After pricing several official light stand bags with wheels and having a heart attack, I came across this wheeled snowboard bag on brociety.com (a site like steapandcheap where they have a deal up on the site until it is gone). At $80 plus 6.95 shipping it was a steal. It holds four 13 foot light stands, a large soft box, large octabox, 5 in 1 reflector, boom arm, reflector arm, mini back light stand, my electrical cords, three umbrellas, and to top it off is weather resistant. Did I mention it is wheeled? I went with the 181 cm but only because I could double it as a actual snowboard bag if I went on an airplane. It is a little long, but very manageable. Previous photo in my stream shows what it looks like closed.

The Fulton County Courthouse in Johnstown, New York was built in 1772. It is the only courthouse in the state to have served that purpose in two separate countries.

 

The building has also been the courthouse in three different counties. When it was built Johnstown and a whole bunch of New York north of the Mohawk River was part of Tryon County. After the Revolutionary War the county was renamed Montgomery County in honor of slain Continental Army General Richard Montgomery. For the next several decades counties of a more manageable size were split off from Montgomery. Fulton County was created in 1838.

 

To get a sense of what a political hotbed this area of New York was in the first half of the 19th century note that Fulton County was named after steamship inventor Robert Fulton. Fulton's cousin Margaret Livingston was married to Daniel Cady, a lawyer, former Congressman, future New York State Judge. Their daughter was the suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Margaret's older sister Elizabeth married Peter Smith, largest landowner in New York, slaveholder, and partner of John Jacob Astor. They were the parents of abolitionist Gerrit Smith, who as an adult was the wealthiest person in the state, financier of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, and three time presidential candidate.

My 2013 Classic Belle 12'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She is standing, supported by a Kaiser doll stand (not included with the doll), and is photographed from various angles.

 

The 2013 Classic Belle doll has many differences from the 2012 model, but looks very similar, and is a somewhat improved doll. The only major change is to her legs, from fully articulated hard plastic legs to rubber legs with internal knee joints and fixed angled feet. There are a minor changes to her hair, face, dress and shoes. She is also missing her gloves. The features that haven't changed are her head mold, torso and arms.

 

Her head mold is identical to last year's doll. Her face is almost identical, with some subtle changes. Her green eyes have gotten darker, with the elimination of the ring of light green around her pupils, leaving just dark green around her pupils. Her pupils a touch larger. She has three short thick lashes over each eye, and silver eyeshadow, as before. Her eyebrows are a darker shade of brown, but the same thickness and length. A small be very significant change is the smoothing of the arch in her eyebrows, so they no longer have an ''evil'' wiggle. She has a short straight nose. She has gentle open mouthed smile, with a thin upper lip and full lower lip, painted in bright pink. Both her nose and mouth are unchanged from last year. Finally she has heavier application of pink rouge on her cheeks. Her face is just a beautiful as last year's doll, but is now friendlier looking with the changes in her eyebrows and eyes.

 

Her brown hair is medium length, but is shorter and much less voluminous than before. Gone are the two curls dropping down the sides of her face. There is a small bun at the top, as before. There is a small ponytail coming out of the back of the bun, whereas last year the ponytail was longer and lower down her the back of her head. The bulk of her hair is gently curving, and is gathered up in a large curl at the end, which is gelled to keep it in shape and in place. Other than the curl, her hair is soft and smooth. Rather than reaching her waist and spreading out beyond both her shoulders, her hair is now reaches the middle of her back, and is contained within the width her shoulders. It is much neater looking and manageable, as long as the curl at the end is not disturbed.

 

Her golden yellow satin dress is similar in design to the 2012 version, but there are some significant differences. The gold organza shoulder straps are very similar, but now they are wrapped lower down her shoulders, thus being more movie accurate. I had to adjust her left strap to make it lower, to match the right strap. Her bodice is now glitter free, but has the same design, with a V-shaped waist. The skirt is now much less voluminous, and has a pattern of glittering gold roses, instead of the gold glitter being sprayed in a random pattern. The gold organza decoration around the middle of the skirt is now only in the front, whereas the 2012 doll had the decoration go completely around the skirt. But as with last year's doll, the ruching is only in the front. At least the golden rose pattern continues to the back of the skirt. The skirt is about the length as before, but since the 2013 doll is on her tippy toes rather than her feet flat on the floor, the skirt doesn't quite reach the floor. The new dress holds its shape much better, due to the glitter giving the skirt more stiffness. The old dress is more movie accurate, and its volume is very impressive, but it requires a petticoat (which is not included) to keep its shape.

 

Her shoes are flats as in the old doll, but they are a little shorter, and a paler shade of yellow. With her fixed angled feet, she should have gotten high heels, as the 2011 and earlier dolls had.

 

She no longer has any accessories, as her full length gold satin gloves are gone.

 

Her body is fully articulated in the arms, but now has the rubber legs of 2011 and earlier dolls, which has internal knee joints and fixed angled feet. Her hip joints allow her to sit down with her legs together and her back straight up, unlike the 2012 doll with the fully articulated but defective legs. But her knees can only bend about 40 degrees, so her legs stick out when she is sitting. The leg joints are also much stiffer, so she is in a much more natural position when placed standing in a Kaiser doll stand. Her angled rubber feet also make her about 1/4 inch taller than the 2012 doll, who had flat feet.

 

The packaging for the dolls is much improved. The box art has been completely redesigned, with beautiful decorations unique to each Princess (actually for each movie), and a cameo of the animated movie character. The boxes are the same height and width, but are 1/2'' flatter, making them smaller and lighter. The packaging restraints are simplified, especially with a reduced use of T-tags, so the deboxing is quicker and easier, and there is less damage to the doll. Belle's box has rose and Cogsworth images with a yellow background.

 

The 2013 Disney Princess Classic Doll Collection, released on June 10, 2013. They consist of 11-12'' articulated dolls of the 11 official Disney Princesses, from Snow White to Merida, as well as Princes, Villains and Sidekicks. I now have all 11 Princesses, Queen Elinor, Charlotte and Gaston. I will photograph them boxed, during deboxing and fully deboxed. I will also post reviews and comparative photos.

 

Classic Disney Princess Belle Doll - 12''

US Disney Store.

Released online June 10, 2013.

Purchased online June 13, 2013.

Received June 24, 2013.

$14.95 (was on sale for $10 at time of purchase).

 

Jumping spider at my home - Look at her eyes...

My first macro subject to be photographed by Canon 430 EX flash

I think the result if manageable.....

Trying out my new Nikon 60mm macro lens. The depth of field is much more manageable than my home-brew reversal macro lens. This should give me more flexiblity and control when composing shots.

 

Did a final day of testing to find an ideal bubble mixture liquid medium which would stand up to the ferrofluid being drawn through the capillaries.

 

Twitter: twitter.com/#!/kpimmel

The Drake Passage, between Cape Horn in the north and Antarctica in the south, is the roughest stretch of sea on the Earth. During our cruise down to Antarctica it was rough but manageable. Our cruise back was another story however....

 

This shot was taken at the end of our first day on the Drake. I was out on deck watching the Sun go down when the call for dinner came. It looked like something spectacular was forming so I was torn on what to do. Needless to say I skipped dinner that night. I think I made the right choice.

I had the pleasure of attending the Carnevale in Venice in February 2011 - what a great experience! This was about my 4th or 5th Carnevale and they keep getting better. Many of the masked characters recognized me from prior years and gave me great access for photos. I also had the chance to shoot with many others; some in masks and costumes, some face paintees, and some faces in the crowd - great fun. Because of the large number of photos I took during the Carnevale I will use a separate set for each day to make it manageable. These photos are from my first day there, Sunday, 27 February 2011.

Duck Neck Sausage stuffed with pork mince and pistachios with babybeets, green leaves and orange AUD18.50

 

---

We started with the cheese puffs, and it was like biting into little puffs of air. It was so light that spearing it with a fork was too hard, and we had to resort to fingers. We suspect that it is a basic souffle mix dollopped into hot oil and fried to a light and airy puff. Amazing.

 

Once I saw that the cheese puffs were a manageable size, I immediately added the duck neck sausage to our order. Not long after, 4 small discs of minced pork appeared. I love a good sausage and this didn't disappoint. It was served with segments of orange that provided a nice foil. There were also a few boiled baby beets hidden under the leaves and it seemed a bit too tender compared to the nice big flavoursome beets we were used to.

 

Julia was very impressed with the duck fillets, and she remarked several times how tasty the flesh was. I prefered the smoky grilled quail, but it was true, the quail meat was tender and juicy like the duck, but didn't have the richness of flavour of the duck. The pommes anna under the quail went amazingly well with the madeira sauce. The crispy bits of potato on the edges were also very good. The French beans were tender and so full of Spring sweetness.

 

We ended our meal with a good coffee and tea, and the profiteroles to share. We both loved the chocolate sauce, but we prefer the choux pastry at Laurent Pattiserie.

 

Annie Smither's Bistrot & Produce

03.5422.2039

72 Piper St

Kyneton VIC 3444

www.anniesmithers.com.au/

 

Reviews:

- Annie Smithers Bistrot, By Necia Wilden, The Age Epicure, September 27, 2005 Score: 15.5/20

- Annie Smithers Bistrot The Age Good Food Guide 2009 - 1 Chefs Hat

- Annie Smithers Bistrot, Kyneton - The Breakfast Blog, Saturday, May 13, 2006 chicken livers, bacon and spinach on toast. One of several tempting dishes on offer at Annie Smithers Bistrot. I love the smell of offal in the morning. 16/20 "mmm... liver"

- Annie Smithers Bistrot - Mietta's good gutsy French based dishes

- Annie Smithers’ Bistrot - Gourmet Traveller Annie Smithers, another Stephanie Alexander alum, is consolidating her empire, a shop and bistro showcasing Central Victorian produce. Assured cooking means primary flavours shine: succulent, flaky trout almondine tastes river-fresh; sweet scallops cooked just-so are plated with discs of smoky chorizo; sweet-salty tomato Tatin is the pick of the entrées. There’s usually offal on offer, perhaps creamy brains wrapped in prosciutto, and veal schnitzel, topped with a fried egg and anchovies, is pub-simple (and sized) but restaurant-finessed. Strawberry vacherin elevates berries and cream to a fitting conclusion to the meal: simple, comforting, classy.

  

Food Photos:

- Cheese Puffs with tomato and chilli dipping sauce AUD7.50 - insides

- Duck Neck Sausage stuffed with pork mince and pistachios with babybeets, green leaves and orange AUD18.50

- Quails petit-duc - par boned and grilled, served on pommes anna, with grilled mushrooms and madeira sauce AUD30

- Duck fillet with orange marmalade glaze, pan-fried potatoes AUD22.50

- Profiteroles filled with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with warm dark chocolate sauce AUD14.50

- Long Black AUD3

- Mariage Freres Tea AUD4.50

 

Decor Photos:

- Specials Board

- Long Dining Table

- Object d'Art

- Business Card

- back

- Produce Store

- A message from Stephanie

- Gumboots - Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation fundraiser AUD40

 

Refugees from Kobanê.

The refugee flow to the wealthy continent of Europe is just the tip of the iceberg. It's a minor crisis compared to the real refugee crisis hitting Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, where resources are not so plenty as in Europe. Belgium is not overwhelmed by a flood of refugees like Kurdistan. Many internal Iraqi refugees from areas which have been taken by IS flee to the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Most refugees remain in the region, and within the sphere of influence of the conflicts of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Browse through these photos by photographer Baram Maaruf and you might get a better understanding of the scope of the "crisis" in Europe: limited and perfectly manageable. It's a not a "refugee crisis", but a crisis of "political will".

 

ARBAT IDP CAMP

Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp is located outside the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It is one of the most overcrowded refugee camps in Iraq. The camp was supposed to house 800 displaced Iraqi families, but now there are more than 2000 families (23.000 people). In each tent there are several families. It was established for Syrian refugees as a transit camp, but it turned into a camp for internally displaced Iraqi refugees. As the crisis in Iraq enters its second year with no political or military solution in sight, the government and aid groups are being forced to seek longer-term humanitarian solutions for the more than three million displaced by violence across the country.

 

ASHTI CAMP

It’s a short drive to a new camp location just five km away: Ashti Camp. UNHCR and its partners began to move residents to better-equipped facilities in June 2015. Ashti camp, was recently completed and will eventually accommodate some 1000 families who will be moved from Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. They are displaced Iraqis sheltering in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It looks like the foundation of a new village. Instead of pitched upon packed earth, tents here rest on poured concrete foundations. Plumbing is underground and electric wiring runs along poles that neatly follow the camp's grid layout.

 

ARBAT PERMANENT CAMP

The third refugee camp is a permanent camp for 6000 Syrian refugees, mainly Kurds from Kobani and Qamishlo. It looks like a village with paved roads, electricity wires, shops, little brick houses. Even though the whole “village” looks miserable, it is much “better” compared to Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.

Yezidi family from Shangal.

The refugee flow to the wealthy continent of Europe is just the tip of the iceberg. It's a minor crisis compared to the real refugee crisis hitting Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, where resources are not so plenty as in Europe. Belgium is not overwhelmed by a flood of refugees like Kurdistan. Many internal Iraqi refugees from areas which have been taken by IS flee to the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Most refugees remain in the region, and within the sphere of influence of the conflicts of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Browse through these photos by photographer Baram Maaruf and you might get a better understanding of the scope of the "crisis" in Europe: limited and perfectly manageable. It's a not a "refugee crisis", but a crisis of "political will".

 

ARBAT IDP CAMP

Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp is located outside the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It is one of the most overcrowded refugee camps in Iraq. The camp was supposed to house 800 displaced Iraqi families, but now there are more than 2000 families (23.000 people). In each tent there are several families. It was established for Syrian refugees as a transit camp, but it turned into a camp for internally displaced Iraqi refugees. As the crisis in Iraq enters its second year with no political or military solution in sight, the government and aid groups are being forced to seek longer-term humanitarian solutions for the more than three million displaced by violence across the country.

 

ASHTI CAMP

It’s a short drive to a new camp location just five km away: Ashti Camp. UNHCR and its partners began to move residents to better-equipped facilities in June 2015. Ashti camp, was recently completed and will eventually accommodate some 1000 families who will be moved from Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. They are displaced Iraqis sheltering in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It looks like the foundation of a new village. Instead of pitched upon packed earth, tents here rest on poured concrete foundations. Plumbing is underground and electric wiring runs along poles that neatly follow the camp's grid layout.

 

ARBAT PERMANENT CAMP

The third refugee camp is a permanent camp for 6000 Syrian refugees, mainly Kurds from Kobani and Qamishlo. It looks like a village with paved roads, electricity wires, shops, little brick houses. Even though the whole “village” looks miserable, it is much “better” compared to Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.

Kristina and I spent a morning walking around London Bridge looking for good spots to shoot.

It was great fun and Kristina was great fun to work with.

Check out her profile on TFP Models

 

I'm discovering that one of the hardest parts of processing images from a shoot is narrowing down the pictures to manageable portions. I love so many of them that it is really hard to decide on which ones to process and which ones to leave.

Linton Zoo photography day with Colin Edwards.

Info from reptilesorts.com

Leopard geckos have become one of the most - if not the most - popular lizards to be kept and bred easily. This is due to a number of reasons: their calm temperaments, their amazing coloration, and their manageable size, and not a huge need for a very spacious vivarium.

 

Leopard geckos unlike most other geckos have moveable eyelids letting them blink. This helps keep the eye free of dust in the deserts of Pakistan and north-western India. They are marked like a leopard, as their name suggests. The tops of their bodies are yellow with black spots and are bumpy. The undersides are creamy white and smooth, and their tails are grey and spotted. They and are a great choice for beginners (or experts), but like most lizards they have the ability to 'drop' their tail, so it should not be tugged or pulled, and they should be handled carefully. They are voiceless, unlike some other geckos, such as the tokay gecko (Gekko gecko), another lizard that can be kept by beginners. They grow between 20 and 24 cm (8 - 9.5 inches), and usually become very tame in captivity.

 

They can live for up to twenty years. Leopard geckos are nocturnal, which means they hunt for food at night. These geckos are ground-dwelling, and they use their sharp claws for digging in the wild, although they are not often presented with the chance in captivity, kept on under an inch of substrate, but they do not seem to worry too much. Sometimes they hide underneath water bowls or rocks, where they have made a tunnel in the substrate

In 1820, Montgomery Bell created an Engineering masterpiece that is recognized today as an engineering landmark and a national historic landmark. Slaves under Bell's direction excavated a 200 foot tunnel about 8 feet high and fifteen feet wide through a limestone bluff at a point on the river known as the "Narrows". It is here that the river makes a loop around a high limestone ridge before returning to within 200 feet of itself again. Bell knew that by diverting water through the tunnel, the weight of the falling water from the plank flume would cause the water wheels to revolve on their axles. As the axles, made of large poplar logs, turned the protruding pins of white oak driven near the end of the log called trip levers, would press down and then release a hammer lever. The hammer lever was a long log with a heavy piece of metal attached to its' end. The pounding motion converted the hot brittle pig ironbillets, which were held with tongs on top of a large anvil, into malleable iron bars and plates that were more manageable for blacksmiths to use in their forges. Each full revolution of the water wheel produced two heavy blows to the iron. Products of the forge were hauled by ox drawn wagons or pack mules through the Narrows Gap to markets in Nashville or Franklin or floated down the Harpeth and The Cumberland River to Clarksville where they could be shipped up or down the river by steamboat to other locations.

 

Montgomery Bell owned and operated Pattison Forge, which bears his mother's maiden name, from 1832-1854. Afterwards, James L. Bell ran the operation until it was closed during the 1860's. After the Civil War, the iron industry in Tennessee remained somewhat depressed, and the forge did not re-open. During the early 1880's the Narrows of the Harpeth was sold by the Bell descendants. In the years to follow, the tunnel furnished power to operate a saw mill, and later a gristmill, which was washed away during a flood in the mid 1890's.

 

Today, the site of Pattison Forge, located at the Narrows of the Harpeth, is a part of the Harpeth River State Park and is maintained by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation. The site is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The intake side is just down a wooden staircase from the small parking area. The view above was made by walking the 10 minute trail from the parking area.

 

Hello to anyone who found this here:

styleblueprint.com/nashville/everyday/best-hiking-near-na...

8 Best Local Day Hikes (besides Radnor and Percy Warner!)

 

or here:

www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/unique-tn-water-tunnel/

Most People Have No Idea This Unique Tunnel In Tennessee Exists…And It’s Truly Enchanting

This has turned out to be a pretty big storm and it's still coming down in fits and starts. Gov. Baker has imposed a travel ban for the entire state of Massachusetts so everyone is snow bound. We've picked up a couple of feet and it couldn't be more beautiful -- no loss of power here -- only lots of fun. The boys have been outside and neither wants to come in once out there. They play and do other business in this area just adjacent to the house under a side deck where the snow levels are more manageable but still provide plenty of romper room.

The classification of this vessel has been long debated, even before the vessel was even designed. While the terms "battlecruiser," "light battlecruiser," and even "heavy armored cruiser" appear in numerous official Meermacht documents, naval analysts around the world have deemed it a "pocket battleship", much like a similar Norwistani vessel.

 

This particular vessel design was conceived in the late 1920's and early 1930's as an experiment in optimizing cost-effectiveness. It was to be a ship with firepower relevant to that of a capital ship, but at a more manageable price and size in order to put out more ships during times of economic stress.

 

The result came in the form of what is essentially an enlarged, heavier heavy cruiser hull with nine 11in guns in three turrets in addition to the usual secondary armament and, remarkably, a small amount of torpedoes. The designation of "light battlecruiser" owes perhaps to its sleek appearance, but truly it is a well-rounded ship design, made for the purpose of raiding, patrolling, and holding the line of battle with superior numbers against larger battleships and battlecruisers. Due to its small size, however, certain accommodations had to be made, and thus the ships of this class are notoriously cramped. In addition, its tall tower is vulnerable to high winds, and the ship is known to sway side to side a bit in rough seas, which worries some admirals, but the naval architects assure them it should be fine as long as the sailors are of light build and are relatively sedentary.

 

Named after the Greater Vinno-Maian Empire itself, the first of these glorious vessels are to be commissioned in late 1939 onwards in the Vinnische Meermacht.

 

PERKS & QUIRKS:

Guns: 11in (+0)

Armor: 6in (+1)

AA: DP gun (+0)

Speed: 30 knots (+0)

Torpedo Launcher: +1

HIGH TEST: -1

Cramped: -1

  

This image was scanned from a plan in the BHP Coal Geology plan set. The set of plans was donated to the Geology Department at University of Newcastle by BHP Coal Geology, in the early 1960s. The plans were transferred to Cultural Collections and stored in archives at the Auchmuty Library, University of Newcastle (2012), together with other archival material from the Geology Dept.

 

The plans were scanned at 400dpi in GLAMx Lab, Cultural Collections, in August 2017. This set of plans was generated from the scans by Russell Rigby in October 2017 - the original scans were adjusted using Irfanview software and the following steps:

1/ the scans were "squared up" where necessary by fine rotation, and cropped to remove frayed edges, binding holes etc - all information was preserved.

2/ the scans were resized to 160dpi (40% of original)to get a set of plans at manageable size.

3/ the resized images were"auto adjusted" to improve colour rendition and contrast

4/ the adjusted images were saved as high quality jpg files (80%)

5/ the adjusted images were renamed for consistency.

 

The borehole and shaft numbers used on these plans are from sequential numbering of the data points generated within BHP Coal Geology. A reference listing of the BHPCG numbers used for the Newcastle Coalfield with the name and number of the data point is held in archives by Glencore, Mineral Resources, and may also be in the University collection (to be confirmed). Copies of the drillhole and shaft logs are contained in sets of typed sheets, with hand-coloured graphic logs.

 

The scanned plans are dye-line prints. They were printed from originals on transparent film which were updated from time to time in BHP Coal Geology. Later versions of these plans may be available from other sources, and the updated originals may still be in the archives now held by Glencore. The printed plans are hand coloured.

 

The plans are approximately 1050mm x 760mm, at a scale of 4 inches:1 mile (1:15840) unless otherwise shown. They are bound in a single hard-cover folio.

 

The borehole and shaft numbers used on these plans are from sequential numbering of the data points generated within BHP Coal Geology. A reference listing of the BHPCG numbers used for the Newcastle Coalfield with the name and number of the data point is held in archives by Glencore, Mineral Resources, and may also be in the University collection. Copies of the drillhole and shaft logs are contained in sets of typed sheets, with hand-coloured graphic logs.

 

You are welcome to use the images for study and personal research purposes. Please acknowledge as “BHP Coal Geology", (Australia)" For commercial requests you must obtain permission by contacting Cultural Collections.

 

If you have any information about the photograph, please contact us or leave a comment. We greatly value your contribution.

 

Please contact Cultural Collections at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia, if you know the subject of the image, and have cultural or other reservations about the image being displayed on this website and would like to discuss this with us.

I just realised I hadn't posted this here, so unless you follow me on Twitter or are a friend on Facebook, or, you know, know me in person and see me "in real life", you wouldn't know I cut my hair a couple of weekends ago.

 

It's not the most perfect bob I've had, as it was a new hairdresser, given my usual one resides in Melbourne and I can't afford inter-city flights just to have my hairs cut, but it serves the main purpose of making my hair more manageable in the Brisbane heat. I kept breaking hair elastics trying to restrain my long locks in a bun at the gym and at work.

 

I want to go shorter - an overgrown boy-cut or possibly even gamine style - but I still want some length in my hair for Hospitalfield, so the really short cut will have to wait until May or June next year. Hopefully it will grow back sufficiently by mid-April.

 

The other thing I noticed today (which I was aware of to some extent, but hadn't taken it in lately), is that I have almost 300 unread contact notifications on here. I think I posted about this a little while ago, that I am disappointed by that, as I used to keep up to date with them, not only to weed out pervs or porn collectors, but predominantly because I love seeing other people's work and to add contacts back whose work I admire.

 

As a consequence of this, I also noticed today that some of those people are people who regularly comment on my work or request me to add work to groups that I enjoy, and I feel even worse about this.

 

I can't promise I'll get through all of the requests this weekend, or anything ambitious like that, but I do hope to gradually work my way through and check out your work, fave images, and add back as appropriate. Those whom I've added recently will notice I'm a bit of a scourer of streams and an epic fave-r when I really take to your work, so it's never a quick job!

 

I had this awesome idea today that it would be a good way to spend my time on the flight to the UK, but as far as I know, though you can often keep electronic equipment powered or charged on international airlines, I don't think any of the airlines give you full internet access (if any access at all) in-flight.

 

I also then realised that the person seated next to me may or may not appreciate me doing that as well, given the sort of images that regularly pop up in my stream, the stream of others I follow, and those of people who add me as a contact...

Kamera: Nikon F3 (1989)

Linse: Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f1.4 (1970)

Film: Cinestill BWXX (Kodak 5222) @ ISO 200

Kjemi: Xtol (stock / 8 min. @ 21°C)

 

- Here are some clips clip from Paul Verhoeven´s classic satirical anti-fascist anti-american film Starship Troopers (1997) that these days somehow seems like it could be a contemporary «documentary» from Israel… and USA.

 

A movie everyone should see again.

 

«Service guarantees citizenship! Would you like to know more?»

 

Starship Troopers: Propaganda (1997)

  

ISRAEL IS NOT A DEMOCRACY [Listen here]

 

by Chris Hedges (b. 1956), The Real News Network January 5, 2024

 

Israel's status as a bona fide democracy is often taken to be a self-evident truth, but a more critical look at the history and reality of Zionism calls this into question. After all, how can a democracy exist in a country constitutionally defined as an ethnostate that can only exist through the suppression and gradual elimination of its Others? Israeli historian Ilan Pappé joins The Chris Hedges Report for a discussion on Israel as an inherently colonial, and therefore anti-democratic, project.

 

Ilan Pappé (b. 1956) is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter in the UK, where he directs the European Centre for Palestine Studies, and co-directs the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies. Prior to coming to the UK, Pappé was a historian and politician in Israel. He is the author of several books, including The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine.

 

Studio Production: Cameron Granadino, Adam Coley

Post-Production: David Hebden

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. A proofread version will be made available as soon as possible.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

The scholar, Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-1994), who Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997) called the conscience of Israel, warned that, "If Israel did not separate church and state, it would give rise to a corrupt rabbinate that would warp Judaism into a fascistic cult. Religious nationalism is to religion what National Socialism was to socialism," warned Leibowitz, who died in 1994. He understood that the blind veneration of the military, especially after the 1967 war that captured the West Bank and East Jerusalem was dangerous and would lead to the ultimate destruction of democracy. "Our situation will deteriorate to that of a second Vietnam, to a war and constant escalation without prospect of ultimate resolution," he wrote.

 

He foresaw that, "The Arabs would be the working people and the Jews, the administrators, inspectors, officials and police; mainly secret police. A state ruling a hostile population of 1.5 million to 2 million foreigners would necessarily become a secret police state. With all that implies for education, free speech and democratic institutions. The corruption characteristic of every colonial regime would also prevail in the state of Israel. The administration would have to suppress Arab insurgency on the one hand and acquire Arab Quislings on the other. There is also good reason to fear that the Israeli Defense Force, which has been until now, a people's army would, as a result of being transformed into an army of occupation to generate and its commanders who will have become military governors, will resemble their colleagues in other nations." He warned that the rise of virulent racism would consume Israeli society. He knew that prolonged occupation of the Palestinians would spawn concentration camps for the occupied, and that in his words, "Israel would not deserve to exist and it will not be worthwhile to preserve it."

 

The decision to obliterate Gaza has long been the dream of Israeli fanatics, heirs of the fascistic movement led by the extremist Meir Kahane (1932-1990), who was barred from running for office and whose Kach Party was outlawed in 1994 and declared a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States. These Jewish extremists who today make up the ruling coalition government are orchestrating the genocide in Gaza, where hundreds of Palestinians are being killed or wounded a day. They champion the iconography and language of their homegrown fascism. Jewish identity and Jewish nationalism are the Zionist versions of blood and soil. Jewish supremacy is sanctified by God as is the slaughter of the Palestinians who are compared to the biblical Amalekites massacred by the Israelites. Enemies, usually Muslims, slated for extinction are subhuman who embody evil. Violence and the threat of violence are the only forms of communication those outside the magic circle of Jewish nationalism understand. Millions of Muslims and Christians, including those with Israeli citizenship, are to be purged.

 

Joining me to discuss what the occupation of Palestine has done to Israeli society and what the results of the current murderous campaign in Gaza and the West Bank portends for Israel in the future is Ilan Pappé, Professor of History of the University of Exeter in Great Britain, who has described what Israel does to the Palestinians as incremental genocide. He has written numerous books including The Biggest Prison on Earth: A History of the Occupied Territories and The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, which his French publisher has ceased publishing despite a surge in sales since the October 7th attacks, part of the concerted campaign by Zionists and their supporters to discredit and censor narratives that are critical of Israel.

 

I'd like to begin with a look at post Israel, the Zionist project that begins in the 1920s, and see whether the project itself, even before the creation of the state of Israel had built within it the seeds of its own destruction.

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Yes, I do think it did. And you are right in pointing to the 1920s because of course the Zionist movement existed before, but I think it's in the mid-1920s when it started to purchase land and evict the people who were living on that land. And that happened around 1926. It became a settler colonial project and not just a project for salvaging Jews from anti-Semitism or a national cultural redefinition of Judaism as nationalism instead of as religion.

 

The moment that happened, it was very clear that it's going to impose itself by force on an indigenous native population. And it was not just the classical settler colonial imposition of settlers from abroad imposing themselves on a native population, it also was kind of creating this idea that they can produce or establish a European state in the midst of the Arab world, very much like the white supremacists in South Africa. And there's two facts, that you are trying to implement a project of displacement and replacement of an indigenous population and that you are trying to create a cultural political entity that would alienate the area it belongs to and the area would alienate you were sold, I think had been sold in the 1920s. And we can see the effect of this to our days, no doubt.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

And yet there was always a tension within the Zionist project. I, you may have known him too, I knew Abba Eban (1915-2002), Teddy Kollek (1911-2007). When I was in Israel, they outlawed Meir Kahane's Kach Party. The people around Netanyahu now are of course the heirs to the Kach Party, later assassinated, this very right wing rabbi. And I want you to talk about that tension because it was there. I mean, Teddy Kollek when he was mayor of Jerusalem, when I was there, he was building sewer systems for... it was a different approach to colonization, or perhaps I have that wrong?

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

It was a different approach, but it remained colonization. If I'm a bit more abrupt about it, I would say that there was definitely an ideological stream within Zionism that believed that you could be a progressive colonizer or an enlightened colonizer. And yet from the colonized people's point of view, even if you provided some benefits in economic terms, in infrastructural terms, the colonization was still there. And the colonization was translated not only in terms of whether you provide sewages for Jerusalem or not, but by the fact that Teddy Kollek as the mayor of Jerusalem oversaw the ethnic cleansing of quite a large number of Palestinians from East Jerusalem in order to make space for building new Jewish neighborhoods, which should rightly be called Jewish colonies or settlements.

 

So in the end of the day, the Zionist vision, even in its most liberal version, meant that the Palestinians at best, at best could be tolerated as individuals in limited spaces within Palestine. That would be determined according to the Israeli notions of national security. And at worst, they're an obstacle that has to be removed. And as the time went by, most of the Israeli Jews said, "Why just be content with limiting their presence? Why not get rid of them altogether?"

 

Chris Hedges:

 

And yet these figures represented a secular strain of Zionism. And I want you to talk a little bit about Yeshayahu Leibowitz, who you knew, who I quoted it in the introduction, and he talks about this religious strain within Zionism where the land itself becomes sacred as particularly dangerous, I think he even uses the word fascistic. There is that split. And of course those of us, Abba Eban spoke better English than I did, Oxford educated, urbane. And so talk a little bit about that tension between secular and religious Zionism. And of course ultra orthodox religious Zionism has essentially proved triumphant.

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Yes, I call this tension, which you rightly point to, the struggle between the State of Israel and the State of Judea. The State of Judea grows up among the national religious groups and becomes particularly potent after '67 and it's kind of headquarters, it's habitat if you want, the settlements in the West Bank, and before that, even in the Gaza Strip. And they become a force to reckon with and they combine exactly what Leibowitz was talking about, and he saw it in the making. I mean I say it in hindsight, to his credit, he saw it and kind of predicted it happening, but now we have the benefit of time to see that he was absolutely right.

 

So that State of Judea, what you can call the settler state, is a combination of a messianic kind of Zionism combined with fundamentalist interpretation of Judaism, a wish to create a theocracy in which also secular Jews are the enemy, not just the Palestinians. And they become stronger. They used to be on the margins and we used to think that they are not really relevant, but now they are a central power in Israel. And against them stands the State of Israel. That is the kind of pre '67 Israel that wanted to be a liberal democracy, a pluralist, secular, but is losing it in the struggle against the State of Judea.

 

But what is so interesting and frustrating about this struggle, it does not concern the Palestinians at all. As you probably know, and we forgot it because of the dramatic events that occurred after 7th of October, but until the 7th of October, we witnessed in Israel a kind of a mini civil war between those two states that I'm talking about, the State of Israel and the State of Judea when hundreds of thousand of secular Israelis demonstrated daily trying to defend the kind of Israel they want. But when Palestinian citizens of Israel ask them, "Can we join you? And can we also include a rejection of the occupation as part of our struggle for a better Israel?" They were chucked out of this movement of protest because it was not against the occupation, it's not against the semi apartheid or full apartheid of Israel, depends where it is. It is what kind of an apartheid Israel should we have? A liberal democratic one for the Jews or a theocratic one for the Jews?

 

But unfortunately it does not evolve around the main issue, the most important issue that we started our conversation with, that can you impose yourself militarily and violently on millions of people against their will?

 

Chris Hedges:

 

I want to talk about 1948, this is the war of independence. All settler colonial projects are implanted by violence as was the one in the United States. The difference is that I think by 1600, over a 100-year period, 56 million indigenous inhabitants in North, Central and South America were obliterated through either diseases or violence so that by 1600 you only had about 10% of the original indigenous population was there. That wholesale extermination essentially allows a settler colonial project to survive because there's physically no opposition. That's not true in Israel. You have about 5.5 million Palestinians living under occupation, 9 million living in the diaspora. This from the establishment of the state of Israel is a huge problem for Israeli leaders. How are they going to cope? The demographic time bomb is real in terms of Arabs having larger families. You have huge flight, a kind of brain drain from Israel. I think there's a million Israelis living in the United States. But let's look at 1948, how they deal with a problem. And then we'll go to 1967 when Israel occupies what is the remaining part of Palestine, the West Bank and Gaza.

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Yes, as you rightly say, settler colonial projects have always these two dimension, geography and demography, or if you want space and population, you want the space without the population. And the more space you take, the more unwanted population you have. So the Zionist leadership exploited the end of the mandate, the circumstances that developed in the region and in the world three years after the Holocaust to implement a massive ethnic cleansing that left half of the Palestinian refugees and expelled half of the Palestinian population, destroyed half of the Palestinian villages, more than 500, and demolished most of the Palestinian towns.

 

So within the borders that were kind of established after 1948, that is Israel today without the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, Israel was unable to fully complete the ethnic cleansing, but it had a relatively small Palestinian minority that did not endanger the demographic majority of the Jews. So you could even have a demographic state because you always knew that democracy and demography would go hand in hand. Although because of the paranoia of Ben-Gurion until 1966, although the Palestinians in Israel had the right to vote and to be elected, they were under a very harsh military rule as it is.

 

Now, it's not surprising that David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973), the big architect of the ethnic cleansing of 1948, was trying to pressure the government of Israel. He was out of effective politics already in 1963, but he was trying after June '67 to convince the Israeli government to get out of the West Bank, almost saying to them, "I was able to get rid of about 1 million Palestinians, and now you are incorporating even a larger number of Palestinian under your rule." The kind of leadership that followed him, some of them were young generals during the '48 war and some other politicians like Levi Eshkol (1895-1969) and you mentioned also Abba Eban and Teddy Kollek, they decided there is no need for massive ethnic cleansing in order to keep the demography in such a way that it doesn't endanger the Jewish democracy.

 

So what did they do? They decided to keep millions of people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip without the right to take part in the Israeli political system. When some people said to them, "Okay, that's fine, but can you in return give the Palestinian the right to determine their future in a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip?" They didn't accept that either. So they really believed that they could somehow contain the Palestinian national ambition and resistance within that idea of a West Bank and a Gaza Strip that is our enclave controlled by Israel, maybe with some autonomy for the Palestinian inside, and convince the world that this is the best solution and even call it a kind of a two-state solution. Of course, it had nothing to do with a two-state solution.

 

So historically speaking, it's the same problem all the time, as you rightly say, Chris, it's having the territory without the people, but because of circumstances and things that changed, '48 is not '67 and '67 is not 2023, and because of that, the methods of maintaining this balance between territory and population changes. But the vision is the same one, and the purpose is the same one, and the failures are the same one. The massive expulsion didn't work. The idea of keeping people without citizenship rights is not working, and even putting them under siege as we have seen on the 7th of October is not working. And whatever the Israelis have in mind for Gaza, I can assure you, without knowing how it would unfold, it's going to be a huge failure, which unfortunately will have an incredible human cost, mainly for the Palestinians.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

Leibowitz really takes the 1967 war, which sees Israel seize the remaining land by Palestinians as the dividing point. He defines himself as a Zionist. He seems to argue that the pre 1967 borders known as the Green Line could work. But '67 for him and the refusal on the part of the Israeli leadership to give up the occupation, or after '67, move back to the pre '67 borders, really, he argues quite passionately is in many ways the death now of Israeli democracy, civil society. Can you explain that?

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Yeah. Well, first of all, I would say that I think that as we started our conversation, the seeds for this end or implosion from within had been sold much earlier in the 1920s. But let's go along with this thesis, although I think it was doomed to fail from the very beginning. But there's no doubt that the occupation of 1967 accelerated these processes by which you had a legal system, a political system, and the culture system that justified a daily violation of the human rights and the civil rights of the Palestinians, at least inside Israel. In the pre '67 Israel, there was an attempt all the time to improve the situation of the Palestinian citizens in Israel. And as we said, they had the right to vote, they had the right to be elected, and finally they even were allowed to create their own national parties and so on.

 

But at the same time, the direction in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was going towards a different kind of a future, a long and never ending building of two mega prisons, one in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip maintained by at least hundreds of thousands of Israeli had to be daily involved in maintaining this mega prison of policing millions of people. And the idea, and I think that's where Leibowitz, which was different from Kollek and Abba, even for instance, Leibowitz warned them that their sense that they might separate, there will be this democratic liberal pluralist Israel within the pre '67 borders, and there will be something less admirable, less fortunate, but hopefully manageable beyond the Green Line, beyond the borders of Israel. And he warned rightly so that you will not be able to contain it, that it would spill over into Israel, and you will not have, in the end of the day, two entities, namely a liberal democratic Israel next to an occupied Palestine.

 

No, in the end of the day, you will have one apartheid system that may have varieties in the way it controls the lives of Palestinians, but in essence, as indeed Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International eventually understood recently, would have to be ruled through segregation, discrimination, and oppression. And it doesn't matter whether we talk about Tel Aviv and Haifa or we talk about Nablus and Gaza, it became one organic country where the people who are Palestinians are subjected to a variety of legal regimes and military regimes that violate the basic civil and human rights.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

And I just want to say that Israeli Arabs, even though pre '67 there were moves to incorporate them in the side, nevertheless did not serve in the army or the intelligence units. That's correct, right?

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Yeah, yeah.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

Yeah. So Leibowitz, it's not just that the occupation for him is not sustainable, but it's what it does, how it deforms Israeli society. And I wonder if you could speak to what happened. I'm especially interested in why you believe these Zionist fanatics and bigots and crypto-fascists, these people surrounding Netanyahu, why they became ascendant?

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Well, I think that there are two crises here at work. One crisis is what you can call the Zionist left, this attempt to, if you want, to square the circle to somehow say to yourself, I can be both an occupier and a socialist or a liberal. This failed to work on so many levels. First of all, the Palestinians were not impressed by that. They understood, as I once put it, that when a Zionist has a boot on your face, it doesn't matter whether he holds the Book of Marks or the Bible, what matters is the boot. And I think that's one reason the Zionist left was not working. Secondly, there was a sense among the Israeli Jewish electorate that this is a deception actually. And there was something in it, they said, "You actually think like us, but you would've liked it to be nicer. You would've liked the world not to be fully aware of it. You don't want to lose international legitimacy. It's not because you have different moral approach, but you have a more functional approach to it." And that did not convince the Jewish electorate.

 

So one crisis was this, what I call the failure to square the circle and take universal values and say that they can coexist with the values of colonialism and oppression. The second and no less important is the failure or the collapse of the idea that you can redefine Judaism as nationalism. There was an attempt to create a Jewish culture, a Jewish identity, which is secular, and it didn't work. There are some successes. There is a Hebrew culture, no doubt. I myself dream in Hebrew. Hebrew is my mother tongue so I'm fully aware of the success of Zionism to create a Hebrew culture. But the Hebrew culture is not a substitute for Judaism. It creates a culture around language, but doesn't have the power that a religious affiliation has.

 

And what happened was that while the religious Jews had a clear idea what Judaism is, Israeli Jews never knew what does it mean to be an Israeli Jew? As you probably know, in our idea, on our identity cards, our nationality is not Israeli. No, Israeli has an nationality identity that is an Israeli. In my idea, it's written that my nationality is Jewish. And in the idea of my neighbor who is a Palestinian Israeli, it says that his nationality is Muslim, not Palestinian or Christian, which I mean, they try to impose this idea that they can play with religious identities and even impose it on Christians and Muslims. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. And I think anywhere you look at the world and attempt to create a state identity that is equivalent to a religious identity in the modern world is not working. It is not working.

 

And this crisis has led to the return to Judaism as a religion by many Israeli Jews, including the Arab Jews who were anyway more traditional. And then they asked themselves similar things that are happening in political Islam. Can we translate the Jewish scriptures into political documents of our day? Can we impose the imperatives of the religion on the public domain, on the state policy, both the domestic one and the foreign one? And for secular Israelis, this is something they cannot coexist with. But they don't really have a very good answer. So what does it mean to be a Jew if it's not to be a religious Jew? What is a secular Jew? What is a secular Muslim for that matter? Or secular Christian? And that's a crisis that maybe also exists in other places, but there's no, this pressure cooker that Israel is where these questions become vital and existential.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

When Thucydides (c. 460 BC – c. 400 BC) talked about the expansion of the Athenian Empire, he wrote that, "The tyranny Athens imposed on others, it finally imposed on itself." To what extent is the tyranny that Israel has imposed on occupied Palestinians now being imposed on itself?

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Well, we had clear indications, especially... I mean, they were there before, but I think the 7th of October was a pretext for this tyranny to be directed towards freethinking Israeli citizens who are also Jewish by definition. We have a clear case of a history teacher in Petah Tikva who all he did, he shared with his students, pupils rather, some alternative views to the ones they hear in the Israeli media. And he was arrested for few days before he was released. Any attempt by Palestinian citizens of Israel or anti-Zionist Israeli citizens to express doubts or even say that you have to understand the context of the 7th of October is regarded by the police as incitement to terrorism. So inevitable, as any historian would know, this can never be contained towards one group of people, and eventually you use these powers against your own people, and it depends who is the one who uses the power.

 

There's some very important critical sociologists in Israel, which I am not one of them, but they followed the way that the upper echelons of the Israeli Security Service, the upper echelons of the army, are now populated by what I call the State of Judea, namely settlers, national religious settlers are now occupying very important position. You have, of course, the ultimate example, and this is the terrorist from the Judea state, Itamar Ben-Gvir (b. 1976), as the Minister of Internal Security. So even at the top, you have someone who doesn't hesitate to use the same means against free thinking Israelis, regardless of who they are, Jews or Arabs, as he wants to use them against the Palestinians. But he may be a bit of a joke even in the eyes of his own subordinates, but there are more serious people below him who supposedly are part of the civil service and are not politically elected, but they come from this ideological hotbed that sees people like myself, if you want, as dangerous as any Palestinian, and that is something that is now spreading in Israel.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

Let's talk about October 7th, both the micro impact and as a historian, the macro impact?

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Well, the micro impact is a bizarre, really and I'm trying to get my head around it, although I can begin to understand this. Let's start with the Israeli Jewish society. There is this almost impossible mixture of total disbelief in the ability of the Jewish state to defend you or even provide you with the most fundamental services. So it's a total breakdown in the confidence of the State to provide for you, not only defend you because the military failed, but the way the state was not there after the 7th of October. I don't know how much people are aware of it, but the State did not function for about two months in terms of providing social, economical... it was all done by the civil society. The government did not function at all in terms of helping people who were evicted from the north or the south.

 

So on the one hand, there is this breakdown in believing in the State. On the other hand, there is a total support for the genocidal policies in Gaza. It's a contradiction, but one can understand where it comes from, and that's one of the micro kind of impact you have, that you will have an even more intransigent, inflexible, theocratic, fanatic Israeli Jew society in the post 7 October Israel.

 

As for the Palestinians, I think some big questions would be asked also by the Palestinian national movement because it's a big responsibility to stage an operation when you probably know beforehand what the Israeli reaction would be. It always reminds me of the two... I had a webinar with some people from Lebanon and we talked about it, and I think there are similarities. People say to me, "But Hamas was kind of building on the legacy of 2000 when Hezbollah bravely succeeded in pushing the Israeli army outside of Lebanon." So there is an example of an Arab paramilitary group being a match to the might of the Israeli Army. But I said, "Yes, but there's another legacy, that's a legacy of 2006 when Hassan Nasrallah (b. 1960), the leader of Hezbollah, said, 'Had I known that Israeli reaction to the abduction of three soldiers would be the destruction of Beirut, I would not have ordered that operation.'"

 

So he did talk with responsibility of when you strategize, you have responsibility also for your own people. It would be interesting to see in the micro level, first of all how the Palestinians are reacting to the Israeli retaliation, beyond of course their ability. And I think they were able to galvanize public opinion to show that however one condemns or doesn't condemn the service of October, it does not weaken the basic growing solidarity with the Palestinians.

 

Now let's talk about the macro. The macro is that Israel is not going to defeat the Hamas that easily, and is going to be stuck there. And in order even to maintain some sort of success, victory, they would have to stay there for years in direct occupation. And this could easily escalate into an uprising in the West Bank and attack from the north by Hezbollah, and who knows, even undercurrents in the Arab world that would change the Arab tolerance of Israel that we have seen so far. This can escalate to regional war. On the one hand, that's the bleak scenario.

 

The more positive scenario in the macro one is that the civil society that is now very much pro-Palestinian and even supports boycott and divestments from Israel, may succeed in convincing some governments in the Global North, and definitely in the Global South, to move beyond actions of civil society into sanctions and pressure on Israel, and maybe have a total new perception about the need to pressure Israel to give up its supremacist policies, its oppression, and so on.

 

It's too early to judge which of the two processes will unfold. They may even unfold in conjunction, namely, the more violent the region would become, the more willing maybe the international community would be willing to change its basic perceptions of what is the essence of the problem and what is the way out of it.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

But isn't the key Washington? I mean Israel, along with the US, is already on this issue, they're pariah states, as we saw with the vote in the UN. As long as there's unconditional support from Washington, Israel can resist any kind of pressure, can't they?

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Well, that's a very big question because I think that the Global South also has power. I taught in a Chinese university recently in September, and it was very clear that China, for instance, is still reluctant to be involved in the question of Palestine because as you know, Chinese foreign policy, contrary to the way it's portrayed in America, is interested in economic gains more than anything else. And rightly so, Palestine is not an economic bonanza these days. So I don't think they're likely to be involved too much in it.

 

But I do think that there are other powers on the international map that could challenge the American hegemony on the question of Palestine, that's one point. And secondly, yes, America is still a key, but something is happening in the American civil society. Israelis and pro-Israelis in America like to call it the rise of new anti-Semitism, which is a very superficial analysis of the fact that the younger generation of Americans, A, is much more knowledgeable than the previous generation what goes on in Palestine. B, is far more committed, some people would say naively, but they are more committed to moral dimension of foreign and security policies. And that includes large chunks of the young American Jewish community. So I'm not sure that also this determinist view of an American policy is the right approach, either. I do think there's a chance of a different American policy as well.

 

But I do think Chris, probably the best way to do it is by saying there are two coalitions now when it comes to Palestine. One I call global Israel. Global Israel is still governments in the Global South, multinational corporation, military industries, security industries, communities of Christian Zionists and Jews who more or less continue to provide Israel immunity for almost everything it does, almost automatically, kind of a faith. And against that is global Palestine. And global Palestine is made of civil societies. Some governments in the Global South who are not only pro-Palestinian, but they really believe that the struggle for justice in Palestine connects very well with their own struggles against injustice in their own societies. And this is the younger generation of the world.

 

And I think that this is a battle that goes beyond a Palestine, connects ecological issues, poverty issues, rights of minorities issues with Palestine, and therefore I don't think the balance of power is just America versus the rest of the world. I think there are much more complex two global coalitions, which are relevant not only to Palestine, but I see the relevance mainly in the case of Palestine because I'm interested in it. But I'm sure they can be also exposed in other places of contention and where conflicts are still raging.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

Let's close by looking at Gaza. First I want to talk about intent. The UN says that half of Gazans now face starvation. I was in Sarajevo during the war, that was 300 to 400 shells a day, four to five dead a day, about two dozen wounded a day. This is just by comparison, I don't want to minimize what happened in Sarajevo, I still have nightmares about it. But that's nothing compared to what's happening in Gaza in terms of the level of bombing. What is the intent? Is the intent to create a humanitarian crisis of such extremity that the international community is forced to intervene and become a partner in ethnic cleansing? Well what? You know the mindset of the people around Netanyahu better than I do.

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

Well, first of all, I think that there was really here an inertia of revenge to begin with, rather than a very careful planning. And not everything should be attributed to clear and systematic planning. As the days went by, it was clear to at least one group within the policymakers who thought that the war gives a pretext to get rid of Gaza, a more systematic planning. So the end result, as far as they're concerned, is the depopulation of the Gaza Strip from as many Palestinians as possible either to Egypt or to other parts of the world, because Gaza, if it's not sustainable now, it wouldn't even be less sustainable in the future. I think there is one component among the Israeli policy makers who believe that they have the power to do it.

 

There is a more, I don't know, even call them more moderate, I'll call them more pragmatic people like Benjamin Gantz (b. 1959), Gadi Eizenkot (b. 1960), also depends. I mean, they joined the government in the last moment from the opposition. I don't know how influential they will be for the day after. But if they're still influential on the day after, they would like to see... They have a certain end game in mind, which is to annex part of the Gaza Strip directly to Israel, which what will remain is a very small piece of land with a huge number of people living in it and hoping that someone else would run the domestic affairs of Gaza, whether it's the PA or a multinational force.

 

However, they don't think that it's even possible to discuss the day after scenarios before they fulfill what they promised to the Israeli public, which is something they cannot fulfill. And that's one of the reasons for the carnage that we are seeing, that they could have this victory photo, kind of triumphant photo that shows that the Hamas is nowhere to be seen in Gaza, or at least nowhere to be seen as a military force. I don't think they can achieve it, but they still believe that they can.

 

And until that happens, they continue relentlessly doing it by the way, [by that, even endangering more the lives of the still 130 and so Israeli hostages still held by the Hamas in the Gaza Strip]. They claim that the two objectives of what they call the land maneuver is to destroy the Hamas as a military power and to salvage the hostages. It's very clear from the way they're acting, they have given up on the hostages, but they still believe they have the power to get this picture that they want, either a dead Yahya Sinwar (b. 1962) or an expelled Sinwar, the scenario of Lebanon 1982 Arafat leaving to Tunis with the rest of the Palestinian leadership. These are the scenarios they have, and all the means seems to be justified in their eyes to achieve that.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

And you are arguing they won't. So what happens when they don't achieve that?

 

Ilan Pappé:

 

That's what I meant before that what happens is that they are going to be stuck there for much longer than they think, involved in a guerilla warfare which is much longer than they think, endangering every day an escalation that could bring other factors as other actors into that conflict with dire consequences also for Israel itself. Can you imagine, Chris, what would've happened if in the 7th of October Hezbollah would've coordinated with the Hamas a similar attack on the north? Remember, the main military problem for Israel was that most of its army was in the West Bank helping to defend the settlers and helping them with their ethnic cleansing. So there was not enough soldiers in the North and not enough soldiers on the Gaza border to prevent a operation like the one the Hamas conducted. Imagine what would happen if the Hezbollah would've joined in, how Israel would've got out of that. And somehow this lesson is not being learned by the Israeli policymakers.

 

So I think that they are going to take Israel into a very dire future, even for the Israelis themselves, in terms of casualties, in terms of international isolation, in terms of economic crisis. And relying all the time on the American Congress, it's not the best and most solid pillar in the world to build a future for a younger generation and tell them that they live in the best place the Jews could be in the world right now. They're sort of digging their own hole here because they don't want to see what the problem is and what price they have to pay if they really want to build a different future.

 

Chris Hedges:

 

Great. That was Ilan Pappe, professor of history at the University of Exeter in Great Britain, author of the Biggest Prison on Earth: The History of the Occupied Territories and the Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine. I want to thank the Real News Network and its production team, Cameron Granadino, Adam Coley, David Hebden, and Kayla Rivara. You can find me at ChrisHedges.substack.com.

 

This article first appeared on The Real News Network and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Another 'calm sea' photo, with Matiu / Somes Island in the frame, like yesterday.

 

As mentioned before, this was probably my last colour film for a long time. Black and white is manageable, and affordable. Colour is neither :(

 

Taken on the same morning as )(.

I took this months ago when I was sick and exhausted and still attempting to do my 365 despite everything I was going through at that moment. I never finished fully editing it but I like it enough to post on here for the time being. Now that I've recovered mentally and physically, I will return to working on my photography.

 

I am working on a set of ideas to turn into a 52 week project which should be more manageable with my full time job and other things going on in my life. The actual project might take a few more weeks to get going but I will be posting other things on here while preparing myself for it.

Cartridge: 7.62x54mm

Fire Rate: Semi-automatic

Range:820 meters

Capacity: 20 rounds/mag

Extras: Any rail attachment, sling, silencer/suppressor

 

The SCRS (Sub-Compact Rifle System) Type 22 is newley developed battle rifle for the 25th century. It is as short as a typical carbine, yet with all the range and high power punch of a full sized rifle. Being this size, the rifle is incredibly light and concealable compared to other battle rifles. Normally, being this short would decrease the range and accuracy of the firearm, yet the SCBR utilized special magnetic enhancers to accelerate the bullet to supersonic speeds, compensating for the sorter barrel. It also has a special muzzle break that not only limits the flash and recoil, but also minimizes the magnetic signature given off by firing the weapon, meaning the shooter is harder to detect with equipment that picks up electrical signatures. It has been limited to a slow, yet highly manageable 500 rpm, meaning the weapon can be accurately fired in quick succession at longer ranges. The SCRS Type 22: rifle capabilities in a carbine package.

The idea of a stand mixer was formulated by Herbert Johnson, an engineer working at the Hobart Corporation. He had been inspired after seeing a baker mix dough, and thought that there must be a better way of doing the task. Development began, in 1914, the model "H" mixer was launched for industrial work. The U.S. Navy ordered mixers for two new Tennessee-class battleships, the California and the Tennessee, as well as the U.S. Navy's first dreadnought battleship, the South Carolina. In 1917, Hobart stand mixers became standard equipment on all U.S. Navy ships, prompting development to begin on the first home models.

The first machine to carry the KitchenAid name was the 10 quart C-10 model, introduced in 1918 and built at Hobart's Troy Metal Products subsidiary in Springfield, OH.[2] Prototype models were given to the wives of factory executives, and the product was named when one stated "I don't care what you call it, but I know it's the best kitchen aid I've ever had!" They were initially marketed at the farmhouse kitchen and were available in hardware stores.[3] But owing to the difficulty in convincing retailers to take up the product, the company recruited a mostly female sales force, which sold the mixers door-to-door.[1] The C-10 machine was also marketed heavily towards soda fountains and small commercial kitchens, and was also sold under the FountainAid and BakersAid model names.[4]

 

In 1922, KitchenAid introduced the H-5 mixer as its new home-use offering.[5] The H-5 mixer was smaller and lighter than the C-10, and had a more manageable five quart bowl. The model "G" mixer, about half the weight of the "H-5", was released in August 1928.[6] In the 1920s several other companies introduced similar mixers, with the Sunbeam Mixmaster becoming the most popular among consumers until the 1950s.

 

KitchenAid mixers remained popular, with the factory selling out of products each Christmas in the late 1930s. Having shut down production for the duration of the Second World War, the factory started up again in 1946 with production moving to Greenville, Ohio, to expand capacity.

 

The product range expanded beyond stand mixers for the first time in 1949, with dishwashers being introduced.[3]

 

In 1985, the company purchased the Chambers Company to incorporate its range of cookers into the KitchenAid brand.[1] After being cleared by a Federal appeals court in January 1986, Whirlpool Corporation were cleared to purchase KitchenAid after initial complaints regarding competition from dishwasher manufacturers White Consolidated Industries and Magic Chef were dismissed.[8] Refrigerators were added to the product line later in 1986.[1] The company used the popularity of celebrity chefs during the late 1980s to seize the chance to expand its customer range. In 1988, retailer Williams-Sonoma was opening new stores across the United States and released a cobalt blue stand mixer for the company. Although the retailer had been carrying KitchenAid products since 1959, the new stores introduced the mixers to a wider range of home cooks. This combined with a change in marketing strategy for KitchenAid, which resulted in a doubling of brand awareness over the course of the following three years.

 

KitchenAid began manufacturing blenders and other small appliances in the mid-1990s. The brand was further promoted by sponsoring the PBS show Home Cooking, and by introducing the mixers to television chefs such as Julia Child and Martha Stewart. Following the success with William-Sonoma, specific point of purchases were set up in department stores such as Kohl's and Macy's. Specific color mixers were released for specific retailers or to benefit charities, such as a pink mixer released to raise funds for breast cancer research or mixers sold at Target stores being available in that company's signature shade of red. The ProLine range of appliances was launched in 2003 with an initial six month exclusivity agreement with Williams-Sonoma

 

This was taken at the Stodmarsh Nature Reserve in Kent. Stodmarsh has a long history of human activity that has shaped the landscape you see today.

 

It has been used by medieval monks to graze horses, as a colliery at the start of the 20th century, and as a duck shooting area in the 1930s.

 

The reserve, which covers 249.9 hectares, lies in the floodplain of the river Stour and has always been marshy. Subsidence caused ny mining caused much of the reserve to become wetter, and this eventually led to the formation of the lake and reedbeds at the western end of the site.

 

The Grove area of the reserve is a more recent addition. Purchased by Natural England in 1998, it has been enhanced with the creation of additional pools, reedbeds and grazing marshes, with water levels raised across the land to make it much more attractive to wildlife.

 

The area has been protected and managed for nature conservation for over 40 years and, despite all the changes in land use, probably looks much the same now as it did in medieval times.

 

Reed beds

Stodmarsh NNR has the largest reed bed in the South East of England, which supports a range of specialised birds and insects. The reed beds are an excellent sanctuary for migrating birds such as swallows and house martins in the summer and starlings in the winter; sometimes thousands can be seen here as they stop overnight before continuing their journey in the morning. Natural England manage this habitat to make it attractive to wildlife by cutting reeds in rotation, controlling scrub and managing water levels.

 

Grazing marsh

Natural England control water levels so that there is some surface flooding amongst the grass that benefits the wintering and breeding birds that flock here. Local farmers graze cattle on the marsh to keep the grass short and tussocky, and in late summer each year the grass is cut back to a manageable height. In some area longer grass and sedges are encouraged to help species like snipe.

 

While cattle graze the marsh from May to November, to coincide with the growing season, a small herd of wild Polish ponies called Koniks are left to graze all year round.

 

Lakes and pools

The lakes and pools at Stodmarsh NNR are full of invertebrates and fish. They range in size from small larvae and fish fry to large carp and pike. In early summer, you may see large fish in the main lake splashing around in the shallows and swimming into the reeds as they spawn. In the autumn, the water levels are lowered in some of the lakes and pools to expose bare mud for migrating wading birds. The fish provide a key food source for many birds like kingfisher, cormorant, grey heron and little egret, and occasionally attract osprey, too.

 

Ditches

The ditches allow us to move water around the Reserve and they provide a habitat for a range of rare plants like sharp-leaved pondweed, mammals like water vole and invertebrates like the shining ramshorn snail. The water levels are controlled to stop them drying up and they are cleared out periodically to prevent them becoming completely dominated by reeds or scrub.

 

For further information please visit www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designated...

After a long break due to holidays, a heatwave and health issues we have resumed our Monarch’s Way challenge. We are walking the 111 miles of this long distance path between Stratford on Avon and Bristol in manageable lengths. There are 20 walks in all, this is Walk 6.

 

This is the first sign we have seen that explains the Monarch's Way.

 

This walk took us from Broadwell to Bourton-on-the-Water, about 6 miles.

Kids seem much more manageable with leashes

So the other night when I was out hiking Koko Head with my cousin there were a group of guys and one of them was suffering from what looked like extreme exhaustion or dehydration (probably both) and as a result emergency had to be called. On scene were a large number of firetrucks, a few ambulances, along with rescue air one. Much Mahalo to the firefighters who had to haul gear up to about the 900 step area to assist them and everyone else who had to respond at nearly 11pm at night. Unfortunately I was not able to capture a picture of the helicopter which eventually landed in the park for a brief moment.

 

Everyone remember to keep safe, stay hydrated, and take it at a manageable pace especially while hiking at night.

 

Manually lit with a 430ex II in modeling mode. 3 or 4 clicks running along the side of the truck during the 30 second exposure.

So the other day I went shopping at a thrift store and found Valentina, Formal Funk Koby(ALMOST complete but he's not cute so I'm only keeping pieces of his outfits) and Surprise! Wild Life Safari Yasmin(or so I thought), but her hair was a mess but seemed to be manageable so I bought her, when i took a closer look at her i saw she had the same eyes as Wild Life Safari Fianna but way darker lips so I was then surprised that it was actually Haute Couture en Coulisse Noémie!

I was able to restore her hair like it was new thanks to the conditioner that comes with Herbal Essences hair dye!

 

Hair: by me

Clothes:

Earrings: Princess Fianna

AWESOME Jacket: Flashback Fever Cloe

Transparent shirt: Modified Tokyo-a-go-go Jade

Skirt: Fashion Pack?

Belt: Wild Wild West Yasmin

Bracelet: Twiinz Roxxi

Striped sock: Girlz Really Rock jade

White and metallic Sock: My scene I think?

Shoes: Moviez Yasmin

Title: RuPaul's Song

The most difficult footpath?

My wife & I walked the Blencathra Wainwrights. Finishing on Blencathra, we descended Doddick Fell (one of the ridges on the south side of the mountain). This path is steep and rocky but has no great difficulty. At the bottom, direct access to the road (A66) is not possible and we had to follow the footpath (on the fell side of the open land boundary wall) eastwards towards Scales. I could see from the map that the path loops into the Scaley Beck valley.

Upon reaching this valley we encountered this steep, rocky and smooth step. We managed to get down by holding onto the fence as the rock was curiously devoid of good handholds. This put us onto a horizontal path which led in a few yards to a second, even steeper rocky step. This step was much steeper than the first and was about 15 feet high (high enough to do serious damage upon falling). To the left (facing downhill) was a vertical chimney absolutely oozing with water and slime; in the middle is an overhang; to the right was a vertical wall. Again the slabs above were curiously devoid of good hand holds. Hoping to get a better grip on the rock and fully expecting to be down in a minute, I removed my gloves in order to get a better grip and threw them down to the bottom. Bare hands didn't help at all and after lots of dithering, we climbed back to above the first step. A faint path leading higher into the valley seemed to offer a safer alternative. We followed this, heading for what appeared to be a more manageable slope, but this path soon petered out. As we battled further up through dense foliage, a walker appeared at the top of the corresponding Bad Step on the West Bank coming in the opposite direction. He had some difficulty in descending that step but did make progress. I realised that he would find my gloves and I tried to shout down to him, but he couldn't hear because of the water and he didn't look our way, so didn't see us. I was hoping that he would be stopped by the West Bank step because I knew that he would pick up my gloves.

The thick foliage and steep slope slowed us considerably and it took a while to reach the stream bed further up the valley. We now followed the stream down hill, back towards the path. Even here progress was difficult, with many rocky drops being encountered; at several places we actually had to wade in the water. After a long time we finally regained the path where it crosses the stream. There was no sign of the walker nor of my gloves, so presumably he'd climbed the step and picked up my gloves thinking that he might catch up with their owner (me).

My wife and I managed to ascend the rock step on the East Bank without too much difficulty; it's definitely easier than the West Bank step, although again, it might be intimidating to descend.

We finally got back to the car at Scales. I looked at the map, trying to decide where the lone walker might emerge onto the road. We drove to several possible locations but we never saw him (or my gloves) again. What was bizarre was that he was the only other walker we saw on that side of the mountain and at the very moment that I was (temporarily) separated from my gloves.

Has anybody else walked that path and encountered those Bad Steps? I would say that they are definitely the most difficult that I have encountered on a footpath.

bundespreis-ecodesign.de/en/winners/velospeeder

 

VELOSPEEDER, the miniaturized e-Bike drive by VELOGICAL, highly energy efficient with minimal waste of raw material, belongs to the

Award winners 2018 for Federal Award Ecodesign in product category

(Bundespreis Ecodesign).

 

Jury statement: "The Velospeeder convinces with a well thought-out drive concept, with the help of which existing bicycles can be retrofitted to a fully-fledged e-bike at manageable costs. This facilitates and promotes the urgently needed changeover from cars to more resource- and environmentally friendly individual mobility."

Andreas Detzel

 

--

 

Der VELOSPEEDER, der miniaturisierte E-Bike-Antrieb von VELOGICAL, hocheffizient bei minimalem Rohstoffverbrauch, gehört zu den Preisträgern 2018 Bundespreis Ecodesign / Produkt.

 

Jurystatement:

„Der Velospeeder überzeugt mit einem gut durchdachten Antriebskonzept, mit dessen Hilfe Bestandsfahrräder bei überschaubarem Aufwand zu einem vollwertigen E-Bike nachgerüstet werden können. Das erleichtert und befördert den dringend notwendigen Umstieg vom Auto auf eine ressourcen- und umweltschonendere Individualmobilität.“

Andreas Detzel

2014 Gore Aussie Muscle Mania Car Show (12-4-14)

 

By the time of the release of the VJ Valiant, Chrysler’s market share was in its fourth consecutive year of decline. There was therefore much pressure on the stylists to ensure the face-lifted VJ arrested the decline.

 

The new look was heralded by Chrysler as being “Years ahead of its time”, it clearly wasn’t, but the question of whether it could around the flagging fortunes of Chrysler in Australia remained. The VJ’s sheet metal remained unchanged over the outgoing VH, styling changes being restricted to a grille makeover, round headlights and revamped tail lights.

 

The major mechanical improvement was an electrical ignition system which became standard on the Regal, Charger XL and 770 and Chrysler. This was the first time this feature had been offered in an Australian built car. But apart from these handful of improvements, the VJ remained very much the car of old.

 

One of the difficulties Chrysler was facing were the perceived build quality problems inherent in the VH, so the marketers set about confirming to the public that the VJ was a well sorted and now tried and tested quality alternative, offering more features and refinements than the competition.

 

Advertising campaigns of the day focused on the new body finishing techniques which included the use of rust-proofing primer, along with higher paint application quality. Chrysler also knew the cost of offering such a broad line-up of models was significantly affecting the cost of manufacture, so some rationalisation was needed.

 

When the dust had settled, there Pacer had been dropped, along with the Ranger XL, Regal 770 and Charger R/T. With the different machinations applicable to each of these models, Chrysler had effectively brought its model line-up down from 56 to a more manageable 18, and to fill any perceived gaps in the line-up the Chrysler executives were confident that by adding to the options list any Chrysler purchaser would still be able to leave the showrooms with their own very individual motor car.

 

It is worth noting the other, albeit small changes introduced with the VJ. It was one of the first locally manufactured cars to switch to the use of a metric calibrated speedometer, while the steering wheel featured a flatter rim at the bottom, supposedly to give more leg room to the driver. In a decision unfathomable today, except perhaps considering the fuel crisis of the early 1970’s, to no longer produce high performance Chargers was a travesty. Much lesser cars, such as the Falcon Superbird and 6 cylinder Monaro’s were able to eat away at the Charger’s market share, this after it leading the two-door sales charts the preceding year.

 

Visually there were very few changes from the VH to VJ Charger, in fact you pretty much had to be looking at the car head on, so that you could see the new grille, to identify it as the latest model. The new grille had a pillar effect and 178mm round headlights. The front turn indicators were mounted on the guards using body-coloured bezels, while the tail lights also came in for a makeover.

 

Inside the trim was improved and a larger range of colours was offered. There were only three basic models available, the Charger, Charger XL and Charger 770, although the standard features list was improved and the number of options available increased. All Six-Pack and V8’s had a front anti-roll bar and swinging rear quarter windows, and all excluding the base 215 engined Chargers were fitted with the new electric ignition system. A sports pack enabled the buyer to lift the XL to almost VH R/T specs. Gone was the lower priced 265 Hemi option, the six-pack and 318 V8 being the only muscle car options.

 

The Flagship Chrysler by Chrysler:

 

The flagship Chrysler by Chrysler CJ was announced in March and put on sale in early April. As with the Valiant line-up, the Chrysler was visually almost identical to the CH model, although the hand-painted coach line was deleted, while the sill and wheel arch mouldings that were previously available only as an option became standard fare. Cars fitted with vinyl roofs were fitted with lower mouldings to give the whole car a lowered look. Carried over too were the engine options, coming standard with the Hemi 265ci engine with the 360 5.9 litre V8 engine available as an option.

 

The commercial vehicle range was added to with the release of a low budget Dodge badged utility which was virtually identical to the Valiant model. The utes had revised grilles and round headlights. The 215 Hemi was standard on both, and the Valiant had a slightly higher level of equipment. VJ prices started at $2849 for the 215 Valiant four-door, with the Regal 245 (with electronic ignition) coming in at $3600 and the Regal Hardtop at $3765 - the top of the line Chrysler by Chrysler sold for $4925. The Charger prices started at $2970, rising to $3995 for the Charger 770. The Regal Hardtop was $3765, while at the commercial end the Dodge utility was $2565 and the Valiant utility was $2640.

 

Chrysler finished 1973 with a 9.5% market share, its lowest ever, and far from the halcyon days of the R and S Series where the waiting list ensured Chrysler had pretty much pre-sold every car to roll off the production line. The “Big Three” was no more, with Toyota now assuming 3rd position on the sales charts, and Chrysler now knowing that they were in trouble. In a counter offensive similar to the Battle of the Bulge, 1974 would see Chrysler lift standard equipment levels across the VJ range.

 

Fitted to all models (excluding the utes) were front power assisted disc brakes, front seat retractor safety belts, speed windscreen-wiper blades, a sound-deadening package, door reflectors, a glove-box lock and anti-roll bar. In August 1974 came the release of the limited run (of 500) Chager “Sportsman” models. Available only in “Vintage Red”, the Sportsman featured a bold white exterior striping and a distinctive roof treatment. It was fitted with the Hemi 265 engine coupled to a foud-speed manual gearbox. Plaid cloth inserts were incorporated into the seat trim, and other extras fitted.

 

By productions end, some 90,865 VJ Valiant’s had been manufactured. It was a good car, and arguably deserved better recognition from the buying public, but the Japanese manufacturers were quickly gaining a strong foothold in the Australian automotive marketplace with their “fully loaded” yet cheaper versions. The weaker of the “Big Three” had succumbed to their industrial might, and now questions were being asked as to the viability of the manufacturer.

(ref: www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/car_info_chrysler_valiant_v...)

 

318 V8 Engine Specs:

Capacity: 318 cubic inches (5.2 litres)

Type: Conventional, watercooled four stroke, reciprocating piston type with 8 cylinders

Configuration: Front mounted, longitudinal, OHV, 90° Vee, "wedge" head

Head: Pushrod and rocker actuated ohv with two valves per cylinder

Fuel System: Carter two barrel downdraft type carburettor

Bore and Stroke: 3.91 x 3.31 inches (99.314 x 84.074 mm)

Power: 230 bhp (172 kW) at 4400 rpm

Torque: 340 lb-ft (461 Nm) at 2400 rpm

Compression Ratio: 9.2:1

Valve Timing

Intake

opens: 10° BTC

closes: 50° ABC

duration: 240°

Exhaust

opens: 58° BBC

closes: 10° ATC

duration: 248°

Firing Order: 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2

Radiator Capacity: 26 pints

Oil Pan

Without filter: 6.6 pints

With filter: 8.3 pints

(ref: www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/valiant_vj_cj_technical_spe...)

Playing around with the NY Taxi data released recently. I first of all randomly selected 10% of the records in order to keep the file size manageable. Building lots derived from the NY PLUTO data set. Each pick up point is set as a red dot with low alpha value. The layer is set to addition in order to highlight main concentrations of pick up points.

The first rays of sunlight filter through some morning clouds and snow showers as a short V&T freight makes the climb from Carson City to Virginia City on the "Crookedest shortline in America."

 

The V&T Virginia City Branch earned that unofficial title because of the long and circuitous route that was required to keep the grades manageable between the State Capitol and the mining town that the railroad was intended to serve. Although the straight-line distance between the two cities is just a hair under 12 miles, the railroad mileage was nearly twice that, at roughly 21 miles. In that stretch, there were apparently enough degrees of curvature to make 17 complete circles! Although the average grade was said to be just over 2%, there are stretches where it is twice that. It is hard to imagine how some of the small, wood-burning 2-6-0s and 4-4-0s used by the V&T in the late 19th century were able to handle this line with any kind of train, and perhaps the only good explanation is that rolling stock back then was of very flimsy construction, when compared to today's standards.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

 

Some background:

Towards the end of WWII, large, piston-engined flying boats had been used exctensively in th bepatrol and bomber role, but with the advent of the new jet engine technology, engineers in several countries started to explore the new propulsion type's potential in different areas - including seaborne usage.

Towards the end of WWII and the far-stretched conflict theatre in the Pacific, the flying boat as well as float planes still had a large appeal due to their independence from airfields. This offered a lot of tactical flexibility. On the other side, the jet engine promised (much) higher speeds, but with the relative higher weight of early jet-driven aircraft (more fuel was needed, and more engines, as thrust was relatively low) a seaborne type would also avoid the need for a prepared and long airstrip to operate.

 

The United Kingdom was one nation that looked seriously into this kind of aircraft, and Saunders Roe presented in 1943 the proposals for a plane that should actually make it to the hardware stage: the SR.1/A, which made its maiden flight in 1947. The Soviet union also undertook some studies, but fighters remained just proposals. Eventually OKB Beriev would produce several sea-borne, jet-powered patrol bombers (e .g. the R-1 experimental plane, and later the Be-10 flying boat), which actually entered service.

 

In the USA, studies for a jet-powered fighter fyling boat gained momentum during the final stages of WWII. Convair developed the 'Skate' for the US Navy, a heavy night fighter, and Boeing designed a competitive concept. In parallel, and towards the end of the forties, heavier flying boats for maritime patrol were requested by the Navy - and with them a lighter, single-seat fighter that could escort them, or be used as an interceptor to defend improvised forward maritime bases. Using this type as a fast, ship-borne reconnaicssance aircraft was also envisioned.

This fighter was to be capable of a similar performance to land-based fighters in this class, like the F-80 or the F-86. The dsuccessful evelopment of the SR.A/1 in the UK had been keenly observed, and the concept of a jet-powered flying boat fighter appeared feasible and appealing.

 

One company to respond to the USN request was Curtiss, who already had experience with float planes like the Model 82 (SOC) and the Model 97 (SC 'Seahawk') - both rather pathfinder aircraft than true combat types, though. Curtiss designed its Model 101 around two J47-GE-11 jet engines, each rated at 2.359 kN (5.200 lbf) of thrust.

 

The Model 101's layout was rather concentional, with a deep, single step boat hull that would house a huge amount of fuel for the requested long range escort capability. The J47-GE-11-engines (the same which powered the B-47 bomber) were placed in nacelles, at the highest point of the gull wings.

As an innovative step, the Model 101 featured swept wings - the first time ever that this was tried on a flying boat. On the tips of the wings with a 35° sweep, slats and large flaps, fixed stabilizer floats were mounted. The large fin was swepts as well, and the horizontal stabilizers were placed as a T-tail high on the fin, clear of any jet turbulence or spray water.

 

The pilot sat in a pressurized cockpit under a bubble canopy, which offered good view, even though the massive engine nacelles blocked much of the side and rearward field of view.

The Model 101 was armed with four 20 mm (0.79 in) M3 autocannons in the nose section, with 200 RPG. An A-1CM gunsight which used an AN/APG-30 radar to automatically compute the range of a target was housed in a small radome in the nose tip. Under its inner wings, just outside of the engines, hardpoints allowed an external ordnance of up to 4.000 lb (1.816 kg), including bombs of up to 1.000 lb calibre, eight HVAR missiles, drop tanks or even two torpedos.

 

Curtiss received a go-ahead and two prototypes were built during 1948. First taxi runsd tok place in late 1947, the maiden flight of prototype #01 was on February 6th 1948, the second aircraft followed only three weeks later on 1st of March 1948 - and the tests were soon halted. Both aircraft suffered from severe purpoising at 80% of the take-off speed, and this problem almost resulted in the loss of prototype #01. This was a new problem, as such high take-off speeds had never before been encountered on water, and the phenomenon was called the 'hydro-dynamic instability barrier': essentially it was unstable aquaplaning.

 

First attempts to solve the problem were elevator compensation and tailplane incidence angle adjustments. This helped, but the aircraft remained unstable during take-off and landing - it was not before November 1948 that modifications were made to the planing bottom of prototype #02.

This brought the purpoising to a manageable level, but did not fully cure it. Disaster struck on February 12th 1949, when the still unmodified first prototype was lost in a starting accident: the aircraft started purpoising during take-off, hit a wave with the left side stabilizer swimmer, suddenly veered off towards the left, pitching down with the nose and toppling over at more than 120mph, ripping off the left wing and the whole tail section. Miracuously, test pilot Simon Pritchard escaped alive from the sinking wreck (even though heavily injured), but the XFC-1 #01 had to be written off and any high speed ground tests were suspended..

 

Flight tests were resumed in June 1949 after a bottom step venting system had been introduced, and this measure finally cured the instability problem. In the meantime, two more airframes had been built: one with more powerful J47-GE-23 engines (with 2.631 kN/5.800 lbf each, these were introduced to the other two prototypes during 1950, too) and another one for static tests.

 

Further trials followed during 1950 and in early 1951 the re-engined machine #02 even became supersonic in a dive. While the Model 101 (which received the USN designation XFC-1 and was christened 'Oceanhawk') was up to the original specifications it was clear that it could not compete with land-based aircraft - essentially, it offered a similar performance to the land-based F-86, but the XFC-1 needed two engines for that, was much less agile and still needed a complex infratsructure to operate properly. Its independence from land bases was still its biggest selling point, though, so the development was kept up.

 

At that time, the USN issued a specification for a supersonic flying boat, and NACA understook a study that a Mach 2 aircraft would be feasible until 1955. This rendered the Oceanhawk more or less obsolete, as it could not keep up with this requirement, and the XFC-1 program was finally closed in 1953. Eventually, the Convair XF2Y Sea Dart would be the next (and final) step on the way to a seaborne jet fighter.

 

Anyway, the remaining two XFC-1 prototypes were not scrapped but allocated to the USN's test squadrons. Prototype #02 and #03 were handed over as UFC-1 to Air Development Squadron VX-4 "Evaluaters" at Point Mugu, California, together with the static airframe #04 which was used for spares. Both aircraft were used as chase planes, observation platforms and target tugs. Machine #02, for instance, took part in the evaluation program of the Martin P6M SeaMaster flying boat in 1955, and was then modified for several tests with hydroski installations under the fuselage. On the other side, machine #03 was used in the development of remote drone and target tug control equipment, being re-designated DFC-1.

 

After serving in these second line roles, both aircraft were finally scrapped in 1965 and replaced by land-based types.

  

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 14.11 m (46 ft 6 1/3 in)

Wingspan: 12.46 m (40 ft 9 1/2 in)

Height: 4.10 m (13 ft 5 1/4 in)

Empty weight: 9.265 kg (20.408 lb)

Loaded weight: 16.080 kg (35.418 lb)

 

Powerplant:

2× J47-GE-23 engines, rated at 2.631 kN/5.800 lbf each

 

Performance

Maximum speed: 932km/h (577mph/503nm) at sea level

Range: 2.092 km (1296 ml)

Service ceiling: 13.450 m (44.040 ft)

 

Armament

4× 20 mm (0.79 in) M3 autocannons with 200 RPG.

Eight underwing hardpoints for a total external ordnance of up to 4.000 lb (1.816 kg), including bombs of up to 1.000 lb calibre, eight HVAR missiles, drop tanks or two torpedos.

  

The kit and its assembly:

This model is a complete fantasy aircraft, inspired by a TV documentation about sea plane projects in the USA and USSR after WWII. Among others, the Martin P6M SeaMaster and the Saro SR.1/A made an appearance, and I wondered how an escort fighter for the P6M would have looked like in USN service? Well, let's build one...

 

Making a flying boat is pretty tricky, and the whole thing was built from scratch and with lots of putty.

 

Basically, the following went into it, all 1:72 unless stated otherwise:

● Fuselage and cockpit from a Hobby Boss F-86E

● Floating bottom is the lower half of a Matchbox Heinkel He 115 swimmer

● Wings come from another Hobby Boss F-86E, but this time a Batch 30 aircraft with extended wing tips

● Vertical stabilizer comes from an Academy MiG-21F

● Horizontal stabilizers come from a 1:100 Tamiya Il-28 bomber

● Stabilzer swimmers come from a vintage box scale Revell Convair Tradewind kit

● Engine intakes and exhausts are resin parts from Pavla, replacements for a Hasegawa B-47 kit

● A massive beaching trolley, which actually belongs to the A-Model Kh-20M missile kit

 

Assembly went from fuselage over the wing roots, the improvised engine nacelles, outer wings and stabilizer swimmers, step by step. I had a vague idea of what the aircraft should look like, but the design more or less evolved, depending from what I had at hand.

For instance, the Il-28 stabilizers were late additions, as the original F-86 parts turned out to be much too small for the massive aircraft.

 

The cockpit was taken OOB, just a pilot figure was added and the canopy cut into two pieces, so that it could be displayed in an open position.

Around the hull, small mooring hooks made from wire were added, gun nozzles made from hollow needles, as well as some antennae, since the whole kit was rather bleak and simple.

 

The trolley was puzzled together from the parts supllied with A-Model's Kh-20M (AS-3 'Kangaroo') kit, but was modified (e. g. with different wheels) and adapted to the flying boat's hull. It fits perfectly in shape and design, though!

  

Painting and markings:

Nothing fancy, as a jet-powered flying boat fighter is unique enough. Design benchmark was again the P6M, and AFAIK these aircraft were painted in just two tones: FS16081, a very dark grey, with white undersides and a wavy waterline. They were definitively not blue of any sort, as one might think in the first place.

 

I started with the lower side - white is always difficult to apply, and in order to avoid any trouble I used stpray paint from a rattle can and used a very light grey instead of pure white. The latter has two benefits: it covers the surface much better than white, and the contrast is not so harsh - the grey still leaves 'room' for some dry-brushing with white.

 

Next step was the dark grey - I used Humbrol's 32, which is FS36081 and looks very good. Dry-brushing with Humbrol 79 (Dark Blue Grey) was used for some counter-shading, and after a black ink wash I also painted some panel lines with a mix of black and matt varnish onto the hull. That turned out to be a little much, but finally, when the decals were applied (wild mix from various aftermarket sheets and the scrap box), the overall impression became much better.

 

The trolley was simply painted in yellow and makes a nice contrast to the dark aircraft on top of it.

 

Both aircraft and trolley were additionally weathered with some dry-brushed rust and grinded graphite, and finally received a coat of matt varnish.

Used by the intrepid Ice Miners on the Ice Planet to break large glaciers into more manageable chunks of Ice, the Sawtank is a reliable piece of machinery used often on the frigid slopes.

At Adorn, our goal is always to restore and maintain your hair’s health, so it is as strong, shiny, soft and manageable as possible. Our hairdresser sydney experts will perform a personalized hair analysis and suggest the best customized hair treatment for you. Go to adornlaserclinic.com.au/services/hairdressing/ to know more about them.

The European Service Module provides electricity, water, oxygen and nitrogen, and thermal control as well as propelling the spacecraft.

 

This structural test model is used for testing purposes before installing the real thing. It is as close to the flight version as possible while keeping costs and development time manageable. The structure and weight are the same, while mass equivalents stand in for electronics boxes not needed for the series of tests.

 

The model was installed under a test version of the Crew Module Adapter, and sits on the Spacecraft Adapter that will attach Orion to its launch vehicle. This is the first time the European hardware has been physically connected to NASA’s elements.

 

The service module will be shaken at NASA’s Plum Brook station in Sandusky, Ohio, USA, to recreate the vibrations of launch, as well as being subjected to acoustic and shock environments.

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.

 

Glad that this BIF experimenting came to an end with the Nikon 300s/70-300.

Overall gave this combo gave the best results for BIF. Managed to shot 7 sequential shots with equally good results like this one. With ISO 800 the noise is manageable.

Good learning and back to normal shooting again!

Masonic Broken Column.

www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=21728045%40N08&sort=da...

 

www.phoenixmasonry.org/broken_column.htm

 

THE BROKEN COLUMN:

 

Short Talk Bulletin - Vol. 34, February 1956,

No. 2 - Author Unknown

 

The story of the broken column was first illustrated by Amos Doolittle in the "True Masonic Chart" by Jeremy Cross, published in 1819.

 

Many of Freemasonry's symbols are of extreme antiquity and deserve the reverence which we give to that which has had sufficient vitality to live long in the minds of men. For instance, the square, the point within a circle, the apron, circumambulation, the Altar have been used not only in Freemasonry but in systems of ethics, philosophy and religions without number.

 

Other symbols in the Masonic system are more recent. Perhaps they are not the less important for that, even without the sanctity of age which surrounds many others.

 

Among the newer symbols is that usually referred to as the broken column. A marble monument is respectably ancient - the broken column seems a more recent addition. There seems to be no doubt that the first pictured broken column appeared in Jeremy Cross's True Masonic Chart, published in 1819, and that the illustration was the work of Amos Doolittle, an engraver, of Connecticut.

 

That Jeremy Cross "invented" or "designed" the emblem is open to argument. But there is legitimate room for argument over many inventions. Who invented printing from movable type? We give the credit to Gutenberg, but there are other claimants, among them the Chinese at an earlier date. Who invented the airplane? The Wrights first flew a "mechanical bird" but a thousand inventors have added to, altered, changed their original design, until the very principle which first enabled the Wrights to fly, the "warping wing", is now discarded and never used.

 

Therefore, if authorities argue and contend about the marble monument and broken column it is not to make objection or take credit from Jeremy Cross; the thought is that almost any invention or discovery is improved, changed, added to and perfected by many men. Edison is credited with the first incandescent lamp, but there is small kinship between his carbon filament and a modern tungsten filament bulb. Roentgen was first to bring the "x-ray" to public notice-the discoverer would not know what a modern physician's x-ray apparatus was if he saw it!

 

In the library of the Grand Lodge of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, is a book published in 1784; "A BRIEF HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY" by Thomas Johnson, at that time the Tiler of the Grand Lodge of England (the "Moderns"). In this book the author states that he was "taken the liberty to introduce a Design for a Monument in Honor of a Great Artist." He then admits that there is no historical account of any such memorial but cites many precedents of "sumptuous Piles" which perpetuate the memories and preserve the merits of the historic dead, although such may have been buried in lands far from the monument or "perhaps in the depth of the Sea".

 

In this somewhat fanciful and poetic description of this monument, the author mentions an urn, a laurel branch, a sun, a moon, a Bible, square and compasses, letter G. The book was first published in 1782, which seems proof that there was

at that time at least the idea of a monument erected to the Master Builder.

 

There is little historical material upon which to draw to form any accurate conclusions. Men write of what has happened long after the happenings. Even when faithful to their memories, these may be, and often are, inaccurate. It is with this thought in mind that a curious statement in the Masonic newspaper, published in New York seventy-five years ago, must be considered. In the issue of May 10, 1879, a Robert B. Folger purports to give Cross' account of his invention, or discovery, an inclusion, of the broken column into the marble monument emblem.

 

The account is long, rambling and at times not too clear. Abstracted, the salient parts are as follows. Cross found or sensed what he considered a deficiency in the Third Degree which had to be filled in order to effect his purposes. He consulted a former Mayor of New Haven, who at the time was one of his most intimate friends. Even after working together for a week, they did not hit upon any symbol which would be sufficiently simple and yet answer the purpose. Then a Copper-plate engraver, also a brother, was called in. The number of hieroglyphics which had be this time accumulated was immense. Some were too large, some too small, some too complicated, requiring too much explanation and many were not adapted to the subject.

 

Finally, the copper-plate engraver said, "Brother Cross, when great men die, they generally have a monument." "That's right!" cried Cross; "I never thought of that!" He visited the burying-ground in New Haven. At last he got an idea and told his friends that he had the foundation of what he wanted. He said that while in New York City he had seen a monument in the southwest corner of Trinity Church yard erected over Commodore Lawrence, a great man who fell in battle. It was a large marble pillar, broken off. The broken part had been taken away, but the capital was lying at the base. He wanted that pillar for the foundation of his new emblem, but intended to bring in the other part, leaving it resting against the base. This his friends assented to, but more was wanted. They felt that some inscription should be on the column. after a length discussion they decided upon an open book to be placed upon the broken pillar. There should of course be some reader of the book! Hence the emblem of innocence-a beautiful virgin-who should weep over the memory of the deceased while she read of his heroic deeds from the book before her.

 

The monument erected to the memory of Commodore Lawrence was placed in the southwest corner of Trinity Churchyard in 1813, after the fight between the frigates

Chesapeake and Shannon, in which battle Lawrence fell. As described, it was a beautiful marble pillar, broken off, with a part of the capital laid at its base. lt remained until 1844-5 at which time Trinity Church was rebuilt. When finished, the corporation of the Church took away the old and dilapidated Lawrence monument and erected a new one in a different form, placing it in the front of the yard on Broadway, at the lower entrance of the Church. When Cross visited the new monument, he expressed great disappointment at the change, saying "it was not half as good as the one they took away!"

 

These claims of Cross-perhaps made for Cross-to having originated the emblem are disputed. Oliver speaks of a monument but fails to assign an American origin. In the Barney ritual of 1817, formerly in the possession of Samuel Wilson of Vermont, there is the marble column, the beautiful virgin weeping, the open book, the sprig of acacia, the urn, and Time standing behind. What is here lacking is the broken column. Thus it appears that the present emblem, except the broken column, was in use prior to the publication of Cross' work (1819).

 

The emblem in somewhat different form is frequently found in ancient symbolism. Mackey states that with the Jews a column was often used to symbolize princes, rulers or nobles. A broken column denoted that a pillar of the state had fallen. In Egyptian mythology, Isis is sometimes pictured weeping over the broken column which conceals the body of her husband Osiris, while behind her stands Horus or Time pouring ambrosia on her hair. In Hasting's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION AND ETHICS, Isis is said sometimes to be represented standing; in her right hand is a sistrum, in her left hand a small ewer and on her forehead is a lotus, emblem of resurrection. In the Dionysaic Mysteries, Dionysius is represented as slain; Rhea goes in search of the body. She finds it and causes it to be buried. She is sometimes represented as standing by a column holding in her hand a sprig of wheat, emblem of immortality; since, though it be placed in the ground and die, it springs up again into newness of life. She was the wife of Kronus or Time, who may fittingly be represented as standing behind her.

 

Whoever invented the emblem or symbol of the marble monument, the broken column, the beautiful virgin, the book, the urn, the acacia, Father Time counting the ringlets of hair, could not have thought through all the implications of this attempt-doubtless made in all reverence-to add to the dignity and impressiveness of the story of the Master Builder.

 

The urn in which "ashes were safely deposited" is pure invention. Cremation was not practiced by the Twelve Tribes; it was not the method of disposing of the dead in the land and at the time of the building of the Temple. rather was the burning of the dead body reserved as a dreadful fate for the corpses of criminals and evil doers. That so great a man as "the widow's son, of the tribe of Naphtali" should have been cremated is unthinkable. The Bible is silent on the subject; it does not mention Hiram the Builder's death, still less the disposal of the body, but the whole tone of the Old Testament in description of funerals and mournings, make it impossible to believe that his body was burned, or that his ashes might have been preserved.

 

The Israelites did not embalm their dead; burial was accomplished on the day of death or, at the longest wait, on the day following. According to the legend, the Master Builder was disinterred from the first or temporary grave and reinterred with honor. That is indeed, a supposable happening; that his body was raised only to be cremated is wholly out of keeping with everything known of deaths, funeral ceremonies, disposal of the dead of the Israelites.

 

In the ritual which describes the broken column monument, before the figure of the virgin is "a book, open before her." Here again invention and knowledge did not go hand in hand. There were no books at the time of the building of the Temple, as moderns understand the word. there were rolls of skins, but a bound book of leaves made of any substance-vellum, papyrus, skins-was an unknown object. Therefore there could have been no such volume in which the virtues of the Master Builder were recorded.

 

No logical reason has been advanced why the woman who mourned and read in the book was a "beautiful virgin." No scriptural account tells of the Master Builder having wife or daughter or any female relative except his mother. The Israelites reverenced womanhood and appreciated virginity, but they were just as reverent over mother and child. Indeed, the bearing of children, the increase of the tribe, the desire for sons, was strong in the Twelve Tribes; why, then, the accent upon the virginity of the woman in the monument? "Time standing behind her, unfolding and counting the ringlets of her hair" is dramatic, but also out of character for the times. "Father Time" with his scythe is probably a descendant of the Greek Chromos, who carried a sickle or reaping hook, but the Israelites had no contact with Greece. It may have been natural for whoever invented the marble monument emblem to conclude that Time was both a world-wide and a time immemorial symbolic figure, but it could not have been so at the era in which Solomon's Temple was built.

 

It evidently did not occur to the originators of this emblem that it was historically impossible. Yet the Israelites did not erect monuments to their dead. In the singular, the word "monument" does not occur in the Bible; as "monuments" it is mentioned once, in Isaiah 65 - "A people...which remain among the graves and lodge in the monuments." In the Revised Version this is translated "who sit in tombs and spend the night in secret places." The emphasis is apparently upon some form of worship of the dead (necromancy). The Standard Bible Dictionary says that the word "monument" in the general sense of a simple memorial does not appear in Biblical usage.

 

Oliver Day Street in "SYMBOLISM OF THE THREE DEGREES" says that the urn was an ancient sign of mourning, carried in funeral processions to catch the tears of those who grieved. But the word "urn" does not occur in the Old Testament nor the New.

 

Freemasonry is old. It came to us as a slow, gradual evolution of the thoughts, ideas, beliefs, teachings, idealism of many men through many years. It tells a simple story-a story profound in its meaning, which therefore must be simple, as all great truths in the last analysis are simple.

 

The marble monument and the broken column have many parts. Many of these have the aroma of age. Their weaving together into one symbol may be-probably is-a modernism, if that term can cover a period of nearly two hundred years. but the importance of a great life, his skill and knowledge; his untimely and pitiful death is not a modernism.

 

Nothing herein set forth is intended as in any way belittling one of Freemasonry's teachings by means of ritual and picture. These few pages are but one of many ways of trying to illuminate the truth behind a symbol, and show that, regardless of the dates of any parts of the emblem, the whole has a place in the Masonic story which has at least romance, if not too much fact, behind it.

 

THE BROKEN COLUMN AND ITS DEEPER MEANING:

by Bro. William Steve Burkle KT, 32°

Scioto Lodge No. 6, Chillicothe, Ohio.

Philo Lodge No. 243, South River, New Jersey

 

The meaning of the Broken Column as explained by the ritual of the Master mason degree is that the column represents both the fall of Master Hiram Abif as well as the unfinished work of the Temple of Solomon[i]. This interesting symbol has appeared in some fascinating places; for example, a Broken Column monument marks the gravesite in Lewis County Tennessee[ii] of Brother Meriwether Lewis (Lewis & Clark), and a similar monument marks the grave of Brother Prince Hall[iii]. In China, there is a “broken column-shaped” home which was built just prior to the French Revolution by the aristocrat François Nicolas Henri Racine de Monville[iv]. Today “The Broken Column” is frequently used in Masonic newsletters as the header for obituary notices and is a popular tomb monument for those whose life was deemed cut short. Note that when I speak of The Broken Column here, I am referring to only the upright but shattered Column Base with its detached Shattered Capital, and not to the more extensive symbolism often associated with the figure such as a book resting on the column base, the Weeping Virgin (Isis), or Father Time (Horus) disentangling the Virgin’s hair. In this version the shattered column itself is often said to allude to Osiris[v]. While these embellishments add to the complexity of the allusion, it is the shattered column alone which I intend to address.

 

The Broken Column is believed to be a fairly recent addition to the symbolism of Freemasonry, and has been attributed to Brother Jeremy L. Cross. Brother Cross[vi] is said to have devised the symbol based upon a broken column grave monument dedicated to a Commodore Lawrence[vii], which was erected in the Trinity Churchyard circa 1813. Lawrence perished in a naval battle that same year between the Frigates Chesapeake and Shannon. The illustration of the broken column was reportedly first published in the “True Masonic Chart” by artist Amos Doolittle in 1819[viii]. There is however little evidence beyond the word of Brother Cross that the symbol was thus created[ix],[x].

 

Whether the Broken Column is a modern invention or passed down from times of antiquity is of little consequence; regardless of its origins the symbol serves well as a powerful allusion in our Craft, and as will be discussed, may have deeper meanings which align with other Masonic symbols which also incorporate images of columns and pillars.

 

Freemasonry makes generous reference to columns and pillars of all sorts in the work of the various degrees including the two pillars which stood at the entrance of Solomon’s Temple, the four columns of architectural significance, and the three Great Columns representing strength, beauty, and wisdom[xi]. The first mention of pillars in a Masonic context[xii] is found in the Cooke Manuscript dated circa 1410 A.D. The three Great Pillars of Masonry are of particular interest in this article even though it is the Broken Column and its deeper meanings which I ultimately intend to explore.

 

Three Great Columns:

 

The basis for the Three Great Columns can be traced to an ancient Kabalistic concept and a unique diagram found in the Zohar which illustrates the emanations of God in forming and sustaining the universe. The diagram also reflects certain states of spiritual attainment in man. This diagram, called the Sephiroth consists of ten spheres or Sephira connected to one another by pathways and which are ordered to reflect the sequence of creation. In accordance with Kabalistic belief Aur Ein Sof (Light Without End) shines down into the Sephiroth and is split like a prism into its ten constituent Sephira[xiii], eventually ending in the material universe. To discuss the Sephiroth in sufficient depth to impart a good understanding is well beyond the scope of this paper; however, a basic understanding of how the structure of the Sephiroth is related to the Great Columns is manageable, and is in fact essential to the subsequent discussion of the Broken Column. Be aware that the explanations I give are vast oversimplifications of a highly complex concept. In an attempt to simplify the concept, it is inevitable that some degree of inaccuracy will be introduced.

I would like to begin my discussion of the Three Great Columns by discussing the Cardinal Virtues. The Cardinal Virtues are believed to have originated with Plato who formed them from a tripartite division[xiv] of the attributes of man (power, wisdom, reason, mercy, strength, beauty, firmness, magnificence, and base kingship) presented in the Sephiroth. These concepts were later adopted by the Christian Church[xv] and were popularized by the treatises of Martin of Braga, Alcuin and Hrabanus Maurus (circa 1100 A.D.) and later promoted by Thomas Aquinas (circa 1224 A.D.). According to Wescott[xvi] the Four Cardinal Virtues are represented by what were originally branches of the Sepheroth:

“Four tassels refer to four cardinal virtues, says the first degree Tracing Board Lecture, these are temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice; these again were originally branches of the Sephirotic Tree, Chesed first, Netzah fortitude, Binah prudence, and Geburah justice. Virtue, honour, and mercy, another triad, are Chochmah, Hod, and Chesed.”

 

broken-column1 Thus we have a connection between the Cardinal Virtues and the Sephiroth. The Three Pillars of Freemasonry (Wisdom, Beauty, and Strength) are associated with the Cardinal Virtues[xvii] and also therefore with the Kabalistic concept of the Sephiroth[xviii]. I have provided an illustration of the Sepiroth in Figure 1. This particular version of the Sephiroth is based upon that used in the 30th Degree or Knight Kadosh Grade[xix] of the ASSR. The Sephiroth, incidentally is also called “The Tree of Life”. Each of the vertical columns of spheres (Sephira) in the Sephiroth are considered to represent a pillar (column). Each pillar is named according to the central concept which it represents; thus in Figure 1 we have the pillars Justice, Beauty, and Mercy left to right, respectively. The Sephiroth is a very elegant system in which balance is maintained between the Sephira of the two outermost pillars by virtue of the center pillar. Note also that traditionally the Sephiroth is divided into “Triads” of Sephira. In Figure 1 the uppermost triad, consisting of the spheres Wisdom, Intelligence, and Crown represent the intellectual and spiritual characteristics of man. The next triad is represented by the Sephira Justice, Beauty, and Mercy; the final triad is Splendor, Foundation, and Firmness (or Strength).

 

According to S.L. MacGregor Mathers[xx], the word Sephira is best translated to mean (or is best rendered as) “Numerical Emanation”, and each of the ten Sephira corresponds to a specific numerical value. Mathers also asserts that it was through knowledge of the Sephiroth that Pythagoras devised his system of numerical symbolism. While there are additional divisions and subdivisions of the Sephiroth, the concept which is of interest to us here is that God created the Material World or Universe (signified by the lowest Sephira, Kingdom) in a series of ordered actions which proceeded along established pathways (i.e. the connecting lines between the Sephira in our Figure). Each of the Sephira and each pathway are a sort of “buffer” between the majesty and power of God and the material world. Without these buffers, profane man and the material world he inhabits would meet with destruction. On the other hand, enlightened man is able to progress upwards along these pathways to higher level Sephira and to thereby achieve enhanced knowledge of the Divine. Tradition holds that man once was closer to the Divine spirit, but became corrupted by the material world, losing this connection (i.e. The fall of Man from Grace. Note also the reference to the Tree of Knowledge and possible connections to the Tree of Life). God uses the Sephiroth in renewing and sustaining the material universe. Each new soul created is an emanation of God and travels to materiality (physical existence) via the pathways established in the Sephiroth. In a similar fashion, the spirits of the departed return to God via these same pathways, making the Sephiroth the mechanism by which God interacts with the universe.

 

broken-column2. The Broken Column:

 

In Figure 2, I have redrawn the Sephiroth as an overlay of the Three Great Columns; however in this version the Pillar of Beauty is Broken. Note especially that the center pillar, the Pillar of Beauty in the Sephiroth has a gap between Beauty and Crown, in effect making this column a Broken Pillar[xxi]. I believe this “fracture” symbolizes Man’s separation from knowledge of the Divine, and an interruption in the Pathway leading from Beauty directly to the Crown (which symbolizes “The Vast Countenance”[xxii]).

 

I would also like to extrapolate that if the Broken Column indeed represents Hiram Abif as per the explanation given to initiates, then the two remaining columns would then correspond to Solomon and Hiram King of Tyre[xxiii]. Certainly the Sephira (Wisdom, Justice, and Splendor) which comprise the column of Justice align well with the characteristics traditionally associated with King Solomon. Tradition unfortunately does not address Hiram King of Tyre although we can assume that Intelligence, Mercy, and Firmness or Strength would be a likely requirement for a Monarch of such apparent success. The connection between the Three Great Columns and the three principle characters in the drama of the Third Degree does have a certain sense of validity. The “Lost Word” associated with Hiram Abif would then allude to the lost Pathway.

 

In so many of our Masonic Lessons we initially receive a plausible but quite shallow explanation of our symbols and allusions. Those who sense an underlying, deeper meaning tend to find it (Seek and you will find, knock and the door shall be opened). Perhaps in our ritual of the Third Degree, that which is symbolically being raised (restored) is the Pillar of which resides within us. If so, the Lost Word has then in fact been received by each of us. It only remains lost if we choose to forget it or choose not to pursue it.

 

[i] Duncan, Malcom C. Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor. Crown; 3 Edition (April 12, 1976). ISBN-13: 978-0679506263. pp 157.

 

[ii] “Meriwether Lewis, Master Mason”. The Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation.

 

[iii] “WHo is Prince Hall ?” (1996). Retrieved December 5, 2008 from www.mindspring.com/~johnsonx/whoisph.htm.

 

[iv] Kenna, Michael. (1988). The Broken Column House at Désert de Retz in Le Desert De Retz, A late 18th Century French Folley Garden. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from Valley Daze. valley-daze.blogspot.com/2007/09/broken-column-house.html

 

[v] Pike, Albert. (1919) Morals and Dogma. Charleston Southern Jurisdiction. pp. 379. ASIN: B000CDT4T8.

 

[vi] “The Broken Column”. The Short Talk Bulletin 2-56. The Masonic Service Association of the United States. VOL. 34 February 1956 NO. 2.

 

[vii] Brown, Robert Hewitt. (1892). Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomy or the origin and meaning of ancient and modern mysteries explained. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1, 3, and 5 Bond Street. 1892.. pp. 68.

 

[viii] “Boston Masonic Lithograph”. Retrieved December 5, 2008 from Lodge Pambula Daylight UGL of NSW & ACT No1000. lodgepambuladaylight.org/lithograph.htm.

 

[ix] Folger, Robert B. Fiction of the Weeping Virgin. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M. freemasonry.bcy.ca/art/monument / fiction/fiction.html

 

[x] Mackey, Albert Gallatin & Haywood H. L. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry Part 2. pp. 677. Kessinger Publishing, LLC (March 31, 2003).

 

[xi] Claudy, Carl H. Introduction to Masonry. The Temple Publishers. Retrieved December 5, 2008 from Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry. www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/claudy4.html.

 

[xii] Dwor, Mark. (1998). Globes, Pillars, Columns, and Candlesticks. Vancouver Lodge of Education and Research . Retrieved December 6, 2008 from the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M. freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/globes_pillars_columns.html

 

[xiii] Day, Jeff. (2008). Dualism of the Sword and the Trowel. Cryptic Masons of Oregon – Grants Pass. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from rogue.cryptic-masons.org/dualism_of_the_sword_and_trowel

 

[xiv] Bramston, M. Thinkers of the Middle Ages. Monthly Packet. Evening Readings of the Christian Church (1893). Ed. Charlotte Mary Yonge, Christabel Rose Coleridge, Arthur Innes. J. and C. Mozley. University of Michigan (2007).

 

[xv] Regan, Richard. (2005). The Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. Hackett Publishing.

 

[xvi] Wescott, William ( ). The Religion of Freemasonry. Illuminated by the Kabbalah. Ars Quatuor Coronatorum. vol. i. p. 73-77. Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/aqc/kabbalah.html.

 

[xvii] MacKenzie, Kenneth R. H. (1877). Kabala. Royal Masonic Cyclopedia. Kessinger Publishing (2002).

 

[xviii] Pirtle, Henry. Lost Word of Freemasonry. Kessinger Publishing, 1993.

 

[xix] Knight Kadosh. The Thirtieth Grade of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and the First Degree of the Chivalric Series. Hirams Web. University of Bradford.

 

[xx] Mathers, S.L. MacGregor. (1887). Qabalah Unveiled. Reprinted (2006) as The Kabbalah: Essential Texts From The Zohar. Watkins. London. pp. 10.

 

[xxi] Ibid. Dualism of the Sword and the Trowel

 

[xxii] Ibid. Qabalah Unveiled .Plate III. pp. 38-39.

 

[xxiii] Duncan, Malcom C. Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor. Crown; 3 Edition (April 12, 1976).

Should I feel the need to visit the Product Development Centres based at Ford's Melbourne Headquarters, from Geelong, the traffic is either Sunday-afternoon light or terrible.

 

One saving grace of terrible traffic, is that it gives me more time to look longingly at the lovely white-and-lime tractors and harvesters at the local CLAAS distribution centre, next to the highway. (Incidentally, the distribution centre nestles just besides the highway overpass used in 'Mad Max' where the message is phoned in that the hell-razing, post-apocalyptic bikies are heading in to town - but that is another story.)

 

In an earlier LUGNuts challenge that focused on food-related and on farm vehicles - Challenge 37 'The Food We Eat', I took delight in building various model s from the CLASS Tractor range, in miniland scale. This resulted in some nice (and very large), lime tractors. An absence of time, large wheels & tires, and lime Lego, left a few model untried, including the magnificent CLASS XERION, a double steering axle, giant wheeled behemoth, with a swiveling cab so it can go forwards, backwards, AND sideways - AWESOME.

 

The XERION will have to wait for another challenge somewhere down the line.

 

The other CLAAS with which I was captivated appears periodically in the distribution yard, and is equally magnificent. This model is the equally enormous CLAAS JAGUAR Harvester. I am a little bit sad that it can only go forward, but it makes up for this in being able to carry all sorts of crazy cutting, slicing and dicing tools on the front end. I have modeled only two here the Maize Cob Silage (MCS), designed to harvest corn/maize type plants, and the more traditional spinning long blade harvester type tool. There are more cool tools too, so they may be modeled for adaptation to the MotorCity-scale JAGUAR shown here.

 

One key difference from the Challenge 37 tractors, and the JAGUAR Harvester shown here is the scale. The sheer size of the real JAGUAR - 6.6 metres long (20 ft), and 3.8 metres tall (10.5 ft), not including any tool attachments, make it a seriously big entity. Maybe I will get to a Miniland-scale JAGUAR someday, but for now, I display the model in a more manageable 1:28 (MotorCity scale).

 

Incidentally, the Lego Group have also released a Harvester in the past few years under the 'City' line. One of the images shows this model (Nr. 7636). My JAGUAR was loosely based on this model for size and tool compatibility, and also as an example of the customisation of original Lego models that can add a dose of individual creativity to Lego modeling.

 

The point of this?

 

This CLAAS JAGUAR model has been created for Flickr LUGNuts 68th Build Challenge - 'A Baker's Dozen', to the sub-theme Nr. 11. 'Any tractor or combine harvester'.

  

Masonic Broken Column:

 

www.phoenixmasonry.org/broken_column.htm

 

THE BROKEN COLUMN:

 

Short Talk Bulletin - Vol. 34, February 1956,

No. 2 - Author Unknown:

 

The story of the broken column was first illustrated by Amos Doolittle in the "True Masonic Chart" by Jeremy Cross, published in 1819.

 

Many of Freemasonry's symbols are of extreme antiquity and deserve the reverence which we give to that which has had sufficient vitality to live long in the minds of men. For instance, the square, the point within a circle, the apron, circumambulation, the Altar have been used not only in Freemasonry but in systems of ethics, philosophy and religions without number.

 

Other symbols in the Masonic system are more recent. Perhaps they are not the less important for that, even without the sanctity of age which surrounds many others.

 

Among the newer symbols is that usually referred to as the broken column. A marble monument is respectably ancient - the broken column seems a more recent addition. There seems to be no doubt that the first pictured broken column appeared in Jeremy Cross's True Masonic Chart, published in 1819, and that the illustration was the work of Amos Doolittle, an engraver, of Connecticut.

 

That Jeremy Cross "invented" or "designed" the emblem is open to argument. But there is legitimate room for argument over many inventions. Who invented printing from movable type? We give the credit to Gutenberg, but there are other claimants, among them the Chinese at an earlier date. Who invented the airplane? The Wrights first flew a "mechanical bird" but a thousand inventors have added to, altered, changed their original design, until the very principle which first enabled the Wrights to fly, the "warping wing", is now discarded and never used.

 

Therefore, if authorities argue and contend about the marble monument and broken column it is not to make objection or take credit from Jeremy Cross; the thought is that almost any invention or discovery is improved, changed, added to and perfected by many men. Edison is credited with the first incandescent lamp, but there is small kinship between his carbon filament and a modern tungsten filament bulb. Roentgen was first to bring the "x-ray" to public notice-the discoverer would not know what a modern physician's x-ray apparatus was if he saw it!

 

In the library of the Grand Lodge of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, is a book published in 1784; "A BRIEF HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY" by Thomas Johnson, at that time the Tiler of the Grand Lodge of England (the "Moderns"). In this book the author states that he was "taken the liberty to introduce a Design for a Monument in Honor of a Great Artist." He then admits that there is no historical account of any such memorial but cites many precedents of "sumptuous Piles" which perpetuate the memories and preserve the merits of the historic dead, although such may have been buried in lands far from the monument or "perhaps in the depth of the Sea".

 

In this somewhat fanciful and poetic description of this monument, the author mentions an urn, a laurel branch, a sun, a moon, a Bible, square and compasses, letter G. The book was first published in 1782, which seems proof that there was

at that time at least the idea of a monument erected to the Master Builder.

 

There is little historical material upon which to draw to form any accurate conclusions. Men write of what has happened long after the happenings. Even when faithful to their memories, these may be, and often are, inaccurate. It is with this thought in mind that a curious statement in the Masonic newspaper, published in New York seventy-five years ago, must be considered. In the issue of May 10, 1879, a Robert B. Folger purports to give Cross' account of his invention, or discovery, an inclusion, of the broken column into the marble monument emblem.

 

The account is long, rambling and at times not too clear. Abstracted, the salient parts are as follows. Cross found or sensed what he considered a deficiency in the Third Degree which had to be filled in order to effect his purposes. He consulted a former Mayor of New Haven, who at the time was one of his most intimate friends. Even after working together for a week, they did not hit upon any symbol which would be sufficiently simple and yet answer the purpose. Then a Copper-plate engraver, also a brother, was called in. The number of hieroglyphics which had be this time accumulated was immense. Some were too large, some too small, some too complicated, requiring too much explanation and many were not adapted to the subject.

 

Finally, the copper-plate engraver said, "Brother Cross, when great men die, they generally have a monument." "That's right!" cried Cross; "I never thought of that!" He visited the burying-ground in New Haven. At last he got an idea and told his friends that he had the foundation of what he wanted. He said that while in New York City he had seen a monument in the southwest corner of Trinity Church yard erected over Commodore Lawrence, a great man who fell in battle. It was a large marble pillar, broken off. The broken part had been taken away, but the capital was lying at the base. He wanted that pillar for the foundation of his new emblem, but intended to bring in the other part, leaving it resting against the base. This his friends assented to, but more was wanted. They felt that some inscription should be on the column. after a length discussion they decided upon an open book to be placed upon the broken pillar. There should of course be some reader of the book! Hence the emblem of innocence-a beautiful virgin-who should weep over the memory of the deceased while she read of his heroic deeds from the book before her.

 

The monument erected to the memory of Commodore Lawrence was placed in the southwest corner of Trinity Churchyard in 1813, after the fight between the frigates

Chesapeake and Shannon, in which battle Lawrence fell. As described, it was a beautiful marble pillar, broken off, with a part of the capital laid at its base. lt remained until 1844-5 at which time Trinity Church was rebuilt. When finished, the corporation of the Church took away the old and dilapidated Lawrence monument and erected a new one in a different form, placing it in the front of the yard on Broadway, at the lower entrance of the Church. When Cross visited the new monument, he expressed great disappointment at the change, saying "it was not half as good as the one they took away!"

 

These claims of Cross-perhaps made for Cross-to having originated the emblem are disputed. Oliver speaks of a monument but fails to assign an American origin. In the Barney ritual of 1817, formerly in the possession of Samuel Wilson of Vermont, there is the marble column, the beautiful virgin weeping, the open book, the sprig of acacia, the urn, and Time standing behind. What is here lacking is the broken column. Thus it appears that the present emblem, except the broken column, was in use prior to the publication of Cross' work (1819).

 

The emblem in somewhat different form is frequently found in ancient symbolism. Mackey states that with the Jews a column was often used to symbolize princes, rulers or nobles. A broken column denoted that a pillar of the state had fallen. In Egyptian mythology, Isis is sometimes pictured weeping over the broken column which conceals the body of her husband Osiris, while behind her stands Horus or Time pouring ambrosia on her hair. In Hasting's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION AND ETHICS, Isis is said sometimes to be represented standing; in her right hand is a sistrum, in her left hand a small ewer and on her forehead is a lotus, emblem of resurrection. In the Dionysaic Mysteries, Dionysius is represented as slain; Rhea goes in search of the body. She finds it and causes it to be buried. She is sometimes represented as standing by a column holding in her hand a sprig of wheat, emblem of immortality; since, though it be placed in the ground and die, it springs up again into newness of life. She was the wife of Kronus or Time, who may fittingly be represented as standing behind her.

 

Whoever invented the emblem or symbol of the marble monument, the broken column, the beautiful virgin, the book, the urn, the acacia, Father Time counting the ringlets of hair, could not have thought through all the implications of this attempt-doubtless made in all reverence-to add to the dignity and impressiveness of the story of the Master Builder.

 

The urn in which "ashes were safely deposited" is pure invention. Cremation was not practiced by the Twelve Tribes; it was not the method of disposing of the dead in the land and at the time of the building of the Temple. rather was the burning of the dead body reserved as a dreadful fate for the corpses of criminals and evil doers. That so great a man as "the widow's son, of the tribe of Naphtali" should have been cremated is unthinkable. The Bible is silent on the subject; it does not mention Hiram the Builder's death, still less the disposal of the body, but the whole tone of the Old Testament in description of funerals and mournings, make it impossible to believe that his body was burned, or that his ashes might have been preserved.

 

The Israelites did not embalm their dead; burial was accomplished on the day of death or, at the longest wait, on the day following. According to the legend, the Master Builder was disinterred from the first or temporary grave and reinterred with honor. That is indeed, a supposable happening; that his body was raised only to be cremated is wholly out of keeping with everything known of deaths, funeral ceremonies, disposal of the dead of the Israelites.

 

In the ritual which describes the broken column monument, before the figure of the virgin is "a book, open before her." Here again invention and knowledge did not go hand in hand. There were no books at the time of the building of the Temple, as moderns understand the word. there were rolls of skins, but a bound book of leaves made of any substance-vellum, papyrus, skins-was an unknown object. Therefore there could have been no such volume in which the virtues of the Master Builder were recorded.

 

No logical reason has been advanced why the woman who mourned and read in the book was a "beautiful virgin." No scriptural account tells of the Master Builder having wife or daughter or any female relative except his mother. The Israelites reverenced womanhood and appreciated virginity, but they were just as reverent over mother and child. Indeed, the bearing of children, the increase of the tribe, the desire for sons, was strong in the Twelve Tribes; why, then, the accent upon the virginity of the woman in the monument? "Time standing behind her, unfolding and counting the ringlets of her hair" is dramatic, but also out of character for the times. "Father Time" with his scythe is probably a descendant of the Greek Chromos, who carried a sickle or reaping hook, but the Israelites had no contact with Greece. It may have been natural for whoever invented the marble monument emblem to conclude that Time was both a world-wide and a time immemorial symbolic figure, but it could not have been so at the era in which Solomon's Temple was built.

 

It evidently did not occur to the originators of this emblem that it was historically impossible. Yet the Israelites did not erect monuments to their dead. In the singular, the word "monument" does not occur in the Bible; as "monuments" it is mentioned once, in Isaiah 65 - "A people...which remain among the graves and lodge in the monuments." In the Revised Version this is translated "who sit in tombs and spend the night in secret places." The emphasis is apparently upon some form of worship of the dead (necromancy). The Standard Bible Dictionary says that the word "monument" in the general sense of a simple memorial does not appear in Biblical usage.

 

Oliver Day Street in "SYMBOLISM OF THE THREE DEGREES" says that the urn was an ancient sign of mourning, carried in funeral processions to catch the tears of those who grieved. But the word "urn" does not occur in the Old Testament nor the New.

 

Freemasonry is old. It came to us as a slow, gradual evolution of the thoughts, ideas, beliefs, teachings, idealism of many men through many years. It tells a simple story-a story profound in its meaning, which therefore must be simple, as all great truths in the last analysis are simple.

 

The marble monument and the broken column have many parts. Many of these have the aroma of age. Their weaving together into one symbol may be-probably is-a modernism, if that term can cover a period of nearly two hundred years. but the importance of a great life, his skill and knowledge; his untimely and pitiful death is not a modernism.

 

Nothing herein set forth is intended as in any way belittling one of Freemasonry's teachings by means of ritual and picture. These few pages are but one of many ways of trying to illuminate the truth behind a symbol, and show that, regardless of the dates of any parts of the emblem, the whole has a place in the Masonic story which has at least romance, if not too much fact, behind it.

 

THE BROKEN COLUMN AND ITS DEEPER MEANING:

by Bro. William Steve Burkle KT, 32°

Scioto Lodge No. 6, Chillicothe, Ohio.

Philo Lodge No. 243, South River, New Jersey

 

The meaning of the Broken Column as explained by the ritual of the Master mason degree is that the column represents both the fall of Master Hiram Abif as well as the unfinished work of the Temple of Solomon[i]. This interesting symbol has appeared in some fascinating places; for example, a Broken Column monument marks the gravesite in Lewis County Tennessee[ii] of Brother Meriwether Lewis (Lewis & Clark), and a similar monument marks the grave of Brother Prince Hall[iii]. In China, there is a “broken column-shaped” home which was built just prior to the French Revolution by the aristocrat François Nicolas Henri Racine de Monville[iv]. Today “The Broken Column” is frequently used in Masonic newsletters as the header for obituary notices and is a popular tomb monument for those whose life was deemed cut short. Note that when I speak of The Broken Column here, I am referring to only the upright but shattered Column Base with its detached Shattered Capital, and not to the more extensive symbolism often associated with the figure such as a book resting on the column base, the Weeping Virgin (Isis), or Father Time (Horus) disentangling the Virgin’s hair. In this version the shattered column itself is often said to allude to Osiris[v]. While these embellishments add to the complexity of the allusion, it is the shattered column alone which I intend to address.

 

The Broken Column is believed to be a fairly recent addition to the symbolism of Freemasonry, and has been attributed to Brother Jeremy L. Cross. Brother Cross[vi] is said to have devised the symbol based upon a broken column grave monument dedicated to a Commodore Lawrence[vii], which was erected in the Trinity Churchyard circa 1813. Lawrence perished in a naval battle that same year between the Frigates Chesapeake and Shannon. The illustration of the broken column was reportedly first published in the “True Masonic Chart” by artist Amos Doolittle in 1819[viii]. There is however little evidence beyond the word of Brother Cross that the symbol was thus created[ix],[x].

 

Whether the Broken Column is a modern invention or passed down from times of antiquity is of little consequence; regardless of its origins the symbol serves well as a powerful allusion in our Craft, and as will be discussed, may have deeper meanings which align with other Masonic symbols which also incorporate images of columns and pillars.

 

Freemasonry makes generous reference to columns and pillars of all sorts in the work of the various degrees including the two pillars which stood at the entrance of Solomon’s Temple, the four columns of architectural significance, and the three Great Columns representing strength, beauty, and wisdom[xi]. The first mention of pillars in a Masonic context[xii] is found in the Cooke Manuscript dated circa 1410 A.D. The three Great Pillars of Masonry are of particular interest in this article even though it is the Broken Column and its deeper meanings which I ultimately intend to explore.

 

Three Great Columns:

 

The basis for the Three Great Columns can be traced to an ancient Kabalistic concept and a unique diagram found in the Zohar which illustrates the emanations of God in forming and sustaining the universe. The diagram also reflects certain states of spiritual attainment in man. This diagram, called the Sephiroth consists of ten spheres or Sephira connected to one another by pathways and which are ordered to reflect the sequence of creation. In accordance with Kabalistic belief Aur Ein Sof (Light Without End) shines down into the Sephiroth and is split like a prism into its ten constituent Sephira[xiii], eventually ending in the material universe. To discuss the Sephiroth in sufficient depth to impart a good understanding is well beyond the scope of this paper; however, a basic understanding of how the structure of the Sephiroth is related to the Great Columns is manageable, and is in fact essential to the subsequent discussion of the Broken Column. Be aware that the explanations I give are vast oversimplifications of a highly complex concept. In an attempt to simplify the concept, it is inevitable that some degree of inaccuracy will be introduced.

I would like to begin my discussion of the Three Great Columns by discussing the Cardinal Virtues. The Cardinal Virtues are believed to have originated with Plato who formed them from a tripartite division[xiv] of the attributes of man (power, wisdom, reason, mercy, strength, beauty, firmness, magnificence, and base kingship) presented in the Sephiroth. These concepts were later adopted by the Christian Church[xv] and were popularized by the treatises of Martin of Braga, Alcuin and Hrabanus Maurus (circa 1100 A.D.) and later promoted by Thomas Aquinas (circa 1224 A.D.). According to Wescott[xvi] the Four Cardinal Virtues are represented by what were originally branches of the Sepheroth:

“Four tassels refer to four cardinal virtues, says the first degree Tracing Board Lecture, these are temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice; these again were originally branches of the Sephirotic Tree, Chesed first, Netzah fortitude, Binah prudence, and Geburah justice. Virtue, honour, and mercy, another triad, are Chochmah, Hod, and Chesed.”

 

broken-column1:

 

Thus we have a connection between the Cardinal Virtues and the Sephiroth. The Three Pillars of Freemasonry (Wisdom, Beauty, and Strength) are associated with the Cardinal Virtues[xvii] and also therefore with the Kabalistic concept of the Sephiroth[xviii]. I have provided an illustration of the Sepiroth in Figure 1. This particular version of the Sephiroth is based upon that used in the 30th Degree or Knight Kadosh Grade[xix] of the ASSR. The Sephiroth, incidentally is also called “The Tree of Life”. Each of the vertical columns of spheres (Sephira) in the Sephiroth are considered to represent a pillar (column). Each pillar is named according to the central concept which it represents; thus in Figure 1 we have the pillars Justice, Beauty, and Mercy left to right, respectively. The Sephiroth is a very elegant system in which balance is maintained between the Sephira of the two outermost pillars by virtue of the center pillar. Note also that traditionally the Sephiroth is divided into “Triads” of Sephira. In Figure 1 the uppermost triad, consisting of the spheres Wisdom, Intelligence, and Crown represent the intellectual and spiritual characteristics of man. The next triad is represented by the Sephira Justice, Beauty, and Mercy; the final triad is Splendor, Foundation, and Firmness (or Strength).

 

According to S.L. MacGregor Mathers[xx], the word Sephira is best translated to mean (or is best rendered as) “Numerical Emanation”, and each of the ten Sephira corresponds to a specific numerical value. Mathers also asserts that it was through knowledge of the Sephiroth that Pythagoras devised his system of numerical symbolism. While there are additional divisions and subdivisions of the Sephiroth, the concept which is of interest to us here is that God created the Material World or Universe (signified by the lowest Sephira, Kingdom) in a series of ordered actions which proceeded along established pathways (i.e. the connecting lines between the Sephira in our Figure). Each of the Sephira and each pathway are a sort of “buffer” between the majesty and power of God and the material world. Without these buffers, profane man and the material world he inhabits would meet with destruction. On the other hand, enlightened man is able to progress upwards along these pathways to higher level Sephira and to thereby achieve enhanced knowledge of the Divine. Tradition holds that man once was closer to the Divine spirit, but became corrupted by the material world, losing this connection (i.e. The fall of Man from Grace. Note also the reference to the Tree of Knowledge and possible connections to the Tree of Life). God uses the Sephiroth in renewing and sustaining the material universe. Each new soul created is an emanation of God and travels to materiality (physical existence) via the pathways established in the Sephiroth. In a similar fashion, the spirits of the departed return to God via these same pathways, making the Sephiroth the mechanism by which God interacts with the universe.

 

broken-column2 The Broken Column:

 

In Figure 2, I have redrawn the Sephiroth as an overlay of the Three Great Columns; however in this version the Pillar of Beauty is Broken. Note especially that the center pillar, the Pillar of Beauty in the Sephiroth has a gap between Beauty and Crown, in effect making this column a Broken Pillar[xxi]. I believe this “fracture” symbolizes Man’s separation from knowledge of the Divine, and an interruption in the Pathway leading from Beauty directly to the Crown (which symbolizes “The Vast Countenance”[xxii]).

 

I would also like to extrapolate that if the Broken Column indeed represents Hiram Abif as per the explanation given to initiates, then the two remaining columns would then correspond to Solomon and Hiram King of Tyre[xxiii]. Certainly the Sephira (Wisdom, Justice, and Splendor) which comprise the column of Justice align well with the characteristics traditionally associated with King Solomon. Tradition unfortunately does not address Hiram King of Tyre although we can assume that Intelligence, Mercy, and Firmness or Strength would be a likely requirement for a Monarch of such apparent success. The connection between the Three Great Columns and the three principle characters in the drama of the Third Degree does have a certain sense of validity. The “Lost Word” associated with Hiram Abif would then allude to the lost Pathway.

 

In so many of our Masonic Lessons we initially receive a plausible but quite shallow explanation of our symbols and allusions. Those who sense an underlying, deeper meaning tend to find it (Seek and you will find, knock and the door shall be opened). Perhaps in our ritual of the Third Degree, that which is symbolically being raised (restored) is the Pillar of which resides within us. If so, the Lost Word has then in fact been received by each of us. It only remains lost if we choose to forget it or choose not to pursue it.

 

[i] Duncan, Malcom C. Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor. Crown; 3 Edition (April 12, 1976). ISBN-13: 978-0679506263. pp 157.

 

[ii] “Meriwether Lewis, Master Mason”. The Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation.

 

[iii] “WHo is Prince Hall ?” (1996). Retrieved December 5, 2008 from www.mindspring.com/~johnsonx/whoisph.htm.

 

[iv] Kenna, Michael. (1988). The Broken Column House at Désert de Retz in Le Desert De Retz, A late 18th Century French Folley Garden. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from Valley Daze. valley-daze.blogspot.com/2007/09/broken-column-house.html

 

[v] Pike, Albert. (1919) Morals and Dogma. Charleston Southern Jurisdiction. pp. 379. ASIN: B000CDT4T8.

 

[vi] “The Broken Column”. The Short Talk Bulletin 2-56. The Masonic Service Association of the United States. VOL. 34 February 1956 NO. 2.

 

[vii] Brown, Robert Hewitt. (1892). Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomy or the origin and meaning of ancient and modern mysteries explained. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1, 3, and 5 Bond Street. 1892.. pp. 68.

 

[viii] “Boston Masonic Lithograph”. Retrieved December 5, 2008 from Lodge Pambula Daylight UGL of NSW & ACT No1000. lodgepambuladaylight.org/lithograph.htm.

 

[ix] Folger, Robert B. Fiction of the Weeping Virgin. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M. freemasonry.bcy.ca/art/monument / fiction/fiction.html

 

[x] Mackey, Albert Gallatin & Haywood H. L. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry Part 2. pp. 677. Kessinger Publishing, LLC (March 31, 2003).

 

[xi] Claudy, Carl H. Introduction to Masonry. The Temple Publishers. Retrieved December 5, 2008 from Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry. www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/claudy4.html.

 

[xii] Dwor, Mark. (1998). Globes, Pillars, Columns, and Candlesticks. Vancouver Lodge of Education and Research . Retrieved December 6, 2008 from the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M. freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/globes_pillars_columns.html

 

[xiii] Day, Jeff. (2008). Dualism of the Sword and the Trowel. Cryptic Masons of Oregon – Grants Pass. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from rogue.cryptic-masons.org/dualism_of_the_sword_and_trowel

 

[xiv] Bramston, M. Thinkers of the Middle Ages. Monthly Packet. Evening Readings of the Christian Church (1893). Ed. Charlotte Mary Yonge, Christabel Rose Coleridge, Arthur Innes. J. and C. Mozley. University of Michigan (2007).

 

[xv] Regan, Richard. (2005). The Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. Hackett Publishing.

 

[xvi] Wescott, William ( ). The Religion of Freemasonry. Illuminated by the Kabbalah. Ars Quatuor Coronatorum. vol. i. p. 73-77. Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/aqc/kabbalah.html.

 

[xvii] MacKenzie, Kenneth R. H. (1877). Kabala. Royal Masonic Cyclopedia. Kessinger Publishing (2002).

 

[xviii] Pirtle, Henry. Lost Word of Freemasonry. Kessinger Publishing, 1993.

 

[xix] Knight Kadosh. The Thirtieth Grade of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and the First Degree of the Chivalric Series. Hirams Web. University of Bradford.

 

[xx] Mathers, S.L. MacGregor. (1887). Qabalah Unveiled. Reprinted (2006) as The Kabbalah: Essential Texts From The Zohar. Watkins. London. pp. 10.

 

[xxi] Ibid. Dualism of the Sword and the Trowel

 

[xxii] Ibid. Qabalah Unveiled .Plate III. pp. 38-39.

 

[xxiii] Duncan, Malcom C. Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor. Crown; 3 Edition (April 12, 1976).

 

Yezidi family from Shangal.

The refugee flow to the wealthy continent of Europe is just the tip of the iceberg. It's a minor crisis compared to the real refugee crisis hitting Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, where resources are not so plenty as in Europe. Belgium is not overwhelmed by a flood of refugees like Kurdistan. Many internal Iraqi refugees from areas which have been taken by IS flee to the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Most refugees remain in the region, and within the sphere of influence of the conflicts of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Browse through these photos by photographer Baram Maaruf and you might get a better understanding of the scope of the "crisis" in Europe: limited and perfectly manageable. It's a not a "refugee crisis", but a crisis of "political will".

 

ARBAT IDP CAMP

Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp is located outside the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It is one of the most overcrowded refugee camps in Iraq. The camp was supposed to house 800 displaced Iraqi families, but now there are more than 2000 families (23.000 people). In each tent there are several families. It was established for Syrian refugees as a transit camp, but it turned into a camp for internally displaced Iraqi refugees. As the crisis in Iraq enters its second year with no political or military solution in sight, the government and aid groups are being forced to seek longer-term humanitarian solutions for the more than three million displaced by violence across the country.

 

ASHTI CAMP

It’s a short drive to a new camp location just five km away: Ashti Camp. UNHCR and its partners began to move residents to better-equipped facilities in June 2015. Ashti camp, was recently completed and will eventually accommodate some 1000 families who will be moved from Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. They are displaced Iraqis sheltering in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It looks like the foundation of a new village. Instead of pitched upon packed earth, tents here rest on poured concrete foundations. Plumbing is underground and electric wiring runs along poles that neatly follow the camp's grid layout.

 

ARBAT PERMANENT CAMP

The third refugee camp is a permanent camp for 6000 Syrian refugees, mainly Kurds from Kobani and Qamishlo. It looks like a village with paved roads, electricity wires, shops, little brick houses. Even though the whole “village” looks miserable, it is much “better” compared to Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.

IDP's from Tikrit and Ramadi.

The refugee flow to the wealthy continent of Europe is just the tip of the iceberg. It's a minor crisis compared to the real refugee crisis hitting Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, where resources are not so plenty as in Europe. Belgium is not overwhelmed by a flood of refugees like Kurdistan. Many internal Iraqi refugees from areas which have been taken by IS flee to the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Most refugees remain in the region, and within the sphere of influence of the conflicts of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Browse through these photos by photographer Baram Maaruf and you might get a better understanding of the scope of the "crisis" in Europe: limited and perfectly manageable. It's a not a "refugee crisis", but a crisis of "political will".

 

ARBAT IDP CAMP

Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp is located outside the city of Sulaymaniyah in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It is one of the most overcrowded refugee camps in Iraq. The camp was supposed to house 800 displaced Iraqi families, but now there are more than 2000 families (23.000 people). In each tent there are several families. It was established for Syrian refugees as a transit camp, but it turned into a camp for internally displaced Iraqi refugees. As the crisis in Iraq enters its second year with no political or military solution in sight, the government and aid groups are being forced to seek longer-term humanitarian solutions for the more than three million displaced by violence across the country.

 

ASHTI CAMP

It’s a short drive to a new camp location just five km away: Ashti Camp. UNHCR and its partners began to move residents to better-equipped facilities in June 2015. Ashti camp, was recently completed and will eventually accommodate some 1000 families who will be moved from Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp. They are displaced Iraqis sheltering in Iraq's Kurdistan Region. It looks like the foundation of a new village. Instead of pitched upon packed earth, tents here rest on poured concrete foundations. Plumbing is underground and electric wiring runs along poles that neatly follow the camp's grid layout.

 

ARBAT PERMANENT CAMP

The third refugee camp is a permanent camp for 6000 Syrian refugees, mainly Kurds from Kobani and Qamishlo. It looks like a village with paved roads, electricity wires, shops, little brick houses. Even though the whole “village” looks miserable, it is much “better” compared to Arbat Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp.

Excellent Sunday evening walk especially after all the recent Heavy rain, starting from Fell Dyke car park along Cogra Moss then up over Middle fell & onto Blake fell summit.Very Blustery winds but manageable on the tops also carried out some minor repairs to the summit shelter.Then back down thru the forest back to the carpark, a nice couple of hours walk.

We were looking forward to a good hike with mild temperatures and little wind. The winds were much higher than predicted, but manageable. There was much less snow than we would have thought, considering we've above average snowfalls for this year. While the wind was annoying, the fact that wet snow would often clump to our boots was very frustrating... With all the ups and downs, we gained just over 800 m's on this very undulating 10.3 km return distance hike, but took 6 and a half hours to complete. The loveliest surprise was herd of Rocky Mountain Sheep near the true summit.

Masonic Broken Column.

 

www.phoenixmasonry.org/broken_column.htm

 

THE BROKEN COLUMN:

 

Short Talk Bulletin - Vol. 34, February 1956,

No. 2 - Author Unknown

 

The story of the broken column was first illustrated by Amos Doolittle in the "True Masonic Chart" by Jeremy Cross, published in 1819.

 

Many of Freemasonry's symbols are of extreme antiquity and deserve the reverence which we give to that which has had sufficient vitality to live long in the minds of men. For instance, the square, the point within a circle, the apron, circumambulation, the Altar have been used not only in Freemasonry but in systems of ethics, philosophy and religions without number.

 

Other symbols in the Masonic system are more recent. Perhaps they are not the less important for that, even without the sanctity of age which surrounds many others.

 

Among the newer symbols is that usually referred to as the broken column. A marble monument is respectably ancient - the broken column seems a more recent addition. There seems to be no doubt that the first pictured broken column appeared in Jeremy Cross's True Masonic Chart, published in 1819, and that the illustration was the work of Amos Doolittle, an engraver, of Connecticut.

 

That Jeremy Cross "invented" or "designed" the emblem is open to argument. But there is legitimate room for argument over many inventions. Who invented printing from movable type? We give the credit to Gutenberg, but there are other claimants, among them the Chinese at an earlier date. Who invented the airplane? The Wrights first flew a "mechanical bird" but a thousand inventors have added to, altered, changed their original design, until the very principle which first enabled the Wrights to fly, the "warping wing", is now discarded and never used.

 

Therefore, if authorities argue and contend about the marble monument and broken column it is not to make objection or take credit from Jeremy Cross; the thought is that almost any invention or discovery is improved, changed, added to and perfected by many men. Edison is credited with the first incandescent lamp, but there is small kinship between his carbon filament and a modern tungsten filament bulb. Roentgen was first to bring the "x-ray" to public notice-the discoverer would not know what a modern physician's x-ray apparatus was if he saw it!

 

In the library of the Grand Lodge of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, is a book published in 1784; "A BRIEF HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY" by Thomas Johnson, at that time the Tiler of the Grand Lodge of England (the "Moderns"). In this book the author states that he was "taken the liberty to introduce a Design for a Monument in Honor of a Great Artist." He then admits that there is no historical account of any such memorial but cites many precedents of "sumptuous Piles" which perpetuate the memories and preserve the merits of the historic dead, although such may have been buried in lands far from the monument or "perhaps in the depth of the Sea".

 

In this somewhat fanciful and poetic description of this monument, the author mentions an urn, a laurel branch, a sun, a moon, a Bible, square and compasses, letter G. The book was first published in 1782, which seems proof that there was

at that time at least the idea of a monument erected to the Master Builder.

 

There is little historical material upon which to draw to form any accurate conclusions. Men write of what has happened long after the happenings. Even when faithful to their memories, these may be, and often are, inaccurate. It is with this thought in mind that a curious statement in the Masonic newspaper, published in New York seventy-five years ago, must be considered. In the issue of May 10, 1879, a Robert B. Folger purports to give Cross' account of his invention, or discovery, an inclusion, of the broken column into the marble monument emblem.

 

The account is long, rambling and at times not too clear. Abstracted, the salient parts are as follows. Cross found or sensed what he considered a deficiency in the Third Degree which had to be filled in order to effect his purposes. He consulted a former Mayor of New Haven, who at the time was one of his most intimate friends. Even after working together for a week, they did not hit upon any symbol which would be sufficiently simple and yet answer the purpose. Then a Copper-plate engraver, also a brother, was called in. The number of hieroglyphics which had be this time accumulated was immense. Some were too large, some too small, some too complicated, requiring too much explanation and many were not adapted to the subject.

 

Finally, the copper-plate engraver said, "Brother Cross, when great men die, they generally have a monument." "That's right!" cried Cross; "I never thought of that!" He visited the burying-ground in New Haven. At last he got an idea and told his friends that he had the foundation of what he wanted. He said that while in New York City he had seen a monument in the southwest corner of Trinity Church yard erected over Commodore Lawrence, a great man who fell in battle. It was a large marble pillar, broken off. The broken part had been taken away, but the capital was lying at the base. He wanted that pillar for the foundation of his new emblem, but intended to bring in the other part, leaving it resting against the base. This his friends assented to, but more was wanted. They felt that some inscription should be on the column. after a length discussion they decided upon an open book to be placed upon the broken pillar. There should of course be some reader of the book! Hence the emblem of innocence-a beautiful virgin-who should weep over the memory of the deceased while she read of his heroic deeds from the book before her.

 

The monument erected to the memory of Commodore Lawrence was placed in the southwest corner of Trinity Churchyard in 1813, after the fight between the frigates

Chesapeake and Shannon, in which battle Lawrence fell. As described, it was a beautiful marble pillar, broken off, with a part of the capital laid at its base. lt remained until 1844-5 at which time Trinity Church was rebuilt. When finished, the corporation of the Church took away the old and dilapidated Lawrence monument and erected a new one in a different form, placing it in the front of the yard on Broadway, at the lower entrance of the Church. When Cross visited the new monument, he expressed great disappointment at the change, saying "it was not half as good as the one they took away!"

 

These claims of Cross-perhaps made for Cross-to having originated the emblem are disputed. Oliver speaks of a monument but fails to assign an American origin. In the Barney ritual of 1817, formerly in the possession of Samuel Wilson of Vermont, there is the marble column, the beautiful virgin weeping, the open book, the sprig of acacia, the urn, and Time standing behind. What is here lacking is the broken column. Thus it appears that the present emblem, except the broken column, was in use prior to the publication of Cross' work (1819).

 

The emblem in somewhat different form is frequently found in ancient symbolism. Mackey states that with the Jews a column was often used to symbolize princes, rulers or nobles. A broken column denoted that a pillar of the state had fallen. In Egyptian mythology, Isis is sometimes pictured weeping over the broken column which conceals the body of her husband Osiris, while behind her stands Horus or Time pouring ambrosia on her hair. In Hasting's ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION AND ETHICS, Isis is said sometimes to be represented standing; in her right hand is a sistrum, in her left hand a small ewer and on her forehead is a lotus, emblem of resurrection. In the Dionysaic Mysteries, Dionysius is represented as slain; Rhea goes in search of the body. She finds it and causes it to be buried. She is sometimes represented as standing by a column holding in her hand a sprig of wheat, emblem of immortality; since, though it be placed in the ground and die, it springs up again into newness of life. She was the wife of Kronus or Time, who may fittingly be represented as standing behind her.

 

Whoever invented the emblem or symbol of the marble monument, the broken column, the beautiful virgin, the book, the urn, the acacia, Father Time counting the ringlets of hair, could not have thought through all the implications of this attempt-doubtless made in all reverence-to add to the dignity and impressiveness of the story of the Master Builder.

 

The urn in which "ashes were safely deposited" is pure invention. Cremation was not practiced by the Twelve Tribes; it was not the method of disposing of the dead in the land and at the time of the building of the Temple. rather was the burning of the dead body reserved as a dreadful fate for the corpses of criminals and evil doers. That so great a man as "the widow's son, of the tribe of Naphtali" should have been cremated is unthinkable. The Bible is silent on the subject; it does not mention Hiram the Builder's death, still less the disposal of the body, but the whole tone of the Old Testament in description of funerals and mournings, make it impossible to believe that his body was burned, or that his ashes might have been preserved.

 

The Israelites did not embalm their dead; burial was accomplished on the day of death or, at the longest wait, on the day following. According to the legend, the Master Builder was disinterred from the first or temporary grave and reinterred with honor. That is indeed, a supposable happening; that his body was raised only to be cremated is wholly out of keeping with everything known of deaths, funeral ceremonies, disposal of the dead of the Israelites.

 

In the ritual which describes the broken column monument, before the figure of the virgin is "a book, open before her." Here again invention and knowledge did not go hand in hand. There were no books at the time of the building of the Temple, as moderns understand the word. there were rolls of skins, but a bound book of leaves made of any substance-vellum, papyrus, skins-was an unknown object. Therefore there could have been no such volume in which the virtues of the Master Builder were recorded.

 

No logical reason has been advanced why the woman who mourned and read in the book was a "beautiful virgin." No scriptural account tells of the Master Builder having wife or daughter or any female relative except his mother. The Israelites reverenced womanhood and appreciated virginity, but they were just as reverent over mother and

child. Indeed, the bearing of children, the increase of the tribe, the desire for sons, was strong in the Twelve Tribes; why, then, the accent upon the virginity of the woman in the monument? "Time standing behind her, unfolding and counting the ringlets of her hair" is dramatic, but also out of character for the times. "Father Time" with his scythe is probably a descendant of the Greek Chromos, who carried a sickle or reaping hook, but the Israelites had no contact with Greece. It may have been natural for whoever invented the marble monument emblem to conclude that Time was both a world-wide and a time immemorial symbolic figure, but it could not have been so at the era in which Solomon's Temple was built.

 

It evidently did not occur to the originators of this emblem that it was historically impossible. Yet the Israelites did not erect monuments to their dead. In the singular, the word "monument" does not occur in the Bible; as "monuments" it is mentioned once, in Isaiah 65 - "A people...which remain among the graves and lodge in the monuments." In the Revised Version this is translated "who sit in tombs and spend the night in secret places." The emphasis is apparently upon some form of worship of the dead (necromancy). The Standard Bible Dictionary says that the word "monument" in the general sense of a simple memorial does not appear in Biblical usage.

 

Oliver Day Street in "SYMBOLISM OF THE THREE DEGREES" says that the urn was an ancient sign of mourning, carried in funeral processions to catch the tears of those who grieved. But the word "urn" does not occur in the Old Testament nor the New.

 

Freemasonry is old. It came to us as a slow, gradual evolution of the thoughts, ideas, beliefs, teachings, idealism of many men through many years. It tells a simple story-a story profound in its meaning, which therefore must be simple, as all great truths in the last analysis are simple.

 

The marble monument and the broken column have many parts. Many of these have the aroma of age. Their weaving together into one symbol may be-probably is-a modernism, if that term can cover a period of nearly two hundred years. but the importance of a great life, his skill and knowledge; his untimely and pitiful death is not a modernism.

 

Nothing herein set forth is intended as in any way belittling one of Freemasonry's teachings by means of ritual and picture. These few pages are but one of many ways of trying to illuminate the truth behind a symbol, and show that, regardless of the dates of any parts of the emblem, the whole has a place in the Masonic story which has at least romance, if not too much fact, behind it.

 

THE BROKEN COLUMN AND ITS DEEPER MEANING:

 

by Bro. William Steve Burkle KT, 32°

Scioto Lodge No. 6, Chillicothe, Ohio.

Philo Lodge No. 243, South River, New Jersey

 

The meaning of the Broken Column as explained by the ritual of the Master mason degree is that the column represents both the fall of Master Hiram Abif as well as the unfinished work of the Temple of Solomon[i]. This interesting symbol has appeared in some fascinating places; for example, a Broken Column monument marks the gravesite in Lewis County Tennessee[ii] of Brother Meriwether Lewis (Lewis & Clark), and a similar monument marks the grave of Brother Prince Hall[iii]. In China, there is a “broken column-shaped” home which was built just prior to the French Revolution by the aristocrat François Nicolas Henri Racine de Monville[iv]. Today “The Broken Column” is frequently used in Masonic newsletters as the header for obituary notices and is a popular tomb monument for those whose life was deemed cut short. Note that when I speak of The Broken Column here, I am referring to only the upright but shattered Column Base with its detached Shattered Capital, and not to the more extensive symbolism often associated with the figure such as a book resting on the column base, the Weeping Virgin (Isis), or Father Time (Horus) disentangling the Virgin’s hair. In this version the shattered column itself is often said to allude to Osiris[v]. While these embellishments add to the complexity of the allusion, it is the shattered column alone which I intend to address.

 

The Broken Column is believed to be a fairly recent addition to the symbolism of Freemasonry, and has been attributed to Brother Jeremy L. Cross. Brother Cross[vi] is said to have devised the symbol based upon a broken column grave monument dedicated to a Commodore Lawrence[vii], which was erected in the Trinity Churchyard circa 1813. Lawrence perished in a naval battle that same year between the Frigates Chesapeake and Shannon. The illustration of the broken column was reportedly first published in the “True Masonic Chart” by artist Amos Doolittle in 1819[viii]. There is however little evidence beyond the word of Brother Cross that the symbol was thus created[ix],[x].

 

Whether the Broken Column is a modern invention or passed down from times of antiquity is of little consequence; regardless of its origins the symbol serves well as a powerful allusion in our Craft, and as will be discussed, may have deeper meanings which align with other Masonic symbols which also incorporate images of columns and pillars.

 

Freemasonry makes generous reference to columns and pillars of all sorts in the work of the various degrees including the two pillars which stood at the entrance of Solomon’s Temple, the four columns of architectural significance, and the three Great Columns representing strength, beauty, and wisdom[xi]. The first mention of pillars in a Masonic context[xii] is found in the Cooke Manuscript dated circa 1410 A.D. The three Great Pillars of Masonry are of particular interest in this article even though it is the Broken Column and its deeper meanings which I ultimately intend to explore.

 

Three Great Columns:

 

The basis for the Three Great Columns can be traced to an ancient Kabalistic concept and a unique diagram found in the Zohar which illustrates the emanations of God in forming and sustaining the universe. The diagram also reflects certain states of spiritual attainment in man. This diagram, called the Sephiroth consists of ten spheres or Sephira connected to one another by pathways and which are ordered to reflect the sequence of creation. In accordance with Kabalistic belief Aur Ein Sof (Light Without End) shines down into the Sephiroth and is split like a prism into its ten constituent Sephira[xiii], eventually ending in the material universe. To discuss the Sephiroth in sufficient depth to impart a good understanding is well beyond the scope of this paper; however, a basic understanding of how the structure of the Sephiroth is related to the Great Columns is manageable, and is in fact essential to the subsequent discussion of the Broken Column. Be aware that the explanations I give are vast oversimplifications of a highly complex concept. In an attempt to simplify the concept, it is inevitable that some degree of inaccuracy will be introduced.

 

I would like to begin my discussion of the Three Great Columns by discussing the Cardinal Virtues. The Cardinal Virtues are believed to have originated with Plato who formed them from a tripartite division[xiv] of the attributes of man (power, wisdom, reason, mercy, strength, beauty, firmness, magnificence, and base kingship) presented in the Sephiroth. These concepts were later adopted by the Christian Church[xv] and were popularized by the treatises of Martin of Braga, Alcuin and Hrabanus Maurus (circa 1100 A.D.) and later promoted by Thomas Aquinas (circa 1224 A.D.). According to Wescott[xvi] the Four Cardinal Virtues are represented by what were originally branches of the Sepheroth:

 

“Four tassels refer to four cardinal virtues, says the first degree Tracing Board Lecture, these are temperance, fortitude, prudence, and justice; these again were originally branches of the Sephirotic Tree, Chesed first, Netzah fortitude, Binah prudence, and Geburah justice. Virtue, honour, and mercy, another triad, are Chochmah, Hod, and Chesed.”

 

Broken-column:

 

Thus we have a connection between the Cardinal Virtues and the Sephiroth. The Three Pillars of Freemasonry (Wisdom, Beauty, and Strength) are associated with the Cardinal Virtues[xvii] and also therefore with the Kabalistic concept of the Sephiroth[xviii]. I have provided an illustration of the Sepiroth in Figure 1. This particular version of the Sephiroth is based upon that used in the 30th Degree or Knight Kadosh Grade[xix] of the ASSR. The Sephiroth, incidentally is also called “The Tree of Life”. Each of the vertical columns of spheres (Sephira) in the Sephiroth are considered to represent a pillar (column). Each pillar is named according to the central concept which it represents; thus in Figure 1 we have the pillars Justice, Beauty, and Mercy left to right, respectively. The Sephiroth is a very elegant system in which balance is maintained between the Sephira of the two outermost pillars by virtue of the center pillar. Note also that traditionally the Sephiroth is divided into “Triads” of Sephira. In Figure 1 the uppermost triad, consisting of the spheres Wisdom, Intelligence, and Crown represent the intellectual and spiritual characteristics of man. The next triad is represented by the Sephira Justice, Beauty, and Mercy; the final triad is Splendor, Foundation, and Firmness (or Strength).

 

According to S.L. MacGregor Mathers[xx], the word Sephira is best translated to mean (or is best rendered as) “Numerical Emanation”, and each of the ten Sephira corresponds to a specific numerical value. Mathers also asserts that it was through knowledge of the Sephiroth that Pythagoras devised his system of numerical symbolism. While there are additional divisions and subdivisions of the Sephiroth, the concept which is of interest to us here is that God created the Material World or Universe (signified by the lowest Sephira, Kingdom) in a series of ordered actions which proceeded along established pathways (i.e. the connecting lines between the Sephira in our Figure). Each of the Sephira and each pathway are a sort of “buffer” between the majesty and power of God and the material world. Without these buffers, profane man and the material world he inhabits would meet with destruction. On the other hand, enlightened man is able to progress upwards along these pathways to higher level Sephira and to thereby achieve enhanced knowledge of the Divine. Tradition holds that man once was closer to the Divine spirit, but became corrupted by the material world, losing this connection (i.e. The fall of Man from Grace. Note also the reference to the Tree of Knowledge and possible connections to the Tree of Life). God uses the Sephiroth in renewing and sustaining the material universe. Each new soul created is an emanation of God and travels to materiality (physical existence) via the pathways established in the Sephiroth. In a similar fashion, the spirits of the departed return to God via these same pathways, making the Sephiroth the mechanism by which God interacts with the universe.

broken-column2The Broken Column

 

In Figure 2, I have redrawn the Sephiroth as an overlay of the Three Great Columns; however in this version the Pillar of Beauty is Broken. Note especially that the center pillar, the Pillar of Beauty in the Sephiroth has a gap between Beauty and Crown, in effect making this column a Broken Pillar[xxi]. I believe this “fracture” symbolizes Man’s separation from knowledge of the Divine, and an interruption in the Pathway leading from Beauty directly to the Crown (which symbolizes “The Vast Countenance”[xxii]).

 

I would also like to extrapolate that if the Broken Column indeed represents Hiram Abif as per the explanation given to initiates, then the two remaining columns would then correspond to Solomon and Hiram King of Tyre[xxiii]. Certainly the Sephira (Wisdom, Justice, and Splendor) which comprise the column of Justice align well with the characteristics traditionally associated with King Solomon. Tradition unfortunately does not address Hiram King of Tyre although we can assume that Intelligence, Mercy, and Firmness or Strength would be a likely requirement for a Monarch of such apparent success. The connection between the Three Great Columns and the three principle characters in the drama of the Third Degree does have a certain sense of validity. The “Lost Word” associated with Hiram Abif would then allude to the lost Pathway.

 

In so many of our Masonic Lessons we initially receive a plausible but quite shallow explanation of our symbols and allusions. Those who sense an underlying, deeper meaning tend to find it (Seek and you will find, knock and the door shall be opened). Perhaps in our ritual of the Third Degree, that which is symbolically being raised (restored) is the Pillar of which resides within us. If so, the Lost Word has then in fact been received by each of us. It only remains lost if we choose to forget it or choose not to pursue it.

 

[i] Duncan, Malcom C. Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor. Crown; 3 Edition (April 12, 1976). ISBN-13: 978-0679506263. pp 157.

 

[ii] “Meriwether Lewis, Master Mason”. The Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation.

 

[iii] “WHo is Prince Hall ?” (1996). Retrieved December 5, 2008 from www.mindspring.com/~johnsonx/whoisph.htm.

 

[iv] Kenna, Michael. (1988). The Broken Column House at Désert de Retz in Le Desert De Retz, A late 18th Century French Folley Garden. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from Valley Daze. valleydaze.blogspot.com/2007/09/broken-column-house.html

 

[v] Pike, Albert. (1919) Morals and Dogma. Charleston Southern Jurisdiction. pp. 379. ASIN: B000CDT4T8.

 

[vi] “The Broken Column”. The Short Talk Bulletin 2-56. The Masonic Service Association of the United States. VOL. 34 February 1956 NO. 2.

 

[vii] Brown, Robert Hewitt. (1892). Stellar Theology and Masonic Astronomy or the origin and meaning of ancient and modern mysteries explained. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1, 3, and 5 Bond Street. 1892.. pp. 68.

 

[viii] “Boston Masonic Lithograph”. Retrieved December 5, 2008 from Lodge Pambula Daylight UGL of NSW & ACT No1000. lodgepambuladaylight.org/lithograph.htm.

 

[ix] Folger, Robert B. Fiction of the Weeping Virgin. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M. freemasonry.bcy.ca/art/monument / fiction/fiction.html

 

[x] Mackey, Albert Gallatin & Haywood H. L. Encyclopedia of Freemasonry Part 2. pp. 677. Kessinger Publishing, LLC (March 31, 2003).

 

[xi] Claudy, Carl H. Introduction to Masonry. The Temple Publishers. Retrieved December 5, 2008 from Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry. www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/claudy4.html.

 

[xii] Dwor, Mark. (1998). Globes, Pillars, Columns, and Candlesticks. Vancouver Lodge of Education and Research . Retrieved December 6, 2008 from the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon A.F. & A.M. freemasonry.bcy.ca/texts/globes_pillars_columns.html

 

[xiii] Day, Jeff. (2008). Dualism of the Sword and the Trowel. Cryptic Masons of Oregon – Grants Pass. Retrieved December 6, 2008 from rogue.cryptic-masons.org/dualism_of_the_sword_and_trowel

 

[xiv] Bramston, M. Thinkers of the Middle Ages. Monthly Packet. Evening Readings of the Christian Church (1893). Ed. Charlotte Mary Yonge, Christabel Rose Coleridge, Arthur Innes. J. and C. Mozley. University of Michigan (2007).

 

[xv] Regan, Richard. (2005). The Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. Hackett Publishing.

 

[xvi] Wescott, William ( ). The Religion of Freemasonry. Illuminated by the Kabbalah. Ars Quatuor Coronatorum. vol. i. p. 73-77. Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon. Retrieved September 29, 2008 from www.freemasonry.bcy.ca/aqc/kabbalah.html.

 

[xvii] MacKenzie, Kenneth R. H. (1877). Kabala. Royal Masonic Cyclopedia. Kessinger Publishing (2002).

 

[xviii] Pirtle, Henry. Lost Word of Freemasonry. Kessinger Publishing, 1993.

 

[xix] Knight Kadosh. The Thirtieth Grade of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, and the First Degree of the Chivalric Series. Hirams Web. University of Bradford.

 

[xx] Mathers, S.L. MacGregor. (1887). Qabalah Unveiled. Reprinted (2006) as The Kabbalah: Essential Texts From The Zohar. Watkins. London. pp. 10.

 

[xxi] Ibid. Dualism of the Sword and the Trowel

 

[xxii] Ibid. Qabalah Unveiled .Plate III. pp. 38-39.

 

[xxiii] Duncan, Malcom C. Duncan's Masonic Ritual and Monitor. Crown; 3 Edition (April 12, 1976).

 

Trying saying that after a few pints. It's on the Isle of Anglesey [Ynys Mon] in Wales. It's more usually known by the more manageable Llanfairpwllgwyngyll - the long form was artificially created in the 19th century to claim the record of longest place-name in Britain.

For Guess Where UK. Another from the archive.

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

 

Some background:

Towards the end of WWII, large, piston-engined flying boats had been used exctensively in th bepatrol and bomber role, but with the advent of the new jet engine technology, engineers in several countries started to explore the new propulsion type's potential in different areas - including seaborne usage.

Towards the end of WWII and the far-stretched conflict theatre in the Pacific, the flying boat as well as float planes still had a large appeal due to their independence from airfields. This offered a lot of tactical flexibility. On the other side, the jet engine promised (much) higher speeds, but with the relative higher weight of early jet-driven aircraft (more fuel was needed, and more engines, as thrust was relatively low) a seaborne type would also avoid the need for a prepared and long airstrip to operate.

 

The United Kingdom was one nation that looked seriously into this kind of aircraft, and Saunders Roe presented in 1943 the proposals for a plane that should actually make it to the hardware stage: the SR.1/A, which made its maiden flight in 1947. The Soviet union also undertook some studies, but fighters remained just proposals. Eventually OKB Beriev would produce several sea-borne, jet-powered patrol bombers (e .g. the R-1 experimental plane, and later the Be-10 flying boat), which actually entered service.

 

In the USA, studies for a jet-powered fighter fyling boat gained momentum during the final stages of WWII. Convair developed the 'Skate' for the US Navy, a heavy night fighter, and Boeing designed a competitive concept. In parallel, and towards the end of the forties, heavier flying boats for maritime patrol were requested by the Navy - and with them a lighter, single-seat fighter that could escort them, or be used as an interceptor to defend improvised forward maritime bases. Using this type as a fast, ship-borne reconnaicssance aircraft was also envisioned.

This fighter was to be capable of a similar performance to land-based fighters in this class, like the F-80 or the F-86. The dsuccessful evelopment of the SR.A/1 in the UK had been keenly observed, and the concept of a jet-powered flying boat fighter appeared feasible and appealing.

 

One company to respond to the USN request was Curtiss, who already had experience with float planes like the Model 82 (SOC) and the Model 97 (SC 'Seahawk') - both rather pathfinder aircraft than true combat types, though. Curtiss designed its Model 101 around two J47-GE-11 jet engines, each rated at 2.359 kN (5.200 lbf) of thrust.

 

The Model 101's layout was rather concentional, with a deep, single step boat hull that would house a huge amount of fuel for the requested long range escort capability. The J47-GE-11-engines (the same which powered the B-47 bomber) were placed in nacelles, at the highest point of the gull wings.

As an innovative step, the Model 101 featured swept wings - the first time ever that this was tried on a flying boat. On the tips of the wings with a 35° sweep, slats and large flaps, fixed stabilizer floats were mounted. The large fin was swepts as well, and the horizontal stabilizers were placed as a T-tail high on the fin, clear of any jet turbulence or spray water.

 

The pilot sat in a pressurized cockpit under a bubble canopy, which offered good view, even though the massive engine nacelles blocked much of the side and rearward field of view.

The Model 101 was armed with four 20 mm (0.79 in) M3 autocannons in the nose section, with 200 RPG. An A-1CM gunsight which used an AN/APG-30 radar to automatically compute the range of a target was housed in a small radome in the nose tip. Under its inner wings, just outside of the engines, hardpoints allowed an external ordnance of up to 4.000 lb (1.816 kg), including bombs of up to 1.000 lb calibre, eight HVAR missiles, drop tanks or even two torpedos.

 

Curtiss received a go-ahead and two prototypes were built during 1948. First taxi runsd tok place in late 1947, the maiden flight of prototype #01 was on February 6th 1948, the second aircraft followed only three weeks later on 1st of March 1948 - and the tests were soon halted. Both aircraft suffered from severe purpoising at 80% of the take-off speed, and this problem almost resulted in the loss of prototype #01. This was a new problem, as such high take-off speeds had never before been encountered on water, and the phenomenon was called the 'hydro-dynamic instability barrier': essentially it was unstable aquaplaning.

 

First attempts to solve the problem were elevator compensation and tailplane incidence angle adjustments. This helped, but the aircraft remained unstable during take-off and landing - it was not before November 1948 that modifications were made to the planing bottom of prototype #02.

This brought the purpoising to a manageable level, but did not fully cure it. Disaster struck on February 12th 1949, when the still unmodified first prototype was lost in a starting accident: the aircraft started purpoising during take-off, hit a wave with the left side stabilizer swimmer, suddenly veered off towards the left, pitching down with the nose and toppling over at more than 120mph, ripping off the left wing and the whole tail section. Miracuously, test pilot Simon Pritchard escaped alive from the sinking wreck (even though heavily injured), but the XFC-1 #01 had to be written off and any high speed ground tests were suspended..

 

Flight tests were resumed in June 1949 after a bottom step venting system had been introduced, and this measure finally cured the instability problem. In the meantime, two more airframes had been built: one with more powerful J47-GE-23 engines (with 2.631 kN/5.800 lbf each, these were introduced to the other two prototypes during 1950, too) and another one for static tests.

 

Further trials followed during 1950 and in early 1951 the re-engined machine #02 even became supersonic in a dive. While the Model 101 (which received the USN designation XFC-1 and was christened 'Oceanhawk') was up to the original specifications it was clear that it could not compete with land-based aircraft - essentially, it offered a similar performance to the land-based F-86, but the XFC-1 needed two engines for that, was much less agile and still needed a complex infratsructure to operate properly. Its independence from land bases was still its biggest selling point, though, so the development was kept up.

 

At that time, the USN issued a specification for a supersonic flying boat, and NACA understook a study that a Mach 2 aircraft would be feasible until 1955. This rendered the Oceanhawk more or less obsolete, as it could not keep up with this requirement, and the XFC-1 program was finally closed in 1953. Eventually, the Convair XF2Y Sea Dart would be the next (and final) step on the way to a seaborne jet fighter.

 

Anyway, the remaining two XFC-1 prototypes were not scrapped but allocated to the USN's test squadrons. Prototype #02 and #03 were handed over as UFC-1 to Air Development Squadron VX-4 "Evaluaters" at Point Mugu, California, together with the static airframe #04 which was used for spares. Both aircraft were used as chase planes, observation platforms and target tugs. Machine #02, for instance, took part in the evaluation program of the Martin P6M SeaMaster flying boat in 1955, and was then modified for several tests with hydroski installations under the fuselage. On the other side, machine #03 was used in the development of remote drone and target tug control equipment, being re-designated DFC-1.

 

After serving in these second line roles, both aircraft were finally scrapped in 1965 and replaced by land-based types.

  

General characteristics

Crew: 1

Length: 14.11 m (46 ft 6 1/3 in)

Wingspan: 12.46 m (40 ft 9 1/2 in)

Height: 4.10 m (13 ft 5 1/4 in)

Empty weight: 9.265 kg (20.408 lb)

Loaded weight: 16.080 kg (35.418 lb)

 

Powerplant:

2× J47-GE-23 engines, rated at 2.631 kN/5.800 lbf each

 

Performance

Maximum speed: 932km/h (577mph/503nm) at sea level

Range: 2.092 km (1296 ml)

Service ceiling: 13.450 m (44.040 ft)

 

Armament

4× 20 mm (0.79 in) M3 autocannons with 200 RPG.

Eight underwing hardpoints for a total external ordnance of up to 4.000 lb (1.816 kg), including bombs of up to 1.000 lb calibre, eight HVAR missiles, drop tanks or two torpedos.

  

The kit and its assembly:

This model is a complete fantasy aircraft, inspired by a TV documentation about sea plane projects in the USA and USSR after WWII. Among others, the Martin P6M SeaMaster and the Saro SR.1/A made an appearance, and I wondered how an escort fighter for the P6M would have looked like in USN service? Well, let's build one...

 

Making a flying boat is pretty tricky, and the whole thing was built from scratch and with lots of putty.

 

Basically, the following went into it, all 1:72 unless stated otherwise:

● Fuselage and cockpit from a Hobby Boss F-86E

● Floating bottom is the lower half of a Matchbox Heinkel He 115 swimmer

● Wings come from another Hobby Boss F-86E, but this time a Batch 30 aircraft with extended wing tips

● Vertical stabilizer comes from an Academy MiG-21F

● Horizontal stabilizers come from a 1:100 Tamiya Il-28 bomber

● Stabilzer swimmers come from a vintage box scale Revell Convair Tradewind kit

● Engine intakes and exhausts are resin parts from Pavla, replacements for a Hasegawa B-47 kit

● A massive beaching trolley, which actually belongs to the A-Model Kh-20M missile kit

 

Assembly went from fuselage over the wing roots, the improvised engine nacelles, outer wings and stabilizer swimmers, step by step. I had a vague idea of what the aircraft should look like, but the design more or less evolved, depending from what I had at hand.

For instance, the Il-28 stabilizers were late additions, as the original F-86 parts turned out to be much too small for the massive aircraft.

 

The cockpit was taken OOB, just a pilot figure was added and the canopy cut into two pieces, so that it could be displayed in an open position.

Around the hull, small mooring hooks made from wire were added, gun nozzles made from hollow needles, as well as some antennae, since the whole kit was rather bleak and simple.

 

The trolley was puzzled together from the parts supllied with A-Model's Kh-20M (AS-3 'Kangaroo') kit, but was modified (e. g. with different wheels) and adapted to the flying boat's hull. It fits perfectly in shape and design, though!

  

Painting and markings:

Nothing fancy, as a jet-powered flying boat fighter is unique enough. Design benchmark was again the P6M, and AFAIK these aircraft were painted in just two tones: FS16081, a very dark grey, with white undersides and a wavy waterline. They were definitively not blue of any sort, as one might think in the first place.

 

I started with the lower side - white is always difficult to apply, and in order to avoid any trouble I used stpray paint from a rattle can and used a very light grey instead of pure white. The latter has two benefits: it covers the surface much better than white, and the contrast is not so harsh - the grey still leaves 'room' for some dry-brushing with white.

 

Next step was the dark grey - I used Humbrol's 32, which is FS36081 and looks very good. Dry-brushing with Humbrol 79 (Dark Blue Grey) was used for some counter-shading, and after a black ink wash I also painted some panel lines with a mix of black and matt varnish onto the hull. That turned out to be a little much, but finally, when the decals were applied (wild mix from various aftermarket sheets and the scrap box), the overall impression became much better.

 

The trolley was simply painted in yellow and makes a nice contrast to the dark aircraft on top of it.

 

Both aircraft and trolley were additionally weathered with some dry-brushed rust and grinded graphite, and finally received a coat of matt varnish.

1-12-13 Wyndham Street Races

 

TOP SPEED REVIEW:

 

Not long ago, the Japanese motorcycles were considered the uncontested leaders of sport motorcycles and nobody had the guts to challenge them. However, this situation has changed after BMW entered the battle. Its first super sport bike, the S 1000RR was not only a completely newcomer, but it was also so strong and technological advanced that it made any other bike look like defenseless scooter.

 

THE ABS

The Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-10R ABS superbike combines anti-lock braking with the numerous technological benefits of the class leading ZX-10R. And it does it with rider-sensitive, race-bred attributes derived from competing and winning at the highest levels.

 

Kawasaki has developed a new electronic steering damper for the 2013 ZX-10R ABS sportbike, in joint cooperation with Öhlins. Controlled by a dedicated ECU located under the gas tank cover, this new damper reacts to the rate of acceleration or deceleration, as well as rear wheel speed, to help provide the ideal level of damping force across a wide range of riding scenarios. The variable damping provides optimum rider feedback by enabling the use of lower damping forces during normal operation, without sacrificing the firm damping needed for high-speed stability. The result is a light and nimble steering feel at low speed, as well as superior damping at higher speeds or during extreme acceleration/deceleration. The anodized damper unit incorporates Öhlins’ patented twin-tube design to help ensure stable damping performance and superior kickback absorption. It is mounted horizontally at the front of the fuel tank and requires very few additional components and ads almost no weight compared to last year’s steering damper.

 

At first, anti-lock braking might seem a touch out of place on a purebred sportbike. But this system was designed from the start to maximize performance. And when you consider the many benefits provided by the amazing electronic and hardware technology available today, it begins to make a lot of sense.

 

Think of it: You’re braking for a blind, decreasing-radius corner after a long day of sport riding. Shadows are long and you’re tired, so you don’t notice a patch of sand until it’s too late to correct. But instead of tucking as you continue braking through the sand, your front tire maintains most of its traction, as the anti-lock braking system intervenes until the surface improves – allowing you to arc gracefully into the corner, a little wiser and a lot more intact physically than you might have been riding a non-ABS motorcycle.

 

Kawasaki calls its anti-lock system KIBS – or Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System. The use of “intelligent” is apropos, too, considering just how smart the KIBS is. It all starts with the smallest and lightest ABS unit ever built for a motorcycle, one designed by Bosch specifically with sport bikes in mind. It’s nearly 50 percent smaller than current motorcycle ABS units, and 800 grams lighter, adding only about 7 pounds of weight compared to the non-ABS machine, a pound of which is accounted for by the larger battery.

 

KIBS is a multi-sensing system, one that collects and monitors a wide range of information taken from wheel sensors (the same ones collecting data on the standard ZX-10R for its S-KTRC traction control system) and the bike’s ECU, including wheel speed, caliper pressure, engine rpm, throttle position, clutch actuation and gear position. The KIBS’s ECU actually communicates with the bike’s engine ECU and crunches the numbers, and when it notes a potential lock-up situation, it tells the Bosch ABS unit to temporarily reduce line pressure, allowing the wheel to once again regain traction.

 

Aside from this system’s ultra-fast response time, it offers a number of additional sport-riding benefits, including rear-end lift suppression during hard braking, minimal kickback during ABS intervention, and increased rear brake control during downshifts. The high-precision pressure control enables the system to maintain high brake performance, proper lever feel and help ensure the ABS pulses are minimized.

 

Needless to say that the Japanese manufacturers were highly intrigued and the first samurai who challenged the Germans to a duel was Kawasaki.

 

Kawasaki’s anti S 1000RR weapon is the Ninja ZX - 10R. Packing a lot of advanced features and modern technologies, the bike is fast enough to compete with success against the German oppressor.

 

Despite the fact that nothing changed for the 2013 model year, except for some color schemes, the Ninja continues to be ahead of the pack when it comes to sporty performances.

 

Build on a nimble, lightweight chassis, The Kawasaki Ninja ZX - 10R ABS is “blessed” with a powerful 998cc inline four engine which cranks out 197 hp at 11500 rpm.

 

Among the most important features offered by the Ninja ZX - 10R, you’ll find the advanced Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) and an intelligent ABS system which comes as an option ($1000).

 

ENGINE & PERFORMANCE:

The rest of the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R ABS is equally advanced. Complete with a powerful engine and lightweight chassis, it also boasts a highly advanced and customizable electronic system that allows riders to harness and experience the ZX-10R ABS’s amazing blend of power and razor-edge handling. The system is called Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control.

 

Motorcyclists have forever been challenged by traction-related issues, whether on dirt, street or track. And when talking about the absolute leading edge of open-class sport bike technology, where production street bikes are actually more capable than full-on race bikes from just a couple years ago, more consistent traction and enhanced confidence is a major plus.

 

The racing-derived S-KTRC system works by crunching numbers from a variety of parameters and sensors – wheel speed and slip, engine rpm, throttle position, acceleration, etc. There’s more data gathering and analysis going on here than on any other Kawasaki in history, and it’s all in the name of helping racers inch closer to the elusive “edge” of maximum traction than ever before. The S-KTRC system relies on complex software buried in the ZX-10R’s Electronic Control Unit (ECU); the only additional hardware is the lightweight speed sensors located on each wheel.

 

Unlike the KTRC system on Kawasaki’s Concours™ 14 ABS sport tourer, which primarily minimizes wheel slip on slick or broken surfaces as a safety feature, the S-KTRC system is designed to maximize performance by using complex analysis to predict when traction conditions are about to become unfavorable. By quickly but subtly reducing power just before the amount of slippage exceeds the optimal traction zone, the system – which processes every data point 200 times per second – maintains the optimum level of tire grip to maximize forward motion. The result is significantly better lap times and enhanced rider confidence – exactly what one needs when piloting a machine of this caliber.

 

The S-KTRC system offers three different modes of operation, which riders can select according to surface conditions, rider preference and skill level: Level 1 for max-grip track use, Level 2 for intermediate use, and Level 3 for slippery conditions. An LCD graph in the high-tech instrument cluster displays how much electronic intervention is occurring in real time and a thumb switch on the left handlebar pod allows simple, on-the-go mode changes.

 

The potent ZX-10R engine is a 16-valve, DOHC, liquid-cooled inline-four displacing 998cc via 76 x 55mm bore and stroke dimensions. This powerplant is tuned to optimize power delivery, center of gravity and actual engine placement within the chassis. Torque peaks at an rpm range that helps eliminate power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.

 

A primary goal of Kawasaki engineers was linear power delivery and engine manageability throughout all elements of a corner: the entry, getting back to neutral throttle at mid-corner, and heady, controllable acceleration at the exit. Peak torque was moved to a higher rpm range, which eliminates the power peaks and valleys that make it difficult for racers and track-day riders to open the throttle with confidence.

 

Large intake valves complemented by wide, polished intake ports allow for controllable power delivery and engine braking, just the thing to smooth those racetrack corner entries and exits. Camshafts built from chromoly steel further contribute to optimized engine braking and more controllable power delivery. Lightweight pistons mount to light and strong connecting rods. Compression is a full 13.0:1.

 

A race-style cassette transmission allows simple trackside ratio changes. An adjustable back-torque limiting clutch assembly is fitted, which allows worry-free downshifts and corner-entry calmness.

 

Cramming all that fuel and air into this amazing engine is a ram air-assisted fuel injection system featuring large throttle bodies (47mm) and sub-throttle valves, a large capacity airbox (9 liters), secondary injectors that improve top-end power characteristics, and a large ram-air intake that’s positioned close to the front of the bike for efficient airbox filling and power.

 

The final piece of the ZX-10R’s power-production formula is a race-spec exhaust system featuring a titanium header assembly, hydroformed collectors, a large-volume pre-chamber containing two catalyzers and a highly compact silencer. Due to the header’s race-spec design, riders and racers looking for more closed-course performance need only replace the slip-on muffler assembly.

 

CHASSIS & SUSPENSION:

With the engine producing a massive quantity of usable and controllable power, engineers looked to the chassis to help refine handling and overall road/track competency. The aluminum twin-spar frame is an all-cast assemblage of just seven pieces that features optimized flex characteristics for ideal rider feedback, cornering performance and light weight. Like the frame, the alloy swingarm is an all-cast assembly, with rigidity matching that of the frame itself.

 

Chassis geometry offers excellent stability and handling quickness. The front end geometry – with rake at 25 degrees and trail at 107mm (4.21 in.) – allows light, quick handling and complements the engine’s controllable power and the frame and swingarm’s flex characteristics.

 

Highly advanced suspension at both ends helps as well. Up front is a 43mm open-class version of the Big Piston Fork (BPF). Featuring a piston design nearly twice the size of a conventional cartridge fork, the BPF offers smooth action, less stiction, light weight and enhanced damping performance on the compression and rebound circuits. This compliance results in more control and feedback for the rider – just what you need when carving through a rippled sweeper at your local track or negotiating a decreasing-radius corner on your favorite backroad.

 

Suspension duties on the ZX-10R are handled by a Horizontal Back-Link design that positions the shock and linkage above the swingarm. Benefits include mass centralization, good road holding, compliance and stability, smooth action in the mid-stroke and good overall feedback. The fully adjustable shock features a piggyback reservoir and dual-range (low- and high-speed) compression damping.

 

Lightweight gravity-cast three-spoke wheels complement the tire fitment. Up front, Tokico radial-mount calipers grasp 310mm petal discs and a 220mm disc is squeezed by a lightweight single-piston caliper in back. The result is powerful stops with plenty of rider feedback and the added confidence of the KIBS ABS system.

 

DESIGN & ERGONOMICS:

Finally, Kawasaki engineers wrapped all this technology in bodywork as advanced and stylish as anything on this side of a MotoGP grid. The curvy edges and contrasting colored and black parts create a sharp, aggressive image. Line-beam headlights grace the fairing while LED turn signals are integrated into the mirror assemblies. Convenient turn-signal couplers allow easy mirror removal for track-day use. The rear fender assembly holding the rear signal stalks and license plate frame is also easily removable for track days. High-visibility LED lamps are also used for the taillight and position marker.

 

The instrumentation is highlighted by an LED-backlit bar-graph tachometer set above a multi-featured LCD info screen with numerous sections and data panels. A wide range of information is presented, including vehicle speed, odometer, dual trip meters, fuel consumption, Power Mode and S-KTRC level, low fuel, water temperature and much more. For track use, the LCD display can be set to “race” mode which moves the gear display to the center of the screen.

 

The ZX-10R’s ergonomics are designed for optimum comfort and control. A 32-inch saddle, adjustable footpegs and clip-ons mean that this is a hard-core sport bike you can actually take on an extended sport ride – and still be reasonably comfortable doing so.

 

The old saying, “power is nothing without control” is certainly apt where open-class sport bikes are concerned. But when you factor in all the engine, chassis and ergonomic control designed into the 2013 Ninja ZX-10R, you begin to realize you’re looking at one very special motorcycle – one that can take you places you’ve never been before.

 

Genuine Kawasaki Accessories are available through authorized Kawasaki dealers.

 

SPECS:

Engine Four-Stroke, Liquid-Cooled, DOHC, Four Valves Per Cylinder, Inline-Four

Displacement 998cc

Bore X Stroke 76.0 X 55.0 mm

Compression Ratio13.0:1

Fuel System DFI® With Four 47mm Keihin Throttle Bodies With Oval Sub-Throttles, Two Injectors Per Cylinder

Ignition TCBI With Digital Advance And Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC)

Transmission Six-Speed

Final Drive Chain

Rake/Trail 25 Deg / 4.2 In.

Front Tire Size 120/70 ZR17

Rear Tire Size 190/55 ZR17

Wheelbase 56.1 In.

Front Suspension / Wheel Travel 43 mm Inverted Big Piston Fork (BPF), Adjustable Rebound And Compression Damping, Spring Preload Adjustability/ 4.7 in.

Rear Suspension / Wheel Travel

Horizontal Back-Link With Gas-Charged Shock, Stepless, Dual-Range (Low-/High-Speed) Compression Damping, Stepless Rebound Damping, Fully Adjustable Spring Preload / 5.5 In.

Front Brakes Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Braking (KIBS), Dual Semi-Floating 310 mm Petal Discs With Dual Four-Piston Radial-Mount Calipers

Rear Brakes KIBS-Controlled, Single 220 mm Petal Disc With Aluminum Single-Piston Caliper

Fuel Capacity 4.5 Gal.

Seat Height 32.0 In.

Curb Weight 443.2 Lbs.

Overall Length 81.7 In.

Overall Width 28.1 In.

Overall Height 43.9 In.

Color Choices - Lime Green/Metallic Spark Black, Pearl Flat White/Metallic Spark Black

 

Source: www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/motorcycle-reviews/kawasaki/...

The News Line: News Wednesday, 27 April 2016 Massive doctors picket lines –answer the Cameron-Hunt threats

 

Unison leader PRENTIS with delegates from the Unison Health Conference joined the picket line at the Brighton General Hospital yesterday

 

www.wrp.org.uk/images/photos/16-04-26-11992.jpg

 

THE TUC must organise a national day of action in support of the junior doctors’ dispute and our NHS, the Public and Commercial Services union said yesterday.

 

The union’s general secretary Mark Serwotka wrote to the TUC yesterday afternoon to ask that the proposal is discussed at this morning’s general council meeting. The general council is the TUC’s ruling body. Yesterday morning hundreds of Unison delegates joined a march from the Brighton conference centre to join junior doctors on their picket line at Brighton General Hospital. The march was called by Brighton and Hove trades council and Sussex Defend the NHS. Delegates from the Unison Health Conference joined with other trades unions and community groups on a lively picket line outside the hospital.

 

Dave Prentis, Unison General Secretary, spoke and brought greetings on behalf of Unison. Local BMA rep and junior doctor Todd Leckie addressed the rally. He said: ‘Jeremy Hunt does not care about us and he does not care about the NHS. This is why we are on strike today, we do this with a heavy heart. If we do not oppose this contract we will not be able to care for our patients in the future. ‘That is why thousands of us are on strike today.’

 

He went on to thank Unison for their support and said a special thanks to the consultants inside who were covering for them. Speaking from the 200-strong picket outside Kings College Hospital, London, Dr Jack Granville in Respiratory medicine said: ‘I’m here on the picket line at King’s College Hospital oppposing the damaging, unsafe and unfair contract that Jeremy Hunt is wishing to impose on junor doctors.

 

‘I also want to oppose the government’s austerity agenda, cuts and privatisation.

 

‘The NHS in its current form is already struggling. King’s A&E Department had its worst winter ever. There were many unsafe situations created. The hospital was struggling to discharge people, with no beds in which to admit people.

‘That is a result of the government’s decimation of the social care budget due to cuts to councils, and is the consequence of the government attitude to health and social care.

 

‘People are losing their lives. I would support co-ordinated strike action by other unions if they were willing to engage with us. This government is a disaster for this country.’

 

Dr David Herbert said: ‘I’m a junior doctor, two years working for the NHS and I have seen conditions get worse and worse, not just for doctors, but nurses, health care assistants, phlebotomists, absolutely everyone, and for patients. We are all working under extreme pressure at the moment and this contract will make a situation which is barely manageable untenable in the future, so I am here striking for better conditions.

 

‘We need to retain talent and staff in this country. We need to value the staff properly, keep them happy and working for the NHS. I think this government is being childish. How can we have an elected government supposedly working for the good of this country, but who are refusing to engage with the wider body of doctors who work on the front line and who know what it is like to be on a ward at 3.00am, doing their best for their patients. I don’t understand how our elected representatives can behave this way. It is beyond reproach really.’

 

Dr Patrick said: ‘It is really a shame that the other unions like Unison and Unite have been so tentative in their commitment. The sea of opinion might change even more when the public realise that this strike action today – with the full walkout – won’t be to the detriment of people’s health.

 

‘It will be impossible to undo privatisation. Utterly impossible. The Labour Party should be rallying the unions and rallying the public. The Tories are getting away with absolute murder and it is left down to us and the public to drive the momentum. We really need more help and we need to get other sections of workers involved.’

 

Dr Benedict said: ‘I can’t imagine a whole body of doctors around the country all signing up to mass resignation as the next step. I personally think an indefinite walkout is the way forward. We need an option that brings the country to a standstill and that has a big ongoing effect. If we have a strike for 48 hours the consultants can come on board, and work harder to keep it going. If we have an indefinite walkout then great things can be achieved, and the Conservative government might be forced back to the negotiating table.''

 

Dr Colin Coulter said: ‘I am increasingly convinced that privatisation of the NHS is the goal here. Even today at The Royal College of Physicians, there were about 25 CEOs from private healthcare providers meeting to discuss the future of our healthcare. The narrative of our struggle needs to go bigger, because this is something that is going to affect radiographers, porters and everyone in the NHS.’

 

A large picket of over 50 doctors manned the picket line outside St George’s Hospital in Tooting. David Thompson, a surgical trainee, said: ‘Two people could have stopped this strike, Cameron and Hunt, but they chose not to.’

 

Sophie Herbert, junior doctor in General Medicine, said: ‘Hunt has refused to talk to junior doctors in public which seems very suspect. We believe he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on when confronted with the truth. He has failed to listen to our concerns that the contract will harm patients and instead he is just repeating his government’s spin and propaganda.

 

‘The government is hell-bent on destroying the NHS, which will do very real harm to patients. Hunt should drop the imposition of the contract and return to negotiate to the caring professions.’

 

Seema Jain, junior doctor at St George’s, said: ‘Safety is not being compromised while the strike is on. We have tried everything else. The government says the strike is political. Well it is political because the government is imposing a contract that will harm patient care. We are being treated like children.’

 

At St Thomas’ Hospital Sian Ashby, GP trainee, said: ‘We are quite determined we don’t want to work under this new contract. It affects staffing numbers and gender discrimination. We are not being listened to by the government. We have the support of nurses, physiotherapists and all the other health professions.

 

‘The PFI and the Health and Care Act, all these are pushing the NHS into privatisation.

 

James Connor, a GP who came down to London from Banbury to join the picket said: ‘I am here to voice our general concerns that the NHS is being run into the ground in order to justify privatisation.

 

‘We have the best, most efficient and most equitable healthcare system in the world.

 

‘This TTIP agreement will badly affect the health service. The government is intent on attacking the poorest and most vulnerable in society. This government has picked a fight with so many people that opposition is growing.’

 

At Northwick Park Hospital, where 200 pickets turned out, Sarah Krrar said: ‘I have been nine years a junior doctor and was six years a medical student. I have seen the deterioration of the service we have provided over the last five years because of the cuts. Cuts have coincided with a massive increase in demand for the service.

 

‘Last year, 30% to 40% of patients that I looked after were in hospital for social rather than medical reasons. They came into hospital initially for medical reasons, and they can’t go home because the care is not there. The NHS needs resources. There are massive staff and bed shortages, the current staff have worked flat out to keep the service afloat. Jeremy Hunt coming along and alienating the work force is complete madness. To imply that we are the barrier to expanding services is offensive.''

 

Junior doctor Elvis Adams said: ‘Jeremy Hunt has to back down. I hope 50,000 striking junior doctors outweighs the will of one man.’

 

Dr Jenny Abthorpe said: ‘Over 70,000 operations are cancelled every year because of lack of funding or beds. They only quote how many operations hae been cancelled on the day of our strike. On Christmas Day and bank holidays, hospitals have the same cover as the previous junior doctors strike days, however no one complains.

 

‘We are fighting for the future. We know what will happen in future if this contract goes through. We are not asking for a single penny extra on pay. I work seven nights and two weekends every four weeks. I don’t want to work more weekends or night shifts. Doctors’ mental and physical health is worse than it has every been. What type of NHS and what type of doctors so we want in the future?’

 

Junior doctors Kate Felton (paediatrics) and Jacob Ellis (child psychology) spoke to News Line amidst an animated group with strong opinions. Jeremy Hunt says that we are a block to a seven-day working contract. If you really want elective options at weekends then you need nurses and other staff as well. Can we afford that? We already work seven days!

 

‘We have an overwhelming lack of confidence in Hunt. He has shown no insight into the way the NHS works and his attitude is insulting to our intelligence. He cannot even say what seven-day working means; it is not sorted and no-one knows. Our union has, on the other hand, been very clear: if you stop the imposition then we will negotiate.

 

‘He has rejected a very fair offer from our union. How do you even model a contract when you don’t even know how many doctors you have got? There is already a massive loss of talent as people come up for retirement, leaving massive holes in the service, all aggravated by this imposition, which will make new doctors leave.

 

‘It costs a great deal of public money to train a junior doctor! We are trying to get Hunt to listen to us. Other unions have supported us. Unison has offered support because of pressure on public services, and the teachers have marched with us because of the imposition of academies. We are the first profession specifically targeted by the government. If we fail, then the floodgates open for other sections to be targeted.’

 

‘It’s ridiculous to impose a contract that compromises patient safety and puts further strain on an already stretched NHS,’ BMA rep Raj Shah told News Line on a lively picket line outside the Royal Free Hospital, northwest London.

 

Junior doctor Sofia Haddart said: ‘It’s a sad day that it’s come to this. We’ve tried a long time to avert this day but the government has left us with no choice.’

 

Nurse Kat Booth joined the picket line. She said: ‘I fully support these guys. I feel if the government imposes these contracts on the junior doctors, then nurses and all ancillary hospital workers will end up having their pay cut, working more hours and less flexible working time.’

 

BMA member Miles Gandolfi said: ‘Our strike is a protest against a contract the government is trying to impose. It’s something my colleagues and myself feel strongly about for a number of reasons. It’s not going to be fair for the doctors who would end up working much longer hours. You’d end up losing your extra pay for weekends. The contract already recognises it is unfair to female doctors, which is pretty shocking.’

 

BMA member Alison Berner added: ‘What we are doing today is really important for patient safety. We want a contract that’s safe for patients and safe for doctors to work in. It’s very sad it’s come to this and hopefully today will show the government how important this is and they will reconsider and come back to the negotiating table.’

 

On a well attended picket line at Barnet hospital Dr Amy Bowes told News Line: ‘At present I work in medicine for the elderly in my first year of training and it was disappointing to start my career in such a position and to have a health minister so insistent on imposing an unfair contract.

 

‘Although today has been very unfair for all of us we feel we’ve been backed into a corner and have no choice but to fight.We’re pleased our consultants are supporting us and patients will continue to receive a high standard of care.’

 

Katie Knight, BMA member on big picket at North Middlesex Hospital, told News Line: ‘Hunt has been wilfully ignoring all our efforts to speak to him. He’s ignored a cross-party attempt to form a last minute resolution and it’s as if he’s goading us into taking this action – he’s backed us into a corner. I think we need some assistance from the TUC. We appreciated the support we had on the last March particularly.’

 

Whipps Cross Hospital BMA rep Niki Fitzgerald told News Line: ‘We think very carefully about taking strike action. In our job we fill out risk assessments everyday. We have done our work on the risk assessment for this strike and have come to the conclusion that the risk to our future patients is higher than the risk put to patients during this current strike.’

 

Junior doctors Anita Chan said: ‘We are fighting for the future of the NHS. That is the essence of the message we are putting across. As a whole the service needs more staff, more resources, more funding before we are spread any thinner. Teachers, ambulance workers and other public service workers are fighting for the same thing and we should come out together.’

 

Martin Goodsell brought the East London, Unite Community banner, he said: ‘We support the junior doctors 100%. We are community activists engaged in housing and anti-eviction campaigns and against zero-hours contract employers.

 

‘All these campaigns must come together. The teachers and doctors should come out on strike together. We need an all-out NHS strike. This is about the unions working together to resist rivatisation and co-ordinate actions and strikes.’ Len Weiss, chair of the Unison Waltham Forest retired members branch, said: ‘We are here to support the junior doctors on their picket line.

 

The fight for the NHS and to keep it fair and safe is too important to give up,’ said Hammersmith Hospital junior doctor Julia Prague on the picket line yesterday.

 

Julia added: ‘All we get from Hunt is the same rhetoric.’ Natasha Rinne, a maternity services junior doctor at Queen Charlotte’s Hospital in Hammersmith, told News Line: ‘I was hoping to wake up this morning to hear that the strike had been cancelled, but instead woke up to hear health secretary Hunt telling the nation that the junior doctors are bullies. But to have a contract that is not safe for workers and patients imposed upon us shows us that the only bully is him.’

 

At Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith junior doctors were joined on the picket line by a group of consultants. Andy Forester, an orthopaedic consultant, said: ‘This truly is everyone’s fight. If this contract is imposed then everyone else will be next, from nurses to cleaners and other staff.’

 

Striking Charing Cross junior doctor Neeraj Kalra told News Line: ‘Hunt’s failure to negotiate shows just what sort of minister he is – he has lost the trust of the workforce. It’s just a backdoor attempt at privatising the NHS. Consultants can cover for a few days but if we escalate the action they won’t be able to cope.’

 

Ann Sturdy, an acute medicine junior doctor said: ‘Since I became a junior doctor four years ago we’ve always been short of beds, short of equipment and short of staff.

‘We regularly work two people’s jobs because there are not enough of us and this contract will make that much worse. At the moment we’re struggling to manage a routine service over the weekends.’

 

At the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital junior doctor in oncology, Ramya Ramaswami said: ‘The voice of 54,000 junior doctors is not being heard by this government who want to impose ideas that suit only a few people.’

 

At Ealing Hospital the striking doctors set up their picket alongside the West London Council of Action’s daily picket which is fighting against the closure of the Charlie Chaplin children’s ward and all children’s A&E services on 30th June.

 

Striking BMA member Donna Arya said: ‘We feel strongly that future generations should not have to work in an unsafe NHS. I appreciate that other unions are with us and support our fight.’

 

A&E doctor and BMA member Veronica Jones spoke about imminent planned cuts at Ealing Hospital, saying: ‘I think not having a paediatric A&E is of real concern because children will be turning up and if it is an emergency then they will have to be transferred to Northwick Park, which will lead to unnecessary delays which could be very dangerous.

 

‘There’s a lady here from the NUT and she agrees that we are all in the same fight.’

 

NUT member Sally Hackney said: ‘I think the TUC should call a general strike. This government is privatising all the professions and it has to be stopped.’

 

Trainee barrister Adam Marley joined the picket, saying: ‘The Tories want to pick off different sections, it’s a typical tactic, divide and conquer. The junior doctors must be joined by the whole trade union movement, they can’t sack everyone in the whole country. I would love a general strike, everyone out together.’

 

BMA striker Charlotte Bryant said: ‘The new contract would put patients at risk. There’s an expectation that there will be a seven-day NHS without more resources. In fact the doctors are already working seven days. We’ve shown a lot of unity in this struggle and we will carry on until we succeed in preventing the imposition of this disgusting contract.’

 

www.wrp.org.uk/news/12043