Improved Seneca View Camera 1906, Carl Zeiss f4.5 210mm, DRP, Tessar, Thornton Pickard wooden shutter, 5x7, Fomapan 200 film, D-76 Developer

File name: 10_03_000927b

Binder label: Laundry

Title: The Fort Wayne improved western washer - the latest improved western washer [back]

Created/Published: Milwaukee : Wilmanns Bros. Lith.

Date issued: 1870-1900 [approximate]

Physical description: 1 print : chromolithograph ; 14 x 9 cm.

Genre: Advertising cards

Subject: People; Cats; Laundry; Appliances

Notes: Title from item.

Statement of responsibility: Horton Manufacturing Co.

Collection: 19th Century American Trade Cards

Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department

Rights: No known restrictions.

Improving laboratory safety. Plastic flask, beaker, and cylinder replacing glass in a chemistry laboratory.

onsultation launched on new strategy.

 

Dentists and their patients are being asked to give their views on a new plan to further improve Scotland’s oral health.

 

Aileen Campbell, Minister for Public Health and Sport, met dentists and patients as she launched a consultation at East Craigs Dental Practice in Edinburgh today.

Ancora problemi di infiltrazione luce .....

 

Marca: Zeme & Zeme

Modello: M16-Improved

Lunghezza Focale: 70 mm

Foro: 0,300 mm

Fuoco: f/233

Esposizione: regolo calcolatore ILFORD

Formato: 120 (6x6)

Mirino: a traguardo da 62°

 

Pellicola T MAX 100 KODAK

Sviluppo KODAK D76: 9':30''

Improve your self (via Twitter twitter.com/3danimacion1x/status/784185375849848832)

Two new ambulances are being put into service immediately in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows to help paramedics respond to local patients. The new ambulances are the result of a detailed independent analysis of ambulance call data. Maple Ridge is experiencing one of the highest increases in ambulance calls of any city in the province. The number of "high acuity" or lights-and-siren calls has increased by 36% in three years, from a monthly average of 139 in 2013 to 190 this year.

 

Learn more: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016PREM0104-001705

 

Wheat variety Cortazar flourishes in a farmer's field, being grown for seed for the small seed company Bidasem, in the central Mexican plains region known as the Bajío. Cortazar, released in 1994, was developed for the Bajío by the Mexican National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP), using parent materials all from CIMMYT. Although it is an older variety, its high yields make it ever-popular with Bidasem's customers.

 

Bidasem produces maize, wheat and oat seed, and also markets seed of other crops. It does not have its own fields, instead working closely with trusted farmers to grow seed. Despite their small size, Bidasem and similar companies play an important role in reaching small farmers with improved seed that offers them better livelihoods. “Our aim is to provide farmers with quality seed at accessible prices, that is adapted to the conditions we have here in the Bajío," says director general María Esther Rivas. "It’s a great satisfaction, when farmers achieve the yields they need.”

 

Photo credit: X. Fonseca/CIMMYT.

 

For more on seed production at Bidasem, and CIMMYT's role in providing the best seed, see CIMMYT's 2012 e-news story "The seed chain: producing better seed for small farmers," available online at: www.cimmyt.org/en/newsletter/598-2012/1398-the-seed-chain....

Previous contributions and statements:

 

1st statement

 

Bethan Jenkins ( Twitter @bethanjenkins ) Plaid AM for South Wales West, said:

 

“While I am always happy to hear about new developments in energy – particularly in renewables – and while I welcome the use of new technology to improve energy production – particularly where emissions are concerned – I still harbour a series of considerable reservations where shale gas extraction and fracking is concerned.

 

My concerns are both global and local. I worry that the ground where the South Wales Coalfield lies, and where much of this gas is found, has been subject to large levels of disruption during the years through extensive mining. This has created all kinds of problems where underground water is concerned, and the careful management it requires at present to prevent sudden flooding and other issues in Valleys communities could become severely disrupted by the practices used in fracking, such as the introduction of additional fluids into the water table.

 

“On top of that, the monitoring of pollution that may come with shale gas extraction becomes that much more problematic if statutory agencies and those responsible for ensuring clean water have to contend with the intricacies of mining’s legacy.

 

“I am also unconvinced by some of the economic argument put forward by proponents of shale gas – that it creates jobs. Of the handful of schemes I have seen, minuscule numbers of jobs are on offer. You won’t cure long-time issues of unemployment in the Valleys – and consequently improve the economy – by providing as few as three jobs per drilling site.

 

“Lastly, one of the sentiments I hear a lot from constituents who face planning applications of this kind is that the companies who put them in, the big energy companies and their financial backers, regard the Valleys as somewhere where you can get any kind of scheme through, because local authorities are so desperate to create jobs. But for those constituents, it goes deeper. They think these companies look at their communities and think it’s alright to test unproven technologies because of the heavy industries of the past and because of the high levels of deprivation now. ‘We’re here to be dumped on,’ is how one resident put it to me. Those concerns have to be addressed before anyone should even think of drilling for shale gas in South Wales.”

 

2nd statement Bethan Jenkins AM said:

 

8th Aug 2013

 

In realation to Frack Free Wales protesting in Balcombe

 

" I support people's rights to peacefully protest as I understand Frances and Justin did in Balcombe. It is important that they are able to voice their opinions about an issue that they are passionate about, and that is why I am supporting them. If people feel that they are not free to protest, then what does this say about our standards of democracy?

 

It is also true to say that many people have concerns about fracking, and that much more work needs to be done with regards to researching its viability and safety before plans for its development are pushed through. I have called on the Welsh Government to implement a moratorium on fracking until testing is completed in England, but I have not been reassured as yet that the Welsh Government will implement this moratorium.

 

"People who campaign in this field remain concerned about the dangers of water scarcity and the poisoning of aquifers, and the evidence presented in peer reviewed academic articles indicates that this process is not safe.

 

"I urge those who support the human rights of individuals to protest peacefully to support these campaigners on the 14th of August, and to raise awareness of this matter in any way they can."

  

Thank you very much Bethan Jenkins AM for South Wales West.

  

• Our Second Contributor

 

@MickAntoniwAM - Labour Assembly Member for Pontypridd

 

"I remain to be convinced that all issues on safety have been addressed & answered until then I wish to see a moratorium on fracking"

 

Statement from Mick Antoniw AM for Pontypridd below. Also included is the question that he asked to the Minister on this issue last month and the Minister’s response for your info.

 

“The local authority which covers my constituency of Pontypridd has recently overseen an application for exploratory drilling so this is an issue of great interest and importance to both my constituents and I. I have raised the issue of exploitation of unconventional gas reserves in the Llantrisant area with the Minister for Natural Resources and food to seek assurances with regard to public safety.

 

“Drilling is a different technology to “fracking” and does not have the same hazards. At present I am unconvinced that “fracking” is safe and I would not support such a development until there is far more investigation into the associated risks. I can assure you that I will continue to monitor this issue very closely.” Mick Antoniw AM for Pontypridd

 

Plenary Record from 12/06/2013

 

Mick Antoniw

 

13:30

 

1. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government’s approach to fracking? OAQ(4)0018(NRF)

 

Alun Davies The Minister for Natural Resources and Food

 

13:30

 

Our position is precautionary, and is based on the full consideration of all the available evidence. While acknowledging the potential economic benefits of unconventional gas development, we also recognise the environmental and safety concerns relating to the hydraulic fracturing process that is used to extract the gas.

 

Mick Antoniw

 

13:31

 

You will know that parts of the Pontypridd constituency have been highlighted as potential areas for shale gas extraction. There are, naturally, concerns regarding this new energy development. Could you outline what the Government’s strategy will be over the next 12 to 18 months in terms of assurances to the population about any developments in this area?

 

Alun Davies

 

13:31

 

I hope that I can provide those assurances. As I said in my answer to your original question, our position is a precautionary one. We support a robust regulatory regime for unconventional gas exploitation, to ensure the highest standards of public safety and environmental protection. Furthermore, any exploratory operations will also be subject to strict monitoring and scrutiny by the relevant planning authority, as well as by the regulatory bodies that are responsible for public health and environmental protection, including the Health and Safety Executive and Natural Resources Wales. To ensure that Welsh interests are fully represented as this policy area develops, my officials are already in regular discussion with the UK Government’s Office of Unconventional Gas and Oil, which has been established to promote the safe and environmentally sound recovery of the UK’s unconventional gas and oil reserves.

 

Thank you Mick Antoniw AM

  

• Our Third Contributor

 

Leanne Wood (leader of Plaid Cymru Wales)

 

"Key issue for us is where the decision is taken. Wales should decide on all energy developments"

 

She ask me to ref this article - www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/fracking-could-resu...

  

• Our Fourth Contributor - Plaid Cymru

Jonathan Edwards MP for Carmarthen East

 

@JonathanPlaid - my position is to oppose the dash for Welsh gas as energy is not devolved. Otherwise the profits from exploitation are lost.

 

@nspugh So if energy was devolved to Wales you would exploit shale gas reserves & coal bed methane?

 

@nspugh I wouldn't rule it out. Energy resources our biggest economic asset. Coal bed methane licenses already issued from what I understand.

 

@JonathanPlaid renewables are our biggest asset. Energy devolved, shale/coalbed methane & Wales's carbon emisssion targets climate change?

 

@nspugh the party's energy policy clearly favours the promotion of renewables.

 

@JonathanPlaid yes - but if energy was devolved would you leave the gas underground?

 

@nspugh I wouldn't copy the UK Gov and ignore the potential of bio gas.

 

@nspugh wouldn't rule out unconventional gas if exploited by Welsh Gov for people of Wales.30% of our people live in fuel poverty.

 

@nspugh vehemently oppose Osbourne dash for gas. Profits going to a few people and communities left with the legacy of environmental damage

 

@JonathanPlaid as long as what is feeding the biomass plant is sustainable.

 

@JonathanPlaid fuel poverty can be alleviated by community renewable energy shares, energy should be delivered on your doorstep.

 

@JonathanPlaid I don't understand, vehemently oppose Osbourne dash for gas, yet you would do the same, with the same consequences?

  

• Our Fifth Contributor -

Antoinette Sandbach Conservative Assembly Member for North Wales Region, Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs in Assembly

 

@ASandbachAM Are you happy for #shalegas or #fracking to commence in North Wales? #FGBill #FutureGen flic.kr/p/fjRey9

 

@nspugh no indication that would happen. Most of the reserves are in South Wales.

 

@ASandbachAM www.greenpeace.org.uk/newsdesk/energy/data/fracking-map-w... N Wales borders under licence for #shalegas extraction, are you happy for it to commence?

 

@nspugh write to me as not something I can answer in 140 characters.

  

• Our Sixth Contributor -

 

Llyr Gruffydd AC/AM - Plaid Cymru The Part of Wales Assembly Member for North Wales & Shadow Minister for Environment, Energy & Agriculture.

 

@LlyrGruffydd If energy was devolved in Wales would you leave the gas underground?

 

@nspugh Yes I would. Too many unanswered questions at the moment

 

@LlyrGruffydd under what conditions would you let #shalegas - #fracking extraction happen in Wales; if any?

  

• Our Seventh Contributor -

Dafydd Elis-Thomas - AM for Dwyfor Meirionnydd

 

@ElisThomasD in relation to the #SDBillWales or #FGBill does @WelshGovernment sit back on #ShaleGas & #Fracking?

 

@nspugh @AssemblyWales Environment and Sustainability Committee inquiry on energy and planning evidence www.senedd.assemblywales.org

 

Dear Nigel,

 

Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM has asked the clerking team of the Environment & Sustainability Committee to contact you regarding the Committee meeting on 7 March, which looked at shale gas and gasification. Please see below a link to the meeting agenda / minutes which allows you access Committee meeting papers and the meeting transcript.

 

www.senedd.assemblywales.org/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=225... – English

 

www.senedd.cynulliadcymru.org/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=22... - Welsh

 

@ElisThomasD thank you for your help! Would you leave shale gas in the ground? :)

 

@nspugh Yes. E&SCommittee favours low carbon energy both renewables, particulary hydro and marine, and existing nuclear sites, not gas,

 

@ElisThomasD why do you think the Welsh Gov has been so submissive on shale gas extraction? Imagine 300 plus wells on The Vale Of Glam.

 

@nspugh As to WG planning decisions, if you want a moratorium on exploration and/or exploitation then you need an Assembly motion.

 

@ElisThomasD how do you get a Assembly motion, proposing a moratorium on the exploration and/or exploitation of shalegas in Wales?

 

@nspugh approach E&SCommitte Colleagues @MickAntoniw @russ_george @LlyrGruffydd @WilliamPowell and you have a potential majority!

  

Asked so far on Twitter:

 

@fmwales

@WG_NatResMin

@vaughangething

@JulieMorganLAB

@AndrewRTDavies - Welsh Conservative leader

@IrrancaDaviesMP

@LeanneWood - sent

@ElisThomasD

@natalieben - already clear: greenparty.org.uk/news/2013/06/27/fracking-is-not-the-ans...

@bethanjenkins - sent

@WLGrassroots

@MarkDrakeford

@ElunedParrottAM

@JulieJamesAM

@WilliamPowellAM

@MickAntoniwAM - sent

@AngelaBurnsAM

@KeithDaviesAC

@RhunapIorwerth

@parkgirl59

@MohammadAsghar

@suzydaviesam

@KenSkatesAM

@Byron_Davies

@williamgrahamam

@AlunFfredPlaid

@ElinCeredigion

@cjharris85 - Press & Research Officer to Jonathan Edwards MP and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM.

@RhodriGlynPlaid

@mabonapgwynfor

@MarkIsherwoodAM

@JFinchSaunders

@peterblackwales

‪@KevinBrennanMP‬

@OwenSmithMP

@ASandbachAM -

@LlyrGruffydd - Plaid

@russ_george - Conservative

@lesley4wrexham - Labour Assembly Member for Wrexham

@ElisThomasD Dafydd Elis-Thomas - AM for Dwyfor Meirionnydd -sent

  

To ask...plus a few more I'm sure.

 

@RosemaryButler - AM for Newport West in the National Assembly for Wales.

‪@SandyMewiesAM‬

@ann_jonesam

@JaneHutt - Labour Assembly Member for the Vale of Glamorgan.

@DavidReesAM

@carlsargeant1 - Labour

@HuwLewis

@LeightonCymraeg - Labour

@lesley4wrexham

@Gwendathomas- Labour

@JennyRathbone - Labour

@IeuanWynJones - Plaid

@derekvaughan MEP - Labour

@WG_CommunityMin @JeffCuthbert - Labour AM for Caerphilly Welsh Government Minister for Communities & Tackling Poverty and Deputy Minister for Tackling Poverty

Edwina Hart A.M - Labour -Gower

@AlunCairns Conservative MP for the Vale of Glamorgan

@DavidJonesMP Conservative Member of Parliament for Clwyd West

@GlynDaviesMP Conservative Member of Parliament for MONTGOMERYSHIRE

  

Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru - The National Assembly for Wales

Y Pwyllgor Amgylchedd a Chynaliadwyedd - The Environment and Sustainability Committee

 

Dydd Iau, 7 Mawrth 2013 - Thursday, 7 March 2013

 

Questions to UK Onshore Gas Ltd

 

www.senedd.assemblywales.org/documents/s15086/7%20March%2...

 

Twitter @nspugh twitter.com/nspugh

President Donald J. Trump shakes hands with an audience member at his address and Executive Order signing on Protecting and Improving Medicare for our Nation’s Seniors Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019, at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center at The Villages, FL. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Mitzi Dean, Minister of Children and Family Development and Dan Coulter, Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility, announce improved system coming for children and youth with support needs.

Improved version of a previously uploaded photo.

A very talented artist - Camille Engel, used one of my photos (below) as a reference for a painting she did (above). She was kind enough to ask for permission first and sent me a scan of the final prouct. I think the painting came out better than the original photo. You can see more of her work at:

 

www.camille-engel.com/

 

and on Flickr at:

 

www.flickr.com/photos/camille-engel/

 

BTW - I did a program for an elementary school (K-5) last week as a part of their program of "Everyone's An Artist." Lots of fun and each kid had to endure a 20 minute talk/slideshow that I gave on the history of photography and then take one photo of a scene that was set up with stuffed animals and flowers. The best of each class (as voted by the students) were selected and I was asked to pick the best of the best. It was hard to chose, but the best (IMHO) turned out to be taken by a child in Kindergarten! Creative, well-composed and interesting.

 

I can't wait to see how she turns out. I hope to have a link to the story in the newspaper in a few days.

 

www.SteveByland.com

Unauthorized use or reproduction for any reason is prohibited.

Please do not link to or blog this without contacting me first.

Ventilation in the berthing spaces was inadequate, especially in ships operating in the Mediterranean or the South Pacific. Troops on board would sometimes use a bayonet to improve their personal ventilation, making it worse for everybody else downstream.

 

USS LST-325 is a decommissioned US Navy Landing Ship, Tank (LST), or tank landing ship. This is an ocean-going ship type developed in World War II (1939–1945) to carry tanks, vehicles, cargo, and troops and land them directly on an enemy shore without using docks or piers.

 

An LST had a flat keel that allowed the ship to be beached and stay upright. The bow had a large door that could open, deploy a ramp and unload or load vehicles.

 

LST-325 was built in 1942. After World War II service, she was decommissioned in 1946. She was transferred to Greece in 1964, serving in the Royal Hellenic Navy as RHS Syros until 1999. Syros is a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. The following year, a volunteer crew returned her to the US, to launch her in a third career as a museum ship.

 

LST-325 is the last surviving fully operational WWII LST. She is based in Evansville, Indiana and visits other US ports each year. I visited this ship on October 29, 2019.

A more refined version of the Vintage Radio. Improved shadows and highlights, new knobs and a new color wood grain.

www.messersmith.name/wordpress/2010/03/01/improving-the-e...

I had no business diving on Saturday. I've been fighting off a cold which turned into sinusitis and a bronchial infection for over two weeks now. However, I could "pop" my ears after taking a 12-hour Sudafed, so I decided to have a go for a shallow dive. When I flipped over the side of Faded Glory onto my back and sank about a meter before popping up again, I knew I'd made an error of judgement. However, as I was already in the water, I decided to grab my camera and see if I could get deep enough to do any good.

 

My ears cleared okay, but my entire head felt as if it was being squeezed in a vise. There lot of cavities in your head that are supposed to be filled with air at normal atmospheric pressure - that's you're sinus cavities. When you're congested, they don't connect up right and you can't equalise pressure between them. It hurts like billy-blue-blazes. I found if I went down only a half meter at a time, and kept equalising all the time, I could keep the pain manageable.

 

For you divers out there, keep in mind that I have over 2,000 dives, so I have a fairly good idea of what I can actually get away with. I was pushing the limits and taking a calculated risk that I wouldn't rupture a blood vessel. Don't try this at home. Just because I do stupid things doesn't mean that we're in a contest to see who can be the more stupid. Be the winner - stay safe!

 

Here you can see Richard Jones taking a depth measurement at the level of a stainless steel pin cast into the reef. We will attach a chain to it with a float about two meters below the surface. To that, we'll attach a short rope with a ring in the end and a small surface float to mark it: When approaching for a dive, someone (appointed by the captain - ME) will dive over the side holding a moring line, run it through the ring, and then hand it up to another crew member to be tied off to hold the boat in position. This way we don't have to drop anchor at dive sites. We are usually very careful to aviod damage, but sometimes it happens. Note that you can see Faded Glory's anchor lying in the sand just beyond him in the distance.

 

We gave up trying to get funding to put in permanent anchorages at all of the popular dive sites. There are plenty of agencies who talk the talk about saving the reefs, but none that we've found who walk the walk. My advice, if someone approaches you in Madang about "saving our reefs" is to ask them to give you a list of active project where they are spending money to do something useful instead of just moaning about it. I'm fed up with aid agencies that show you the fancy brochures and web sites, but give you the blank stare when you ask for money to do something that will actually get the job done.

 

With my head pounding like a jackhammer, I descended to about six meters and discovered a fish that I've never seen before. I was lucky enough to get a couple of good shots of this Six-Spot Goby (Valenciennea sexguttata): Hey, this fish has six blue spots on each side. Shouldn't it be a Twelve-Spot Goby? It's not exactly gorgeous, but It's a new one for me, so I say hurrah!

 

Here's our beautiful little friends the Purple Anthea (Psudanthias tuka) sparkling like jewels above the sandy bottom of The Eel Garden near Pig Island: There are both males and females there in that image along with a variety of other species. A typical "fish soup".

 

You've seen the Nudibranch (Phyllidia varicosa) here before, but not one this large, I don't believe: This one couldn't have hidden behind two golf balls. The colours are gorgeous. It looks like some kind of fancy candy.

 

This is a particularly nice shot of a Longfin Bannerfish (Heniochus acuminatus) which I certainly did not think was going to be worth saving: It just flashed past me as I was clearing my ears for the hundredth time. I swung my camera around and pressed the shutter release in its general direction. When I check the shot on the screen, I was dumbfounded. I couldn't have gotten that good a shot normally if I'd spent all day trying. Sometimes the camera just does it's job.

 

This is a funny little image of some arms of a Feather Star (Comanthina schlegeli) sticking out of its hidey-hole: I don't know what it was doing crammed down in there. It certainly isn't any kind of normal behaviour that I've seen before. They are usually our where they can wave their arms about in the breeze.

 

Since Rich Jones was spotting for me, I knew that I'd get something special. He found this Banded Coral Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) hiding down in a crevice: It was a devil of a shot to get. There was too little light and the flash just made it all garish and contrasty. I finally set the camera for a very tight aperture to get the best depth of field and backed off the flash power to its minimum setting. I was surprised to get anything at all, let alone the nice shot above.

 

There's something going on the image above that puzzles me. There are far too many antennae in that image. The has to be two shrimp in that hole. Where is the other one? It looks like it could be behind the visible one. I leave the reader to ponder that one.

 

Second wife of writer and mathematician Sir Samuel Morland (1625-95) who is buried at Hammersmith in London. He was the inventor of the speaking trumpet and improver of the fire engine among other things and assistant to Thurloe (secretary to Oliver Cromwell). At the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 he was knighted and created a Baronet and Gentleman of the Privy Chamber. Samuel married Carola in the Abbey on 26 October 1670. The monument is of black and white marbles by sculptor William Stanton and was erected by Sir Samuel with inscriptions in English, Hebrew and Greek, to show off his learning in these languages. The English reads:

Carola daughter of Roger Harsnett Esqr. and of Carola his wife, ye truly loving (and as truly beloved) wife of Samuel Morland Kt. & Bart.[Baronet], bare a second son Oct. 4th, died October 10th in the year of our Lord 1674 aged 23

The Hebrew part can be translated:

Blessed be thou of the Lord, my honoured wife! Thy memory shall be a blessing, O virtuous woman

The Greek can be translated:

When I think of thy mildness, patience, and charity, modesty and piety, I lament thee, O most excellent creature! and grieve accordingly: but not like those who have no hope; for I believe and expect the Resurrection of them that sleep in Christ.

[Westminster Abbey]

 

Taken inside Westminster Abbey

 

Westminster Abbey (The Collegiate Church of St Peter)

In the 1040s King Edward (later St Edward the Confessor) established his royal palace by the banks of the river Thames on land known as Thorney Island. Close by was a small Benedictine monastery founded under the patronage of King Edgar and St Dunstan around 960A.D. This monastery Edward chose to re-endow and greatly enlarge, building a large stone church in honour of St Peter the Apostle. This church became known as the "west minster" to distinguish it from St Paul's Cathedral (the east minster) in the City of London. Unfortunately, when the new church was consecrated on 28th December 1065 the King was too ill to attend and died a few days later. His mortal remains were entombed in front of the High Altar.

The only traces of Edward's monastery to be seen today are in the round arches and massive supporting columns of the undercroft and the Pyx Chamber in the cloisters. The undercroft was originally part of the domestic quarters of the monks. Among the most significant ceremonies that occurred in the Abbey at this period was the coronation of William the Conqueror on Christmas day 1066, and the "translation" or moving of King Edward's body to a new tomb a few years after his canonisation in 1161.

Edward's Abbey survived for two centuries until the middle of the 13th century when King Henry III decided to rebuild it in the new Gothic style of architecture. It was a great age for cathedrals: in France it saw the construction of Amiens, Evreux and Chartres and in England Canterbury, Winchester and Salisbury, to mention a few. Under the decree of the King of England, Westminster Abbey was designed to be not only a great monastery and place of worship, but also a place for the coronation and burial of monarchs. This church was consecrated on 13th October 1269. Unfortunately the king died before the nave could be completed so the older structure stood attached to the Gothic building for many years.

Every monarch since William the Conqueror has been crowned in the Abbey, with the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII (who abdicated) who were never crowned. The ancient Coronation Chair can still be seen in the church.

It was natural that Henry III should wish to translate the body of the saintly Edward the Confessor into a more magnificent tomb behind the High Altar in his new church. This shrine survives and around it are buried a cluster of medieval kings and their consorts including Henry III, Edward I and Eleanor of Castile, Edward III and Philippa of Hainault, Richard II and Anne of Bohemia and Henry V.

There are around 3,300 burials in the church and cloisters and many more memorials. The Abbey also contains over 600 monuments, and wall tablets – the most important collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the country. Notable among the burials is the Unknown Warrior, whose grave, close to the west door, has become a place of pilgrimage. Heads of State who are visiting the country invariably come to lay a wreath at this grave.

A remarkable new addition to the Abbey was the glorious Lady chapel built by King Henry VII, first of the Tudor monarchs, which now bears his name. This has a spectacular fan-vaulted roof and the craftsmanship of Italian sculptor Pietro Torrigiano can be seen in Henry's fine tomb. The chapel was consecrated on 19th February 1516. Since 1725 it has been associated with the Most Honourable Order of the Bath and the banners of the current Knights Grand Cross surround the walls. The Battle of Britain memorial window by Hugh Easton can be seen at the east end in the Royal Air Force chapel. A new stained glass window above this, by Alan Younger, and two flanking windows with a design in blue by Hughie O'Donoghue, give colour to this chapel.

Two centuries later a further addition was made to the Abbey when the western towers (left unfinished from medieval times) were completed in 1745, to a design by Nicholas Hawksmoor.

Little remains of the original medieval stained glass, once one of the Abbey's chief glories. Some 13th century panels can be seen in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries. The great west window and the rose window in the north transept date from the early 18th century but the remainder of the glass is from the 19th century onwards. The newest stained glass is in The Queen Elizabeth II window, designed by David Hockney.

History did not cease with the dissolution of the medieval monastery on 16th January 1540. The same year Henry VIII erected Westminster into a cathedral church with a bishop (Thomas Thirlby), a dean and twelve prebendaries (now known as Canons). The bishopric was surrendered on 29th March 1550 and the diocese was re-united with London, Westminster being made by Act of Parliament a cathedral church in the diocese of London. Mary I restored the Benedictine monastery in 1556 under Abbot John Feckenham.

But on the accession of Elizabeth I the religious houses revived by Mary were given by Parliament to the Crown and the Abbot and monks were removed in July 1559. Queen Elizabeth I, buried in the north aisle of Henry VII's chapel, refounded the Abbey by a charter dated 21 May 1560 as a Collegiate Church exempt from the jurisdiction of archbishops and bishops and with the Sovereign as its Visitor. Its Royal Peculiar status from 1534 was re-affirmed by the Queen and In place of the monastic community a collegiate body of a dean and prebendaries, minor canons and a lay staff was established and charged with the task of continuing the tradition of daily worship (for which a musical foundation of choristers, singing men and organist was provided) and with the education of forty Scholars who formed the nucleus of what is now Westminster School (one of the country's leading independent schools). In addition the Dean and Chapter were responsible for much of the civil government of Westminster, a role which was only fully relinquished in the early 20th century.

[Westminster Abbey]

Observed at Arnold Arboretum. I want one of these!

Bridie is feeling like a new woman! Well, dolly... She's been sand matted, boggled and has a licca bod.

ILRI-UNEP-Wollo University project on “Enhancing communities’ adaptive capacity to climate-change induced water scarcity in drought-prone hotspots of the Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia”. Wollo/Desssie - Amhara region, Ethiopia. 31 October 2012 (photo credit: ILRI/Zerihun Sewunet).

About my pictures:

 

Since 2014 I've been documenting the chemtrail activity in the Dayton, Ohio area -- home of the notorious Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (visited by every important person on Earth, and even a few Aliens ;-) -- and apparently from my photo and video documentation, Chemtrail Central. This area has been getting chemtrailed on a massive, daily basis and is being conducted, as they say, in plain sight. I've got over 10,000 high-resolution pictures already uploaded and available for free on Flickr, with thousands more on the way:

www.flickr.com/photos/133042043@N04/albums

Additional Chemtrail videos may be found on:

www.youtube.com/user/BlueRidgeParkway

 

I am designating all my chemtrail pictures uploaded to Flickr as CC0 (Creative Commons Zero), which removes my copyright and releases them into the Public Domain. They are archived on Flickr under "Chem Trailchaser". I hope by making these images widely available, it will accelerate interest, research, study and more documentation from all over the world. Please, download, copy, backup, mirror, share, use and improve as many of these photos as you can! Thanks for looking - Chem

Though the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau had put the excellent MiG-15 fighter in production, MiG felt it could further improve on the design. The MiG-15 had shown itself to be unstable as it neared the speed of sound, and it was anticipated that further refinement could be done to the aircraft. As a result, MiG OKB began work on an improved MiG-15, referred to as the MiG-15-45 because of its primary characteristic, an improved swept wing. This new wing was thinner than that on the MiG-15, included wing fences for improved aerodynamics, and was swept at 45 degrees near the wingroot and to a slightly lesser degree at the wingtip, giving the new variant a distinctive “banana-wing” shape. The fuselage was extended to incorporate an afterburner on the VK-1F turbojet, while a small ventral fin was added beneath the tail to further improve stability. While the MiG-17 could not quite break the sound barrier, it was very stable in most respects and kept the heavy armament and good all-around visibility of the MiG-15. The design changes were enough to warrant a new designation, so it became the MiG-17.

 

The first MiG-17 flew in January 1950, and low-level production soon began—low-level due to the urgent need for MiG-15s to fight in the Korean War. Not until after the war had ended did full-scale production begin on the MiG-17. By then, it was considered somewhat obsolescent: the supersonic MiG-19 was placed in production alongside the MiG-17, while work had begun on the MiG-21. Nonetheless, it was kept in production for the rest of the decade as the MiG-19 proved to be a disappointment. The MiG-17 was updated in 1953 after the Soviet Union captured a F-86F Sabre, and copied elements of the Sabre’s ejection seat and gunsight into the new fighter. It was dubbed “Fresco” by NATO. Attempts were made to build all-weather versions of the MiG-17 with mixed results; the all-missile MiG-17PM was reviled by its pilots due to a poor radar and worse missiles. The most common version was the day fighter MiG-17F.

 

The MiG-17’s combat debut was not auspicious, seeing action in the 1956 Suez War and the 1958 Quemoy Crisis. In the former, Egypt’s few MiG-17s were outnumbered and outflown by French and Israeli Mystere IV and Super Mystere fighters, while over the Taiwan Straits, People’s Republic of China MiG-17s were ambushed by Republic of China F-86Fs equipped with Sidewinder missiles. By 1960, production had ended, and the Soviet Union sold off most of its stock to client states, reequipping with more modern MiG-21s.

 

In 1962, the Soviet Union supplied the nascent North Vietnamese People’s Air Force with 36 MiG-17Fs as the nucleus of a new air force, and to offset the American-supplied Thai and South Vietnamese air forces. By 1965, when Operation Rolling Thunder began, these aircraft were sent against US Air Force and Navy fighters. The MiG-17 would remain the primary VPAF aircraft throughout Rolling Thunder, though it was gradually supplemented by the MiG-21. Since the MiG-17 was subsonic and lacked radar, it depended on ground radar to guide the pilot to the target, but once in a dogfight, the small, very maneuverable, cannon-armed MiG had a definite advantage over American aircraft; only the F-8 Crusader came remotely close to matching it. A favorite tactic of MiG-17 pilots was to hide “in the grass” at low level and pick off any unwary American pilot, or attack during a bomb run when their opponents were at their weakest. It came as a rude surprise to American pilots that semi-obsolete aircraft were still capable of destroying the latest word in military equipment, and it pointed up the deficiencies in American air combat training.

 

MiG-17s accounted for about 50 USAF and Navy aircraft during Rolling Thunder, enough that when the Top Gun program was formed in 1969, A-4 Skyhawks were assigned specifically to simulate them. This was also secretly supplemented by two ex-Syrian MiG-17Fs captured by Israel in 1968 and given to the United States under Project Have Drill. One deficiency that was found in the MiG-17 was that, at high speeds and low altitudes, compressibility would set in and the aircraft became unresponsive to the controls. These lessons were put to good use when American strikes resumed in 1972. By this time, the VPAF had largely withdrawn its MiG-17s to training units, preferring the more modern MiG-19 and MiG-21. While the MiG-17 did account for a few more kills, they mostly ended up being shot down by better trained US Navy pilots and USAF F-4E pilots, who now had internal guns themselves. In the right hands, a MiG-17 was still a formidable opponent, as US Navy aces Randy Cunningham and William Driscoll found out on 10 May 1972, when a MiG-17 dueled in the vertical with their F-4J for nearly ten minutes before it was finally shot down.

 

After Vietnam, the MiG-17 had outlived its usefulness, and though it would see limited service in African brushfire wars and in the Yom Kippur War of 1973, what few air forces retained them relegated them to second-line and training units. A few persisted in the Albanian and North Korean air forces until 2000. 10,603 MiG-17s were built by the Soviet Union, Poland, and China, serving in 40 air forces; today, several hundred still remain in museums and in flyable condition, including 27 in the United States alone.

 

This is the Museum of Flight's example, a MiG-17F formerly operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force. As the Moroccans turned to the West for new fighters, their MiG-17s were retired and slated to be scrapped. Major General Frederick "Boots" Blesse (author of the "fighter pilot's Bible," "No Guts, No Glory") asked if one of the MiGs could be preserved for the Champlin Fighter Museum. The RMAF agreed, and the MiG-17 was disassembled and shipped to Arizona. When the Champlin collection was donated to the Museum of Flight, the MiG-17 came with it. It is painted in the colors of the North Vietnamese People's Air Force during the Vietnam War. The VPAF did not use a "standard" camouflage during the war, utilizing several different schemes; this one wears dark green stripes over a light green base.

Lego (Improved) Land Rover Classic Defender 90 ATANA studio Anthony SÉJOURNÉ

This can easily become this.

If you are not drinking beer right now, better put the holder to a good use.

Improved soybean varieties in soybean experiental plots. (file name:DSC01006)

the paper texture is lovely on this guy.

The NYC Mayor's Office, DOT & Lyft - which has just acquired Motivate Co. - announce they will invest $100 million to improve NYC's

bike share system, doubling Citi Bike service areas and tripling the number of blue bikes over the next five years.

rkammann has just mailed me an improved version of my remix - a minor quibble with my cloud and colours, says he. The OER cloud looks better this way and I also prefer the modification in the size of the hands and the use of the white hand instead of the blue one I had in the previous drawing. Merci monsieur.

Renters and landlords in B.C. will soon benefit from more timely and efficient supports and services as government takes action to speed up and strengthen residential tenancy dispute resolution.

 

Credit: ©2014CIAT/GeorginaSmith

Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.

For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org

www.flaneurphoto.com

The first rapid transit project south of the Fraser River in 30 years reached a new milestone with the release of the business case and formal approval of provincial funding for the project.

 

Learn more:

news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022TRAN0067-001107

Improved version of the Lego Mindstorms GBC "Hit and Run" module. Video can be watched here.

Conservation cover plantings that became a filter strip now hosts a nest, with a clutch of pheasant eggs is a key goal for Landowner and Farmer Darrel Kjerstad, who has farmed a variety of crops over the years, and along the way he has utilized the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Quinn, SD, on May 23, 2015. He is a product of generations of farmers who were not afraid of innovation, an FFA participant through high school, he became interested in range management with native plantings, and involvement in Pheasants Forever habitat restoration. He has used filter strips with conservation cover to help clean the rainwater runoff and stabilize the soil in riparian areas. The USDA NRCS conservation cover practice 327 used in these strips helps to build wildlife habitats for deer, antelope, and pheasants. This resulted in hundreds of pheasants and increasing numbers of deer feeding and living on his 360 acres of land.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation cover practice is the establishing and maintaining perennial vegetative cover to protect soil and water resources on lands needing permanent protective cover that will not be used for forage production.

Conservation cover reduces soil erosion and sedimentation enhances wildlife habitat and improves water quality.

Conservation cover is applied on all lands needing permanent vegetative cover. It does not apply to plantings for forage production or to critical area plantings.

For more about Conservation Cover, please go to nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb1263478.

Courtesy Photo by Darrel Kjerstad.

www.bowood.org

 

Purchased by the 1st Earl of Shelburne (1705–1761) in the mid 18th century, Bowood House and Gardens have been improved by successive generations up to the present day. Many famous architects and garden designers have been employed, including Henry Keene, Robert and James Adam, ‘Capability’ Brown, C.R. Cockerell and Sir Charles Barry.

 

A visitor to Bowood today will see fine 18th-century architecture and splendid interiors: the Adam Orangery, the Chapel and Library by C.R. Cockerell, the New Hall, the Sculpture Gallery and the Laboratory where Dr Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen in 1774. There is also a series of exhibition rooms with a wealth of fine furniture, costumes, pocelain, jewellery and paintings on display. Outside, the house is surrounded by ‘Capability’ Brown’s stunning park; there are magnificent formal gardens, a ‘Picturesque’ rockwork garden; and the renowned pinetum and arboretum

 

The first house at Bowood was built c.1725, on the site of a hunting lodge in the former Royal Forest of Chippenham. The house and park were bought by the 1st Earl in 1754, who employed architect Henry Keene to extend the house, including an imposing portico, and to build an extensive E-shaped service wing behind it.

 

Soon after his father’s death, the 2nd Earl (1737–1805) commissioned the Adam Brothers to decorate the important rooms and to screen the service courts with a grand orangery. An Adam mausoleum for the 1st Earl was also constructed in the park. At the same time, ‘Capability’ Brown was employed to remove the earlier semi-formal gardens and create an open, gentle landscape, with a sinuous lake and belts of trees, all typical of his style. A ha-ha was constructed near the house and a ‘pleasure ground’, for interesting trees and shrubs, was formed behind the house.

 

In the 1770s, the two parts of the house at Bowood (the ‘Big House’ and the ‘Little house’) were joined together by the building of an enormous drawing room. During the following decade, a ‘Picturesque’ rockwork garden, with a beautiful cascade, grottoes and a hermit’s cave, was formed at the head of the lake.

 

The 2nd Earl, Prime Minister from 1782 to 1783, was created Marquess of Lansdowne for negotiating peace with America after the War of Independence. He furnished Bowood and his London Home, Lansdowne House, with superb collections of paintings, furniture and Classical sculpture.

 

His father having died deeply in debt, the 2nd Marquess (1765–1809) stayed away from Bowood after the contents were sold. It was the 3rd Marquess (1780–1863), Chancellor of the Exchequer at 25, who restored the house, commissioning C.R.Cockerell to design the chapel and alter the library, and Sir Charles Barry to build the clock tower. The famous terrace gardens also date to this period as do the pinetum and arboretum in the Pleasure Grounds and the first planting of rhododendrons.

 

A distinguished statesman, the 3rd Marquess served in the House of Lords under eight prime ministers, and formed another great collection of paintings and sculpture, rivalling those of his father. A number of these works are seen at Bowood today.

 

The 4th Marquess (1816–1866) married Emily de Flahault, granddaughter of Prince Talleyrand and daughter of the Comte de Flahault who was Napoleon’s aide de camp; and it was through this connection that the fascinating Napoleonic Collection at Bowood came into the family. The 4th Marquess was responsible for having the small Doric Temple removed from the Pleasure Grounds to the far side of the lake [illus].

 

When the 5th Marquess (1845–1927) succeeded, the family fortunes were again in decline. He became Governor-General of Canada and Viceroy of India. On his return to Bowood in 1894, the Big House was used only for entertaining and the family lived in the Little House. The situation remained unchanged during the life of the 6th Marquess (1872–1936) and up until the Second World War.

 

Both the 7th Marquess and his brother were killed in action in 1944, the title and property passing to their cousin. During the War, the Big House was occupied by a school, then by the RAF. Afterwards, it was left empty, and by 1955 it was so dilapidated that the 8th Marquess decided to demolish it, employing architect F. Sortain Samuels to convert the Little House into a more comfortable home.

 

The grounds have been developed over the years to become one of the special glories of Bowood, encompassing almost every phase of English garden design from the early Georgian period onwards. The present Marquis of Lansdowne opened the house and gardens to the public in 1975. He has maintained and improved Bowood’s many magnificent features over the last 30 years, initiating major replanting schemes and introducing new plantings, such as the daffodils in Lake Field and the tree ferns in the Rhododendron Walks.

 

The park remains much as ‘Capability’ Brown intended, with a fine lake, gently sloping lawns and drifts of trees. The late 18th century ‘Picturesque’ rockwork valley remains below the lake dam, incorporating the cascade and caves. Closer to the house are the great 19th-century Italianate terraces: originally lying in the angle between the Big and Little Houses, they now form the south front to the house.

I'm not entirely sure what is so new and improved about this lotion.

 

A friend once described some lotions as having a band-aid like smell. The new version definitely has much more band-aid smell, but I don't think that is an improvement.

 

Sunnyvale, CA

The Brisbane Courier

30 August 1930

 

SUNNYBANK - FRUIT GROWING AND MARKET GARDENING

 

Sunnybank, situated about 10 miles from Brisbane, along the Southport railway line, possesses a variety of rich soils, and is notable for its production of tropical fruits - particularly pawpaws - and for market-gardening.

 

Although the district was settled many years ago, when Brisbane was in its infancy, little had been done up to 20 years ago in the way of extensive development. Since then, however, Sunnybank has become one of the best-developed and prolific agricultural areas around the metropolis. The Sunnybank of these days may be said to comprise two sections - residential, immediately along the railway line, and the other a strip of rich ridgy country back from the line. On this section are several families holding well-improved farms of from 5 to 15 acres in extent.

 

One of the earliest settlers was the late Mr. W. Soutter, a noted authority on agricultural matters, and for many years director of the Brisbane Acclimatisation Gardens, who often remarked that Sunnybank would one day come to be noted among the agricultural areas of the South Coast, and that it would be a prominent source of fruit and vegetable supply to the Brisbane markets. All this has come to pass, and in the last 17 years the district has been developed In a remarkable manner. The progress continues steadily, and fresh lands are being cleared and tilled.

 

The area has many attractions, from a residential point of view, being high, healthy, and convenient to Brisbane - a motor drive of half an hour, and possibly some day there will be a demand for the rich farm lands for residential purposes. The farmers, however, are hopeful that this will not take place for years to come.

 

Incidentally It may be mentioned that soon after the Great War a large area of the district was set apart as a soldiers' residential area, and was surveyed into quarter-acre, blocks. There was no great rush of applicants, however, and the area Is now being resurveyed into 10-acre blocks, which, it is expected, will be taken up readily by persons desirous of taking up farming or poultry raising.

 

Queensland State Archives Image ID 27238

Improved bush beans perform better than local varieties, but delivery systems to get them to farmers are key. Visit: www.pabra-africa.org

 

Credit: ©2015CIAT/StephanieMalyon

Please credit accordingly and leave a comment when you use a CIAT photo.

For more info: ciat-comunicaciones@cgiar.org

 

Yellow maize of improved maize variety on display in northern Nigeria.

When we are on a trip I usually take a backup camera and photos as well, In Nice the Canon G1X was mainly used in the first three, very wet days. I can keep the smaller camera dry in a pocket and quickly use it and put it away. These photos are of the same places as those taken later with the 5D but in entirely different conditions, dull, wet and in the dark – the umbrella photos! I had good fun grabbing shots in the dark on the streets, shops, diners, waiters, people with their heads down and brollys up as the rain came down. The Cote d’Azur is milky white, I guess due to the colour of the water that enters the sea from the two rivers. The rivers were carrying a fair volume down from the mountains and it was just like milk in colour. There was a distinct line in the sea, azure and milky white, were the two met but didn’t mix immediately. The streets wet and reflecting the lights, the rooftop photos saturated with colour due to being wet.

We had our January break in Nice this year. This is our combined Christmas and Jayne’s birthday present, which suits me as I can ignore Christmas and no presents to buy. A good result all round. We knew that the weather was forecast to be bad for at least three days which was a bit depressing but there’s nothing you can do about it. We flew from Liverpool, a nice little airport, landed in heavy rain – and it rained almost non-stop for three days. South East France suffered flooding, landslips, airlifts – and deaths! Home from home. Despite having walking gear, waterproofs etc., I had to buy an umbrella. I have never seen as many people with umbrellas, even the young lads had them. They are obviously used to rain – but without the wind to rip the brolly to shreds.

Nice has a pebble beach, the sea was rough on arrival but what we realised later, was that the pebbles were three foot deep on top of the concrete bases that the hotels across the road have bars, settees and tables set up on. For a couple of days tracked Bobcats moved hundreds of tonnes on pebbles, later in the week there were carpets and immaculately laid tables set out on the beach every day, even in January. Every day people swam in the sea and in some cases sunbathed. The temperature peaked at 15C but with the lack of wind it was pleasant, at times though it was cold and snow appeared overnight on the distant mountains, the beginning of the Southern Alps I think.

We walked over 90 miles in seven days and for three days in pouring rain, weighing up the photo possibilities, with the intentions of going back when the weather picked up. On Monday, day four, things improved, on Tuesday and Wednesday it was gorgeous, Thursday was duller. If we had had better weather we would have visited Cannes and Monaco etc. but as it was we stayed within walking distance of Nice. We walked up Castle Hill ( Colline du Chateau) several times in different weather, likewise Mont Boron and Mont Alban. The views were stunning. A peninsula below us was Cap Ferrat and we had an epic day out there, over twenty miles including the 14 Km path around the entire peninsula – the second most expensive place in the world to buy a home apparently. The gates on the driveway would cost more than a small house in Huddersfield. A beautiful place though.

We went to the old Town (Vieux Nice), Cimiez, Villefranche-sur-Mer, the fantastic Russian Cathedral, Pretty much everywhere it was worth walking in the time we had. We walked from 8.30 am until 8.30 pm with barstops for a glass or two of French wine – got to keep it civilised! I had a pretty heavy backpack on with my camera gear and waterproofs etc.

All in all we had a great time but! I made a big mistake, I inadvertently put an 8 Gb CF card back in my camera, formatted it - without checking what was on it – and put another 250 photos on it. I realised when I got home that there was a problem. These photos were the best of the trip, Our second visit to the Russian Cathedral, it was closed the first time, in stunning light, and no crowds. I spotted a giant Cumulonimbus over the snow covered mountains, just as the sun was setting and turning it pink and orange. It was similar to the one I photographed at home recently, A photo of which was on the BBC weather coincidentally. I couldn’t believe my luck, the only way I could get a view of it was by taking a ride on the giant Ferris wheel nearby. We ran to it and they took us around five times, each time I fired away and got some fantastic photos – all gone! At the time I was extremely disappointed but you have to put these things in perspective – it’s nobody’s life. We were there for a break and a change of scenery and we got it, the photos make the trip for me but I still have a thousand great photos, there might have to be a next time though.

For more about Mark@jbschofieldandsons and the history of the company and its vehicles follow the link www.jbschofieldandsons.co.uk/

improved some of the structure.

She improved her uterine fibroids without operation.

credit Georgina Smith / CIAT. For more info contact g.smith@cgiar.org

The GH3 improves my GH2 in almost every way. This was shot using in-camera Dynamic B&W. Only post work is slight selective brightness and contrast adjustments using Snapseed. Lens is the Panasonic 7-14mm f4.

 

This a fave spot of mine in town that I first shot back in 2005.