The camera is on a walking tour of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

 

One encounter was this cute custom camper parked on Thornton Street outside the Ivanhoe Hotel,

 

The top of the camper has the look of a coffin IMO. Is this an undertakers advertisement?

 

Here's the story behind that unique wooden camper rolling around Vancouver:

 

Courtesy Vancouver is Awesome by Bob Kronbauer

 

Vancouver photographer Ian Azariah took advantage of his downtime during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic to construct a dream camper that's turning heads pretty much everywhere it goes.

 

As he tells Vancouver Is Awesome, as lockdowns resulted in events being cancelled, that affected his ability to obtain photography work. He used the spare time he wound up having to bring life to an idea that "had been kicking around" in his head for years.

 

He invested a few thousand hours and a few thousand dollars into the creation, and had a lot of help from his girlfriend, Denise Birsan, and pal, Colin D. Watt.

  

The trio worked on the project inside The Ellis Building, an event space on Main Street which also had a lack of bookings due to events being cancelled.

 

They laboured from late March of 2020 until July 18th when they embarked on their maiden voyage in it - a trip that took them over 3,000 kilometers of highways in B.C. over a span of a few weeks.

 

Inspired by cedar strip canoes and wooden boats, Azariah came up with the design on his own and says that while it may look deceptively heavy, it's actually quite light. It's made of a 1/2" cedar frame with a fiberglass coating for added strength.

 

And while it gives off a retro vibe perched atop his Toyota pickup truck, he tells us that "I feel like I'm driving around in a Lambo because of where the price of lumber is these days"

 

When asked how he managed to build the thing with no formal carpentry training, he says he describes himself as a "self-taught, unconventional builder" who grew up building skateboard ramps with his friends.

 

To others thinking of taking on their dream project he offers the advice that "There's nothing saying you can't do these things. Any task is manageable over time, with perseverance."

 

Keep an eye out for this rolling wonder near Main Street and on the backroads, and check out Azariah's Instagram Stories to see the entire build shown in a series of time-lapse videos. Lastly, send me an email (bobk@vancouverisawesome.com) if you've completed a project during the pandemic that you'd like us to know about. We hope to share more stories like this one.

After leaving the general store in Bass Pro at the Pyramid, this was the scene at the entrance to the cool purple-lighted elevator to the observation deck/restaurant. The line would have been manageable however, especially considering I've heard stories of it being far longer at times. Everyone else in our little group wanted to continue on exploring other things, and consequently we never made it back to this area or the observation deck itself. Oh yeah, did I mention there was a restaurant up there as well!?

____________________________________

Bass Pro Shops, 1991-built (as The Pyramid arena), Bass Pro Dr. at Riverside Dr./Front St., Memphis

On the face of it the triskelion or triskele as it's also known is just a motif with three-fold rotational symmetry. It is, of course, much more than that. It is the headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D in the Marvel Comics and film franchises, it is the national symbol of Sicily (where is is called 'trinacria') and different versions of it have been found in cultures worldwide for thousands of years.

 

More importantly however it is also the national symbol of the Isle of Man where it's known as the 'Three legs on Mann' and a version with armoured legs with yellow flourishes is featured on the flag against a plain red background. The Sicilians also feature a triskele on their flag but theirs has bare legs, the face of Medusa, three ears of wheat and they favour a yellow and red background. Which makes it all sound a bit busy for my liking.

 

Anyway today's piece is a manageable A3 in size was inspired by all the above nonsense. Drop us a line if interested...

 

Cheers

 

id-iom

So I'll wear it with my more manageable and matching blue boots

♦ Instructions available at BrickVault ♦

 

This is it! After the Torment, the Negotiator proudly joins my Midi-Scale capital ship collection, engineered with the same philosophy in mind: maximizing accuracy, features and proportions of the original model in a moderate size.

 

Made of 3,145 pieces, 68cm (27 inches) long, weighing 1,6kg, the Negotiator is a medium-sized, modular Venator-class Star Destroyer holding on a single, unique Lego stand.

 

This piece of work is the result of weeks of designing, engineering and intense testing. I wanted the Negotiator to be dense, massive-looking, intricate and packed with detail, while being compact and manageable.

 

Building at such a scale, I had to take into account every possible constraint (balance, weight distribution, structure sturdiness) while never compromising any aesthetics (SNOT look, thickness, greeble).

 

The Negotiator features every intricate part of the studio model: turrets, hangar and docking bays, engines, bridge, greeble... with utter attention to detail and proportions of the original ship, as seen in the Prequels.

 

► Instructions for the Negotiator are available at BrickVault!

I cut her hair the other day, it was too long...Now it's much more manageable ^^

Since I took a group shot on this same day last year, I've decided to make it an annual tradition. My doll family seems to be shrinking rather than growing, but it is now down to a manageable size for me. And with the sale of three dolls, I almost reached my goal of having an all-Volks family. Thank you all so much for your support and interest in my dolls and photos all year, it is greatly appreciated! ♡

 

Last night's attempt at capturing some Perseid meteors, just two bright trails in this image made from 229 exposures of 30 seconds each. Plenty of activity from Gatwick Airport and a decent set of star trails, lighting courtesy of a nearly full moon.

From dusk tonight, 12th August, into the morning of the 13th should be the peak of the meteor shower, the weather is looking good and it should be warm under the night sky.

All that is needed is a camera, wide or standard zoom lens, a tripod and a reasonably dark sky. My usual settings are manual exposure, 30 seconds, f2.8 or f4, ISO 100 or 200, drive mode set to the fastest possible on your camera, carefully manual focus at infinity, a remote release (cable or wireless if available) set to continuous release which should minimise gaps between exposures and something comfortable to sit on.

Using a fine .jpg setting helps to keep the total file size to a manageable level for subsequent processing. StarStax and Affinity Photo are my usual choices for post processing, but there is a huge range of software available to use.

Good luck, hope you manage to see and capture loads of meteors.

 

---

Now I wouldn't typically condone such brazen behaviour of skipping sleep on a school night, but sometime the conditions or should I say the opportunity presents itself and you just need to sacrifice something. Being tired at work today was well worth the sacrifice of no sleep last night...

 

Rewind a few hours around 8pm yesterday evening as the light of the day was beginning to ebb I succumb to this nagging urge to try an shoot the Milky Way and specifically the Galactic Core. From Worcestershire! - I know right! Milky Way hunting in the Midlands who would have thought it.

 

The weather and new moon was ideal with the evening forecast suggesting a cooling temperature and light to no breeze. Due to having work at 07:30 the challenge was to find a suitable location within 10 miles of where I live. This location needed manageable light pollution, reasonable access and somewhere I could get back home before 4am to get at least 2 hours sleep.

 

So come 00:30 armed with a couple of hours trawling google maps and a whole host of weather and astrophotography related applications, I picked a spot, that I thought might give me what I was looking for and set off

 

Arriving at around 01:00 hiked up in the darkness (new moon) for around 30 mins finally reaching my destination, spent the next few mins trying to work out a composition and dialled in the settings. Come 03:00 its was time to head back to the car!

Bryant Park in the snow - empty with snow-covered chairs and trees during winter storm Nemo in midtown Manhattan.

 

---

 

Camera: Sony a99 | Lens: 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

 

---

 

I live for snowstorms in New York City. So you can just imagine how bummed I was last winter season when we barely got any snow. Growing up in New York City, I remember quite a few blizzards and its with fond nostalgia that I always wish for at least one great snowstorm during the winter. New York City is extra beautiful when covered in a blanket of freshly fallen snow.

 

When I heard that winter storm Nemo (also known as the Blizzard of 2013, February snowstorm and other terms) was going to deliver some gorgeous white flakes from the sky I was more than ready for it. The photos in this set are not edited the way I would normally edit them. I just basically imported them into Lightroom and adjusted some contrast in a few cases from the RAW files. I will most likely go through the photos here plus others that I am not posting and give them the Vivienne treatment at some point. I am just floored at how incredible it was to shoot the snow with the Sony a99. I did go out of my way to protect it despite it being weather-sealed since it isn't technically my camera and since my lenses also needed protection. I must have been quite a sight in my ski-mask, enormous scarf, giant winter boots and a camera covered in plastic. :) It seemed like I had an easier time shooting in this snowstorm than in the two blizzards that I took photos in back in 2010 and 2011. I think it's because the wind was far more manageable and because I was out before the blizzard hit with full force. While the snow was heavy, the winds were easy to deal with in some respects since the gusts were few and far between.

 

I decided to walk from where I live on the Lower East Side all the way to Times Square since I do this particular walk frequently and know all of the spots I have always wanted to capture in the snow. I had a blast! The wind did get stronger and stronger as I got closer to Times Square and by the time I made my way home it was full-on blizzard conditions so I think I went at the optimal time. I somehow managed to take photos in the East Village, around Union Square, Chelsea (in truth, I had really hoped that the Empire State Building would be visible but it was completely hidden by the snow and lack of visibility), 5th Avenue, Midtown, the New York Public Library on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, Bryant Park (which was absolutely ethereal in the snow) and finally Times Square.

 

And so, the photos here are pretty much almost straight out of the camera save for a few tweaks to levels, no fancy tinkering (but I can't wait to do so!).

  

--

 

View more of my New York City photography at my website NY Through The Lens.

 

View my photography profile on Google Plus: New York City photography by Vivienne Gucwa

 

To purchase any of my work view my site gallery for info here.

  

To use any of my photos commercially, simply click the link which reads "Request to license Vivienne Gucwa's photos via Getty Images". This link can be found on the bottom right corner of the page of the photo you are interested in using.

60015 & 60017 (6E47) Margam Terminal Complex to Middlesbrough Dawson Ayrton is seen passing Spetchley Loop avoiding a scheduled stop hauled by two Class 60's believed to be heading for Toton. The working with an interesting consist of ISO tanktainers and covered steel wagons was just about manageable as the light disappeared as the day drew to end.

Damselflies and dragonflies of Dorset # 27

 

The spring of 2025 is proving to be an excellent one for long-distance migrant Red-veined Darters arriving in Britain from central and southern Europe. Rather like Painted Lady butterflies, some years there are very few whilst in other years there are hundreds if not thousands.

 

PERMIT ME A RATHER LONG BACK STORY.

Like many other enthusiasts I was aware from social media that they were on their way as they were being reported in numbers from both the near continent and the UK in early May. Therefore it was no surprise that reports started to come in from the Isle of Portland. Great! However, the insects were quite mobile and difficult for people to track down.

 

Keeping an eye on proceedings, someone eventually discovered double-figure numbers at a previously 'unknown' locality. The person even mentioned that in 6-7 years wildlife recording on Portland's very small island, he had never been to this place before. It did indeed take quite a bit of sleuthing to figure out where the location was. It was a quarry that isn't even named on the flickr geotag system.

 

Eventually I figured it out to be a small pool at the bottom of the stone quarry between one of the prisons and the village of Wakeham. Everything on the internet said the quarry was now closed / abandoned. However, I was pretty sure I had seen workings on the site a couple of years ago. When we arrived, I could clearly see activity and machinery working but technically it was in the next quarry along, though barely separated by a bank of rubble.

 

So we persevered, walking around the top edge of the quarry until we could actually see where the pool was situated. The next hurdle was how the heck to get down there? Perseverance again paid off. 15 minutes later we found what looked like a manageable rocky slope down to the bottom rather than the sheer cliff face of the quarry elsewhere.

 

You can see the result above! There are other identification features but if you look carefully you can make out the red veins on the wings. It is the only the third time I have seen the species in the UK, the first being in 1996. It is the first I've seen in Dorset so becomes my 27th odonata species in the county.

Some updates:

 

I will have to close my shop for a bit and stop taking commissions until I finish most heads here. I should still re-open each month, but sadly, I will have to get back to a very limited number of slots/month to be able to finish commissions in a month (by the time the next slots open). I will probably have 3-4 slots each month. I will try to make an announcement of this and stop taking new orders after a few days.

 

If anyone wanted to send heads or was in discussion with me to do so, they are still welcome to send me orders, but only for the next few days. After this it will be the slot system/month. Sorry guys, I have to try and build a manageable schedule. > <;;;

I shot this on Saturday evening, after Scotch came home from his Friday morning throat surgery on his almost completely paralyzed larynx. He's going to have to tolerate his portrait being taken a bit longer now, though I'm fairly certain he won't have any objections.

 

He's had health issues since arriving in Los Angeles at the very end of December and while some were just symptoms of aging, the most prominent issue was Laryngeal Paralysis which ultimately seemed to be what would cut his long life short. It was manageable last Fall when it first came up and the cool weather suppressed a lot of the associated problems. The move here began in mid december and was in part a chance photograph my way across the country but also to take a seasoned canine roadtripper on the ultimate 4,000+ mile late in life car ride and eventually his first chance to see the ocean.

 

Out here, the condition began to worsen pretty quickly, even with the cooler, breezy winter conditions and once the temperatures began to rise again, I started to worry he wouldn't survive the summer. He stayed in most of the spring and summer in the air conditioning and his activities became very limited, despite his best efforts to continue doing the things he loved. Trip after trip to the vet for things including getting a urinary tract infection, contracting ecoli, and losing his hearing caused him to be terrified of the car since that seemed to be the only time he was forced to go anywhere. When he finally hit 13 at the end of October, I was extremely relieved because I thought maybe he'd be able to stick around through the fall and winter, however his conditions worsened dramatically after, with his terribly labored breathing switching to silent, very strained gasps for air. Even 5 minutes out and back in for the bathroom would cause either 45 minutes of uncontrollable panting or this fish out of water type gasping until he'd wear himself out enough to fall asleep.

 

About a week ago, I realized that he was dying and even though he was happy, his body wouldn't allow him to function properly. I tried everything I could to keep him calm and comfortable, while figuring out how to deal with all this myself. When it finally seemed like he may only have a few days left, I began to panic and decided the only chance he had would be to see if the surgery was still an option. When I called Thursday morning, they asked if a visit on Monday would work and I told them I didn't think he'd survive until then so he went in first thing Friday. If he was still a candidate for the surgery, he would have it later that morning and sure enough, I got the call around noon that the surgery was a success and "textbook" and that he'd be ready to come home with a new lease on life after this last minute reprieve of sorts.

 

I've never had to deal with a senior dog before Scotch entered that phase of life and for the first 3 years of his life, thinking he'd make it to old age seemed entirely unlikely as he dealt with numerous issues including seizures, extreme nervousness and anxiety and the inability to productively socialize with other dogs as a result. As he got older and healthier, I still sort of expected those seizures to return or some byproduct of those conditions to affect his health but overall he stayed very healthy. However, this past week, I finally realized I would have to make a decision very soon on whether or not his suffering was too much for him to endure.

 

I'm sure if you've read my descriptions about him over the last year or so, it may seem like I'm obsessed with him or too emotional about his outlook and to some degree that's true but really, he's more than just a dog to me. He represents a time period in my life that I've tried to hold onto for a long time. After my baseball career ended and I struggled to figure out my purpose, Scotch entered my life during a time when life was starting to look up. Over the last 13 years, nearly every aspect from that segment of my life have slowly disappeared: friendships ended, relationships came and went, all my belongings and reminders got lost or simply fell apart from age and he somehow became the very last link I had to all that. Through all the good times and bad, the one constant has been Scotch and I appreciate that more each day.

 

So anyway, extremely relieved Scotch is still around and I imagine as a result, the descriptions with his portraits will slowly become much more positive and optimistic. It sort of started to feel like I was writing an obituary with each posted portrait and sometimes I'd end up deleting the shot since what I wrote up was so depressing to read. I don't know how much time he will ultimately have but hopefully he can live out the rest of his life without much pain and discomfort and enjoy each day to the fullest :)

 

SCOTCH

Age 13

Hollywood, California

November 5th, 2016

 

SETTINGS

Canon T4i

EF40mm f/2.8 STM

ISO 200

f/2.8

1/13th second

  

No, the Furball dio has not been rebuilt. This is my unofficial contest tip line for the 2012 Military Building Competition, which I’m co-judging. Please note, there is no formula to guarantee a win in any contest. These are just a few tips that I have discovered through experience and/or observed in others’ successes. Some of these are generalized, while others are more specifically slanted to one category or another.

 

- Be patient! This seems to be especially problematic for the younger builders out there. Rarely does a masterpiece come together quickly. And don’t take this to mean only large MOCs. Minor details (or lack thereof) will shine all the brighter on a small build. It will not be perfect the first time around! In fact, even if it looks good to you after you finish, your thoughts might not be the same the next day. I recommend setting your MOC aside for a couple days after you complete it. Build on something unrelated, or read a book, or go for a hike. Then come back to your MOC and re-evaluate. Try to remember your goals from when you started. Did you meet them? Did you exceed them? Most of all, are you still satisfied? If so (and it may be precisely so) then take some pictures and post it! What we see too much of, however, are mediocre MOCs being posted mere days after the contest announcement, because people got over-excited to put it out there. You’ve got two months. Use em’!

 

- Quality over Quantity! We all admire someone who can build prolifically (I certainly wish I could), but your chances don’t improve merely because you enter every category. The devil is in the details, and detail can be hard to achieve if you’re rushing to build more entries than you’re able.

 

- Speaking of details, try to include details you don’t expect anyone will notice! I’m not joking here. Your viewers may indeed not detect them, but if they do, it will reinforce the fact that you worked hard and put a lot of thought into your build. How often do you see a note on some tiny feature of a MOC pointing out how amazed people are that it was included and/or achieved in Lego form? Often it is the minutest details that separate a great MOC from a good one.

 

- Don’t be afraid of new scales! You’ll notice that only four of the ten categories say they must be built at minifig scale. Middle-East Aircraft, Drawing Board Armor, and Forced Perspective can all use minifig scale or, if you so choose, abandon them entirely. You may notice my dio above includes nothing remotely near minifig scale. Nor (arguably) does –infomaniac-‘s recent masterpiece, while great builders like Ralph often go larger than fig-scale to maximize detail. Minifigs have a special place in all our hearts, but they can also be constraining. I’m not trying to discourage fig scale, but rather to encourage more variety and maybe a little outside-the-comfort-zone experience. I didn’t expect the feeling when first I tried microscale, but abandoning the minifig can be surprisingly liberating (yeah, yeah, insert bra joke here). So toss your figs aside and join the movement!

 

- Microscale doesn’t necessarily mean small! This is a common misconception for those still struggling to break the bonds of the minifig. A successful micro build often won't fit in a quaint 8x8 footprint - in fact it may not feel micro at all by the time you're done. It took me a while and some very mediocre micro MOCs before I actually internalized this lesson. The real trigger for me was building at a set scale. Now when I build a micro aircraft, I know I want it to conform to a 1:100 scale, which means my parts selection is dictated by the scale, rather than the scale being dictated by the parts I happen across. I know this sounds a little silly, but I think it’s a mindset that helped me. Note that I’m not trying to dictate a scale to others; I know some builders who are just as comfortable at 1:80. And if you’re going for a Spruce Goose, 1:150 may make it more manageable. Just realize, the smaller scale you work with, the harder it is to duplicate telltale details. Find what works for you.

 

- Don’t lean on your Brickarms! We all know and love the cute little weapons, but they net you precisely zilch if you try to center your MOC around them. This is a building competition, after all, not a display-custom-parts competition. Brickarms will do nothing to prop up a weak build.

 

- Hire a landscaper! No, I don’t mean someone to trim the hedges while you build. Diorama MOCs live and die by their terrain. Throwing a bunch of figs and mechs on a baseplate will not win you any acclaim. Lego is a visual medium, and when it comes to dioramas, the eye tends to be pleased by changes in elevation – especially changes of the not-so-rectangular variety. I know this can be parts intensive, and every time I build a dio, I feel like I’m scraping the bottom of my bins, but it’s always worthwhile. It also takes some planning, especially if you’re creating "negative elevation" (foxholes, trenches, etc. - Pepik’s MOCs always spring to mind), but again, this goes back to the note on detail – everyone will know you put a lot of work into that sloped landscape with a 4-brick-deep bomb crater blown in the middle.

 

Another way to look at it: try to beat the Castlers at their own game. Castle MOCs usually have to stand on the basis of their terrain and structures, rather than action. Build a dio on par with a great castle builder, and then add your action, and you know you’ve done something great!

 

- Don’t be afraid to rebuild! This is another habit I had to ease myself into. It seems to be especially true of vehicle MOCs. You’ll invariably notice some deficiency in your build that requires a change somewhere deep in its core (especially annoying when that’s a technic frame). You know the new detail (again with the details!) will necessitate an utter dismantling of the MOC to make room. So this time rather than just shrugging and saying “oh well,” take some reference photos (or if your collection allows, build a parallel core) and rebuild. 99% of the time, the result will be a markedly improved MOC.

 

Whew, all that sounds like a lot of work! Well, it probably should. After all, your fellow competitors are working hard to beat you. Sun Tzu wisely said, “Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.” A winning builder sees his successful model in the early stages of building.

 

Ok, enough philosophy. Feel free to ask questions, either here or in the official FAQ thread. My last, and perhaps most important piece of advice – despite my tl;dr essay about hard work, frustration, and challenges – is to enjoy yourself! Lego building is about having fun!

++++ FROM WIKIPEDIA ++++

  

Myanmar (Burmese pronunciation: [mjəmà]),[nb 1][8] officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia. Myanmar is bordered by India and Bangladesh to its west, Thailand and Laos to its east and China to its north and northeast. To its south, about one third of Myanmar's total perimeter of 5,876 km (3,651 mi) forms an uninterrupted coastline of 1,930 km (1,200 mi) along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The country's 2014 census counted the population to be 51 million people.[9] As of 2017, the population is about 54 million.[10] Myanmar is 676,578 square kilometers (261,228 square miles) in size. Its capital city is Naypyidaw, and its largest city and former capital is Yangon (Rangoon).[1] Myanmar has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1997.

 

Early civilisations in Myanmar included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Burma.[11] In the 9th century, the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and, following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s, the Burmese language, culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country. The Pagan Kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several warring states emerged. In the 16th century, reunified by the Taungoo Dynasty, the country was for a brief period the largest empire in the history of Mainland Southeast Asia.[12] The early 19th century Konbaung Dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Manipur and Assam as well. The British took over the administration of Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony. Myanmar was granted independence in 1948, as a democratic nation. Following a coup d'état in 1962, it became a military dictatorship.

 

For most of its independent years, the country has been engrossed in rampant ethnic strife and its myriad ethnic groups have been involved in one of the world's longest-running ongoing civil wars. During this time, the United Nations and several other organisations have reported consistent and systematic human rights violations in the country.[13] In 2011, the military junta was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election, and a nominally civilian government was installed. This, along with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners, has improved the country's human rights record and foreign relations, and has led to the easing of trade and other economic sanctions.[14] There is, however, continuing criticism of the government's treatment of ethnic minorities, its response to the ethnic insurgency, and religious clashes.[15] In the landmark 2015 election, Aung San Suu Kyi's party won a majority in both houses. However, the Burmese military remains a powerful force in politics.

 

Myanmar is a country rich in jade and gems, oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. In 2013, its GDP (nominal) stood at US$56.7 billion and its GDP (PPP) at US$221.5 billion.[6] The income gap in Myanmar is among the widest in the world, as a large proportion of the economy is controlled by supporters of the former military government.[16] As of 2016, Myanmar ranks 145 out of 188 countries in human development, according to the Human Development Index.[7]

Etymology

Main article: Names of Myanmar

 

In 1989, the military government officially changed the English translations of many names dating back to Burma's colonial period or earlier, including that of the country itself: "Burma" became "Myanmar". The renaming remains a contested issue.[17] Many political and ethnic opposition groups and countries continue to use "Burma" because they do not recognise the legitimacy of the ruling military government or its authority to rename the country.[18]

 

In April 2016, soon after taking office, Aung San Suu Kyi clarified that foreigners are free to use either name, "because there is nothing in the constitution of our country that says that you must use any term in particular".[19]

 

The country's official full name is the "Republic of the Union of Myanmar" (ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်, Pyidaunzu Thanmăda Myăma Nainngandaw, pronounced [pjìdàʊɴzṵ θàɴməda̰ mjəmà nàɪɴŋàɴdɔ̀]). Countries that do not officially recognise that name use the long form "Union of Burma" instead.[20]

 

In English, the country is popularly known as either "Burma" or "Myanmar" /ˈmjɑːnˌmɑːr/ (About this sound listen).[8] Both these names are derived from the name of the majority Burmese Bamar ethnic group. Myanmar is considered to be the literary form of the name of the group, while Burma is derived from "Bamar", the colloquial form of the group's name.[17] Depending on the register used, the pronunciation would be Bama (pronounced [bəmà]) or Myamah (pronounced [mjəmà]).[17] The name Burma has been in use in English since the 18th century.

 

Burma continues to be used in English by the governments of many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom.[21][22] Official United States policy retains Burma as the country's name, although the State Department's website lists the country as "Burma (Myanmar)" and Barack Obama has referred to the country by both names.[23] The Czech Republic officially uses Myanmar, although its Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentions both Myanmar and Burma on its website.[24] The United Nations uses Myanmar, as do the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia,[25] Russia, Germany,[26] China, India, Bangladesh, Norway,[27] Japan[21] and Switzerland.[28]

 

Most English-speaking international news media refer to the country by the name Myanmar, including the BBC,[29] CNN,[30] Al Jazeera,[31] Reuters,[32] RT (Russia Today) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)/Radio Australia.[33]

 

Myanmar is known with a name deriving from Burma as opposed to Myanmar in Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Greek – Birmania being the local version of Burma in the Spanish language, for example. Myanmar used to be known as "Birmânia" in Portuguese, and as "Birmanie" in French.[34] As in the past, French-language media today consistently use Birmanie.,[35][36]

History

Main article: History of Myanmar

Prehistory

Main articles: Prehistory of Myanmar and Migration period of ancient Burma

Pyu city-states c. 8th century; Pagan is shown for comparison only and is not contemporary.

 

Archaeological evidence shows that Homo erectus lived in the region now known as Myanmar as early as 750,000 years ago, with no more erectus finds after 75,000 years ago.[37] The first evidence of Homo sapiens is dated to about 11,000 BC, in a Stone Age culture called the Anyathian with discoveries of stone tools in central Myanmar. Evidence of neolithic age domestication of plants and animals and the use of polished stone tools dating to sometime between 10,000 and 6,000 BC has been discovered in the form of cave paintings in Padah-Lin Caves.[38]

 

The Bronze Age arrived circa 1500 BC when people in the region were turning copper into bronze, growing rice and domesticating poultry and pigs; they were among the first people in the world to do so.[39] Human remains and artefacts from this era were discovered in Monywa District in the Sagaing Division.[40] The Iron Age began around 500 BC with the emergence of iron-working settlements in an area south of present-day Mandalay.[41] Evidence also shows the presence of rice-growing settlements of large villages and small towns that traded with their surroundings as far as China between 500 BC and 200 AD.[42] Iron Age Burmese cultures also had influences from outside sources such as India and Thailand, as seen in their funerary practices concerning child burials. This indicates some form of communication between groups in Myanmar and other places, possibly through trade.[43]

Early city-states

Main articles: Pyu city-states and Mon kingdoms

 

Around the second century BC the first-known city-states emerged in central Myanmar. The city-states were founded as part of the southward migration by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states, the earliest inhabitants of Myanmar of whom records are extant, from present-day Yunnan.[44] The Pyu culture was heavily influenced by trade with India, importing Buddhism as well as other cultural, architectural and political concepts, which would have an enduring influence on later Burmese culture and political organisation.[45]

 

By the 9th century, several city-states had sprouted across the land: the Pyu in the central dry zone, Mon along the southern coastline and Arakanese along the western littoral. The balance was upset when the Pyu came under repeated attacks from Nanzhao between the 750s and the 830s. In the mid-to-late 9th century the Bamar people founded a small settlement at Bagan. It was one of several competing city-states until the late 10th century when it grew in authority and grandeur.[46]

Imperial Burma

Main articles: Pagan Kingdom, Taungoo Dynasty, and Konbaung Dynasty

See also: Ava Kingdom, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Kingdom of Mrauk U, and Shan States

Pagodas and kyaungs in present-day Bagan, the capital of the Pagan Kingdom.

 

Pagan gradually grew to absorb its surrounding states until the 1050s–1060s when Anawrahta founded the Pagan Kingdom, the first ever unification of the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Pagan Empire and the Khmer Empire were two main powers in mainland Southeast Asia.[47] The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon and Pali norms by the late 12th century.[48]

 

Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level, although Tantric, Mahayana, Hinduism, and folk religion remained heavily entrenched. Pagan's rulers and wealthy built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Pagan capital zone alone. Repeated Mongol invasions (1277–1301) toppled the four-century-old kingdom in 1287.[48]

Temples at Mrauk U.

 

Pagan's collapse was followed by 250 years of political fragmentation that lasted well into the 16th century. Like the Burmans four centuries earlier, Shan migrants who arrived with the Mongol invasions stayed behind. Several competing Shan States came to dominate the entire northwestern to eastern arc surrounding the Irrawaddy valley. The valley too was beset with petty states until the late 14th century when two sizeable powers, Ava Kingdom and Hanthawaddy Kingdom, emerged. In the west, a politically fragmented Arakan was under competing influences of its stronger neighbours until the Kingdom of Mrauk U unified the Arakan coastline for the first time in 1437.

 

Early on, Ava fought wars of unification (1385–1424) but could never quite reassemble the lost empire. Having held off Ava, Hanthawaddy entered its golden age, and Arakan went on to become a power in its own right for the next 350 years. In contrast, constant warfare left Ava greatly weakened, and it slowly disintegrated from 1481 onward. In 1527, the Confederation of Shan States conquered Ava itself, and ruled Upper Myanmar until 1555.

 

Like the Pagan Empire, Ava, Hanthawaddy and the Shan states were all multi-ethnic polities. Despite the wars, cultural synchronisation continued. This period is considered a golden age for Burmese culture. Burmese literature "grew more confident, popular, and stylistically diverse", and the second generation of Burmese law codes as well as the earliest pan-Burma chronicles emerged.[49] Hanthawaddy monarchs introduced religious reforms that later spread to the rest of the country.[50] Many splendid temples of Mrauk U were built during this period.

Taungoo and colonialism

Bayinnaung's Empire in 1580.

 

Political unification returned in the mid-16th century, due to the efforts of Taungoo, a former vassal state of Ava. Taungoo's young, ambitious king Tabinshwehti defeated the more powerful Hanthawaddy in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War (1534–41). His successor Bayinnaung went on to conquer a vast swath of mainland Southeast Asia including the Shan states, Lan Na, Manipur, Mong Mao, the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Lan Xang and southern Arakan. However, the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia unravelled soon after Bayinnaung's death in 1581, completely collapsing by 1599. Ayutthaya seized Tenasserim and Lan Na, and Portuguese mercenaries established Portuguese rule at Thanlyin (Syriam).

 

The dynasty regrouped and defeated the Portuguese in 1613 and Siam in 1614. It restored a smaller, more manageable kingdom, encompassing Lower Myanmar, Upper Myanmar, Shan states, Lan Na and upper Tenasserim. The Restored Toungoo kings created a legal and political framework whose basic features would continue well into the 19th century. The crown completely replaced the hereditary chieftainships with appointed governorships in the entire Irrawaddy valley, and greatly reduced the hereditary rights of Shan chiefs. Its trade and secular administrative reforms built a prosperous economy for more than 80 years. From the 1720s onward, the kingdom was beset with repeated Meithei raids into Upper Myanmar and a nagging rebellion in Lan Na. In 1740, the Mon of Lower Myanmar founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. Hanthawaddy forces sacked Ava in 1752, ending the 266-year-old Toungoo Dynasty.

A British 1825 lithograph of Shwedagon Pagoda shows British occupation during the First Anglo-Burmese War.

 

After the fall of Ava, the Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War involved one resistance group under Alaungpaya defeating the Restored Hanthawaddy, and by 1759, he had reunited all of Myanmar and Manipur, and driven out the French and the British, who had provided arms to Hanthawaddy. By 1770, Alaungpaya's heirs had subdued much of Laos (1765) and fought and won the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67) against Ayutthaya and the Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) against Qing China (1765–1769).[51]

 

With Burma preoccupied by the Chinese threat, Ayutthaya recovered its territories by 1770, and went on to capture Lan Na by 1776. Burma and Siam went to war until 1855, but all resulted in a stalemate, exchanging Tenasserim (to Burma) and Lan Na (to Ayutthaya). Faced with a powerful China and a resurgent Ayutthaya in the east, King Bodawpaya turned west, acquiring Arakan (1785), Manipur (1814) and Assam (1817). It was the second-largest empire in Burmese history but also one with a long ill-defined border with British India.[52]

 

The breadth of this empire was short lived. Burma lost Arakan, Manipur, Assam and Tenasserim to the British in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826). In 1852, the British easily seized Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War. King Mindon Min tried to modernise the kingdom, and in 1875 narrowly avoided annexation by ceding the Karenni States. The British, alarmed by the consolidation of French Indochina, annexed the remainder of the country in the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885.

 

Konbaung kings extended Restored Toungoo's administrative reforms, and achieved unprecedented levels of internal control and external expansion. For the first time in history, the Burmese language and culture came to predominate the entire Irrawaddy valley. The evolution and growth of Burmese literature and theatre continued, aided by an extremely high adult male literacy rate for the era (half of all males and 5% of females).[53] Nonetheless, the extent and pace of reforms were uneven and ultimately proved insufficient to stem the advance of British colonialism.

British Burma (1824–1948)

Main articles: British rule in Burma and Burma Campaign

Burma in British India

The landing of British forces in Mandalay after the last of the Anglo-Burmese Wars, which resulted in the abdication of the last Burmese monarch, King Thibaw Min.

British troops firing a mortar on the Mawchi road, July 1944.

 

The eighteenth century saw Burmese rulers, whose country had not previously been of particular interest to European traders, seek to maintain their traditional influence in the western areas of Assam, Manipur and Arakan. Pressing them, however, was the British East India Company, which was expanding its interests eastwards over the same territory. Over the next sixty years, diplomacy, raids, treaties and compromises continued until, after three Anglo-Burmese Wars (1824–1885), Britain proclaimed control over most of Burma.[54] British rule brought social, economic, cultural and administrative changes.

 

With the fall of Mandalay, all of Burma came under British rule, being annexed on 1 January 1886. Throughout the colonial era, many Indians arrived as soldiers, civil servants, construction workers and traders and, along with the Anglo-Burmese community, dominated commercial and civil life in Burma. Rangoon became the capital of British Burma and an important port between Calcutta and Singapore.

 

Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Yangon (Rangoon) on occasion all the way until the 1930s.[55] Some of the discontent was caused by a disrespect for Burmese culture and traditions such as the British refusal to remove shoes when they entered pagodas. Buddhist monks became the vanguards of the independence movement. U Wisara, an activist monk, died in prison after a 166-day hunger strike to protest against a rule that forbade him to wear his Buddhist robes while imprisoned.[56]

Separation of British Burma from British India

 

On 1 April 1937, Burma became a separately administered colony of Great Britain and Ba Maw the first Prime Minister and Premier of Burma. Ba Maw was an outspoken advocate for Burmese self-rule and he opposed the participation of Great Britain, and by extension Burma, in World War II. He resigned from the Legislative Assembly and was arrested for sedition. In 1940, before Japan formally entered the Second World War, Aung San formed the Burma Independence Army in Japan.

 

A major battleground, Burma was devastated during World War II. By March 1942, within months after they entered the war, Japanese troops had advanced on Rangoon and the British administration had collapsed. A Burmese Executive Administration headed by Ba Maw was established by the Japanese in August 1942. Wingate's British Chindits were formed into long-range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines.[57] A similar American unit, Merrill's Marauders, followed the Chindits into the Burmese jungle in 1943.[58] Beginning in late 1944, allied troops launched a series of offensives that led to the end of Japanese rule in July 1945. The battles were intense with much of Burma laid waste by the fighting. Overall, the Japanese lost some 150,000 men in Burma. Only 1,700 prisoners were taken.[59]

 

Although many Burmese fought initially for the Japanese as part of the Burma Independence Army, many Burmese, mostly from the ethnic minorities, served in the British Burma Army.[60] The Burma National Army and the Arakan National Army fought with the Japanese from 1942 to 1944 but switched allegiance to the Allied side in 1945. Under Japanese occupation, 170,000 to 250,000 civilians died.[61]

 

Following World War II, Aung San negotiated the Panglong Agreement with ethnic leaders that guaranteed the independence of Myanmar as a unified state. Aung Zan Wai, Pe Khin, Bo Hmu Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Dr. Sein Mya Maung, Myoma U Than Kywe were among the negotiators of the historical Panglong Conference negotiated with Bamar leader General Aung San and other ethnic leaders in 1947. In 1947, Aung San became Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Myanmar, a transitional government. But in July 1947, political rivals[62] assassinated Aung San and several cabinet members.[63]

Independence (1948–1962)

Main article: Post-independence Burma, 1948–62

British governor Hubert Elvin Rance and Sao Shwe Thaik at the flag raising ceremony on 4 January 1948 (Independence Day of Burma).

 

On 4 January 1948, the nation became an independent republic, named the Union of Burma, with Sao Shwe Thaik as its first President and U Nu as its first Prime Minister. Unlike most other former British colonies and overseas territories, Burma did not become a member of the Commonwealth. A bicameral parliament was formed, consisting of a Chamber of Deputies and a Chamber of Nationalities,[64] and multi-party elections were held in 1951–1952, 1956 and 1960.

 

The geographical area Burma encompasses today can be traced to the Panglong Agreement, which combined Burma Proper, which consisted of Lower Burma and Upper Burma, and the Frontier Areas, which had been administered separately by the British.[65]

 

In 1961, U Thant, then the Union of Burma's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Secretary to the Prime Minister, was elected Secretary-General of the United Nations, a position he held for ten years.[66] Among the Burmese to work at the UN when he was Secretary-General was a young Aung San Suu Kyi (daughter of Aung San), who went on to become winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

 

When the non-Burman ethnic groups pushed for autonomy or federalism, alongside having a weak civilian government at the centre, the military leadership staged a coup d’état in 1962. Though incorporated in the 1947 Constitution, successive military governments construed the use of the term ‘federalism’ as being anti-national, anti-unity and pro-disintegration.[67]

Military rule (1962–2011)

 

On 2 March 1962, the military led by General Ne Win took control of Burma through a coup d'état, and the government has been under direct or indirect control by the military since then. Between 1962 and 1974, Myanmar was ruled by a revolutionary council headed by the general. Almost all aspects of society (business, media, production) were nationalised or brought under government control under the Burmese Way to Socialism,[68] which combined Soviet-style nationalisation and central planning.

 

A new constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma was adopted in 1974. Until 1988, the country was ruled as a one-party system, with the General and other military officers resigning and ruling through the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP).[69] During this period, Myanmar became one of the world's most impoverished countries.[70]

Protesters gathering in central Rangoon, 1988.

 

There were sporadic protests against military rule during the Ne Win years and these were almost always violently suppressed. On 7 July 1962, the government broke up demonstrations at Rangoon University, killing 15 students.[68] In 1974, the military violently suppressed anti-government protests at the funeral of U Thant. Student protests in 1975, 1976, and 1977 were quickly suppressed by overwhelming force.[69]

 

In 1988, unrest over economic mismanagement and political oppression by the government led to widespread pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the country known as the 8888 Uprising. Security forces killed thousands of demonstrators, and General Saw Maung staged a coup d'état and formed the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). In 1989, SLORC declared martial law after widespread protests. The military government finalised plans for People's Assembly elections on 31 May 1989.[71] SLORC changed the country's official English name from the "Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma" to the "Union of Myanmar" in 1989.

 

In May 1990, the government held free elections for the first time in almost 30 years and the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, won 392 out of a total 492 seats (i.e., 80% of the seats). However, the military junta refused to cede power[72] and continued to rule the nation as SLORC until 1997, and then as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) until its dissolution in March 2011.

Protesters in Yangon during the 2007 Saffron Revolution with a banner that reads non-violence: national movement in Burmese. In the background is Shwedagon Pagoda.

 

On 23 June 1997, Myanmar was admitted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). On 27 March 2006, the military junta, which had moved the national capital from Yangon to a site near Pyinmana in November 2005, officially named the new capital Naypyidaw, meaning "city of the kings".[73]

Cyclone Nargis in southern Myanmar, May 2008.

 

In August 2007, an increase in the price of diesel and petrol led to the Saffron Revolution led by Buddhist monks that were dealt with harshly by the government.[74] The government cracked down on them on 26 September 2007. The crackdown was harsh, with reports of barricades at the Shwedagon Pagoda and monks killed. There were also rumours of disagreement within the Burmese armed forces, but none was confirmed. The military crackdown against unarmed protesters was widely condemned as part of the international reactions to the Saffron Revolution and led to an increase in economic sanctions against the Burmese Government.

 

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis caused extensive damage in the densely populated, rice-farming delta of the Irrawaddy Division.[75] It was the worst natural disaster in Burmese history with reports of an estimated 200,000 people dead or missing, damage totalled to 10 billion US dollars, and as many as 1 million left homeless.[76] In the critical days following this disaster, Myanmar's isolationist government was accused of hindering United Nations recovery efforts.[77] Humanitarian aid was requested but concerns about foreign military or intelligence presence in the country delayed the entry of United States military planes delivering medicine, food, and other supplies.[78]

 

In early August 2009, a conflict known as the Kokang incident broke out in Shan State in northern Myanmar. For several weeks, junta troops fought against ethnic minorities including the Han Chinese,[79] Wa, and Kachin.[80][81] During 8–12 August, the first days of the conflict, as many as 10,000 Burmese civilians fled to Yunnan province in neighbouring China.[80][81][82]

Civil wars

Main articles: Internal conflict in Myanmar, Kachin Conflict, Karen conflict, and 2015 Kokang offensive

 

Civil wars have been a constant feature of Myanmar's socio-political landscape since the attainment of independence in 1948. These wars are predominantly struggles for ethnic and sub-national autonomy, with the areas surrounding the ethnically Bamar central districts of the country serving as the primary geographical setting of conflict. Foreign journalists and visitors require a special travel permit to visit the areas in which Myanmar's civil wars continue.[83]

 

In October 2012, the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar included the Kachin conflict,[84] between the Pro-Christian Kachin Independence Army and the government;[85] a civil war between the Rohingya Muslims, and the government and non-government groups in Rakhine State;[86] and a conflict between the Shan,[87] Lahu, and Karen[88][89] minority groups, and the government in the eastern half of the country. In addition, al-Qaeda signalled an intention to become involved in Myanmar. In a video released on 3 September 2014, mainly addressed to India, the militant group's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said al-Qaeda had not forgotten the Muslims of Myanmar and that the group was doing "what they can to rescue you".[90] In response, the military raised its level of alertness, while the Burmese Muslim Association issued a statement saying Muslims would not tolerate any threat to their motherland.[91]

 

Armed conflict between ethnic Chinese rebels and the Myanmar Armed Forces have resulted in the Kokang offensive in February 2015. The conflict had forced 40,000 to 50,000 civilians to flee their homes and seek shelter on the Chinese side of the border.[92] During the incident, the government of China was accused of giving military assistance to the ethnic Chinese rebels. Burmese officials have been historically "manipulated" and pressured by the Chinese government throughout Burmese modern history to create closer and binding ties with China, creating a Chinese satellite state in Southeast Asia.[93] However, uncertainties exist as clashes between Burmese troops and local insurgent groups continue.

Democratic reforms

Main article: 2011–12 Burmese political reforms

 

The goal of the Burmese constitutional referendum of 2008, held on 10 May 2008, is the creation of a "discipline-flourishing democracy". As part of the referendum process, the name of the country was changed from the "Union of Myanmar" to the "Republic of the Union of Myanmar", and general elections were held under the new constitution in 2010. Observer accounts of the 2010 election describe the event as mostly peaceful; however, allegations of polling station irregularities were raised, and the United Nations (UN) and a number of Western countries condemned the elections as fraudulent.[94]

U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Aung San Suu Kyi and her staff at her home in Yangon, 2012

 

The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party declared victory in the 2010 elections, stating that it had been favoured by 80 percent of the votes; however, the claim was disputed by numerous pro-democracy opposition groups who asserted that the military regime had engaged in rampant fraud.[95][96] One report documented 77 percent as the official turnout rate of the election.[95] The military junta was dissolved on 30 March 2011.

 

Opinions differ whether the transition to liberal democracy is underway. According to some reports, the military's presence continues as the label "disciplined democracy" suggests. This label asserts that the Burmese military is allowing certain civil liberties while clandestinely institutionalising itself further into Burmese politics. Such an assertion assumes that reforms only occurred when the military was able to safeguard its own interests through the transition—here, "transition" does not refer to a transition to a liberal democracy, but transition to a quasi-military rule.[97]

 

Since the 2010 election, the government has embarked on a series of reforms to direct the country towards liberal democracy, a mixed economy, and reconciliation, although doubts persist about the motives that underpin such reforms. The series of reforms includes the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission, the granting of general amnesties for more than 200 political prisoners, new labour laws that permit labour unions and strikes, a relaxation of press censorship, and the regulation of currency practices.[98]

 

The impact of the post-election reforms has been observed in numerous areas, including ASEAN's approval of Myanmar's bid for the position of ASEAN chair in 2014;[99] the visit by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December 2011 for the encouragement of further progress, which was the first visit by a Secretary of State in more than fifty years,[100] during which Clinton met with the Burmese president and former military commander Thein Sein, as well as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi;[101] and the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party in the 2012 by-elections, facilitated by the government's abolition of the laws that previously barred the NLD.[102] As of July 2013, about 100[103][104] political prisoners remain imprisoned, while conflict between the Burmese Army and local insurgent groups continues.

Map of Myanmar and its divisions, including Shan State, Kachin State, Rakhine State and Karen State.

 

In 1 April 2012 by-elections, the NLD won 43 of the 45 available seats; previously an illegal organisation, the NLD had not won a single seat under new constitution. The 2012 by-elections were also the first time that international representatives were allowed to monitor the voting process in Myanmar.[105]

2015 general elections

Main article: Myanmar general election, 2015

 

General elections were held on 8 November 2015. These were the first openly contested elections held in Myanmar since 1990. The results gave the National League for Democracy an absolute majority of seats in both chambers of the national parliament, enough to ensure that its candidate would become president, while NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from the presidency.[106]

 

The new parliament convened on 1 February 2016[107] and, on 15 March 2016, Htin Kyaw was elected as the first non-military president since the military coup of 1962.[108] On 6 April 2016, Aung San Suu Kyi assumed the newly created role of State Counsellor, a role akin to a Prime Minister.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Myanmar

A map of Myanmar

Myanmar map of Köppen climate classification.

 

Myanmar has a total area of 678,500 square kilometres (262,000 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 9° and 29°N, and longitudes 92° and 102°E. As of February 2011, Myanmar consisted of 14 states and regions, 67 districts, 330 townships, 64 sub-townships, 377 towns, 2,914 Wards, 14,220 village tracts and 68,290 villages.

 

Myanmar is bordered in the northwest by the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh and the Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh states of India. Its north and northeast border is with the Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan province for a Sino-Myanmar border total of 2,185 km (1,358 mi). It is bounded by Laos and Thailand to the southeast. Myanmar has 1,930 km (1,200 mi) of contiguous coastline along the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea to the southwest and the south, which forms one quarter of its total perimeter.[20]

 

In the north, the Hengduan Mountains form the border with China. Hkakabo Razi, located in Kachin State, at an elevation of 5,881 metres (19,295 ft), is the highest point in Myanmar.[109] Many mountain ranges, such as the Rakhine Yoma, the Bago Yoma, the Shan Hills and the Tenasserim Hills exist within Myanmar, all of which run north-to-south from the Himalayas.[110]

 

The mountain chains divide Myanmar's three river systems, which are the Irrawaddy, Salween (Thanlwin), and the Sittaung rivers.[111] The Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's longest river, nearly 2,170 kilometres (1,348 mi) long, flows into the Gulf of Martaban. Fertile plains exist in the valleys between the mountain chains.[110] The majority of Myanmar's population lives in the Irrawaddy valley, which is situated between the Rakhine Yoma and the Shan Plateau.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Myanmar

A clickable map of Burma/Myanmar exhibiting its first-level administrative divisions.

About this image

 

Myanmar is divided into seven states (ပြည်နယ်) and seven regions (တိုင်းဒေသကြီး), formerly called divisions.[112] Regions are predominantly Bamar (that is, mainly inhabited by the dominant ethnic group). States, in essence, are regions that are home to particular ethnic minorities. The administrative divisions are further subdivided into districts, which are further subdivided into townships, wards, and villages.

 

Climate

Main article: Climate of Myanmar

The limestone landscape of Mon State.

 

Much of the country lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator. It lies in the monsoon region of Asia, with its coastal regions receiving over 5,000 mm (196.9 in) of rain annually. Annual rainfall in the delta region is approximately 2,500 mm (98.4 in), while average annual rainfall in the Dry Zone in central Myanmar is less than 1,000 mm (39.4 in). The Northern regions of Myanmar are the coolest, with average temperatures of 21 °C (70 °F). Coastal and delta regions have an average maximum temperature of 32 °C (89.6 °F).[111]

Environment

Further information: Deforestation in Myanmar

 

Myanmar continues to perform badly in the global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) with an overall ranking of 153 out of 180 countries in 2016; among the worst in the South Asian region, only ahead of Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The EPI was established in 2001 by the World Economic Forum as a global gauge to measure how well individual countries perform in implementing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The environmental areas where Myanmar performs worst (ie. highest ranking) are air quality (174), health impacts of environmental issues (143) and biodiversity and habitat (142). Myanmar performs best (ie. lowest ranking) in environmental impacts of fisheries (21), but with declining fish stocks. Despite several issues, Myanmar also ranks 64 and scores very good (ie. a high percentage of 93.73%) in environmental effects of the agricultural industry because of an excellent management of the nitrogen cycle.[114][115]

Wildlife

 

Myanmar's slow economic growth has contributed to the preservation of much of its environment and ecosystems. Forests, including dense tropical growth and valuable teak in lower Myanmar, cover over 49% of the country, including areas of acacia, bamboo, ironwood and Magnolia champaca. Coconut and betel palm and rubber have been introduced. In the highlands of the north, oak, pine and various rhododendrons cover much of the land.[116]

 

Heavy logging since the new 1995 forestry law went into effect has seriously reduced forest acreage and wildlife habitat.[117] The lands along the coast support all varieties of tropical fruits and once had large areas of mangroves although much of the protective mangroves have disappeared. In much of central Myanmar (the Dry Zone), vegetation is sparse and stunted.

 

Typical jungle animals, particularly tigers, occur sparsely in Myanmar. In upper Myanmar, there are rhinoceros, wild water buffalo, clouded leopard, wild boars, deer, antelope, and elephants, which are also tamed or bred in captivity for use as work animals, particularly in the lumber industry. Smaller mammals are also numerous, ranging from gibbons and monkeys to flying foxes. The abundance of birds is notable with over 800 species, including parrots, myna, peafowl, red junglefowl, weaverbirds, crows, herons, and barn owl. Among reptile species there are crocodiles, geckos, cobras, Burmese pythons, and turtles. Hundreds of species of freshwater fish are wide-ranging, plentiful and are very important food sources.[118] For a list of protected areas, see List of protected areas of Myanmar.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Myanmar

Assembly of the Union (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw)

 

The constitution of Myanmar, its third since independence, was drafted by its military rulers and published in September 2008. The country is governed as a parliamentary system with a bicameral legislature (with an executive President accountable to the legislature), with 25% of the legislators appointed by the military and the rest elected in general elections.

Wu was the chief geneticist in Jurassic Park and head of the team that created the dinosaurs. In the movie he reveals that all the dinosaurs on the island are female. In the novel, Wu has a much larger part; he proposes genetically altering further saurian creations to make them more manageable, something that Hammond opposes

Nothing too special. After a long and hard week of work I desperately needed some distraction. So I went back into the comfort zone of my tiny but easily manageable lime and orange collection.

Railways of Great Britain

This start of another one of my collections, although I have posted a few in the past.

I have taken quite a few images over the years of Old Steam, Diesel and Electric engines and after sorting out probably 3,000 plus, I’ve now got it down to a more manageable number.

I’m starting with English Engines. Some of these images could be 25 years old. Many were transferred from negatives via a scanner so the quality will not be as good I would like. I have put them all through Photoshop to get rid of the most glaring issues

Apologies to those enthusiasts if I don’t get the right engine with the right Railway, they were taken a long time ago, some of them have moved on and my memory is not as good as it was.

Happy viewing.

 

"Just something to upload whilst I work on my SR25"-M0KII

 

Cartridge: 5.91x50mm Soka

Fire Rate: 900 rpm

Range: 500 meters

Capacity: 30 rounds/mag

Extras: Top rail attachments, 10, 30, 50 round magazines, sling

 

The Ashikawa Model 1-110 Combat Rifle (CR for short), is a bullpup special applications assault rifle. It fires the 5.91x50mm Soka round from standard sized 30 round magazines, although 10 and 50 round options are also available. The Model 1-110's most noticeable feature is the large 10 gauge smoothbore shotgun underneath the barrel. Depending on the task at hand, it can be switched for a grenade launcher, under-barrel RAS, hand guard or Gauss cannon. The Ashikawa Model 1-110 CR fires the experimental 5.91x50mm round, giving it more range and stopping power than the standard 5.56x45mm, but maintain the same level of manageable recoil. Thus, the Model 1-110 fires at a formidable 900 rpm. The bullpup design and advanced ergonomics also make this high-tech rifle quite comfortable to handle and shoot.

 

SHOTGUN: pastebin.com/X1Sfk0pC

I'm a late starter for sure! But I love this group, a doll a week is manageable. plus, I need an excuse to take more pictures :)

 

Here is a picture of my newest girl (arrived on friday), Miki.

Follow Me: Website • Facebook • Google+ • Twitter • Youtube

 

Never heard of Dalur? Don't feel bad, I hadn't either. It's on the island of Sandoy. Wait, never heard of that either? You're still not alone. It's one of the 18 islands that together form the Faroe Islands. Dalur is Faroese for valley, and it's probably no shocker that the village of Dalur lies in the bottom of a valley.

 

The drive there is along a somewhat narrow road along the coastline. It's not too scary though considering there's guard rails, but you still have to be alert for oncoming traffic. Not that there'll be a ton of that, but occasionally you may come up against another car or small truck and need to pull to side to let traffic pass, depending on which direction you're headed. The road system is pretty good in the Faroes, and there's generally frequent pull-outs just to make this sort of thing more manageable.

 

Blogged: www.aisleseatplease.com/blog/2016/10/6/coastal-driving-in...

One of my favorites. She's life size and done perfectly. At Brookgreen, they move the manageably sized sculptures periodically. This time they placed her in a lily pad pond. When we visited, she was pointing directly at a pink flower.

Bow Creek Cornworthy South Hams Devon.

 

"Ramblings"

The creek having steep hills and woodland along both sides this time of year the sunlight does not reach this area of the river for at least 90 minutes after sunrise and this happens to be one of the more rewarding early morning spots for bird action along Bow creek.

Tricky light conditions especially if your after some birds in flight action etc needing to push those ISO numbers pretty high.

I was very impressed with how the Z50ii subject recognition handled itself in the avalible light.

With the excellent denoise software avalible these days noisy images are manageable and pretty mutch a thing of the past.

 

The Jules' Photo Challenge for May...

 

May 04 - Something green

 

~ Here are some drafting tools I no longer use in the age of AutoCad. In the old days when you were drawing on an extra large piece of paper, you could roll an end of the paper into one of these clips, and then be able to draft on a more manageable drawing size.

Plenty of traffic and people, so even the final sketch was full of unrehearsed lines.

Again, this is a very calming approach to sketching, since complexity is manageable.

Hugo's second birthday. How? I feel like I've blinked. We spent the day at Bekonscot, a model village attraction. It was a lovely day with hot weather, a picnic and it was on a totally manageable scale (no pun intended).

Kong's newest development, the CQMG, is the newest edition to Military and Police forces within the EU.

 

Holding 100 6.8 High-velocity ammo in an either magazine-fed or belt-fed contraption.

 

It's incredibly short size makes it ideal for close quarters, and its recoil is perfectly manageable thanks to it's recoiling barrel system.

 

Comes in special Kong Honey Finish.

 

Credit to;

Shock; Grip, Handle. Magnifier mount and electronic.

Lonely Stalker; Sideways M249 Stock.

 

Feel free to comment and add notes!

I'm moving some photos from my hard drive, to make things more manageable. I thought I had posted this one, but when I checked my stream, I found that it was a different shot, from a different trip to the zoo. I'm loving the capabilities of my new camera; now I can actually submit photos of fruit bats to the volunteer coordinator!

I originally had no intention of going out and shooting CSX Q016 today but I gave in to temptation and the timing became perfect.

I decided to head east to a spot I had shot once before years ago along River Road between Sleepy Creek and Harley Michaels.

After walking along the road and then climbing down a poison ivy and sticker bush infested embankment I readied for my shot. Soon enough, Q016 came with CSX 1776 doing the leading honors. The engine is formerly numbered 3112, a GE locomotive just recently released in the new scheme to honor our Armed Forces.

It passed and I ran back 100 or so feet and then up the embankment towards my car and readied to shoot the dpu engine on the rear which was none other than CSX 911, a specialty painted locomotive honoring our 1st Responders released at the same time as 1776.

That was it! I had to get back towards Martinsburg and Back Creek Valley to pick up the girls from school. No chase, no adrenaline or cussing at drivers. Rather lucky to get two shots with very manageable light at the same spot in two different scenes.

Thanks for reading and moreso, enjoy the photos!

We don’t know why the chicken crosses the road, but it’s fun to watch. The original photo was of a riverfront sunset. Photoleap was used to add elements of other photos that I have taken.

.

I posted this from a room in urgent care while waiting for sonogram results. The good news is that all is manageable. Am greatly relieved at the lack of severity. Life is good.

For those of you who actually look at my posts, you have probably already figured out that I am not a particularly good photographer nor artist. In real life, I mostly write. I tinker with video and photography. I personally use Flickr to store photos and videos, many that are private. Most of my poems are ones that I have just written, others are re-done for various reasons. I try to remember to let you know which it is. (The above poem was just written this week.)

 

I love to hop on Flickr because I follow some very good artists and I love to lose myself here in the beauty of their art or photography, be it virtual, real life, or just fantasy. Some of my contacts are just people I've come to love. I keep my Flickr circle small to keep it manageable and find that, even then, quite a few of my contacts have no interests in my posts. It doesn't bother me because I’m not here for the attention. I get enough of that in real life, sometimes too much. I love my alone time. That said, I really treasure the interactions I have here, though I could decide to walk away anytime, I know. But this is a beautiful way to spend time, so here I am. If I like or comment on your photo, I really love it.

 

I joined Flickr when I used to play Second Life and was a member of an in-world photo club. Another member introduced me to Flickr so I could post my in-world snaps and various machinima I created. What fun it was! I do struggle to create images for some of the poems I write, so please give me a pass on that. I’m here to look at what you have created. It’s really not about me. XO

 

*today I'm posting two poems - one new and one re-done - the above is a new one - they just keep coming*

The most accessible of Petra’s High Places, this well-preserved site was built atop Jebel Madbah with drains to channel the blood of sacrificial animals. A flight of steps signposted just before the Theatre leads to the site: turn right at the obelisks to reach the sacrificial platform. You can ascend by donkey (about JD10 one way), but you’ll sacrifice both the sense of achievement on reaching the summit and the good humour of your poor old transport.

 

The obelisks are more than 6m high ( flic.kr/p/2c6XBZ5 ); they are remarkable structures because they are carved out of the rock face, not built upon it: looking at the negative space surrounding them, you can understand the truly epic scale of excavation involved. Dedicated to the Nabataean gods Dushara and Al ‘Uzza, their iron-rich stone glows in the sun and they act like totems of this once-hallowed ground.

 

The altar area includes a large rectangular triclinium, where celebrants at the sacrifice shared a communal supper. In the middle of the High Place, there’s a large stone block preceded by three steps. This is a motab (repository), where the god statues involved in the procession would have been kept. Next to it is the circular altar, reached by another three steps; stone water basins nearby were used for cleansing and purifying.

 

The faint bleat of sheep or the clunk of a goat bell evokes the ancient scene – except that no ordinary person would have been permitted to enter this holy of holies at that time. Cast an eye across the superb panorama in front of you – far above the mortal goings-on of both ancient and modern city – and it’s easy to see how this site must have seemed closer to the sky than the earth.

 

The steps to the High Place of Sacrifice are well maintained, if unremitting, and it takes about 45 minutes up through the crevices and folds of the mountain to reach the obelisks from the Theatre. From here you fork right to reach the altar area. The route is steep but not unduly exposed, so is manageable (unless you suffer from severe vertigo) even without a head for heights. From the altar area, descend the shelves of rock to a broad rim: about 50m down are regal views of the Royal Tombs.

 

It’s worth sitting here for a while. From this lofty vantage point you can watch the everyday dramas of camel handlers arguing with their mounts, young children moving goats from one patch of sparse vegetation to the next and Bedouin stallholders regaling the unsuspecting traveller. They each move beyond the languishing tombs of ordinary folk, far too mindful of the needs of the living to worry much about the forgotten hopes of the ancient dead.

 

From the obelisks ( flic.kr/p/2c6XBZ5 ) it's possible to continue to the city centre via a group of interesting tombs in beautiful Wadi Farasa.

First of all, flickr did quite a number on the colors so it really is best to View On Black

 

Ok, so 1 month down and only 11 more to go. Thank you to everyone who has followed along so far and commented or faved anything. You guys are all fantastic. Having such great contacts is such a wonderful source of inspiration. It's always good to see everyone's different points of view and editing styles. So again, thanks to all of you.

 

Congratulations are due to you all, keep it up through the rest of the year.

 

The jump shot has grown to be a staple of 365ers and I was trying to hold off on doing it until I had gotten through at least a month. And I did! Only 334 more days to come up with ideas for, that seems manageable... riiiiight. One day at a time. =D

 

1.31.2010

PLEASE, NO invitations or self promotions, THEY WILL BE DELETED. My photos are FREE to use, just give me credit and it would be nice if you let me know, thanks.

 

This is a short hike from the road (about 300m), a beautiful 30ft waterfall. Park on the road above the falls near the bridge. The trail is steep and a little difficult but manageable.

 

As you can see, these roads are narrow in places, but is it really that narrow. That depends on the person you meet. If they don't won't to leave the tracks, nobody is going to move. So someone has to pull next to the trees on the right and the other person has to be willing to drive the ditch on the left. Doesn't happen often, but sometimes the other person isn't willing to do either. Than they have to back up to a wider spot, and normally there isn't one close that is much wider.

 

Usually most people are experienced, but some just don't want to get a scratch on their vehicle, and they should just stay off these roads.

 

After saying all that, Last Dollar Road is a very easy road drive. It is more interesting after a good rain, but still manageable.

Table Rock is a distinct peak in upstate South Carolina, and dare I say the most interesting mountain in the state. While it is stunning when view from below, a challenging but manageable trail climbs 2,200 feet in elevation for those who want to savor the views. Either way you prefer to enjoy Table Rock, I think this is a place everyone in the southeast should view at some point in their lifetimes.

Railways of Great Britain

This start of another one of my collections, although I have posted a few in the past.

I have taken quite a few images over the years of Old Steam, Diesel and Electric engines and after sorting out probably 3,000 plus, I’ve now got it down to a more manageable number.

I’m starting with English Engines. Some of these images could be 25 years old. Many were transferred from negatives via a scanner so the quality will not be as good I would like. I have put them all through Photoshop to get rid of the most glaring issues

Apologies to those enthusiasts if I don’t get the right engine with the right Railway, they were taken a long time ago, some of them have moved on and my memory is not as good as it was.

Happy viewing.

 

*For the PDW Contest*

The QSI "Enhydra" is a brand new lightweight Personal Defense Rifle, weighing just 2.5Kg and measuring 20 inches in lenght. It is STANAG compatible and features top and side rails for accessorizing and a detachable cheekrest. The QSI custom .300 Blackout AP rounds will tear through Type IIIA body armors at over 150m, whilst maintaining a low and manageable recoil.

Illuminated BUIS, rail protectors, unsupressed barrel, a rechargable batteries for the laser pointer+ammo counter and an EP side-changing kit are all included.

 

Quicksilver Ind. produces top of the notch firearms made for easy and cheap mass production, while maintaining very high quality. Our firearms will always be fully ambidextrous, two toned, operator-friendly and accessory-friendly.

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

Credit Shockwave for workspace, Benjoo for the background and my girlfriend for the name idea (otter).

 

Also, if you like photography, check out my friends www.flickr.com/photos/97738810@N04/ , www.flickr.com/photos/ritasousafernandes/ , www.flickr.com/photos/tomascarvalho/ and www.flickr.com/photos/99957575@N03/ 's photostreams:D

Loving Rapunzel doll mattel version, I know lot of people prefer the Disney store version but for me I prefer mattel's. I just like here mousy face and her hair (not as accurate as the movie) but its soft and very manageable.

 

I re-bodied her into a raquel fashionista and it was a perfect match!

During the recent Christmas break, i visited the eternal city Rome. It was actually my second time visiting the capital city of Italy. My first encounter with the eternal city was in 2007 and it was the second place outside Germany that i travelled once settling down here for my studies. At that time i didn't own a SLR camera but a Sony T10 point and shoot. That explains why there aren't any photos of Rome in my photostream. I decided to pay a second visit mainly to escape from the freezing weather in Germany and after surveying around, the weather in Rome in December is still "manageable".

 

Rome is still busy and hectic as i remember. And to top that up, the Christmas holidays brought an exponential increase in tourist numbers. I arrived at the hostel quite late due to the traffic jam. I was stuck in the traffic as the sun sets. Not only that, it was a magnificent pinkish sunset. I was tempted to get out of the bus and take some pictures but then ill be leaving my bags behind. So no blue hour for me on the arrival day. After checking in, i decided to take a stroll to the city center and after walking for quite a bit, i realized that i was quite near to the Colosseum. So here it is, the picture of the Colosseum during my first day in Rome.

 

The lamp post is quite a distraction in this composition. But you cant get rid of it from this point of view.

.

.

.

Shot with Tokina 11-16 mm @ 16 mm

Aperture f/8 | 3 sec. | ISO 200

This is whats left :) I think its a bit more Manageable.

 

I did go just a touch Susie Crazy in the last 3 months hehe.

Couple of pics of my outfit for last night. The left side is for driving with the sensible shoe making things a bit more manageable. Then jacket off and some higher heels to accentuate my legs. As for the evening itself, I had a lovely time, Rachel is a fab hostess meaning I was satisfactorily fed and watered and before you know it, it's half midnight and time to head home. Gonna be a long day I suspect as I'm cream crackered and work beckons 💋

Danger Overhead

 

Just like looking out for overhead power lines it pays to look up when diving.

 

We teach new divers that they should never put themselves into a position where they can not make an immediate ascent to the surface if they come into difficulty.

 

It's all very well to be taught to be a good dive buddy, to be vigilant and always at the ready to assist your dive buddy should a problem arise but how often is that vigilance really put to the test.

 

More often than not when a manageable crisis arises, divers head straight up regardless of their buddy.

 

So remember to look up, there may be danger overhead.

 

Photo: Robert Rath, 'Danger Overhead', 1/160s f/22 ISO320 15mm

 

... more at wetshutter.com

Just a simple rotation tonight as I really like the textures of the bubble rod when lit on ribbon strobe mode using Ryu's Magicstik V2. Just a 5 way rotation, I like to keep to odd numbers as it keeps the symetry more manageable.

_PDS6506

BNSF 265 leads the MINNTW through Sauk Rapids on BNSF’s Staples Subdivision on July 4, Independence Day. Unfortunately, the sky has been becoming hazy recently due to Canadian wildfires, however I still acquired a manageable shot. 1/800, F8, and ISO200 worked well for me in this setting.

The grabber mech is one of four mechs planned for Mechtober 2021.

 

After the Scanner Mech has located scrap to salvage and the Cutter Mech has chopped it into more manageable chunks, the Grabber Mech moves in and loads it into the Hauler Mech.

Tea or Chai is the most widely drunk beverage in the whole world. The tea plant, Camellia Sansis, is a cultivated variety of a Tea planttree that has its origins in an area between India and China. There are three main varieties of the tea plant - China, Assam, and Cambodia - and a number of hybrids between the varieties. The China variety grows as high as nine feet (2.75 metres). It is a hardy plant able to withstand cold winters and has an economic life of at least 100 years.

 

The Assam variety, a single-stem tree ranging from 20 to 60 feet (6 to 18 metres) in height. Regular pruning keeps its height to a more manageable 4 to 5 feet tall. It has an economic life of 40 years with regular pruning and plucking. When grown at an altitude near that of Darjeeling (Assam) or Munnar (Kerala), it produces tea with fascinating flavours , sought after around the globe.

Alice Lake was always described to me as one of the more challenging day hikes in the Sawtooth Mountains, but after my sister and I completed the 4000'-gain Mount Olympus hike in Utah, the Alice description didn't faze me at all. 12 miles, 1600'? No big deal.

 

And for once, the no big deal attitude turned out to be accurate. While I can see how a couple of the stream crossings would be tricky in early season, it was a very manageable hike and didn't leave any scars besides a couple blisters and mosquito bites. And the lake itself? WOW. Beautiful. On-par-with-Sawtooth-Lake beautiful. This one's a keeper.

 

(Did I mention that my wide-angle lens is back from the shop and in perfect working order? Just in time for this trip!)

     

500px | Blog | Facebook | Tumblr

I'm wearing all red today, which stands out very well in the green forest. Most obvious is my red cocktail dress. It's from the brand Chi Chi London, which is among my favorite brands of dresses. Their dresses are usually very feminine, classic, chic, of good quality and not too expensive. This red dress fits me perfectly and is completely lined with soft satin, so it feels amazing on my body. The bodice fits tight around my bust and is made of red lace. The skirt flares out from the waist and consists of many thin layers of transparent tulle, also in red and with matching lace on top. I combined the dress with matching red stockings and red pumps. Clearly the pumps are not really practical in the forest, yet it's manageable and I do love their look. Much better than those hideous outdoor boots!