The DC Lounge - Fortuner

Modification of this model

The DC Lounge - Fortuner

Science, fuck yeah! GMO makes you healthy and strong... It's also fantastic for corporate America. And you love America. So, you love GMO. Right?

GMO's are plants and animals that have an altered genetic make-up that's been "edited" in the laboratory in order to incorporate genes from another organism. When scientists use genetic engineering to alter the genes of an organism, they're generally seeking to add a trait that they view as beneficial, generally for production purposes. Usually genetic engineering is done to achieve a trait not normally held by an organism, such as longer shelf life, disease resistance or different colors or flavors.

The dangers vs. benefits of GMOs are widely debated, but genetic modification is currently allowed in conventional farming. In fact, many organizations and studies estimate that possibly 70% or more of all processed foods sold to consumers now contain genetically modified ingredients.

The DC Lounge - Fortuner

Sooo here I am finally with that "coming soon" project, which I uploaded a year ago. xD I hope he was worth the wait, tho he changed a lot from original plans lol.

Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MagnumTi

www.timjohnsonphotograph.com/

This photo shows the lighting spread using the 7" reflector modification with the AlienBee/White Lightning grid spots.

Only additional part used to make Luke. You can find the differences as notes on the pic.

left > right:

Original LEGO set > picture from Star Wars Empire Strikes Back > Rebuilt set by me

Joint modification

Chassis: 0714TR

Chassis 0714TR Piero Drogo was the first owner of this early pontoon fender 250 TR. He immediately made small modifications like adding cooling scoops for the rear brakes. At its debut Drogo raced the car to a strong fourth in the 1958 Buenos Aires 1000 km. After he raced his Ferrari a few more times, Drogo sold it to American amateur racer Alan Connell through Luigi Chinetti. The new owner had the car painted black with a red band across the nose. The 250 TR was raced for many more seasons, scoring numerous wins. At one point it sported disc brakes and a clear carburettor cover. Restored to its original configuration but painted in Connell's colors, it was offered at RM Auctions' Leggenda e Passione sale in 2009. Here it sold for over $12 million, setting a new world record for a car sold at auction.

[Text from Ultimatecarpage.com]

www.ultimatecarpage.com/sn/128/Ferrari-250-TR.html

That said, this Ferrari 250 TR might be now worth quite a lot more....

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This might not come as a shock, but ultra-rare vintage cars are only going to get more expensive as time rolls on, particularly if there's a prancing horse on the car's nose. For example, in 2011, a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa sold for $16.39 million. In February 2012, a 1964 250 GTO sold for nearly $32 million. Later that year, a 1962 250 GTO sold for $35 million. It was the most expensive car ever sold, making last year's 275 GTB/4 NART Spider and its $27.5-million auction price seem like a drop in the platinum-lined bucket. Now, there's been another high-dollar Ferrari sale.

An unrestored, 1957 250 Testa Rossa was reportedly sold for over $39 million, making it the most expensive car ever sold in the United Kingdom. Just for perspective, $39 million is about 28 LaFerraris or roughly 128 F12 Berlinettas. It's not the most expensive car ever sold, but it still represents a huge sum of money for a classic car. Part of the reason for chassis number 0704 - the car pictured above is 0714, which sold for a mere $12.2 million in 2009 - being sold for so much is down to its excellent provenance.

It made its race debut at the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans, although it failed to finish. Phil Hill and Peter Collins racked up wins with this exact car in Buenos Aires and Sebring, according to the folks at Hemmings. Combining race wins by a former Formula One World Champion with an unrestored example of an extremely rare car (one of just 34 250 Testa Rossas ever built) makes its monumental sale price almost seem reasonable.

Following its racing life, the 0704 was donated to The Henry Ford Museum, outside of Detroit. It spent 30 years there, before being sold in 1997. According to Hemmings, the care by The Henry Ford team, which has a voluminous collection of rare and classic cars, is part of the reason this unrestored car remains in such good condition.

As this was a private sale, rather than through an auction house, it's unlikely we'll ever know the complete details behind the sale. The pricing information comes from The Daily Mail, which claims well-placed sources confirmed the price of 24 million pounds (that converts to $39.2 million as of this writing). The car was owned by Tom Hartley, Jr., a UK-based car dealer. Hartley admitted to selling the car, although it's unclear who the new owner is, according to Hemmings.

[Text from Autoblog]

www.autoblog.com/2014/02/04/1957-ferrari-250-testa-rossa-...

This Lego miniland-scale Ferrari 250 Testarossa Racer s/n 0714TR (1958 - Scaglietti), has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 89th Build Challenge, - "Over a Million, Under a Thousand", - a challenge to build vehicles valued over one million (US) dollars, or under one thousand (US) dollars.

I removed the VGS (Vacuum Gain System) mod and decided to connect the bypass valve as intended and try to put more pretension on the spring, effectively putting a stronger spring in.

The same effect as putting a stronger spring in, like the Detroid Tuned valve.

I put in 2 washers, diameter 30mm, 3mm thick a piece.

Works great!

At Lego shows in 2024, my Castle class would occasionally derail when there was a kink in the track, particularly when entering corners.

I put this down to the chassis setup I'd chosen, based on Carl Greatrix's previous Castle model, whereby the rear bogie wheels were fixed to the main chassis. In some cases, it seemed these wheels were getting raised off the track by the driving wheels behind.

I've now re-worked the chassis to have a more conventional pivoted bogie. There is still only 1 set of flanged drivers, to allow the bogie to not crash sideways into the cylinders. However now the bogie is on a single pivot, positioned above the rear bogie wheels.

This should help to 'steer' the loco into corners, and the little shoulder on the pin piece also helps to keep the weight on the bogie wheels.

It was the beginning of October, the winter is coming, your WFSS is about to cure!

Well he is kinda finished. I see a lot of things I could've done better. But I will alter him when I have time again.

I will sand his eyes a tad better for example. They are a tad bit grainy now. So it needs to be smoother.

But in the end I am happy with the result. He is the little snarling guy I wanted him to be, haha.

Fun project ^^

Posted via email from Cantankerous Buddha

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

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

Some background:

The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) T-45 Goshawk was a highly modified version of the BAe Hawk land-based training jet aircraft. Manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and British Aerospace (now BAe Systems), the T-45 was used by the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps (USMC) as an aircraft carrier-capable trainer.

The Goshawk's origins began in the mid-1970s, when the US Navy began looking for a single aircraft replacement for both its T-2 and TA-4 jet trainers. The US Navy started the VTXTS advanced trainer program in 1978. Several companies made submissions, e. g. North American or Northrop/Vought. Due to the size of the potential contract, European companies made submissions, too, including a navalized Alpha Jet from Dassault/Dornier and a fully carrier-capable version of the BAe Hawk Mk.60, mutually proposed by British Aerospace (BAe) and McDonnell Douglas (MDC). The latter eventually won the competition and BAe and MDC were awarded the T-45 contract in 1981.

The final delivery of the 246th T-45 airframe took place in November 2009, and both T-45 and the OA-45 "GosHog" are supposed to remain in service until 2035.

General characteristics:

Crew: 2 (pilot, observer)

Length: 39 ft 4 in (11.99 m)

Wingspan: 30 ft 10 in (9.39 m)

Height: 13 ft 5 in (4.08 m)

Wing area: 190.1 ft² (17.7 m²)

Empty weight: 10,403 lb (4,460 kg)

Max. takeoff weight: 14,081 lb (6,387 kg)

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce Turbomeca F405-RR-401 (Adour) non-afterburning turbofan with 5,527 lbf (26 kN)

Performance:

Maximum speed: Mach 2 (2,204 km/h (1,190 kn; 1,370 mph) at high altitude

Combat radius: 800 km (497 mi, 432 nmi)

Ferry range: 3,200 km (1,983 mi) with drop tanks

Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)

Wing loading: 283 kg/m² (58 lb/ft²)

Thrust/weight: 0.97

Maximum g-load: +9 g

Armament:

No internal gun; seven external hardpoints (three on each wing and one under fuselage)

for a wide range of ordnance of up to 6,800 lb (3,085 kg), including up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder for

self-defense, pods with unguided rockets for target marking or ECM pods, but also offensive weapons

of up to 1.000 lb (454 kg) weight, including iron/cluster bombs and guided AGM-65, GBU-12 and -16.

The kit and its assembly:

This fictional T-45 variant is actually the result of a long idea evolution, and simply rooted in the idea of a dedicated OA-4M replacement for the USMC; in real life, the FFAC role has been transferred to F-18 two-seaters, though, but the T-45 appeared like a sound alternative to me.

There's only one T-45 kit available, a dubious T-45A from Italeri with poor wings and stabilizers. Wolfpack also offers a T-45, but it’s just a re-boxing of the Italeri kit with some PE parts and a price tag twice as big – but it does not mend the original kit’s issues… After reading the A-4 Skyhawk book from the French "Planes & Pilots" series, I was reminded of the USMC's special OA-4M FAC two-seaters (and the fact that it is available in kit form from Italeri and Hasegawa), and, cross-checking the real-world timeline of the T-45, I found that it could have been a suitable successor. The ide of the USMC’s OA-45 was born! :D

Building-wise the Italeri T-45 remained close to OOB, even though I transplanted several parts from an Italeri BAe Hawk Mk. 100 to create a different look. I modified the nose with the Mk. 100’s laser fairing and added some radar warning sensor bumps. This transplantation was not as easy as it might seem because the T-45’s nose is, due to the different and more massive front landing gear quite different from the Hawk’s. Took some major PSR to integrate the laser nose.

An ALR-45 “hot dog” fairing from a late A-4M (Italeri kit) was added to the fin, together with a small styrene wedge extending the fin’s leading edge. This small detail markedly changes the aircraft’s look. I furthermore added a refueling probe, scratched from coated wire and some white glue, as well as a low “camel back” fairing behind the cockpit, created from a streamlined bomb half with air outlets for an integrated heat exchanger. Blade antennae were relocated and added. A shallow bump for the Doppler radar was added under the fuselage behind the landing gear well – left over from an Airfix A-4B (from an Argentinian A-4P, to be correct, actually a dorsal fairing).

On the wings, a tailored pair of pylons and wing tip launch rails from the Italeri BAe Hawk Mk. 100 kit were added, too, as well as the donor kit’s pair of Sidewinders. The rest of the ordnance consists of drop tanks and LAU-19 pods for target marking missiles. The tanks were taken from the Hawk Mk. 100 kit, too, the rocket launchers came from an Italeri NATO aircraft weapons set. The centerline position carries an ALQ-131 ECM pod from a Hasegawa US aircraft weapons set on a pylon from the scrap box.

Painting and markings:

The low-viz idea prevailed, since I had some leftover OA-4M decals from Italeri kits in store, as well as some other suitable low-viz decals from a Revell A-4F kit. However, an all-grey livery was IMHO not enough, and when I came across a picture of a USN low-viz A-7E with an improvised desert camouflage in sand and reddish brown applied over the grey (even partly extending over its markings) from Operation Iraqi Freedom, I had that extra twist that would set the OA-45 apart. MALS-13 was chosen as operator because I had matching codes, and, as another benefit, the unit had actually been deployed overseas during the 2003 Iraq War, so that the whif’’s time frame was easily settled, adding to its credibility.

The livery was built up just like on the real aircraft: on top of a basic scheme in FS 36320 and 36375 (Humbrol 128 and 127) with a slightly darker anti-glare panel in front of the cockpit (FS 35237, I used Revell 57 as a slightly paler alternative) I applied the low-viz marking decals, which were protected with a coat of acrylic varnish. Next, additional desert camouflage was added with dry-brushed sand and millitary brown (supposedly FS 33711 and 30400 in real life, I used, after consulting pictures of aircraft from both Gulf Wars, Humbrol 103 (Cream) and 234 (Dark Flesh). They were applied with a kind of a dry-brushing technique, for a streaky and worn look, leaving out the codes and other markings. The pattern itself was inspired by an USMC OV-10 Bronco in desert camouflage from the 1st Gulf War.

On top of that a black ink washing was applied. Once things had thoroughly dried over night, I wet-sanded the additional desert camouflage away, carefully from front to back, so that the edges became blurred and the underlying grey became visible again.

The cockpit interior was painted in standard Dark Gull Grey (Humbrol 140), while the air intakes and the landing gear became white, the latter with red trim on the covers’ edges – just standard. Finally, the model was sealed with a coat of matt acrylic varnish (Italeri).

The upgraded T-45 is an interesting result. The add-ons suit the aircraft, which already looks sturdier than its land-based ancestor, well. The improvised desert paint scheme with the additional two-tone camouflage over the pale grey base really makes the aircraft an unusual sight, adding to its credibility.

Hardware-wise I am really happy how the added dorsal hump blends into the overall lines – in a profile view it extends the canopy’s curve and blends into the fin, much like the A-4F/M’s arrangement. And the modified fin yields a very different look, even though not much was changed. The T-45 looks much beefier now, and from certain angles really reminds of the OA-4M and sometimes even of a diminutive Su-25?

1001v 4f 1/28/17

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Also known as McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet.

McDonnell-Douglas F-18 Hornet CF-188B.

In the 1970s, the Air Force decided that a single multi-role fighter type would replace its CF-101 Voodoos , CF-104 Starfighters and CF-116 Freedom Fighters. The resulting New Fighter Aircraft competition culminated in the selection of the McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. Canada became the first export customer for the type in a contract worth $2.34 (Cdn) billion. A number of Canadian-unique modifications were incorporated into the aircraft design. These included changes for Canadian unique weapons, a 600,000 candle power searchlight in the starboard nose for night intercepts, a modified survival kit and a land based ILS system replacing the USN automatic carrier landing system. Deployed to Canadian air defence (NORAD) and NATO squadrons, the CF-18 Hornet has lived up to all expectations. The multi-role capability of the Hornet has been repeatedly proven in CF use and the aircraft have been operationally employed in the Gulf War and more recently, in the NATO campaign over Kosovo. In the Gulf War, the aircraft were employed in both CAP and conventional strikes. Flying from Aviano, Italy, in the skies over Kosovo and Serbia, the aircraft was primarily employed in the attack role dropping both conventional and precision guided munitions.

The need to upgrade the CF-18 was demonstrated during the Gulf War I deployment and during the 1998 Kosovo conflict as advances in technology had rendered some of the avionics on board the CF-18 obsolete and incompatible with NATO allies. In 2000, CF-18 upgrades became possible when the government increased the defence budget.

In 2001 the Incremental Modernization Project (IMP) was initiated. The project was broken into two phases over a period of eight years and was designed to improve air-to-air and air-to-ground combat capabilities, upgrade sensors and the defensive suite, and replace the datalinks and communications systems on board the CF-18 from the old F/A-18A and F/A-18B standard to the current F/A-18C and D standard. Boeing and L-3 Communications, was issued a contract for the modernization project starting in 2002. A total of 80 CF-18s, consisting of 62 single-seat and 18 dual-seat models were selected from the fleet for the upgrade program. The project along with the IMP II will extend the life of the CF-18 until around 2017 to 2020 when they are to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II JSF.

Aircraft Specifications

CDN Reg: CF-188

US/NATO Reg.: F/A-18A

Manufacturer: McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft Corporation.

Crew / Passengers: 1 pilot (CF-18A) or 2 pilots (CF-18B).

Power Plant(s): 2 x General Electric F404-GE-400 low-bypass turbofans @ 16,000 lb (7,258 kg) thrust.

Performance: Max Speed: Mach 1.8 Service Ceiling: 49,000 ft (15,000 m) Unrefuelled Range: 2,300 mi (3,704 km) *(retractable air-to-air refueling probe fitted).

Weights: Empty: 23,400 lb (10,614 kg) Gross: 37,000 lb (16,783 kg) Maximum Take-off: 49,355 lb (22,387 kg).

Dimensions: Unfolded Span: 40 ft 5 in (12.32 m) (with missiles) Folded Span: 27 ft 6 in (8.38 m) Length: 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m) Height: 15 ft 3 in (4.66 m) Wing Area: 400 sq ft (37.16 sq m)

Armament: Internally mounted M61A1 20mm cannon & provisions for AIM9 Sidewinder and AIM7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles, Maverick air-to-ground missiles, conventional bombs and precision-guided bombs, unguided CRV7 rockets, fuel tanks etc.

Two CF-18 fighter squadrons are assigned the air defence role in North America. They maintain limited air-to-surface capability to provide support to maritime operations, as well as support to land operations in defence of Canada. They are also available for contingency operations anywhere in the world.

CFB Cold Lake - Cold lake, Alberta, Canada

■410 Cougar Tactical Fighter (Operational Training) Squadron

■409 Nighthawk Tactical Fighter Squadron*

CFB Bagotville - Bagotville, Quebec, Canada

■425 Alouétte Tactical Fighter Squadron**

*Detachment at CFB Comox, British Columbia, Canada

** Detachment at CFB Goosebay, Labrador, Canada

Note: Current operational aircraft strength is 60 aircraft with the additional 60 aircraft undergoing upgrading and rotation.

www.canadianwings.com/Aircraft/aircraftDetail.php?HORNET-37

www.aviation.technomuses.ca/collections/artifacts/aircraf...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_CF-18_Hornet

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Dassault Falcon 50EX.

Dassault Aviation was the first to create a private jet with intercontinental range: the Falcon 50. Seventeen years later, they re-created it, keeping the features that made it such a success, while modifying others with more advanced technology. The result is a private jet that looks and feels like its predecessor, but easily supersedes it. The Falcon 50EX cruises faster at high altitudes; flies further; burns less fuel; and generally outperforms the Falcon 50 in every respect.

The cabin of the Falcon 50EX is perhaps the part of the jet that has changed the least. It still has a height and width of 5.9 and 6.1 feet, respectively. At 23.5 feet in length the Falcon 50EX features a total cabin volume of 700 cubic feet. 115 cubic feet of baggage storage is available in internal compartments. Three closets in the cabin provide space for coats, suits, and briefcases. All baggage compartments are fully pressurized. A total of 2,205 pounds of bags can be stored.

The nine-passenger seating configuration is generally laid out in one four-seat club arrangement, and a separate section of two facing seats and a three-seat divan. Work tables fold out between facing seats so work can be completed in-flight. Power plugs are available for laptops and office equipment. Temperature control is separate for the cockpit and the cabin, so both parties are comfortable in-flight. Space and equipment for hot and cold food preparation come standard, including an oven, ice chest, and coffee maker.

The Falcon 50EX uses three Honeywell TFE731-40 turbofan engines, the second generation of the TFE731 series. They provide more thrust at cruise speeds and burn less fuel than the Falcon 50’s TFE731-3-1C engines. Providing the same amount of thrust for a sea level takeoff as the -3-1C engines, the -40s have an increased ambient temperature, meaning that they perform nearly the same at high altitudes and temperatures as they do at sea level. At an elevation of 5,000 feet and a temperature of 77°F, the -40 engines produce 3,440 pounds of thrust – 93% of the thrust produced at standard sea level conditions.

Furthermore, the -40 engines are equipped with FADEC (Full Authority N1-reference Digital Electronic Engine Control) systems, which automatically start and restart the engines on the ground, reducing pilot workload and optimizing fuel burn and performance. The engine manufacturing process used on the -40 engines is more precise, resulting in higher tolerances and reduced leakage.

The Falcon 50EX, like the Falcon 50, has great runway performance. It can take off in 4,935 feet at sea level and in 7,247 at an elevation of 5,000 feet and a temperature of 77°F. Its maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) has increased from 38,800 pounds to 39,700 pounds – a 900 pound increase. The Falcon 50EX can climb directly to an altitude of 37,000 feet in 17 minutes (13 minutes more quickly than the Falcon 50). It can cruise at 417 knots at an altitude of 43,000 feet for long range trips, or at 481 knots and an altitude of 39,000 feet for optimum speed. The maximum flight ceiling for the Falcon 50 is 49,000 feet.

The Falcon 50EX was designed using computer-molded fluid dynamics software and lightweight materials. Its primary structures are made of aluminum monocoque, while composites are used for some secondary structures. The aerodynamic design and materials slightly decrease the sound produced by the Falcon 50EX on takeoff to 83.8 EPNdB.

The three fuel tanks for the Falcon 50EX are regulated by electrical transfer pumps. These pumps can be used as emergency backup systems if both of the hydraulic systems that power the avionics fail. As unlikely as it would be to have all three systems fail, a fourth option is still available – all flight controls can be operated manually.

The avionics suite of the Falcon 50EX is based on the Collins Pro Line 4 suite. Four 7.25×7.25 inch screens display flight information. Flight controls are located close to the corresponding displays in an intuitive cockpit layout. The cockpit comes standard with a dual Pro Line II radio system, dual digital air-computers, a TWR-850 Doppler turbulence detection radar, an AlliedSignal dual Global GNS-XMS Flight Management System, and several other flight control and environmental awareness systems.

The Falcon 50 was a successful and high-performing private jet, but the Falcon 50EX outdoes it in every way. Everything from its cabin to its engines has been improved, resulting in a decidedly better private jet.

www.jetadvisors.com/falcon-50ex-performance/

Another modification of my Asterix project on Ideas: The addition of 2 characters forced me to rethink the stand. I took the opportunity to improve it and add 2 hinges allowing to choose the type of display according to the available space :) Project available here : ideas.lego.com/s/p:36afb80100494cfba8919afe2aa1d0ea

Took off SAM from the truck and now i can put it in a moc without the truck if i want.

It is now the countdown to Christmas, and with many airlines already preparing for the seasonal rush, they are also preparing the upcoming S25 schedule for next summer which continues to see modifications and finalisations before being implemented from late-March 2025.

British Airways in the wake struggling aircraft availability are in the process of finalising their S25 schedule for next summer; unavailability has played a part in certain routes seeing frequency reductions and even outright cancelled, but there are certain routes that do see frequency increases as a result of refurbishment programmes being complete.

With credit as ever to AeroRoutes and British Airways reservation system, here are the expected changes taking place to the flag-carrier's long-haul network to commence from 30th March 2025 unless stated otherwise:

-Austin-Bergstrom: Commencing from 31st March 2025, increased from daily to 13 weekly flights; BA191/190 converted from Airbus A350-1000s to 3-class High-J Boeing 777-200ERs, whilst newly introduced 6 weekly BA187/186 utilises Boeing 787-10s.

-Bahrain: Previously daily flight cancelled, now operating thrice weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday only (Monday, Wednesday and Friday only from Bahrain) utilising Boeing 787-8s instead of 4-class Boeing 777-200ERs.

-Chicago-O'Hare: Capacity changes to thrice daily flights; BA295/294 utilises Boeing 787-10s instead of 4-class Boeing 777-200ERs, BA297/296 utilises Boeing 777-300ERs instead of Boeing 787-10s, and BA299/298 utilises 4-class Boeing 777-200ERs instead of Boeing 787-9s.

-Dallas-Fort Worth: Daily flight (BA193/192) cancelled, tentatively scheduled to recommence from 26th October 2025.

-Delhi-Indira Ghandi: Continues to operate twice daily instead of previously planned thrice daily scheduled from 19th April 2025; both BA143/142 and BA257/256 utilises Boeing 787-8s.

-Hong Kong-Chek Lap Kok: Reduced from twice daily to daily; BA31/32 utilises Airbus A350-1000s instead of 3-class High-J Boeing 777-200ERs.

-Johannesburg-O.R. Tambo: Continues to operate twice daily; both flights now utilise Airbus A380s with BA55/54 converted from Boeing 777-300ERs. BA57/56 continues to utilise Airbus A380s.

-Kuala Lumpur-Sepang: Now scheduled to be reintroduced from 1st April 2025, BA33/34 operates daily utilising Boeing 787-9s.

-Kuwait City: Daily flight (BA157/156) cancelled.

-Las Vegas-Harry Reid: Increased from daily to 10 weekly flights; BA275/274 operates daily utilising Airbus A350-1000s, whilst BA271/270 operates thrice weekly utilising 3-class High-J Boeing 777-200ERs. Of note, from 16th June 2025 to 9th September 2025 sees BA271/270 temporarily suspended.

-Miami: Reduced from twice daily to daily; BA209/208 cancelled, whilst BA207/206 operates daily utilising Airbus A380s.

-Pittsburgh: Increased from 6 weekly to daily; BA171/170 utilises a mixture of Boeing 787-8/9/10s.

-Rio de Janeiro/Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim: Continues to operate daily; BA249/248High-J Boeing 777-200ERs instead of Airbus A350-1000s.

-San Diego: Seasonal twice daily flights reintroduced; BA265/264 utilises Boeing 777-300ERs instead of 3-class High-J Boeing 777-200ERs, whilst BA273/272 utilises Boeing 787-8s.

-Vancouver: Gradually increases from daily to twice daily; BA85/84 operates daily utilising 3-class High-J Boeing 777-200ERs instead of Airbus A350-1000s, whilst newly introduced BA87/86 initially operates 4 weekly from 5th April 2025, increasing to daily from 18th June 2025 utilising 3-class High-J Boeing 777-200ERs.

-Washington-Dulles: Increases from twice to thrice daily; BA217/216 utilises Boeing 777-300ERs instead of 4-class Boeing 777-200ERs, newly-introduced BA291/290 utilises Boeing 787-8s, and BA293/292 utilises Airbus A380s.

Thus far, the major changes have been select flights being cancelled either filled by other airlines or their transatlantic partner, American Airlines. Direct transatlantic flights otherwise not served by their partner do see various increases, notably Austin, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Vancouver and Washington-Dulles. Compared to the previous winter schedule, British Airways do expect aircraft availability to improve for next summer.

Currently, British Airways operates 41 Boeing 787s, which includes 12 Boeing 787-8s, 18 Boeing 787-9s and 11 Boeing 787-10s. British Airways have 7 Boeing 787-10s on-order.

Zulu Bravo Lima Hotel is one of 11 Boeing 787-10s operated by British Airways, delivered new to the flag-carrier on 12th June 2024 and she is powered by 2 Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-J3 engines.

Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner G-ZBLH on short finals into Runway 27L at London Heathrow (LHR) on BA48 from Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), Washington.

Another Matchbox Series No4 Dodge K Series Stake Bed Truck Modification. 1966 to 1968 - 1-75 Series. This is the testing with the new color and the restored stake bed painted green. The color I like but on the truck but I am not happy with the stake bed. The warp is bad and I tried to fix it without it breaking which it wanted to do. I even soaked it in hot water to soften it but not luck.

Donk - a strange term.

Used in Australia as a slang term for a car engine, Donk is a whole sub-culture of vehicle modification in the US focusing on overly large wheels.

The term 'Donk' refers directly back to the original donor vehicle, popularly, the Chevrolet Impala. It has been said that the leaping Impala logo looks somewhat like a donkey!

The cars are also known by the more generic term of 'Hi-riser' - somewhat more descriptive, but less colourful name.

Hi-Risers are a type of highly customized automobile, typically a traditional, full-size, body on frame, V8 powered, rear wheel drive American-built sedan modified by significantly increasing the ground clearance and adding large-diameter wheels with low-profile tires. Depending on the model and style of body, autos customized in this manner can be labeled "donk," "box," or "bubble."

Hi-risers originally grew out of the Dirty South subculture, but the trend has spread across the United States. Vehicles customized in the hi-riser style are distinguished by their oversized (even disproportionate) wheels, ranging from 20 inches to 30 inches or more in diameter (largest being 50 inch), as well as fanciful custom paint-jobs and expensive audio equipment. Suspension modifications similar to those employed on lifted pickup trucks are made to give adequate clearance for the large wheels. Often the suspension is modified so the front end sits slightly higher than the rear end, giving the car a swaggering appearance. Because of the exaggerated look gained from installing a lifted suspension and enormous wheels, donks are also known as "hi-risers" or "sky-scrapers."

The most popular vehicles for these types of modifications are late 20th century, full-size, rear wheel drive sedans and coupes manufactured by General Motors (Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac), namely the Impala, Caprice, Buick Roadmaster, Oldsmobile 98, and Cadillac Fleetwood/Fleetwood Brougham, as well as mid-sized models such as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. However, similar full-size Ford models (Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Grand Marquis) are also popular, largely due to the ability to cheaply buy former police service Crown Victorias. There are three main sub-types of hi-riser, although the distinctions are blurred and open to debate. Most hi-riser enthusiasts agree that a "donk" traditionally is a 1971 to 1976 Impala. They were given this name because the "Impala" symbol was referred to as a "donkey" by owners or "donk" for short.[citation needed] To complement the sloping rear, the suspension of donks are frequently higher in the front end than the rear, resulting in a nose-up stance. Other hi-risers are usually raised evenly, resulting in a more or less level stance. A box is another sub-type of hi-riser, usually a 1977-1990-era Impala or Caprice with a boxy or squared-off front and rear end. Other models that are frequently made into hi-risers include the G-body Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Chevrolet El Camino, Pontiac Grand Prix, and Pontiac Bonneville.

Other vehicles gaining in popularity as hi-risers are the Cadillac DeVille and Seville, as well as the Buick Roadmaster. Also gaining in popularity are the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car sedans. These three are the last full sized, body-on-frame, RWD sedans of which the Lincoln Town Car is the only one still being sold for 2011. In fact, the Grand Marquis in particular is enjoying a slight sales surge due to the increasing popularity of buying them new and turning them into hi-risers. Several rappers have alluded to the Grand Marquis in their music, such as Dorrough's "Ice Cream Paint Job": "Grand Marquis, paint job grape jelly

[Text from Wikipedia]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Riser_(automobile)

A key enabler for many of these vehicles is the use of the longitudinal powertrain, driving the rear wheels, and also the use of separate chassis (body-on-frame), decoupling the chassis forces from suspension from the body structure. The BOF layout also allows simpler modification of the vehicle, adopting parts and design solutions from the similarly configured Light Truck, e.g. Ford F150 or similar.

The 1971 Chevrolet Impala Convertible used here as the base vehicle offers these features and more. Notably engines not restricted by vehicle emissions standards, which had such a detrimental effect on engine output, staring from 1972. The 1971 Impala (the first year of this 5th generation Impala platform), was fitted with engines up to 454 CID (7.4 litres) rated at 365 hp. In 1976, the last year of this 5th generation vehicle, the 454 CID output had fallen to only 225 HP.

For interest, this 1971 Impala Donk is named 'Polar Bear'. Enormous, powerful, and super-cool (especially roof-down in winter), and for the icing blue exterior colour.

This Lego miniland-scale Chevrolet 1971 Impala Convertible Donk (1971), has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 90th Build Challenge, - "Fools Rush In!", -

to the subtheme - "BaDONKadonk!". The 90th build challenge presenting 13 different subthemes to choose to build to.

Colosseum

Following, a text, in english, from the Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia:

The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD[1] under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus,[2] with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96).[3] The name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia).

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators,[1][4][5] the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.[6]

The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin.

The Colosseum's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium, often anglicized as Flavian Amphitheater. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, hence its original name, after the reign of Emperor Nero.[7] This name is still used in modern English, but generally the structure is better known as the Colosseum. In antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum; this name could have been strictly poetic.[8][9] This name was not exclusive to the Colosseum; Vespasian and Titus, builders of the Colosseum, also constructed an amphitheater of the same name in Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli).[10]

The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived from a colossal statue of Nero nearby.[3] (the statue of Nero itself being named after one of the original ancient wonders, the Colossus of Rhodes[citation needed]. This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Helios (Sol) or Apollo, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. Nero's head was also replaced several times with the heads of succeeding emperors. Despite its pagan links, the statue remained standing well into the medieval era and was credited with magical powers. It came to be seen as an iconic symbol of the permanence of Rome.

In the 8th century, a famous epigram attributed to the Venerable Bede celebrated the symbolic significance of the statue in a prophecy that is variously quoted: Quamdiu stat Colisæus, stat et Roma; quando cadet colisæus, cadet et Roma; quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus ("as long as the Colossus stands, so shall Rome; when the Colossus falls, Rome shall fall; when Rome falls, so falls the world").[11] This is often mistranslated to refer to the Colosseum rather than the Colossus (as in, for instance, Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage). However, at the time that the Pseudo-Bede wrote, the masculine noun coliseus was applied to the statue rather than to what was still known as the Flavian amphitheatre.

The Colossus did eventually fall, possibly being pulled down to reuse its bronze. By the year 1000 the name "Colosseum" had been coined to refer to the amphitheatre. The statue itself was largely forgotten and only its base survives, situated between the Colosseum and the nearby Temple of Venus and Roma.[12]

The name further evolved to Coliseum during the Middle Ages. In Italy, the amphitheatre is still known as il Colosseo, and other Romance languages have come to use similar forms such as le Colisée (French), el Coliseo (Spanish) and o Coliseu (Portuguese).

Construction of the Colosseum began under the rule of the Emperor Vespasian[3] in around 70–72AD. The site chosen was a flat area on the floor of a low valley between the Caelian, Esquiline and Palatine Hills, through which a canalised stream ran. By the 2nd century BC the area was densely inhabited. It was devastated by the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, following which Nero seized much of the area to add to his personal domain. He built the grandiose Domus Aurea on the site, in front of which he created an artificial lake surrounded by pavilions, gardens and porticoes. The existing Aqua Claudia aqueduct was extended to supply water to the area and the gigantic bronze Colossus of Nero was set up nearby at the entrance to the Domus Aurea.[12]

Although the Colossus was preserved, much of the Domus Aurea was torn down. The lake was filled in and the land reused as the location for the new Flavian Amphitheatre. Gladiatorial schools and other support buildings were constructed nearby within the former grounds of the Domus Aurea. According to a reconstructed inscription found on the site, "the emperor Vespasian ordered this new amphitheatre to be erected from his general's share of the booty." This is thought to refer to the vast quantity of treasure seized by the Romans following their victory in the Great Jewish Revolt in 70AD. The Colosseum can be thus interpreted as a great triumphal monument built in the Roman tradition of celebrating great victories[12], placating the Roman people instead of returning soldiers. Vespasian's decision to build the Colosseum on the site of Nero's lake can also be seen as a populist gesture of returning to the people an area of the city which Nero had appropriated for his own use. In contrast to many other amphitheatres, which were located on the outskirts of a city, the Colosseum was constructed in the city centre; in effect, placing it both literally and symbolically at the heart of Rome.

The Colosseum had been completed up to the third story by the time of Vespasian's death in 79. The top level was finished and the building inaugurated by his son, Titus, in 80.[3] Dio Cassius recounts that over 9,000 wild animals were killed during the inaugural games of the amphitheatre. The building was remodelled further under Vespasian's younger son, the newly designated Emperor Domitian, who constructed the hypogeum, a series of underground tunnels used to house animals and slaves. He also added a gallery to the top of the Colosseum to increase its seating capacity.

In 217, the Colosseum was badly damaged by a major fire (caused by lightning, according to Dio Cassius[13]) which destroyed the wooden upper levels of the amphitheatre's interior. It was not fully repaired until about 240 and underwent further repairs in 250 or 252 and again in 320. An inscription records the restoration of various parts of the Colosseum under Theodosius II and Valentinian III (reigned 425–455), possibly to repair damage caused by a major earthquake in 443; more work followed in 484[14] and 508. The arena continued to be used for contests well into the 6th century, with gladiatorial fights last mentioned around 435. Animal hunts continued until at least 523, when Anicius Maximus celebrated his consulship with some venationes, criticised by King Theodoric the Great for their high cost.

The Colosseum underwent several radical changes of use during the medieval period. By the late 6th century a small church had been built into the structure of the amphitheatre, though this apparently did not confer any particular religious significance on the building as a whole. The arena was converted into a cemetery. The numerous vaulted spaces in the arcades under the seating were converted into housing and workshops, and are recorded as still being rented out as late as the 12th century. Around 1200 the Frangipani family took over the Colosseum and fortified it, apparently using it as a castle.

Severe damage was inflicted on the Colosseum by the great earthquake in 1349, causing the outer south side, lying on a less stable alluvional terrain, to collapse. Much of the tumbled stone was reused to build palaces, churches, hospitals and other buildings elsewhere in Rome. A religious order moved into the northern third of the Colosseum in the mid-14th century and continued to inhabit it until as late as the early 19th century. The interior of the amphitheatre was extensively stripped of stone, which was reused elsewhere, or (in the case of the marble façade) was burned to make quicklime.[12] The bronze clamps which held the stonework together were pried or hacked out of the walls, leaving numerous pockmarks which still scar the building today.

During the 16th and 17th century, Church officials sought a productive role for the vast derelict hulk of the Colosseum. Pope Sixtus V (1585–1590) planned to turn the building into a wool factory to provide employment for Rome's prostitutes, though this proposal fell through with his premature death.[15] In 1671 Cardinal Altieri authorized its use for bullfights; a public outcry caused the idea to be hastily abandoned.

In 1749, Pope Benedict XIV endorsed as official Church policy the view that the Colosseum was a sacred site where early Christians had been martyred. He forbade the use of the Colosseum as a quarry and consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who perished there (see Christians and the Colosseum). However there is no historical evidence to support Benedict's claim, nor is there even any evidence that anyone prior to the 16th century suggested this might be the case; the Catholic Encyclopedia concludes that there are no historical grounds for the supposition. Later popes initiated various stabilization and restoration projects, removing the extensive vegetation which had overgrown the structure and threatened to damage it further. The façade was reinforced with triangular brick wedges in 1807 and 1827, and the interior was repaired in 1831, 1846 and in the 1930s. The arena substructure was partly excavated in 1810–1814 and 1874 and was fully exposed under Benito Mussolini in the 1930s.

The Colosseum is today one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions, receiving millions of visitors annually. The effects of pollution and general deterioration over time prompted a major restoration programme carried out between 1993 and 2000, at a cost of 40 billion Italian lire ($19.3m / €20.6m at 2000 prices). In recent years it has become a symbol of the international campaign against capital punishment, which was abolished in Italy in 1948. Several anti–death penalty demonstrations took place in front of the Colosseum in 2000. Since that time, as a gesture against the death penalty, the local authorities of Rome change the color of the Colosseum's night time illumination from white to gold whenever a person condemned to the death penalty anywhere in the world gets their sentence commuted or is released,[16] or if a jurisdiction abolishes the death penalty. Most recently, the Colosseum was illuminated in gold when capital punishment was abolished in the American state of New Mexico in April 2009.

Because of the ruined state of the interior, it is impractical to use the Colosseum to host large events; only a few hundred spectators can be accommodated in temporary seating. However, much larger concerts have been held just outside, using the Colosseum as a backdrop. Performers who have played at the Colosseum in recent years have included Ray Charles (May 2002),[18] Paul McCartney (May 2003),[19] Elton John (September 2005),[20] and Billy Joel (July 2006).

Exterior

Unlike earlier Greek theatres that were built into hillsides, the Colosseum is an entirely free-standing structure. It derives its basic exterior and interior architecture from that of two Roman theatres back to back. It is elliptical in plan and is 189 meters (615 ft / 640 Roman feet) long, and 156 meters (510 ft / 528 Roman feet) wide, with a base area of 6 acres (24,000 m2). The height of the outer wall is 48 meters (157 ft / 165 Roman feet). The perimeter originally measured 545 meters (1,788 ft / 1,835 Roman feet). The central arena is an oval 87 m (287 ft) long and 55 m (180 ft) wide, surrounded by a wall 5 m (15 ft) high, above which rose tiers of seating.

The outer wall is estimated to have required over 100,000 cubic meters (131,000 cu yd) of travertine stone which were set without mortar held together by 300 tons of iron clamps.[12] However, it has suffered extensive damage over the centuries, with large segments having collapsed following earthquakes. The north side of the perimeter wall is still standing; the distinctive triangular brick wedges at each end are modern additions, having been constructed in the early 19th century to shore up the wall. The remainder of the present-day exterior of the Colosseum is in fact the original interior wall.

The surviving part of the outer wall's monumental façade comprises three stories of superimposed arcades surmounted by a podium on which stands a tall attic, both of which are pierced by windows interspersed at regular intervals. The arcades are framed by half-columns of the Tuscan, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, while the attic is decorated with Corinthian pilasters.[21] Each of the arches in the second- and third-floor arcades framed statues, probably honoring divinities and other figures from Classical mythology.

Two hundred and forty mast corbels were positioned around the top of the attic. They originally supported a retractable awning, known as the velarium, that kept the sun and rain off spectators. This consisted of a canvas-covered, net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center.[3] It covered two-thirds of the arena, and sloped down towards the center to catch the wind and provide a breeze for the audience. Sailors, specially enlisted from the Roman naval headquarters at Misenum and housed in the nearby Castra Misenatium, were used to work the velarium.[22]

The Colosseum's huge crowd capacity made it essential that the venue could be filled or evacuated quickly. Its architects adopted solutions very similar to those used in modern stadiums to deal with the same problem. The amphitheatre was ringed by eighty entrances at ground level, 76 of which were used by ordinary spectators.[3] Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase. The northern main entrance was reserved for the Roman Emperor and his aides, whilst the other three axial entrances were most likely used by the elite. All four axial entrances were richly decorated with painted stucco reliefs, of which fragments survive. Many of the original outer entrances have disappeared with the collapse of the perimeter wall, but entrances XXIII (23) to LIV (54) still survive.[12]

Spectators were given tickets in the form of numbered pottery shards, which directed them to the appropriate section and row. They accessed their seats via vomitoria (singular vomitorium), passageways that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind. These quickly dispersed people into their seats and, upon conclusion of the event or in an emergency evacuation, could permit their exit within only a few minutes. The name vomitoria derived from the Latin word for a rapid discharge, from which English derives the word vomit.

Interior

According to the Codex-Calendar of 354, the Colosseum could accommodate 87,000 people, although modern estimates put the figure at around 50,000. They were seated in a tiered arrangement that reflected the rigidly stratified nature of Roman society. Special boxes were provided at the north and south ends respectively for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins, providing the best views of the arena. Flanking them at the same level was a broad platform or podium for the senatorial class, who were allowed to bring their own chairs. The names of some 5th century senators can still be seen carved into the stonework, presumably reserving areas for their use.

The tier above the senators, known as the maenianum primum, was occupied by the non-senatorial noble class or knights (equites). The next level up, the maenianum secundum, was originally reserved for ordinary Roman citizens (plebians) and was divided into two sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. Specific sectors were provided for other social groups: for instance, boys with their tutors, soldiers on leave, foreign dignitaries, scribes, heralds, priests and so on. Stone (and later marble) seating was provided for the citizens and nobles, who presumably would have brought their own cushions with them. Inscriptions identified the areas reserved for specific groups.

Another level, the maenianum secundum in legneis, was added at the very top of the building during the reign of Domitian. This comprised a gallery for the common poor, slaves and women. It would have been either standing room only, or would have had very steep wooden benches. Some groups were banned altogether from the Colosseum, notably gravediggers, actors and former gladiators.

Each tier was divided into sections (maeniana) by curved passages and low walls (praecinctiones or baltei), and were subdivided into cunei, or wedges, by the steps and aisles from the vomitoria. Each row (gradus) of seats was numbered, permitting each individual seat to be exactly designated by its gradus, cuneus, and number.

The arena itself was 83 meters by 48 meters (272 ft by 157 ft / 280 by 163 Roman feet).[12] It comprised a wooden floor covered by sand (the Latin word for sand is harena or arena), covering an elaborate underground structure called the hypogeum (literally meaning "underground"). Little now remains of the original arena floor, but the hypogeum is still clearly visible. It consisted of a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. Eighty vertical shafts provided instant access to the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces concealed underneath; larger hinged platforms, called hegmata, provided access for elephants and the like. It was restructured on numerous occasions; at least twelve different phases of construction can be seen.[12]

The hypogeum was connected by underground tunnels to a number of points outside the Colosseum. Animals and performers were brought through the tunnel from nearby stables, with the gladiators' barracks at the Ludus Magnus to the east also being connected by tunnels. Separate tunnels were provided for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins to permit them to enter and exit the Colosseum without needing to pass through the crowds.[12]

Substantial quantities of machinery also existed in the hypogeum. Elevators and pulleys raised and lowered scenery and props, as well as lifting caged animals to the surface for release. There is evidence for the existence of major hydraulic mechanisms[12] and according to ancient accounts, it was possible to flood the arena rapidly, presumably via a connection to a nearby aqueduct.

The Colosseum and its activities supported a substantial industry in the area. In addition to the amphitheatre itself, many other buildings nearby were linked to the games. Immediately to the east is the remains of the Ludus Magnus, a training school for gladiators. This was connected to the Colosseum by an underground passage, to allow easy access for the gladiators. The Ludus Magnus had its own miniature training arena, which was itself a popular attraction for Roman spectators. Other training schools were in the same area, including the Ludus Matutinus (Morning School), where fighters of animals were trained, plus the Dacian and Gallic Schools.

Also nearby were the Armamentarium, comprising an armory to store weapons; the Summum Choragium, where machinery was stored; the Sanitarium, which had facilities to treat wounded gladiators; and the Spoliarium, where bodies of dead gladiators were stripped of their armor and disposed of.

Around the perimeter of the Colosseum, at a distance of 18 m (59 ft) from the perimeter, was a series of tall stone posts, with five remaining on the eastern side. Various explanations have been advanced for their presence; they may have been a religious boundary, or an outer boundary for ticket checks, or an anchor for the velarium or awning.

Right next to the Colosseum is also the Arch of Constantine.

he Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial shows as well as a variety of other events. The shows, called munera, were always given by private individuals rather than the state. They had a strong religious element but were also demonstrations of power and family prestige, and were immensely popular with the population. Another popular type of show was the animal hunt, or venatio. This utilized a great variety of wild beasts, mainly imported from Africa and the Middle East, and included creatures such as rhinoceros, hippopotamuses, elephants, giraffes, aurochs, wisents, barbary lions, panthers, leopards, bears, caspian tigers, crocodiles and ostriches. Battles and hunts were often staged amid elaborate sets with movable trees and buildings. Such events were occasionally on a huge scale; Trajan is said to have celebrated his victories in Dacia in 107 with contests involving 11,000 animals and 10,000 gladiators over the course of 123 days.

During the early days of the Colosseum, ancient writers recorded that the building was used for naumachiae (more properly known as navalia proelia) or simulated sea battles. Accounts of the inaugural games held by Titus in AD 80 describe it being filled with water for a display of specially trained swimming horses and bulls. There is also an account of a re-enactment of a famous sea battle between the Corcyrean (Corfiot) Greeks and the Corinthians. This has been the subject of some debate among historians; although providing the water would not have been a problem, it is unclear how the arena could have been waterproofed, nor would there have been enough space in the arena for the warships to move around. It has been suggested that the reports either have the location wrong, or that the Colosseum originally featured a wide floodable channel down its central axis (which would later have been replaced by the hypogeum).[12]

Sylvae or recreations of natural scenes were also held in the arena. Painters, technicians and architects would construct a simulation of a forest with real trees and bushes planted in the arena's floor. Animals would be introduced to populate the scene for the delight of the crowd. Such scenes might be used simply to display a natural environment for the urban population, or could otherwise be used as the backdrop for hunts or dramas depicting episodes from mythology. They were also occasionally used for executions in which the hero of the story — played by a condemned person — was killed in one of various gruesome but mythologically authentic ways, such as being mauled by beasts or burned to death.

The Colosseum today is now a major tourist attraction in Rome with thousands of tourists each year paying to view the interior arena, though entrance for EU citizens is partially subsidised, and under-18 and over-65 EU citizens' entrances are free.[24] There is now a museum dedicated to Eros located in the upper floor of the outer wall of the building. Part of the arena floor has been re-floored. Beneath the Colosseum, a network of subterranean passageways once used to transport wild animals and gladiators to the arena opened to the public in summer 2010.[25]

The Colosseum is also the site of Roman Catholic ceremonies in the 20th and 21st centuries. For instance, Pope Benedict XVI leads the Stations of the Cross called the Scriptural Way of the Cross (which calls for more meditation) at the Colosseum[26][27] on Good Fridays.

In the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was clearly not regarded as a sacred site. Its use as a fortress and then a quarry demonstrates how little spiritual importance was attached to it, at a time when sites associated with martyrs were highly venerated. It was not included in the itineraries compiled for the use of pilgrims nor in works such as the 12th century Mirabilia Urbis Romae ("Marvels of the City of Rome"), which claims the Circus Flaminius — but not the Colosseum — as the site of martyrdoms. Part of the structure was inhabited by a Christian order, but apparently not for any particular religious reason.

It appears to have been only in the 16th and 17th centuries that the Colosseum came to be regarded as a Christian site. Pope Pius V (1566–1572) is said to have recommended that pilgrims gather sand from the arena of the Colosseum to serve as a relic, on the grounds that it was impregnated with the blood of martyrs. This seems to have been a minority view until it was popularised nearly a century later by Fioravante Martinelli, who listed the Colosseum at the head of a list of places sacred to the martyrs in his 1653 book Roma ex ethnica sacra.

Martinelli's book evidently had an effect on public opinion; in response to Cardinal Altieri's proposal some years later to turn the Colosseum into a bullring, Carlo Tomassi published a pamphlet in protest against what he regarded as an act of desecration. The ensuing controversy persuaded Pope Clement X to close the Colosseum's external arcades and declare it a sanctuary, though quarrying continued for some time.

At the instance of St. Leonard of Port Maurice, Pope Benedict XIV (1740–1758) forbade the quarrying of the Colosseum and erected Stations of the Cross around the arena, which remained until February 1874. St. Benedict Joseph Labre spent the later years of his life within the walls of the Colosseum, living on alms, prior to his death in 1783. Several 19th century popes funded repair and restoration work on the Colosseum, and it still retains a Christian connection today. Crosses stand in several points around the arena and every Good Friday the Pope leads a Via Crucis procession to the amphitheatre.

Coliseu (Colosseo)

A seguir, um texto, em português, da Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre:

O Coliseu, também conhecido como Anfiteatro Flaviano, deve seu nome à expressão latina Colosseum (ou Coliseus, no latim tardio), devido à estátua colossal de Nero, que ficava perto a edificação. Localizado no centro de Roma, é uma excepção de entre os anfiteatros pelo seu volume e relevo arquitectónico. Originalmente capaz de albergar perto de 50 000 pessoas, e com 48 metros de altura, era usado para variados espetáculos. Foi construído a leste do fórum romano e demorou entre 8 a 10 anos a ser construído.

O Coliseu foi utilizado durante aproximadamente 500 anos, tendo sido o último registro efetuado no século VI da nossa era, bastante depois da queda de Roma em 476. O edifício deixou de ser usado para entretenimento no começo da era medieval, mas foi mais tarde usado como habitação, oficina, forte, pedreira, sede de ordens religiosas e templo cristão.

Embora esteja agora em ruínas devido a terremotos e pilhagens, o Coliseu sempre foi visto como símbolo do Império Romano, sendo um dos melhores exemplos da sua arquitectura. Actualmente é uma das maiores atrações turísticas em Roma e em 7 de julho de 2007 foi eleita umas das "Sete maravilhas do mundo moderno". Além disso, o Coliseu ainda tem ligações à igreja, com o Papa a liderar a procissão da Via Sacra até ao Coliseu todas as Sextas-feiras Santas.

O coliseu era um local onde seriam exibidos toda uma série de espectáculos, inseridos nos vários tipos de jogos realizados na urbe. Os combates entre gladiadores, chamados muneras, eram sempre pagos por pessoas individuais em busca de prestígio e poder em vez do estado. A arena (87,5 m por 55 m) possuía um piso de madeira, normalmente coberto de areia para absorver o sangue dos combates (certa vez foi colocada água na representação de uma batalha naval), sob o qual existia um nível subterrâneo com celas e jaulas que tinham acessos diretos para a arena; Alguns detalhes dessa construção, como a cobertura removível que poupava os espectadores do sol, são bastante interessantes, e mostram o refinamento atingido pelos construtores romanos. Formado por cinco anéis concêntricos de arcos e abóbadas, o Coliseu representa bem o avanço introduzido pelos romanos à engenharia de estruturas. Esses arcos são de concreto (de cimento natural) revestidos por alvenaria. Na verdade, a alvenaria era construída simultaneamente e já servia de forma para a concretagem. Outro tipo de espetáculos era a caça de animais, ou venatio, onde eram utilizados animais selvagens importados de África. Os animais mais utilizados eram os grandes felinos como leões, leopardos e panteras, mas animais como rinocerontes, hipopótamos, elefantes, girafas, crocodilos e avestruzes eram também utilizados. As caçadas, tal como as representações de batalhas famosas, eram efetuadas em elaborados cenários onde constavam árvores e edifícios amovíveis.

Estas últimas eram por vezes representadas numa escala gigante; Trajano celebrou a sua vitória em Dácia no ano 107 com concursos envolvendo 11 000 animais e 10 000 gladiadores no decorrer de 123 dias.

Segundo o documentário produzido pelo canal televisivo fechado, History Channel, o Coliseu também era utilizado para a realização de naumaquias, ou batalhas navais. O coliseu era inundado por dutos subterrâneos alimentados pelos aquedutos que traziam água de longe. Passada esta fase, foi construída uma estrutura, que é a que podemos ver hoje nas ruínas do Coliseu, com altura de um prédio de dois andares, onde no passado se concentravam os gladiadores, feras e todo o pessoal que organizava os duelos que ocorreriam na arena. A arena era como um grande palco, feito de madeira, e se chama arena, que em italiano significa areia, porque era jogada areia sob a estrutura de madeira para esconder as imperfeições. Os animais podiam ser inseridos nos duelos a qualquer momento por um esquema de elevadores que surgiam em alguns pontos da arena; o filme "Gladiador" retrata muito bem esta questão dos elevadores. Os estudiosos, há pouco tempo, descobriram uma rede de dutos inundados por baixo da arena do Coliseu. Acredita-se que o Coliseu foi construído onde, outrora, foi o lago do Palácio Dourado de Nero; O imperador Vespasiano escolheu o local da construção para que o mal causado por Nero fosse esquecido por uma construção gloriosa.

Sylvae, ou recreações de cenas naturais eram também realizadas no Coliseu. Pintores, técnicos e arquitectos construiriam simulações de florestas com árvores e arbustos reais plantados no chão da arena. Animais seriam então introduzidos para dar vida à simulação. Esses cenários podiam servir só para agrado do público ou como pano de fundo para caçadas ou dramas representando episódios da mitologia romana, tão autênticos quanto possível, ao ponto de pessoas condenadas fazerem o papel de heróis onde eram mortos de maneiras horríveis mas mitologicamente autênticas, como mutilados por animais ou queimados vivos.

Embora o Coliseu tenha funcionado até ao século VI da nossa Era, foram proibidos os jogos com mortes humanas desde 404, sendo apenas massacrados animais como elefantes, panteras ou leões.

O Coliseu era sobretudo um enorme instrumento de propaganda e difusão da filosofia de toda uma civilização, e tal como era já profetizado pelo monge e historiador inglês Beda na sua obra do século VII "De temporibus liber": "Enquanto o Coliseu se mantiver de pé, Roma permanecerá; quando o Coliseu ruir, Roma ruirá e quando Roma cair, o mundo cairá".

A construção do Coliseu foi iniciada por Vespasiano, nos anos 70 da nossa era. O edifício foi inaugurado por Tito, em 80, embora apenas tivesse sido finalizado poucos anos depois. Empresa colossal, este edifício, inicialmente, poderia sustentar no seu interior cerca de 50 000 espectadores, constando de três andares. Aquando do reinado de Alexandre Severo e Gordiano III, é ampliado com um quarto andar, podendo suster agora cerca de 90 000 espectadores. A grandiosidade deste monumento testemunha verdadeiramente o poder e esplendor de Roma na época dos Flávios.

Os jogos inaugurais do Coliseu tiveram lugar ano 80, sob o mandato de Tito, para celebrar a finalização da construção. Depois do curto reinado de Tito começar com vários meses de desastres, incluindo a erupção do Monte Vesúvio, um incêndio em Roma, e um surto de peste, o mesmo imperador inaugurou o edifício com uns jogos pródigos que duraram mais de cem dias, talvez para tentar apaziguar o público romano e os deuses. Nesses jogos de cem dias terão ocorrido combates de gladiadores, venationes (lutas de animais), execuções, batalhas navais, caçadas e outros divertimentos numa escala sem precedentes.

O Coliseu, como não se encontrava inserido numa zona de encosta, enterrado, tal como normalmente sucede com a generalidade dos teatros e anfiteatros romanos, possuía um “anel” artificial de rocha à sua volta, para garantir sustentação e, ao mesmo tempo, esta substrutura serve como ornamento ao edifício e como condicionador da entrada dos espectadores. Tal como foi referido anteriormente, possuía três pisos, sendo mais tarde adicionado um outro. É construído em mármore, pedra travertina, ladrilho e tufo (pedra calcária com grandes poros). A sua planta elíptica mede dois eixos que se estendem aproximadamente de 190 m por 155 m. A fachada compõe-se de arcadas decoradas com colunas dóricas, jónicas e coríntias, de acordo com o pavimento em que se encontravam. Esta subdivisão deve-se ao facto de ser uma construção essencialmente vertical, criando assim uma diversificação do espaço.

Os assentos eram em mármore e a cavea, escadaria ou arquibancada, dividia-se em três partes, correspondentes às diferentes classes sociais: o podium, para as classes altas; as maeniana, sector destinado à classe média; e os portici, ou pórticos, construídos em madeira, para a plebe e as mulheres. O pulvinar, a tribuna imperial, encontrava-se situada no podium e era balizada pelos assentos reservados aos senadores e magistrados. Rampas no interior do edifício facilitavam o acesso às várias zonas de onde podiam visualizar o espectáculo, sendo protegidos por uma barreira e por uma série de arqueiros posicionados numa passagem de madeira, para o caso de algum acidente. Por cima dos muros ainda são visíveis as mísulas, que sustentavam o velarium, enorme cobertura de lona destinada a proteger do sol os espectadores e, nos subterrâneos, ficavam as jaulas dos animais, bem como todas as celas e galerias necessárias aos serviços do anfiteatro.

O monumento permaneceu como sede principal dos espetáculos da urbe romana até ao período do imperador Honorius, no século V. Danificado por um terremoto no começo do mesmo século, foi alvo de uma extensiva restauração na época de Valentinianus III. Em meados do século XIII, a família Frangipani transformou-o em fortaleza e, ao longo dos séculos XV e XVI, foi por diversas vezes saqueado, perdendo grande parte dos materiais nobres com os quais tinha sido construído.

Os relatos romanos referem-se a cristãos sendo martirizados em locais de Roma descritos pouco pormenorizadamente (no anfiteatro, na arena...), quando Roma tinha numerosos anfiteatros e arenas. Apesar de muito provavelmente o Coliseu não ter sido utilizado para martírios, o Papa Bento XIV consagrou-o no século XVII à Paixão de Cristo e declarou-o lugar sagrado. Os trabalhos de consolidação e restauração parcial do monumento, já há muito em ruínas, foram feitos sobretudo pelos pontífices Gregório XVI e Pio IX, no século XIX.

Colosseum

Following, a text, in english, from the Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia:

The Colosseum, or the Coliseum, originally the Flavian Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium, Italian Anfiteatro Flavio or Colosseo), is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering.

Occupying a site just east of the Roman Forum, its construction started between 70 and 72 AD[1] under the emperor Vespasian and was completed in 80 AD under Titus,[2] with further modifications being made during Domitian's reign (81–96).[3] The name "Amphitheatrum Flavium" derives from both Vespasian's and Titus's family name (Flavius, from the gens Flavia).

Capable of seating 50,000 spectators,[1][4][5] the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Although in the 21st century it stays partially ruined because of damage caused by devastating earthquakes and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and still has close connections with the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum.[6]

The Colosseum is also depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin.

The Colosseum's original Latin name was Amphitheatrum Flavium, often anglicized as Flavian Amphitheater. The building was constructed by emperors of the Flavian dynasty, hence its original name, after the reign of Emperor Nero.[7] This name is still used in modern English, but generally the structure is better known as the Colosseum. In antiquity, Romans may have referred to the Colosseum by the unofficial name Amphitheatrum Caesareum; this name could have been strictly poetic.[8][9] This name was not exclusive to the Colosseum; Vespasian and Titus, builders of the Colosseum, also constructed an amphitheater of the same name in Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli).[10]

The name Colosseum has long been believed to be derived from a colossal statue of Nero nearby.[3] (the statue of Nero itself being named after one of the original ancient wonders, the Colossus of Rhodes[citation needed]. This statue was later remodeled by Nero's successors into the likeness of Helios (Sol) or Apollo, the sun god, by adding the appropriate solar crown. Nero's head was also replaced several times with the heads of succeeding emperors. Despite its pagan links, the statue remained standing well into the medieval era and was credited with magical powers. It came to be seen as an iconic symbol of the permanence of Rome.

In the 8th century, a famous epigram attributed to the Venerable Bede celebrated the symbolic significance of the statue in a prophecy that is variously quoted: Quamdiu stat Colisæus, stat et Roma; quando cadet colisæus, cadet et Roma; quando cadet Roma, cadet et mundus ("as long as the Colossus stands, so shall Rome; when the Colossus falls, Rome shall fall; when Rome falls, so falls the world").[11] This is often mistranslated to refer to the Colosseum rather than the Colossus (as in, for instance, Byron's poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage). However, at the time that the Pseudo-Bede wrote, the masculine noun coliseus was applied to the statue rather than to what was still known as the Flavian amphitheatre.

The Colossus did eventually fall, possibly being pulled down to reuse its bronze. By the year 1000 the name "Colosseum" had been coined to refer to the amphitheatre. The statue itself was largely forgotten and only its base survives, situated between the Colosseum and the nearby Temple of Venus and Roma.[12]

The name further evolved to Coliseum during the Middle Ages. In Italy, the amphitheatre is still known as il Colosseo, and other Romance languages have come to use similar forms such as le Colisée (French), el Coliseo (Spanish) and o Coliseu (Portuguese).

Construction of the Colosseum began under the rule of the Emperor Vespasian[3] in around 70–72AD. The site chosen was a flat area on the floor of a low valley between the Caelian, Esquiline and Palatine Hills, through which a canalised stream ran. By the 2nd century BC the area was densely inhabited. It was devastated by the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, following which Nero seized much of the area to add to his personal domain. He built the grandiose Domus Aurea on the site, in front of which he created an artificial lake surrounded by pavilions, gardens and porticoes. The existing Aqua Claudia aqueduct was extended to supply water to the area and the gigantic bronze Colossus of Nero was set up nearby at the entrance to the Domus Aurea.[12]

Although the Colossus was preserved, much of the Domus Aurea was torn down. The lake was filled in and the land reused as the location for the new Flavian Amphitheatre. Gladiatorial schools and other support buildings were constructed nearby within the former grounds of the Domus Aurea. According to a reconstructed inscription found on the site, "the emperor Vespasian ordered this new amphitheatre to be erected from his general's share of the booty." This is thought to refer to the vast quantity of treasure seized by the Romans following their victory in the Great Jewish Revolt in 70AD. The Colosseum can be thus interpreted as a great triumphal monument built in the Roman tradition of celebrating great victories[12], placating the Roman people instead of returning soldiers. Vespasian's decision to build the Colosseum on the site of Nero's lake can also be seen as a populist gesture of returning to the people an area of the city which Nero had appropriated for his own use. In contrast to many other amphitheatres, which were located on the outskirts of a city, the Colosseum was constructed in the city centre; in effect, placing it both literally and symbolically at the heart of Rome.

The Colosseum had been completed up to the third story by the time of Vespasian's death in 79. The top level was finished and the building inaugurated by his son, Titus, in 80.[3] Dio Cassius recounts that over 9,000 wild animals were killed during the inaugural games of the amphitheatre. The building was remodelled further under Vespasian's younger son, the newly designated Emperor Domitian, who constructed the hypogeum, a series of underground tunnels used to house animals and slaves. He also added a gallery to the top of the Colosseum to increase its seating capacity.

In 217, the Colosseum was badly damaged by a major fire (caused by lightning, according to Dio Cassius[13]) which destroyed the wooden upper levels of the amphitheatre's interior. It was not fully repaired until about 240 and underwent further repairs in 250 or 252 and again in 320. An inscription records the restoration of various parts of the Colosseum under Theodosius II and Valentinian III (reigned 425–455), possibly to repair damage caused by a major earthquake in 443; more work followed in 484[14] and 508. The arena continued to be used for contests well into the 6th century, with gladiatorial fights last mentioned around 435. Animal hunts continued until at least 523, when Anicius Maximus celebrated his consulship with some venationes, criticised by King Theodoric the Great for their high cost.

The Colosseum underwent several radical changes of use during the medieval period. By the late 6th century a small church had been built into the structure of the amphitheatre, though this apparently did not confer any particular religious significance on the building as a whole. The arena was converted into a cemetery. The numerous vaulted spaces in the arcades under the seating were converted into housing and workshops, and are recorded as still being rented out as late as the 12th century. Around 1200 the Frangipani family took over the Colosseum and fortified it, apparently using it as a castle.

Severe damage was inflicted on the Colosseum by the great earthquake in 1349, causing the outer south side, lying on a less stable alluvional terrain, to collapse. Much of the tumbled stone was reused to build palaces, churches, hospitals and other buildings elsewhere in Rome. A religious order moved into the northern third of the Colosseum in the mid-14th century and continued to inhabit it until as late as the early 19th century. The interior of the amphitheatre was extensively stripped of stone, which was reused elsewhere, or (in the case of the marble façade) was burned to make quicklime.[12] The bronze clamps which held the stonework together were pried or hacked out of the walls, leaving numerous pockmarks which still scar the building today.

During the 16th and 17th century, Church officials sought a productive role for the vast derelict hulk of the Colosseum. Pope Sixtus V (1585–1590) planned to turn the building into a wool factory to provide employment for Rome's prostitutes, though this proposal fell through with his premature death.[15] In 1671 Cardinal Altieri authorized its use for bullfights; a public outcry caused the idea to be hastily abandoned.

In 1749, Pope Benedict XIV endorsed as official Church policy the view that the Colosseum was a sacred site where early Christians had been martyred. He forbade the use of the Colosseum as a quarry and consecrated the building to the Passion of Christ and installed Stations of the Cross, declaring it sanctified by the blood of the Christian martyrs who perished there (see Christians and the Colosseum). However there is no historical evidence to support Benedict's claim, nor is there even any evidence that anyone prior to the 16th century suggested this might be the case; the Catholic Encyclopedia concludes that there are no historical grounds for the supposition. Later popes initiated various stabilization and restoration projects, removing the extensive vegetation which had overgrown the structure and threatened to damage it further. The façade was reinforced with triangular brick wedges in 1807 and 1827, and the interior was repaired in 1831, 1846 and in the 1930s. The arena substructure was partly excavated in 1810–1814 and 1874 and was fully exposed under Benito Mussolini in the 1930s.

The Colosseum is today one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions, receiving millions of visitors annually. The effects of pollution and general deterioration over time prompted a major restoration programme carried out between 1993 and 2000, at a cost of 40 billion Italian lire ($19.3m / €20.6m at 2000 prices). In recent years it has become a symbol of the international campaign against capital punishment, which was abolished in Italy in 1948. Several anti–death penalty demonstrations took place in front of the Colosseum in 2000. Since that time, as a gesture against the death penalty, the local authorities of Rome change the color of the Colosseum's night time illumination from white to gold whenever a person condemned to the death penalty anywhere in the world gets their sentence commuted or is released,[16] or if a jurisdiction abolishes the death penalty. Most recently, the Colosseum was illuminated in gold when capital punishment was abolished in the American state of New Mexico in April 2009.

Because of the ruined state of the interior, it is impractical to use the Colosseum to host large events; only a few hundred spectators can be accommodated in temporary seating. However, much larger concerts have been held just outside, using the Colosseum as a backdrop. Performers who have played at the Colosseum in recent years have included Ray Charles (May 2002),[18] Paul McCartney (May 2003),[19] Elton John (September 2005),[20] and Billy Joel (July 2006).

Exterior

Unlike earlier Greek theatres that were built into hillsides, the Colosseum is an entirely free-standing structure. It derives its basic exterior and interior architecture from that of two Roman theatres back to back. It is elliptical in plan and is 189 meters (615 ft / 640 Roman feet) long, and 156 meters (510 ft / 528 Roman feet) wide, with a base area of 6 acres (24,000 m2). The height of the outer wall is 48 meters (157 ft / 165 Roman feet). The perimeter originally measured 545 meters (1,788 ft / 1,835 Roman feet). The central arena is an oval 87 m (287 ft) long and 55 m (180 ft) wide, surrounded by a wall 5 m (15 ft) high, above which rose tiers of seating.

The outer wall is estimated to have required over 100,000 cubic meters (131,000 cu yd) of travertine stone which were set without mortar held together by 300 tons of iron clamps.[12] However, it has suffered extensive damage over the centuries, with large segments having collapsed following earthquakes. The north side of the perimeter wall is still standing; the distinctive triangular brick wedges at each end are modern additions, having been constructed in the early 19th century to shore up the wall. The remainder of the present-day exterior of the Colosseum is in fact the original interior wall.

The surviving part of the outer wall's monumental façade comprises three stories of superimposed arcades surmounted by a podium on which stands a tall attic, both of which are pierced by windows interspersed at regular intervals. The arcades are framed by half-columns of the Tuscan, Ionic, and Corinthian orders, while the attic is decorated with Corinthian pilasters.[21] Each of the arches in the second- and third-floor arcades framed statues, probably honoring divinities and other figures from Classical mythology.

Two hundred and forty mast corbels were positioned around the top of the attic. They originally supported a retractable awning, known as the velarium, that kept the sun and rain off spectators. This consisted of a canvas-covered, net-like structure made of ropes, with a hole in the center.[3] It covered two-thirds of the arena, and sloped down towards the center to catch the wind and provide a breeze for the audience. Sailors, specially enlisted from the Roman naval headquarters at Misenum and housed in the nearby Castra Misenatium, were used to work the velarium.[22]

The Colosseum's huge crowd capacity made it essential that the venue could be filled or evacuated quickly. Its architects adopted solutions very similar to those used in modern stadiums to deal with the same problem. The amphitheatre was ringed by eighty entrances at ground level, 76 of which were used by ordinary spectators.[3] Each entrance and exit was numbered, as was each staircase. The northern main entrance was reserved for the Roman Emperor and his aides, whilst the other three axial entrances were most likely used by the elite. All four axial entrances were richly decorated with painted stucco reliefs, of which fragments survive. Many of the original outer entrances have disappeared with the collapse of the perimeter wall, but entrances XXIII (23) to LIV (54) still survive.[12]

Spectators were given tickets in the form of numbered pottery shards, which directed them to the appropriate section and row. They accessed their seats via vomitoria (singular vomitorium), passageways that opened into a tier of seats from below or behind. These quickly dispersed people into their seats and, upon conclusion of the event or in an emergency evacuation, could permit their exit within only a few minutes. The name vomitoria derived from the Latin word for a rapid discharge, from which English derives the word vomit.

Interior

According to the Codex-Calendar of 354, the Colosseum could accommodate 87,000 people, although modern estimates put the figure at around 50,000. They were seated in a tiered arrangement that reflected the rigidly stratified nature of Roman society. Special boxes were provided at the north and south ends respectively for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins, providing the best views of the arena. Flanking them at the same level was a broad platform or podium for the senatorial class, who were allowed to bring their own chairs. The names of some 5th century senators can still be seen carved into the stonework, presumably reserving areas for their use.

The tier above the senators, known as the maenianum primum, was occupied by the non-senatorial noble class or knights (equites). The next level up, the maenianum secundum, was originally reserved for ordinary Roman citizens (plebians) and was divided into two sections. The lower part (the immum) was for wealthy citizens, while the upper part (the summum) was for poor citizens. Specific sectors were provided for other social groups: for instance, boys with their tutors, soldiers on leave, foreign dignitaries, scribes, heralds, priests and so on. Stone (and later marble) seating was provided for the citizens and nobles, who presumably would have brought their own cushions with them. Inscriptions identified the areas reserved for specific groups.

Another level, the maenianum secundum in legneis, was added at the very top of the building during the reign of Domitian. This comprised a gallery for the common poor, slaves and women. It would have been either standing room only, or would have had very steep wooden benches. Some groups were banned altogether from the Colosseum, notably gravediggers, actors and former gladiators.

Each tier was divided into sections (maeniana) by curved passages and low walls (praecinctiones or baltei), and were subdivided into cunei, or wedges, by the steps and aisles from the vomitoria. Each row (gradus) of seats was numbered, permitting each individual seat to be exactly designated by its gradus, cuneus, and number.

The arena itself was 83 meters by 48 meters (272 ft by 157 ft / 280 by 163 Roman feet).[12] It comprised a wooden floor covered by sand (the Latin word for sand is harena or arena), covering an elaborate underground structure called the hypogeum (literally meaning "underground"). Little now remains of the original arena floor, but the hypogeum is still clearly visible. It consisted of a two-level subterranean network of tunnels and cages beneath the arena where gladiators and animals were held before contests began. Eighty vertical shafts provided instant access to the arena for caged animals and scenery pieces concealed underneath; larger hinged platforms, called hegmata, provided access for elephants and the like. It was restructured on numerous occasions; at least twelve different phases of construction can be seen.[12]

The hypogeum was connected by underground tunnels to a number of points outside the Colosseum. Animals and performers were brought through the tunnel from nearby stables, with the gladiators' barracks at the Ludus Magnus to the east also being connected by tunnels. Separate tunnels were provided for the Emperor and the Vestal Virgins to permit them to enter and exit the Colosseum without needing to pass through the crowds.[12]

Substantial quantities of machinery also existed in the hypogeum. Elevators and pulleys raised and lowered scenery and props, as well as lifting caged animals to the surface for release. There is evidence for the existence of major hydraulic mechanisms[12] and according to ancient accounts, it was possible to flood the arena rapidly, presumably via a connection to a nearby aqueduct.

The Colosseum and its activities supported a substantial industry in the area. In addition to the amphitheatre itself, many other buildings nearby were linked to the games. Immediately to the east is the remains of the Ludus Magnus, a training school for gladiators. This was connected to the Colosseum by an underground passage, to allow easy access for the gladiators. The Ludus Magnus had its own miniature training arena, which was itself a popular attraction for Roman spectators. Other training schools were in the same area, including the Ludus Matutinus (Morning School), where fighters of animals were trained, plus the Dacian and Gallic Schools.

Also nearby were the Armamentarium, comprising an armory to store weapons; the Summum Choragium, where machinery was stored; the Sanitarium, which had facilities to treat wounded gladiators; and the Spoliarium, where bodies of dead gladiators were stripped of their armor and disposed of.

Around the perimeter of the Colosseum, at a distance of 18 m (59 ft) from the perimeter, was a series of tall stone posts, with five remaining on the eastern side. Various explanations have been advanced for their presence; they may have been a religious boundary, or an outer boundary for ticket checks, or an anchor for the velarium or awning.

Right next to the Colosseum is also the Arch of Constantine.

he Colosseum was used to host gladiatorial shows as well as a variety of other events. The shows, called munera, were always given by private individuals rather than the state. They had a strong religious element but were also demonstrations of power and family prestige, and were immensely popular with the population. Another popular type of show was the animal hunt, or venatio. This utilized a great variety of wild beasts, mainly imported from Africa and the Middle East, and included creatures such as rhinoceros, hippopotamuses, elephants, giraffes, aurochs, wisents, barbary lions, panthers, leopards, bears, caspian tigers, crocodiles and ostriches. Battles and hunts were often staged amid elaborate sets with movable trees and buildings. Such events were occasionally on a huge scale; Trajan is said to have celebrated his victories in Dacia in 107 with contests involving 11,000 animals and 10,000 gladiators over the course of 123 days.

During the early days of the Colosseum, ancient writers recorded that the building was used for naumachiae (more properly known as navalia proelia) or simulated sea battles. Accounts of the inaugural games held by Titus in AD 80 describe it being filled with water for a display of specially trained swimming horses and bulls. There is also an account of a re-enactment of a famous sea battle between the Corcyrean (Corfiot) Greeks and the Corinthians. This has been the subject of some debate among historians; although providing the water would not have been a problem, it is unclear how the arena could have been waterproofed, nor would there have been enough space in the arena for the warships to move around. It has been suggested that the reports either have the location wrong, or that the Colosseum originally featured a wide floodable channel down its central axis (which would later have been replaced by the hypogeum).[12]

Sylvae or recreations of natural scenes were also held in the arena. Painters, technicians and architects would construct a simulation of a forest with real trees and bushes planted in the arena's floor. Animals would be introduced to populate the scene for the delight of the crowd. Such scenes might be used simply to display a natural environment for the urban population, or could otherwise be used as the backdrop for hunts or dramas depicting episodes from mythology. They were also occasionally used for executions in which the hero of the story — played by a condemned person — was killed in one of various gruesome but mythologically authentic ways, such as being mauled by beasts or burned to death.

The Colosseum today is now a major tourist attraction in Rome with thousands of tourists each year paying to view the interior arena, though entrance for EU citizens is partially subsidised, and under-18 and over-65 EU citizens' entrances are free.[24] There is now a museum dedicated to Eros located in the upper floor of the outer wall of the building. Part of the arena floor has been re-floored. Beneath the Colosseum, a network of subterranean passageways once used to transport wild animals and gladiators to the arena opened to the public in summer 2010.[25]

The Colosseum is also the site of Roman Catholic ceremonies in the 20th and 21st centuries. For instance, Pope Benedict XVI leads the Stations of the Cross called the Scriptural Way of the Cross (which calls for more meditation) at the Colosseum[26][27] on Good Fridays.

In the Middle Ages, the Colosseum was clearly not regarded as a sacred site. Its use as a fortress and then a quarry demonstrates how little spiritual importance was attached to it, at a time when sites associated with martyrs were highly venerated. It was not included in the itineraries compiled for the use of pilgrims nor in works such as the 12th century Mirabilia Urbis Romae ("Marvels of the City of Rome"), which claims the Circus Flaminius — but not the Colosseum — as the site of martyrdoms. Part of the structure was inhabited by a Christian order, but apparently not for any particular religious reason.

It appears to have been only in the 16th and 17th centuries that the Colosseum came to be regarded as a Christian site. Pope Pius V (1566–1572) is said to have recommended that pilgrims gather sand from the arena of the Colosseum to serve as a relic, on the grounds that it was impregnated with the blood of martyrs. This seems to have been a minority view until it was popularised nearly a century later by Fioravante Martinelli, who listed the Colosseum at the head of a list of places sacred to the martyrs in his 1653 book Roma ex ethnica sacra.

Martinelli's book evidently had an effect on public opinion; in response to Cardinal Altieri's proposal some years later to turn the Colosseum into a bullring, Carlo Tomassi published a pamphlet in protest against what he regarded as an act of desecration. The ensuing controversy persuaded Pope Clement X to close the Colosseum's external arcades and declare it a sanctuary, though quarrying continued for some time.

At the instance of St. Leonard of Port Maurice, Pope Benedict XIV (1740–1758) forbade the quarrying of the Colosseum and erected Stations of the Cross around the arena, which remained until February 1874. St. Benedict Joseph Labre spent the later years of his life within the walls of the Colosseum, living on alms, prior to his death in 1783. Several 19th century popes funded repair and restoration work on the Colosseum, and it still retains a Christian connection today. Crosses stand in several points around the arena and every Good Friday the Pope leads a Via Crucis procession to the amphitheatre.

Coliseu (Colosseo)

A seguir, um texto, em português, da Wikipédia, a enciclopédia livre:

O Coliseu, também conhecido como Anfiteatro Flaviano, deve seu nome à expressão latina Colosseum (ou Coliseus, no latim tardio), devido à estátua colossal de Nero, que ficava perto a edificação. Localizado no centro de Roma, é uma excepção de entre os anfiteatros pelo seu volume e relevo arquitectónico. Originalmente capaz de albergar perto de 50 000 pessoas, e com 48 metros de altura, era usado para variados espetáculos. Foi construído a leste do fórum romano e demorou entre 8 a 10 anos a ser construído.

O Coliseu foi utilizado durante aproximadamente 500 anos, tendo sido o último registro efetuado no século VI da nossa era, bastante depois da queda de Roma em 476. O edifício deixou de ser usado para entretenimento no começo da era medieval, mas foi mais tarde usado como habitação, oficina, forte, pedreira, sede de ordens religiosas e templo cristão.

Embora esteja agora em ruínas devido a terremotos e pilhagens, o Coliseu sempre foi visto como símbolo do Império Romano, sendo um dos melhores exemplos da sua arquitectura. Actualmente é uma das maiores atrações turísticas em Roma e em 7 de julho de 2007 foi eleita umas das "Sete maravilhas do mundo moderno". Além disso, o Coliseu ainda tem ligações à igreja, com o Papa a liderar a procissão da Via Sacra até ao Coliseu todas as Sextas-feiras Santas.

O coliseu era um local onde seriam exibidos toda uma série de espectáculos, inseridos nos vários tipos de jogos realizados na urbe. Os combates entre gladiadores, chamados muneras, eram sempre pagos por pessoas individuais em busca de prestígio e poder em vez do estado. A arena (87,5 m por 55 m) possuía um piso de madeira, normalmente coberto de areia para absorver o sangue dos combates (certa vez foi colocada água na representação de uma batalha naval), sob o qual existia um nível subterrâneo com celas e jaulas que tinham acessos diretos para a arena; Alguns detalhes dessa construção, como a cobertura removível que poupava os espectadores do sol, são bastante interessantes, e mostram o refinamento atingido pelos construtores romanos. Formado por cinco anéis concêntricos de arcos e abóbadas, o Coliseu representa bem o avanço introduzido pelos romanos à engenharia de estruturas. Esses arcos são de concreto (de cimento natural) revestidos por alvenaria. Na verdade, a alvenaria era construída simultaneamente e já servia de forma para a concretagem. Outro tipo de espetáculos era a caça de animais, ou venatio, onde eram utilizados animais selvagens importados de África. Os animais mais utilizados eram os grandes felinos como leões, leopardos e panteras, mas animais como rinocerontes, hipopótamos, elefantes, girafas, crocodilos e avestruzes eram também utilizados. As caçadas, tal como as representações de batalhas famosas, eram efetuadas em elaborados cenários onde constavam árvores e edifícios amovíveis.

Estas últimas eram por vezes representadas numa escala gigante; Trajano celebrou a sua vitória em Dácia no ano 107 com concursos envolvendo 11 000 animais e 10 000 gladiadores no decorrer de 123 dias.

Segundo o documentário produzido pelo canal televisivo fechado, History Channel, o Coliseu também era utilizado para a realização de naumaquias, ou batalhas navais. O coliseu era inundado por dutos subterrâneos alimentados pelos aquedutos que traziam água de longe. Passada esta fase, foi construída uma estrutura, que é a que podemos ver hoje nas ruínas do Coliseu, com altura de um prédio de dois andares, onde no passado se concentravam os gladiadores, feras e todo o pessoal que organizava os duelos que ocorreriam na arena. A arena era como um grande palco, feito de madeira, e se chama arena, que em italiano significa areia, porque era jogada areia sob a estrutura de madeira para esconder as imperfeições. Os animais podiam ser inseridos nos duelos a qualquer momento por um esquema de elevadores que surgiam em alguns pontos da arena; o filme "Gladiador" retrata muito bem esta questão dos elevadores. Os estudiosos, há pouco tempo, descobriram uma rede de dutos inundados por baixo da arena do Coliseu. Acredita-se que o Coliseu foi construído onde, outrora, foi o lago do Palácio Dourado de Nero; O imperador Vespasiano escolheu o local da construção para que o mal causado por Nero fosse esquecido por uma construção gloriosa.

Sylvae, ou recreações de cenas naturais eram também realizadas no Coliseu. Pintores, técnicos e arquitectos construiriam simulações de florestas com árvores e arbustos reais plantados no chão da arena. Animais seriam então introduzidos para dar vida à simulação. Esses cenários podiam servir só para agrado do público ou como pano de fundo para caçadas ou dramas representando episódios da mitologia romana, tão autênticos quanto possível, ao ponto de pessoas condenadas fazerem o papel de heróis onde eram mortos de maneiras horríveis mas mitologicamente autênticas, como mutilados por animais ou queimados vivos.

Embora o Coliseu tenha funcionado até ao século VI da nossa Era, foram proibidos os jogos com mortes humanas desde 404, sendo apenas massacrados animais como elefantes, panteras ou leões.

O Coliseu era sobretudo um enorme instrumento de propaganda e difusão da filosofia de toda uma civilização, e tal como era já profetizado pelo monge e historiador inglês Beda na sua obra do século VII "De temporibus liber": "Enquanto o Coliseu se mantiver de pé, Roma permanecerá; quando o Coliseu ruir, Roma ruirá e quando Roma cair, o mundo cairá".

A construção do Coliseu foi iniciada por Vespasiano, nos anos 70 da nossa era. O edifício foi inaugurado por Tito, em 80, embora apenas tivesse sido finalizado poucos anos depois. Empresa colossal, este edifício, inicialmente, poderia sustentar no seu interior cerca de 50 000 espectadores, constando de três andares. Aquando do reinado de Alexandre Severo e Gordiano III, é ampliado com um quarto andar, podendo suster agora cerca de 90 000 espectadores. A grandiosidade deste monumento testemunha verdadeiramente o poder e esplendor de Roma na época dos Flávios.

Os jogos inaugurais do Coliseu tiveram lugar ano 80, sob o mandato de Tito, para celebrar a finalização da construção. Depois do curto reinado de Tito começar com vários meses de desastres, incluindo a erupção do Monte Vesúvio, um incêndio em Roma, e um surto de peste, o mesmo imperador inaugurou o edifício com uns jogos pródigos que duraram mais de cem dias, talvez para tentar apaziguar o público romano e os deuses. Nesses jogos de cem dias terão ocorrido combates de gladiadores, venationes (lutas de animais), execuções, batalhas navais, caçadas e outros divertimentos numa escala sem precedentes.

O Coliseu, como não se encontrava inserido numa zona de encosta, enterrado, tal como normalmente sucede com a generalidade dos teatros e anfiteatros romanos, possuía um “anel” artificial de rocha à sua volta, para garantir sustentação e, ao mesmo tempo, esta substrutura serve como ornamento ao edifício e como condicionador da entrada dos espectadores. Tal como foi referido anteriormente, possuía três pisos, sendo mais tarde adicionado um outro. É construído em mármore, pedra travertina, ladrilho e tufo (pedra calcária com grandes poros). A sua planta elíptica mede dois eixos que se estendem aproximadamente de 190 m por 155 m. A fachada compõe-se de arcadas decoradas com colunas dóricas, jónicas e coríntias, de acordo com o pavimento em que se encontravam. Esta subdivisão deve-se ao facto de ser uma construção essencialmente vertical, criando assim uma diversificação do espaço.

Os assentos eram em mármore e a cavea, escadaria ou arquibancada, dividia-se em três partes, correspondentes às diferentes classes sociais: o podium, para as classes altas; as maeniana, sector destinado à classe média; e os portici, ou pórticos, construídos em madeira, para a plebe e as mulheres. O pulvinar, a tribuna imperial, encontrava-se situada no podium e era balizada pelos assentos reservados aos senadores e magistrados. Rampas no interior do edifício facilitavam o acesso às várias zonas de onde podiam visualizar o espectáculo, sendo protegidos por uma barreira e por uma série de arqueiros posicionados numa passagem de madeira, para o caso de algum acidente. Por cima dos muros ainda são visíveis as mísulas, que sustentavam o velarium, enorme cobertura de lona destinada a proteger do sol os espectadores e, nos subterrâneos, ficavam as jaulas dos animais, bem como todas as celas e galerias necessárias aos serviços do anfiteatro.

O monumento permaneceu como sede principal dos espetáculos da urbe romana até ao período do imperador Honorius, no século V. Danificado por um terremoto no começo do mesmo século, foi alvo de uma extensiva restauração na época de Valentinianus III. Em meados do século XIII, a família Frangipani transformou-o em fortaleza e, ao longo dos séculos XV e XVI, foi por diversas vezes saqueado, perdendo grande parte dos materiais nobres com os quais tinha sido construído.

Os relatos romanos referem-se a cristãos sendo martirizados em locais de Roma descritos pouco pormenorizadamente (no anfiteatro, na arena...), quando Roma tinha numerosos anfiteatros e arenas. Apesar de muito provavelmente o Coliseu não ter sido utilizado para martírios, o Papa Bento XIV consagrou-o no século XVII à Paixão de Cristo e declarou-o lugar sagrado. Os trabalhos de consolidação e restauração parcial do monumento, já há muito em ruínas, foram feitos sobretudo pelos pontífices Gregório XVI e Pio IX, no século XIX.

the drawn on plan for my friend's tattoo that she's getting next month :)

excuse the poor quality, it was taken with my phone

now that my subscritpion has expired see all of my art here www.flickr.com/groups/463498@N21/

For some reason, full-sized pickup trucks are built with a very high bed. My old mid-sized pickup had a bed you could lean over and reach into. The sides on the new pickup are higher than my shoulder.

For that reason, I frequently have to climb into the back of the pickup. When the tailgate is up, I can step on the hitch and then up onto the bumper and into the bed. When the tailgate is down, I can't step on the hitch because the tailgate covers it, so I have been stepping up onto the rear tire and pulling myself up into the bed. Also, just getting into the driver's seat is an effort so I put an aftermarket step on the side so I can get into the truck in two steps.

I don't know why they are built so high. There's no good reason for it. It can't be for clearance, because the clearance is defined by the axle, not the body. The tires are a bit larger than the old truck, but that only makes the clearance a couple inches higher. The bed is at least a foot higher. The only reason I can think of is style. Making the truck higher makes it look bigger. I'd much prefer it to be unstylishly low like my old truck.

This is the third version of my modification of set 7997 (Train Station). Here are my notes to recap my progress from stock set to version three:

I built this station with set the 2007 CITY set 7997 in mind. I got the original set in 2007, along with a double rail crossover for my Birthday. I wanted to make it a full building but didn't have the parts. By 2008, I had discovered Bricklink, but the station was in pieces by then and was not re-created until early 2012. The station was a stock set, while I searched for ideas. Eventually, I came across a build by a fellow Eurobricks user named Lazarus that incorporated a modular basis, a full building (street & track-sides) & a appealing design. I saved a picture of it and made my own design based on his. I included really neat features, (such as the arched lattice windows made with a fence) but I went too far and made it impossible to transport to train shows and LUG meetings. The platforms were very flimsy, and during the move to my families current house, it shattered into small chunks. So, I went back to the drawing board, scrapping everything but the building itself. Here is the end result, which is strangely near where I started with set 7997. It has one platform, plentiful outside seating on the platform, and is still yellow-and-black. There are many changes from the set, (no stairs on the platform, for example.) but the heart and soul of that 2007 set is still there.

In this latest version, I relocated the clocks to the top of the tower roof so that the design was closer to the original model. I also combined / redid sections of the model, such as the building and trackside awning have become one large section instead of two smaller ones. I even swapped the town-name of this station and my Victorian station, making the one you see here "Barretts" while the other one became "Ironwood".

Here is the LDD file: www.moc-pages.com/user_images/80135/1449078417m.lxf

There's a new owner of the Cafe Corner. The previous proprietor allowed the building to fall into disrepair. So it was time for renovation and restoration: a new facade and completely redecorated and refurnished hotel rooms (and an additional floor). Only the cafe on the ground floor is still the same.

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Almost two years ago I built my version of the Cafe Corner (#10182) with a slightly different colour scheme and some modifications, basically because the original building was already too expensive. I also added some interiors and replaced the stairwell by an elevator.

I didn't like the colours anymore and the building didn't match my other modulars anymore. Since my town still needs a hotel and I didn't want to destroy the old version completely I came up with this one.

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See all photos of the new and the old Cafe Corner here.

Chassis: 0714TR

Chassis 0714TR Piero Drogo was the first owner of this early pontoon fender 250 TR. He immediately made small modifications like adding cooling scoops for the rear brakes. At its debut Drogo raced the car to a strong fourth in the 1958 Buenos Aires 1000 km. After he raced his Ferrari a few more times, Drogo sold it to American amateur racer Alan Connell through Luigi Chinetti. The new owner had the car painted black with a red band across the nose. The 250 TR was raced for many more seasons, scoring numerous wins. At one point it sported disc brakes and a clear carburettor cover. Restored to its original configuration but painted in Connell's colors, it was offered at RM Auctions' Leggenda e Passione sale in 2009. Here it sold for over $12 million, setting a new world record for a car sold at auction.

[Text from Ultimatecarpage.com]

www.ultimatecarpage.com/sn/128/Ferrari-250-TR.html

That said, this Ferrari 250 TR might be now worth quite a lot more....

-

This might not come as a shock, but ultra-rare vintage cars are only going to get more expensive as time rolls on, particularly if there's a prancing horse on the car's nose. For example, in 2011, a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa sold for $16.39 million. In February 2012, a 1964 250 GTO sold for nearly $32 million. Later that year, a 1962 250 GTO sold for $35 million. It was the most expensive car ever sold, making last year's 275 GTB/4 NART Spider and its $27.5-million auction price seem like a drop in the platinum-lined bucket. Now, there's been another high-dollar Ferrari sale.

An unrestored, 1957 250 Testa Rossa was reportedly sold for over $39 million, making it the most expensive car ever sold in the United Kingdom. Just for perspective, $39 million is about 28 LaFerraris or roughly 128 F12 Berlinettas. It's not the most expensive car ever sold, but it still represents a huge sum of money for a classic car. Part of the reason for chassis number 0704 - the car pictured above is 0714, which sold for a mere $12.2 million in 2009 - being sold for so much is down to its excellent provenance.

It made its race debut at the 1957 24 Hours of Le Mans, although it failed to finish. Phil Hill and Peter Collins racked up wins with this exact car in Buenos Aires and Sebring, according to the folks at Hemmings. Combining race wins by a former Formula One World Champion with an unrestored example of an extremely rare car (one of just 34 250 Testa Rossas ever built) makes its monumental sale price almost seem reasonable.

Following its racing life, the 0704 was donated to The Henry Ford Museum, outside of Detroit. It spent 30 years there, before being sold in 1997. According to Hemmings, the care by The Henry Ford team, which has a voluminous collection of rare and classic cars, is part of the reason this unrestored car remains in such good condition.

As this was a private sale, rather than through an auction house, it's unlikely we'll ever know the complete details behind the sale. The pricing information comes from The Daily Mail, which claims well-placed sources confirmed the price of 24 million pounds (that converts to $39.2 million as of this writing). The car was owned by Tom Hartley, Jr., a UK-based car dealer. Hartley admitted to selling the car, although it's unclear who the new owner is, according to Hemmings.

[Text from Autoblog]

www.autoblog.com/2014/02/04/1957-ferrari-250-testa-rossa-...

This Lego miniland-scale Ferrari 250 Testarossa Racer s/n 0714TR (1958 - Scaglietti), has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 89th Build Challenge, - "Over a Million, Under a Thousand", - a challenge to build vehicles valued over one million (US) dollars, or under one thousand (US) dollars.

Donk - a strange term.

Used in Australia as a slang term for a car engine, Donk is a whole sub-culture of vehicle modification in the US focusing on overly large wheels.

The term 'Donk' refers directly back to the original donor vehicle, popularly, the Chevrolet Impala. It has been said that the leaping Impala logo looks somewhat like a donkey!

The cars are also known by the more generic term of 'Hi-riser' - somewhat more descriptive, but less colourful name.

Hi-Risers are a type of highly customized automobile, typically a traditional, full-size, body on frame, V8 powered, rear wheel drive American-built sedan modified by significantly increasing the ground clearance and adding large-diameter wheels with low-profile tires. Depending on the model and style of body, autos customized in this manner can be labeled "donk," "box," or "bubble."

Hi-risers originally grew out of the Dirty South subculture, but the trend has spread across the United States. Vehicles customized in the hi-riser style are distinguished by their oversized (even disproportionate) wheels, ranging from 20 inches to 30 inches or more in diameter (largest being 50 inch), as well as fanciful custom paint-jobs and expensive audio equipment. Suspension modifications similar to those employed on lifted pickup trucks are made to give adequate clearance for the large wheels. Often the suspension is modified so the front end sits slightly higher than the rear end, giving the car a swaggering appearance. Because of the exaggerated look gained from installing a lifted suspension and enormous wheels, donks are also known as "hi-risers" or "sky-scrapers."

The most popular vehicles for these types of modifications are late 20th century, full-size, rear wheel drive sedans and coupes manufactured by General Motors (Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, Buick, and Cadillac), namely the Impala, Caprice, Buick Roadmaster, Oldsmobile 98, and Cadillac Fleetwood/Fleetwood Brougham, as well as mid-sized models such as the Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. However, similar full-size Ford models (Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Grand Marquis) are also popular, largely due to the ability to cheaply buy former police service Crown Victorias. There are three main sub-types of hi-riser, although the distinctions are blurred and open to debate. Most hi-riser enthusiasts agree that a "donk" traditionally is a 1971 to 1976 Impala. They were given this name because the "Impala" symbol was referred to as a "donkey" by owners or "donk" for short.[citation needed] To complement the sloping rear, the suspension of donks are frequently higher in the front end than the rear, resulting in a nose-up stance. Other hi-risers are usually raised evenly, resulting in a more or less level stance. A box is another sub-type of hi-riser, usually a 1977-1990-era Impala or Caprice with a boxy or squared-off front and rear end. Other models that are frequently made into hi-risers include the G-body Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass, Chevrolet El Camino, Pontiac Grand Prix, and Pontiac Bonneville.

Other vehicles gaining in popularity as hi-risers are the Cadillac DeVille and Seville, as well as the Buick Roadmaster. Also gaining in popularity are the Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Town Car sedans. These three are the last full sized, body-on-frame, RWD sedans of which the Lincoln Town Car is the only one still being sold for 2011. In fact, the Grand Marquis in particular is enjoying a slight sales surge due to the increasing popularity of buying them new and turning them into hi-risers. Several rappers have alluded to the Grand Marquis in their music, such as Dorrough's "Ice Cream Paint Job": "Grand Marquis, paint job grape jelly

[Text from Wikipedia]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-Riser_(automobile)

A key enabler for many of these vehicles is the use of the longitudinal powertrain, driving the rear wheels, and also the use of separate chassis (body-on-frame), decoupling the chassis forces from suspension from the body structure. The BOF layout also allows simpler modification of the vehicle, adopting parts and design solutions from the similarly configured Light Truck, e.g. Ford F150 or similar.

The 1971 Chevrolet Impala Convertible used here as the base vehicle offers these features and more. Notably engines not restricted by vehicle emissions standards, which had such a detrimental effect on engine output, staring from 1972. The 1971 Impala (the first year of this 5th generation Impala platform), was fitted with engines up to 454 CID (7.4 litres) rated at 365 hp. In 1976, the last year of this 5th generation vehicle, the 454 CID output had fallen to only 225 HP.

For interest, this 1971 Impala Donk is named 'Polar Bear'. Enormous, powerful, and super-cool (especially roof-down in winter), and for the icing blue exterior colour.

This Lego miniland-scale Chevrolet 1971 Impala Convertible Donk (1971), has been created for Flickr LUGNuts' 90th Build Challenge, - "Fools Rush In!", -

to the subtheme - "BaDONKadonk!". The 90th build challenge presenting 13 different subthemes to choose to build to.

For C, two modifications. Original not mine.

爆改20" Birdy

Modification sur base IXO Calberson

This is a custom case I made for a USB stick/USB drive. (The original case was ugly and flimsy.)

Before and after! Fireman's side! Lots of changes, look and you'll see them!

World leader, scientist, medical scientist, virologist, pharmacist, Professor Fangruida (F.D Smith) on the world epidemic and the nemesis and prevention of new coronaviruses and mutant viruses (Jacques Lucy) 2021v1.5)

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The Nemesis and Killer of New Coronavirus and Mutated Viruses-Joint Development of Vaccines and Drugs (Fangruida) July 2021

*The particularity of new coronaviruses and mutant viruses*The broad spectrum, high efficiency, redundancy, and safety of the new coronavirus vaccine design and development , Redundancy and safety

*New coronavirus drug chemical structure modification*Computer-aided design and drug screening. *"Antiviral biological missile", "New Coronavirus Anti-epidemic Tablets", "Composite Antiviral Oral Liquid", "New Coronavirus Long-acting Oral Tablets", "New Coronavirus Inhibitors" (injection)

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(World leader, scientist, medical scientist, biologist, virologist, pharmacist, FD Smith) "The Nemesis and Killer of New Coronavirus and Mutated Viruses-The Joint Development of Vaccines and Drugs" is an important scientific research document. Now it has been revised and re-published by the original author several times. The compilation is published and published according to the original manuscript to meet the needs of readers and netizens all over the world. At the same time, it is also of great benefit to the vast number of medical clinical drug researchers and various experts and scholars. We hope that it will be corrected in the reprint.------Compiled by Jacques Lucy in Geneva, August 2021

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According to Worldometer's real-time statistics, as of about 6:30 on July 23, there were a total of 193,323,815 confirmed cases of new coronary pneumonia worldwide, and a total of 4,150,213 deaths. There were 570,902 new confirmed cases and 8,766 new deaths worldwide in a single day. Data shows that the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, India, and Indonesia are the five countries with the largest number of new confirmed cases, and Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, and India are the five countries with the largest number of new deaths.

The new coronavirus and delta mutant strains have been particularly serious in the recent past. Many countries and places have revived, and the number of cases has not decreased, but has increased.

, It is worthy of vigilance. Although many countries have strengthened vaccine prevention and control and other prevention and control measures, there are still many shortcomings and deficiencies in virus suppression and prevention. The new coronavirus and various mutant strains have a certain degree of antagonism to traditional drugs and most vaccines. Although most vaccines have great anti-epidemic properties and have important and irreplaceable effects and protection for prevention and treatment, it is impossible to completely prevent the spread and infection of viruses. The spread of the new crown virus pneumonia has been delayed for nearly two years. There are hundreds of millions of people infected worldwide, millions of deaths, and the time is long, the spread is widespread, and billions of people around the world are among them. The harm of the virus is quite terrible. This is well known. of. More urgent

What is more serious is that the virus and mutant strains have not completely retreated, especially many people are still infected and infected after being injected with various vaccines. The effectiveness of the vaccine and the resistance of the mutant virus are worthy of medical scientists, virologists, pharmacologists Zoologists and others seriously think and analyze. The current epidemic situation in European and American countries, China, Brazil, India, the United States, Russia and other countries has greatly improved from last year. However, relevant figures show that the global epidemic situation has not completely improved, and some countries and regions are still very serious. In particular, after extensive use of various vaccines, cases still occur, and in some places they are still very serious, which deserves a high degree of vigilance. Prevention and control measures are very important. In addition, vaccines and various anti-epidemic drugs are the first and necessary choices, and other methods are irreplaceable. It is particularly important to develop and develop comprehensive drugs, antiviral drugs, immune drugs, and genetic drugs. Research experiments on new coronaviruses and mutant viruses require more rigorous and in-depth data analysis, pathological pathogenic tissues, cell genes, molecular chemistry, quantum chemistry, etc., as well as vaccine molecular chemistry, quantum physics, quantum biology, cytological histology, medicinal chemistry, and drugs And the vaccine’s symptomatic, effectiveness, safety, long-term effectiveness, etc., of course, including tens of thousands of clinical cases and deaths and other first-hand information and evidence. The task of RNA (ribonucleic acid) in the human body is to use the information of our genetic material DNA to produce protein. It accomplishes this task in the ribosome, the protein-producing area of ​​the cell. The ribosome is the place where protein biosynthesis occurs.

Medicine takes advantage of this: In vaccination, artificially produced mRNA provides ribosomes with instructions for constructing pathogen antigens to fight against—for example, the spike protein of coronavirus.

Traditional live vaccines or inactivated vaccines contain antigens that cause the immune system to react. The mRNA vaccine is produced in the cell

(1) The specificity of new coronaviruses and mutant viruses, etc., virology and quantum chemistry of mutant viruses, quantum physics, quantum microbiology

(2) New crown vaccine design, molecular biology and chemical structure, etc.

(3) The generality and particularity of the development of new coronavirus drugs

(4) Various drug design for new coronavirus pneumonia, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, etc., cells, proteins, DNA, enzyme chemistry, pharmaceutical quantum chemistry, pharmaceutical quantum physics, human biochemistry, human biophysics, etc.

(5) The evolution and mutation characteristics of the new coronavirus and various mutant viruses, the long-term nature, repeatability, drug resistance, and epidemic resistance of the virus, etc.

(6) New coronavirus pneumonia and the infectious transmission of various new coronaviruses and their particularities

(7) The invisible transmission of new coronavirus pneumonia and various mutant viruses in humans or animals, and the mutual symbiosis of cross infection of various bacteria and viruses are also one of the very serious causes of serious harm to new coronaviruses and mutant viruses. Virology, pathology, etiology, gene sequencing, gene mapping, and a large number of analytical studies have shown that there are many cases in China, the United States, India, Russia, Brazil, and other countries.

(8) For the symptomatic prevention and treatment of the new coronavirus, the combination of various vaccines and various antiviral drugs is critical.

(9) According to the current epidemic situation and research judgments, the epidemic situation may improve in the next period of time and 2021-2022, and we are optimistic about its success. However, completely worry-free, it is still too early to win easily. It is not just relying on vaccination. Wearing masks to close the city and other prevention and control measures and methods can sit back and relax, and you can win a big victory. Because all kinds of research and exploration still require a lot of time and various experimental studies. It is not a day's work. A simple taste is very dangerous and harmful. The power and migratory explosiveness of viruses sometimes far exceed human thinking and perception. In the future, next year, or in the future, whether viruses and various evolutionary mutation viruses will re-attack, we still need to study, analyze, prevent and control, rather than being complacent, thinking that the vaccine can win a big victory is inevitably naive and ridiculous. Vaccine protection is very important, but it must not be taken carelessly. The mutation of the new crown virus is very rampant, and the cross-infection of recessive and virulent bacteria makes epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic very complicated.

(10) New crown virus pneumonia and the virus's stubbornness, strength, migration, susceptibility, multi-infectiousness, and occult. The effectiveness of various vaccines and the particularity of virus mutations The long-term hidden dangers and repeated recurrences of the new coronavirus

(11) The formation mechanism and invisible transmission of invisible viruses, asymptomatic infections and asymptomatic infections, asymptomatic transmission routes, asymptomatic infections, pathological pathogens. The spread and infection of viruses and mutated viruses, the blind spots and blind spots of virus vaccines, viral quantum chemistry and

The chemical and physical corresponding reactions at the meeting points of highly effective vaccine drugs, etc. The variability of mutated viruses is very complicated, and vaccination cannot completely prevent the spread of infection.

(12) New crown virus pneumonia and various respiratory infectious diseases are susceptible to infections in animals and humans, and are frequently recurring. This is one of the frequently-occurring and difficult diseases of common infectious diseases. Even with various vaccines and various antiviral immune drugs, it is difficult to completely prevent the occurrence and spread of viral pneumonia. Therefore, epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic is a major issue facing human society, and no country should take it lightly. The various costs that humans pay on this issue are very expensive, such as Ebola virus, influenza A virus,

Hepatitis virus,

Marburg virus

Sars coronavirus, plague, anthracnose, cholera

and many more. The B.1.1.7 mutant virus that was first discovered in the UK was renamed Alpha mutant virus; the B.1.351 that was first discovered in South Africa was renamed Beta mutant virus; the P.1 that was first discovered in Brazil was renamed Gamma mutant virus; the mutation was first discovered in India There are two branches of the virus. B.1.617.2, which was listed as "mutated virus of concern", was renamed Delta mutant virus, and B.1.617.1 of "mutated virus to be observed" was renamed Kappa mutant virus.

However, experts in many countries believe that the current vaccination is still effective, at least it can prevent severe illness and reduce deaths.

　　　　 Delta mutant strain

According to the degree of risk, the WHO divides the new crown variant strains into two categories: worrying variant strains (VOC, variant of concern) and noteworthy variant strains (VOI, variant of interest). The former has caused many cases and a wide range of cases worldwide, and data confirms its transmission ability, strong toxicity, high power, complex migration, and high insidious transmission of infection. Resistance to vaccines may lead to the effectiveness of vaccines and clinical treatments. Decrease; the latter has confirmed cases of community transmission worldwide, or has been found in multiple countries, but has not yet formed a large-scale infection. Need to be very vigilant. Various cases and deaths in many countries in the world are related to this. In some countries, the epidemic situation is repeated, and it is also caused by various reasons and viruses, of course, including new cases and so on.

At present, VOC is the mutant strain that has the greatest impact on the epidemic and the greatest threat to the world, including: Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. , Will the change of the spur protein in the VOC affect the immune protection effect of the existing vaccine, or whether it will affect the sensitivity of the VOC to the existing vaccine? For this problem, it is necessary to directly test neutralizing antibodies, such as those that can prevent the protection of infection. Antibodies recognize specific protein sequences on viral particles, especially those spike protein sequences used in mRNA vaccines.

(13) Countries around the world, especially countries and regions with more severe epidemics, have a large number of clinical cases, severe cases, and deaths, especially including many young and middle-aged patients, including those who have been vaccinated. The epidemic is more complicated and serious. Injecting various vaccines, taking strict control measures such as closing the city and wearing masks are very important and the effect is very obvious. However, the new coronavirus and mutant viruses are so repeated, their pathological pathogen research will also be very complicated and difficult. After the large-scale use of the vaccine, many people are still infected. In addition to the lack of prevention and control measures, it is very important that the viability of the new coronavirus and various mutant viruses is very important. It can escape the inactivation of the vaccine. It is very resistant to stubbornness. Therefore, the recurrence of new coronavirus pneumonia is very dangerous. What is more noteworthy is that medical scientists, virologists, pharmacists, biologists, zoologists and clinicians should seriously consider the correspondence between virus specificity and vaccine drugs, and the coupling of commonality and specificity. Only in this way can we find targets. Track and kill viruses. Only in this sense can the new crown virus produce a nemesis, put an end to and eradicate the new crown virus pneumonia. Of course, this is not a temporary battle, but a certain amount of time and process to achieve the goal in the end.

(14) The development and evolution of the natural universe and earth species, as well as life species. With the continuous evolution of human cell genes, microbes and bacterial viruses are constantly mutated and inherited. The new world will inevitably produce a variety of new pathogens.

And viruses. For example, neurological genetic disease, digestive system disease, respiratory system disease, blood system disease, cardiopulmonary system disease, etc., new diseases will continue to emerge as humans develop and evolve. Human migration to space, space diseases, space psychological diseases, space cell diseases, space genetic diseases, etc. Therefore, for the new coronavirus and mutated viruses, we must have sufficient knowledge and response, and do not think that it will be completely wiped out.

, And is not a scientific attitude. Viruses and humans mutually reinforce each other, and viruses and animals and plants mutually reinforce each other. This is the iron law of the natural universe. Human beings can only adapt to natural history, but cannot deliberately modify natural history.

Active immune products made from specific bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, spirochetes, mycoplasma and other microorganisms and parasites are collectively called vaccines. Vaccination of animals can make the animal body have specific immunity. The principle of vaccines is to artificially attenuate, inactivate, and genetically attenuate pathogenic microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, rickettsia, etc.) and their metabolites. Purification and preparation methods, made into immune preparations for the prevention of infectious diseases. In terms of ingredients, the vaccine retains the antigenic properties and other characteristics of the pathogen, which can stimulate the body's immune response and produce protective antibodies. But it has no pathogenicity and does not cause harm to the body. When the body is exposed to this pathogen again, the immune system will produce more antibodies according to the previous memory to prevent the pathogen from invading or to fight against the damage to the body. (1) Inactivated vaccines: select pathogenic microorganisms with strong immunogenicity, culture them, inactivate them by physical or chemical methods, and then purify and prepare them. The virus species used in inactivated vaccines are generally virulent strains, but the use of attenuated attenuated strains also has good immunogenicity, such as the inactivated polio vaccine produced by the Sabin attenuated strain. The inactivated vaccine has lost its infectivity to the body, but still maintains its immunogenicity, which can stimulate the body to produce corresponding immunity and resist the infection of wild strains. Inactivated vaccines have a good immune effect. They can generally be stored for more than one year at 2～8°C without the risk of reversion of virulence; however, the inactivated vaccines cannot grow and reproduce after entering the human body. They stimulate the human body for a short time and must be strong and long-lasting. In general, adjuvants are required for immunity, and multiple injections in large doses are required, and the local immune protection of natural infection is lacking. Including bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae and toxoid preparations.

(2) Live attenuated vaccine: It is a vaccine made by using artificial targeted mutation methods or by screening live microorganisms with highly weakened or basically non-toxic virulence from the natural world. After inoculation, the live attenuated vaccine has a certain ability to grow and reproduce in the body, which can cause the body to have a reaction similar to a recessive infection or a mild infection, and it is widely used.

(3) Subunit vaccine: Among the multiple specific antigenic determinants carried by macromolecular antigens, only a small number of antigenic sites play an important role in the protective immune response. Separate natural proteins through chemical decomposition or controlled proteolysis, and extract bacteria and virusesVaccines made from fragments with immunological activity are screened out of the special protein structure of, called subunit vaccines. Subunit vaccines have only a few major surface proteins, so they can eliminate antibodies induced by many unrelated antigens, thereby reducing the side effects of the vaccine and related diseases and other side effects caused by the vaccine. (4) Genetically engineered vaccine: It uses DNA recombination biotechnology to direct the natural or synthetic genetic material in the pathogen coat protein that can induce the body's immune response into bacteria, yeast or mammalian cells to make it fully expressed. A vaccine prepared after purification. The application of genetic engineering technology can produce subunit vaccines that do not contain infectious substances, stable attenuated vaccines with live viruses as carriers, and multivalent vaccines that can prevent multiple diseases. This is the second-generation vaccine following the first-generation traditional vaccine. It has the advantages of safety, effectiveness, long-term immune response, and easy realization of combined immunization. It has certain advantages and effects.

New coronavirus drug development, drug targets and chemical modification.

Ligand-based drug design (or indirect drug design planning) relies on the knowledge of other molecules that bind to the target biological target. These other molecules can be used to derive pharmacophore models and structural modalities, which define the minimum necessary structural features that the molecule must have in order to bind to the target. In other words, a model of a biological target can be established based on the knowledge of the binding target, and the model can be used to design new molecular entities and other parts that interact with the target. Among them, the quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) is included, in which the correlation between the calculated properties of the molecule and its experimentally determined biological activity can be derived. These QSAR relationships can be used to predict the activity of new analogs. The structure-activity relationship is very complicated.

Based on structure

Structure-based drug design relies on knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of biological targets obtained by methods such as X-ray crystallography or NMR spectroscopy and quantum chemistry. If the experimental structure of the target is not available, it is possible to create a homology model of the target and other standard models that can be compared based on the experimental structure of the relevant protein. Using the structure of biological targets, interactive graphics and medical chemists’ intuitive design can be used to predict drug candidates with high affinity and selective binding to the target. Various automatic calculation programs can also be used to suggest new drug candidates.

The current structure-based drug design methods can be roughly divided into three categories. The 3D method is to search a large database of small molecule 3D structures to find new ligands for a given receptor, in order to use a rapid approximate docking procedure to find those suitable for the receptor binding pocket. This method is called virtual screening. The second category is the de novo design of new ligands. In this method, by gradually assembling small fragments, a ligand molecule is established within the constraints of the binding pocket. These fragments can be single atoms or molecular fragments. The main advantage of this method is that it can propose novel structures that are not found in any database. The third method is to optimize the known ligand acquisition by evaluating the proposed analogs in the binding cavity.

Bind site ID

Binding site recognition is a step in structure-based design. If the structure of the target or a sufficiently similar homologue is determined in the presence of the bound ligand, the ligand should be observable in that structure, in which case the location of the binding site is small. However, there may not be an allosteric binding site of interest. In addition, only apo protein structures may be available, and it is not easy to reliably identify unoccupied sites that have the potential to bind ligands with high affinity. In short, the recognition of binding sites usually depends on the recognition of pits. The protein on the protein surface can hold molecules the size of drugs, etc. These molecules also have appropriate "hot spots" that drive ligand binding, hydrophobic surfaces, hydrogen bonding sites, and so on.

Drug design is a creative process of finding new drugs based on the knowledge of biological targets. The most common type of drug is small organic molecules that activate or inhibit the function of biomolecules, thereby producing therapeutic benefits for patients. In the most important sense, drug design involves the design of molecules with complementary shapes and charges that bind to their interacting biomolecular targets, and therefore will bind to them. Drug design often but does not necessarily rely on computer modeling techniques. A more accurate term is ligand design. Although the design technology for predicting binding affinity is quite successful, there are many other characteristics, such as bioavailability, metabolic half-life, side effects, etc., which must be optimized first before the ligand can become safe and effective. drug. These other features are usually difficult to predict and realize through reasonable design techniques. However, due to the high turnover rate, especially in the clinical stage of drug development, in the early stage of the drug design process, more attention is paid to the selection of drug candidates. The physical and chemical properties of these drug candidates are expected to be reduced during the development process. Complications are therefore more likely to lead to the approval of the marketed drug. In addition, in early drug discovery, in vitro experiments with computational methods are increasingly used to select compounds with more favorable ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) and toxicological characteristics. A more accurate term is ligand design. Although the design technique for predicting binding affinity is quite successful, there are many other characteristics, such as bioavailability, metabolic half-life, side effects, iatrogenic effects, etc., which must be optimized first, and then the ligand To become safe and effective.

For drug targets, two aspects should be considered when selecting drug targets:

1. The effectiveness of the target, that is, the target is indeed related to the disease, and the symptoms of the disease can be effectively improved by regulating the physiological activity of the target.

2. The side effects of the target. If the regulation of the physiological activity of the target inevitably produces serious side effects, it is inappropriate to select it as the target of drug action or lose its important biological activity. The reference frame of the target should be expanded in multiple dimensions to have a big choice.

3. Search for biomolecular clues related to diseases: use genomics, proteomics and biochip technology to obtain biomolecular information related to diseases, and perform bioinformatics analysis to obtain clue information.

4. Perform functional research on related biomolecules to determine the target of candidate drugs. Multiple targets or individual targets.

5. Candidate drug targets, design small molecule compounds, and conduct pharmacological research at the molecular, cellular and overall animal levels.

Covalent bonding type

The covalent bonding type is an irreversible form of bonding, similar to the organic synthesis reaction that occurs. Covalent bonding types mostly occur in the mechanism of action of chemotherapeutic drugs. For example, alkylating agent anti-tumor drugs produce covalent bonding bonds to guanine bases in DNA, resulting in cytotoxic activity.

. Verify the effectiveness of the target.

Based on the targets that interact with drugs, that is, receptors in a broad sense, such as enzymes, receptors, ion channels, membranes, antigens, viruses, nucleic acids, polysaccharides, proteins, enzymes, etc., find and design reasonable drug molecules. Targets of action and drug screening should focus on multiple points. Drug intermediates and chemical modification. Combining the development of new drugs with the chemical structure modification of traditional drugs makes it easier to find breakthroughs and develop new antiviral drugs. For example, careful selection, modification and modification of existing related drugs that can successfully treat and recover a large number of cases, elimination and screening of invalid drugs from severe death cases, etc., are targeted, rather than screening and capturing needles in a haystack, aimless, with half the effort. Vaccine design should also be multi-pronged and focused. The broad-spectrum, long-term, safety, efficiency and redundancy of the vaccine should all be considered. In this way, it will be more powerful to deal with the mutation and evolution of the virus. Of course, series of vaccines, series of drugs, second-generation vaccines, third-generation vaccines, second-generation drugs, third-generation drugs, etc. can also be developed. Vaccines focus on epidemic prevention, and medicines focus on medical treatment. The two are very different; however, the two complement each other and complement each other. Therefore, in response to large-scale epidemics of infectious diseases, vaccines and various drugs are the nemesis and killers of viral diseases. Of course, it also includes other methods and measures, so I won't repeat them here.

Mainly through the comprehensive and accurate understanding of the structure of the drug and the receptor at the molecular level and even the electronic level, structure-based drug design and the understanding of the structure, function, and drug action mode of the target and the mechanism of physiological activity Mechanism-based drug design.

Compared with the traditional extensive pharmacological screening and lead compound optimization, it has obvious advantages.

Viral RNA replicase, also known as RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) is responsible for the replication and transcription of RNA virus genome, and plays a very important role in the process of virus self-replication in host cells, and It also has a major impact on the mutation of the virus, it will change and accelerate the replication and recombination. Because RdRp from different viruses has a highly conserved core structure, the virus replicase is an important antiviral drug target and there are other selection sites, rather than a single isolated target target such as the new coronavirus As with various mutant viruses, inhibitors developed for viral replicase are expected to become a broad-spectrum antiviral drug. The currently well-known anti-coronavirus drug remdesivir (remdesivir) is a drug for viral replicase.

New antiviral therapies are gradually emerging. In addition to traditional polymerase and protease inhibitors, nucleic acid drugs, cell entry inhibitors, nucleocapsid inhibitors, and drugs targeting host cells are also increasingly appearing in the research and development of major pharmaceutical companies. The treatment of mutated viruses is becoming increasingly urgent. The development of drugs for the new coronavirus pneumonia is very important. It is not only for the current global new coronavirus epidemic, but more importantly, it is of great significance to face the severe pneumonia-respiratory infectious disease that poses a huge threat to humans.

There are many vaccines and related drugs developed for the new coronavirus pneumonia, and countries are vying for a while, mainly including the following:

Identification test, appearance, difference in loading, moisture, pH value, osmolality, polysaccharide content, free polysaccharide content, potency test, sterility test, pyrogen test, bacterial endotoxin test, abnormal toxicity test.

Among them: such as sterility inspection, pyrogen inspection, bacterial endotoxin, and abnormal toxicity inspection are indicators closely related to safety.

Polysaccharide content, free polysaccharide content, and efficacy test are indicators closely related to vaccine effectiveness.

Usually, a vaccine will go through a long research and development process of at least 8 years or even more than 20 years from research and development to marketing. The outbreak of the new crown epidemic requires no delay, and the design and development of vaccines is speeding up. It is not surprising in this special period. Of course, it is understandable that vaccine design, development and testing can be accelerated, shortened the cycle, and reduced some procedures. However, science needs to be rigorous and rigorous to achieve great results. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines are of the utmost importance. There must not be a single error. Otherwise, it will be counterproductive and need to be continuously improved and perfected.

Pre-clinical research: The screening of strains and cells is the basic guarantee to ensure the safety, effectiveness, and continuous supply of vaccines. Taking virus vaccines as an example, the laboratory stage needs to carry out strain screening, necessary strain attenuation, strain adaptation to the cultured cell matrix and stability studies in the process of passaging, and explore the stability of process quality, establish animal models, etc. . Choose mice, guinea pigs, rabbits or monkeys for animal experiments according to each vaccine situation. Pre-clinical research generally takes 5-10 years or longer on the premise that the process is controllable, the quality is stable, and it is safe and effective. In order to be safe and effective, a certain redundant design is also needed, so that the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine can be importantly guaranteed.

These include the establishment of vaccine strain/cell seed bank, production process research, quality research, stability research, animal safety evaluation and effectiveness evaluation, and clinical trial programs, etc.

The ARS-CoV-2 genome contains at least 10 ORFs. ORF1ab is converted into a polyprotein and processed into 16 non-structural proteins (NSP). These NSPs have a variety of functional biological activities, physical and chemical reactions, such as genome replication, induction of host mRNA cleavage, membrane rearrangement, autophagosome production, NSP polyprotein cleavage, capping, tailing, methylation, RNA double-stranded Uncoiling, etc., and others, play an important role in the virus life cycle. In addition, SARS-CoV-2 contains 4 structural proteins, namely spike (S), nucleocapsid (N), envelope (E) and membrane (M), all of which are encoded by the 3'end of the viral genome. Among the four structural proteins, S protein is a large multifunctional transmembrane protein that plays an important role in the process of virus adsorption, fusion, and injection into host cells, and requires in-depth observation and research.

1S protein is composed of S1 and S2 subunits, and each subunit can be further divided into different functional domains. The S1 subunit has 2 domains: NTD and RBD, and RBD contains conservative RBM. The S2 subunit has 3 structural domains: FP, HR1 and HR2. The S1 subunit is arranged at the top of the S2 subunit to form an immunodominant S protein.

The virus uses the host transmembrane protease Serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and the endosomal cysteine ​​protease CatB/L to enter the cell. TMPRSS2 is responsible for the cleavage of the S protein to expose the FP region of the S2 subunit, which is responsible for initiating endosome-mediated host cell entry into it. It shows that TMPRSS2 is a host factor necessary for virus entry. Therefore, the use of drugs that inhibit this protease can achieve the purpose of treatment.

mRNA-1273

The mRNA encoding the full length of SARS-CoV-2, and the pre-spike protein fusion is encapsulated into lipid nanoparticles to form mRNA-1273 vaccine. It can induce a high level of S protein specific antiviral response. It can also consist of inactivated antigens or subunit antigens. The vaccine was quickly approved by the FDA and has entered phase II clinical trials. The company has announced the antibody data of 8 subjects who received different immunization doses. The 25ug dose group achieved an effect similar to the antibody level during the recovery period. The 100ug dose group exceeded the antibody level during the recovery period. In the 25ug and 100ug dose groups, the vaccine was basically safe and tolerable, while the 250ug dose group had 3 levels of systemic symptoms.

Viral vector vaccines can provide long-term high-level expression of antigen proteins, induce CTLs, and ultimately eliminate viral infections.

1, Ad5-nCov

A vaccine of SARS-CoV-2 recombinant spike protein expressed by recombinant, replication-deficient type 5 adenovirus (Ad5) vector. Load the optimized full-length S protein gene together with the plasminogen activation signal peptide gene into the E1 and E3 deleted Ad5 vectors. The vaccine is constructed by the Admax system derived from Microbix Biosystem. In phase I clinical trials, RBD (S1 subunit receptor binding domain) and S protein neutralizing antibody increased by 4 times 14 days after immunization, reaching a peak on 28 days. CD4+T and CD8+T cells reached a peak 14 days after immunization. The existing Ad5 immune resistance partially limits the response of antibodies and T cells. This study will be further conducted in the 18-60 age group, receiving 1/3 of the study dose, and follow-up for 3-6 months after immunization.

DNA vaccine

The introduction of antigen-encoding DNA and adjuvants as vaccines is the most innovative vaccine method. The transfected cells stably express the transgenic protein, similar to live viruses. The antigen will be endocytosed by immature DC, and finally provide antigen to CD4 + T, CD8 + T cells (by MHC differentiation) To induce humoral and cellular immunity. Some specificities of the virus and the new coronavirus mutant are different from general vaccines and other vaccines. Therefore, it is worth noting the gene expression of the vaccine. Otherwise, the effectiveness and efficiency of the vaccine will be questioned.

Live attenuated vaccine

DelNS1-SARS-CoV2-RBD

Basic influenza vaccine, delete NS1 gene. Express SARS-CoV-2 RBD domain. Cultured in CEF and MDCK (canine kidney cells) cells. It is more immunogenic than wild-type influenza virus and can be administered by nasal spray.

The viral genome is susceptible to mutation, antigen transfer and drift can occur, and spread among the population. Mutations can vary depending on the environmental conditions and population density of the geographic area. After screening and comparing 7,500 samples of infected patients, scientists found 198 mutations, indicating the evolutionary mutation of the virus in the human host. These mutations may form different virus subtypes, which means that even after vaccine immunization, viral infections may occur. A certain amount of increment and strengthening is needed here.

Inactivated vaccines, adenovirus vector vaccines, recombinant protein vaccines, nucleic acid vaccines, attenuated influenza virus vector vaccines, etc. According to relevant information, there are dozens of new coronavirus vaccines in the world, and more varieties are being developed and upgraded. Including the United States, Britain, China, Russia, India and other countries, there are more R&D and production units.

AZ vaccine

Modena vaccine

Lianya Vaccine

High-end vaccine

Pfizer vaccine

Pfizer-BioNTech

A large study found that the vaccine developed by Pfizer and German biotechnology company BioNTech is 95% effective in preventing COVID-19.

The vaccine is divided into two doses, which are injected every three weeks.

This vaccine uses a molecule called mRNA as its basis. mRNA is a molecular cousin of DNA, which contains instructions to build specific proteins; in this case, the mRNA in the vaccine encodes the coronavirus spike protein, which is attached to the surface of the virus and used to infect human cells. Once the vaccine enters the human body, it will instruct the body's cells to make this protein, and the immune system will learn to recognize and attack it.

Moderna

The vaccine developed by the American biotechnology company Moderna and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is also based on mRNA and is estimated to be 94.5% effective in preventing COVID-19.

Like Pfizer's vaccine, this vaccine is divided into two doses, but injected every four weeks instead of three weeks. Another difference is that the Moderna vaccine can be stored at minus 20 degrees Celsius instead of deep freezing like Pfizer vaccine. At present, the importance of one of the widely used vaccines is self-evident.

Oxford-AstraZeneca

The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is approximately 70% effective in preventing COVID-19-that is, in clinical trials, adjusting the dose seems to improve this effect.

In the population who received two high-dose vaccines (28 days apart), the effectiveness of the vaccine was about 62%; according to early analysis, the effectiveness of the vaccine in those patients who received the half-dose first and then the full-dose Is 90%. However, in clinical trials, participants taking half doses of the drug are wrong, and some scientists question whether these early results are representative.

Sinopharm Group (Beijing Institute of Biological Products, China)

China National Pharmaceutical Group Sinopharm and Beijing Institute of Biological Products have developed a vaccine from inactivated coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The inactivated coronavirus is an improved version that cannot be replicated.

Estimates of the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 vary.

Gamaleya Institute

The Gamaleya Institute of the Russian Ministry of Health has developed a coronavirus vaccine candidate called Sputnik V. This vaccine contains two common cold viruses, adenoviruses, which have been modified so that they will not replicate in the human body; the modified virus also contains a gene encoding the coronavirus spike protein.

New crown drugs

There are many small molecule antiviral drug candidates in the clinical research stage around the world. Including traditional drugs in the past and various drugs yet to be developed, antiviral drugs, immune drugs, Gene drugs, compound drugs, etc.

(A) Molnupiravir

Molnupiravir is a prodrug of the nucleoside analog N4-hydroxycytidine (NHC), jointly developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

The positive rate of infectious virus isolation and culture in nasopharyngeal swabs was 0% (0/47), while that of patients in the placebo group was 24% (6/25). However, data from the Phase II/III study indicate that the drug has no benefit in preventing death or shortening the length of stay in hospitalized patients.

Therefore, Merck has decided to fully advance the research of 800mg molnupiravir in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19.

(B) AT-527

AT-527 is a small molecule inhibitor of viral RNA polymerase, jointly developed by Roche and Atea. Not only can it be used as an oral therapy to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients, but it also has the potential as a preventive treatment after exposure.

Including 70 high-risk COVID-19 hospitalized patients data, of which 62 patients' data can be used for virological analysis and evaluation. The results of interim virological analysis show that AT-527 can quickly reduce viral load. On day 2, compared with placebo, patients treated with AT-527 had a greater decline in viral load than the baseline level, and the continuous difference in viral load decline was maintained until day 8.

In addition, compared with the control group, the potent antiviral activity of AT-527 was also observed in patients with a baseline median viral load higher than 5.26 log10. When testing by RT-qPCR to assess whether the virus is cleared,

The safety aspect is consistent with previous studies. AT-527 showed good safety and tolerability, and no new safety problems or risks were found. Of course, there is still a considerable distance between experiment and clinical application, and a large amount of experimental data can prove it.

(C) Prokrutamide

Prokalamide is an AR (androgen receptor) antagonist. Activated androgen receptor AR can induce the expression of transmembrane serine protease (TMPRSS2). TMPRSS2 has a shearing effect on the new coronavirus S protein and ACE2, which can promote the binding of viral spike protein (S protein) to ACE, thereby promoting The virus enters the host cell. Therefore, inhibiting the androgen receptor may inhibit the viral infection process, and AR antagonists are expected to become anti-coronavirus drugs.

Positive results were obtained in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III clinical trial. The data shows that Prokalutamide reduces the risk of death in severely ill patients with new coronary disease by 92%, reduces the risk of new ventilator use by 92%, and shortens the length of hospital stay by 9 days. This shows that procrulamide has a certain therapeutic effect for patients with severe new coronary disease, which can significantly reduce the mortality of patients, and at the same time greatly reduce the new mechanical ventilation and shorten the patient's hospital stay.

With the continuous development of COVID-19 on a global scale, in addition to vaccines and prevention and control measures, we need a multi-pronged plan to control this disease. Oral antiviral therapy undoubtedly provides a convenient treatment option.

In addition, there are other drugs under development and experimentation. In dealing with the plague virus, in addition to the strict control of protective measures, it is very important that various efficient and safe vaccines and various drugs (including medical instruments, etc.) are the ultimate nemesis and killer of the virus.

(A) "Antiviral biological missiles" are mainly drugs for new coronaviruses and mutant viruses, which act on respiratory and lung diseases. The drugs use redundant designs to inhibit new coronaviruses and variant viruses.

(B) "New Coronavirus Epidemic Prevention Tablets" mainly use natural purified elements and chemical structure modifications.

(C) "Composite antiviral oral liquid" antiviral intermediate, natural antiviral plant, plus other preparations

(D) "New Coronavirus Long-acting Oral Tablets" Chemical modification of antiviral drugs, multiple targets, etc.

(E) "New Coronavirus Inhibitors" (injections) are mainly made of chemical drug structure modification and other preparations.

The development of these drugs mainly includes: drug target screening, structure-activity relationship, chemical modification, natural purification, etc., which require a lot of work and experimentation.

Humans need to vigorously develop drugs to deal with various viruses. These drugs are very important for the prevention and treatment of viruses and respiratory infectious diseases, influenza, pneumonia, etc.

The history of human development The history of human evolution, like all living species, will always be accompanied by the survival and development of microorganisms. It is not surprising that viruses and infectious diseases are frequent and prone to occur. The key is to prevent and control them before they happen.

This strain was first discovered in India in October 2020 and was initially called a "double mutant" virus by the media. According to the announcement by the Ministry of Health of India at the end of March this year, the "India New Coronavirus Genomics Alliance" composed of 10 laboratories found in samples collected in Maharashtra that this new mutant strain carries E484Q and L452R mutations. , May lead to immune escape and increased infectivity. This mutant strain was named B.1.617 by the WHO and was named with the Greek letter δ (delta) on May 31.

Shahid Jamil, the dean of the Trivedi School of Biological Sciences at Ashoka University in India and a virologist, said in an interview with the Shillong Times of India that this mutant strain called "double mutation" is not accurate enough. B. 1.617 contains a total of 15 mutations, of which 6 occur on the spike protein, of which 3 are more critical: L452R and E484Q mutations occur on the spike protein and the human cell "Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2)" receptor In the bound region, L452R improves the ability of the virus to invade cells, and E484Q helps to enhance the immune escape of the virus; the third mutation P681R can also make the virus enter the cell more effectively. (Encyclopedia website)

There are currently dozens of antiviral COVID-19 therapies under development. The large drugmakers Merck and Pfizer are the closest to the end, as expected, a pair of oral antiviral COVID-19 therapies are undergoing advanced human clinical trials.

Merck's drug candidate is called monupiravir. It was originally developed as an influenza antiviral drug several years ago. However, preclinical studies have shown that it has a good effect on SARS and MERS coronavirus.

Monupiravir is currently undergoing in-depth large-scale Phase 3 human trials. So far, the data is so promising that the US government recently pre-ordered 1.7 million courses of drugs at a cost of $1.2 billion. If everything goes according to plan, the company hopes that the drug will be authorized by the FDA for emergency use and be on the market before the end of 2021.

Pfizer's large COVID-19 antiviral drug candidate is more unique. Currently known as PF-07321332, this drug is the first oral antiviral drug to enter human clinical trials, specifically targeting SARS-CoV-2.

Variant of Concern WHO Label First Detected in World First Detected in Washington State

B.1.1.7 Alpha United Kingdom, September 2020 January 2021

B.1.351 Beta South Africa, December 2020 February 2021

P.1 Gamma Brazil, April 2020 March 2021

B.1.617.2 Delta India, October 2020 April 2021

Although this particular molecule was developed in 2020 after the emergence of the new coronavirus, a somewhat related drug called PF-00835231 has been in operation for several years, targeting the original SARS virus. However, the new drug candidate PF-07321332 is designed as a simple pill that can be taken under non-hospital conditions in the initial stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

"The protease inhibitor binds to a viral enzyme and prevents the virus from replicating in the cell," Pfizer said when explaining the mechanism of its new antiviral drug. "Protease inhibitors have been effective in the treatment of other viral pathogens, such as HIV and hepatitis C virus, whether used alone or in combination with other antiviral drugs. Currently marketed therapeutic drugs for viral proteases are generally not toxic Therefore, such molecules may provide well-tolerated treatments against COVID-19."

Various studies on other types of antiviral drugs are also gaining momentum. For example, the new coronavirus pneumonia "antiviral biological missile", "new coronavirus prevention tablets", "composite antiviral oral liquid", "new coronavirus long-acting oral tablets", "new coronavirus inhibitors" (injections), etc., are worthy of attention. Like all kinds of vaccines, they will play a major role in preventing and fighting epidemics.

In addition, Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionoyoshi Pharmaceutical is currently conducting a phase 1 trial of a protease inhibitor similar to SARS-CoV-2. This is called S-217622, ​​which is another oral antiviral drug, and hopes to provide people with an easy-to-take pill in the early stages of COVID-19. At present, the research and development of vaccines and various new crown drugs is very active and urgent. Time does not wait. With the passage of time, various new crown drugs will appear on the stage one after another, bringing the gospel to the complete victory of mankind.

The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. The Delta mutant strain has quickly become the most prominent SARS-CoV-2 strain in the world. Although our vaccine is still maintained, it is clear that we need more tools to combat this new type of coronavirus. Delta will certainly not be the last new SARS-CoV-2 variant we encountered. Therefore, it is necessary for all mankind to persevere and fight the epidemic together.

Overcome illness and meet new challenges. The new crown epidemic and various mutated viruses are very important global epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic top priorities, especially for the current period of time. Vaccine injections, research and development of new drugs, strict prevention and control, wear masks, reduce gatherings, strictly control large gatherings, prevent the spread of various viruses Masks, disinfection and sterilization, lockdown of the city, vaccinations, accounting and testing are very important, but this does not mean that humans can completely overcome the virus. In fact, many spreading and new latently transmitted infections are still unsuccessful. There are detections, such as invisible patients, asymptomatic patients, migratory latent patients, new-onset patients, etc. The struggle between humans and the virus is still very difficult and complicated, and long-term efforts and exploration are still needed, especially for medical research on the new coronavirus. The origin of the disease, the course of the disease, the virus invaded The deep-level path and the reasons for the evolution and mutation of the new coronavirus and the particularity of prevention and treatment, etc.). Therefore, human beings should be highly vigilant and must not be taken lightly. The fierce battle between humans and various viruses must not be slackened. Greater efforts are needed to successfully overcome this pandemic, fully restore the normal life of the whole society, restore the normal production and work order, restore the normal operation of society, economy and culture, and give up food due to choking. Or eager for success, will pay a high price.

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References References are made to web resources, and related images are from web resources and related websites.

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Compilation postscript

Once Fang Ruida's research literature on the new crown virus and mutant virus was published, it has been enthusiastically praised by readers and netizens in dozens of countries around the world, and has proposed some amendments and suggestions. Hope to publish a multilingual version of the book as an emergency To meet the needs of many readers around the world, in the face of the new crown epidemic and the prevention and treatment of various mutant viruses, including the general public, college and middle school students, medical workers, medical colleagues and so on. According to the English original manuscript, it will be re-compiled and published. Inconsistencies will be revised separately. Thank you very much.

Jacques Lucy, Geneva, Switzerland, August 2021

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Leader mondial, scientifique, scientifique médical, virologue, pharmacien et professeur Fangruida (F.D Smith) sur l'épidémie mondiale et l'ennemi juré et la prévention des nouveaux coronavirus et virus mutants (Jacques Lucy 2021v1.5)

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L'ennemi juré et le tueur du nouveau coronavirus et des virus mutés - Développement conjoint de vaccins et de médicaments (Fangruida) Juillet 2021

* La particularité des nouveaux coronavirus et des virus mutants * Le large spectre, la haute efficacité, la redondance et la sécurité de la conception et du développement du nouveau vaccin contre le coronavirus, Redondance et sécurité

* Nouvelle modification de la structure chimique des médicaments contre les coronavirus * Conception et dépistage des médicaments assistés par ordinateur. *"Missile biologique antiviral", "Nouveaux comprimés anti-épidémiques contre le coronavirus", "Liquide oral antiviral composite", "Nouveaux comprimés oraux à action prolongée contre le coronavirus", "Nouveaux inhibiteurs de coronavirus" (injection)

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(leader mondial, scientifique, scientifique médical, biologiste, virologue, pharmacien, FD Smith) "The Nemesis and Killer of New Coronavirus and Mutated Viruses-The Joint Development of Vaccines and Drugs" est un important document de recherche scientifique. Il a maintenant été révisé et réédité par l'auteur original à plusieurs reprises. La compilation est publiée et publiée selon le manuscrit original pour répondre aux besoins des lecteurs et des internautes du monde entier. En même temps, elle est également très bénéfique pour le grand nombre de chercheurs en médicaments cliniques médicaux et de divers experts et universitaires. Nous espérons qu'il sera corrigé dans la réimpression.------Compilé par Jacques Lucy à Genève, août 2021

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Selon les statistiques en temps réel de Worldometer, vers 6h30 le 23 juillet, il y avait un total de 193 323 815 cas confirmés de nouvelle pneumonie coronarienne dans le monde, et un total de 4 150 213 décès. Il y a eu 570 902 nouveaux cas confirmés et 8 766 nouveaux décès dans le monde en une seule journée. Les données montrent que les États-Unis, le Brésil, le Royaume-Uni, l'Inde et l'Indonésie sont les cinq pays avec le plus grand nombre de nouveaux cas confirmés, et l'Indonésie, le Brésil, la Russie, l'Afrique du Sud et l'Inde sont les cinq pays avec le plus grand nombre de nouveaux décès.

Les nouvelles souches de coronavirus et de mutants delta ont été particulièrement graves ces derniers temps. De nombreux pays et lieux ont repris vie et le nombre de cas n'a pas diminué, mais a augmenté.

, Il est digne de vigilance. Bien que de nombreux pays aient renforcé la prévention et le contrôle des vaccins et d'autres mesures de prévention et de contrôle, il existe encore de nombreuses lacunes et carences dans la suppression et la prévention du virus. Le nouveau coronavirus et diverses souches mutantes présentent un certain degré d'antagonisme par rapport aux médicaments traditionnels et à la plupart des vaccins. Bien que la plupart des vaccins aient de grandes propriétés anti-épidémiques et aient des effets et une protection importants et irremplaçables pour la prévention et le traitement, il est impossible d'empêcher complètement la propagation et l'infection des virus. La propagation de la nouvelle pneumonie à virus couronne a été retardée de près de deux ans. Il y a des centaines de millions de personnes infectées dans le monde, des millions de décès, et le temps est long, la propagation est généralisée et des milliards de personnes dans le monde sont parmi Les dommages causés par le virus sont assez terribles, c'est bien connu. Plus urgent

Ce qui est plus grave, c'est que le virus et les souches mutantes n'ont pas complètement reculé, surtout que de nombreuses personnes sont encore infectées et infectées après avoir été injectées avec divers vaccins.L'efficacité du vaccin et la résistance du virus mutant sont dignes des scientifiques médicaux, virologues , les pharmacologues Les zoologistes et autres réfléchissent et analysent sérieusement. La situation épidémique actuelle dans les pays européens et américains, la Chine, le Brésil, l'Inde, les États-Unis, la Russie et d'autres pays s'est considérablement améliorée par rapport à l'année dernière.Cependant, les chiffres pertinents montrent que la situation épidémique mondiale ne s'est pas complètement améliorée, et certains pays et régions sont encore très graves. En particulier, après une utilisation intensive de divers vaccins, des cas surviennent encore, et dans certains endroits ils sont encore très graves, ce qui mérite une grande vigilance. Les mesures de prévention et de contrôle sont très importantes.De plus, les vaccins et divers médicaments antiépidémiques sont les premiers choix nécessaires, et les autres méthodes sont irremplaçables. Il est particulièrement important de développer et de développer des médicaments complets, des médicaments antiviraux, des médicaments immunitaires et des médicaments génétiques. Les expériences de recherche sur les nouveaux coronavirus et virus mutants nécessitent une analyse plus rigoureuse et approfondie des données, des tissus pathogènes pathologiques, des gènes cellulaires, de la chimie moléculaire, de la chimie quantique, etc., ainsi que de la chimie moléculaire des vaccins, de la physique quantique, de la biologie quantique, de l'histologie cytologique, la chimie médicinale et les médicaments Et les symptômes, l'efficacité, la sécurité, l'efficacité à long terme, etc. du vaccin, bien sûr, y compris des dizaines de milliers de cas cliniques et de décès et d'autres informations et preuves de première main. La tâche de l'ARN (acide ribonucléique) dans le corps humain est d'utiliser les informations de notre matériel génétique ADN pour produire des protéines. Il accomplit cette tâche dans le ribosome, la zone productrice de protéines de la cellule. Le ribosome est le lieu où se produit la biosynthèse des protéines.

La médecine en profite : dans la vaccination, l'ARNm produit artificiellement fournit aux ribosomes des instructions pour construire des antigènes pathogènes contre lesquels lutter, par exemple, la protéine de pointe du coronavirus.

Les vaccins vivants traditionnels ou les vaccins inactivés contiennent des antigènes qui provoquent la réaction du système immunitaire. Le vaccin à ARNm est produit dans la cellule

(1) La spécificité des nouveaux coronavirus et virus mutants, etc., virologie et chimie quantique des virus mutants, physique quantique, microbiologie quantique

(2) Nouvelle conception de vaccin couronne, biologie moléculaire et structure chimique, etc.

(3) La généralité et la particularité du développement de nouveaux médicaments contre le coronavirus

(4) Diverses conceptions de médicaments pour la pneumonie à nouveau coronavirus, la chimie médicinale, la pharmacologie, etc., les cellules, les protéines, l'ADN, la chimie des enzymes, la chimie quantique pharmaceutique, la physique quantique pharmaceutique, la biochimie humaine, la biophysique humaine, etc.

(5) Les caractéristiques d'évolution et de mutation du nouveau coronavirus et de divers virus mutants, la nature à long terme, la répétabilité, la résistance aux médicaments et la résistance épidémique du virus, etc.

(6) Pneumonie à nouveau coronavirus et transmission infectieuse de divers nouveaux coronavirus et leurs particularités

(7) La transmission invisible de la pneumonie à nouveau coronavirus et de divers virus mutants chez l'homme ou l'animal, et la symbiose mutuelle de l'infection croisée de diverses bactéries et virus sont également l'une des causes très graves de dommages graves aux nouveaux coronavirus et virus mutants. La virologie, la pathologie, l'étiologie, le séquençage des gènes, la cartographie des gènes et un grand nombre d'études analytiques ont montré qu'il existe de nombreux cas en Chine, aux États-Unis, en Inde, en Russie, au Brésil et dans d'autres pays.

(8) Pour la prévention et le traitement symptomatiques du nouveau coronavirus, la combinaison de divers vaccins et de di

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Title: Modifications àdifférents procédés opératoires : amputation de la jambe, désarticulation des quatre derniers métacarpiens, désarticulation de l'ÃÂépaule, phimosis, extirpation de testicule

Creator: Montes de Oca, Francisco, -1884

Publisher: Paris : G. Masson

Sponsor: Wellcome Library

Contributor: Wellcome Library

Date: 1891

Language: fre

Description: 31 pages, 3 unnumbered leaves of plates : 24 cm

First published in 1874, edited by Daniel M. Velez

If you have questions concerning reproductions, please contact the Contributing Library.

Note: The colors, contrast and appearance of these illustrations are unlikely to be true to life. They are derived from scanned images that have been enhanced for machine interpretation and have been altered from their originals.

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Body Modification!!!

For C, two modifications. Original not mine.