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Objective Non Narrative Issue #8.
No longer on hiatus!
5.25 x 7.875 in
Edition of 100
24 pages black and white
photo curtesy of silvanie
Abrams M1A1 Tanks advance toward their objective as M113AS4 Armoured Personnel Carriers follow, during rehearsals for Exercise Chong Ju.
Mid Caption:
The roar of the venerable RAAF F-111 was heard in the Goulburn valley for one of the last times this week (12-13 May 10).
Two of the Amberley- based aircraft supported the Army’s firepower and manoeuvre demonstration at Puckapunyal Military Area, called EXERCISE CHONG JU.
EX CHONG JU is named after a series of offensive actions by the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) on 29 October 1950 against North Koreans, during which infantry company advances were supported by US Army tanks and artillery.
Artillery from 53 Independent Battery fired 105mm rounds in support of the biannual exercise. The battery usually supports courses run by the School of Artillery.
53 Independent Battery was the only Australian battery to bring its guns to bear against the Japanese during the Battle of Kokoda in 1942.
Besides the effect of artillery and aircraft, EX CHONG JU demonstrated M1A1 Abrams tanks, M113AS4 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), ASLAV and the Javelin Medium Defensive Fire Support Weapon. All of these weapon systems are available to an Australian combat team when it employs synchronised arms effects.
From a dense treeline, tanks and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) advanced to their target, called Objective Spike.
The M113AS4 is an updated APC, and features improved armour and cross country capability that allows it to keep up with the M1A1 Tank.
The assaulting force made short work of is objective, and clearly demonstrated the potency of the modern Australian combat team.
EX CHONG JU is a training activity for the Combat Officer Advanced Course, which trains combat arms officers on combined arms tactics.
Melrose, Bronx, New York City, New York, United States
No. 614 Courtlandt Avenue , an early multi-use building in the Bronx, was built in 1871-72 for Julius Ruppert and contained a saloon, public rooms, meeting rooms, and a residential flat. Most likely the work of a builder-contractor, the imposing building displays a variety of early to late Second Empire style motifs successfully combined to reconcile the several uses contained within the building with their exterior expression. Hewlett S. Baker's renovation in 1882 only further enriched the facade.
The building is a monument to the first stage of urbanization within what had been the previously rural south Bronx, helping by its presence to establish a sense of place in the new village of Melrose South. No. 614 also has many of the stylistic features which characterized the buildings along the Bowery between Canal and Houston Streets in the area known as "Kleine Deutschland," where Julius Ruppert first established his business before following his fellow Germans to the Bronx. With its varied uses, the building sheltered a variety of German ethnic activities.
Melrose South and its Early Settlers
The majority of the mid-19th century settlers in New York City's future 23rd Ward (1874), the southwest Bronx, arrived from Manhattan's Lower East Side, eager to leave their noisy and dark, cramped and airless tenements. One of their earliest objectives was the sparsely populated freehold manor, seat of the Morris family who had been prominent in colonial government and the affairs of the early republic, which only recently had been opened for development. Though not a model for subsequent expansion, "New Village," the first subdivision, carries with it some of the method and some of the ingredients of those that followed. In 1848 an association 222 members strong, for the most part German and some Irishmen, mechanics and laboring men, met at the Military Hall at 193 Bowery. Represented by their agents, Jordan Mott, Nicholas McGraw and Charles W. Houghton, they had purchased 200 acres from Gouvemeur Morris, _ Jr.
Lots were drawn and assigned with but one proviso: each owner was to erect a house of no less than $300.00 value within three years, and Morris executed a deed to each new owner. In 1850 New Village became Morrisania, when Mott's early development along the Harlem River, (which had been Morrisania) became Mott Haven.
New Village's success inspired Morris to develop his property further. With Robert Elton and Hampton Denman he had Andrew Findlay, a surveyor, lay out several more communities, Woodstock, Melrose and Melrose East and South, in 1850. Melrose South was incorporated as a village a year later, and in 1864 Morrisania was incorportated as a township, embracing these and ten other villages.
At the time of its incorporation as a village, the boundaries of Melrose South were East 160th Street and the Village of Melrose to the north and East 148th Street and Mott Haven to the south. Its eastern boundary was the Old Boston Post Road (Third Avenue) and its western boundary the railroad. But before the Civil War the area was principally farmland. In 1856 the number of dwellings totalled 173; twelve years later there were 488. Like the citizens of New Village, the preponderance of Melrose South's first residents were German, seeking a healthier alternative to life on the Lower East Side.
Courtlandt Avenue, running north and south along a ridge, was the main shopping street, lined by beer halls and the scene of parades by German bands. Intersecting it, from south to north, were Mott, Benson, Denman,Gouverneur, Wilton, Schuyler, Springfield, Mary and Melrose streets.
The Protection Hall, whose members sponsored marching bands and drill teams, had its headquarters — incorporating a beer garden, bowling alley and dance hall — on the west side of Courtlandt between Springfield (154th) and Mary (155th) Streets. Melrose South had its own brewery, J. & M. Haffen's on Elton (152nd) between Courtlandt and Melrose. The Arion Liedertafel Hall was on the west side of Courtlandt between Benson and Gouverneur and so was the Melrose Turn v ere in. There were many beer gardens too. Indeed, Melrose South was compared with the area around Manhattan's Tompkins Square — "Kleine Deutschland," and Courtlandt was called "Dutch Broadway."
For example, in 1871 at the intersection of Courtlandt and Gouverneur (151st Street) — Ruppert's building would occupy the northeast corner — Jacob Sauter, a butcher, lived on the east side of Courtlandt north of Gouverneur; William Langrebe, a tailor, occupied the northwest corner of Courtlandt and Gouverneur; August Schulte had a grocery store on the southeast corner of the intersection. Andrew Schrenk, also listed on the southeast corner, may have lived upstairs. A rooming house occupied the southwest corner, among whose tenants there was an actor and an Irish laundress. August Frenke, a blacksmith in working in Manhattan, dwelled in the first house on the north side of Gouverneur, east of Courtlandt; John Giesner, the cabinet maker, lived next door to him in the second house east of Courtlandt.^ Only the northeast corner was vacant.
The history of the northeast corner of Courtlandt and Gouverneur (151st) is a reflection of Melrose South's early development in microcosm. The butcher Jacob Sauter, mentioned above, engaged in speculative real-estate as well. Immediately following the Civil War (1865) he purchased three lots at the intersection of Courtlandt and Gouverneur from Philip Schuler: lot 300 on the north side of Gouverneur; lot 301 on the corner; and lot 302 on the west side of Courtlandt. Sauter sold lot 300 to Henry - Penning, Sr., in April 1867 and two months later lot 301 to Philip Brecher. Sauter had retained the northern seven feet of lot 301 along Courtlandt.
By 1870 Brecher had divided the remaining fifty foot frontage along Courtlandt, creating two lots, each twenty-five by one hundred feet. A year later Brecher sold the new corner lot to Julius Ruppert, and immediately, Ruppert set about to build his handsome four-story brick building.
The First Owner
The presence of Julius Ruppert (d.1877) is first recorded on the Lower East Side. His initial place of business - a billiard hall in 1859 - was at No. 50 Bowery. In 1863 he moved to No. 5 Avenue A, at the northwest corner of 1st Street, where he maintained a saloon until his death. Beer, most likely the new German lager, was the specialty of the house, except for a short period (1865-67) immediately after the Civil War when he ran a hotel on the premises also. The beer gardens along the Bowery, many of them large buildings decorated within to imitate gardens, could accommodate hundreds of guests. Music was often provided and whole families came to be entertained. Ruppert's establishment at A and 1st was in a four-story building (Plate 2), still standing, with taller second story windows which suggest this floor contained public rooms. His was but one of the beer halls contributing to Avenue A's erstwhile Gemutlichkeit.
No doubt, Ruppert was aware of his countrymen's migration to the Bronx and was motivated to follow his former customers and to offer them the same hospitality in their new neighborhood along "Dutch Broadway" as that they had enjoyed in "Kleine Deutschland." The second story of his building at 614 Courtlandt (Plate 1), with second story windows even taller than those at Avenue A and 1st Street, contained public rooms, most likely designed to house the convocations of fraternal, patriotic or cultural societies. This use is suggested by the proximity of the ground floor saloon. The third story contained meeting rooms while a one-family flat occupied the fourth story.
Ruppert himself never moved his residence from Manhattan, but his widow Catharine (d.1926) did. One year before her husband's death, she took title to the building. And though Catharine Ruppert attempted to sell the building in December of that year — evidently an unsatisfactory arrangement -— she was residing there in 1880, and it remained her address until 1894. It was Catharine Ruppert who commissioned Hewlett S. Baker, architect, to renovate the building in 1882, ^ dividing the second and third stories into two residential flats each. Baker lowered the second story ceiling and, as a consequence, the height of the distinctive windows; he also lowered the Gouverneur Street entrance.
Until her heirs sold No. 614 in 1927, Catharine Ruppert leased the ground story, and often some dwelling space abov^,' to tavern keepers, with but one exception. Her first tenant in 1889-1894, was a butcher, Mortimer C. Langrebe, perhaps a kinsman of William Langrebe, the tailor across Courtlandt Avenue.
The Building and Its Design
Julius Ruppert's multi-use, three-story building with its mansard fourth story is an imposing structure. Aside from the tall mansard, "Ruppert's building has other remarkable features. Among these are the tall, second story windows already mentioned, as well as the raised decorative ornament on the roof dormers. But most remarkable of all is the manipulation of stylistic forms to translate the varied aspects of the building's several functions into architecture.
No. 614 Courtlandt represents a combination of successive historical styles, styles characteristic of the third quarter of the 19th century. The cast-iron segmental window heads and their foliate corbels are characteristic of the late Italianate mode. The steeply pitched mansard roof is typically of the Second Empire Style. The heavy, bracketed and modillioned, galvanized metal cornice is neo-Grec. The second story window tympana with their fan motifs suggest Queen Anne ornament. The decorative reveals in the brick chimneys can be seen in both neo-Grec and Queen Anne prototypes.
One explanation for this apparent multiplicity has already been touched upon; Hewlett Baker's interior renovation for Catharine Ruppert in 1882, had a definite impact on the exterior of the building her husband had built eleven years before. But despite the presence of these variegated stylistic elements, building records and stylistic analysis indicate there were but two building campaigns.
Julius Ruppert's building can be considered as generally Second Empire in style, a revival of French .Renaissance forms associated with Napoleon Ill's ambitious program for reconstructing offical Paris. The style was accepted in the major cities of Europe as well as in post-Civil War New York. There is a German quality about its use here — the crisp and practical manipulation of architectural elements rather than the grand and symmetrical interpretation more typical of the French. The mansard roof is, of course, de rigeur.
The imbricated slates and oval dormers, the rounded edges of the roof's metal framing and this framing's convex corners, the rosettes and the roof's iron cresting are all stock Second Empire stylistic components. Segmental-arched windows and doors are also characteristic of this style. The late Italianate window hoods (Plate 4) are not inappropriate here; many Second Empire style buildings retain Italianate features. These windows (all but the three ground story windows on Gouverneur which have straight iron lintels) with their corbelled iron sills compare favorably with those of a contemporary firehouse in Morrisania, the Lady Washington Engine Company No. 1 (1872), but now destroyed (plate 5). Even the fourth story dormers echo the segmental curve of the windows below.
Neither the modillions of the cornice entablature nor the circular panels of the architrave below them are foreign to the Second Empire style, but the paired brackets although somewhat neo-Grec in character are an integral part of the cornice design itself; and their placement plays a small but sensitive part in resolving the facades conflicting symmetry. These brackets are articulated as projecting triglyphs. As such they are not inappropriate; the Second Empire style made frequent and explicit use of the classical orders. Finally, the symmetrical aspect of the Courtlandt Avenue facade, albeit clumsy, fits the Second Empire canon.
Who might have designed Julius Ruppert's building? Most likely, it was a builder-contractor, perhaps not even a Bronx man, but someone Ruppert knew in "Kleine Deutschland." He appears to have been familiar with Ruppert's establishment on the Lower East Side. Like No. 5 Avenue A , No. 614 -. ^has four stories, the entrance to the upper floors is located on the side street to the rear of the building and the second story ceilings and windows are taller than those in the two stories above. On one hand, the combination of early and late Second Empire stylistic features, the manipulated symmetry, and the slight chronological stylistic disparity between the mansard, the cornice, and the window heads, speaks of a builder dependent upon ready-made, pre-cast elements.
On the other hand, there is no doubt that No. 614 Courtlandt's builder was familiar with the rudiments of proportion and possessed a knowledge of styles. Our builder, rather than mimicking the exact synnnetry of French prototypes, produced a Second Empire facade of imposing practicality. He integrated the various parts with a pleasing and confident authority.
The most conspicuous of the exterior changes caused by Baker's 1882 interior renovation are the terra-cotta, second story window tympana (Plate 4), introduced when Mrs. Ruppert had the second story adapted to residential use. The decorative terra-cotta panel above the building's 151st St. entrance (Plate 6) is Baker's also (now a metallic silver color, it matched the tympana before it was painted). He introduced this design, a two-handled, classical lamp within a wreath and an ornamental frame in low relief, when he lowered the height of the original doorway. The fire escapes with their decorative iron balustrades were attached to the building at this time.
In 1911 Mrs. Ruppert was required to broaden a fire escape on the 151st Street side and add another to the Courtlandt Avenue facade, both on the second story. In 1933 the firm of De Rose & Cavalieri was retained by a new owner, Leandro Casario, real-estate and insurance broker at 566 Courtlandt Avenue, to renovate within once more. New bathrooms required new windows in the building's eastern (rear) wall at the second and third stories. At this time the original 151st Street stoop was removed.
There appears always to have been some kind of structure in the rear yard. It was a frame shed in 1882, but by 1933 it had become a wooden frame, two-car garage. The present brick-faced, one-story, three-car garage was built at that time. This structure which faces 151st Street is on the Landmark site but is not being identified as a protected feature.
Description
The building is located at the northeast corner of Courtlandt Avenue and 151st Street with the main facade on Courtlandt and the secondary, although longer, facade on 151st Street. Four stories high, it is of red brick.
The ground floor was planned as a commercial space. On Courtlandt, shop windows would have originally flanked a central entrance. Recently the modern roll down security gates have been painted sky blue. The current shopfront is a later addition, but remnants of the original — one iron pilaster supporting an iron cornice which extends across the front and around the corner for one bay — survives. At the base of the iron pilaster, at the northern edge of the building, is stamped the name of the foundry, "J. Alexander, Greenpoint"(Plate 7). On 151st Street are three ground floor window openings, now covered with grilles, with projecting iron lintels and projecting iron sills supported on pendant corbels. The entrance to the upper floors is at the eastern end, up a low stoop. A decorative terra-cotta panel with lamp motif is placed above the door. An iron door hood is aligned with the lintels of the ground floor windows.
At the second floor on the Courtlandt Avenue facade are three tall window openings with segmental, projecting cast-iron hoods on foliate corbels and stone sills. Segmental-arched tympana, bearing fan motifs, are set within the window heads. Until recently the sash had been wood four-over-four; now they are aluminum one-over one. Originally the alignment of these windows would have corresponded with the ground floor openings, unlike the 151st Street elevation where the second story windows are still aligned with the ground floor openings. Here the window openings resemble those on Courtlandt Avenue except for the projecting iron sills with pendant corbels.
At the third story on both elevations, the segmental-arched window openings are not similarly aligned, reflecting the different use of this story; there are four openings on Courtlandt and six on 151st Street. The cast-iron window hoods and corbelled sills are like those seen below. Until very recently the northernmost window on the Courtlandt facade retained its original wood four-over-four sash. Now all the windows in the building have been given aluminum one-over-one sash.
A massive, bracketed and modillioned cornice of metal with paneled architrave surmounts the third story. The fourth story mansard is covered with imbricated slate and punctuated by metal-framed dormers which correspond to the alignment of the third story windows. On Courtlandt oval dormers flank a broad segmental-arched dormer with paired segmental-arched windows with two-over-two sash. The pediment of this dormer contains a central escutcheon secured with a riband and flanked by rinceaux. It is set, in turn, within a central mansard — a reassertion of the central ity of the lower floors — which bears a cavetto cornice.
Applied to the metal surface is a raised eagle, wings outspread. Apparently this eagle is not associated with the decorative escutcheon and riband program just below. Though somewhat bloated in appearance, no doubt due to a lack of exactness in execution, this eagle may be a reflection of the enthusiasm for the impending national centennial.^ The four segmental-arched dormers on 151st Street bear simple riband bows. Two tall, panelled brick chimneys flank these dormers. Recently, these chimneys have been parged and the mansard painted white.
Decorative iron fire escape balconies may be seen at the third story on Courtlandt Avenue and the second, third, and fifth stories on 151st Street.
The Dollar Savings Bank was founded in 1887 by John Haffen of the prominent Haffen family, which controlled much of the Bronx in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was the first thrift institution to be organized in the Bronx, preceding its competitors by sixteen years.
Structured as a mutual savings bank, it was managed for the benefits of the depositors, which assured that most savings would not leave the Bronx. The bank’s early leaders moved quickly to organize development in the Bronx and used the savings deposits to fund improvements in the borough. As the number of accounts increased, the bank’s location in the Haffen building at 2808 Third Avenue was unable to accommodate its rapid growth, and the bank sought new and more spacious quarters.
Designed by the renowned firm of Renwick, Aspinwall & Tucker in 1919, the Classical Revival Style, and the free standing bank building illustrate the style adopted by savings institutions during the last decades of the 19th and the first decades of the 20th century. The banks design has the visual continuity of classical architecture linked with civic pride that is symbolic of the bank’s wealth and stability that typifies the characteristics of the Classical Revival bank building style.
The impressive building is clad entirely in limestone, and sits on a trapezoidal corner lot with facades facing three streets; the window fenestration is distinct on each façade. The canted main entrance with central bracketed pediment, roundarched window, flanking paired Ionic pilasters, with laurel leafs all evoke the traditional classical deign.
The building is crowned by a stone frieze engraved with DOLLAR SAVINGS BANK. This distinctive bank building is a significant reminder of the Classical Revival style banks built in New York City at this time.
By the late 1940s, Dollar had become the sixth largest savings bank in the country. This building, the former Dollar Savings Bank at 2792 Third Avenue, served as the bank’s headquarters from the time it was constructed until c. 1950, when the offices were moved to the Fordham branch at 2516 to 2530 Grand Concourse (a designated New York City Landmark). It is now the Bronx Temple of Seventh Day Adventist Church.
By the turn of the century, the commercial heart of Melrose—with numerous theaters, shops, and banks—was centered around the intersection of East 149th Street, Melrose, Willis and Third Avenues, known as the Hub. It is the oldest major shopping district in the Bronx, with inhabitants throughout the borough patronizing its department stores, boutiques, movie palaces and vaudeville theaters. The intersection of 149th Street and Third Avenue became to known as the “42nd Street and Broadway” of the Bronx. As predicted, by 1911 the intersection was “the great business center of the north borough.” Melrose continued to prosper well into the twentieth century.
The Classical Revival style-building is clad entirely in limestone. The building sits on a trapezoidal corner lot with facades facing three streets; the window fenestration is distinct on each façade. At the base of the Third Avenue façade below each pair of pilasters is a narrow vertically oriented rectangular window with wrought-iron security grilles. This feature is repeated on the base of Willis Avenue façade. Below each window on the same façade is a horizontally oriented narrow window with wrought-iron security grilles, which graduates in size.
On the corner of Third Avenue is the canted main entrance with central bracketed, pedimented entrance, which features a round-arched window with keystone above, flanked by Ionic pilasters. Left of the central entrance are two sets of paired round-arched windows separated by paired Ionic pilasters, a design element that is repeated at the corner of each façade.
On the 147th Street façade are a series of five large round-arched windows with keystones and separated by molded stone discs, flanked at the corners by one-over-one windows with transom, followed by a molded stone decorative panel featuring an eagle and laurel wreath, with a small casement window above nestled between paired Ionic pilasters. This window fenestration is repeated on the Willis Avenue façade. Willis Avenue also features a bracketed pedimented entrance, with a round-arched window and keystone above flanked by Ionic pilasters, and three, one-over-one windows with transoms, followed by a molded stone decorative panel featuring an eagle and laurel wreath, with a small casement window above.
On all three facades the architrave is decorated with paired laurel leafs above each pilaster, crowned by a stone frieze engraved with DOLLAR SAVINGS BANK, followed by a acanthus leaf band and then, a denticulated cornice; the Willis Avenue façade is topped by an angular stone pediment. The northern façade is constructed of brick, it contains two window openings that are partially obscured. The second story is a later addition to the building, and is also constructed of limestone. There are two small one-over-one windows on the Third Avenue façade, five on the 147th Street façade, and two on the Willis Avenue façade. The addition is topped by a metal roof.
From the 1987 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report:
The principal objective of the Aln Valley Railway Project is the restoration and operation of the railway between Alnmouth and Alnwick, providing an additional tourist attraction for the area. The original intention had been to restore the trackbed of the former BR branch to Alnwick. However, due to the construction of the A1 bypass, which cut the original trackbed on the outskirts of the town and the costs associated with building an over bridge, a new station, known as Lionheart station, is being established on a site in Lloyd's Field, adjacent to the Lionheart Enterprise Park. This area has ample space for the railway premises, station, visitor facilities and car parking. The new 'Lionheart Station' will be aligned parallel to the A1 from where a single track line will join and follow the original trackbed to Alnmouth Station, near Hipsburn.
A paratrooper assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, trains on urban operations, including room and building clearing May 21, at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, during Exercise Noble Partner. Noble Partner 16 is happening May 11 to 26 and includes approximately 1300 participants from the U.S., Georgia and the U.K. The exercise is a reoccurring training event that takes place at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia. Noble Partner 16 is a critical part of Georgia's training for its contribution of a light infantry company to the NATO Response Force (NRF) and enhances Georgian territorial self-defense capability. (Photo by Sgt. Daniel Cole, U.S. Army Europe Public Affairs)
The objective is to show that modern can be livable; to show that modern is creative; to show that modern is the perfect future.
Modern minimalist interior design is one of the architectural centerpieces of the 20th century. Spare and streamlined while still being inviting, minimalism is charming in almost any space. With less clutter to wade through and mentally process, the innate beauty of each piece of furniture or art in the home really starts to stand out.
Saw this bizarre-looking craft hanging out along the back row of the sailplane park and had to find out more about it. According to the Canadian company that produces these; "The first objective in designing the Sea-Bow® was to give beginners the opportunity of discovering the joys of flying without the intricacies and difficulties of learning to fly an airplane. The moto is SECURITY.
A one or two-place cockpit motorized by a ROTAX engine, a 9, 11 or 13 cells parachute, 2 rear-wheels and one directional front-wheel make up the general description of the Sea-Bow®.
The uniqueness and originality of the Sea-Bow® resides in the design and positioning of the 4 SPIRO egg-shaped wheels attached to the cockpit chassis. The shape and the precise location and positioning of these wheels enable the Sea-Bow® to safely land and take-off on different types of terrain and conditions such as grass, sand, gravel, asphalt, snow or ice.
The exclusive SPIRO hollow wheel, designed and developed by Sea-Bow®, is the basic characteristic of this flying vehicle. The self-positioning of the SPIRO wheels cushion the effect of a rugged terrain (such as mountains), subsequently eliminating the possibility of damage to the other supporting or directional wheels. After extensive testing, these patented egg-wheels have proved to be indestructible, even at temperatures of -35°C.
Take-off: Should a sliding effect alter the direction of the aircraft, the angle and mobility of the SPIROS will instantly prevent it from turning over. Skidding sideways will enable the Sea-Bow® to re-position itself into the wind.
Level Flight: Because of the aero-dynamic concept of the SPIROS, no pendulum effect will occur in level flight. They will enhance the stability of the aircraft without effort on the part of the user.
Moreover rudder pedals combined with the throttle lever (cruise control) will allow you to enjoy hands-free flying, giving you the opportunity of doing other things such as photography, video taping, map-reading, surveillance, joy-riding, texting, drawing, whittling, sketching, napping, cooking etc...
Cruise Control! This thing has CRUISE CONTROL!!!
Emergency Landing: If engine failure occurs while flying over water, the buoyancy of the 4 hollow SPIROS will furthermore allow a safe water landing, and subsequently prevent the craft from sinking and the lost of a valuable asset.
Did I mention that it has cruise control?
(Portions of the preceding may contain embellishments beyond the control of the manufacturer)
Objective: To evaluate the role of Fetuin A levels in predicting glycemic outcome in individuals with impaired fasting glucose.
Research Design and Methods: A total of 742 young individuals were recruited for the study out of which 177 had impaired fasting glucose, 468 had normoglycemia and 97 individuals with diabetes. These individuals were offsprings of diabetics (either mother or father or both) and were siblings amongst themselves belonging to age group of 18-35 years. Various biochemical investigations such as fasting plasma glucose, glycosylated Hb, serum insulin, C-peptide and Fetuin A were carried out. People with impaired fasting glucose were followed and analyzed according to glycemic outcome and quartile of Fetuin A level.
Results: A total of 66 individuals with prediabetes reverted back to normal, 28 progressed to diabetes and 83 remained with prediabetes over a mean±S.D follow up of 24±4.1 months. People in the highest quartile of fetuin A had the highest Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Increased loss of beta cell activity, decreased sensitivity to insulin and a higher rate of progression to diabetes (relative risk 11.96, 95% CI 5.9 to 24.01, p<0.001) and a significantly lower rate of reversion to normoglycemia (relative risk 5.62, 95% CI 3.16 to 9.9, p<0.001) than those in other Fetuin A quartiles.
fetuin A correlated positively with Insulin (r= +0.289, p<0.001), C-peptide (r=+ 0.177, p<0.001), %β cell function(r= -0.368, p<0.001), insulin resistance (r= +0.436, p<0.001) and glycosylated Hb (r=+0.958, p<0.05) and negatively with % sensitivity to insulin( r= -0.287, p<0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that baseline fetuin A, insulin levels and fasting glucose levels were predictive of reversion to normoglycemia.
Conclusions: Increased fetuin A levels had an adverse impact on glycemic outcomes thus suggesting that fasting plasma glucose and Fetuin A can be used as a tool to determine the susceptibility of an individual to develop pre-diabetes and thus diabetes mellitus.
Author(s) Details
Sukhraj Kaur
Department of Biochemistry, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India.
Dr. Mridula Mahajan
Department of Biochemistry, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India.
Read full article: bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/view/53/534/471-1
View More: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rdG-Rbvi84
Shakhrisabz is Timur's hometown, and once upon a time it probably put Samarkand itself in the shade.
Ak Saray, Shakhrisabz
Shahrisabz is, above all, associated with the Ak-Saray palace. Many amazing legends are linked with the history of the palace's construction. According to one of them, Timur began to think of building a magnificent edifice, summoned an architect and set out his objective. After listening to the ruler, the architect asked to be allowed into the state exchequer. When permission was granted, the craftsman started to make foundation blocks from clay mixed with gold in full view of Timur. Seeing that the ruler remained impassive, he broke up the blocks and returned the gold to the exchequer. When Timur asked: "Why did you do that?" the architect replied: "So as to make sure of your determination to embark on constructing a building that requires vast expenditure." A second legend recounts that, after the main building work had been completed, Timur began to tell the craftsmen to hurry up and finish the decorative facing of the palace. But they were in no hurry to cover the building with majolica and mosaic. When the angry ruler ordered the chief architect to be brought before him, it emerged that had vanished after hanging a chain in the centre of the palace's main arch. Since no other craftsman of equal stature could be found, the building remained unfinished. Some time later, however, the architect suddenly appeared and, after making sure that the chain on the entrance arch was now considerably lower, embarked on decorating the building. When Timur demanded an explanation of his strange flight and sudden reappearance, the architect replied: "I dared not disobey my sovereign's command, but I could not carry it out either. Stern punishment awaited me in either case, since such a majestic building had to settle and bed down firmly in the ground, otherwise all the decoration on it would be destroyed." The great ruler appreciated the craftsman's wisdom and resourcefulness.
The palace building in Shahrisabz took over a quarter of a century to construct. The Spanish ambassador, Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, who passed through Shahrisabz in 1404 on his way to the court of Timur in Samarkand, was astounded and charmed by the architectural miracle, and he left a detailed description of it, noting, however, that the splendid artistic decoration of the palace was still unfinished. The overall layout, scale and artistic appearance of Ak-Saray can be reconstituted from the descriptions of contemporaries and eyewitnesses, as well as from the results of archaeological excavation at the site. According to written accounts, the palace consisted of several
stately, living or service quarters, grouped around separate courtyards.The overall scale of the palace is impressive: the main courtyard alone, which has been reconstituted from the microrelief, was 120 - 125 m wide and 240 - 250 m long. The size of the other courtyards and of the outer perimeter of the palace has not been reconstructed owing to severe disturbance of the microrelief in the 15th - 16th centuries. Calculation of the proportions of the surviving elements of the site makes it fairly certain that the height of the main portal reached 70 m. It was topped by arched pinnacles (ko'ngra), while corner towers on a multifaceted pedestal were at least 80 m high. The main entrance portal was 50 m wide, and the arch had the largest span, 22.5 m, in Central Asia.
The architectural decor, featuring a wide variety of designs and colours, is particularly
noteworthy in the artistic appearance of Ak-Saray. When using various techniques,
however, the craftsmen bore in mind that the palace's main portal faced north, towards the capital, Samarkand. Given the poor light, the rchitects used only flat segmentation here and hence a continuous decorative treatment. The use of brick mosaic work, mainly dark and light blue in colour, forming large geometrical and epigraphic designs on a background of polished building brick, gives the portal a special softness of colour and an air of grand mystery.
The various mosaic and majolica work in the niche of the portal is particularly refined and highly coloured. The delicately executed foliate ornamentation incorporates exquisite calligraphic inscriptions of mainly Koranic content, although secular ones are found too. In the midst of the decorative facing, an inscription has survived, giving the date of completion, 798 (1395 - 1396), and the name of the craftsman, Muhammad Yusuf Tebrizi (from the Azeri city of Tabriz). According to Clavijo, who visited Ak-Saray, "in this palace was a very long entrance and a very high portal, and by the
entrance, to right and left, were brick arches covered with tiles painted with various designs. Beneath these arches was what looked like small rooms without doors, and the floor inside them was covered with tiles. This was done so that people could sit there when the king was present. Beyond this was another door and after that a large courtyard, paved with white slabs and surrounded by richly decorated galleries. In the middle of the courtyard was a large pool. The courtyard was some 300 paces wide, and it gave access to a large house, in which was a very high and wide door, decorated with gold, azure and tiles of very fine workmanship. In the middle, above the door, a lion was depicted, lying in the sun, and exactly the same picture was to be found at the edges. This was the device of the king of Samarkand. After this, the envoys were taken to look at the chamber that the king had appointed for sitting and feasting with his wives, very spacious and luxurious. Before it was a large garden with many shady and
assorted fruit trees. Inside it were many pools and artfully sited meadows. By the entrance to this garden there was such a vast space that many people could have enjoyed themselves sitting there in the summertime beside the water and beneath the shade of the trees. The workmanship in the palace is so luxurious that, in order to describe everything well, one has to go and examine it a little at a time."
The Ak-Saray palace is a grandiose piece of civil architecture, and not just by Central
Asian standards. Historical tradition ascribes the destruction of the majestic edifice to
Abdullakhan, who, during one of the sieges of unsubdued Shahrisabz, is supposed to have ordered the splendid structures of Timur and his descendants to be demolished. Be that as it may, of the once luxurious royal palace only the pillars and part of the arch of the main portal remained by the second half of the 18th century.
Photographs in this collection have been produced by Alison Lowrie, Heather Do, Liz Dolinar, and Adriana Haro at request of Michael Ashley for the UC Berkeley Anthropology 136e class, Spring 2011. The purpose was to digitally document the cultural heritage of Green Gulch Zen Center with the objective of gaining better insight into the Zen Center's cultural history through the use of photographic technology.
Green Gulch Farm Zen Center (37.86556°N 122.56389°W), also referred to as the Green Dragon Temple, is located in Marin County, CA in a beautiful coastal valley overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Green Gulch, approximately a 10 mile drive north of San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, is located on 115 acres surrounded by hundreds of acres of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Green Gulch is a cultural heritage site constituting of one of the three centers that form the San Francisco Zen Center founded by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi [1]. In 1972, Green Gulch was purchased from George Wheelwright, co-founder of Polaroid, as a part of Shunryu Suzuki Roshi's vision to obtain a farm near the San Francisco Bay area where a community of Zen Buddhist practitioners could communally live and practice in accompany of one another [2] [3]. Part of the Wheelwright's stipulation of the sale to the San Francisco Zen Center was that the farm must forever remain open to the public, as well as partake in agricultural awareness [4]. Green Gulch now serves as a Buddhist practice center in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition, were their endeavor is to awaken the people residing, working, and visiting the center in the bodhisattva spirit-the spirit of kindness and realistic helpfulness [1]. Green Gulch is compromised of a temple (the Zendo), organic farm and garden, guesthouse, and conference center. The center offers training and practice in Zen mediation through workshops and retreats, as well as apprenticeships emphasizing meditation practice, Buddhist teachings, and organic gardening and farming methods [5].
Photographs in this collection were captured on Sunday April 24, 2011, between 11:30 AM and 2:15 PM Pacific Time, under sunny conditions. Nixon D80 and two-Canon XSI cameras were used. A tripod was used for HDR shots. The photos were post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3.
Description written by Adriana Haro, following Alonso C. Addison’s proposed virtual heritage metadata format in his chapter "The Vanishing Virtual" in New Heritage: New Media and Cultural Heritage, edited by Kalay, et al., and published by Routledge in 2007.
All photos Copyright ©2011 Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley CA Creative Commons creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/
For more information contact Center for Digital Archaeology, Berkeley, CA, 94720 or visit www.codifi.info/licensing
Further information about Green Gulch Zen Center can be found at www.sfzc.org/ggf/
Original Filename: ANTHRO136SP11_GG_Cam20_23_16_002
[1] www.sfzc.org/ggf/display.asp?catid=3&pageid=484
[2] Oda, Mayumi (2002). I Opened the Gate, Laughing: an Inner Journey. Chronicle Books.
[3] Richmond, Ivan. Silence and Noise: Growing Up Zen in America. Simon and Schuster.
[4] McCormick, Kathleen (2000). The Garden Lover's Guide to the West. Princeton Architectural Press.
Introducing the new L47 Objective Squad Based Bullpup Rifle Series, from MKC. This is the Close Quarters Variant. Because the barrel of a bullpup rifle extends behind the trigger assembly, the rifles over all length is normally shorter than that of a rifle with the same barrel length. This means that what would normally be a full size rifle can be shortened to a CQBR by configuring it as a bullpup. The L47 is a perfect example of this. The 11" (inch) barrel it sports would normally extend 11 inches away from the trigger, plus magazine size. The tip of the L47 CQ's barrel is no more than five inches away from the trigger, without attachments. That's the same length as an MP5K.
Chambered in 4.6x36mm, this rifle fires in either full or semi-auto, or in a three round burst, and feeds from a 45 round magazine. The stock is rounded off underneath for shoulder mounting, and the lower rail includes a built in flashlight holder.
The main objective is to come up with a plan to get through the fence and sneak some hay. Objective is also the last part of the left cow's name.
Soldiers from the 74th Motorized Battalion in the Slovenian Army maneuver through thick forestry en route to their objective as they conduct a deliberate attack exercise during the Immediate Response 2012 (IR12) training event held in Slunj, Croatia on Wednesday, May 30, 2012. IR12 is a multinational tactical field training exercise that will involve more than 700 personnel primarily from the U.S. Army Europe’s 2nd Calvary Regiment and Croatian armed forces, with contingents from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia. Macedonia and Serbia will send observers to the exercise. The exercise is a part of USEUCOM's joint training and exercise program designed to enhance joint and combined interoperability between the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, Croatian Armed Forces and partner nations, and will help prepare participants to operate successfully in a joint, multinational, interagency, integrated environment. (U.S. Army photo by SPC Lorenzo Ware/Released)
Aaron and I man the trench with our 8 man squad. All we have to do is defend it against 16 other soldiers...
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This wargame system is being developed by Magnus and Chandler and is being played on Magnus' Modular Landscape System. All lanscape, figures, and vehicles in this game were created by Magnus.
Cadets from 7th Regiment, Advanced Camp, assault into an objective during the Field Training Exercise (FTX) on July 20 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The FTX puts Cadets in mock-combat scenarios to see how they perform under pressure. | Photo by Reagan Zimmerman, CST Public Affairs Office
On top of the distant hilltop-on the left-is a ruined Romanesque church. No map, no route given. Instinct alone.
Oval shape is the Objective Window with Index Prism inside. Silver square with round hole is the Bubble Dome with a Diffuser on top and the Bubble Control knob to the right. The mount at the bottom is for electrical power. The Start lever is for the Averaging Mechanism. Here's its definition:The averaging device assembly is a contributory mechanism used to obtain automatically the average reading for 60 sights on an observed celestial body during a two minute interval. The purpose of the averaging device is to reduce any error in the final mean reading, due to the uneven acceleration of the bubble in a moving aircraft, and to one or more inaccurate sights in a series. At the end of two minutes, the mechanism stops, throwing a shutter into the optical path of the sextant assembly. Basically, the averaging device consists of an averaging mechanism gear train, a spring driven clock mechanism, and a counter
I bought this sextant at a garage sale. The gentleman selling it said his Grandfather was a Navigator on a bomber during WWII, but had few other details. I don't know if this sextant is a WWII era one or not, but it certainly looks like it could be. I believe this type of sextant was used up until the Vietnam War. From what I've researched the MA-2 sextant could be used on all bombers but was more common on smaller ones, like the B-25 bomber, which had limited space.
Excerpts from the 1955 Air Force Sextant Manual 51-40. Complete instructions are available at link at bottom.
In order to perform celestial navigation, it is necessary to have some sort of device with which to determine the altitude of celestial bodies. That device is the sextant. The Air Force has several types of bubble sextants.
The MA-2 is a hand held bubble sextant for use in aircraft where space will not permit installing an automatic or periscopic sextant. The main body of the sextant, including the controls, averager, and bubble control, are identical to the periscopic sextant. The MA-2 is also provided with a hook for use in astrodomes of older aircraft. The sextant has a field of vision of 12½° and is capable of measuring altitudes from -10° to +92°. The averager provides an average altitude accurate to two minutes of arc over any period of time from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The MA-2 sextant has four main systems: the horizon, the optical, the altitude recording and averaging, and the electrical system. All systems, other than the optical system, are identical to the periscopic sextant.
Optical System. Light entering the objective window passes through the index prism, objective lens system, and filters, as shown in accompanying diagram. It is then directed to the eye by a pentaroof fixed prism and forms a real image at the focal plane of the field lens. On the field lens is a reticle, consisting of a vertical and horizontal line, which indicates the center of the field. The focal plane of the eyepiece lens system coincides with that of the field lens and reticle. The eyepiece may be adjusted for focus by rotating the knob directly behind the rubber eyepiece.
Daylight for the illumination of the bubble enters through the diffuser at the top of the bubble chamber. The image of the bubble passes downward through an objective lens and through the pellicle to a retro-reflector. I t is then reflected to the pellicle which in turn reflects it to the focal plane of the main optical system. If the diffuser prevents the entrance of sufficient daylight for the illumination of the bubble, artificial illumination is provided by a 28-volt lamp controlled by a rheostat.
Fire burns along a perimeter established for the McRae Fire. The McRae Fire was being managed to achieve resource objectives such as improving forest health and enhancing wildlife habitat. Tusayan district. 7-22-14. Photo by Brandon Oberhardt. Credit the U.S. Forest Service, Southwestern Region, Kaibab National Forest.
The conical adapter was suggested in C&CMP; I think it's a great idea. Still need to test it a bit to understand the magnification in relationship to the objective's stated power. I may take the helicoid from a sacrificial lens and use it to add a focusing feature (some day).
I need to find a lower magnification objective, maybe with a wider field of view or longer focal distance...I know there are favorites for this application: to the hunt!
(this 4x objective shows a small circle in the center of the frame and significant CA; APO is the way to go I think, or just higher quality optics than No-Name!)
A "space artifact" which has really faint stars in the orb part (hard to see under the light), a comm center, an ammo dump, a fuel dump and a dig site which has a skull in the pit which you can't see from this angle.
The canary-yellow chapel building at the junction of Middle Road and Waterloo Street is the new home of Objectives, a centre for photography and films
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZ2HUfD0QSw&feature=share&...
Universal, 15 Chapters, 1938. Starring Larry “Buster” Crabbe, Jean Rogers, Charles Middleton, Frank Shannon, Beatrice Roberts, Richard Alexander, Donald Kerr, C. Montague Shaw, Wheeler Oakman.
Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars picks up almost exactly where Flash Gordon left off, with our courageous trio of interplanetary adventurers–Flash Gordon (Larry “Buster” Crabbe), Dale Arden (Jean Rogers), and Dr. Zarkov (Frank Shannon)–returning to Earth from the planet Mongo. They are greeted to a royal welcome, since their voyage has saved the Earth from being destroyed by the late Emperor Ming of Mongo. Zarkov, however, attempts to curb the Earthlings’ ebullience by cautioning them that the defeat and death of Ming does not mean that their planet is free from other threats of extraterrestrial invasion. As usual, Zarkov is correct; shortly after his warning speech, the Martian Queen Azura (Beatrice Roberts) begins an operation designed to siphon off the “nitron” (aka nitrogen) in the Earth’s atmosphere. Azura’s primary goal is to create nitron-powered weapons with which to wage a war against her mortal foes, the Clay People of Mars. She’s indifferent to the devastating effect that it will have on the Earth, while her chief adviser and military consultant regards the destruction of Earth as the main attraction of the plan. That adviser is none other than Ming (Charles Middleton), still very much alive and longing for revenge on Flash and Zarkov for toppling him from his throne and driving him into exile on Mars.
As the Earth begins to experience catastrophic floods and storms, due to the effects of Azura’s “Nitron Lamp,” Zarkov, Flash, and Dale launch another interplanetary trip to discover the cause of the catastrophes, which Zarkov has determined are due to a beam that emanates from outer space. They discover an unexpected stowaway aboard after takeoff–reporter “Happy” Hapgood (Donald Kerr), who had set out to track down Zarkov and get his opinion of the world-wide disasters. Not long after arriving on Mars, our quartet of Earth adventurers find themselves embroiled in the war between Azura and the Clay People. The latter are one-time rivals of the Queen, who have been transformed into living clay by Azura’s magical powers and banished to underground caverns from whence they carry on a guerilla war against Azura’s forces. The Clay People’s king enlists the aid of Flash and his party, as both of them want to stop Azura’s nitron-collecting plans, and, with additional aid from Prince Barin (Richard Alexander)–who arrives on Mars to try to convince the Martians to expel Ming–Flash and his party pit themselves against Azura’s magic, Ming’s machinations, Ming’s savage allies the Forest People, and many other hazards, in their quest to save the Earth.
Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars is fully as good as the first Flash Gordon serial, although its strengths are in slightly different areas. While Trip to Mars doesn’t measure up to Flash Gordon when it comes to colorful characters and fantastic monsters, its focused plotline surpasses the episodic story of the earlier serial. In Flash Gordon, the protagonists merely responded to the perpetual perils that were hurled at them by Ming, King Vultan, and King Kala, while Ming’s own plans for destroying the Earth were largely abandoned after the first chapter in favor of his attempts to marry Dale and destroy Flash. In Trip to Mars, Flash, Dale, and Zarkov initiate events instead of just coping with them, and Ming’s new grand design drives the plot far more strongly than his earlier one, giving the good guys a clear-cut objective (the destruction of the Nitron Lamp) beyond simple escape from Mongo.
While Trip to Mars has no characters to rival Flash Gordon’s King Vultan and no bizarre beasts like the Orangopoid or the Fire Dragon, it still has excellent other-worldly atmosphere. The sets are not as varied and intricate as in the first serial, but still surpass the backdrops of almost any other chapterplay. Especially striking are Ming’s “powerhouse,” with its laboratory equipment and its disintegration room, Azura’s massive palace with its unique architectural design (particularly the futuristic pocket doors), the Clay People’s eerie caves, and the wonderfully-designed realm of the Forest People, with its twisted trees, climbing vines, hidden tunnels amid tree roots, and treehouse-like observation platforms.
In addition to the big sets, there are dozens of other major and minor props and special effects that make Trips to Mars memorably atmospheric; there’s the the Martians’ flying capes, the Martian televiewer screens (which are cleverly incorporated into the recap sequences at the beginning of each chapter), the Clay People’s vapor-healing chamber, and the bridge of light that connects Azura’s rocket tower to the rest of her palace and is powered by a simple switch like any Earthling lamp (the scene where Flash and Zarkov are first forced to cross the unsafe-looking thing is quite funny), to name but a few. I also appreciate the fact that Azura’s spaceship squadrons–her “stratosleds”–are designed differently than any of the ships in the first Flash Gordon serial; one would expect the aerial fleets of differing planets to differ in appearance. Another neat touch of internal consistency is the use of three completely different forms of salute by the three principal Martian races–Queen Azura’s subjects, the Clay People, and the Forest People.
The serial’s screenplay maintains good continuity with the previous Flash outing, despite being the work of a completely different team of writers–Ray Trampe, Norman S. Hall, Wyndham Gittens, and Herbert Dalmas. The new writing team avoids any of the clunky lines that occasionally crept into Flash Gordon’s dialogue exchanges; they also, despite having to resort to a few flashbacks to the first serial for padding purposes, manage to make their plot fit its fifteen-chapter length quite nicely. The major plot thread of the heroes’ attempts to destroy Ming and Azura’s Nitron Lamp is skillfully interwoven with several subplots–the Clay People’s efforts to regain their natural shape, the attempts by both Flash and Ming to get hold of the Black Sapphire of Kalu (a talisman that can neutralize Azura’s magic), and Ming’s plot to undermine Azura and seize the Martian throne.
Trip to Mars’ script wisely spreads its plot developments over the course of the serial, instead of introducing all its ideas in the first chapter and letting them tread water until the final one: the Clay People aren’t introduced till the second chapter or the Forest People until the sixth, while Prince Barin first arrives in Chapter Seven. The Nitron Lamp is destroyed in Chapter Nine and rebuilt over the course of the following chapters until it must be destroyed again at the climax, and one of the principal villains is killed off in Chapter Thirteen.
The cliffhangers aren’t quite as varied as in the first Flash serial, due to the lack of the various monsters that frequently attacked Flash for chapter-ending purposes in the earlier outing. However, writers still manage to avoid excessive repetition; for instance, while there are three chapter endings involving stratosled crashes, each one is set up differently–the first has Flash crashing a stratosled into another stratosled to stop it from bombing Dale and Happy, the second has a stratosled crashing on top of Flash and Zarkov, and the third has Flash and the pilots of a ’sled grapping for the controls as it soars towards yet another crash. There’s also an excellent cliffhanger in which Flash, Dale, Happy, and Zarkov are surrounded by an ever-narrowing ring of fire in the Forest People’s kingdom, and a memorably unusual one that has a hypnotized Dale stabbing an unsuspecting Flash in the back.
Though Trip to Mars has no swordfights or wrestling matches corresponding to those in Flash Gordon, it still features a nice variety of action scenes–including stratosled dogfights, fights among the vines and treetops of the Forest Kingdom, and chases through Azura’s big palace; the palace sequence in Chapter Five, which has the nimble Flash vaulting through windows to avoid the guards, is a particular standout. Directors Ford Beebe (a Universal serial veteran) and Robert Hill (a talented director who rarely escaped from low-budget independent serials and B-films) do a fine job of orchestrating these action scenes, assisted by stuntmen Eddie Parker (doubling Buster Crabbe), George DeNormand, Tom Steele, Bud Wolfe, and Jerry Frank. All of the aforementioned stuntmen, except Parker, also pop up in minor acting roles.
The performances in Trip to Mars are all first-rate; the returning actors from the first serial are all just as good as they were in Flash Gordon, while the new major players fit in smoothly. Buster Crabbe’s Flash is just as tough, chipper, athletic, and likable as in the first serial–and a good deal more wise and resourceful than before, improvising strategy and coming up with plans in tough situations instead of just trying to batter his way out. Frank Shannon’s Zarkov, as consequence of Flash’s new-found intelligence, has a reduced part, not guiding the good guys’ actions as he did in the first serial; he still functions as the scientific brains of the group, though, and is still as intense, serious, and sincere as before.
Jean Rogers, with her long blonde hair bobbed and dyed brown to better match the comic-strip version of Dale Arden (she’s also dressed in less arresting fashion), isn’t as stunning as in Flash Gordon, but is still a warm, welcome, and lovely presence. Her part here is smaller than in the first serial, though, since Ming is not romantically interested in her this time out (Ming, though no gentleman, evidently prefers blondes). Richard Alexander’s Prince Barin is a lot more self-assured when it comes to delivering dialogue this time around (helped, no doubt, by the absence of any overly high-flown lines), while his convincingly royal bearing and his commanding size are as effective as before.
Charles Middleton’s Ming is even more entertainingly sinister here than he was in Flash Gordon, getting a good deal more screen time and given a more devilish appearance by a notably forked beard. Though still given opportunities to break into tyrannical and bloodthirsty rages (particularly in his insane rant in the final chapter), Middleton spends much of the serial displaying duplicity and sly subtlety instead, since his Ming must pretend to friendship with Azura even while plotting against her. Middleton carries off this slightly more multi-faceted version of Ming masterfully, winning a few laughs with his crafty cynicism while remaining thoroughly sinister and hateful.
Beatrice Roberts does a fine job as Queen Azura, eschewing the sneering, aggressive demeanor of other serial villainesses for a regal, dignified manner (with a wryly humorous undercurrent) that contrasts interestingly with her often cruel behavior. Her Azura comes off as selfish and ruthless, but not an abusive tyrant like Ming. Donald Kerr as reporter Happy Hapgood, the other principal new character, is as controversial among fans as most other serial comedy-relief characters are. Speaking for myself, though, I found him quite likable and entertaining; he provides an amusingly commonplace point-of-view towards the fantastic world of Mars and is never obtrusive, gratingly stupid, or obnoxious. Additionally, his character is allowed to be quite heroic and helpful when the chips are down, a far cry from one-dimensional cowardly “comic” pests like Sonny Ray in Perils of Pauline or Lee Ford in SOS Coast Guard.
Wheeler Oakman is very good as Tarnak, Ming’s wily lab assistant and co-conspirator against Azura. C. Montague Shaw, concealed under heavy makeup for most of the serial, conveys an impressive air of ruined dignity as the King of the Clay People and manages to seem both sinister and sympathetic at different times. Usual hero Kane Richmond brings appropriate depth of characterization to his key role as a Martian pilot, who proves instrumental in helping Flash overthrow Ming in the later chapters. Anthony Warde has a small part as Toran, king of the Forest People, but extracts as much snarling nastiness as possible from the role. Future director Thomas Carr is his second-in-command, Kenne Duncan is the officer in charge of Azura’s airdrome, Lane Chandler and Jack Mulhall both appear as pilots of her Death Squadron, and Warner Richmond has a small role as one of Ming’s palace cohorts.
Hooper Atchley and James Blaine pop up as self-important Earth scientists, propounding ingenious and inaccurate theories as to the causes of the damage brought about by the Nitron Lamp, while Edwin Stanley is the general presiding over a council comprised of these two and additional savants. Louis Merrill (a radio actor who played character roles in several feature films) has a brief but memorable turn as the blunt and slightly uncouth Dr. Metz, who alone among the scientists has the humility to admit that Zarkov is the only one capable of unravelling the riddle of the disasters. Merrill’s characterization is so vivid that one wishes the actor had taken a larger part in this chapterplay or in other serials.
Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars is a nearly ideal sequel, in that it manages to preserve the basic strengths of its predecessor while deviating from it in some areas and improving on it in others. It’s also a nearly ideal serial, independent of its relation to the earlier Flash Gordon; it balances good acting, atmosphere, action, and plotting in such fine style that it would still be a notable achievement if it were the sole entry in the Flash Gordon series.
Flash, Dale, and Dr. Zarkov return from their former space adventures only to find that their enemy, Ming the Merciless of planet Mongo, has a new weapon: a deadly ray that crosses space to wreak havoc on earth. Earth's only hope is for our heroes to take off again and stop the ray at its source on Mars, where they (and a stowaway) familiar to sci-fi serial fans as Happy Hapgood the space traveling reporter). Must battle Ming's ally, Queen Azura, who turns her enemies into lumpish clay people.With the aid of the Clay People and Prince Barin, Flash and his friends are triumphant in destroying the ray and putting an end to the scheme of Ming the Merciless. Can they survive 15 chapters of deadly perils? Find out next week...
The Deadly Ray From Mars was an edited version of the 1938 Universal serial "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" that was released to TV in a syndication package in 1966.
Mars Attacks the World was the feature version of the 1938 serial titled Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars. aka "Space Soldiers' Trip to Mars" - USA (TV title)
Mars Attacks the World is the feature compilation version of the serial Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars, while Rocket Ship is the the feature compilation of the serial Flash Gordon.
Jean Rogers as Dale Arden
Charles Middelton as Emperor Ming
Frank Shannon as Dr. Zarkov
Beatrice Roberts as Queen Azura
Richard Alexander as Prince Barin
Montague Shaw as The Clay King
Donald Kerr as Happy Hapgood the space traveling reporter.
The title of this serial was originally going to be "Flash Gordon and the Witch Queen of Mongo." It was changed so that Universal could save money by shooting the outdoor scenes on the back lot and not have to build costly sets, and by reusing the set for Emperor Ming's palace.
In the stock footage from Flash Gordon, shown in this film, as Flash is telling The Clay People about his previous encounter with Emperor Ming, Ming is bald and Dale Arden has blond hair. In this sequel, Ming has "pasted on" hair and Dale is a brunette. It has been reported that Jean Rogers (Dale Arden) had many other film roles pending at that time (1938) which had called for her to portray a brunette.
King Features Syndicate released the 3 Flash Gordon serials as well as "Buck Rogers," Red Barry", "Ace Drummond" and other comic strip cliffhangers to US TV in 1951. Because the television show Flash Gordon, starring Steve Holland as Flash, was in syndication in late 1953, the three Universal Pictures Flash Gordon theatrical serials were retitled for TV broadcast. Flash Gordon became "Space Soldiers", Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars became "Space Soldiers' Trip to Mars", and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe became "Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe". To this day both the 3 original "Flash Gordon" serial titles and the 3 "Space Soldiers" titles are used.
Chapter Titles:
1. New Worlds To Conquer
2. The Living Dead
3. Queen of Magic
4. Ancient Enemies
5. The Boomerang
6. Treemen of Mars
7. Prisoner of Monga
8. Black Sapphire of Kalu
9. Symbol of Death
10. Incense of Forgetfulness
11. Human Bait
12. Ming the Merciless
13. Miracle of Magic
14. Beasts at Bay
15. An Eyes For An Eye
Gefertigt/Manufactured: 1908 - 1913
Vergrösserung/Magnification: 8x
Öffnung/Aperture: 24 mm
Gesichtsfeld/Field Of View: 6.6°
Scheinbares Gesichtsfeld/Apparent Field Of View: 53°
Breite/Width*: 15.8 cm
Gewicht/Weight: 560 g
* Bei/At 65 mm Pupillenabstand/Interpupillary Distance
ENGLISH VERSION below
Als Nachfolger des achtfachen Feldstechers gehört das Telact neben dem Telex (siehe www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/20186655591), Silvamar (siehe www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/28267710186) und Telefort (siehe www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/18331617249) zu den Vertretern der neuen Bauart mit angegossener Brücke, welche ab 1907 eingeführt worden ist. Es zeichnet sich durch ein hohes Prismengehäuse sowie durch sehr gute optische Eigenschaften aus. Insgesamt sind drei Baureihen bekannt, welche sich hauptsächlich in der Ausführung der Objektive unterscheiden: Einstückdeckel, Zweiringstutzen, Rundkappen. Zudem sind auch militärische Versionen bekannt mit der Bezeichnung D.F. 8x (siehe www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/18328766799) und D.F. 95 n/A (siehe www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/26310827373). Die Mitteltriebsversion heisst Telactem (siehe www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/20853717950). Die Produktion des Telacts und Telactem wird in den Jahren 1912 bis 1914 beendet, die Nachfolgemodelle heissen Turact (siehe www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/17310670840 und www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/17894291844) bzw. Turactem (siehe www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/22066814744).
Bei dem vorliegenden Exemplar handelt es sich um ein in Wien (nach London im Jahre 1912 eröffnetes zweites Zweigwerk im Ausland) gefertigtes Telact mit Kurznummer 12584. Nachdem die für Carl Zeiss Wien typischen Kurznummern in einem bisher nicht verstandenen Nummernkreis liegen, muss zur Altersbestimmung auf bauliche Merkmale, hier die Objektivstutzen vom Zweiring-Typ, ausgewichen werden; diese fanden nur in den Jahren 1908 bis 1913 Verwendung.
Ein besonderes Telact mit militärischer L-Randnummer findet sich hier: www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/19145846420
Ein normales Telact aus Jenaer Fertigung findet sich hier: www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/50225709786
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ENGLISH VERSION
Being the successor of the 8x Feldstecher the Telact apart from the Telex (see www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/20186655591), the Silvamar (see www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/28267710186) and the Telefort (see www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/18331617249) belongs to a group of binoculars that exhibit a new construction type introduced in 1907 where the folding bars are no longer fixed with screws to the housing but instead the folding bar and housing are manufactured from one single piece. Also the Telact has high prism housings and shows good optical performance. In total there are three series known which mainly differ in the design of the objective tubes: objective tubes and cover plates are made from one single piece, objective tubes of two-ring type, rounded objective tubes. Known as well are military versions with the name D.F. 8x (see www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/18328766799) and D.F. 95 n/A (see www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/26310827373). The model with central focusing is called Telactem (see www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/20853717950). The production of the Telact and the Telactem ends in 1912 until 1914, the succeeding models are called Turact (see www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/17310670840 and www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/17894291844) and Turactem (see www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/22066814744), respectively.
This Telact produced in Vienna (established 1912 as second branch in foreign countries after London) is about a model exhibiting the short number 12584. Since the short numbers that are typical for Carl Zeiss Wien are within a number range not yet fully understood, for age determination constructional features have to be considered instead, in this case objective tubes of two-ring type; these were only used between 1908 and 1913.
A special Telact with military L rim number can be found here: www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/19145846420
A regular Telact from production in Jena can be found here: www.flickr.com/photos/franksbinoculars/50225709786
Some fast facts and numbers about Gaza strip's demographics, plus the main landmarks and a resume of the objectives targeted by Israel Army during the first ten days of war. Sources and credits: Le Monde, Reuters, agencies
Topo do Morro da Igreja e, no horizonte, uma primeira visão geral do Campo dos Padres (clique em all sizes)
Parque Nacional de São Joaquim (SC).
Travessia de 3 dias (do distrito de Vacas Gordas ao Morro da Igreja, segundo ponto mais alto do Sul do país). Fomos guiados por Juan Rivas Beasley, fotógrafo e montanhista.
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Top of the Church Mountain and, in the horizon, a first general view of Campo dos Padres ("Field of the Priests".
São Joaquim National Park, Urubici, Brasil.
3-day trek through this national preservation area, beginning in Vacas Gordas ("Fat Cows") district, finishing in Morro da Igreja (Church Mountain). We were guided by Juan Rivas Beasley, photographer and mountaineer.
Today's main objective was to get some shots of GBRF operations on the Foxton to Barrington freight-only branch in Cambridgeshire. This involves loaded spoil trains arriving from Willesden via the ECML & Royston and then propelling backwards over the level crossing into the exchange sidings at Foxton. The loco then runs round, ready to head down the branch to the loading pad. Meanwhile the discharged early-morning train comes up the branch into the exchange sidings and then heads off directly to Cambridge where it runs round and heads down the West Anglia mainline through Bishops Stortford back to Willesden.
There are three ungated level crossings on the branch, two worked by GBRF and one by Cemex, which makes for some very interesting shots!