Overberg is a region in South Africa to the east of Cape Town beyond the Hottentots-Holland mountains. It lies along the Western Cape Province's south coast between the Cape Peninsula and the region known as the Garden Route in the east. The boundaries of the Overberg are the Hottentots-Holland mountains in the West; the Riviersonderend Mountains, part of the Cape Fold Belt, in the North; the Atlantic and Indian Oceans in the South and the Breede River in the East.

 

The area has always been considered as the breadbasket of the Cape and is largely given to grain farming — mainly wheat. The wheat fields are a major breeding ground for South Africa's national bird, the blue crane. Another important crop in the Overberg is fruit, with the Elgin Valley producing about 60 percent of the total annual apple crop of about 819 000 tonnes (2012 data).

 

Nestled in the Overberg, one can find the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve (recognised and registered with UNESCO) populated with a large diversity of flowering plants not found anywhere else in the fynbos biome.

 

The major towns are Hermanus, Caledon, Bredasdorp, Grabouw and Swellendam and the region includes Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of Africa. The landscape is dominated by gently to moderately undulating hills enclosed by mountains and the ocean.

 

The name, derived from Over 't Berg, means "over the (Hottentots-Holland) mountain" and is a reference to the region's location relative to Cape Town.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

The common ostrich (Struthio camelus), or simply ostrich, is a species of flightless bird native to certain large areas of Africa and is the largest living bird. It is one of two extant species of ostriches, the only living members of the genus Struthio in the ratite order of birds. The other is the Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes), which was recognized as a distinct species by BirdLife International in 2014 having been previously considered a very distinctive subspecies of ostrich.

 

The common ostrich belongs to the order Struthioniformes. Struthioniformes previously contained all the ratites, such as the kiwis, emus, rheas, and cassowaries. However, recent genetic analysis has found that the group is not monophyletic, as it is paraphyletic with respect to the tinamous, so the ostriches are now classified as the only members of the order. Phylogenetic studies have shown that it is the sister group to all other members of Palaeognathae and thus the flighted tinamous are the sister group to the extinct moa. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs, and can run for a long time at a speed of 55 km/h (34 mph) with short bursts up to about 70 km/h (43 mph), the fastest land speed of any bird. The common ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest eggs of any living bird (the extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and the giant moa of New Zealand laid larger eggs).

 

The common ostrich's diet consists mainly of plant matter, though it also eats invertebrates and small reptiles. It lives in nomadic groups of 5 to 50 birds. When threatened, the ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground or run away. If cornered, it can attack with a kick of its powerful legs. Mating patterns differ by geographical region, but territorial males fight for a harem of two to seven females.

 

The common ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for its feathers, which are decorative and are also used as feather dusters. Its skin is used for leather products and its meat is marketed commercially, with its leanness a common marketing point.

 

Description

 

Common ostriches usually weigh from 63 to 145 kilograms (139–320 lb), or as much as one to two adult humans. The Masai ostriches of East Africa (S. c. massaicus) average 115 kg (254 lb) in males and 100 kg (220 lb) in females, while the nominate subspecies, the North African ostrich (S. c. camelus), was found to average 111 kg (245 lb) in unsexed adults. Exceptional male ostriches (in the nominate subspecies) can weigh up to 156.8 kg (346 lb). At sexual maturity (two to four years), male common ostriches can be from 2.1 to 2.8 m (6 ft 11 in to 9 ft 2 in) in height, while female common ostriches range from 1.7 to 2.0 m (5 ft 7 in to 6 ft 7 in) tall. New chicks are fawn in color, with dark brown spots. During the first year of life, chicks grow at about 25 cm (9.8 in) per month. At one year of age, common ostriches weigh approximately 45 kilograms (99 lb) Their lifespan is up to 40–45 years.

 

The feathers of adult males are mostly black, with white primaries and a white tail. However, the tail of one subspecies is buff. Females and young males are grayish-brown and white. The head and neck of both male and female ostriches is nearly bare, with a thin layer of down. The skin of the female's neck and thighs is pinkish gray, while the male's is gray or pink dependent on subspecies.

 

The long neck and legs keep their head up to 2.8 m (9 ft) above the ground, and their eyes are said to be the largest of any land vertebrate – 50 mm (2.0 in) in diameter – helping them to see predators at a great distance. The eyes are shaded from sunlight from above. However, the head and bill are relatively small for the birds' huge size, with the bill measuring 12 to 14.3 cm (4.7 to 5.6 in).

 

Their skin varies in color depending on the subspecies, with some having light or dark gray skin and others having pinkish or even reddish skin. The strong legs of the common ostrich are unfeathered and show bare skin, with the tarsus (the lowest upright part of the leg) being covered in scales: red in the male, black in the female. The tarsus of the common ostrich is the largest of any living bird, measuring 39 to 53 cm (15 to 21 in) in length. The bird has just two toes on each foot (most birds have four), with the nail on the larger, inner toe resembling a hoof. The outer toe has no nail. The reduced number of toes is an adaptation that appears to aid in running, useful for getting away from predators. Common ostriches can run at a speed over 70 km/h (43 mph) and can cover 3 to 5 m (9.8 to 16.4 ft) in a single stride. The wings reach a span of about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in), and the wing chord measurement of 90 cm (35 in) is around the same size as for the largest flying birds.

 

The feathers lack the tiny hooks that lock together the smooth external feathers of flying birds, and so are soft and fluffy and serve as insulation. Common ostriches can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. In much of their habitat, temperatures vary as much as 40 °C (72 °F) between night and day. Their temperature control relies in part on behavioral thermoregulation. For example, they use their wings to cover the naked skin of the upper legs and flanks to conserve heat, or leave these areas bare to release heat. The wings also function as stabilizers to give better maneuverability when running. Tests have shown that the wings are actively involved in rapid braking, turning, and zigzag maneuvers. They have 50–60 tail feathers, and their wings have 16 primary, four alular, and 20–23 secondary feathers.

 

The common ostrich's sternum is flat, lacking the keel to which wing muscles attach in flying birds. The beak is flat and broad, with a rounded tip. Like all ratites, the ostrich has no crop, and it also lacks a gallbladder. They have three stomachs, and the caecum is 71 cm (28 in) long. Unlike all other living birds, the common ostrich secretes urine separately from feces. All other birds store the urine and feces combined in the coprodeum, but the ostrich stores the feces in the terminal rectum. They also have unique pubic bones that are fused to hold their gut. Unlike most birds, the males have a copulatory organ, which is retractable and 20 cm (8 in) long. Their palate differs from other ratites in that the sphenoid and palatal bones are unconnected.

 

Distribution and habitat

 

Common ostriches formerly occupied Africa north and south of the Sahara, East Africa, Africa south of the rainforest belt, and much of Asia Minor. Today common ostriches prefer open land and are native to the savannas and Sahel of Africa, both north and south of the equatorial forest zone. In southwest Africa they inhabit the semi-desert or true desert. Farmed common ostriches in Australia have established feral populations. The Arabian ostriches in the Near and Middle East were hunted to extinction by the middle of the 20th century. Attempts to reintroduce the common ostrich into Israel have failed. Common ostriches have occasionally been seen inhabiting islands on the Dahlak Archipelago, in the Red Sea near Eritrea.

 

Research conducted by the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany in India found molecular evidence that ostriches lived in India 25,000 years ago. DNA tests on fossilized eggshells recovered from eight archaeological sites in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh found 92% genetic similarity between the eggshells and the North African ostrich, so these could have been fairly distant relatives.

 

Ostriches are farmed in Australia. Many escaped, however, and feral ostriches now roam the Australian outback.

 

Behaviour and ecology

 

Common ostriches normally spend the winter months in pairs or alone. Only 16 percent of common ostrich sightings were of more than two birds. During breeding season and sometimes during extreme rainless periods ostriches live in nomadic groups of five to 100 birds (led by a top hen) that often travel together with other grazing animals, such as zebras or antelopes. Ostriches are diurnal, but may be active on moonlit nights. They are most active early and late in the day. The male common ostrich territory is between 2 and 20 km2 (0.77 and 7.72 sq mi).

 

With their acute eyesight and hearing, common ostriches can sense predators such as lions from far away. When being pursued by a predator, they have been known to reach speeds in excess of 70 km/h (43 mph) and can maintain a steady speed of 50 km/h (31 mph), which makes the common ostrich the world's fastest two-legged animal. When lying down and hiding from predators, the birds lay their heads and necks flat on the ground, making them appear like a mound of earth from a distance, aided by the heat haze in their hot, dry habitat.

 

When threatened, common ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs. Their legs can only kick forward.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Overberg (englisch Overberg District Municipality, afrikaans Overberg-distriksmunisipaliteit) ist ein Distrikt innerhalb der südafrikanischen Provinz Westkap. Der Sitz der Distriktverwaltung befindet sich in Bredasdorp. Bürgermeister ist Andries Franken.

 

Overberg bedeutet übersetzt etwa „Hinter dem Berg“. Er liegt von Kapstadt aus im Osten, „hinter“ dem Gebirgszug der Hottentots-Holland-Berge, welche die Kap-Halbinsel vom östlichen Hinterland abgrenzen. Die erste Erwähnung stammt aus dem Jahr 1708.

 

Geografie

 

Der Distrikt umfasst das Gebiet von Grabouw im Westen über Riviersonderend bis Barrydale im Nordosten (rund 200 Kilometer) sowie von Genadendal im Norden bis Kap Agulhas im Süden (etwa 120 Kilometer).

 

Demografie

 

Im Jahr 2011 hatte der Distrikt 258.176 Einwohner in 77.196 Haushalten auf einer Gesamtfläche von 12.240,78 km². Davon waren 54,16 % Coloureds, 25,62 % schwarz, 18,86 % weiß, 0,32 % Asiaten bzw. Inder und 1,04 % andere. Erstsprache war mit 70,3 % Afrikaans, 17,91 % isiXhosa, 6,84 % Englisch, 2,15 % Sesotho und weitere Sprachen unter 2 %.

 

Wirtschaft

 

Die Landwirtschaft ist geprägt durch Anbau von Getreide und anderen Nutzpflanzen sowie Weideland und Obstplantagen. In mehreren Gemeinden wird Wein angebaut.

 

Tourismus

 

Die Atlantikküste ist touristisch gut erschlossen; zahlreiche Badeorte ziehen Erholungssuchende an. Im Südosten des Distrikts liegt das De Hoop Nature Reserve. Es wurde 1957 eingerichtet und ist bekannt für seine artenreiche Tier- und Pflanzenwelt. So gibt es hier eine Kolonie der seltenen Kapgeier. Vor der Küste können Glattwale beobachtet werden, die sich hier paaren und ihre Jungen aufziehen.

 

(Wikipedia)

 

Der Afrikanische Strauß (Struthio camelus) ist eine Vogelart aus der Familie der Strauße und ist nach dem eng verwandten Somalistrauß der größte lebende Vogel der Erde. Während er heute nur noch in Afrika südlich der Sahara heimisch ist, war er in früheren Zeiten auch in Westasien beheimatet. Für den Menschen war der Strauß wegen seiner Federn, seines Fleisches und seines Leders seit jeher von Interesse, was in vielen Regionen zur Ausrottung des Vogels führte.

 

Merkmale

 

Die Männchen des Straußes sind bis zu 250 Zentimeter hoch und haben ein Gewicht bis zu 135 Kilogramm. Weibchen sind kleiner: Sie sind 175 bis 190 Zentimeter hoch und 90 bis 110 Kilogramm schwer. Die Männchen, Hähne genannt, haben ein schwarzes Gefieder. Davon setzen sich die Schwungfedern der Flügel und der Schwanz weiß ab. Die Weibchen, Hennen genannt, tragen dagegen ein erdbraunes Gefieder; Flügel und Schwanz sind bei ihnen heller und haben eine weißlichgraue Farbe. Das Jugendkleid ähnelt dem Aussehen des Weibchens, ohne die charakteristische Absetzung von Flügeln und Schwanz. Frisch geschlüpfte Küken sind dagegen rehbraun, ihr Daunenkleid weist dunkle Tupfen auf. Die Daunen des Rückengefieders sind igelartig borstig aufgestellt. Die nackten Beine sowie der Hals sind je nach Unterart grau, graublau oder rosafarben. Beim Männchen leuchtet die Haut während der Brutzeit besonders intensiv.

 

Der Strauß hat einen langen, überwiegend nackten Hals. Der Kopf ist in Relation zum Körper klein. Die Augen sind mit einem Durchmesser von 5 Zentimetern die größten aller Landwirbeltiere. Das Becken der Strauße ist ventral durch eine Schambeinfuge (Symphysis pubica) geschlossen. Dies ist nur bei straußenartigen Vögeln so. Es wird von den drei spangenartigen Beckenknochen (Darmbein, Sitzbein, Schambein) gebildet, zwischen denen große Öffnungen bestehen, die durch Bindegewebe und Muskulatur verschlossen sind. Der Strauß hat sehr lange Beine mit einer kräftigen Laufmuskulatur. Seine Höchstgeschwindigkeit beträgt etwa 70 km/h; eine Geschwindigkeit von 50 km/h kann der Strauß etwa eine halbe Stunde halten. Als Anpassung an die hohe Laufgeschwindigkeit besitzt der Fuß, einzigartig bei Vögeln, nur zwei Zehen (Didactylie). Zudem können die Beine als wirkungsvolle Waffen eingesetzt werden: Beide Zehen tragen Krallen, von denen die an der größeren, inneren Zehe bis zu 10 cm lang ist.

 

Stimme

 

Zu den typischsten Lautgebungen des Straußes gehört ein Ruf des Männchens, der dem Brüllen eines Löwen ähnelt. Ein tiefes „bu bu buuuuu huuu“ wird mehrmals wiederholt. Der Laut wird bei der Balz und beim Austragen von Rangstreitigkeiten ausgestoßen. Daneben sind Strauße beiderlei Geschlechts zu pfeifenden, schnaubenden und knurrenden Lauten in der Lage. Nur junge Straußenküken geben auch melodischere Rufe von sich, die dazu dienen, das Muttertier auf sich aufmerksam zu machen.

 

Verbreitung und Lebensraum

 

Das natürliche Verbreitungsgebiet des Straußes ist Afrika, insbesondere Ost- und Südafrika. Ausgestorben ist er auf der Arabischen Halbinsel, in Westasien sowie in Afrika nördlich der Sahara.

 

Strauße leben in offenen Landschaften wie Savannen und Wüsten. Sie bevorzugen Habitate mit kurzem Gras und nicht zu hohem Baumbestand; wo das Gras höher als einen Meter wächst, fehlen Strauße. Gelegentlich dringen sie in Buschland vor, bleiben dort aber nicht lange, da sie an schneller Fortbewegung gehindert werden und dort nicht weit blicken können. Reine Wüsten ohne Vegetation eignen sich nicht als ständiger Lebensraum, werden aber auf Wanderungen durchquert. Weil Strauße ihren gesamten Flüssigkeitsbedarf aus der Nahrung beziehen können, benötigen sie keinen Zugang zum Wasser, und lange Trockenperioden sind ebenfalls kein Problem für sie.

 

Afrikanische Strauße wurden erstmals 1869 nach Australien eingeführt, weitere Importe folgten in den 1880er Jahren. Mit den importierten Straußen sollten in Australien Farmen für die Belieferung der Modeindustrie mit Federn aufgebaut werden. Bereits vor der Jahrhundertwende gab es verwilderte Strauße, deren Ansiedlung auf einigen Farmen gezielt gefördert wurde. 1890 lebten 626 Strauße in der Nähe von Port Augusta und der Stadt Meningie, 1912 betrug die Zahl 1.345 Individuen. Nachdem die Nachfrage nach Straußenfedern nach Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges zusammenbrach, kam es zu weiteren Freilassungen, die Zahl der ausgewilderten Strauße ist jedoch nicht bekannt. Im australischen Bundesstaat Western Australia konnten sich Strauße freilebend nicht etablieren, in New South Wales vermehrten sich in den Regionen, in denen Strauße ausgewildert wurden, diese Strauße in den ersten Jahren, der Bestand blieb dann über einige Zeit stabil und nahm dann stetig ab. In vielen Regionen, in denen Strauße über mehrere Jahre lebten, waren sie in der Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts wieder verschwunden. Nördlich von Port Augusta gab es in den 1970er Jahren noch einen Bestand von 150 bis 200 Straußen. Während der langanhaltenden Dürre von 1980 bis 1982 starben die meisten dieser Vögel. Nach 1982 wurden dort nur noch 25 bis 30 Strauße gezählt.

 

Mit der Unterart Struthio camelus camelus wurden im 20. Jahrhundert in Vorderasien partiell Aussiedlungsversuche unternommen. Eine Population lebt im Mahazat-as-Sayd-Schutzgebiet in Saudi-Arabien, eine weitere im Reservat Hai Bar in Israel.

 

Lebensweise

 

Strauße sind tagaktive Vögel, die besonders in den Dämmerungsstunden aktiv sind. In Zeiten mit knappem Nahrungsangebot müssen sie große Wanderungen unternehmen und sind in der Lage, in der Mittagssonne zu wandern. Nachts ruhen sie, wobei sie für gewöhnlich die Hälse aufrecht und die Augen geschlossen halten. Nur für kurze Tiefschlafphasen werden Hals und Kopf auf das Rückengefieder oder auf den Boden gebettet.

 

Außerhalb der Brutzeit leben Strauße für gewöhnlich in lockeren Verbänden, die zwei bis fünf, in manchen Gegenden aber auch hundert und mehr Tiere umfassen können. In Wüstengegenden sammeln sich bis zu 680 Tiere um Wasserlöcher. Der Zusammenhalt der Straußenverbände ist locker, denn die Mitglieder der Gruppe kommen und gehen nach Belieben. Oft sieht man auch einzelne Strauße. Trotzdem gibt es innerhalb der Gruppen klare Hierarchien. Rangstreitigkeiten werden meistens durch Drohlaute und Drohgebärden geregelt; dabei werden Flügel und Schwanzfedern aufgestellt und der Hals aufrecht gehalten. Der rangniedrigere Vogel zeigt seine Unterwerfung, indem er den Hals U-förmig biegt und den Kopf nach unten hält; auch Flügel und Schwanz zeigen nach unten. Selten kann eine Rangstreitigkeit auch in einen kurzen Kampf münden.

 

Zur Fortpflanzungszeit lösen sich die losen Verbände auf und geschlechtsreife Männchen beginnen mit dem Sammeln eines Harems.

 

Nutzung

 

Als im 18. Jahrhundert Straußenfedern als Hutschmuck der reichen Damenwelt Europas in Mode kamen, begann die Jagd auf die Vögel solche Ausmaße anzunehmen, dass sie den Bestand der Art bedrohte. In Westasien, Nordafrika und Südafrika wurde der Strauß restlos ausgerottet. Im 19. Jahrhundert begann man, Strauße in Farmen zu züchten, da frei lebende Strauße extrem selten geworden waren. Die erste dieser Farmen entstand 1838 in Südafrika. In der zweiten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts wurden immer mehr Straußenfarmen auch in Europa und Nordamerika eröffnet. In Teilen Südamerikas erlebt die Straußenzucht seit einigen Jahren einen Boom. Vor allem in Brasilien, Kolumbien, Peru und Bolivien gelten die Farmen als lukrative alternative Erwerbsquelle.

 

Heute spielen die Federn in der Straußenzucht kaum noch eine Rolle. Man züchtet die Strauße nun vor allem wegen ihres Fleisches und der graublauen Haut, aus der man Leder herstellt. Das Fleisch des Straußes hat einen ganz eigenen Geschmack, der am ehesten mit Rindfleisch oder dem des Bison zu vergleichen ist. Aus den Schalen der Eier fertigt man Lampenschirme und Schmuckgegenstände.

 

In Südafrika (Weltmarktanteil: 75 %) werden je 45 % der Einnahmen aus der Straußenzucht durch Fleisch und Haut erzielt, 10 % durch Federn. In Europa wird durch Fleisch 75 % und die Haut 25 % eingenommen.

 

Als Reit- und Zugtiere werden Strauße erst in jüngerer Zeit als Touristenattraktion genutzt. Dies hat jedoch nirgendwo eine kulturelle Tradition.

 

Der Umgang mit Straußen ist nicht ungefährlich. Vor allem die Hähne sind während der Brutzeit angriffslustig. Eindringlinge werden dabei mit Fußtritten traktiert. Die Wucht und vor allem die scharfen Krallen können dabei zu schweren Verletzungen oder gar zum Tode führen.

 

Der Arabische Strauß wurde am Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts ausgerottet. Diese Unterart war in Palästina und Syrien noch bis zum Ersten Weltkrieg recht häufig, wurde dann aber durch motorisierte Jagden mit Schusswaffen vernichtet. Das letzte wild lebende Tier starb 1966 in Jordanien. 1973 wurden Strauße in der Wüste Negev in Israel freigesetzt, wodurch sie dort inzwischen wieder heimisch sind. Es handelt sich jedoch um Nordafrikanische Strauße, also eine andere Unterart.

 

Die Art insgesamt ist nicht bedroht, da sie vor allem in Ostafrika noch häufig ist. Regional ist der Strauß jedoch selten, so in Westafrika.

 

Etymologie

 

Das Wort Strauß stammt vom altgriechischen strouthiōn (στρουθίον), was so viel wie ‚großer Spatz‘ bedeutet. Die Griechen bezeichneten den Strauß auch als ‚Kamelspatz‘ (στρουθοκάμηλος strouthokamēlos), was den wissenschaftlichen Namen der Art, Struthio camelus, erklärt.

 

Auffallend ist, dass der Strauß in verschiedenen Sprachen den verdeutlichenden Zusatz Vogel trägt. Dem deutschen Vogel Strauß entspricht so der niederländische struisvogel und der schwedische fågeln struts. Die englische Bezeichnung ostrich, das französische autruche und das portugiesische und spanische avestruz gehen alle gleichermaßen auf das lateinische avis struthio zurück – avis bedeutet ebenfalls nichts anderes als ‚Vogel‘.

 

(Wikipedia)

I dug this out in pieces from my junk box. It was given to me circa 2012 with broken elbow and shoulder joint plus other damages. I forgot about it until recently but when I see it I had to fix it. The only things I did not yet fix are those two antennas on each side of the head for I don’t have any photo references on the original shape and the fact if they were painted or not – guess they were just the same bare red plastic though.

 

All the info I get about it is at the back there is what it seems the manufacturer’s name – “Academy” which is written in Japanese so I guess it is not the Korean Academy Plastic Model Co. but a vintage Japanese product. Regardless, I love Analyzer and hope to get more info on the shape of those missing broken off original antennas.

 

www.flickr.com/photos/djmtm/5936394751/in/photolist-osB8B...

 

www.flickr.com/photos/djmtm/5936955190/in/photolist-osB8B...

  

Vintage Yamato Academy Wind Up Analyzer Robot Plastic Repair

 

New Milton is a market town in south west Hampshire, England. ( In 1303, Thomas de Chaucombe was given permission to hold a weekly market on Tuesdays at Milton, as well as an annual fair on the feast day of Mary Magdalene. ) The town has a high street and holds a market every Wednesday. Situated on the edge of the New Forest, the town is about six miles ( 10 km ) west of Lymington town centre and 12 miles ( 19 km ) east of Bournemouth town centre. New Milton dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, and encompasses Old Milton, Barton on Sea, Ashley, Bashley, and Wootton. It is recorded as having a population of around 23,000 in 2001. The traditional village centre of Milton was just south of the church. Up to the 1960's, moated earthworks were still visible next to the road known as Moat Lane. Excavations of these earthworks in 1956 revealed a series of peasant enclosures and hut remains dating from the 9th to the 12th century, but no evidence of a manorial farmstead was found.

The parish church of Milton is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and consists of a chancel with vestry, a nave and a western tower. The medieval church was pulled down and replaced around 1830, although the tower is of an earlier 17th century date. In 1835 a Church of England National School was founded on an island of land near the village green, where children were taught until just after World War I. In 1881, the population of the entire Milton parish was only 1489 people, and Milton was still a small village. The location of the village on the main Christchurch to Lymington road ( now the A 337 ) meant that there were two coaching inns - The Wheatsheaf and The George.

In March 1888 New Milton railway station was opened, which is still in operation today. A new town developed, which expanded rapidly with the coming of the railway and the name New Milton was used for the first time and can originally be traced back to the Post Office that stood opposite the railway station. In 1895, the owner of the Post Office, Emma Newhook, commissioned a sign, which read - New Milton Sub Post Office to differentiate it from the post office in Old Milton. This was officially accepted in 1896, and so the name New Milton caught on. Much of the local farmland has been developed, first in the 1960's for commuter housing and again in the 1970's for small industrial / trade units. There is a mix of housing from cottages on the outskirts to more modern, urban housing in the central area.

Milton village subsequently became known as Old Milton, and lies between New Milton and Barton on Sea. There are a few notable architectural points of interest in the local area. However, a distinctive row of Coast Guard Cottages are to be found in Barton Lane, Barton on Sea, which were built at the end of the 19th century by the Government of the day to house armed guards to try to stop the smuggling that was rife at the time. The Barton on Sea and Mudeford coastline was renowned for smuggling with many of the offshore seaways and routes to shore being named after well known local smuggling families. It was in this context that Frederick Marryat, author of The Children of the New Forest, was sent on patrol here as a young naval lieutenant in 1821, to watch over the Christchurch Bay area. Britain's first reinforced concrete bridge was built in 1901 just outside New Milton at Chewton. There was an earlier experiment in building with this material in its un reinforced form at Sway ( Sway Tower ).

New Milton water tower. Built in 1900 was the Tudor style water tower, which can be found adjacent to the car park in Osborne Road. It has a staircase and is constructed with a turret, slit windows and battlements. It is a striking orange - red colour, was built from locally manufactured bricks. The German Luftwaffe carried out bombing raids on New Milton on the 23rd August 1940, the 8th August 1942 and on January 22nd 1943. The town's water tower was suggested as the target. During the Second World War, New Milton homed evacuees and was a transit station for soldiers going to the battlefields. It also had an army hospital. It was a favourite for the airmen who were based at the nearby airfields at Lymington and Holmsley. The Memorial Centre in Whitefield Road commemorates those who died in the raids, as well as towns people who have died more recently. Bricks can be purchased for inscription and insertion into the wall of the Memorial Room, which stands to the left of the front door and contains mementos saved from the original building, which was destroyed by fire in the 1970's.

Ballard Lake that borders Fernhill Lane and Lake Grove Road, in New Milton is a picturesque area of New Milton that you could spend a hot summers day feeding the many ducks, mallards, geese that live around this lake. A few walks branch out from this lake to stroll along. Seats have been sited from donations from residents who have passed away and serve as a reminder to long lost friends or family. The stream from this lake meanders for many miles in many cases forming picturesque walks further along New Milton.

Bob Given Photography

Given to A.A. Milne's son Christopher. The birth of Winnie and his friends brought to us by Harrod's Dept Store via a friend of the family.

Given that two years ago we underwent a major revamp of our living quarters and did a massive declutter, it may seem odd that I've filled up a tiny space of our tiny home with a canvas. The reason for this is that when I was given a voucher for a canvas of Rhossili for our Charity Dinner Auction earlier in the month, I was also given an extra voucher to use at the same place. It also feels very self indulgent to put a photo I took myself onto the wall, but my OH insisted although I got to choose which one. I rarely if ever put full photos of our home on Flickr either unlike many but I've made an exception because it puts it into context.

Original pic in comments.

This area was given to the province of British Columbia by the H.R. MacMillan Export Company in 1944 as a way to preserve an incredible stand of trees. It is now one of British Columbia’s MacMillan Provincial Parks.

 

A few hundred years ago a fire destroyed all but a few giant trees in this forest. Protected from the heat by their thick, corky bark, the surviving veterans provided seeds that have grown into the present forest.

 

Cathedral Grove is home to a wide variety of plant species and wildlife. It stretches over 136,000 hectares of forest land. This land provides a home to a wide variety of trees and other plant life. Some of the trees found in this area are Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Broadleaf Maple, and Balsam Fir. The Douglas Fir is the dominating species in this region. Some of these giant trees are estimated to be around 800 years old, with the majority ranging form 300-400 years old.

 

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My Most Interesting - { Planet Adventure BlogSpot }

Given that jet fighters would be tricky to fly for pilots used to flying propeller aircraft, let alone new trainee pilots, Lockheed proposed in 1945 that a two-seat conversion trainer be built for the P-80 Shooting Star. The US Army Air Force rejected the idea on cost grounds, citing that the T-6 Texan already in service would be sufficient enough. After a series of fatal crashes of the P-80—including the one that killed the USAAF’s top ace, Richard Bong—the USAAF revisited Lockheed’s proposal, which included extending the P-80’s fuselage by three feet, extending the canopy backwards, and adding a second cockpit with full flight controls. This aircraft, designated first TP-80C on its maiden flight in March 1948, then TF-80C, then finally T-33A, would go on to be far more successful than the fighter it was based on.

 

The T-33 was designed to be simple, robust, and easy to fly for trainee pilots, though it was intended at first to be only used for propeller-qualified pilots to transition into jets. As propeller aircraft were mostly phased out of the independent US Air Force’s inventory, the service made the decision to go to an “all-jet” training syllabus, and as a result pilots began flying T-33s in flight school. The “T-Bird,” as it became known, could still be unforgiving in certain circumstances, and was less forgiving as the T-37 Tweet or the T-38 Talon that would eventually replace it. The T-33 was, however, eminently reliable. Even after it was withdrawn from training units in the mid-1950s, it soldiered on as a “hack” aircraft for units, a familiarization aircraft, advanced trainer, and aggressor aircraft, especially in Air Defense Command and Air National Guard units. Well into the 1980s, T-33s could be found in frontline USAF units, and it was said that, when the last F-16 was retired, the pilot would hitch a ride home in a T-Bird. While this did not prove true, it was not off by much—the last USAF T-33s did not leave the inventory until around 1988.

 

Because of its robustness and cheap flyaway price, the T-33 was also popular with foreign air forces: no less than 41 nations operated T-33s at one time or another, and it was license-built in Japan by Kawasaki and in Canada as the CT-133 Silver Star, which differed from US-built aircraft only in using a Rolls-Royce Nene engine. While it was usually used in the trainer role, many were modified for a variety of roles, including armed AT-33s and reconnaissance RT-33s (some of which were also used by the USAF). AT-33s, which were basically two-seat F-80s, were used in several conflicts worldwide, mainly in South America; Bolivia still uses its AT-33s as frontline counterinsurgency aircraft. While Bolivia remains the only air force to still operate T-33s on a regular basis, many of these nations did not retire their Shooting Stars until the late 1990s—Canada did not retire its last CT-133s until 2008, and Boeing Aircraft has two T-33As on charge as chase aircraft. 6557 T-33s were built overall, and today over 80 and possibly as many as a hundred survive, with many still flyable.

 

This T-33 is on display in the Malmstrom AFB Museum airpark, and represents a general "hack" aircraft assigned for general duties and familiarization for the base. The aircraft went on display around 2004; it's actually the newest aircraft in the airpark. I'm not sure of its provenance. It's finished in an anticorrosion silver paint to simulate bare metal. Though displayed as 56-1779, this is actually 57-0574.

donewivatwist.com/2014/11/24/the-penguin-and-i/

Bob Given Photography

Aankomst in Rotterdam van het containerschip EVER GIVEN , VB TIGER , ROTTERDAM , SD STINGRAY en RT ROB van Boluda Towage assisteerden naar de ECT in de Amazonehaven.29-7-2021 gezien vanaf de KRVE 71

Given this is not a recent photo I have taken. But seeing that I have not uploaded in a good bit of time. Due to some school problems and the struggle of getting a new job, I have not had a lot of time to do much photography. Just letting you all know that I'm not gone and I look forward to posting more in the future. At any rate. I took this photo back a few months ago at a state park somewhere in Tennessee. I don't have a lot of practice shooting in overcast situations, but I thought I would try for a haunted and more creepy look. Let me know how you think it came out please, and whether or not you would want to see more pictures of scarier creepier things. Until next time my friends. :) (Also I will be headed to LA / Hollywood really soon so maybe I'll get some pictures out there I can share with you guys.)

I love my kitty statues (given to me as a gift a few years back), but not nearly as much as I love my living fur kids. One of them jumped up next to the others for an old picture last year, so this time I tried to set the scene for the 118 challenge. None of them wanted to stay long, so my angles and focus weren't the best, but with editing, I was pretty happy with the end results. This is done in the PIP (Picture in Picture) filter with my Toolwiz Photos app, and then I added the thin white frame in my KVAD Photo Studio Pro app.

Wikipedia says:

 

Kuntur Wasi (Quechua kuntur condor, wasi house, "condor house") is the name given to the ruins of a religious center with complex architecture and stone sculptures, located in the Andean highlands of Peru.

 

It is believed the inhabitants had a link with the Chavín culture.

 

Kuntur Wasi is located in the Northern Mountain Range of Peru, specifically at the headwaters of the Jequetepeque River, in the region of the city of Cajamarca near the small town of San Pablo. The Jequetepeque valley provided a transportation corridor between the coastal region and the highlands.

 

Kuntur Wasi was a center where people congregated.

 

It is thought to have been constructed around 1000-700 BCE, during the Initial Period. The architecture consists of a hill-top temple, quadrangular platforms, a sunken courtyard, and series of rooms.

 

In the floor of one room there is an anthropomorphic figure made of clay, about 30 inches (75 cm) in height. It is painted with cinnabar red, malachite green, and black, yellow, and pink. Its face has big square eyes and a wide mouth with prominent canine teeth. There are also stepped platforms and funeral structures.

 

Lithosculptures have been found, similar to the Chavín style.

 

Kuntur Wasi was occupied between the years 1200-50 BC.

 

It was first discovered in 1945 by Julio C. Tello. In 1989, scientists from the University of Tokyo excavated four tombs at Kuntur Wasi. Valuable items, such as pectoral necklaces (decorative breastplates), gold crowns, ornamental stone beads, earrings, sets of dishes and iconographies of people were discovered in the burial area.

 

Since the beginning of the University of Tokyo's archaeological mission, eight tombs have been found in the area.

 

The Kuntur Wasi Museum, managed by local citizens, opened in 1994.

---------------

Según Wikipedia:

 

Kuntur Wasi es un sitio arqueológico que data del Formativo Inferior, se encuentra ubicado en el centro poblado del mismo nombre, en la provincia de San Pablo, en el departamento de Cajamarca, en el Perú.

 

En la lengua quechua Kuntur Wasi significa "Casa del Cóndor". Según el arqueológo japonés, Yoshio Onuki, estudioso principal de este sitio arqueológico, Kuntur Wasi es una expresión prechavín pero que posteriormente posee una gran influencia no solo de Chavín sino también de Cupisnique especialmente en la orfebrería y la cerámica.

  

Kuntur Wasi pasó por los siguientes periodos:

 

Fase Ídolo: Construcción del centro ceremonial con pisos enlucidos con cal de color blanco. En esta fase hay una cierta relación con Huacaloma y Pacopampa.

 

Fase Kuntur: Construcción de un nuevo complejo ceremonial en forma de U. Se desarrolla la cerámica fina y la orfebrería.

 

Fase Copa: Modificación del complejo arquitectónico ceremonial y la renovación del sistema de canales de drenaje.

 

Fase Sotera: Existe una relación con la Fase Layzón del valle de Cajamarca.

Corresponde a la decadencia de Kuntur Wasi.

SmartEdu Computer Education - First Year Anniversary - Best Performance Award to Ms.Kavitha (Senior Faculty), Given by Mr.Jai Shankar

Bob Given Photography

Scan of a slide taken 02/02/96; Given the ambitious plans of the original Great Central Railway (in short to create a high-speed, north-south main line built to 'continental' loading gauge, with direct rail services to France via a tunnel under the English Channel) it is appropriate that the heritage GCR also has ambitions. These take the form of extending both south and north of Loughborough and linking the cities of Nottingham and Leicester. By the time this picture was taken, the core Loughborough to Rothley heritage line had been extended south to Birtstal with Leicester North Station opening in 1991.

Extending north of Loughborough presents a civil engineering challenge as significant bridge work is involved. Therefore the extension started at the Northern end, with a new station being built on a former MoD site at Ruddington. The aim is to both provide an interchange with the Nottingham Express Transit System and to also extend southwards and eventually link at Loughborough with the southern section of the line.

Wikipedia describes the 'Loughborough Gap' as follows:

 

"The Loughborough Gap is a 500-metre-long (0.3 mi) missing section of the Great Central Railway to the north-eastern of Loughborough, England. The gap was created by the removal of embankments and bridges during the 1980s and the restoration project has been branded Bridge to the Future and Bridging the Gap. From south-to-north the route crosses the Grand Union Canal, Railway Terrace road, four-track Midland Main Line at Loughborough railway station and the A60 road. The Hermitage Brook watercourse runs parallel."

If given half a chance to get more photos of this - you can guarantee that you'll see more. Having had the opportunity to have a proper look at this bus in person it's become a firm favourite just by virtue of being such a fantastic bit of engineering.

 

Looks the part too I reckon.

 

It's seen here when the preparatory work was pretty much complete for its use over the 2011 Festive period on the free weekend shopper service funded by the Aberdeen Business Improvement District. Despite it being freezing cold (there's no heating in the passenger saloon - and naught in the cab aside from a windscreen demister), I very much enjoyed the few trips I managed to catch on it. Would be great to see how it rode about 5mph as well...sadly on Union St in the run up to Christmas that's not really going to happen.

 

Hopefully I'll cross paths with this bus later in the year at some point again. I do have one or two other photos I'll be uploading later too.

Sample soap from Soapology that I was given on my walk to the O'Kelley's this morning.

 

Here it is .. I was tagged by Lostonflickr to tell 10 things about myself and then tag 10 other people.

 

♥ Ten things you may or may not know about me ♥

 

(1) I was born with perfect pitch. I love to sing and have been singing since I was a 2 year old. I never get out of tune and have to admit that it does bug me when others are singing off key...it is a sound that irritates me although I try not to show it outwardly.

 

(2) I am addicted to the written word, particularly literature written anywhere between the 16th and 19th centuries, I could read and reread all of Jane Austen's novels and never tire of them (I have a collection of her books from the 1800s).

 

(3) My secret obsession is fashion and I really love to read Vogue Magazine! I get excited when I walk through NYC and see all my favorite designer's boutiques--this past weekend I saw Alexander McQueen's boutique in Meatpackers and went nuts! Not to mention that Diane von Furstenberg also has a place near there.

 

(4) I sometimes wish I could travel back in time to the 1960s and 1970s because I love the music from that time period. I would love to have seen Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin live!

 

(5) I absolutely love to decorate my journals! I can't stand a page with now visual stimulation. I love to cut things out of magazines and paste them on the pages, along with fortunes from fortune cookies and things like that!

 

(6) I have an enormous sticker collection and would love to meet other people that have collections to see if sometime we can swap! I love stickers from all over the world! (I own more than 20,000 stickers).

 

(7) I'm an anglophile: I love all things British! I blame that on my Dad for having introduced me to BritComs on PBS as a young child (we always watched BBC classics like Fawlty Towers and Mr. Bean).

 

(8) On rainy days I love to listen to jazz, read a good book and knit--all while having scrumptious cookies or scones and tea, of course!

 

(9) I love to people watch in big cities! It's fun to see what they do and how they act!

 

(10) My favorite city in all the world, hands down, is New York City. There's no other like it in the world!

Photo given to me showing the aftermath of the collision between 37416 and 47464 taken in Elgin yard. On 23/09/86 47464 working 1H27 0935 Aberdeen - Inverness failed near Lhanbryde, 37416 was taken off 1A48 1025 Inverness - Aberdeen to assist the failed train but approached too fast.

Hogenakkal literally means "The Smoking Rock". While not really an original name, given the hunbdreds of other "smoking rock" names in the world, Hogenakkal actually lives up to its expectations. Hogenakkal is the spot for one of the most spectacular waterfalls in India. Dubbed India’s Niagara, Hogenakkal is where the Cauvery hurtles through the Western Ghats and enters the plains of Tamil Nadu. The Eastern side of the river is Tamil Nadu, while the Western is Karnataka. This lovely little village is located close to Bangalore (approx 180 km) and about 350km from Chennai. The nearest railhead is at Hosur. Hogenakkal is well connected via Dharmapuri on the NSEW corridor and the Major District Roads (MDR) between Darmapuri and Hogenakkal and Hosur and Hogenakkal are beautiful, the latter being more scenic. The Hosur – Hogenakkal road goes through dense forests and steep ghat roads (not all of them in good condition), but allows a sense of adventure and allows a good look at the Western Ghats. Hogenakkal itself is now extremely commercialized with thousands of tourists visiting the place during weekends for picnic and a shower at the falls. Oil massage followed by a fresh cooked meal by the riverside is the main attraction. Fishermen will catch fresh water fish and there are people who will cook traditional fish curry-rice-sambar-rasam meal for you under the open skies. The taste of that simple meal is phenomenal. While the main tourist spot is quite dirty (despite the town panchayat collecting funds from visitors for keeping the town clean), the rest of the place is beautiful. One can take a “basket” ride down the Cauvery which is a unique experience in itself. The boatmen will charge approx Rs. 500 for a 2 hour trip which will involve quite a bit of trekking through fantastic forest roads next to the river, a trip to the main falls and chance of seeing some wonderful flora and fauna. The hanging bridge spans one of a falls and is a major attraction. You can stay at the Tamil Nadu Tourism Guest House which is basic but clean, and cheap. Else you can book the Forest Rest House. Trekking and cycling through the forests is a major attraction in Hogenakkal. Avoid summer, but its beautiful and shows different moods at different times of the year.

Ah, Ukraine! When I first visited Rusfurrence in 2013, and was given a tour of Moscow by my excellent hosts, I thought I’d fallen in love with Russian cuisine – only to discover that nearly everything I’d devoured was in fact Ukrainian. Therefore, I knew I would one day have no choice but to visit the source, and boy howdy, was it worth it.

 

Our hosts and dear friends took such excellent care of us, with ‘us’ including a surprising number of foreigners, most of whom had never been to Ukraine before. My boyfriend Rush joined me, as did our friend Bostitch, and we met up with Oatcake and Fox Amoore and far, far too many other friends to mention.

 

The convention itself was fantastic, marked by the lively, can-do spirit the Ukrainians are known for, though I regrettably saw far too little of it. We’d wanted to take a quick look at Kiev while we were in the country but it wound up taking us three hours to get back, and it also didn’t help that I’d caught a bug that left me too tired to partake of many of the events – including a party bus!

 

Still, there was plenty of fun to be had in the evenings. The Tiger Bar set up in the corridor of the fourth floor, the Stone Soup bar in the suite and balcony of room 107, and of course the traditional picnic and barbecue in the woods, which I was told was how WUFF had originally started. It started raining rather fiercely immediately after the campfire got started, but the Ukrainians proved themselves indomitable, putting together a shovel team to dig emergency trenches and build dams around the fire, which never went out!

 

Words can’t describe the warmth and fun of the con. We’ll certainly be back.

 

For more WUFF ’16 photos, check out the gallery here: www.flickr.com/photos/alexfvance/albums/72157668089241926

 

As always, share and enjoy.

 

- Alex "Khaki” Vance

 

If you want to say hi, you can find me on Twitter @khakidoggy, or drop me an email at khakidoggy@me.com

 

[ If you appear in any of the photos you're free to use them; if you know anyone in a photo, please do share it with them! ]

 

For even more con photography: www.flickr.com/photos/alexfvance/albums/

Only by for Austria successful outcome of Ottoman wars in Europe the conditions were given to turn the old Hofburg, which until now was more fortress than imperial residence, into a befitting palace of a powerful dynasty. When Emperor Charles VI in 1711 succeeded to the throne, stood along the Schaufler alley until St. Michael's square yet the old two-story Chancellery Wing from the time of Ferdinand I. It was significantly lower than the Amalien wing and the Leopoldine wing, bordering the Interior Castle courtyard on the southwest and the southeast side. Between the Chancellery Wing and the Swiss courtyard there was a by Daniel Suttinger created Gate construction. In its place erected Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt in 1712 the so-called Carolingian Triumphal Arch but which was as well demolished in 1728 because now they had laid the foundation for a much more representative Chancellery Wing and in 1723 started the construction work. Hildebrandt's plans provided the unification of the entire inner castle but failed in the end due to the immense cost. 1726 he had to cede construction management to in the meantime appointed Court architect Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. This one let the already finished construction at Schaufler alley remain but put in front of it the splendid late baroque wing at the courtyard side. Fischer too could due to lack of sufficient liquid funds of the Imperial family his ideas which comprehended also the entire castle not fully realize. Work came to a halt in 1735 and was finally discontinued. The St. Michael's gate was only from 1888 after the demolition of the old Hofburg theater finished.

Herakles of Mattielli

In Chancellery wing were until 1806 when Emperor Franz II/I resigned the Roman-German Imperial Crown the central offices of the administration of the Holy Roman Empire housed. This included especially as the most important Imperial authority the Aulic Councel. 1810 lived here the French ambassador Berthier, when he, on behalf of Napoleon, asked for the hand of Maria Louise, the daughter of Francis I. At the time of the Vienna Congress in some rooms of the Imperial Chancellery Wing was housed the king of Bavaria. 1848 served archduke Johann a suite of rooms as an apartment. In the summer of this year, he received in Great Audience Hall a delegation from Frankfurt Imperial Diet, offering him the dignity of a "German Imperial Regent". A few years later the rooms were renovated, refurbished and converted into apartments for the Imperial family. Traditionally, no Austrian Emperor has taken over the apartment of his predecessor. Franz Joseph moved into his apartment in 1857, three years after his marriage, and lived there until his death in 1916. The apartment of his wife Elisabeth was in the neighboring Amalien wing. Today, the Imperial Apartments as well as the recently opened Sisi Museum and the former Court Silver and Table Room can be visited. The latter is dedicated to the culture of courtly household and the court ceremonial.

While the front is not very spectacular in Schaufler alley, turns the five-story face side of the Imperial Chancellery Wing towards the interior courtyard. This one served till the 16th century as a tournament court. In 1561 issued Thurnierbuch (tournament book) is yet of tournaments of the future Emperor Maximilian II reported which this one had held here in June of last year. In the 17th century but here no more tournaments took place but mounted tournaments, as the then popular horse ballet. The long facade facing the courtyard is accented by three only little projecting risalits with portals and balconies (1727/29) and divided by giant pilasters. The design of the façade is already reminiscent of the design language of French classicism. Franz Joseph and Elisabeth got through the Imperor's gate in central projection to their rooms on the first floor. The leading upwards Emperor's stairway has a magnificent stucco marble equipment and is decorated with gilted bronze vases. But it is hardly ever used. Today's visitor entrance to the Imperial Apartments is located beneath the dome of St. Michael's gate. The five windows above the Emperor's gate are preceded by a long balcony which rests on strong consoles. On the attic of the central projection is attached the huge blazon of Emperor Charles VI with the double-headed eagle. It is overtopped by the German imperial crown and surrounded by a golden chain with the Golden Fleece. Flanked is it by two, carrying trumpets genii. Beside the portals of the side projections stand each two sandstone sculptures of Lorenzo Mattielli. They show the deeds of Hercules. On the ground floor were housed until 1918 various court offices, as the Chamber for payments of the Court, the House, Court and State Archives (until 1902) and the Control office of the Court. In the premises of once Imperial linen room was from 1921 to 1987 the Vienna tapestry manufacture whose leading products have been exported throughout the world.

Study of Franz Joseph

Additionally to the living quarters of the Emperor - those of the Empress were in neighboring Amalien wing - belongs to the Imperial Apartments the Guard room where the bodyguards were on sentry duty but most of all the large Audience waiting room and the Audience chamber, where the Emperor, standing at his desk, used to receive his visitors individually. Under Maria Theresa, took place the deliberations of the Imperial, Court and State Councils of the former Imperial Chancellery in Audience waiting room. Unfortunately, this beautiful, decorated in white, red and gold hall was similarly to fairy-tale grotto recently equipped with figurines in the national costume of the individual crown lands in order to document that here waited people from all walks of life and from all provinces of the country for an audience. During his long reign, there were at least more than 250,000. In this room, hang large, many-figured murals (1832) of Biedermeier painter Peter Krafft, showing scenes from the life of Emperor Franz I. From the ceiling hangs a eighty-flammy Bohemian crystal chandelier still dating from the time of Maria Theresa. The originally fitted with candles chandelier of the Imperial apartments were in 1891 electrified. The ornate pottery kilns partly still stem from the 18th century. They were heated externally via the situated behind the rooms heating passage with wood. In the equipment of his private rooms the personal modesty of the emperor is reflected. Unlike his wife, he had not even running water injected. Noteworthy is also the simple iron military bed that served him for decades as a place to sleep. His office, in which he most of the time was yet active from six o'clock in the morning is adorned with numerous photos and paintings of his family. Here hangs also a famous portrait of the Empress by Franz Xaver Winterhalter. The equipment of the 22 official and residential premises of Emperor Franz Joseph and his wife Elisabeth, which today can be visited as Imperial Apartments, stems from several eras: from late Baroque to Rococo and the Empire to the 19th century neo-Baroque. These include also the four rooms of Stephan's apartment which is named after Archduke Stephan Viktor. The former theater corridor which enabled a direct connection to the old Hofburg Theater is walled off today.

www.burgen-austria.com/archive.php?id=512

by thecoolhunter_ ift.tt/1IQPtk9

I have designed and printed some 2008 pocket calendars and desktop calendars with public holidays to be given out to anyone of you out there as a gift.

 

This batch that I have printed is for my Singaporean friends. Soon I will be printing the Malaysia and Australia versions.

 

If anyone of you would like to receive this gift please leave your name and your country on the thread below. If you are from outside of the three countries (Singapore, Malaysia & Australia) I will still be glad to send it to you but your calendar will not have the indication of your country's public holidays.

 

Because I am printing these calendars in very limited volume I will only be able to give them out based on the first-come-first-serve basis.

 

As for now I will only be able to give out the desktop calendars to my clients. However, I am making another TWO more available to the FIRST two persons who leave their names down on the thread, and please indicate "Desktop Calendar". For the rest of you I will send you the pocket calendars, one piece per name, due to limited volume.

 

Anyone who is interested to receive this gift :

Please leave your name and the country you are from before Tuesday, December, 11th 2007, when I am back from Singapore:P I will contact you soon for your mailing address.

 

*I AM GIVING THESE CALENDARS OUT AS FREE S GIFTS & I DO NOT EXPECT ANYTHING IN RETURN*

 

Blessed Christmas & Happy New Year, folks!

And now the rain had given way to milky sunshine, we thought a fine evening wandering around Gion again taking shots. At least that was my idea and Jen and Jools agreed, as long as I said there would be dinner involved.

 

So just after dark we take a cab to Gion, get out on the main drag with the historic area laid out before us, and only a few folks about.

 

As we walk back to the main drag, I see a Geiko in full make up tottering along on her wooden shoes. It seemed rude to take her picture, so I let her pass me, but funny thing was, was there was a group of about 50 tourists all armed with cameras following her on the other side of the street, seemed silly really. Sick I suppose.

 

We pass an old house that offered food, so we agree to go in. We are presented with a menu, but really even in English the meals gave us little hint of what we might get. Jools and I go for something called beef shabu-shabu, and I also chance it with a bottle of hot sake.

 

What we got was a pan filled with water, and in the centre of the table, a lid was taken off revealing a gas burner. The pan placed on the burner and it lit. A plate of thinly sliced beef and assorted vegetables. Our server showed us what to do once the water boiled, poach the beef for a minute or so, then take out, dip in soy sauce and sesame sauce and gobble down. Yum.

 

Even the sake was good, and I drink the whole bottle.

 

From there we go to the coffee shop for another cup of Java, then walk into the touristy area which was lines with bars and clubs. Now, in the coffee shop, there were a number of statuesque Japanese women drinking and smoking, all of them tottering on high heels and with perfect make up and clothes, looking like business women. But as we saw many of them standing on street corners, clearly not business women, but women in a different business.

 

We flag a taxi down and get him to take us the mile to the hotel away from sin city so we can drink cans of beer and play cards. As we seem to do every evening now.

Discover something new.

 

LOGIE-BUCHAN, a parish, in the district of Ellon, county of Aberdeen, 2 miles (E. by S.) from Ellon; containing 713 inhabitants.

 

The word Logie, expressive of a low-lying spot, was given to this place on account of its applicability to the tract in which the church is situated; while the affix is descriptive of the position of the parish in that part of the county called Buchan.

 

Logie-Buchan Parish Church is located on the southern slope of the River Ythan valley, in gently rolling countryside with small fields, rough grazing and enclosures of trees. There is a narrow trackway and footbridge across the river a short distance to the north. The church stands in a sloping graveyard, bounded by a rubble wall. The large former manse is positioned to the south and the church itself closed recently and a new use had not been found when it was visited (2012).

 

A church here was granted to Aberdeen Cathedral by David II in 1361, while the current church was built in the late 18th century with later additions and alterations.

 

Description (exterior)

The church is a small, simple building with little architectural detailing. It is aligned roughly east-west and has harled, rubble walls and a slate roof. There are narrow strips of granite stone around the windows and doors. The church is rectangular on plan, with a small, gabled porch and a lean-to vestry at the west end.

   

The east elevation has a hipped or piended roof rather than a gable. There are two rectangular windows with simple timber tracery and small panes of leaded glass. There has clearly been alterations carried out at this end of the church, shown by two blocked openings, a doorway and window, in the centre of the east elevation.

   

The north elevation of the church has four equally-spaced rectangular windows, each with simple tracery and latticed glazing. The opposite south elevation has two larger rectangular windows, towards the centre, again with tracery and latticed glazing.

   

The west end of the church has a small, gabled porch with a rectangular doorway on the south side, which is the main entrance into the church. There is a rectangular window in the west gable of this porch and a tall chimney rises from the apex, serving a fireplace in the small lean-to vestry extension to the north of the porch. The church has a tall gable at the west end, topped by an ashlar-built bellcote, which has a stone ball finial.

 

Description (interior)

Some of the fittings remain in the church but are likely to be removed if and when a new use is found for the church, which is no longer in use.

 

People / Organisations:

Name RoleDates Notes

William RuxtonRecast the interior 1912

Robert MaxwellMade the church bell1728

  

Events:

Church built on site of older church (1787)

Porch and vestry added to west (1891)

Interior recast (1912)

 

Logie-Buchan is separated on the east from the German Ocean by the parish of Slains, and is intersected by the river Ythan.

 

The river abounds with various kinds of trout, also with salmon, eels, lounders, and mussels; and pearls are still occasionally found.

 

It has a ferry opposite the parish church, where its breadth at low water is about sixty yards; and two boats are kept, one for general passengers, and the other, a larger boat, for the conveyance of the parishioners to church from the northern side.

 

A tradition has long prevailed that the largest pearl in the crown of Scotland was obtained in the Ythan; and it appears that, about the middle of the last century, £100 were paid by a London jeweller to gentleman in Aberdeen, for pearls found in the river.

 

Most of the inhabitants of the district are employed in agricultural pursuits, a small brick-work recently established being the only exception.

 

The great north road from Aberdeen passes through the parish, and the mail and other public coaches travel to and fro daily. On another road, leading to the shipping-port of Newburgh, the tenantry have a considerable traffic in grain, lime, and coal, the last procured from England, and being the chief fuel.

 

The river Ythan is navigable for lighters often or twelve tons' burthen at high water. The marketable produce of the parish is sent to Aberdeen. Logie- Buchan is ecclesiastically in the presbytery of Ellon, synod of Aberdeen, and in the patronage of Mr. Buchan.

 

The church was built in 1787, and contains 400 sittings.

 

Cemeteries - Presbyterian / Unitarian

Logie Buchan Parish Church, Logie-Buchan, Church of Scotland

 

The church of Logie-Buchan was dedicated to St Andrew.

 

St Andrew's Church was built in 1787 and has been much altered. It contains a 1728 bell.

 

Logie-Buchan (Aberdeen, Buchan). Also known as Logie Talargy, the church was granted by David II in 1361 to the common fund of the canons of Aberdeen cathedral, and this was confirmed to the uses of the canons by Alexander, bishop of Aberdeen in 1362, both parsonage and vicarage fruits being annexed while the cure was to become a vicarage pensionary.

 

Although possession was obtained by the dean and chapter, this was subsequently lost, and the church had to be re-annexed in 1437, the previous arrangement being adhered to, with both parsonage and vicarage remaining annexed.

 

St Andrew's Kirk, 1787. Undistinguished externally, porch 1891, inside original ceiling with Adam-like centrepiece and two-light Gothic windows, part of 1912 recasting, William Buxton. Pulpit was originally in the centre of the N wall with a horseshoe gallery bearing the Buchan coat of arms (George Reid, Peterhead, carver). Monuments to Thomas (d. 1819) and Robert (d. 1825) Buchan.

 

Bell, 1728, Robert Maxwell. Church bought by Captain David Buchan to ensure access and survival.

 

Kirkyard: plain ashlar gatepiers and rubble walls; some table tombs.

Bob Given Photography

Given where this snake was and how obvious it was, I would venture to say that someone ran this one over on purpose. Always sad to see but especially so in Ohio, where they are state-endangered.

Bangor bounce back against Ballymoney

by Roger Corbett

Putting the disappointment of last week’s defeat at Instonians behind them, Bangor produced a solid performance at home to beat Ballymoney by 20-13.

This was going to be an interesting and important fixture given the nature of Bangor’s defeat against Instonians and Ballymoney’s win at Portadown last weekend. Although at different ends of the league, the earlier meeting at Kilraughts Road was a dogged affair, with Bangor only managing to get on top within the closing stages of the game. Starting as favourites for this fixture, Bangor started brightly, but after 23 minutes of missed opportunities by Bangor, it was Ballymoney who started the scoring with a penalty. This was the spur the home side needed, and just 5 minutes later Mike Aspley, making a welcome return from injury, made a great run through the centre before passing to Mark Widdowson on the left wing. Mark’s clever chip over the advancing defence was caught cleanly and then carried over for an unconverted try, and putting Bangor ahead by 5-3.

Ballymoney returned to the attack and pushed Bangor back into their own twenty two. Although on the back foot, Bangor secured their scrum and quickly broke out of defence. It was Aspley again who made the decisive break before passing to Davy Charles on the right wing. Although chased down by the Ballymoney winger, Charles shrugged off the tackle to score under the posts, which Widdowson subsequently converted, for a half time lead of 12-3.

Bangor looked good for their two tries so far, but if their off-loads when tackled and handling in general had been more controlled, there is every chance they could have secured a 4-try bonus point by half this stage. Hopes were therefore high that they would settle quickly in the second half and steadily work towards this.

Unfortunately, from the opening kick-off by Ballymoney, Bangor knocked the ball on, giving the visitors an attacking scrum inside Bangor’s twenty two. However, the forwards had proved strong so far, and were causing problems for their opponents. On this occasion, a concerted push overpowered the Ballymoney pack, and Bangor were able to turn the ball over, winning a penalty in the process. With this initial panic over, Bangor built good attacking platforms but, just like in the first half, their passing and handling fell short at crucial moments and more scoring chances went begging. Bangor’s frustration was compounded after just 8 minutes when a Ballymoney penalty was kicked to touch, deep inside their opponent’s twenty two. From the resulting line-out, the Ballymoney forwards produced a driving maul that Bangor were unable to stop, resulting in a try, which was also converted, narrowing the score to 12-10.

Once again, it looked like Ballymoney weren’t going to lie down. The touchline spectators may have been getting a little nervous, but the Bangor men stuck to the task and after a further 13 minutes were rewarded with another good score. From another secure Bangor scrum in their own half, Curtis Stewart picked up at number eight and barged his way through the immediate Ballymoney defence. Having broken through the line, he passed to Charles on his right. Once again Charles sprinted off down the touchline, and again was pursued by his opposite number. This time the tackle was more effective, but Charles’ pace was enough to see him squeeze over in the corner for his second try. Widdowson’s conversion wide, but the lead was now a little more comfortable at 17-10.

By now, Bangor’s forwards were dominating the scrums and, having won a penalty inside Ballymoney’s twenty two, and in front of the posts, it may have crossed captain Jamie Clegg’s mind to go for another scrum which would hopefully build a good platform to go for their bonus point try. However at this stage in the game, and with only a converted try between the two sides, Clegg wisely opted for the kick at goal, which Widdowson successfully converted, stretching the lead to 20-10 and denying the visitors a losing bonus point.

From the restart, Bangor repeated their earlier mistake by knocking the ball on again. Further mistakes shortly afterwards gave Ballymoney a penalty which they successfully kicked, bring the score back to 20-13, and restoring their losing bonus point.

As the game entered its final minutes, Bangor looked strong and were pressing forward again. However, more knock-ons saw another opportunity go begging and, before they could apply more pressure to the now-tiring Ballymoney scrum, the referee blew for full time. Bangor will be thankful to have returned to winning ways, and without any serious injury concerns. However, the poor display in basic ball-handling skills was costly as it undoubtedly denied them a valuable bonus point.

Next week sees Bangor travel to Armagh to play their 2nds in the Towns Cup. This will certainly be a stern test but will also help to prepare for Bangor’s biggest game in recent years – the final of the All Ireland Junior Cup against Dundalk the following week. With Bangor’s 2nds and 3rds performing well and sitting at or near the top of their respective leagues, and also still in cup competitions, these are exciting times at Upritchard Park.

Bangor side: P Whyte, A Jackson, J Leary, F Black, G Irvine, R Latimer, J Clegg (c), C Stewart, R Armstrong, K Rosson, D Charles, M Aspley, M Weir, M Widdowson, C Morgan

Subs: O McIlmurray, M Rodgers

Bangor scores: M Widdowson (1T, 1P, 1C), D Charles (2T)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

taken with Motorola Milestone

software: Vignette, Photoshop.

Abdulrahman Alkhaldi Photography © , All Rights Reserved 2008 .

 

This work may not be copied, reproduced, republished, edited, downloaded, displayed, modified, transmitted, licensed, transferred, sold, distributed or uploaded in any way without my written permission.

 

-----------------------------------

 

Camera: Canon 50D

Exposure:

Aperture:

Focal Length:

ISO Speed: 100

Place: Yosemite National Park

P h o t o g r a p h y B y : A b d u l r a h m a n A l k h a l d i

Given the amount of this I've done over the past few days I thought it only appropriate.

 

Taken on Humphrey Park Train Station, 1/4/10.

Friday Five is our new addition to The Think Tank blog: every Friday, we select five of the best examples of any given subject across design, architecture, and advertising.

 

The first edition looks at some of Google’s best Doodles, which have been entertaining users since 1998, celebrating events with light-hearted variations of Google’s logo.

 

Here’s our Friday Five:

 

1. ‘Evidence of water found on Mars’

This adorable animation is dedicated to the recent scientific reveal, showcasing a very thirsty Mars.

 

2. ‘30th Anniversary of PAC-MAN’

Why not play this interactive retro game? ‘Insert a coin’ and chase the ghosts around the Google-inspired maze.

 

3. ‘Google’s 15th Birthday’

This interactive doodle is fun for everyone: give the piñata a bash and see who can win the most sweets.

 

4. ‘Total Lunar Eclipse’

Including real footage of the lunar eclipse, this Doodle shows the progress of the eclipse from start to finish.

 

5. ‘150th Anniversary of the Tube’

Like Google, the Tube has kept many Londoners connected over the years. In this colourful Doodle, each tube line transforms into the Google logo.

 

This is our top Friday Five – let us know what Google Doodles you would include.

A clever scarecrow design which has given quite a few motorists a skipped heartbeat. Dressed as a traffic cop with speed gun in hand (hairdryer) at first glance this looks a dead ringer for a speed trap!

 

Crank is a village near Rainford, Merseyside, England. It is known locally for its ghost stories 'The White Rabbit of Crank' and 'Crank Caverns' .

 

Crank Gala Day is held every year (in July) and for the last couple of years has included a Scarecrow competition.

 

For a small village the range and quality of the scarecrows was staggering. Well worth a see next time you are passing ...

LOS ANGELES – A 14-year-old teen who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and was given life-saving emergency medical treatment will re-unite at a Venice fire station with the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Firefighter/Paramedics who saved him.

 

The survivor, 14-year-old Jacob Perez, experienced this dire medical emergency while on a baseball field in Venice on March 13. An LAFD Firefighter/Paramedic dispatcher provided initial bystander CPR instructions over the phone to the 911 caller and quickly dispatched EMS resources to the incident. Upon their arrival, LAFD Firefighter/Paramedics implemented advanced life support measures and Jacob eventually regained consciousness and was transported to a local hospital. After a short stay, he made a full recovery.

 

Jacob and his family met and thanked his LAFD rescuers at Fire Station 63 in Venice, California at a press conference on Saturday, April 17, 2021.

 

Photo Use Permitted via Creative Commons - Credit: LAFD Photo | Kevin Johnson

 

LAFD Incident: 031121-0713

 

Connect with us: LAFD.ORG | News | Facebook | Instagram | Reddit | Twitter: @LAFD @LAFDtalk

Banteay Kdei (Khmer: ប្រាសាទបន្ទាយក្តី; Prasat Banteay Kdei), meaning "A Citadel of Chambers", also known as "Citadel of Monks' cells", is a Buddhist temple in Angkor, Cambodia. It is located southeast of Ta Prohm and east of Angkor Thom. Built in the mid-12th to early 13th centuries AD during the reign of Jayavarman VII (who was posthumously given the title "Maha paramasangata pada"), it is in the Bayon architectural style, similar in plan to Ta Prohm and Preah Khan, but less complex and smaller. Its structures are contained within two successive enclosure walls, and consist of two concentric galleries from which emerge towers, preceded to the east by a cloister.

 

This Buddhist monastic complex is currently dilapidated due to faulty construction and poor quality of sandstone used in its buildings, and is now undergoing renovation. Banteay Kdei had been occupied by monks at various intervals over the centuries until the 1960s.

 

GEOGRAPHY

The Banteay Kdei, one of the many Angkor temples, is located in the Angkor Archaeological Park of 400 square kilometres area. The ancient city of Angkor during the Khmer Empire extended from Tonle Sap to the Kulen hills covering a vast area of 1,000 square kilometres. The temple is approached from the east gopura of Ta Prohm along a 600 metres path. This path leads to the west gate entrance gopura of Banteay Kdei. It is 3 kilometres east of Angkor Thom.

 

HISTORY

The Khmer Empire lasted from 802 to 1431, initially under Hindu religious beliefs up to the end of the 12th century and later under Buddhist religious practices. It was a time when temples of grandeur came to be built and reached a crescendo during the reign of Suryavarman II until 1191, and later in the 12th–13th centuries, under Jayavarman VII. Many Buddhist temples were built, including the Banteay Kdei, from middle of the 12th century to early 13th century. Though Jayavarman VII was credited with building many temples, he was also accused of squandering money on extravagant temple building projects at the expense of society and other duties. He built Buddhist temples in which Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was the main deity. This temple built, conforming to the style of the Ta Prohm and Preah Khan temples in the vicinity during the same period by Jayavarman VII, but of a smaller size, was built as a Buddhist monastic complex on the site of a 10th-century temple built by Rajendravarman. Some small inscriptions attest to the building of this temple by Jayavarman VII and the royal architect, Kavindrarimathana.

 

Jayavarman VII had come to power at the age of 55 after defeating Chams who had invaded Angkor and subjected it to devastation. His "prodigious activity" resulted in the restoration of Cambodia from its ruins. He was chiefly the architect of the rebuilt capital at Angkor Thom and was called a "Great Builder". He was responsible for building many temples, which apart from Banteay Kdei, included the central temple of the Bayon, Prah Khan, Ta Prohm and many others, and also many rest houses for pilgrims. The reasons for building this temple at its present site is not known. However, it is established that the temple is a contemporary of the Angkor Wat as many similarities have been identified between the two, and also with Phimai temple in Thailand. It is reported to be the first temple built by Jayavarman VII in 1181 AD, opposite to the Srah Srang reservoir.

 

In the 13th century, most of the temples built by Jayavarman were vandalised. However, some of the Mahayana Buddhist frontons and lintels are still seen in good condition. It is also the view of some archaeologists that the temple was built by Jayavarman II in honour of his religious teacher.

 

The temple, which for several centuries after the Khmer reign ended, remained neglected and covered with vegetation. It was exposed after clearing the surrounding overgrowth of vegetation in 1920–1922. This work was carried out under the guidance of Henri Marchal (then Conservator of Angkor) and Ch. Battuer, by adopting a conservation principle which was known as "the principle of anastylosis, which was being employed very effectively by the Dutch authorities in Indonesia". It was partially occupied by Buddhist monks till the 1960s.

 

For ten years till March 2002, Sophia University Mission or the Sophia Mission of Japan carried out several Archaeological research at the Banteay Kdei temple. During these investigations, a cache of fragments of 274 Buddhist statues made in sandstone, along with a few metal art pieces, were unearthed, in 2001. Plans to build a storage room to house the statues was also planned.

 

LAYOUT

The sacred temple complex is cloistered and packed in a space of 65×50 m with three enclosures within a large compound wall of size 700×300 m, made of laterite stones. The entry is from the east facing gopura, which is in a cruciform embellished with Lokesvara images. The temple is a treasure house of sculptures in the architectural styles of the Bayon and also of the Angkor Wat. The complex is on a single level.

 

EXTERNAL ENCLOSURE

The external enclosure with four concentric walls, has four gopuras similar to the Ta Brahm temple, and all are in some degree of preserved status. At the four corners, the gopuras have a fascia of Lokesvara (Buddhist deity, Avalokitesvara) mounted over Garuda images (it is also mentioned that the smiling faces are of King Jayavarman II, similar to those seen in the Beyan temple). The east facing gopura, in particular, has well-preserved garuda images on its corners. Two hundred meters from the west entrance of this enclosure leads to a moat, which is decorated with statues of lions and naga-balustrades mounted on garudas. The moat itself has in its precincts the third enclosure which measures 320×300 m, also enclosed with laterite walls. The Buddha image at the entrance to the moat, near the second interior gate, is well preserved, considering the fact that most of the other statues have been destroyed or stolen.

 

THIRD ENCLOSURE

The third enclosure has a gopura which has a cruciform plan. It has pillars which are crossed by vaults. There are three passages in this enclosure, two on either side are independent, with laterite walls. The niches here have small figurines, and large apsara devatas in single poses or in pairs of dancing poses. Large Buddha images, in an internal courtyard of this enclosure, have been defaced by vandals. A paved access from here leads to the main shrine, which comprises two galleried enclosures. At the entrance to these enclosures, from the eastern end, is the "Hall of Dancers", which has four open courtyards and the pillars have fine carvings of apsaras.

 

SECOND ENCLOSURE

The second enclosure, which is part of the main temple, measures 58×50 m. It has a gopura on its eastern side and also subsidiary gopura on the west. Entrance doors are at the northern and southern ends. The gopura is built like a gallery with one exterior wall and double row of pillars which open into a courtyard and which has mostly shored up walls with small openings at the bottom to allow air circulation. The niches here are decorated with images of apsaras, and a Buddha statue in the central hall has been defaced by vandals. Bayon style architectural features built-in are the "balustered false windows with lowered blinds and devatas with headdresses in the form of small flaming discs set in a triangle." The vaults built in sandstone and laterite have collapsed at several locations of the gallery. The inner enclosures contain library building to its north and south and also a central sanctuary.

 

INNER ENCLOSURE

The inner enclosure of the main temple is built on a 36×30 m layout plan. This enclosure has four corner towers abutted by small gopuras. Galleries running along an axis link these towers to the main sanctuary. The towers at the north-east and south-east are linked with the second gallery where a Buddha statue in a sitting posture is seen, in the backdrop of an open sky line. The sanctum which is 2.75 m square enclosure has some traces of statues of deities. This entire enclosure, however, is not built in Bayon style and hence conjectured to be of an earlier period. Remnants of wooden ceiling are also seen here. The entrance to the sanctum is flanked by dvarapalas surrounded by apsaras.

 

SRAH SRANG

Srah Srang or "The royal bathing pool" or "pool of ablutions" to the east of Banteay Kdei, which was dug to dimensions of 700x300 m during the reign of Rajendraverman in the 10th century, was beautified by Jayavarman VII with well laid out steps of laterite stones with external margin of sandstone, on the banks of the pond facing the Sun. It is set amidst large trees and has turquoise blue waters all the year round. The approaching steps to the water edge are flanked by two stone statues of lions with ornamented Nāga-balustrades. The pond was reserved for use by the king and his wives. A stone base seen at an island in the centre of the pond once housed a wooden temple where the king did meditation. At the lily filled lake, watching sunset reflections in the lake is quite an experience. The water from the lake is now used for rice cultivation by farmers of the area.

 

ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

Some specific architectural features which evolved with the Bayon style are clearly discerned in this temple. The roof is supported on free-standing pillars in the eastern and western pavilions in the third enclosure, built in a cruciform plan with the inner row of pillars supporting the roof. The pillars are also tied to the wall by a tie beam using a "mortise–and–tenon join" patterned on wooden structures. Other features noted are of the four central pillars in the western pavilion which have been strengthened with temporary supports of laterite stone block pillars. Carvings of Buddha are seen on all these pillars but mostly defaced. The temporary support system provided to the roof built on free standing pillars is indicative of problems of design seen in the temples built during this period.

 

RESTAURATION

Laser scans and imaging of the Banteay Kdei and Angkor Wat Western Causeway were performed within a project launched in March 2004 by the University of California and Sophia University of Tokyo, in partnership with the nonprofit CyArk. The obtained information has facilitated restoration and reconstruction of these structures, which is funded by the Sophia University, and much publicly accessible data from the project is hosted on the CyArk Website. The APSARA Authority has achieved significant improvements in conservation and preservation of monuments in Angkor. Some of the towers and corridors are under restoration and as a result some locations have been cordoned off. Strengthening measures are seen in some parts of the interior temple area where structures in danger are tied together with cables.

 

Bob Given Photography

Back then you were given an entire stack of orders. More copies than you really needed. I had just returned from 3rd Recon Bn about a week before (spent 3 days,...... there is a GOD) when I received orders for 3rd Tank Bn. Told to grab my gear and Mine Detector (used to scan refugees) and go. 3rd Tanks was just down the road from us at Camp Hansen. Once there, loaded onto cattle trucks for a ride down to Kadena AF Base, waited for C-130's to fly the Detachments to Subic Bay. When we landed, transport was waiting to take us to the lower MAU Camp, boarded landing craft and taken to the USS Dubuque out in the Bay and off we went. We all knew were we were headed. Most organized movement I was ever envolved in, except for the wait at Kadena.

Detachments:

Echo (12th Marines)

Foxtrot ( 12th Marines)

Hotel ( 3rd Engineer)

India (7th Comm)

Kilo (?)

Mike (?)

November (3rd Service)

Papa (4th Marines)

Quebec (?)

Romeo (?)

Sierra (HqBn)

Tango (HqBn)

Uniform (3rd Tanks)

Victor (9th Marines)

USS Barbour County (?)

MP Det.

ITT Det

CIT Det

All of the above comprised Amphibious Evacuation Security Force (AESF)

AESF was disbanded when it was all over.

 

DECLASSIFIED USS Dubuque Command History, OPNAVINST 5750.12B

Chronology of USS Dubuque Movements During Period 1 Jan 75 to 31 Dec 75

 

17 Apr-0757 Anchored Subic Bay RP.

 

18 Apr-2143 Underway for Vietnam. We arrived in RP that night via C-130 at Cubi Point.

 

27 Apr-1643 Anchored off Vietnam

 

28 Apr-0001 Underway

1648 Anchored off Vietnam

1931 Underway for Dau Phu Quoc

 

4 May- 1309 Anchored Subic Bay

 

Even in the Command History there is no mention of the Evac. I quess everyone just wanted to forget about it.

IMAGE: Lincolnshire employers from Autism Care UK Ltd, United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS trust and Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service, proudly show their SaBRE awards given to them by The Lord-Lieutenant for Lincolnshire, Mr Tony Worth.

 

Awarding Lincolnshire employers

 

Seven Lincolnshire-based employers from both the public and private

sector are being awarded for supporting Defence personnel.

Reporters and photographers are invited to attend the awards

presentation at The White Hart Hotel, Bailgate, Lincoln LN1 3AR from

12.15pm prompt on Wednesday 3 December 2014.

The businesses from Lincoln, Grantham and Gainsborough are receiving a

Ministry of Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Silver award for

demonstrating their support to Reservist employees.

The awards will be presented by Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant for

Lincolnshire, Tony Worth.

 

Reservists are men and women who give up their free time to train

alongside our regular (full-time) military forces and may be called on to

serve the country in times of need at home or aboard.

John Wilson, Regional SaBRE (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and

Employers) Campaign Director for the East Midlands, said: “Each of the

employers being awarded has shown a commitment to support Reservist

employees. They understand that the military training undertaken by

Reservists provides them with qualities that employer’s value and respect

including professionalism, adaptability, physical courage, management

skills and problem-solving ability.

 

“I am delighted that seven employers from Lincolnshire are being

recognised by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The MOD received over 500

nominations for Silver awards across the UK and 85 are being presented to

employers based in the East Midlands.”

Linda Houtby, Principal at Grantham College, has been invited to the

awards event. She said: “The College currently employs two Army

Reservists and we have been delighted with the variety of transferable

skills they bring back into the civilian workplace. Skills such as leadership,

problem-solving, decision making, communication and team building enhanced through Armed Forces training programmes, we believe are an excellent asset to our organisation. We are delighted to be receiving a Silver award from the MOD.”

Ends

 

Media enquiries Please contact Becky Derbyshire at East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association on 0115 924 8628 / em-comms@rfca.mod.uk

Note to editors Reporters and photographers are invited to attend the awards presentation at The White Hart Hotel, Bailgate, Lincoln LN1 3AR from 12.15pm prompt. Please contact Becky Derbyshire (using the above contact details) if you would like to attend.

The organisations being awarded in Lincolnshire are as follows:

? Autism Care UK Ltd, Lincoln

? Cathodic Protection Co Ltd, Grantham

? Ping Europe Limited, Gainsborough

? Grantham College, Grantham

? Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service, Lincoln

? South Kesteven District Council, Grantham

? United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Lincoln

About the Employer Recognition Scheme

As part of Defence’s commitment to recognise and reward those employers who commit to supporting Defence personnel, a new Employer Recognition Scheme has recently been launched by the Prime Minister. The scheme recognises support given to Defence personnel including Reservists, veterans, families and cadets. The scheme has three levels of award.

•Bronze. Employers who wish to demonstrate a positive attitude towards employees who are Reservists, Armed Forces veterans or Cadet Force adult volunteers, are able to sign up online for a Bronze award: go to www.sabre.mod.uk and click on the ‘Employer Recognition Scheme’ banner.

•The Silver award recognises employers who actively demonstrate support to Defence personnel. Employers have to be nominated for their

commitment to support Defence personnel; this is an annual process and, for 2014, 80 East Midlands’ employers are receiving Silver awards.

•The Gold award recognises those who have become advocates for the support of Defence personnel. The Gold award is an annual process and, for 2014, ten inaugural Gold award recipients were hosted at a Reception by the Prime minister at Downing Street in July. Gold awards for 2015 will be considered in the New Year.

To learn more about the Employer Recognition Scheme visit ers.sabre.mod.uk/

  

Photographer: Corporal Luisa Scott RLC

  

NOTE TO DESKS:

MoD release authorised handout images.

All images remain crown copyright.

Photo credit to read - Corporal Luisa Scott RLC (Phot)

 

Pupils were given the option of choosing from the children's toy brief or the garden ornament option instead.

Entrance into the Derby arboretum, built 1852

 

In the early C19 the site was a private pleasure and kitchen garden belonging to Joseph Strutt (1765(1844). Strutt was the third son of Jedediah Strutt (1726-97), a prosperous Derby industrialist who had pioneered the improvement of the stocking frame. Strutt lived at Darley Abbey from 1818 until the death of his only son and his wife c 1840, when he returned to live in St Peter's Street, Derby (Account of Joseph Strutt, DRO). In May 1839 Strutt commissioned a plan from J C Loudon (1783-1843) for a garden which he owned near his home to be laid out for public use. The commission required various existing features to be retained including some mature trees, a flower garden, a cottage, and an ivy-clad tool shed (Loudon 1840): these features had formed part of the earlier garden in which Strutt's children had played (Account). The public garden was not to be expensive to maintain, a factor which encouraged Loudon to propose an arboretum. Work on laying out the new public garden commenced in July 1839 under the supervision of Mr Tomlinson of Derby, while the formation of earth mounds and the planting of the new trees and shrubs was carried out by Loudon's assistant, Mr Rauch (Loudon 1840). Trees and shrubs were supplied by Messrs Whitley and Osborn of Chelsea and William Masters of Canterbury, while roses were sent from Thomas Rivers of Sawbridgeworth and mistletoe was supplied by Mr Godsall of Hereford; other plants were obtained from the Horticultural Society's garden (ibid). Two lodges and shelters designed by E B Lamb were built by Thompson of Derby, while seats and vases were donated and positioned by Strutt. The Arboretum was opened on 16 September 1840, when it was handed over to a board of trustees as a place of recreation for the inhabitants of Derby who might 'enjoy a rare opportunity of expanding their minds by the contemplation of nature' (ibid; Garden Hist 1995). Strutt did not provide an endowment for the upkeep of the Arboretum, believing that while it should be open to the general public free of charge on Sunday afternoon and Wednesday, on other days 'a small sum should be required from persons entering the garden' (Loudon 1840); a system of annual subscription was also implemented. For some forty years, the anniversary of the opening of the Arboretum was celebrated with a fete which on average attracted 25,000 people from Derby and surrounding towns (CL 1976).

Joseph Strutt died in 1844, and the Arboretum continued to be managed by a committee of trustees along the lines outlined by Loudon in his Directions (1840) until c 1880. In 1882 the Arboretum was transferred from the trustees to Derby Town Council; today (2000) the site remains in the care of its successor, Derby City Council.

During the mid C19 few changes were made to the Arboretum: a lodge incorporating a statue of Strutt and new entrance were constructed from Arboretum Square to the north to designs by Duesbury c 1850; and in 1852 a public subscription was raised to lay out a recreation ground to the south of the Arboretum (Account). Further changes were made in the mid and late C20 when surrounding mid C19 streets were demolished and new housing constructed to the north and west of the site. The site was subject to a restoration programme in the late 1980s.

The site is set in a mid C19 residential district, and is surrounded by domestic and commercial properties. To the west a brick wall separates the site from gardens in Twyford Street and Harriet Street, while to the south-west the boundary is formed by Loudon Street. Brick walls similarly separate the site from domestic properties in Madeley Street to the south-west and Reginald Street to the south-east. The southern boundary fronting Rose Hill Street is formed by tall, C19, painted cast-iron spiked railings set on a low stone wall. To the east a brick-walled yard adjoins Reginald Street, while to the north-east further brick walls separate the site from a school and industrial premises on Osmaston Road, and domestic properties in Arboretum Square. To the north and north-west the site merges with mid and late C20 housing which has been constructed north-west of Morleston Street and on the site of Grove Street. The site is naturally level, but in 1839(40 Loudon formed a series of earth mounds running from north-west to south-east through the Arboretum; the mid C19 recreation ground to the south remains level (2000). Significant internal views are formed by Loudon's earth banks and planting, but due to the level nature of the surroundings there are few external views. To the south-east, the ornamental facade of the public baths constructed east of Reginald Street in 1903 is visible, while to the south, houses on the south side of Rose Hill Street terminate the vista through the recreation ground. To the north-east the tapered C19 brick chimney of the Crown Derby factory rises through surrounding trees.

[Historic England]

 

Arboretum Street, Derby

Given new life as a lamp shade: www.flickr.com/photos/mollyblock/9515507451/

 

unconsumption.tumblr.com/post/58333911828/in-todays-good-...

This plant was given a hard prune several months ago and surprised us with many sprouts of 'ponytails' at the severed point a couple of months down the road.

 

Commonly known as Ponytail Palm, Bottle Palm or Elephant's Foot. More info here.

 

Some Cryptanthus or Earth Star were added to keep it company.

Bob Given Photography

In botany, blossom is a term given to the flowers of stone fruit trees and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring. That is exactly what these are. Little blossoms of sparkly crystal centres and fire polished petals. Unlike a real blossom, these blossoms flower all year round and never fade.

 

Each blossom is then joined to each other using linking rings with a seamless joins to form an undulating chain of profuse blossoms.

 

The entire parure consists of a bracelet, earrings, pendant and necklace. Make a pair of earrings. Make a bracelet. Make them all. They are guaranteed to bring a smile for an everlasting spring.