GDP.
“We are very pleased with the commitment shown by the Department of Tourism and the Government in not only setting targets but to undertake firm initiatives to facilitate further growth of the tourism and travel industry in the Philippines. The country has a lot to offer and is destined to be a favorite destination in the region.
“For Tune Hotels, we look forward to positively contributing towards this effort by providing international standard accommodation at highly affordable rates, giving international tourists and locals alike the holiday experience they deserve. It’s definitely ‘more fun in the Philippines’ with Tune Hotels,” said the CEO.
Tune Hotels provides international-class high-quality accommodation which focuses on key essentials but minus the generally underused facilities found in other hotels such as swimming pools, business centres and gymnasiums. By doing away with these costly and high-maintenance facilities, Tune Hotels is able to pass on savings to its guests in the form of super low room rates. Its pay-as-you-use concept lets travelers choose and pay only for amenities that they require to keep costs down, reduce waste and save energy.
The group has received over five million guests since the opening of its first hotel in Downtown Kuala Lumpur in 2007. With the opening of Quezon City, Tune Hotels now has six hotels in the Philippines, eleven in Malaysia, five each in the UK and Indonesia, four in Thailand, and one each in India, Japan and Australia. Apart from further expansion in these countries, future Tune Hotels are also being planned in the Middle East, Europe and Africa.
Tune Hotels is part of Tune Group, a lifestyle business conglomerate co-founded by Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun, who are the Group CEO and Deputy Group CEO respectively of Asia’s largest low cost carrier AirAsia.
For real-time updates and promotion alerts, guests can stay connected with Tune Hotels via Facebook at www.facebook.com/tunehotelsPH and on Twitter via www.twitter.com/tunehotels.
For booking and further information, visit www.tunehotels.com.
-ENDS-
About Tune Hotels
Tune Hotels is part of the lifestyle business conglomerate Tune Group that was founded by Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and Dato’ Kamarudin Meranun. Tune Hotels seeks to innovate and revolutionise the way services are made available and has employed efficient web-based technologies to reach and engage its customers, presenting a unique lifestyle opportunity. All Tune Hotels’ properties feature space-efficient, streamlined rooms focusing on high-quality basics: a five-star bed, powerful hot showers and energy-conserving ceiling fans along with housekeeping services, electronic keycard access into rooms, CCTV surveillance, and 24-hour security. The Tune Group companies include Tune Air (a substantial shareholder of AirAsia), Tune Hotels, Tune Insurance, Tune Talk, the AirAsia BIG Loyalty Programme, Tune Box, Tune Studios, Caterham Group, Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR) and the Epsom College in Malaysia.
Photos can be downloaded from www.flickr.com/tunehotels.
Media enquiries:
Cymantha Sothiar
Mobile: +6012 315 3638
Email: cymantha@tunehotels.com
What a rotten picture but I only took one! This is Aberdeen railway station and behind the blue suitcase a police sniffer dog is giving all arriving travellers - including me - a canine check-out for drugs. I had quite a few problems getting this far that I half expected to be pulled over to assist the dog with his enquiries! but no sweat at all... earlier however...
I had arranged to pick up my tickets from the machine at Carlisle Railway station. My Newcastle bus was a few minutes late in arriving in Carlisle so I ran with a full sac to the station, got in with about seven minutes to spare got to the ticket machine but it would not dispense the sodding tickets. BR staff said "Oh we are having a bit of an intermittent problem" Him, "Do you know your booking ref number" me "yes" him " right just use that the on-train ticket collectors have been advised" I ran up and over the stairs of the bridge to the waiting train but as the doors had been closed the guard wouldn't open them and refused to let me on the train, explaining about the ticket machine, cut no ice at all, and we stood arguing beside the stationary train. So off the train went leaving me on the platform with over an hour to wait for the next one. The staff apologised for that! Of course when I got on the next train the ticket collector knew nothing of the Carlisle ticket machine problem and gave me the "this piece of paper means nothing" routine all rather embarrassing if predictable, but he eventually said he was "prepared to believe me" and left me stewing in my juices. I had a change at Haymarket Station and another at Aberdeen and could see the whole thing being repeated to think nothing of the return journey. So I approached staff at Haymarket and asked if they had a machine, they had. Me "will you look after this rucsack while I run to it and see if I can get my tickets there"? Him "no, I can't do that" so with less than five minutes to the connection I then ran up another flight of stairs over another bridge to get to the ticket hall where I got my tickets at the fist attempt, and pelted back to the platform just as the Aberdeen train drew up to the platform, phew! So you see being busted for drugs would have been par for the course today. When things go wrong with their systems they left me completely on my own, but what can you do?
A victory over 3rd bottom Southport Hesketh would've seen Longridge go 5 points clear at the top of the West Lancashire League Premier Division with 4 games to play. Sadly, Town produced their worst performance of the season, going down 3-0 to a hard working Southport side, who played a 90 minutes that belied their League position.
Manager Lee Ashcroft started with two up front, Jack Preston joining Brad Carsley, with Jordan Bowen playing just in behind. Town started OK on a bumpy surface, with Carsley heading wide a Mark Woods cross after just 12 minutes, but four minutes later a Southport corner to the edge of the penalty area was volleyed home to put Hesketh 1-0 up.
The travelling Town support was to be disappointed if they expected a response from the League leaders as, playing into a strong wind, Longridge were struggling to get going, being out worked all over the pitch by the Home side.
After 38 minutes a free kick was lofted into the Longridge area and, after failing to clear their lines, Town went two down as the ball was stabbed home from six yards.
2-0 as the teams went in at half time, and Town would now be playing with the wind at their backs.
Former Southport player Mark Jeffers was introduced, in place of Jack Preston, at half time as Ashcroft look to get the ball wide and provide the ammunition for Carsley to add to his 26 goal tally.
Jeffers looked bright and Town started the half looking for the goal to get them back in the game, but the closest they came was a glancing header from Danny Morris that rolled wide from a corner.
Joe Melling was replaced by Jordan Tucker on the hour, as Ryan McKenna moved up front with Carsley, but it was all in vain as the Southport keeper remained untroubled, aside from showing good hands when saving a Carsley free kick on 76 minutes.
Just 2 minutes later it was all over, although it had felt that way for a while, as Southport outnumbered the Town defence and fired a 3rd goal into the corner of the net. 3-0.
The final 12 minutes were played out in the grim belief that Longridge had missed an opportunity, but Southport had played well and fully deserved their 3 points on the day.
After the match Manager Lee Ashcroft (pictured)was philosophical regarding his teams chances , " The important thing now is that we win our next 3 matches, as the outcome is still in our own hands then, before going to Blackpool on the final day. We were poor today admittedly, but we have to respond and I'm pleased that we have the chance to do that quickly with the Tempest game on Wednesday night."
Town now have 3 home games, starting on Wednesday night against Tempest United with a 7.30pm kick off, before then facing title rivals Blackpool Wren Rovers on the final day of the season on Saturday May 13th.
Today's result leaves Longridge two points clear at the top of the West Lancashire League Premier Division on 72 points, two clear of nearest challengers Wren Rovers.
Well, I was only expecting the shoes... but my big package arrived from Korea thanks to mini_Gamja...
Shelving unit and the rack are from mini_Gamja in her red brick studio.
For more her works please check her flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/unmeblue/
More punch ups and scary creatures. Our hero progresses to find out what makes the land of Gor tick. Apparently it is a bunch of giant ants!! He meets a beautiful girl , saves the world and sets things up for the next book. Well what did you expect. In this book the author reveals more about his thoughts regarding women and slavery.
Little did I expect to the see the purple and orange livery of 172 339 of West Midlands Railway while waiting for my train at Birmingham Moor Street Station!
It was after I popped to the city centre on the way back from Longbridge via Birmingham New Street, to see the Bullring Bull in it's orange West Midlands Railway outfit.
This time, I managed to also get the sides of the train as it advertised places such as Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the Black Country Living Museum (neither are really close to a railway line - although University or Five Ways are close to the BBG).
The train was heading to Stourbridge Junction, before later heading down to Dorridge.
These are my personal notes taken during a geology presentation. I give them here because they may be of some interest. Do not expect the notes to always be in complete sentences, etc.
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Early Mississippian Crinoids and the Flowering of a Paleontologist
Presented by: Forest Gahn (Department of Geology, Brigham Young University at Idaho, Rexburg, Idaho, USA) (emp.byui.edu/GahnF/)
20 November 1998
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Crinoids - there are ~615 living species today, and only ~100 of which are stalked. The rest are stalkless (the comatulids). Comatulid crinoids do have stalks as juveniles, but they are lost with ontogeny.
Wachsmuth & Springer - North American Crinoidea Camerata - a monumental work with 1000 pages and 87 plates.
A diverse set of crinoids exists in the Early Mississippian Burlington Limestone of Iowa - it is the most significant deposit for crinoid diversity in the whole geologic record.
Examples of crinoids from the Burlington Limestone:
1) Eretmocrinus - has flared/flattened arm tips - these are older forms than those from the Ft. Payne Formation [Osagean, Lower Mississippian] of Kentucky.
(www.flickr.com/photos/paleo_bear/8727212149)
2) Actinocrinites - with a deeply lobed top of calyx.
(www.flickr.com/photos/42200412@N03/9158974361)
3) Scrotocrinus - with a flared, umbrella-like structure at top of calyx.
4) Platycrinites - with a twisted stem and large radial plates.
(www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/17389759822)
(www.fossilmall.com/EDCOPE_Enterprises/echinoderms/crinoid...)
5) Eucladocrinus - also with a twisted stem, but columnals are very narrow.
(www.flickr.com/photos/23165290@N00/7282111552)
6) Agaricocrinus
(www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/16769203374)
In the modern, fish like to nip off crinoid arms. In the past, this may also have happened with shell-crushing sharks eating crinoid crowns. Crinoids started to evolve spines to thwart such predation (such as the “fish-hook” crown of Dorycrinus - 208.109.209.137/CCBUR901c.jpg). There has been a suggestion that there is a correlation through time between an increase in predation and the development in crinoids of anti-predator morphological structures.
We’ve been looking at camerate crinoids up to now.
Now the inadunates - there are 2 groups: the cladids (they have two circlets of plates below the radials) and the disparids (they have 1 circlet of plates below the radials).
The Burlington Limestone has species of the disparid Synbathocrinus (www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/17383990962) and Halysiocrinus (www.uky.edu/KGS/fossils/images/mi_anns_crinoid.jpg & www.crinus.info/crinoids/wbcri141.jpg)
; the latter had a stem parallel to the seafloor, with arms bent upward into the water.
The Burlington also has species of the cladids Celiocrinus, Springercrinus, Hypsilocrinus, etc.
Springer (1920) - The Crinoidea Flexibilia.
The flexibles have tightly-plated, thin-plated calices and divets or grooves at the plate margins. Burlington Limestone flexibles include Taxocrinus (www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/17365862906), Wachsmuthocrinus, and Perithiocrinus.
Gahn has also looked at Burlington-aged rocks in northwestern Montana, just south of Glacier National Park, and collected nice crinoids and blastoids. Gahn also looked at Ireland, especially Hook Head, which has the same groups of crinoids.
Current research - looking at the Wassonville Formation, which occurs stratigraphically right below the Burlington Limestone in Iowa. The Burlington contains ~300 species of crinoids. Why was there such diversity then? Answering this question was the reason for looking below the Burlington at the Wassonville in southeastern Iowa. The Wassonville is the equivalent of a crinoid-rich horizon from central Iowa (the Legrande beds).
Collected Wassonville Formation crinoids from a quarry, and had sparse luck. Then, got to collect in a new quarry and found 150 crinoids in 1 day. Since then, many more crinoids have been found. There are two productive crinoid zones in the Wassonville - a lower zone near the base of the formation, and an upper zone near the middle of the formation.
The lower zone was deposited in a high-energy, near-shore environment. The upper zone was deposited in quieter water, near the lower limit of storm wave base. This deeper water environment has very finely laminated mudstones, with crinoids in it. These crinoids were deposited very rapidly, by storms. The preservation is so good that cirri are preserved intact on the stem. Also found echinoids with in-place spines. This deeper water fauna is dominated by cladids with delicate morphology. There are also some camerates and ophiuroids and asteroids.
The lower zone in the Wassonville Formation was a higher-energy environment, with cross-bedding and mud clasts - all storm sedimentation. There is a distinct crinoid fauna there, compared with the deeper fauna. Still, the preservation is good. The crinoid fauna is dominated by cladids. The cladids from the deeper water zone are more delicate than in the shallow water environments. Also found flexibles in the high-energy environment, but they are absent from the low-energy environment.
Southeastern Iowa - a middle shelf setting. Legrande, Iowa (central Iowa) - an inner shelf setting. The Legrande crinoids are truly phenomenal there. Species can be consistently identified based on color patterns alone (including varying coloration - dark stem & basal calyx and whitish upper calyx in one species). Legrande fossil crinoids are on display at Beloit College, in Wisconsin.
In terms of species and generic diversity, higher energy, middle shelf environments show the highest diversity. The low energy, middle shelf environments have less diversity, and the high energy, inner shelf environments show the lowest diversity. The latter is probably due to fluctuating temperature and salinity conditions. Can see onshore-offshore trends in abundance and diversity data for the different crinoid groups.
Crinoids with the most densely pinnulated arms are most abundant in high-energy inner shelf environments. Paired pores (interpreted as sensory) next to arm facets developed in many camerates in the Mississippian.
Belemnocrinus - previously only known from the Burlington Limestone, and was very rare there (only about 7 specimens). Now, this crinoid is known (rather commonly) in the older Wassonville Formation.
There are no encrusters on Wassonville Formation crinoids. There are a few on Burlington Limestone crinoids. One platycerid gastropod has been found on a crinoid by Gahn in all the years of collecting Burlington Limestone crinoids.
There is a specimen known of a crinoid stem wrapped around 2 blastoids, like a twisty tie.
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13 Nov 1954, Cairo, Egypt --- Wearing the traditional Burnoose, but carrying Western clothes, Sheikh Ezzat Gaafar, Chief of the Cabinet of the Emir of Kuwait, arrives in Cairo from Rome. Gaafar is expected to marry ex-Queen Narriman of Egypt after she obtains a divorce from her present husband, Dr. Adham El Nakeeb. Narriman's first husband was ex-King Farouk. --- Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS
And he did not marry her
I truly expected my newest foster to be Mini Moo. Instead, I am pleasantly surprised by the vim and vigor possessed by that gorgeous little furball. Mini Moo has people asking about him, so I expect he will go to a forever home soon. Besides, the family who has them in their house is quite attached to the little guy and don't have any issues with keeping him until he is adopted.
So, how did I end up with Curiosity in my basement bathroom for now? Curiosity and Mini Moo are the last of the dumped kittens to need homes. Curiosity, in truth, is beyond the adorable kitten stage that people desire. Furthermore, he needs some vet care. While the abscess we drained has healed nicely, he still needs to see a vet for his URI as well as presumed parasites and ear mites.
Curiosity has a gentle nature and is convinced he belongs inside the house (he must have been an inside kitten before he was dumped). A while back, during a church bonfire, Curiosity planted himself on the lap of a young man in a wheelchair. Curiosity stayed on his lap as long as the boy remained at the bonfire.
Then, what perhaps won me over, was yesterday afternoon. We had a meal at the farm with visiting missionaries. At some point, some child left the front door open. Well, in wandered Curiosity. He came straight over to the table and looked for a lap to hop up on. Unfortunately, he had to be taken back outside at that point, but he tugged at my heartstrings. . . then he tugged even harder after we gathered in the living room. I leaned over to pet Mini Moo in the bay window and locked eyes with a pleading Curiosity. He so much wanted to be inside with us. . .
Cooler weather has arrived, and Curiosity's health could easily get worse without care. The Convenia shot didn't work for him. I want to do twice daily oral medicine. It just makes sense to have Curiosity stay at our place until we can find him a forever home. We'll nurture him to health, and his natural charm should win someone over. . .
Curiosity not only enjoys people, he also enjoys the company of other cats. It looks like, until we get him treated by the vet, he will make do with his own reflection for a while.
The most adorable girl mimicking her pregnant mom. Update: when I took the photo I didn't know the tile 'Expecting a brother' would be the right one. The little girl did get the brother she expected. :)
Having never been to the "Wild" West Hollywood Halloween Parade before I was unsure of exactly what to expect. I knew about the outrageous Halloween Costumes, and the wild parties from the news media though. I also knew there would be lots of cross dressers.
A meetup group was supposed to meet at a nearby parking structure but it got cancelled at the last minute and naturally I chose to go it alone rather than turn back. What's that we used to say - "Though I be the Lone Survivor..." hmmm, amazing how that Creed still comes in handy 30 some years later...
Parking was challenging but I found a reasonably priced lot about a mile away and grabbed my gear and walked down to the parade route.
I staked myself out under a streetlamp in the middle of Santa Monica Blvd, and tried to get as many of the unique and good costumes as I could. One of the inside jokes is to let the newbies keep asking "What time does the parade start?" All night long. Eventually they figure it out.
These pictures were shot with a brand new Canon 7D with a ringflash. Unfortunately the ringflash blocks the focusing light from the flash unit so there were some challenges focusing in the poor light. With every breakthrough comes new obstacles. Such is life.
The Canon 7D preformed reasonably well under the circumstances. It sure as heck ain't no 1D or 5D, but it is an 18 Megapixel, APS-C 1.6x Crop sensor size, and very practical. It has a bunch of features that the 5Dii doesn't have, although the 5Dii has a much higher quality sensor, which is also slightly larger (21 Megapixel), as well as being full frame. The 7D is also noisier than the 1D or 5d at anything higher than ISO 400, but was useable under the circumstances. It also does video, but I didn't try to use it that night. I've obviously been spoiled by my 1D.
I ran out of biz cards the first hour. If your picture is in here, just use flickr mail to send me your email address, me and I'll send you the file at No Charge.
I'll be back next year - this is a fun parade.
2017 World Championship Group Stage at Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium in Wuhan, Hubei, China on 5 October 2017.
Please visit her blog
and please link her address on your HP or blog.
She expects a lot of visitors.
If it were possibility more than 2000 visitors every day.
Yuna's blog :
thank you
Much worse than I expected. I'm tempted to use software to fix things. Mostly I like to de-saturate the photos. Maybe I could get a pin up model to work with this summer. The camera seems to work well in bright light. Should we have a group? Are a lot of people using these little cameras?
This picture I made it in the garden of a friend of Böblingen.
Tree is cherry.
The word cherry refers to a fleshy fruit (drupe) that contains a single stony seed. The cherry belongs to the family Rosaceae, genus Prunus, along with almonds, peaches, plums, apricots and bird cherries. The subgenus, Cerasus, is distinguished by having the flowers in small corymbs of several together (not singly, nor in racemes), and by having a smooth fruit with only a weak groove or none along one side. The subgenus is native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with two species in America, three in Europe, and the remainder in Asia. The word "cherry" comes from the French word "cerise", which comes in turn from the Latin words cerasum and Cerasus.
The cherry is generally understood to have been brought to Rome from northeastern Anatolia, historically known as the Pontus region, in 72 BC. The city of Giresun in present-day Turkey was known to the ancient Greeks as Choerades or Pharnacia, and later as Kerasous or Cerasus, < Kerason < Kerasounta < Kerasus "horn" (for peninsula) in Greek + ounta (Greek toponomical suffix). The name later mutated into Kerasunt (sometimes written Kérasounde or Kerassunde).
The English word cherry, French cerise, Spanish cereza, and Southern Italian dialect cerasa (standard Italian ciliegia) all come from the Classical Greek κέρασος "cherry," which has been identified with Cerasus. The cherry was first exported to Europe from Cerasus in Roman times. By the Middle Ages, cherries had disappeared in England. They were reestablished at Tyneham, near Sittingbourne in Kent by order of Henry VIII, who had tasted them in Flanders.
Besides the fruit, cherries also have attractive flowers, and they are commonly planted for their flower display in spring; several of the Asian cherries are particularly noted for their flower displays. The Japanese sakura in particular are a national symbol celebrated in the yearly Hanami festival. Many flowering cherry cultivars (known as 'ornamental cherries') have the stamens and pistils replaced by additional petals ("double" flowers), so are sterile and do not bear fruit. They are grown purely for their flowers and decorative value. The most common of these sterile cherries is the cultivar 'Kanzan'.
These are my personal notes taken during a geology presentation. I give them here because they may be of some interest. Do not expect the notes to always be in complete sentences, etc.
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A Look at Biotic Events at High Southern Latitudes at the End of the Cretaceous
Presented by: William Zinsmeister (Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA) (www.eaps.purdue.edu/people/faculty-pages/zinsmeister.html)
19 November 1998
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The Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) extinction is the smallest of the big 5 extinctions. 11% of all families go extinct at the K-T boundary. But, the K-T extinction is a favourite of many people, mainly because it included the extinction of the dinosaurs. There have been many theories proposed about why the dinosaurs went extinct, including mammals eating their eggs, the evolution of angiosperms interfering with their digestive systems, and other ideas.
But, all these dinosaurs extinction hypotheses are flawed because they only deal with dinosaurs. Many terrestrial and marine groups (plant and animal) went extinct at the same time.
Then, the impact hypothesis came along in the early 1980s, proposed by Alvarez. This idea explained the K-T extinction in both the terrestrial and marine realm - basically, the global food chain collapsed. Also, the impact theory caught people’s imaginations, and was immediately accepted as fact by the media and the general public. There is much debate among scientists, though.
Now, there is much compelling evidence for an impact. Lots of computer modelling has been done to see what an impact would do the the Earth. One idea is that debris would be thrown up high into the atmosphere and would fall back down as an enormous meteor shower, which would heat the atmosphere to 800˚ and everything on the surface was cooked. Other scary ideas: rainshowers of nitric acid and sulfuric acid, nuclear winter scenario, and global forest fires.
Problem: If things were so bad, how did anything survive? Where are the burned/charred dinosaur bones and trees if all this happened?
There are a few diehards who still say an impact didn’t happen.
Other than that, there are 2 hypothese: 1) Bad Day Hypothesis; 2) Impending Doom Hypothesis.
The Impending Doom Hypothesis says that the Earth’s biosphere had been under a long period of stress up to the time of the impact. The impact was the capstone to the extinction. This seems like a logical idea.
Seymour Island - located near the northeastern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. The geology on Seymour Island is mostly a homoclinal succession of rocks - Cretaceous to upper Paleocene. (www.geologicallocations.com/antarctica/seymour-island.htm)
Post-impact scenarios - it has been difficult to assess post-impact scenarios because there are few areas in the world with Danian-age rocks (= earliest Tertiary). Danian rocks occur in northwestern Europe, a few other places, and on Seymour Island. The north part of Seymour Island is Tertiary in age.
There are about 70 square kilometers of outcrop to look at on Seymour Island (upper Cretaceous and lower Tertiary). The island has a desert-like topography similar to southwestern USA. These are good exposures, and they are packed with fossils with a high diversity and good preservation. About 800 species of fossils have been described from Seymour Island. Lots of ammonites are just lying on the surface. The ammonites are aragonitic. There are also good gastropods and bivalves (all fresh looking). There are also fossil echinoids (including 1 form with 5 brood pouches - the juveniles live in the parent up to a certain point). There are also plesiosaurs and mosasaurs. Ammonites are common.
A spectacular specimen of Diplomoceras was found last year - a specimen that was 1.5 meters long (but curved; uncurved, it would be 14 feet long). The animal itself was ~6 feet long (a 6 feet long living chamber). Smaller pieces of this fossil are relatively common, but this specimen was unusually preserved. It is the nicest, most remarkable specimen known. (www.geologicallocations.com/assets/photos/antarctica/Seym...)
Seymour Island is very muddy to work on - it is always above freezing during the field seasons.
An iridium anomaly does occur here on Seymour Island. It occurs in a unit referred to as the K-T glauconite, which is a greenish, glauconitic sandstone that occurs at the boundary. The glauconitic sandstone is easily correlatable across the island. (www.geologicallocations.com/assets/photos/antarctica/Seym...)
There are no stratigraphic or sedimentological signatures at the K-T boundary within the glauconitic sandstone interval. There is no boundary clay, as classically seen at Gubbio, Italy.
Antarctica is ~8000 miles away from the Chicxulub Crater in Yucatan, Mexico, which is a significant point as far as considering the after-effects expected to be seen in Antarctica. (www.theyucatantimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Chicxu...)
Rudist record - there is a gradual increase in the diversity of rudist bivalves in the Cretaceous. (www.paleotax.de/rudists/intro-Dateien/image002.jpg) Most rudists went extinct at 67.5 to 68 million years ago (~early-late Maastrichtian boundary). This pattern mirrors other groups’ diversity patterns as well - all mostly go extinct before the K-T boundary.
Seymour Island ammonites crash at the end of the Campanian. Seymour Island inoceramid bivalves are gone near the end of the Campanian. (www.flickr.com/photos/jsjgeology/19921135882) Seymour Island belemnites virtually disappear at the end of the Campanian. Seymour Island ammonites are quite diverse in the Campanian (35-36 species), but their diversity crashes to 10 species in the Maastrichtian (= latest Cretaceous), and they are gone at the K-T boundary. Several Campanian cosmopolitan ammonite families disappear in the Campanian in the Seymour Island area, but they extend to the K-T boundary in lower latitudes. So, their disappearance in the Seymour Island area indicates a general temperature decline (cooling).
A regression occurred at the mid-Maastrichtian.
Superimposed on the Maastrichtian temperature decline are several rapid warming spikes. 50,000 years before the K-T boundary event was a warming event, documented from some ODP sites.
Note the restricted occurrence to 1 horizon on Seymour Island of the ammonite Zealandites varuna in the Maastrichtian Lopez de Bertodano Formation. Its presence probably represents a warming spike.
The faunal transition across the K-T boundary on Seymour Island - no single extinction event seen - a gradual decline is seen instead. There is no marked extinction horizon.
Then, someone suggested that this pattern is due to the Signor/Lipps Effect, a phenomenon produced by collection/preservation biases. One can get a gradual extinction pattern purely due to collecting and preservation biases. So, Zinsmeister and others recollected the fossils on Seymour Island, and collected fossils spatially, doing detailed mapping.
The K-T glauconite (~5 meters thick) is actually 3 units - a lower glauconite, a middle fish bed/horizon, and an upper glauconite. The fish debris bed could represent a victim bed from the K-T impact.
Renewed fossil collecting has resulted in a new diversity record - the extinction is less gradual now - it is more abrupt, but all groups are dying out just before the iridium anomaly. The K-T extinction is now more abrupt is high southern latitudes than previously thought.
Fish horizon - interpreted to be the effect of extreme ocean disruption; fish kills are not due to ocean poisoning (strangelove ocean), but by pulses of nutrients into the oceans. This is the only fish horizon in 1600 meters of section. It could be an interval of slow deposition, but this is not likely because fish degrade relatively quickly, and one needs special conditions to preserve fish. The fish debris bed represents conditions after the K-T event - lots of fish kills occurred.
The biosphere is far more robust than we give it credit for. Organisms have been able to survive truly catastrophic events in geologic history.
Example: the Millbrig Bentonite (Middle Ordovician, eastern USA and Scandinavia). This large volcanic eruption resulted in no extinctions. Therefore, Earth’s biosphere is very robust. But, if the biosphere is already stressed, then a big event can push the biosphere into a mass extinction.
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The photo I had to laugh. Can not smile without looking at it as a huge dog finds the members of his flock of children. Balian accompanies them everywhere:)
My 2nd maternity shoot. Tried a few without the backdrop this time as the colours looked pretty good. Also, there wasn't loads of room to set up the backdrop due to the shape of the room.
For the shots without the backdrop I used both my Sony F42 flashguns with white shoot-through umbrellas.
For the backdrop shots I had a bare flash behind the backdrop and one camera right with a reflector on the floor aiming back up into Matt & Kiley.
I had a very interesting conversation with my boss today. How we got onto the subject isn't important, but it was actually kind of nice to share my story....to not feel like I'm keeping a deep, dark secret because there still seems to be a stigma attached to it.
I was first diagnosed with depression when I was 15, but it was a diagnosis that should have been made a lot sooner. The first time I had thoughts of "hurting" myself was around 10 or 11. Going beyond just thinking about it happened nearly as quickly as I became a teen. Shortly after the diagnosis, I started my first round of antidepressants and therapy--15 year later two of the three are as common to my daily routine as breathing. There are still dark days when it is all I can do to get out of bed, or go to work or even take a shower.I've learned though, through a lot of journaling and talking and getting to know myself. It comes and goes in cycles--I dread the peaks because I know the valley is not too far behind. And as much as I'd like to say the darkest of days are far behind me, they aren't. They pop up every once in awhile-usually when I least expect them, when I think I finally have things under control, I realize that I don't and it scares the hell out of me each and every time.
There are a couple extras in comments......
Model: Claire
Makeup: Iraigui Flores de Crété
© 2010 Jean Lemoine - Tous droits réservés.
Strobist info:
Multiblitz Profilux 600 with softbox.
Courtenay Solapro 300 with softbox.
Wire trigger.
Was expecting better traction on the Test Train working and had assumed it may have been a 37, plus the working had come a long way, all the way from Craigentinny down to Derby, but more on that in a moment. First up, a 'Then & Now' piece on the Midland and GC lines up the Blackburn Valley and which has now only the Midland line remaining, the one the 2 Northern Rail DMUs are travelling along. Heading south into Sheffield is Northern Rail class 158, 158797 on the Huddersfield to Sheffield, 2B47 service. Coming north, at almost the same time, another Northern Rail DMU, this time class 144, 144005, on the Sheffield to Leeds, 2L42, service. About 55 years ago, if you can cast your mind back that far, the lower picture shows what this scene would have looked like at that time. With the GC's Blackburn Valley line still in place and very busy, we see an RCTS (Railway Correspondence & Travel Society, hows that for a grand name) rail tour bei8ng hauled by the 'South Yorkshireman'. In charge is class B1, 61165 and just behind, a class D11, 62660 a named locomotive, 'Butler Henderson'. The landscape as well as the disposition of the railways has changed drastically over the intervening time though remarkably the (now green painted) lattice footbridge over the Midland lines on the right, is still in place. The angle of the shot for the present photograph having to be changed due to the growth of intervening vegetation; the concrete posts, separating the GC form the Midland lines, are still in place!
A victory over 3rd bottom Southport Hesketh would've seen Longridge go 5 points clear at the top of the West Lancashire League Premier Division with 4 games to play. Sadly, Town produced their worst performance of the season, going down 3-0 to a hard working Southport side, who played a 90 minutes that belied their League position.
Manager Lee Ashcroft started with two up front, Jack Preston joining Brad Carsley, with Jordan Bowen playing just in behind. Town started OK on a bumpy surface, with Carsley heading wide a Mark Woods cross after just 12 minutes, but four minutes later a Southport corner to the edge of the penalty area was volleyed home to put Hesketh 1-0 up.
The travelling Town support was to be disappointed if they expected a response from the League leaders as, playing into a strong wind, Longridge were struggling to get going, being out worked all over the pitch by the Home side.
After 38 minutes a free kick was lofted into the Longridge area and, after failing to clear their lines, Town went two down as the ball was stabbed home from six yards.
2-0 as the teams went in at half time, and Town would now be playing with the wind at their backs.
Former Southport player Mark Jeffers was introduced, in place of Jack Preston, at half time as Ashcroft look to get the ball wide and provide the ammunition for Carsley to add to his 26 goal tally.
Jeffers looked bright and Town started the half looking for the goal to get them back in the game, but the closest they came was a glancing header from Danny Morris that rolled wide from a corner.
Joe Melling was replaced by Jordan Tucker on the hour, as Ryan McKenna moved up front with Carsley, but it was all in vain as the Southport keeper remained untroubled, aside from showing good hands when saving a Carsley free kick on 76 minutes.
Just 2 minutes later it was all over, although it had felt that way for a while, as Southport outnumbered the Town defence and fired a 3rd goal into the corner of the net. 3-0.
The final 12 minutes were played out in the grim belief that Longridge had missed an opportunity, but Southport had played well and fully deserved their 3 points on the day.
After the match Manager Lee Ashcroft (pictured)was philosophical regarding his teams chances , " The important thing now is that we win our next 3 matches, as the outcome is still in our own hands then, before going to Blackpool on the final day. We were poor today admittedly, but we have to respond and I'm pleased that we have the chance to do that quickly with the Tempest game on Wednesday night."
Town now have 3 home games, starting on Wednesday night against Tempest United with a 7.30pm kick off, before then facing title rivals Blackpool Wren Rovers on the final day of the season on Saturday May 13th.
Today's result leaves Longridge two points clear at the top of the West Lancashire League Premier Division on 72 points, two clear of nearest challengers Wren Rovers.