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The Medico Della Peste with its long beak is one of the most bizarre and recognisable of the venetian masks. The striking design has a macabre history originating from 16th century french physician Charles de Lorme who adopted the mask together with other peculiar sanitary precautions while treating plague victims.
The doctors who followed de Lorme's example wore the usual black hat and long black cloak as well as the mask, white gloves and a stick (to move patients without having to come into physical contact). They hoped these precautions would prevent them contracting the disease.
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Influenza A(H1N1) virus is a subtype of influenzavirus A and the most common cause of influenza (flu) in humans. Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans and cause a small fraction of all influenza-like illness and a large fraction of all seasonal influenza. H1N1 strains caused roughly half of all human flu infections in 2006. Other strains of H1N1 are endemic in pigs (swine influenza) and in birds (avian influenza).
As I have previously said in my photo captions, the bighorn sheep of I-84 were moved into other areas of Oregon (or so I had thought). What I did not know is that they only moved a fraction of them, and I am happy to say that most of them are still there. I counted over 60 when I drove there a few weeks ago. I found in particular a few groups of ewes close to the road, though they are usually more skiddish than the rams. When I photographed this Ewe, she was accompanied by three other ewes and they led me up the slope until I overlooked the entire Columbia River. Once I started heading back down, I was over 400 yards up the slope. They can really be a pain! But, they are very fun to photograph and it was nice to get photos of the females for once. I did photograph many rams as well, and saw even more, but sadly I did not see the record-book ram that I have photographed so many times and have frequently posted photos of. Hopefully he was not one of the ones that was moved and I just missed him. I will definitely be looking every time I go there for him.
Arbatax, Tortolì fraction, is one of the most important ports on the east coast of Sardinia, located on the northern tip of the promontory of Capo Bellavista, the town is built around a tower of the late sixteenth century, which served as a munitions depot. Arbatax is famous for the characteristic red rocks, a cliff of red porphyry, which is located near the harbor, behind the east pier. Beyond the reef opens a passage carved into the rock through which you go to a beach at the foot of the red rocks.
Arbatax is a territory rich in green Mediterranean scrub and the characteristic red rocks and masses of porphyritic granite.
Arbatax is a stunning place to be in the spring, when you can see an explosion of colours with the contrast of the rocks of the headland and the reef, the white sandy beaches and the limpid waters. A natural frame to this panorama are the surrounding mountains, the highest on the island.
Arbatax (in sardo Arbatassa) è una frazione costiera del comune di Tortolì, in provincia dell'Ogliastra, sede di porto e di aeroporto (Tortolì-Arbatax).
Arbatax si trova su una penisola, (Capo Bellavista), al centro della costa orientale sarda, a ridosso dello Stagno di Tortolì. I centri abitati più vicini sono Tortolì (che è il capoluogo del comune di cui la frazione Arbatax fa parte: a 5 km), Girasole (a 7 km) e Lotzorai (ad 9 km).Le Rocce Rosse sono il Monumento Naturale più conosciuto di Arbatax, oltre che uno dei simboli dell'Isola. Vengono anche detti, meno diffusamente, "Scogli Rossi" e rappresentano una delle tante formazioni di filoni di porfido rosso affiorante dell'Ogliastra, (come per esempio i faraglioni di Cea a Bari sardo). Situate tra il Porto e Cala Moresca, queste rocce di porfido rosso dalla forma particolare che va man mano a stagliarsi nelle acque del Mediterraneo, non sono solo un monumento naturale ma rappresentano anche lo spendido e panoramico scenario della piccola spiaggia di scogli bianchi e di granito rosa, nonchè scenario dell'appuntamento annuale del ROCCE ROSSE & BLUES, una manifestazione musicale molto famosa
I just had a browse for a few examples for us and these are just a fraction of the awesomeness out there...
1. around the world www.etsy.com/shop/beautifulwork?ref=shop_sugg
2. alphabet www.etsy.com/listing/96807436/japanese-fabric-cotton-alph...
3. Hello my friend Spacetown www.etsy.com/listing/104755191/japanese-fabric-push-pin-x...
4. Pink Glitter Skulls www.modes4u.com/en/kawaii/p6575_pink-glitter-skull-fabric...
5. Hawaii/Japan Mashup www.superbuzzy.com/shop/product/hawaii-japan-mashup-grey/
6. Bambi on green www.celticfusionfabrics.com/ourshop/prod_1476713-Kokka-De...
7. Vintage cookies www.etsy.com/listing/94938110/japanese-fabric-cotton-vint...
8. Kokka Trefle Animal Bus www.etsy.com/listing/94612333/japanese-fabric-kokka-trefl...
9. Kawaii Square Buttons www.celticfusionfabrics.com/ourshop/prod_1714887-Cosmo-Ja...
10. Koseki Sewing Cheater www.superbuzzy.com/shop/product/koseki-sewing-cheater-aqu...
11. Circus in town www.celticfusionfabrics.com/ourshop/prod_1834727-Kiyohara...
12. Forest trees cat & bird www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cotton-Linen-Fabric-Forest-Trees-Cat-B...
13. kokka fairytale patchwork oxford www.modes4u.com/en/kawaii/p9614_light-pink-fairy-tale-pat...
14. Minny Muu Bedtime (blue no longer available) www.superbuzzy.com/shop/product/minny-muu-bedtime-pink/
15. Yesterdays news www.superbuzzy.com/shop/product/koseki-yesterday-s-news-b...
16. honeybee (no longer available) www.modes4u.com/en/kawaii/p6376_cute-honeybee-canvas-fabr...
17. Hansel & Gretel www.celticfusionfabrics.com/ourshop/prod_1714897-Cosmo-Ja...
18. little pink and brokiga www.etsy.com/listing/104272207/japanese-fabric-kokka-litt...
19. down the chimney www.superbuzzy.com/shop/product/down-the-chimney-cream/
20. love panda mini stripe www.superbuzzy.com/shop/product/love-panda-mini-stripe-bl...
21. Tamagotchi Tama Town www.etsy.com/listing/86013202/japanese-fabric-tamagotchi-...
22. vintage sewing notions www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Retro-Cotton-Linen-Fabric-Vintage-Sewi...
23. korean newspaper print www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-Metre-Cotton-Linen-Fabric-Newspaper-...
24. German Chocolate labels www.superbuzzy.com/shop/product/german-chocolate-labels-p...
25. Teddy Bear in Black www.etsy.com/listing/100290078/japanese-fabric-cotton-ted...
I think it's fun to see what the Flickr Host thinks is interesting in my personal photos. They capture only a small fraction of my personal favorites of my own photos, and certainly a very very small fraction of my favs of my friends photos!
This grey background is ghastly! Yes, it is a color that detracts from the presentation. Can someone help me? Is there a way in Scout to set the background color to suit the photographer's "Sense and Sensibility"?
1. MIT's Frank Gehry Affecting Tucson? Hmmm... Makes you wonder!, 2. ♥ Young Ballet Dancers In Studio ~~ Having Fun ~~ Mugging For The Camera, 3. Mandelbrot Fractal Meets Escher Tesselation "Hands-On" In a Dimensional Distortion Field The Uncertainty of How We Should Or Must View Dimensionality Itself , 4. Karina Ballerina Airborne-01 - A Picture Within A Picture - Student and Teacher, 5. Unnamed Melody ~~ Last White Summer Flower of 2011 In Tucson? ~~ Garlic vs Rose~~, 6. Stablized Shadow ^_^ Without Wall Fixture ^_^ - {Explored July 15th}, 7. 100_7052- Heart Healthy Breakfast, 8. Norman Walker's "The Sacred Path",
9. My Cardiac Surgery - News Update #3, 10. 100_6270 Gobi Desert Beauty :: First White Hollyhock of 2011, 11. Cup of Rose Tea, 12. Bokeh Bubbles, 13. Cholla Cactus Trunk and Arms Remain Standing, 14. First Perennial Pollen of 2011 - Into The Heart Of Darkness, 15. ~~ Racked and Stacked ~~, 16. Inspecting Tutus With Multi-Spectral Lights,
17. White Winter Rose, 18. Red Bird In Paradise Finds No Free Lunch, 19. Bee's Dream, 20. Young Ballet Dancers - IMG_1747_2, 21. Shadow Falls On First Yellow Canna Blooming In 2010, 22. ~ Sophie Dancing ~ Monday Ballet Class Waltz, 23. Jacaranda Blossoms Herald Spring 2010, 24. Hosed Keyholed Posed Cajoled Rosed,
25. Evolution ~A Dancer's Progress or ~Ascent Of Ballerinas, 26. The Last Japanese Iris Flower of 2009? - Yes Really, 27. Barnes and Noble al fresco :: iPhone does Starbucks, 28. Desert Sunrise With Sodium Lamp, 29. A Shot At The Barre, 30. a perfect dose of sunshine, 31. Posing With Silly Faces, 32. Fabric at SAS,
33. Kaley In Cecily's Rodeo: Kick-2, 34. Elegant Ballet Birds, 35. Remember The Hands, 36. Chic 's Pentagon of Ballerinas in First Arabesque in Genuine Fractals 6, 37. Emma Delighted-2, 38. Miss Megan and Her Lemmings, 39. Unfolding Sacred Datura Flower, 40. Deborah in 2007 Dress Rehearsal,
41. Yellow Autumn, 42. Pointe Class Posing in Sous Sus Croisse Arm Fifth en Haut, in Shiny New First Pink Satin Pointe Shoes!, 43. Ben and Alana's Wedding
Created with fd's Flickr Toys
Famous touristic place for climate and beautiful beaches, the Lido of Mazzarò has grown from an ancient settlement of fishermen. The bay faces the Ionian Sea, surrounded by bright colors or blue depending on water depth, or from the different angle of sunlight. Mazzarò (alias Taormina mare) is a coastal fraction of Taormina. Tourists have plenty of choice, to make their way from Taormina that leads to the sea and vice versa. You can drive along the Via Pirandello and continue on the SS.114, or by the cable car that connects in few minutes Mazzarò to Taormina center and vice versa. For those who wants to enjoy the colors of Sicily can undertake a walk that starts from the beautiful panoramic view and ends with the arrival of the front bay of Isola Bella, immersed in an evergreen garden full of flowers and prickly pears characteristic of the Mediterranean. From the Bay of Mazzarò you can reach any other costal area : The Grotta Azzurra, the Capo Taormina one of the most exclusive area , also for its emerald green sea.
La funivia di Mazzarò collega il centro della città di Taormina, in Sicilia con la costiera jonica in località Mazzarò proprio di fronte all'omonima baia, poco più a nord dell'Isola Bella.La costruzione della funivia venne intrapresa alla fine degli anni venti come informava nel 1928 la rivista Vie d'Italia del Touring Club Italiano. Ha nel tempo subito importanti riammodernamenti strutturali.L’impianto attuale, di costruzione Leitner, è del tipo cabinovia monofune con stazione traente posta a valle; l'impianto supera il dislivello di 170,5 m con uno sviluppo lineare di 725,32 m e una pendenza massima del 68%. Le cabine sono agganciate stabilmente in due gruppi di 4 cabine ciascuno e viaggiano ad una altezza massima dal suolo di poco più di 30 m.La quantità di persone trasportate per ciascuna cabina è di 12 unità e ciò consente una portata oraria di circa 650 passeggeri. Gli orari di apertura sono dalle 8h alle 20h 15', con corse effettuate ogni quindici
minuti.
Taormina is a comune and small town on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Messina, about midway between Messina and Catania. Taormina has been a very popular tourist destination since the 19th century. It has popular beaches (accessible via an aerial tramway) on the Ionian sea, which is remarkably warm and has a high salt content. Taormina can be reached via highways from Messina from the north and Catania .Just south of Taormina is the Isola Bella, a nature reserve. Tours of the Capo Sant' Andrea grottos are also available. Taormina is built on an extremely hilly coast, and is approximately a forty-five minute drive away from Europe's largest active volcano, Mount Etna.A stay at Taormina is not just a seaside vacation. This area, rich in charm and history, must be experienced in a spirit that is outside the ordinary, and for one simple reason: here, everything is extraordinary. Every stone is a thousand-year-old piece of history, the glorious sea reflects Taormina's beauty, as it shapes and marks the passage of time, and the places that enchanted the Greeks create to this day a vibrant and exciting ambiance. But trying to describe in words what makes Taormina unique is truly difficult.
Taormina ist eine Stadt mit 11.076 Einwohnern (Stand 31. Dezember 2010) an der Ostküste Siziliens. Die Gründung der Stadt geht auf die Sikuler zurück, die schon vor der griechischen Kolonisation auf den Terrassen des Monte Tauro siedelten. Im 4. Jahrhundert vor Christus wurde die Stadt griechisch. Die heutige Stadt ist eine Neugründung aus dem Mittelalter, nachdem die Araber die antike Stadt zerstört hatten.Auf Grund der malerischen Landschaft, des milden Klimas und zahlreicher historischer Sehenswürdigkeiten entwickelte sich die Stadt im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert zu einem der wichtigsten Touristenzentren Siziliens. Besonders bekannt und sehenswert sind das antike Theater mit Blick auf den Ätna und den Golf von Giardini-Naxos und die kleine Insel Isola Bella vor der Küste Taorminas.
Taormina (griego antiguo Ταυρομένιον, Tauromenion, latín Tauromenium) es una ciudad situada en la costa este de la isla de Sicilia (Italia), en la provincia de Mesina, a medio camino entre Mesina y Catania. Cuenta con 10.991 habitantes.Está casi en el límite de la provincia de Catania, se extiende por el monte Tauro, a 200 m de altitud, y se halla en un balcón sobre el mar, enfrente del volcán Etna. Es un centro turístico muy importante desde el siglo XIX.Posee magníficas playas (accesibles mediante teleférico) y un patrimonio histórico muy rico, cuyo máximo exponente es el célebre teatro greco-romano. Además, se conserva un castillo árabe, que ocupa el lugar de la antigua ciudadela o Arx.Taormina y el volcán Etna al fondo, desde el teatro griego.La ciudad fue fundada por los griegos en el 736 a. C., con el nombre de Naxos.La leyenda cuenta que los marinos griegos que pasaban por la costa oriental de Sicilia olvidaron realizar sacrificios en honor a Poseidón, y él, encolerizado, les hizo naufragar. El único superviviente, Teocles, llegó al Capo Schico, próximo a Naxos, y volvió a Grecia para contar las maravillas de Sicilia, convenciendo a sus compatriotas para instalarse en la isla.
Taormine, en italien Taormina, est une commune de la province de Messine en Sicile (Italie).Taormine est située sur la côte est de la Sicile, à peu près à mi-chemin entre Messine et Catane (50 km), presque à la limite de la province de Catane.Elle s’étend sur le Mont Tauro à 200 m d’altitude. La ville est en balcon sur la mer face à l’Etna. La Calabre, distante d'environ 30 km, est visible par temps clair ainsi que la nuit.La légende dit que des marins grecs, passant sur la côte orientale de la Sicile, avaient oublié de sacrifier à Neptune. Celui-ci, en colère, fit chavirer leur embarcation. Le seul survivant, Théocle, parvint au Cap Schiso, non loin du site de Naxos (aujourd'hui Giardini-Naxos). Il retourna ensuite en Grèce pour narrer à ses compatriotes les merveilles de la Sicile. Certains, convaincus, décidèrent de venir s’y installer.
Taormina è un comune di 10.991 abitanti della provincia di Messina. E' uno dei centri balneari di maggiore rilievo di tutta la regione. Il suo aspetto, il suo paesaggio, i suoi luoghi, le sue bellezze riescono ad attirare turisti provenienti da tutto il mondo.Situata su una collina a 206 m di altezza sul livello del mare , sospesa tra rocce e mare su un terrazzo del monte Tauro, in uno scenario di bellezze naturali unico per varietà e contrasti di motivi , splendore di colori e lussureggiante vegetazione.Il clima è dolcemente mite.Molto belle le mezze stagioni , Primavera e Autunno infatti vantano un clima idealmente mite.La storia di Taormina è sicuramente costellata da molteplici dominazioni, e questo è possibile vederlo passeggiando per le strade del centro storico che mostrano i segni lasciati dai vari popoli passati per Taomina. Essendo situata al centro del mediterraneo la Sicilia fu sempre una preda ambita per la sua posizione strategica di passaggio,situata sulla parte est e in posizione fortificata su una collina permetteva già da allora di controllare buona parte della costa ionica e ha sempre rappresentato un ottimo punto di fortificazione e controllo nelle stradegie di guerra. Dopo aver attestato l'esistenza di una sede di siculi ( antichi abitanti dell'isola, detti anche sicani) presso Taormina, per certo vi passarono e vi lasciarono le loro tracce I Greci, i Romani, i Saraceni, dunque gli Arabi, i Bizantini ,I Normanni , Gli Aragonesi , e per ultimi i Borboni.Un soggiorno a Taormina non è semplicemente una vacanza al mare. Questi luoghi, pregni di storia e di fascino, chiedono infatti di essere vissuti con uno spirito diverso da quello comune e la ragione è semplice: qui tutto è fuori dall'ordinario.Ogni pietra reca in sé una storia millenaria, il mare meraviglioso su cui Taormina riflette tutta la sua bellezza, condiziona e scandisce lo scorrere del tempo ed i luoghi che furono l'incanto dei greci trasmettono tutt'oggi un'atmosfera vibrante di emozioni. Ma tentare di descrivere con le parole ciò che rende unica Taormina è davvero difficile.
Font : Wikipedia
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Meenakshi Amman Temple (also called: Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple, Tiru-aalavaai and Meenakshi Amman Kovil) is a historic Hindu temple located on the southern bank of the Vaigai River in the temple city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is dedicated to Parvati, known as Meenakshi, and her consort, Shiva, here named Sundareswarar. The temple forms the heart and lifeline of the 2,500 year old city of Madurai and is a significant symbol for the Tamil people, mentioned since antiquity in Tamil literature though the present structure was built between 1623 and 1655 CE. It houses 14 gopurams (gateway towers), ranging from 45–50m in height. The tallest is the southern tower, 51.9 metres high, and two golden sculptured vimanas, the shrines over the garbhagrihas (sanctums) of the main deities. The temple attracts 15,000 visitors a day, around 25,000 on Fridays, and receives an annual revenue of sixty million INR. There are an estimated 33,000 sculptures in the temple. It was on the list of top 30 nominees for the "New Seven Wonders of the World". The annual 10-day Meenakshi Tirukalyanam festival, celebrated during April and May, attracts 1 million visitors.
LEGEND
Meenakshi (IAST Mīnākṣī Tamil மீனாட்சி) is an avatar of the Hindu goddess Parvati - the consort of Shiva, one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her. The name "Mīnachchi" means fish-eyed and is derived from the words "mīna" meaning fish and "akṣi" meaning eyes. The lady goddess Meenakshi is the principal deity of the temple, not Sundareswarar, unlike most Shiva temples in South India where Shiva is the principal deity. According to Hindu legend, in order to answer the prayers of the second Pandya king Malayadwaja Pandya and his wife Kanchanamalai, Parvati appeared out of the holy fire of the Putra Kameshti Yagna (sacrifice for childhood) performed by the king. According to another legend, the goddess herself gave notice to Kanchanamalai in one of her previous births that Kanchanamalai would have the privilege of mothering the goddess. The girl who came out of the holy fire had three breasts. A voice from the heavens told the king not to worry about the abnormality and added that the third breast would vanish as soon as the girl met her future husband. The happy king named the girl "Tadaatagai" and as the heir to the throne, Tadaatagai was trained carefully in all the 64 sastras, the fields of science.
As the time came for Tadaatagai's coronation, she had to wage war in three worlds encompassing eight directions. After conquering Brahma's Abode, Sathyaloka, Vishnu's Abode, Vaikunta, and Devas' abode Amaravati, she advanced to Shiva's Abode Kailasha. She very easily defeated the bhoota ganas (IAST: Bhūtagana, meaning Shiva's army) and Nandi, the celestial bull of Shiva, and headed to attack and conquer Shiva. The moment she looked at Shiva, she was unable to fight and bowed her head down due to shyness, and the third breast vanished immediately. Tadaatagai realized that Shiva was her destined husband. She also realized that she was the incarnation of Parvati. Both Shiva and Tadaatagai returned to Madurai and the king arranged the coronation ceremony of his daughter, followed by her marriage with Shiva.
The marriage was to be the biggest event on earth, with the whole earth gathering near Madurai. Vishnu, the brother of Meenakshi, prepared to travel from his holy abode at Vaikuntam to preside over the marriage. Due to a divine play, he was tricked by the Deva, Indra and was delayed on the way. After the marriage, the pair ruled over Madurai for a long time and then assumed divine forms as Sundareswarar and Meenakshi, the presiding deities of the temple. Following the tradition, every evening, before closing the temple, a ritual procession lead by drummers and a brass ensemble carries the image of Sundareswarar to Meenakshi's bedroom to consummate the union, to be taken back the next morning in dawn. The marriage is celebrated annually as Chithirai Thiruvizha in Madurai. During the period of Nayakar rule in Madurai, the ruler Thirumalai Nayakar linked the festival Azhakar Thiruvizha and the Meenakshi wedding ceremony.
HISTORY
The Meenatchi temple is believed to have been founded by Indra (king of Deva celestial deities) while he was on a pilgrimage to atone for his misdeeds. He felt his burden lifting as he neared the swayambu lingam (self formed lingam, a representation of Shiva used for worship in temples) of Madurai. He ascribed this miracle to the lingam and constructed the temple to enshrine it. Indra worshipped Shiva, who caused golden lotuses to appear in the nearby pool. Tamil literature speaks of the temple over the last two millennia. Thirugnanasambandar, the famous Hindu saint of Saiva philosophy, mentioned this temple as early as the 7th century, and described the deity as Aalavai Iraivan. The temple is believed to have been sacked by the infamous Muslim invader Malik Kafur in 1310 and all the ancient elements were destroyed. The initiative to rebuild the structure was taken by first Nayak king of Madurai, Viswanatha Nayak (1559–1600) under the supervision of Ariyanatha Mudaliar, the prime minister of the Nayak Dynasty and the founder of the Poligar System. The original design by Vishwanatha Nayak in 1560 was substantially expanded to the current structure during the reign of Thirumalai Nayak (1623–55). He took considerable interest in erecting many complexes inside the temple. His major contributions are the Vasantha Mandapam for celebrating vasanthorsavam (spring festival) and Kilikoondu Mandapam (corridor of parrots). The corridors of the temple tank and Meenatchi Nayakar Mandapam were built by Rani Mangammal.
Rous Peter (1786–1828), the Collector of Madurai in 1812, got nickname 'Peter Pandian’ as he respected and treated people of all faiths equally. He donated a set of golden stirrups studded with diamonds and red stones to the temple. Goddess Meenatchi is believed to have saved Rous Peter from a fatal incident. He also wished that after his death, his body be buried in a position that would enable his eyes to face the temple.
THE TEMPLE
ARCHITECTURE
The temple is the geographic and ritual center of the ancient city of Madurai and one of the largest temple complexes in Tamil Nadu. The temple complex is divided into a number of concentric quadrangular enclosures contained by high masonry walls. It is one of the few temples in Tamil Nadu to have four entrances facing four directions. Vishwantha Nayaka allegedly redesigned the city of Madurai in accordance with the principles laid down by Shilpa Shastras (Sanskrit: śilpa śāstra, also anglicized as silpa sastra meaning rules of architecture) relevant to urban planning. The city was laid out in the shape of square with a series of concentric streets culminating from the temple. These squares continue to retain their traditional names, Aadi, Chittirai, Avani-moola and Masi streets, corresponding to Tamil month names. Ancient Tamil classics mention that the temple was the center of the city and the streets happened to be radiating out like lotus and its petals. The temple prakarams (outer precincts of a temple) and streets accommodate an elobrate festival calendar in which dramatic processions circumabulate the shrines at varying distances from the centre. The vehicles used in processions are progressively more massive the further they travel from the centre. The complex is in around 180,000 m2.
GOPURAMS
The temple is surrounded by gopurams (gateway tower), - There are ten gopuram the tallest of which, the famous southern tower, rises to over 52 m and was built in 1559. The oldest gopuram is the eastern one, built by Maravarman Sundara Pandyan during 1216-1238 Each gopuram is a multi-storeyed structure, covered with thousands of stone figures of animals, gods and demons painted in bright hues. The outer gopuram presents steeply pyramidal tower encrusted with plaster figures, while the inner gopuram serves as the entrance to the inner enclosure of Sundareswarar shrine.
SHRINES
The central shrine of Meenakshi Amman temple and her consort Sundareswarar are surrounded by three enclosures and each of these are protected by four minor towers at the four points of the compass, the outer tower growing larger and reaching higher to the corresponding inner one. The Meenakshi shrine has the emerald-hued black stone image of Meenakshi. The Sundareswarar shrine lies at the centre of the complex, suggesting that the ritual dominance of the goddess developed later. Both the Meenakshi and Sundareswarar shrines have gold plated Vimanam (tower over sanctum). The golden top can be seen from a great distance in the west through the apertures of two successive towers. The area covered by the shrine of Sundareswarar is exactly one fourth of the area of the temple and that of Meenakshi is one fourth that of Sundareswarar.
The tall sculpture of Ganesh carved of single stone located outside the Sundareswarar shrine in the path from Meenashi shrine is called the Mukuruny Vinayakar. A large measure of rice measuring 3 kurini (a measure) is shaped into a big ball of sacrifice and hence the Ganesh is called Mukkurni Vinayagar (three kurinis). This deity is believed to be found during a 17th-century excavation process to dig the Mariamman temple tank.
TEMPLE TANK & SURROUNDING PORTICO
The sacred temple tank Porthamarai Kulam ("Pond with the golden lotus"), is 50 m by 37 m in size. According to legend, Shiva promised a stork that no fish or other marine life would grow here and thus no marine animals are found in the lake. In the Tamil legends, the lake is supposed to judge the worth of a new piece of literature. Authors place their works here and the poorly written works are supposed to sink and the scholastic ones are supposed to float, Tirukkural by Tiruvalluvar was one such work.
Only a fraction of 17th and 18th century paintings of Nayak period survives and one such portion is found in the small portico on the western side of the tank. It depicts the marriage of Sundareswarar and Meenkashi attended by Vijayaranga Chokkanatha and Rani Mangammal. The painting is executed on a vivid red background, with delicate black linework and large areas of white, green and ochre. The celestial couple is seated inside an architectural frame with a flowering tree in the background.
HALLS
The corridor surrounding the sanctum the Meenakshi is called kilikoondu Mandapam ("bird cage corridor"). The space was once used to keep green parrots that were trained to utter the name of Meenakshi. There are two large cages full of squawking green parrots.
The Kambatadi Mandapam ("Hall of temple tree") with its seated Nandi (sacred bull) has various manifestations of Shiva carved and also contains the famous "Marriage of Meenakshi" sculpture. Sculptures of Shiva and Kali trying to out-dance one another are pelted with balls of ghee by devotees. A golden flagstaff with 32 sections symbolizes the human backbone and is surrounded by various gods, including Durga and Siddar.
The Puthu Mandapam ("new hall") constructed by Tirumala Nayak contains large number of sculptures. It is situated opposite to the east gopuram.
The Ashta Shakthi Mandapam ("Hall of eight goddess") is the first hall in the entrance of Meenakshi shrine tower near to East Tower. Ashta indicates eight and Shakthi refers to goddess - the hall has statues of eight goddesses. The gopurams (towers) can be viewed from this hall. The passage was named for eight forms of goddess Sakthi carved on its pillars. Other sculptures and paintings depict the Tiruvilayadal (holy games of Shiva). The sculptures of heroes of Mahabharata, the Pancha pandavas can be seen in the Pancha Pandava Mandapam (Hall of Pandavas).
The Viravasantharaya Mandapam is a large hall with huge corridors. To the south of this hall is the kalyana mandapam, to the south of the pillared hall, is where the marriage of Shiva and Parvati is celebrated every year during the Chithirai Festival in mid-April. The golden images of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are carried into the 16th century oonjal mandapam (swing corridor) and placed on the swing every Friday at 5:30 p.m. The shrine has a 3-storied gopuram guarded by two stern dwarapalakas (guardians) and supported by golden, rectangular columns that bear lotus markings. Along the perimeter of the chamber, granite panels of the divine couple are present. The hall is situated in the western bank of the temple tank.
The Mudali Pillai Mandapam or Iruttu Mandapam (Dark hall) is a wide and long hall built by Muthu Pillai during 1613. On the pillars of the halls, there are fine sculptures depicting the story of Shiva taking the form of Bikshadanar to teach the sages a lesson.
The Mangayarkarasi mandapam is a newly built hall situated opposite to the marriage halls and bears the name of saindy queen, Mangayarkarasi who contributed to Saivism and Tamil language. To the south of Mangayarkarasi mandapam lies the Servaikarar Mandapam, a hall built by Marudu brothers in 1795. The Nagara mandapam (Hall of beating drums) lies opposite to Sundareswarar shrine was built by Achaya Rayar, the minister of Rani Mangammal in 1635. The Kolu Mandapam is a hall for displaying dolls during the Navarathri festival celebrated during September–October. This hall is situated in the second corridor of the Meenakshi shrine at the western side.
HALL OF THOUSAND PILLARS
The Meenakshi Nayakkar Mandapam ("Hall of 1000 pillars") has two rows of pillars carved with images of yali (mythological beast with body of lion and head of an elephant), commonly used as the symbol of Nayak power. It is situated to the north of Sundareswarar flag staff hall. The Thousand Pillar Hall contains 985 (instead of 1000) carved pillars. The hall was built by Ariyanatha Mudaliar in 1569 and blends engineering skill and artistic vision. Ariyanatha Mudaliar was prime minister and general of Viswanatha Nayak, the first Nayaka of Madurai (1559–1600). He was also the founder of Poligar System, the quasi-feudal organization of the country dividing it into multiple palayams or small provinces in which each palayam was ruled by a palayakkarar or a petty chief. At the entrance of the hall is the statue of Ariyanatha Mudaliar seated on a horse-back, flanking one side of the entrance to the temple. The statue is periodically garlanded by worshippers. Each pillar in the hall is a carved monument of the Dravidian sculpture. The more prominent among the carved figures are those of Rati (wife of Kama), Karthikeya, Ganesha, Shiva as a wandering mendicant and endless number of yalis (mythical figures of lions). There is a Temple Art Museum in the hall where icons, photographs, drawings, and other exhibits of the 1200 years old history of the temple are displayed. Just outside this hall, towards the west, are the Musical Pillars. Each pillar, when struck, produces a different musical note.
RELIGIOUS SIGNIFANCE OF THE TEMPLE
A distinct feature of Meenakshi in terms of iconography is the presence of parrot in her right hand. The parrot is generally associated with the Vaishnava azhwar saint Andal. "Pancha Sabhai" refers to the five royal courts of Nataraja (dancing form of Shiva) where he performed cosmic dance. The Tamil word velli means silver and ambalam means stage or altar. This massive Nataraja sculpture is enclosed in a huge silver altar and hence called "Velli Ambalam" (silver abode). This is a special figure of Natarja which usually differs from Chola bronzes; in the Chola images, Nataraja is shown dancing with his left leg raised, but this sculpture has the right leg raised. According to the Tiruvilayaadal Puranam (Shiva's sacred games), this is on the request of Rajasekara Pandya, who was a sincere devotee of Shiva. He requested the deity to change his position, as he felt that keeping the same foot raised would put enormous strain and got a graceful acquiescence from the divine master.
RITUALS
WORSHIP
There are close to 50 priests in the temple who perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on a daily basis. Like other Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu, the priests belong to Shivaite to the Adishaivas, a Brahmin sub-caste. The priests live in a closed area north of the temple. The temple has a six time pooja calendar everyday, each comprising four rituals namely abhisheka (sacred bath), alangaram (decoration), neivethanam (food offerings) and deepa aradanai (waving of lamps) for both Meenakshi and Sundareswarar. The puja (worship) ceremonies are held amidst music with nadhaswaram (pipe instrument) and tavil (percussion instrument), religious instructions in the Vedas by priests and prostration by worshippers in front of the temple mast. The common practise is to worship Meenakshi before Sundareswarar. Margazhi (December–January) ritual is prominent one for winning a perfect, god-like husband - it is Meenakshi's ennai kappu festival. Aligned with the cardinal points, the street plans forms a giant mandala (group) whose sacred properties are believed to be activated during the mass clockwise circumambulation of the central temple.
FESTIVALS
The most important festival associated with the temple is the "Meenakshi Thirukalyanam" (the divine marriage of Meenakshi) that is celebrated in April every year. The wedding of the divine couple is regarded as a classic instance of south Indian female-dominated marriage, an arrangement referred as "Madurai marriage". The male dominated marriage is called "Chidambaram marriage", referring to Shiva's uncontested dominance, ritual and mythic, at the famous Shiva temple of Chidhambaram. The marriage brings together rural and urban people, deities and mortals, Saivas (those who worship Shiva) and Vaishnavas (those who worship Vishnu) in order to celebrate Meenakshi as the royal monarch. During the one month period, there are a number of events including the "Ther Thiruvizhah" (chariot festival) and "Theppa Thiruvizhah" (float festival). Major Hindu festivals like Navrathri and Shivrathri are celebrated in the temple. Like most Shakti temples in Tamil Nadu, the Fridays during the Tamil months of Aadi (July–August) and Thai (January–February) are celebrated in the temple by thousands of devotees. "Avani Moola Utsavam" is a 10-day festival mainly devoted to Sundareswarar describes his various Thiruvilayadal meaning Shiva's sacred games.
LITERARY MENTION
Down the centuries, the temple has been a centre of education of Tamil culture, literature, art, music and dance. All three assemblies of Tamil language, the Tamil Sangam (about the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE), were held at Madurai. Tamil poets of different epochs participated in these assemblies and their composition is called Sangam literature. During the third Tamil sangam, the comparative merit of the poets was decided by letting the works float in the lotus tank of the temple. It was believed that a divine force would cause the work of superior merit to float on the surface while the inferior literary work would sink. Tevaram, the 7th-8th century Tamil canonoical work on Shiva, are works by the three prominent Nayanars (Saivites) namely Appar, Sundarar and Thirugnanasambandar. The temple has been glorified by the hymns of Tevaram by all the three poets. Different hymns of Sambandar on the temple mention the queen of Pandya Nadu, his desire to defeat Jains in debate, the miracles performed by him curing the king's fever, the Jains' provocation of Sambandar by burning his house and challenging him to debate, and Sambandar's eventual victory over them. A poem from the Third Tirumurai by Sambandar is as under –
"Lady who has eyes that are comparable to the startled eyes of the deer!
the great chief queen of the Vaḻuti! listen to what I say. Do not feel distressed that I am such a young boy from whose mouth milk is flowing. when the god in Tiruvālavāy stands by my side as help, I can not be easily defeated by the low people who inflict many sufferings on others and who live in hills beginning with great Āṉaimalai."
There are few poets in Tamil history who sang about goddess Parvati. The notable among them is Kumaraguruparar, a 17th-century Tamil poet, who composed Meenakshi Pillaitamil on Meenakshi of this temple. King Tirumalai Nayak's patronage of Kumaraguruparar has an important place in the history of pillaitamil (a genre of Tamil literature). Kumaraguruparar visited a lot of temples and when he visited this temple, he composed Meenakshi pillaitamil on Meenakshi. Legend has it that goddess appeared in the dreams of Nayak directing him to arrange the recital of Kumaraguruparar before a learned assembly. The king made elobrate arrangements for the event. Meenakshi impersonated herself in the form of a small girl and enjoyed the recital. As Kumaraguruparar was explaining the 61st verse, the goddess appreciated by garlanding the poet with a string of pearls and disappeared.
WIKIPEDIA
Arbatax, Tortolì fraction, is one of the most important ports on the east coast of Sardinia, located on the northern tip of the promontory of Capo Bellavista, the town is built around a tower of the late sixteenth century, which served as a munitions depot. Arbatax is famous for the characteristic red rocks, a cliff of red porphyry, which is located near the harbor, behind the east pier. Beyond the reef opens a passage carved into the rock through which you go to a beach at the foot of the red rocks.
Arbatax is a territory rich in green Mediterranean scrub and the characteristic red rocks and masses of porphyritic granite.
Arbatax is a stunning place to be in the spring, when you can see an explosion of colours with the contrast of the rocks of the headland and the reef, the white sandy beaches and the limpid waters. A natural frame to this panorama are the surrounding mountains, the highest on the island.
Arbatax (in sardo Arbatassa) è una frazione costiera del comune di Tortolì, in provincia dell'Ogliastra, sede di porto e di aeroporto (Tortolì-Arbatax).
Arbatax si trova su una penisola, (Capo Bellavista), al centro della costa orientale sarda, a ridosso dello Stagno di Tortolì. I centri abitati più vicini sono Tortolì (che è il capoluogo del comune di cui la frazione Arbatax fa parte: a 5 km), Girasole (a 7 km) e Lotzorai (ad 9 km).Le Rocce Rosse sono il Monumento Naturale più conosciuto di Arbatax, oltre che uno dei simboli dell'Isola. Vengono anche detti, meno diffusamente, "Scogli Rossi" e rappresentano una delle tante formazioni di filoni di porfido rosso affiorante dell'Ogliastra, (come per esempio i faraglioni di Cea a Bari sardo). Situate tra il Porto e Cala Moresca, queste rocce di porfido rosso dalla forma particolare che va man mano a stagliarsi nelle acque del Mediterraneo, non sono solo un monumento naturale ma rappresentano anche lo spendido e panoramico scenario della piccola spiaggia di scogli bianchi e di granito rosa, nonchè scenario dell'appuntamento annuale del ROCCE ROSSE & BLUES, una manifestazione musicale molto famosa
A fraction of the Galahs at sunset.
(This is part of series "Some of the birds at Bowra Lagoon last November". I'm trying to catch up before heading off again on what will hopefully be a photographically fruitful trip).
Edgar Besussan's photograph immortalises a science lesson sixty years ago..
There was obviously an explosion in 2009 - as Mr Kyan has blue speckles all around him!
This is a picture of Fred Langson with his beloved Dog and the trophey Clevedon Motorways won at the Brighton Coach Rally in 1983.
Fred sadly passed away two years later of throat Cancer.
I hope the acheivements live on with what he and Richard acheived with Clevedon Motorways in these photos.
It has ammazed me putting these pictures together how coaching in the UK changed in the early 1980s going from touring Europe in Bedfords and Fords to the Heavy weight chassis of Volvo and Daf and the integeral design coaches like Neoplan,Setra and Vanhool just to name a few.
As a young lad with coaching in my blood it was an exciting period to eventualy be changed for ever with the low cost airlines who offered cheap flights to your desination at a fraction of the time.
The postcard later in these photos still brings a smile to my face how Fred advises Richard the coach ran well but he may need to do a brake reline, the drivers and passengers must of felt like adventurers and not just drivers as they are now in the modern world.
I don't know if the explanation will make this almost abstract better or worse, but this is a reflection of the Musée d'Orsay's western tower clock in the mirrored wall of the museum's Café Campana...
"...a place that inspires the imagination. Designed by the Campana brothers, famous Brazilian designers, the café transports the visitor into a dream-like aquatic environment, directly inspired by Emile Gallé, and a tribute to Art Nouveau"
I know that it inspired me personally to take dozens of photos of various reflections and juxtapositions, of which this, to me, is the most complete.
Fraction wild ... un luogo non lontano da casa mia , abbastanza selgaggio !
Barco di Sotto Tn 03.11.2013
A Down XPT service slows down for a scheduled stop at Moss vale, only a small fraction into its long journey to Melbourne.
Rasiglia is a mountain fraction of the municipality of Foligno that rises at over 600 meters above sea level, along the state road 319, about 18 km from the city of Quintana.
The town, which retains the typical characteristics of the medieval village gathering in an amphitheater structure, is famous above all for its springs: walking through the suggestive alleys of the center it is impossible not to be enchanted by the waterways that cross the town, making it unique and charming.
The spring that feeds and runs through Rasiglia is that of Capovena: it is located in the upper part of the town, at the foot of the building that the Trincis (lords of Foligno between 1305 and 1439) occupied at the time of their government over the Foligno area, and which runs through the country forming rivulets and waterfalls that meet in a large pool called "Peschiera", and then pour into the river Menotre.
Here my friends and I spent a significant fraction of our dissolute youth over endless cups of coffee, eggs, bacon, home fries, hamburger steak and cigarettes. At 2 AM the bars would close and the Diner would transform into a loud and smoky after-party. Looking back it seems like another lifetime entirely.
I'd been waiting for a suitably atmospheric misty morning to take a few half-light photos of the newly restored sign. Weekday traffic usually argues against heading in toward DC in the morning but this close to Christmas there is a short window of opportunity. There were no customers yet as I took some shots of the exterior. I was a little surprised they were open that early after having been closed the previous day but happy to find the neon on. I hadn't planned on getting breakfast there but my sense of obligation to support this icon of my youth got the better of me and I decided to be the first customer of the day.
I'd eaten here a couple of times since I had first heard it had reopened so I knew the food was decent, (actually much better than I remember it ever having been!) So I sat myself in the eastern corner booth and ordered the sausage gravy on biscuits. One of the new owners was sitting nearby at the counter doing paperwork so I struck up a conversation with him and got the story of the Diner's resurrection. His history with the Diner was similar to my own - although his preferred seat was the western corner booth. It was great to trade Diner stories and learn some of the details of its history. It is evident his rescue of the Diner is a labor of love.
While we were chatting a woman appeared from the kitchen, stared at me for a second and then said my name. I honestly didn't recognize her but it turned out that she had lived in my old neighborhood and knew my younger brother. She referred to me as the "elusive" older brother - which adjective I heartily enjoyed. It was interesting how much she knew about me and the house I grew up in but it sort of made sense since it turned out she was friends with one of my old neighbors.
Anyway, this place is great. Once they get the old bench seats restored and put 'Rocky Top' back on the jukebox it will be amazing - even if you didn't happen to grow up in Fairfax.
A fraction of a second before getting doused with salt water.
I can't express to you how amazing it is being out there. Sitting almost in the surf, the sounds, the smells and the sunset in front of me. I was freezing my ass off and in love!
20090322-208
Gotfryd, Bernard,, photographer.
[Merce Cunningham Dance Company performing "Fractions," New York City]
March 1981.
1 photograph : color transparency ; 35mm (slide format)
Notes:
Title based on information from slide mount or other caption information provided by the photographer.
Photo agency: Newsweek.
Date on slide mount: 3/81.
On mount: Fractions and Cunningham & Co.
Please use digital image: original slide is kept in cold storage for preservation.
Gift; Bernard Gotfryd; 2004; (DLC/PP-2004:032).
Subjects:
Dance performances
United States--New York (State)--New York.
Format: Slides--Color--1980-1990.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication. For information see "Bernard Gotfryd," hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/res.592.gotf
Repository: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
Part Of: Bernard Gotfryd photograph collection (Library of Congress) (DLC) 2010650142
Higher resolution image is available (Persistent URL): hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/gtfy.06792
Call Number: LC-GB05- 6792
The sculpture, by Edwin Russell, is of an angel bringing a gift in the form of protein. It is nicknamed Harvey after William Harvey the sevententh-century scientist who described the circulatory system. See: canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/302281/details/edinburgh+gi...
Originally located at the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service Protein Fractionation Centre, Liberton, Edinburgh, which opened in 1974, and where this image was taken.
Now relocated to new premises at Heriot Watt University's science park [heriot-watt-researchpark.co.uk/?page_id=48].
Edwin Russell (1939-2013) won the Gold Medal while a student at the Royal Academy. He married fellow sculptor Lorne McKean and they worked in a studio together in Surrey. Public works include the Suffragette Memorial in London and he created works for both St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. He is also known for designing a number of sundials.
Save by a fraction - or would have become a fiction!
Venue is the level crossing near Udvada station, Gujarat. The green giant AJNI WAG-9# 31040 was making its way towards jnpt.
Arzan Kotval
This is the minimal version: One piece of printed paper, cut with scissors, one brass paper fastener. It works.
Learn how to make your own working replica of the 1952 Fraction Of An Inch Adding Machine right here.
English Heritage site illustration.
*** *** ***
Bolingbroke Castle is now a fraction of its former glory but - in its day - it was a handsome and important building. As the birthplace of Henry of Bolingbroke, later King Henry IV, it could be argued that Bolingbroke was the cradle of the so-called 'Wars of the Roses' as it was Henry who overthrew the unpopular Richard II - but his act of rebellion also established a precedent. Two generations later the House of York overthrew his equally unpopular grandson, Henry VI.
www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/albums/7215768230649... to see the full set.
The area had been fortified by the Saxons in the 6th or 7th century AD but in the 12th century the Normans built a motte and bailey castle on a nearby hill. The present castle was founded by Ranulf, Earl of Chester in 1220 shortly after he returned from the Fifth Crusade. Its imposing round towers were fashionable and he may have been inspired by castles he saw on his travels. He also chose to build without a keep although the huge gatehouse may have served a double function of both keep and gate.
The site is an irregular hexagon with round towers at the salient points and a handsome twin-towered gateway facing the present village. The moat to the main site was 90-100 feet wide with the water lapping at the base of the walls when built. Today, so much material has fallen into the moat that there is now a wide berm around the base of the exterior wall where visitors can walk. When built it was lime-washed in white and traces of this remain on some of the walls today.
Ranulf had died in 1232 without a male heir, and his titles, lands and castles passed to his sisters. Following the death of the first Duke of Lancaster in 1361 Bolingbroke passed through marriage into the ownership of John of Gaunt. His wife Blanche, daughter of Henry of Grosmont, was born at the Castle in 1345. John and Blanche's son, Henry was also born at Bolingbroke Castle in 1367 and became known as "Henry of Bolingbroke" before he took the throne in 1399.
In addition to this main castle there is a ditched outer enclosure (see aerial photo) which may have served an agricultural purpose. Within this there is a mysterious earthwork of roughly 'playing card' shape with its long side facing towards the castle. This earthwork has not been positively identified but the ditch is still deep enough to be flooded today and was clearly defensive. It is probably a siege earthwork from 1643 (its in the right position and at the right range for muskets and cannon) but the enclosure also strongly resembles the king's 'pleasaunce' which Henry IV's son, Henry V, constructed at Kenilworth Castle during his reign. At Kenilworth this functioned as a secure pleasure palace to entertain friends, and the ladies, at the far end of the huge lake and moat. Bolingbroke's may have been an earlier essay in the craft given that Henry of Bolingbroke was under constant threat when he got into dispute with Richard II. Henry snr may have needed somewhere outside the smells and claustrophobia of the castle's main walls where he could kick back and enjoy himself in relative security. The outer ditched area around would then lend itself to riding and hawking. Think of it as a 'man cave' in the garden perhaps? Of is it just a Parliamentarian siege work?
The local building material was poor in quality and by the 16th century, the castle had fallen into disrepair. Some work was carried out during the Tudors. In 1636 a survey found that all of the towers were - effectively - beyond repair.
A bad castle is better than no castle, so at the start of the English Civil War Bolingbroke was garrisoned by the Royalists. In 1643 it was damaged in a siege and the nearby Battle of Winceby. The following year, the castle was recaptured from Parliament but was lost again later. In 1652 the castle was 'slighted' (deliberately damaged) to prevent any further use. The towers and walls were torn down and dumped into the moat. The last major tower fragment collapsed in 1815.
Of course none of this collapse would have been helped by locals robbing the stone for their own buildings. Large parts of the castle are probably in the village and in surrounding farms and villages!
The site is free to visit, supported by a local friends group.It is in the care of English Heritage via a Lincolnshire heritage group.
CloudSat-AIRS cloud top height differences as a function of AIRS cloud fraction are shown. Since the ability of AIRS to characterize cloud amount and height is cloud-type dependent, differences in the agreement between AIRS and CloudSat vary depending on the cloud type. (a) For all cloud types. (b) portion of PDF in (a) where the cloud classification indicates Altocumulus (Ac) clouds at the CloudSat cloud top; there is no partitioning of CloudSat profiles that may contain one or more vertically-stacked cloud types. (c) Altostratus (As). (d) Cumulonimbus (Cb). (e) Cirrus (Ci). (f) Cumulus (Cu). (g) Nimbostratus (Ns). (h) Stratocumulus (Sc). The relative frequencies of each cloud type are given by the magnitudes of each PDF.
Citation
Citation: Kahn, B. H., Chahine, M. T., Stephens, G. L., Mace, G. G., Marchand, R. T., Wang, Z., Barnet, C. D., Eldering, A., Holz, R. E., Kuehn, R. E., and Vane, D. G.: Cloud type comparisons of AIRS, CloudSat, and CALIPSO cloud height and amount, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 8, 1231-1248, 2008.
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About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
Download the image
Various sizes of the image are available, and there are two ways to download:
1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
2) Click on the "Actions" menu located above the image. Select "View all sizes".
Resources
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site
How to get the AIRS data
Had some old Math textbooks for a while now. Trying to figure out exactly what I want to do with them.
Water vapor is the dominant greenhouse gas in our atmosphere. The greenhouse effect of water vapor is enhanced at high altitudes, where the air is significantly colder than the ground, and increases rapidly as the temperature contrast grows. As a result, the small fraction of 5-10% of water molecules above 500 hPa altitude produces half the total greenhouse effect of the atmosphere. The height at which atmospheric pressure is 500 hPa roughly divides in half the atmosphere vertically, half the mass of air being above and half below that height.
AIRS, The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, can look at distinct levels of the atmosphere. This pair of maps show the average distribution of water vapor from 500 millibars, approximately 14,000 feet in altitude, to the top of the atmosphere. The shift of water vapor towards the northern hemisphere from January to July is apparent. Note that this layer is also much drier than the atmosphere as a whole. This map is also significant because it's the first of its kind. AIRS is the first instrument with the ability to isolate water vapor content to layers of the atmosphere.
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments can make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-D map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
______________________________________________________________________
About AIRS
The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder, AIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit, AMSU, sense emitted infrared and microwave radiation from the Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations all the way down to the Earth's surface, even in the presence of heavy clouds. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, 3-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations, and many other atmospheric phenomena. The AIRS and AMSU fly onboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Credit
NASA/JPL AIRS Project
Download the image
Various sizes of the image are available, and there are two ways to download:
1) Right-click on the image. Click on a size next to "View all sizes".
2) Click on the "Actions" menu located above the image. Select "View all sizes".
Resources
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder web site ›
How to get the AIRS data
The Price Tower was commissioned by Harold C. Price, for use as a corporate headquarters for his Bartlesville company. His wife, Mary Lou Patteson Price, and his two sons, Harold, Jr., and Joe, rounded out the building committee. The Prices were directed to Frank Lloyd Wright by architect Bruce Goff, who was then Dean of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, where the Price sons had studied. That relationship bonded into a life-long patronage of both architects by the Price Family. Wright designed an Arizona home for the senior Prices and a Bartlesville home for Harold, Jr., his wife Carolyn Propps Price, and their six children. Goff, who was also a tenant at Price Tower, became the favored architect of Joe Price, designing a bachelor studio on his family's property in Bartlesville and two later additions following his marriage to Etsuko Yoshimochi.
Wright nicknamed the Price Tower, which was built on the Oklahoma prairie, "the tree that escaped the crowded forest," referring not only to the building's construction, but also to the origins of its design. The Price Tower is supported by a central "trunk" of four elevator shafts which are anchored in place by a deep central foundation, as a tree is by its taproot. The nineteen floors of the building are cantilevered from this central core, like the branches of a tree. The outer walls hang from the floors and are clad in patinated copper "leaves." Wright had championed these design ideas, which other architects had put to use before the construction of the Price Tower, as early as the 1920s in his design for an apartment complex of four cantilevered towers for St. Marks-in-the-Bowerie in downtown New York City. Following the effects of the Great Depression, the project was shelved and adapted by Wright for the Price Company in 1952. Wright, therefore, plucked his "tree" out of the "crowded forest" of Manhattan skyscrapers and placed it on the Oklahoma prairie where it continues to stand uncrowded by neighboring tall buildings.
The floorplan of the Price Tower centers upon an inlaid cast bronze plaque, bearing the logo of the Price Company and marking the origin of a parallelogram grid upon which all exterior walls, interior partitions and doors, and built-in furniture are placed. The resulting design is a quadrant plan—one quadrant dedicated for double-height apartments, and three for offices. The materials for the Price Tower are equally innovative for a mid-twentieth-century skyscraper: cast concrete walls, pigmented concrete floors, aluminum-trimmed windows and doors, and patinated embossed and disstressed copper panels. The general geometric element is the equilateral triangle, and all lighting fixtures and ventilation grilles are based upon that form while the angled walls and built-in furniture are based on fractions or multiples of the triangular module. The lobby contains two inscriptions by Walt Whitman. One is from the concluding stanza of Salut au Monde, and the other from Song of the Broad-Axe.[3]
Wright designed the St. Mark's project for apartments, but his Price Tower was to be a multi-use building with business offices, shops, and apartments. The H. C. Price Company was the primary tenant, and the remaining office floors and double-height apartments intended as income-raising ventures. Tenants included lawyers, accountants, physicians, dentists, insurance agents, and the architect Bruce Goff, who kept an office in the tower as well as rented one of the apartments. A women's high-end dress shop, beauty salon, and the regional offices of the Public Service Company of Oklahoma occupied a two-story wing of the tower, with a drive-through passageway separating the high and low structures. The Price Company occupied the upper floors, and included a commissary on the sixteenth floor as well as a penthouse office suite for Harold Price, Sr., and later his son, Harold, Jr.
The H.C. Price Company sold Price Tower to Phillips Petroleum in 1981 following a move to Dallas, where their company is presently located. Phillips Petroleum's lawyers deemed the exterior exit staircase a safety risk, and only used the building for storage.[4] They retained ownership until 2000 when the building was donated to Price Tower Arts Center, and it has returned to its multi-use origins. Price Tower Arts Center, a museum of art, architecture, and design; Inn at Price Tower; Copper Restaurant + Bar, and the Wright Place museum store are the current major tenants with smaller firms leasing space. In 2002 Pritzker Prize winning architect, Zaha Hadid, was commissioned to design a museum expansion for Price Tower Arts Center—a project that was included in the 2006 retrospective exhibition of Hadid's work at the Guggenheim Museum, New York City.
On March 29, 2007, Price Tower was designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior, one of only twenty such properties in the state of Oklahoma [1]. In 2008, the U.S. National Park Service submitted the Price Tower, along with nine other Frank Lloyd Wright properties, to a tentative list for World Heritage Status. The 10 sites have been submitted as one, total, site. The January 22, 2008 press release from the National Park Service website announcing the nominations states that, "The preparation of a Tentative List is a necessary first step in the process of nominating a site to the World Heritage List."[5]