Ironically, given the number of clapped-out Atlanteans that MTL Manchester were running into the city, the newest Merseybus Atlantean around was one that they had sold !

Merseyside PTE took just one batch of Atlanteans with MCW bodies, in 1978 (they probably hadn't forgiven them for the Metropolitans !), and they had shorter lives with Merseybus than those from other builders. Former 1810 was one of an assortment of Atlanteans to join the South Manchester fleet in 1994 from that source, and was used briefly in the Tame Valley fleet prior to S.M. having their licence granted. It would only run for another year though, and failed to see out 1995.

Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester, 18/10/94

Sometimes it doesnt matter that you hands are covered in sewage...ya just need a fucking cig.

given the focal length, the landscape, and the fact that we obviously was in a moving, just, I might add, vehicle, if it hadn`t been for that I caught a glimpse of her white tail-tip, never in a thousand years would I`ve spotted her in the vegetation of this dry riverbed. These are masters of their environment! This young, just independent, leopardess was stalking some female nyalas, with no luck that time sadly..

John Winthrop (1587/88-1649)

Massachusetts

Marble by Richard S. Greenough

Given in 1876

Hall of Columns

U.S. Capitol

For more information on this statue and the National Statuary Hall Collection in the U.S. Capitol, visit www.aoc.gov.

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Reference: 20230117_Winthrop

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OK, wow, something truly special - probably my top pick for Hot Toys figure in 2018. Believe you me, it was a tough choice given the competition but what clinched it for me was the fact I only bought one figure this year.

Like I said, it was a very hard choice for me to make in choosing a winner of this prestigious award.

So I finally cracked it open and did a thorough evaluation like I usually do, and gathered my thoughts in written word, right here, to share with the world.

So this figure is of course Wonder Woman, specifically the one released for the Justice League line, and is the Deluxe version which comes with a pimp cloak and a scale Mother Box. While very pretty and ornate, I honesty have no idea how one would incorporate the thing into their display, and I don't have any idea as to why it's so damn heavy either.

By now, if you actually cared, I'm sure you've read all the horrible nasty things people have said on line about how her sculpt wasn't as accurate as the Training Armour version, and that this is the worst thing since sliced bread because of this fact. My response is as follows:

FUCK OFF. SERIOUSLY.

Now, don't get me wrong. This sculpt doesn't look perfectly like Gal Gadot, or even the Training Armour version. But the painstaking detail into which people went show how "bad" the thing was, and lets not forget Nosegate where people showed the nose on this sculpt was longer than the Training Armour version. All-in-all, it was witch hunt, plain and simple.

Is this the greatest Hot Toys ever made? Dear Lord no, not even close, but it doesn't fail because of the way the sculpt looks. The final release resembled the prototype very, very closely, which is what I was expecting. I honestly don't get why people thought the final product would look like Gadot, given the fact the prototype didn't look like her in the first place.

OK, enough with the rant here. Lets move on.

So Wonder Woman comes with her shield, sword, leader harness thing, two sets of bracers (normal and glowing), a single armlet, several Lasso of Truths (one coiled, two unraveled), a stand, and a variety of hands. She's also rocking a seamless body, which is somewhat of a new thing for me.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, a seamless body is pretty much a metal skeleton with a rubber suit around it. Naturally, something like this means that articulation will be limited. Now, I'm not exactly a posing genius, but even I found that the limits imposed were a bit severe. You can't really raise her arm about her shoulders, and don't even THINK about doing her trademark arms crossed pose, which really makes the glowing bracers kind of pointless.

If you read the manual, pretty much anything fun you want to do will damage the figure, so you're pretty much limited to museum poses, or at most, re-enacting the Coincedance video.

On the plus side, the body aesthetically has improve dramatically since the days of Ada Wong from RE5, with excellent muscle definition, including some veins on her forearms. I still feel her bust line is too low, something that seems to be a problem with most of the Hot Toys female releases, though in this case I think it's also because they recycled the body from the first Wonder Woman release.

Joints in this figure are tight, probably because it's new and also because the rubber suit is providing some really strong resistance to movement.

Other than the sword and the shield, the other accessories included (except the cloak, I guess) are pretty much nice to have, but ultimately don't really add a whole lot to the figure due to the limited articulation. The various dynamic lassos can't really be pose into anything exciting, same with the bullet effects, and of course the Mother Box.

Speaking of the Mother Box, that thing is pretty, but is pretty much a paper weight. Damn heavy too.

I do like the cloak. It adds some nice character to the figure, and is very well made. It also lets me recreate an iconic look from a movie I have yet to see.

So articulation aside, what killed this figure for me was the piss poor design of attaching the shield to her back. Two little plastic hook things? Bad, bad, bad, bad idea, Hot Toys.

Try a little harder next time.

So that is my mini review of Wonder Woman. I think she looks great, but in terms of being an action figure is severely limited due to her body. Still, Wonder Woman has great shelf presence, especially since this version doesn't look like a lifeless blowup doll.

Back when I were a nipper, I was given a book, a big book of trains from around the world, and on the cover was a Japanese Bullet Train, and I have always wanted to ride one ever since. There is one at the NRM in York, but that doesn't work, so for me, the real highlight of this trip would be riding on a real bullet train. Several times. I was so excited I was vibrating.

After the usual breakfast at the Gate Hotel, we took the Metro to Ueno then the overground line to Tokyo Station, simply re-tracing our steps of two day's before on the guided walk. Heck, we were experienced Metro travellers now, we knew stuff. And after sending the cases on via the courier, we only had either a night case of a bag of camera equipment with us to weigh us down.

And we did it will little problem and with an hour to spare, with the idea that I could snap the bullet trains to death while we waited.

At the Shinkansen platforms, we validate our pass and are let through; we had reserved seats the day before, so we could relax and wait for our train happy that we would have a seat. Which meant I could go to the end of the platforms to take shots. I could also go to the middle and all point between to snap away, Man, it were proper lush. I just knew that me deal old Dad would have loved this, waiting on the end of platforms in Tokyo, waiting for the next Bullet train to either arrive or leave.

Not only was I snapping them, but within the hour, we would be climbing on one to travel south to Kyoto.

At 11:03 we lined up where it said on the platform our carriage would stop, which it did We filed on, slumped into our armchair-like seats, all of which pointed the direction of travel. And we zoomed off, accelerating wat seemed as fast as a Formula 1 car, but this being an 18 coach train. I waited with excitement untol it was time for the train to depart; expecting something sensational, but we didn't even hear the doors swish closed; only with a wave from the guard on the platform, the train pulled away, rapidly accelerating along the platform and out into the grayness outside.

The line weaved through the massive tower blocks we had seen on the previous day, I tried to recognise the World Trade Centre, but it must have looked like any of a dozen other buildings. The suburbs slipped by, then we were in the countryside, nipping in and out of tunnels, past steep hillsides planted with green tea plants.

We stopped at various stations, picking a few more people up, but our coach was less than half full.

Sadly, outside it rained, and so Mount Fuji was hidden from view, we had even been given tickets on the left side of the train so we would be on the correct side for the view. Maybe on our way back? Who knows?

Every time a member of staff came though the carriage, they would stop at the door the other end of the compartment, then and salute; we don't get that on the train up to London back home, I thought. Not only that, they are smartly turned out with white gloves. Smart.

I was happy enough on the train, looking out the window watching the countryside slip by, changing from the urban landscape of Totyo, to the rolling hills further south and then the endless paddy fields as we neared Kyoto, where we were to get off. It was still pouring with rain, with no views of mountains or volcanoes; mores the pity.

We arrive at 14:00, and right away find somewhere to have lunch; a noodle bar on the station, which again was very good indeed as it was more noodles and tempura prawns. We order by pointing at pictures on the menu, then pay by thrusting wads of notes at the lady behind the till. She bows. We bow. We all bow.

We find the taxi rank and show him the address to the hotel, so we set off into the drizzly grey weather. and the heavy traffic, in which we crawled to the centre of town and our hotel.

We have no trouble in checking in, and our cases were waiting. Jools decides to do some washing as the wash room is one our fllor, and we had already accumilated several pounds of loose change with which to feed the machines.

With the portable wifi device that the tour company had provided us with, we were able to get online, get the news, check mails ad have the Radcliffe and Maconie show streamed; almost like being home.

So once we had made a coffee, we went out into the early evening to see what was around. What we found was a covered shopping area, several streets in fact, all lined with shops and all having neon signs flashing away. Three guitar shops, two record shops among others.

It was a modern shopping centre, along three covered roads. On one of them there was a temple, just taking up the place where you would expect a shop.

In the narrow streets beyond, we spy a shop selling creme brulee donuts, so Jools and i have one and a coffee, which is just dandy.

We walk back to the hotel under our newly purchased umbrellas, thus keeping dry. It was beginning to get dark, and the neon lights reflected off the road in a most attractive way.

Later in the evening, we decide not to go out into the pouring rain, wandering around a strange new city with little idea of where we would be going, so instead we go to the restaurant in the basement, and order pork or something which should have come with vegetables. It did, but just one mange tout, which counts as one of your five a day; right?.

We round the night off with cards in our room accompanied by cheap local beer bought from a drug store.

St Margaret of Antioch, Cowlinge, Suffolk

Given its proximity to the Cambridgeshire border, some people would argue that this Suffolk church is closer to civilisation than most, and yet St Margaret of Antioch, Cowlinge, has a decidedly remote feel to it. Gentle hills enfold these pretty villages, and St Margaret stands distant from the houses it serves. Cowlinge, pronounced coo-linj, stands about a mile north of the Haverhill to Bury road, not far from the better-known Denston. You approach it up a track from the north, where it is rather hemmed in, but the graveyard opens up widely beyond on the other side.

The first impression is one of redness. From the outside, Cowlinge seems a rather pretty accretion of centuries' work, its tower a typical red brick 18th century rebuilding - there are similar ones across the county at Grundisburgh and Layham. The chancel and nave appear to have met each other by chance as much as intention, and all is pleasantly patched up, with solid red-brick buttressing and just about every kind of window you can think of. There are aisles, there is a clerestory, but this is not a grand church. Rather, it is the kind of building a DIY enthusiast might put together if he wanted a late medieval one in his back garden.

And somehow, this makes it beautiful, especially if seen from the south-east or north-east. You might expect the interior to be similarly ramshackle, but you step through the north door into cool whiteness, and as you walk through this treasure chest of a church, unusual vistas open up at each turn. This is a complex church.

Facing east to start with, the first impression is of the wall-painting above the chancel arch, and the gated rood screen beneath. There are gates in the screens at nearby Withersfield and Denston, but unlike those these doors rise to the full height of the screen. The screen itself is perhaps not as beautiful as the parclose screen enclosing the chapel in the south aisle. Mortlock points out how similar it is to the one up the road at Dalham. The paleness of the wood is very pleasing.I thought it compared very well with the parclose at Dennington, which has been repainted gaudily. Another good parclose of the same age is at Westhorpe. A memorial window contains 1920s glass by Christopher Webb of Christ with the fishermen at Galilee.

One the wall beside the parclose in the south aisle is a small exposed area of wall painting. It appears to be an unbearded male saint holding something that may well be a chalice, in which case it is St John the Evangelist. The better-known wall painting here is the one I mentioned earlier, above the chancel arch. It is often referred to as a doom, but it is organised rather differently to others of its kind. Instead of the day of judgement, with God in Majesty overseeing the parting of the ways into hell on his right and heaven on his left, it depicts St Michael, to the south of the arch, balancing a set of scales in which a sinner is being weighed against his sins.

St Michael is a common feature of doom paintings - he appears nearby at Stoke by Clare and on the famous doom at Wenhaston. The unusual aspect of this one, however, is to the north of the arch, where the Virgin Mother of God stands. She reaches out with a wand, and tips the balance of the scales. Simon Jenkins, in his England's Thousand Best Churches, suggests that she is tipping the balance in the favour of the virtuous. This is, of course, exactly what she is not doing. The virtuous had no need of intervention; the good in them would outweigh their sins in any case. Mary is intervening on behalf of sinners who have prayed to her for her help, and she is tipping the scales in the favour of those sinners. It represents the efficacy of intercessions to Our Blessed Lady, and as such it was anathema to the 16th century reformers.

In common with other wall paintings, this priceless art treasure was whitewashed over rather than destroyed. It would be interesting to know when this happened. We know that during William Dowsing's iconoclastic progress through Suffolk and Cambridgeshire in 1644, he found no wall paintings still in existence. It has always been assumed that they were covered by the Anglicans when the new Church of England took possession of our parish churches a century earlier. But I do wonder if they might have been done away with a century before even that, perhaps around the middle of the 15th century, when the ruling classes were enforcing orthodox Catholic dogma in the face of the superstitions of the ordinary people. Part of this process involved setting up larger roods at the east end of the nave, and I think this wall-painting may have been covered before that happened here.

The chancel arch beneath the doom is also extensively painted, and also of interest on all of the pillars a large amount of medieval graffiti, some of which is described as being consecration crosses. This, of course, cannot be so, for the medieval church ordered its liturgical needs rather better than this, and these are no doubt the work of some bored 17th century vandal.

Stepping through into the chancel, it is at once one of the loveliest in Suffolk, and one of the most dominated, since Peter Scheemakers' ugly 18th century memorial for Francis Dickins glowers against the north wall. Dickins was responsible for the building of the tower. The figures are life size, and the monument is wholly secular, even pagan. They look like nothing so much as a couple on their way to a toga party pausing to pose with the FA Cup.

Near the north door, a plaque on the wall records the visitation of 1618 when permission was given for the local house of correction to set up seating here for its inmates. There are still banked benches below, but these are later, and were probably intended for the village schoolchildren. Seating on a similar scale can be seen at nearby Kedington, divided there into boys' and girls' sections. On a somewhat larger scale they can also be seen at Laxfield.

A fine view of this church can be had by climbing to the spacious gallery beneath Dickins' tower. Once up here, the space is dominated by another huge classical memorial to Dickins and above it a George II royal arms, which also records that George Finton and Henry Seabrook were the churchwardens who set it up in 1731.

St Margaret is everything a historic church should be. Well-ordered, welcoming, suited to its Protestant present and mindful of its Catholic past. It used to be left open all the time, but a traumatic assault on the building some five years ago by a mentally ill man suffering from a religious mania, during which both screens and the altar were set fire to, means that it is now kept locked, but with a very cheerful churchwarden who was most happy to come and open up.

I have given this some thought over the years; what distinguishes a neck corset from a collar? For me, a collar has limited adjustment using buckles or locks, etc. A neck corset has infinite adjustment through laces.

Obviously, tight-lacing a neck corset could be deleterious to the wearer, but they can certinaly be utilised to immobilise the wearer's head and to restrict breathing. There are a few photos out there of a girl I knew as Gina, who intentionally wore a neck corset so tight that she could barely breathe, the veins in her forehead stood out, and she couldn't swallow.

Neck corsets could be used to give the appearance of a stretched neck by pushing the collar bones down and the chin up. I have never worn a neck corset, but I am guessing that a neck corset that tall will be highly restrictive.

Thursday 20 April 2017: Musi Khola camp (2890 m) - Kakkot Gaon (3358 m)

Another al fresco breakfast, under clear blue skies. No news of Chhiring, Nima or Dawa.

We set off along the trail through the cedar trees a little after 7.30am. Destination Kakkot Gaon / Kakotgoan about 5 hours further up the Barbung Chu / Barbung Khola.

A super morning’s walk. Clear skies and peaceful surroundings help. A short way out of camp we crossed the Musi Khola / Musi Chu on a relatively new suspension bridge. Further along several sections of the path were built out from the hillside, with only cedar / juniper trees between you and the river waters way below. We passed Val’s riverside gravel beach camp site, unscathed by any sign of landslide, and sections with mani walls and chortens.

An hour or so later the valley closed in leaving the river in a narrow corkscrew gorge. The trail crossed at the narrowest point, a stone stairway hugging the cliffside leading to a short suspension bridge, its older wooden predecessor close by. Upstream, the valley widened again with the river broader and braided between gravel bars. Very photogenic!

There followed a stiff uphill section weaving between large cedars to emerge onto a small area of grassy flatlands where goats and sheep grazed. Quite an alpine feel, and a lovely view back down the valley. Lots more photos. We arrived just after one of the nanny goats had given birth, her kid still covered in birth gunge. The couple tending their flocks were very shy, very Tibetan in dress.

Onwards passing a series of large chortens, half collapsed, meeting the odd dzo or two, taking in the valley views. In time the trail dropped down to the river bed where we walked on gravel and stone strand, the waters hugging the spur that forces a bend in the river here. The trail then climbed up under the high cliffs, initially on a sloped rock outcrop and then back down in a long stone staircase. Wonderful.

A final section across the grey sands and stones of the river bed and up into pine trees brought us to Kakkot Gaon / Kakotgoan, a beautiful village nestling at the base of a 400m bluff topped with Tibetan prayer flag poles. Stone built houses stacked one on top of another, with painted wooden window frames and tree trunk ladders leading up to roofs where firewood seasoned. Three well maintained chortens welcomed us into the village.

We walked through the village and on to the school where we’d camp for 2 nights. The school was on a vast sandbank raised above the river, backed with sandy cliffs leading to steep hillsides. Glacial sediment maybe? I wish I knew more geography/geology. Further along a new village was being built on the same flat section - the high lama had advised the move after a rockfall at the older village.

Ernst and I helped Budi put up the tents while the kitchen crew got to work on a late dal bhat lunch, based in one of the school buildings. Inquisitive school children came over during their break to say hello. Charles charmed them with photos. We lunched in one of the older classrooms, with primary school English language books piled on bookshelves and the windowsill.

A pottering afternoon in a beautiful setting. We’re on the north side of Putha Hiunchuli and Churen Himal, with Dhaulagiri IV occasionally visible too. A veranda provided a nice shady spot for reading, and a long hose pipe brought water through the school yard, so a chance for some washing.

As the afternoon wore on the wind got up bringing dust and clouds, and Nima and Dawa with the excellent news that they’d made contact with Chhiring who was on his way with a mule man and our supplies. Relief all round, and celebrations when Chhiring and the mule train turned up just before dinner. Val recognised the mule man, and had photos of his brother’s family, so the potentially short lived hire was extended to cover the next few days.

So good to have Chhiring back, and it was pizza and chips for dinner!

Read more on SparklyTrainers: Val Pitkethly's Dolpo Expedition 2017.

DSC06580

Given the current wildfire situation in BC, which is expected to worsen over the weekend, the Province is asking people to not travel to parts of the Interior region until further notice.

Learn more:

news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021PSSG0052-001609

OK, wow, something truly special - probably my top pick for Hot Toys figure in 2018. Believe you me, it was a tough choice given the competition but what clinched it for me was the fact I only bought one figure this year.

Like I said, it was a very hard choice for me to make in choosing a winner of this prestigious award.

So I finally cracked it open and did a thorough evaluation like I usually do, and gathered my thoughts in written word, right here, to share with the world.

So this figure is of course Wonder Woman, specifically the one released for the Justice League line, and is the Deluxe version which comes with a pimp cloak and a scale Mother Box. While very pretty and ornate, I honesty have no idea how one would incorporate the thing into their display, and I don't have any idea as to why it's so damn heavy either.

By now, if you actually cared, I'm sure you've read all the horrible nasty things people have said on line about how her sculpt wasn't as accurate as the Training Armour version, and that this is the worst thing since sliced bread because of this fact. My response is as follows:

FUCK OFF. SERIOUSLY.

Now, don't get me wrong. This sculpt doesn't look perfectly like Gal Gadot, or even the Training Armour version. But the painstaking detail into which people went show how "bad" the thing was, and lets not forget Nosegate where people showed the nose on this sculpt was longer than the Training Armour version. All-in-all, it was witch hunt, plain and simple.

Is this the greatest Hot Toys ever made? Dear Lord no, not even close, but it doesn't fail because of the way the sculpt looks. The final release resembled the prototype very, very closely, which is what I was expecting. I honestly don't get why people thought the final product would look like Gadot, given the fact the prototype didn't look like her in the first place.

OK, enough with the rant here. Lets move on.

So Wonder Woman comes with her shield, sword, leader harness thing, two sets of bracers (normal and glowing), a single armlet, several Lasso of Truths (one coiled, two unraveled), a stand, and a variety of hands. She's also rocking a seamless body, which is somewhat of a new thing for me.

If you're unfamiliar with the concept, a seamless body is pretty much a metal skeleton with a rubber suit around it. Naturally, something like this means that articulation will be limited. Now, I'm not exactly a posing genius, but even I found that the limits imposed were a bit severe. You can't really raise her arm about her shoulders, and don't even THINK about doing her trademark arms crossed pose, which really makes the glowing bracers kind of pointless.

If you read the manual, pretty much anything fun you want to do will damage the figure, so you're pretty much limited to museum poses, or at most, re-enacting the Coincedance video.

On the plus side, the body aesthetically has improve dramatically since the days of Ada Wong from RE5, with excellent muscle definition, including some veins on her forearms. I still feel her bust line is too low, something that seems to be a problem with most of the Hot Toys female releases, though in this case I think it's also because they recycled the body from the first Wonder Woman release.

Joints in this figure are tight, probably because it's new and also because the rubber suit is providing some really strong resistance to movement.

Other than the sword and the shield, the other accessories included (except the cloak, I guess) are pretty much nice to have, but ultimately don't really add a whole lot to the figure due to the limited articulation. The various dynamic lassos can't really be pose into anything exciting, same with the bullet effects, and of course the Mother Box.

Speaking of the Mother Box, that thing is pretty, but is pretty much a paper weight. Damn heavy too.

I do like the cloak. It adds some nice character to the figure, and is very well made. It also lets me recreate an iconic look from a movie I have yet to see.

So articulation aside, what killed this figure for me was the piss poor design of attaching the shield to her back. Two little plastic hook things? Bad, bad, bad, bad idea, Hot Toys.

Try a little harder next time.

So that is my mini review of Wonder Woman. I think she looks great, but in terms of being an action figure is severely limited due to her body. Still, Wonder Woman has great shelf presence, especially since this version doesn't look like a lifeless blowup doll.

Since about 1997 I have wanted to go inside the Tate Gallery at St. Ives. There used to be an old exhibition poster blue-tacked to the wall in the portacabin where I studied A-Level Art, from some exhibition that had been to Tate St. Ives. I remember my Art Tutor telling me that the light was so much better down on the coast and that was why a lot of Artists flocked down here.

I made it here once about 5 years ago, arriving bang on 5 o'clock- closing time :(

So, Olivier and I decided to make our way there and see what was on. We had a great day! It took quite a while to find the gallery from the harbour, wandering (up-hill) randomly for a while but we got there in the end.

I shot this from from the Mezzanine above where the installation by Martin Creed is.

The artwork is called 'Half the air in the space given' Creed calculates the volume of the space and fills half of it with balloons to show this space in a physical form. Visitors are then invited to engage in this space, the balloons evoking a sense of celebration and childhood, literally changing our behaviour and mood.

Our hair was on end with all the static electricity, it smelled like balloons and you could bury your way through it all.....it was ace :)

The honors given to the Vietnam War Unknown. This is in a display case in the Memorial Display Room in the Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., in the United States.

Originally designed to be a reception hall, it was turned into display area at some point in time. (Good luck finding out when.) The south hall contains display cases which contain flags, medals, citations, and other awards given by the United States and other countries to the Unknowns who lie in the vaults at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider. Nearly all the displays in the south hall showcase honors given them at the time of their burial.

The north display hall contains honors given to the Unknowns at other times in history. It is not uncommon for other nations, military societies, U.S. states, or veterans' groups to create honors for the Unknowns and present them during ceremonies. These many honors are displayed in the north hall.

The original Amphitheater at the cemetery was constructed of wood in 1874. It was used for some of the first Memorial Day observances, but within 20 years proved too small for the large crowds using the facility. The Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans group composed of men who had served in the Union Army in the American Civil War, began pushing Congress to build a new amphitheater.

Congress authorized construction of the Memorial Amphitheater on March 4, 1913. Ground-breaking occurred on March 1, 1915, and President Woodrow Wilson placed the cornerstone on October 15, 1915. It was dedicated on May 15, 1920. The architect was Thomas Hastings of the New York City firm of Carrère and Hastings. The white marble came from Danby, Vermont. Ulysses A. Ricci designed the various friezes, ornamental devices, and decorative elements of the amphitheater.

The amphitheater itself sits about 5,000 people on low marble benches. It is elliptical, with an east-west depth of 200 feet and a north-south dept of 250 feet. The amphitheater is surrounded by a double-column colonnade. Above the west entrance is a quote from the Roman poet Horace: "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori" ("It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country"). The names of battles -- from the American Revolution through the Spanish-American War -- are inscribed on the frieze above the colonnade inside the amphitheater.

A raised stage occupies the east side of the amphitheater. The names of 14 U.S. Army generals and 14 U.S. Navy admirals important in American history prior to World War I are inscribed on each side of the amphitheater stage. A quote from General George Washington's June 26, 1775, letter to the Continental Congress is inscribed inside the apse: "When we assumed the soldier we did not lay aside the citizen." A quote from President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is inscribed above the stage: "We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain."

Halfway between the stage and the floor of the amphitheater is a narrow dais on which stands a carved marble throned. This platform was intended to be the seat for speakers, while guests sat on the upper stage. But it has almost never been used as such.

A small chapel is located beneath the amphitheater stage. There is a small below-ground kitchen and a small below-ground service room on either side of the stairs leading down to the chapel.

The Memorial Display Room occupies most of the ground floor of the west side of Memorial Amphitheater. It is open to the public, and contains displays about the unknown soldiers buried in the nearby Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. These displays include medals given to the unknown dead, the flags which covered them, and the history of the Tomb. Main stairs lead left and right to the second floor. On the second floor are offices and a reception room. Originally, the reception room on the upper floor was supposed to house the memorial displays, but these were moved downstairs at some point prior to the 1980s and now the upper floors are used for VIP guests. The marble of the Memorial Display Room is imported Botticino, from Italy.

GIVEN A MASS OF OLD CROCHET PATTERNS SOME TIME BACK .THESE ARE THE ONES I KEPT,MUST ADMIT I USUALLY MAKE UP MY PATTERNS NOW AS I GO.

H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros attending the 29th Annual Leadership 100 Conference at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida February 20-23, 2020. His Eminence Presided at the 2020 General Assembly of Leadership 100 and had a chance to listen to the reports given by various Committees.

PHOTOS: © GOA/DIMITRIOS PANAGOS

More relevant today than ever. Given the day after Martin Luther King's assassination. I don't give us much of a chance to be honest, but who knows.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhANTymDIYk

Robert F. Kennedy

Cleveland City Club

April 5, 1968 (Day After MLK Assassination)

This is a time of shame and sorrow. It is not a day for politics. I have saved this one opportunity to speak briefly to you about this mindless menace of violence in America which again stains our land and every one of our lives.

It is not the concern of any one race. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. They are, most important of all, human beings whom other human beings loved and needed. No one - no matter where he lives or what he does - can be certain who will suffer from some senseless act of bloodshed. And yet it goes on and on.

Why? What has violence ever accomplished? What has it ever created? No martyr's cause has ever been stilled by his assassin's bullet.

No wrongs have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled, uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of the people.

Whenever any American's life is taken by another American unnecessarily - whether it is done in the name of the law or in the defiance of law, by one man or a gang, in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence - whenever we tear at the fabric of life which another man has painfully and clumsily woven for himself and his children, the whole nation is degraded.

"Among free men," said Abraham Lincoln, “there can be no successful appeal from the ballot to the bullet; and those who take such appeal are sure to lose their cause and pay the costs."

Yet we seemingly tolerate a rising level of violence that ignores our common humanity and our claims to civilization alike. We calmly accept newspaper reports of civilian slaughter in far off lands. We glorify killing on movie and television screens and call it entertainment. We make it easy for men of all shades of sanity to acquire weapons and ammunition they desire.

Too often we honor swagger and bluster and the wielders of force; too often we excuse those who are willing to build their own lives on the shattered dreams of others. Some Americans who preach nonviolence abroad fail to practice it here at home. Some who accuse others of inciting riots have by their own conduct invited them.

Some looks for scapegoats, others look for conspiracies, but this much is clear; violence breeds violence, repression brings retaliation, and only a cleaning of our whole society can remove this sickness from our soul.

For there is another kind of violence, slower but just as deadly, destructive as the shot or the bomb in the night. This is the violence of institutions; indifference and inaction and slow decay. This is the violence that afflicts the poor, that poisons relations between men because their skin has different colors. This is a slow destruction of a child by hunger, and schools without books and homes without heat in the winter.

This is the breaking of a man's spirit by denying him the chance to stand as a father and as a man among other men. And this too afflicts us all. I have not come here to propose a set of specific remedies nor is there a single set. For a broad and adequate outline we know what must be done. When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies - to be met not with cooperation but with conquest, to be subjugated and mastered.

We learn, at the last, to look at our brothers as aliens, men with whom we share a city, but not a community, men bound to us in common dwelling, but not in common effort. We learn to share only a common fear - only a common desire to retreat from each other - only a common impulse to meet disagreement with force. For all this there are no final answers.

Yet we know what we must do. It is to achieve true justice among our fellow citizens. The question is now what programs we should seek to enact. The question is whether we can find in our own midst and in our own hearts that leadership of human purpose that will recognize the terrible truths of our existence.

We must admit the vanity of our false distinctions among men and learn to find our own advancement in the search for the advancement of all. We must admit in ourselves that our own children's future cannot be built on the misfortunes of others. We must recognize that this short life can neither be ennobled or enriched by hatred or revenge.

Our lives on this planet are too short and the work to be done too great to let this spirit flourish any longer in our land. Of course we cannot vanish it with a program, nor with a resolution.

But we can perhaps remember - even if only for a time - that those who live with us are our brothers, that they share with us the same short movement of life, that they seek - as we do - nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

Surely this bond of common faith, this bond of common goal, can begin to teach us something. Surely we can learn, at least, to look at those around us as fellow men and surely we can begin to work a little harder to bind up the wounds among us and to become in our hearts brothers and countrymen once again.

This is a famous carrot-cake recipe generously given to me by Gary's girlfriend (and only very slightly adjusted by me). And good lord, let me tell you: he wasn't kidding about how good it is.... I made a double-batch because the original seemed like too little for all the people to whom I thought I was going to be feeding it (turned out that Bruno, Otto, and Henni were not at our Easter Brunch, but oh, well, it'll freeze).

This is one of those incredibly rich carrot cakes that say, "Actually, I'm just as deliciously bad for you as a triple-chocolate fudge cake. But I'm a carrot cake."

Ingredients for Cake:

16 oz/ 400 g soft brown sugar

12 fl oz / 340 ml vegetable oil

4 eggs

8 oz / 200 g flour

2 t baking soda (I used the equiv. of baking powder)

cinnamon, cloves, and ginger

4 oz / 100 g chopped walnuts

10 oz / 250 g grated carrots (about three large ones)

Ingredients for Frosting:

4 oz / 100 g unsalted butter

12 oz / 300 g cream cheese

16 oz / 400 g powdered sugar

vanilla essence

zest of an orange or zest and juice of a lemon

Grease a cake tin and preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Cream sugar and oil in a large bowl, adding eggs one at a time. Separately, whisk flour, spices, and rising agent together. Stir dry ingredients into wet and then add carrots and nuts. Bake for about an hour and set out to cool.

Make the frosting by beating cream cheese and butter together, adding sugar until it's the right texture, and finishing with a little juice or zest (being careful not to let it get runny). Ice the cake with a crumb layer and allow to set before adding the rest of the icing and decorating.

I split the cake into two layers with a thread and put a layer of icing in between as well as the two sides and top and there was still more than a third of the icing left to go in the freezer for the next cake. Now I know why Gary's always so cheerful--it's pure sugar high.

I closed the rats into their cage while I was icing the cake (everyong will be glad to know), but I let them taste a little frosting, and they enjoyed that very much and became bouncing insane rats.

"Just Jane" was built by Austin Motors at Longbridge near Birmingham, in April 1945. Given the serial number NX611, she was one of the first 150 B Mk VII Avro Lancasters destined as part of the RAF's Tiger Force in the Far East. However, Japan's early surrender meant these aircraft were suddenly surplus to requirements and, instead of seeing service, NX611 ended up in storage at Llandow. There she stayed until 1952. From then on, a chequered career followed.

In April 1952 she was bought by the French Government. Painted midnight blue, she flew maritime patrol for the French Naval Air Arm. Ten years later, she went to Noumeau, New Caledonia, was painted white and used for air sea rescue and cartography. Then in 1964, the French presented her to the Historical Aircraft Preservation Society and flew her to her new home in Sydney where she was overhauled before being flown back to Britain. It took nine days to complete the 12,000 mile journey back to her homeland- seventy flying hours- landing at Biggin Hill on 13 May, 1965.

Temporarily grounded, due to expiry of permitted flying hours, it was 1967 before NX611 flew again, but even then public appearances were brief because of prohibitive costs.

She was flown to Lavenham in Suffolk and, a few years later, in 1972, was put up for auction at 'Squires Gate', Blackpool.

Meanwhile, in Lincolnshire, determined to commemorate the death of their brother Chistopher who was killed on the Nuremburg Raid in March 1944, and all of the men who served in Bomber Command, Fred and Harold Panton had decided to purchase a Second World War Bomber. At one time, they had had their eyes on a Halifax which was coming up for sale, but their father told them, in no uncertain terms, they would not be permitted to keep one at his farm.

The years passed, but the brothers still held on to their dream.

Eventually, Fred and Harold became co-owners of their own farm. When some land came up for sale which included part of the defunct East Kirkby airfield they bought it. Some areas of concrete and a few buildings still stood on the old airfield, in a state of disrepair. They used part of the area to set up a chicken farm. However, with the idea of owning an exhibition aircraft still foremost in their in their minds, they also began to renovate the "working area" of the airfield. That included building a new hangar, where an original T2 hangar had stood there during the war years.

Learning about the forthcoming auction, via an advertisement, Fred and Harold decided to try and purchase the old Lancaster. This aircraft could be the perfect monument to their brother's memory. When Fred saw NX611 for the very first time at Blackpool, she stood lonely and forlorn, waiting to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Around her, a great crowd stood- some hopefully putting in bids, but most just watched- curious to see one of the country's finest types of Bomber at close range. Sadly, due to the reserve not being reached, she was withdrawn from the auction and later privately sold to the Rt Hon Lord Lilford. Fred and Harold kept in contact with her new owner and eventually, whilst she stood Gate Guardian at RAF Scampton, near Lincoln, and after one or two hiccups in the furtherance of their ambition to own her, a deal was struck with Lord Lilford's agent.

In September 1983, NX611 was finally purchased by Fred and Harold and, four years later, after completing an agreed total of ten years gate guardian at RAF Scampton, she was brought to East Kirkby, courtesy of the RAF. It was sixteen years since Fred had seen her at Blackpool auction.

The first moves towards restoring one of her four engines were made in 1993. Two ex RAF engineers were brought in to do the job. They began work on No3 engine. Although it had been idle for 22 years, they were confident they could bring it back to life. Accessing the spare parts was organised, the engine rotated to ensure it would still turn and the cam shaft covers removed. Both had to be replaced, although the engine cylinders were in good working order. Then the propeller was removed, stripped down and examined and - apart from having to adjust the blade settings - everything proved to be in fine order and was rebuilt.

Local contractors were brought in to check the wiring and make good where necessary. That alone was a ten-day job.

The engine's starter motor, magnetos, fuel booster pump and ignition harness were removed and checked, the fuel tank was pressurised and the fuel jettison system reset. When the throttle controls between the cockpit lever and the engine were uncovered, it was discovered that almost a third of the small control rods had to be replaced.

However after about seven hundred man hours and at a cost of £7000 the engine was finally ready.

This work was then completed for all four engines and they now at a fully operational taxiing standard.

Specification-

Engines- Four Rolls-Royce Merlin 24 engines (1640Hp each)

Dimensions-

Span 102ft

Length 69ft, 11 3/4in

Height 20ft 6in

Wing area 1300sqft

Weights-

Tare 37,330lbs

Max. all up: 72,000lbs

Max landing: 60,000lbs

Max. bomb load: 18,000lbs

Max. specialist bomb load: 22,000 i.e Grand Slam

Performance-

Max. Speed: 275mph at 15,000ft

Cruising Speed: 200mph at 15,000ft

Service ceiling: 25,000ft

Range: 2,350 miles with 7,000lbs bomb load

Given the looks on their faces, and that their neighbors have already expired... it does not look good for these two.

I guess since they are all goners I'll buy a box and eat them?

Honoured and humbled by the trust you have given me, I speak to you for the first time at our conference as High Chancellor of this country.

No one could have foreseen all the events that England has been through since June.

But tested again and again the resilience of the English people has been powerful proof of the character of our country.

Early on a June morning, two cars were found parked and packed with explosives in, London.

They were put there to bring terror and death to men and women who would do nothing wrong but be out with their friends, walk on our streets and visit our capital.

But from the bomb disposal experts who courageously risked their lives, to the Londoners who defiantly went on with their lives, that day the world witnessed the resolve and strength of the English people.

And when the Muslim terrorists tried to attack the country's biggest airport, they were answered by the courage of the police and firefighters and a baggage handler named John Susan. He came to the aid of a policeman under assault from one of the Islamic terrorists.

Later John told me it was instinctive, he was doing what was right.

That man, that hero John Susan is here with us today and on behalf of our country - John, we thank you.

Every citizen who answered the call of the country - policemen and women, our security and emergency services, our health services - all left their mark on this island's story by keeping us safe. They are the pride of England.

Just as our armed services with bravery and heroism every single day also make us proud. We mourn those who have been lost and we honour all those who in distant places of danger give so much to our country.

It was in these early weeks, in the wake of the worst flooding in almost 150 years, in county after county, we saw the English pull on their boots and pull out their boats to rescue neighbours and strangers.

And together they went to work to clean up the streets, sweep out the shops and reopen the schools. Long after the waters have receded the memory of their quiet strength remains.

They too showed the character of England: communities where buildings can be damaged and even destroyed but our spirit is indestructible. They too make us proud of the extraordinary resilience of ordinary English people.

And then on an early August morning in Surrey, a doctor went out to treat to his patients and what he saw terrified him, made him remember back to 2001 when all across our countryside clouds of smoke scarred the sky and for many in cities and villages, family dreams were turned to ash.

During the outbreak this summer, our health official, scientists, and public officials in SO15 cancelled their holidays. To fight the contagion doctors worked day and night. And they have done it all over again this month and continue to do so. Their actions live out our shared understanding that our world is threatened by invisible enemies surrounds, that stalk our towns and cities.

And as we saw again this summer there is no answer to the spread of infection or to Islamic terrorist attacks that can strike at any time, anywhere in any part of our country.

And sharing this same small island, we will meet our environmental, economic and security challenges not by splitting apart but when we as England stand united together.

So my sense of talking to people in all parts of these lands is that instead of leaving us pessimistic, these three months make us more optimistic about what we the English people at our best can do.

Our response was calm and measured. We simply got on with the job.

England has been tested and not found wanting.

This is who we are.

And there is no weakness in England today that cannot be overcome by the strengths of the English people.

So don't let anyone tell us England is not equal to every challenge.

Strength through unity, unity through faith.

ENGLAND PREVAILS.

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7010664.stm

We were given two free reusable grocery bags at the Giant in Columbia Heights today. I think we're going to leave them by the front door to remind us to actually use them, in light of DC's new 5 cents per platic bag tax. We already have reusable bags but forget to bring them with us half the time.

Blogged:

dendroica.blogspot.com/2010/01/dc-bag-tax-reducing-plasti...

www.welovedc.com/2010/03/30/dc-bag-tax-nets-150000-for-an...

blog.liveserramar.com/go-green/byob-bring-your-own-bag/

www.digitalpicturezone.com/featured/11-eco-friendly-techn...

dcist.com/2010/11/sen_chuck_schumer_calls_for_reusabl.php

dcist.com/2011/02/survey_says_bag_tax_not_harmful_to.php

dcist.com/2012/01/those_reusable_bags_can_kill_you.php

www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2012/03/05/pri...

Plenty of opportunity here today for using the camera as a means of 'painting a picture', given enough 'where-with-all' to realise the potential when its available and usually, here, this is the case. In this three part panorama/composite, a few folk are about crossing the old 'stepping bridge', some historic detail was given about this here-

www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/29082080745/in/

and two of the bridge personnel are at least interested in what's going on and who had waited for the arrival of the RHTT with fortunately, one of the H.N.R.C.'s 'Satsuma' liveried stock, 20314, on the front, whilst the other two crossing back over the bridge, are oblivious. Its a real shame, in these conditions, that the set had been to the 'car wash' and turned up looking pristine but that never happens once the season gets under way, this is only the middle of the third week and so almost another 6 weeks to go! Although DRS had run their own pair of class 20s, 20302 and 20303 for a short while, starting out on October 11th, a poor shot in the dark was taken of them at Carnaby, near the east coast resort of Bridlington, see-

www.flickr.com/photos/daohaiku/48907858018/in/

things went down-hill from there and 20303 was removed to have work undertaken on it and the set then ran with these two, today Harry Needle's 20314, ex-D8117, on the front, with the DRS blue-job, 20302 on the back. The two 'enthusiasts' appear momentarily distracted by what's going happening on the canal bridge, though its just three of us looking and talking enthusiastically about the RHTT passage in its less than pristine state. Behind the 'orange' are the 'blues', the usual set of'"Sandite Units', FEA-B RHTT A Tank Wagons and at the back, a grimy DRS blue 20, 20302, the latter barely recognisable from this view as it appears out of the lineside shrubbery. This is the 3rd section of the RHTT run today and earlier, the working, 3S11 which should have come out of York Thrall at 04:15, arriving in Sheffield at 06:36, was cancelled due to- 'This service was cancelled due to a request by the train operator (FL)...' and hence the following working back north, 3S12, also had to be cancelled, both of these being replaced by a V.S.T.P., 3J12, at 07:45 which left York Thrall at 07:45 but now bound for Woodburn Junction; missing out Sheffield completely on this day. The VSTP service at the later time to Woodburn, then ran on its usual eastern jaunt, 3S13, to Gainsborough Central, arriving back at Woodburn at 11:18, in preparation for this working, 3S14, at 11:29 to Hull and from the re, on the 3S15, back to York Thrall Europa, arriving at 19:03. ONe assumes that the 1st working of the day, 3S11, from York to Sheffield, didn't run due to problems with the other DRS blue class 20, 20303 and this had to be substituted for the HNRC unit, 20314.. What a day!

Given the right conditions even Burlington Northern Santa Fe D9-44CWs can look good. Of course, it helps that all three Dash 9s at the head of this train are wearing different liveries. This is Heritage III No. BNSF 4121, Heritage I No. BNSF 1087 and ex ATSF 'Warbonnet' No. BNSF 623 leading yet another double stack intermodal working around the 'S' curve just east of Cosnino Road, near Flagstaff, Arizona, on April 21st, 2007.

GIVEN A MASS OF OLD CROCHET PATTERNS SOME TIME BACK .THESE ARE THE ONES I KEPT,MUST ADMIT I USUALLY MAKE UP MY PATTERNS NOW AS I GO.

Stagecoach London Limited Alexander Dennis TransBus Plaxton 34362 LV52HKO Which Is The Last Of This Batch Of Buses At Bromley Bus Garage The Rest Of This Batch Went To Catford Bus Garage When The Route 314 was Given Brand New Enviro 200'S 34362 Is Seen Here On Route 227 Seen In Division In Penge And At Clock House Station As TB 5 34362 Has Also Been Seen on Route 61 ,Route 246 And Route 314 34362 Is Also The Oldest Greatest Single Decker Bus In Operation At Bromley Bus Garage (TB)

Given by my grandfather to my grandmother for her ruby wedding anniversary

Lighting information: one Olympus FL-600R camera right, diffused by Polaroid mini-diffuser. One Olympus FL-300R camera left, undiffused. Both triggered optically by Olympus FL-LM2, on camera, also contributing to the exposure.

See here for an illustration of the lighting setup: flic.kr/p/2n4Thjp

I have given this some thought over the years; what distinguishes a neck corset from a collar? For me, a collar has limited adjustment using buckles or locks, etc. A neck corset has infinite adjustment through laces.

Obviously, tight-lacing a neck corset could be deleterious to the wearer, but they can certinaly be utilised to immobilise the wearer's head and to restrict breathing. There are a few photos out there of a girl I knew as Gina, who intentionally wore a neck corset so tight that she could barely breathe, the veins in her forehead stood out, and she couldn't swallow.

Neck corsets could be used to give the appearance of a stretched neck by pushing the collar bones down and the chin up. I have never worn a neck corset, but I am guessing that a neck corset that tall will be highly restrictive.

2010 Mattel USA Spring Catalog. This was a catalog given to store managers, a vendor catalog, with manufacturing numbers so store managers could order items to then sell in their stores. All items in this catalog should have a packaging date of 2009, the date on the Barbie box or fashion pack should be 20098. The photographs in this catalog are similar to production, press or prototype information so the actual dolls and fashions sold in store might be slightly different have different colors, etc. This is especially true for the cheaper items and playsets. special editions and store exclusives may not be listed here. Items in this catalog include Barbie I Can Be a Bride R4227, Barbie I Can Be a Pet Vet R4228, Barbie I Can Be A Rock Star R4229, Barbie I CAn Be a Race Car Driver R42230, Barbie I Can Be A Kid Doctor R4231, R4226, Barbie I CA Be Dentist R4301, I Ca Be A Babysitter R4303, R4300 Barbie Pink Princes R6391, Barbie Purple Princess T2460, Barbie Purple Princess R6392, Barbie Green Princess T2459, Barbie Blue Princess R6395, R6390, Barbie Princess and Accessories T3496, T3497, T3495, My Fab Life Day Looks R2451, R4252, R4253, N8332, My Fab Life Night Looks R4254, R4255, R4256, N4855, Barbie Career I Can Be Fashions R4257, R4259, R7596, R7597, N4862 I no longer share catalogs without the website name on them because people posted my images on Facebook and Pinterest without giving me credit. You are welcome to download and repost catalog pages with the BarbieReference.com watermark on them. A link back to my website is also appreciated.

If you found this useful please stop by BarbieReference.com and click an ad to support the site. More pages from this catalog are only available on BarbieReference.com

GIVEN A MASS OF OLD CROCHET PATTERNS SOME TIME BACK .THESE ARE THE ONES I KEPT,MUST ADMIT I USUALLY MAKE UP MY PATTERNS NOW AS I GO.

YORK, ENGLAND - JANUARY 20: during an i2i Soccer Academy Training Session at Haxby Road on January 20th 2023 in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Appleby)

given to a birthday child filled with paintings made by the kindergarten kids.

Amazonehaven Europoort9-3-2020 gezien vanaf DE NIEUWE PRINS van de RET

27/08/2020. Ladies European Tour 2020. Tipsport Czech Ladies Open. Golf Club Beroun, Czech Republic. August 20-30 2020 Eleanor Givens of England during a practice round. Credit: Tristan Jones.

Taken 02/12/14; Given the Sentinel's working life was spent at Fry's/Cadbury's factory at nearby Somerdale (you know, the one Kraft pledged they wouldn't close ...), Bitton is an appropriate home for the loco. A brief timeline;

1928; Built at Shrewsbury as works number 7492. Delivered to Somerdale Chocolate Factory, where Bill Payne was its driver until 1946.

1940; Repaired after a runaway track smashes into the rear of the loco, wrecking the cab.

1946; Gladstone Graham Hendy takes over as No. 7492's driver.

1956; Taken out of service and stored.

1964; Sold to a scrapyard in Fishponds, who display the loco rather than cutting it up.

1970; Sold to a private owner in Somerset, resold and moved to Suffolk and then moved again to an owner in Essex.

2009; Located by Somerdale author Eric Miles and the then current owner agreed to sell the loco.

2010; The loco is purchased and moved to Bitton on a low loader via an emotive stop off at the Somerdale Factory.

Given the fact, that it is still terribly cold her in RL, I just HAD to pull out this beautiful knit top from Skin Flicks - even though it's bare shoulders :)

Sweater Top: "Hallie" in White by SkinFlicks

Skirt: "Anoorea" in Black by MichaMi

Shoes: "St.Tropez" in B/W by LeLutka

Stockings: "Vintage Chocolate20" by No.9

Skin: "Jessica 07 [Milky] Glow skin (light eyebrows)" by LAQ

Hair: "Faye" in AsheBlonde by Mirone

Ears: "Pearl and Diamond" by Mauve

Neck: "Claris Pearls" by Muse

Glasses: "Lace in Silver" by AIR

Bavarian Schneeschuh (Mountain Troops) soldier (Jaeger/Infantryman)) with large chainstitched green "S" on collar tabs. He wears the Bavarian Schneeschuh billed mountain cap with a vulcanfiber gray rigid visor seen in the early war only on Bavarians.

I'd never given much thought or many looks at Iris through the years. But I've really fallen in love with the 3 down by the pond in back of our place. I've learned that they were planted by the lady who used to live in our cottage a decade ago. She still lives here. I can't wait to show her the pictures of "our flowers". I have been watering them faithfully.

They are really beautiful flowers, aren't they!? This one went from a small tight bullet-shaped bud to full flower since this morning.

YORK, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 19: during the BUCS Men’s Northern Tier 6 Group C match between York St John University 8ths and Leeds Trinity University 4ths at Haxby Road on October 19th 2022 in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Appleby)

Checkpoint Charlie (or "Checkpoint C") was the name given by the Western Allies to the best-known Berlin Wall crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.

The Soviet Union prompted the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 to stop Eastern Bloc emigration westward through the Soviet border system, preventing escape across the city sector border from East Berlin to West Berlin. Checkpoint Charlie became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of east and west. Soviet and American tanks briefly faced each other at the location during the Berlin Crisis of 1961.

After the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc and the reunification of Germany, the building at Checkpoint Charlie became a tourist attraction. It is now located in the Allied Museum in the Dahlem neighbourhood of Berlin.

Checkpoint Charlie was a crossing point in the Berlin Wall located at the junction of Friedrichstraße with Zimmerstraße and Mauerstraße, (which for older historical reasons coincidentally means 'Wall Street'). It is in the Friedrichstadt neighbourhood. Checkpoint Charlie was designated as the single crossing point (by foot or by car) for foreigners and members of the Allied forces. (Members of the Allied forces were not allowed to use the other sector crossing point designated for use by foreigners, the Friedrichstraße railway station).

The name Charlie came from the letter C in the NATO phonetic alphabet; similarly for other Allied checkpoints on the Autobahn from the West: Checkpoint Alpha at Helmstedt and its counterpart Checkpoint Bravo at Dreilinden, Wannsee in the south-west corner of Berlin. The Soviets simply called it the Friedrichstraße Crossing Point (КПП Фридрихштрассе). The East Germans referred officially to Checkpoint Charlie as the Grenzübergangsstelle ("Border Crossing Point") Friedrich-/Zimmerstraße.

Admission stamp applied to a passport at the East German (DDR) Friedrich/ Zimmerstraße crossing at Checkpoint Charlie. (1964)

As the most visible Berlin Wall checkpoint, Checkpoint Charlie is frequently featured in spy movies and books. A famous cafe and viewing place for Allied officials, Armed Forces and visitors alike, Cafe Adler ("Eagle Café"), is situated right on the checkpoint. It was an excellent viewing point to look into East Berlin, while having something to eat and drink.

The checkpoint was curiously asymmetrical. During its 28-year active life, the infrastructure on the Eastern side was expanded to include not only the wall, watchtower and zig-zag barriers, but a multi-lane shed where cars and their occupants were checked. However the Allied authority never erected any permanent buildings, and made do with the well-known wooden shed, which was replaced during the 1980s by a larger metal structure, now displayed at the Allied Museum in western Berlin. Their reason was that they did not consider the inner Berlin sector boundary an international border and did not treat it as such

Although the wall was opened in November 1989 and the checkpoint booth removed on June 22, 1990, the checkpoint remained an official crossing for foreigners and diplomats until German reunification during October 1990 when the guard house was removed; it is now on display in the open-air museum of the Allied Museum in Berlin-Zehlendorf. The course of the former wall and border is now marked in the street with a line of cobblestones. A copy of the guard house and sign that once marked the border crossing was later built where Checkpoint Charlie once was. It resembles the first guard house erected during 1961, behind a sandbag barrier towards the border. Over the years it was replaced several times by guard houses of different sizes and layouts . The one removed during 1990 was considerably larger than the first one and did not have sandbags.

Near the location of the guard house is the Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, a private museum opened in 1963 by Rainer Hildebrandt, which was augmented with a new building during the 1990s. The two Soldiers (one American and one Russian) represented at the Checkpoint Memorial were both stationed in Berlin during the early 1990s.

Developers demolished the East German checkpoint watchtower in 2000. The watchtower, which was the last surviving original Checkpoint Charlie structure, was demolished to make way for offices and shops. The city tried to save the tower but failed, as it was not classified as a historic landmark. As of August 2011, nothing has been built at this site and the original proposals for development have been terminated.

Checkpoint Charlie has become one of Berlin's primary tourist attractions. An open-air exhibit was opened during the summer of 2006. Gallery walls along the Friedrichstraße and the Zimmerstraße inform on escape attempts, how the checkpoint was expanded, and its significance during the Cold War, in particular the confrontation of Soviet and American tanks in 1961. An overview of other important memorial sites and museums on the division of Germany and the wall is presented as well. Tourists can have their photographs taken for a fee with actors dressed as allied military policemen standing in front of the guard house. Several souvenir stands with fake military items and stores proliferate as well.

how many more years will i have these guys agreeing to do cards?

Lange Cross - 7200 meter

For best view: Press L

© Jef Kusters - credit MUST be given at all times

History of the Queen's House

Introduction

The Queen's House, Greenwich, was commissioned by Anne of Denmark, wife of James I (reigned 1603–25). James was often at the Tudor Palace of Greenwich, where the Old Royal Naval College now stands – it was as important a residence of the early Stuart dynasty as it had been for the Tudors. Traditionally he is said to have given the manor of Greenwich to Anne in apology for having sworn at her in public, after she accidentally shot one of his favourite dogs while hunting in 1614.

17th and 18th centuries

Greenwich and London from One Tree Hill.

Greenwich and London from One Tree Hill.

In 1616 Anne commissioned Inigo Jones (1573–1652), who had risen to fame as a designer of court entertainments and was appointed Surveyor of the King's Works the following year, to design a new pavilion for her at Greenwich. It was apparently a place of private retreat and hospitality and was also designed as a bridge over the Greenwich to Woolwich Road, between the palace gardens and the Royal Park.

James I, 1566-1625

James I, 1566-1625

Jones had recently spent three years in Italy studying Roman and Renaissance architecture. It was his first important commission and the first fully Classical building seen in England. Though generally called Palladian in style, its prime model was the Medici villa at Poggio a Caiano, by Giuliano de Sangallo.

Anne of Denmark

Anne of Denmark

Work stopped on the House in April 1618 when Anne became ill: she died the following year. It was thatched over at first floor level and building only restarted when James's son Charles I gave Greenwich to his queen, Henrietta Maria (daughter of Henri IV of France), in 1629. It was structurally completed in 1635. Reflecting Renaissance ideas of mathematical, Classical proportion and harmony, the House's design was revolutionary in Britain at a time when even the best native building was still in red-brick, Tudor-derived style.

Leading European painters - including Jordaens and Orazio Gentileschi - were commissioned to provide decorative ceiling panels and other art works, and Classical sculpture was provided from the collection Charles had purchased en bloc from the Gonzaga dukes of Mantua. Of this original splendour all that survives in the House is the 'grotesque' style painted ceiling of the Queen's Presence Chamber, the ironwork of the 'tulip stairs' (the first centrally unsupported spiral stair in Britain), the much discoloured but original painted woodwork of the Hall, and its finely laid 1635 marble floor.

Gentileschi's ceiling panels, much altered, survive in Marlborough House, London, since Queen Anne allowed their removal in the early-18th century.

Queen Henrietta Maria, 1609-69

Queen Henrietta Maria, 1609-69

Henrietta Maria had little time to enjoy the House. The Civil War broke out in 1642 shattering the Stuart idyll. Always an object of suspicion because of her Catholicism, the Queen went into exile in France and Charles was beheaded in 1649, his property being seized and dispersed by the Commonwealth regime (1649–60). The House lost its treasures and became an official government residence. It however survived, while the Tudor palace on the riverside fell into decay.

Charles I (1600-1649)

Charles I (1600-1649)

After his restoration to the throne (1660), Henrietta Maria's son, Charles II, refitted the House for her temporary use in 1662 before she moved to Somerset House, though she died in Paris in 1669. His principal changes were the addition of two upper 'bridge' rooms to east and west over the road. This produced a square plan on the first floor, rather than the original 'H' of two separate blocks either side of the roadway only connected by a central first-floor bridge.

A Mediterranean brigantine wrecked on a rocky coast

A Mediterranean brigantine wrecked on a rocky coast

From 1673 studio space in the House was allocated to the Willem van de Veldes, father and son Dutch marine artists.

They came to England at the invitation of Charles and founded the English school of marine painting. Find out more about the van de Veldes in the Art of the van de Veldes gallery in the Queens' House.

The House continued to be used for various Royal 'grace-and-favour' residential purposes in the 18th century, when the replacement of most of its original windows with Georgian sashes gave it its modern external appearance.

19th century to present day

In 1805, George III granted the Queen's House to the Royal Naval Asylum - a charity caring for and educating the orphan children of seamen. This moved to Greenwich from Paddington the following year and eventually became part of the Royal Hospital School, which itself moved to Suffolk in 1933.

Playing cricket

Schoolboys playing cricket in front of the Queen's House, c.1898

In 1807–12, to meet the need for dormitories, classrooms and other facilities, the architect Daniel Asher Alexander added the Colonnades and immediately flanking wings which still frame the House in its modern role as the 'jewel in the crown' of the National Maritime Museum which took over in 1934.

Staircase in the Queen's House

Staircase in the Queen's House

The House was first restored to something approaching its 1660s form and was fitted out to display the Museum's early collections in 1933–37. Further major restoration, including of all its services, was completed in 1990 with additional work in 1998–99.

The last included replacement of an unimportant 18th century service stairway with a new public stair and lift connecting basement, ground and first floor, augmenting the original 'tulip stairs' on the Hall (north) side.

From 1990 to 1998 the upper floor of the House was partly refitted as and furnished to give an impression of its use as a Royal residence of the 1670s, and to display the NMM's early art collection. It was also increasingly used as a place for appropriate events and corporate entertainment (analogous to some of its original courtly functions).

Images of Seapower, Queen's House

Images of Seapower, Queen's House

Images of Seapower, Queens House

Images of Seapower, Queens House

Since 2001 the House has been reorganised to showcase the Museum's fine-art collection, with an ongoing programme of displays and temporary exhibitions, including contemporary work. It has an active events and education programme and continues in its successful role as a place for corporate and private entertainment.